Looking for the best podcasts of the year? Whether you’re on the hunt for a daily news podcast for your commute or true crime podcast to binge while working out, we’ve got you covered. Here are the top podcasts of 2023!
All The Smoke
- Episode Frequency: Thursdays
- Average Episode Length: 60 minutes
- Network: The Black Effect Podcast Network
- Where to Listen: Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio
Having participated alongside two generations of basketball stars, listen to two of the most outspoken NBA players, Matt Barnes and Stephan Jackson, discuss their first-hand insight into the basketball world on All The Smoke. During this sports podcast, listeners learn about the latest basketball news and drama on and off the court.
Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard
- Episode Frequency: Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays
- Average Episode Length: 100 minutes
- Network: Armchair Expert Umbrella
- Where to Listen: Apple Podcasts, Spotify
Check out Dax Shepard’s podcast Armchair Expert, which features long-form interviews with celebrities, politicians, and public figures. Shepard’s goal is to have vulnerable and honest conversations about the messiness of being human. From discussions with Emilia Clarke about challenges she has faced in her career to Ashton Kutcher sharing insights about valuable lessons he has learned on his journey to sobriety, Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard covers a wide berth of society, entertainment, pop culture, and real-life issues.
Be Well Podcast
- Episode Frequency: Wednesdays
- Average Episode: Length: 60 minutes
- Network: Be Well by Kelly
- Where to Listen: Apple Podcasts, Spotify
Nutritionist Kelly Leveque’s Be Well Podcast teaches listeners tips and tricks about maintaining a balanced diet. Wanting to be proactive with her long-term health, Leveque chats with experts about important health-related topics, helping her listeners stay motivated in their nutrition journey.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
- Episode Frequency: Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays
- Average Episode Length: 80 minutes
- Network: The Ringer
- Where to Listen: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify
Sports analyst Bill Simmons’ self-titled podcast features a variety of celebrity guests, athletes, and media hosts to discuss Super Bowl victories, road win-streaks, NBA trade rumors, playoff picks, and more! His show is often split into two parts.
Breakthrough
- Episode Frequency: Thursdays
- Average Episode Length: 60 minutes
- Network: Audible
- Where to Listen: Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Audible
In the first-ever, audio-only singing competition, Breakthrough is a podcast standout. Hosted by Daveed Diggs, judges Kelly Rowland and Sara Bareilles evaluate five undiscovered musicians fighting to become the next biggest music sensation.
Classy with Jonathan Menjivar
- Episode Frequency: Wednesdays
- Average Episode Length: 40 minutes
- Network: Pineapple Street Studios
- Where to Listen: Apple Podcasts, Spotify
Having grown up in a working-class Latino family, host Jonathan Menjivar shares his thoughts about socio-economic statuses through personal experience. This top podcast of 2023, Classy with Jonathan Menjivar, leaves the listener to reflect on how “class” influences their life, behavior, and relationships.
Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend
- Episode Frequency: Wednesdays, Thursdays
- Average Episode Length: 60 minutes
- Network: Team Coco
- Where to Listen: Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcast, SiriusXM, Spotify
Join retired late-night host Conan O’Brien on his journey to making friends on his podcast, Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend. No topics are off-limits. Every week, O’Brien, with co-hosts Matt Gourley and Sona Movsesian, hangs with a celebrity guest. This top comedy podcast is sure to add some laughter to your day!
Crime Junkie
- Episode Frequency: Mondays
- Average Episode Length: 50 minutes
- Network: audiochuck
- Where to Listen: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify
Get your weekly true crime fix with Crime Junkie. Every Monday cohosts Ashley Flowers and Brit Prawat tell listeners about whatever true crime story they’re obsessing over. As one of the top true crime podcasts, listeners can expect edge-of-your-seat storytelling for fellow lovers of true crime.
