Top Ten Podcasts You Must Listen To

1. This American Life - This is certainly the obvious pick for number one, but it’s safe to say that podcasts–or radio, for that matter– don’t get any better than This American Life, the long-running program put out by Chicago Public Radio.

2. The How Stuff Works Podcasts - Ever wonder what causes deja vu, how the Panama Canal was built, or just what it is exactly that’s inside a Twinkie? If so, then you should be listening to the many podcasts put out by the website howstuffworks.com

3. The Moth - As far as podcasts go, things don’t get much simpler or more engrossing than the Moth, a weekly podcast run out of New York City by a nonprofit arts organization. The show is made up of recordings of “true stories told before a live audience without notes.”

4. The Adam Carolla Podcast - You probably know Adam Carolla from The Man Show or as the longtime host of the radio program Loveline, but what you might not know is that the comedian has become one of the internet’s most prolific and successful podcasters.

5. Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me - One of the most popular programs on National Public Radio, Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me! is now available as a podcast, and it has become one of the most popular downloads at the i-tunes store. The show is a news program in the form of a game show.

6. Filmspotting - Filmspotting is a weekly podcast out of Chicago that is a must-listen for any movie fan. The show is ostensibly focused on movie reviews, but hosts Adam Kempenaar and Matty Robinson do more than just tell their listeners what new movies are worth seeing, they also discuss and examine film as an art form as thoroughly as any critics working today. T

7. Left, Right, and Center - For astute political talk that tackles every perspective on an issue, you can’t do better than Left, Right, and Center. The show, which features four commentators from different parts of the political spectrum debating the issues of the day, usually airs on New York public radio, but it’s also released as a weekly podcast.

8. The B.S. Report - Designed for the sports fan with a sense of humor, the B.S. Report is a frequent podcast hosted by ESPN sportswriter Bill Simmons. Simmons has long been a cult favorite of sports fans for his popular columns on the ESPN website and magazine, where he is known for his uncanny ability to elevate his discussions on baseball and the NBA with a healthy dose of pop culture references and wickedly funny jokes.

9. Mysterious Universe - From alien abductions and secret government programs to tales of ghostly occurrences and visitations by the Bigfoot, Mysterious Universe has all the weirdest paranormal news worth speculating about. The show, which is hosted by Australians Benjamin Grundy and Aaron Wright, has just returned for its second season after gaining something of a cult following during its first year on the air.

10. Smodcast - There might not be any better example of the fluidness of podcasting than Smodcast, an ongoing R-rated dialogue between filmmaker Kevin Smith (Clerks, Dogma) and his longtime producer Scott Mosier. The show has no set format, and there is little structure beyond a short musical intro.