‘Casting call

Five podcasts worthy of your earholes

If we’re in the era of “Peak TV,” in which the choices of quality programming are so vast we must accept that we’ll never see certain shows or even channels (sorry, TruTV), the same can be said about the podcast, which is experiencing its own boom. Here are five currently separating themselves from the crowd of thousands. 

Crimetown // “This just happens to be organized crime, and people don’t get fired. They get fired at.”

    That’s the kind of colorful commentary you can expect from the many odd and fascinating characters you’ll meet in “Crimetown.” Produced by the team behind HBO’s spellbinding “The Jinx,” the latest offering from prestige-podcast darling Gimlet Media takes a deep dive into the culture of crime in Providence, R.I.—which, as it turns out, was as mobbed up as any city in the country during the 70s and 80s. Though digressions to all corners of the city abound, the narrative is anchored by the ascendancy of Vincent “Buddy” Cianci, who was twice elected mayor of Providence and was twice forced to resign from office after felony convictions including racketeering, conspiracy and extortion. It’s an expertly crafted tale of a criminal underworld that would seem outlandish if we didn’t know it to be true. Think of it like “Goodfellas” in podcast form.  

Suggested entry point: It’s a serial narrative. Start at the beginning.

Doughboys // L.A. comedy writers/performers Nick Wiger and Mike Mitchell stumbled onto a podcast premise nearly universal in its appeal: deep analysis of chain restaurants. You may think that sounds anything but appealing, but even if (like me) you rarely, if ever, eat at chain restaurants anymore, chances are you frequented your share of them in some bygone era. I never knew I had an opinion on the crispness of the lettuce in a Wendy’s hamburger. I never realized how impressive I find Taco Bell’s creativity in turning the same three ingredients into endless new menu items. I never really, truly considered how pitchman Jared Fogle’s sex crimes affect my feelings about eating at Subway. Until I got hooked on “Doughboys.” The hilarious, adversarial banter between the hosts and the ridiculous running gags are all icing on the cake.

Suggested entry point: “Wendy’s,” with guest Paul Rust.

My Favorite Murder // The current glut of true-crime podcasts and documentaries has inspired many a somber think piece decrying the public’s perverse fascination with violent crime and the people who perpetrate it. We should all be ashamed of ourselves, say the naysayers, for obsessing over the suffering of others. That stance is valid, without question—but some of us are just fascinated by it, whether we like it or not. So it’s refreshing that comedians Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark not only refuse to shy away from their shared obsession with the topic, they lean into it hard. In each episode, both hosts present their “favorite murder” of the week and discuss the ins and outs of the cases as the curious looky-loos they are. Simple as that. If you’re looking for meticulous research or comprehensive presentations of fact, you should look elsewhere. If you want to hear a conversation between funny, charming people with the same weird fascination as you, you won’t find one more fun than this.

Suggested entry point: “Small Foreign Faction,” which covers the unsolved murder of JonBenet Ramsey.

The West Wing Weekly // Chalk this up as a double recommendation: for the podcast as well as the television show it celebrates—which is available on Netflix and can help you cope in these fraught political times with a dose of pure fantasy in which thoughtful, well-meaning people run the government based on the best interests of ordinary Americans. Hosted by super-fan Hrishikesh Hirway and actor Joshua Malina (who joined the main cast of “The West Wing” in its fourth season), the pair recap and review a new episode of the show each week (they’re currently midway through season two). Most episodes feature an interview with one of its creative heavy hitters (including creator Aaron Sorkin, and actors Bradley Whitford and Richard Schiff).

Suggested entry point: “In the Shadow of Two Gunmen,” parts one and two. The show’s best episode also inspires the podcast’s best episodes.

Sleep With Me // I can barely speak to the content of this podcast because—I swear—I’ve never heard more than about five minutes of an episode. That’s high praise in this case, because the less one hears of “Sleep With Me,” the better it’s working. Host Drew Ackerman has an especially relaxing monotone drone, and tells stories specifically constructed to become more and more boring as they go along, all intended to help you drift off to sleep. At first I thought it was a clever gimmick to drum up attention for an ordinary storytelling podcast. Then I put on an episode as I lay in bed and the next thing I knew my morning alarm was going off. 

Suggested entry point: Just pick one. It works.

For more from Matt, read his article on the best TV shows of 2016.