Critics at Large
- Episode Frequency: Thursdays
- Average Episode Length: 45 minutes
- Network: The New Yorker
- Where to Listen: Apple Podcasts, Spotify
Every Thursday, join The New Yorker writers Vinson Cunningham, Naomi Fry, and Alexandra Schwartz as they share their take on pop culture and entertainment on Critics at Large. As critics, they share their hot takes about pop culture and emerging trends from TV shows, books, and films.
The Daily
- Episode Frequency: Daily
- Average Episode Length: 20 minutes
- Network: The New York Times
- Where to Listen: Apple Podcast, Amazon Music, Spotify, and Stitcher
Every weekday morning at 6 AM EST, The New York Times‘ Michael Barbaro and Sabrina Tavernise release The Daily, a 20-minute podcast highlighting the most pressing news headlines worldwide. As one of the most downloaded podcasts, listeners will have access to interviews with highly respected professionals in every field to fully analyze the stories. The quick news segments take listeners inside the biggest stories of our time to uncover the necessary facts and information.
The Doctor’s Farmacy with Mark Hyman, M.D.
- Episode Frequency: Sundays, Wednesdays, Fridays
- Average Episode Length: 60 minutes
- Network: Dr. Hyman+
- Where to Listen: Apple Podcasts
Hosted by Dr. Mark Hyman, listeners can learn timely medical topics like the increase in chronic disease on The Doctor’s Farmacy. During this 60-minute health podcast, Dr. Hyman discusses issues each week related to health, wellness, food, and politics.
The Drive
- Episode Frequency: Mondays
- Average Episode Length: 120 minutes
- Network: Peter Attia MD
- Where to Listen: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify
The Drive, hosted by Dr. Peter Attia, is a health podcast focused on informing listeners about maximizing life. Through his podcast, listeners learn how important physical, cognitive, and emotional health is for longevity. Topics include injury prevention, strength training, concussions, and more.
HBR IdeaCast
- Episode Frequency: Tuesdays
- Average Episode Length: 30 minutes
- Network: Harvard Business Review
- Where to Listen: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Radio Public, RSS
Hosted by journalists Alison Beard and Curt Nickisch, HBR IdeaCast is a weekly podcast about topics in business and management. Together, they interview the top thinkers about how business ideas are helping shape the modern world.
Hollywood Raw
- Episode Frequency: Weekly
- Average Episode Length: 60 minutes
- Network: Hurrdat Media
- Where to Listen: Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Wondery
Hosted by entertainment news veteran Dax Holt and NYC photojournalist Adam Glyn, Hollywood Raw shows a different side of Hollywood. Talking with other industry professionals, celebrities, and paparazzi, listeners get the real, uncensored entertainment news.
How I Built This with Guy Raz
- Episode Frequency: Weekly
- Average Episode Length: 60 minutes
- Network: Wondery
- Where to Listen: Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Wondery
Curious how industry people were able to build a successful business? Wondery’s How I Built This with Guy Raz interviews the most well-known entrepreneurs about their brands and how their successes and failures have helped them be who they are today.
Huberman Lab
- Episode Frequency: Weekly
- Average Episode Length: 90 minutes
- Network: Scicomm Media
- Where to Listen: Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify
Huberman Lab is a weekly podcast published on multiple networks. Hosted by neuroscientist and professor at Stanford School of Medicine Dr. Andrew Huberman, this health podcast discusses topics like our brain’s connection to our body’s organs and science-based tools through interview Q&As with other medical professionals.
Hurdle
- Episode Frequency: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
- Average Episode Length: 50 minutes
- Network: Hurdle by Emily Abbate
- Where to Listen: Apple, iHeartRadio, Spotify, Stitcher
Hurdle is a wellness-focused podcast that aims to inspire you to live your life with the best intentions. Wellness coach Emily Abbate talks with individuals, from athletes to entrepreneurs, about how they’ve gotten through their most challenging moments. Become a “hurdler” and start living an intention-filled life with this top podcast.
If Books Could Kill
- Episode Frequency: Thursdays
- Average Episode Length: 60 minutes
- Network: If Books Could Kill
- Where to Listen: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher
Targeting novels found in airport bookshops, If Books Could Kill is about best-selling books that have ruined minds. Hosts Peter Shamshiri and Michael Hobbes discuss popular books’ influence, examining errors, arguments, use of data, and more.
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
- Episode Frequency: Weekly
- Average Episode Length: 60 minutes
- Network: iHeartRadio
- Where to Listen: Apple Podcast, iHeartRadio, Spotify
Get your weekly pop culture fix with Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang. Nominated for the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Podcast in 2023, hosts Rogers and Yang discuss the hottest pop culture moments, from Grey’s Anatomy characters to Real Housewives of New York City.
Leave It On The Dance Floor
- Episode Frequency: Tuesdays
- Average Episode Length: 60 minutes
- Network: Hurrdat Media
- Where to Listen: Apple Podcast, Spotify
Known as the leader of Abby Lee Dance Company, join Abby Lee Miller on her podcast, Leave It On The Dance Floor. Here, the Queen of Dance talks about her career, favorite episodes of her reality TV show Dance Moms, and more, with special guest appearances from celebrities and former students!
Namaste B$tches
- Episode Frequency: Mondays
- Average Episode Length: 60 minutes
- Network: Hurrdat Media
- Where to Listen: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, RSS
Join Teresa Giudice and Melissa Pfeister as they bring the sass and real talk to their podcast Namaste B$tches. The Real Housewives of New Jersey‘s OG stars and certified nutritionist team up to entertain fans with their direct, outspoken, high-energy conversations about fashion, food, and celebrities. Join Guidice and Pfeister every Wednesday!
NPR News Now
- Episode Frequency: Hourly
- Average Episode Length: 5 minutes
- Network: NPR
- Where to Listen: Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify
NPR News Now is a quick, five-minute podcast that’s updated hourly with relevant current events. The show features national and international news, corresponding with NPR journalists around the world who interview civilians and report on the latest news.
Pardon My Take
- Episode Frequency: Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays,
- Average Episode Length: 100 minutes
- Network: Barstool Sports
- Where to Listen: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Spotify
Dan “Big Cat” Katz and PFT Commenter provide “the loudest and most correct sports take in the history of the spoken word” on Pardon My Take. The Barstool Sports podcast is unpredictable and comedic while discussing everything from the winner of the PGA to Kentucky Derby predictions. No sports-related topic or new items are off-limits!
Pop Culture Happy Hour
- Episode Frequency: Weekdays
- Average Episode Length: 25 minutes
- Network: NPR
- Where to Listen: Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, NPR One, Spotify
Every weekday, journalists Linda Holmes, Glen Weldon, Stephen Thompson, and Aisha Harris are joined by various pop-culture guests to discuss the latest moves, TV, music, books, video games, and more on Pop Culture Happy Hour. And since the episodes are almost always less than 30 minutes, you can get a quick fix of your pop culture news!
Search Engine
- Episode Frequency: Fridays
- Average Episode Length: 60 minutes
- Network: Jigsaw
- Where to Listen: Apple Podcasts, Audible, Spotify
Released every Friday, tune in to hear “no question too big, no question too small” from Jigsaw’s Search Engine host, PJ Vogt (Reply All). During the podcast, Vogt researches and answers bewildering questions you’d find on the internet in the wee hours of the morning.
Song Exploder
- Episode Frequency: Biweekly
- Average Episode Length: 20 minutes
- Network: Radiotopia
- Where to Listen: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Pandora, Spotify
Wondering why a musician wrote that song you’re listening to? Hosted by musician Hrishikesh Hirway, each episode of Song Exploder allows the artist to break down the music from the sounds to the lyrics. This top music podcast of 2023 has expanded into a Netflix TV Show!
Stuff You Should Know
- Episode Frequency: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturdays
- Average Episode Length: 50 minutes
- Network: iHeartRadio
- Where to Listen: Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Spotify, Stitcher
Do you have unanswered questions about the Titanic or how karaoke nights started? iHeartRadio’s Stuff You Should Know, hosted by Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant, educates listeners on various educational and entertaining topics four days a week.
The Last Podcast on the Left
- Episode Frequency: Wednesdays, Fridays
- Average Episode Length: 60 minutes
- Network: Last Podcast Network
- Where to Listen: Apple Podcasts, Spotify
Ever wonder about war crimes, Jonestown, or serial killers? What about demons or werewolves? In The Last Podcast on the Left, hosts Marcus Parks and Henry Zebrowski dive into the dark side of humanity to uncover all of the horrors the real and fantastical worlds have to offer.
The Lowe Post
- Episode Frequency: Semiweekly
- Average Episode Length: 70 minutes
- Network: ESPN
- Where to Listen: Apple Podcasts, Pandora, Spotify, Stitcher,
ESPN’s Zach Lowe hosts The Lowe Post, a basketball podcast that discusses the latest news and trends in the NBA, conference outlooks, struggling teams, MVP races, and the play-in tournament. Lowe’s show typically features his ESPN colleagues like Mina Kimes, Nick Friedell, Bobby Marks, and Kirk Goldsberry.
The Retrievals
- Episode Frequency: Thursdays
- Average Episode Length: 60 minutes
- Network: Serial Productions
- Where to Listen: Apple Podcasts and Spotify
One of the top podcasts of 2023, true-crime podcast The Retrievals discloses real events women faced at a fertility clinic in Yale in a five-part limited series. From Serial Productions and The New York Times, listeners learn about women’s pain where there should have been hope and what happens when that pain is dismissed.
The Rich Roll
- Episode Frequency: Mondays, biweekly Thursdays
- Average Episode Length: 120 minutes
- Network: Rich Roll
- Where to Listen: Apple Podcast, Spotify, YouTube
As a former athlete and entertainment attorney-turned-wellness advocate, Rich Roll talks about all things wellness on The Rich Roll Podcast. On this self-help podcast, Roll talks health, fitness, nutrition, entertainment, and more in deep and thought-provoking conversations to educate listeners on how to unleash the most authentic version of themselves.
This American Life
- Episode Frequency: Sundays
- Average Episode Length: 60 minutes
- Network: This American Life
- Where to Listen: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Pandora, Radio Public
Covering different themes every week based on true accounts, The American Life shares stories that capture what’s happening right now to everyday Americans. The first Pulitzer prize-winner for audio reporting, audiences can listen to personal stories, intriguing ideas, funny moments, plot twists, and more on this “anything and everything” podcast.
Throughline
- Episode Frequency: Thursdays
- Average Episode Length: 60 minutes
- Network: NPR
- Where to Listen: Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, NPR One, Spotify
Study the past through a different lens to better understand the present and future. NPR’s Throughline podcast examines stories that shape the world around us. Join hosts Rund Abdelfatah and Ramtin Arablouei to understand the history behind the violence that has engulfed Palestine, the Black Panthers’ battle for social justice, or hear about the development of masks—from bird beaks to N95 respirators.
You Didn’t See Nothin
- Episode Frequency: Wednesdays
- Average Episode Length: 30 minutes
- Network: USG Audio Podcasts
- Where to Listen: Apple, iHeartRadio, Spotify
From USG Audio and Invisible Institute, listeners learn about the 1997 hate crime of Lenard Clark on the South Side of Chicago on You Didn’t See Nothin. This limited series, hosted by Yohance Lacour, takes listeners on a journey of investigative journalism, power exploitation in Chicago, and how this story connects to our lives today.
Are you a podcast fan interested in starting your own show? Hurrdat Media offers podcast production services and an in-house media network to help you get started. Get in touch with us today to learn more!