Your Favorite, Top 3 Non-Sports Podcasts? (2 Viewers)

[TripItUp]

In No Particular Order

1. All-In - Technology and Politics
2. Smartless - Entertainment/film/shows
3. Rewatchables - Entertainment/film


That's really all I got for non-sports podcasts. Give me your top 3!!

 

[Golden Gopher]

I'm not a huge podcast person, but I've gotten into listening to some in the past year or two. So, my exposure is somewhat limited. That said, I really enjoy these. All three have great guests, and mix in their own form of humor.

Armchair Expert - Dax Shepard
Smartless - Bateman, Arnett, and Hayes
This Past Weekend - Theo Vonn

 

[urbanhack]

Scott Galloway - no non sense, pragmatic view of the world, critical and poignant observations of how society is raising and turning out young men
Life Hack / Optimization Stuff - Andrew Huberman or Peter Attia
Diary of a CEO

 

[KarmaPolice]

Your Undivided Attention - a pod about tech, AI, and how it is affecting us.
Oyez - audio of oral arguments of cases in the Supreme Court.
Movies to Be Buried With is my newest movie podcast find. Brett Goldstein (Roy Kent on Ted Lasso) has guests on to talk about movies that affected them. There are some fun guests and funny categories.

 

[TripItUp]

Oyez - audio of oral arguments of cases in the Supreme Court.

Wow, this is amazing. I always say I'm going to read the decisions and get to about 1/3 of them.

 

[TripItUp]

Armchair Expert - Dax Shepard

This Past Weekend - Theo Vonn

will check out...what do you like about them?

 

[TripItUp]

Scott Galloway - no non sense, pragmatic view of the world, critical and poignant observations of how society is raising and turning out young men
Life Hack / Optimization Stuff - Andrew Huberman or Peter Attia
Diary of a CEO

I've got buddies that swear by the Huberman stuff.

 

[Master of Subservience]

Hardcore History - The Godfather long-form history podcast, 2-3 multi-hour episodes/year. I think I was introduced to this podcast on this board ~10 years ago. Nothing better

Cold - Long-form investigative true crime, one of the best in the genre

Psychology in Seattle - Practicing therapist and professor does deep dives on different schools of psychological thought and how they developed, and in separate episodes applies them to current topics or people in the news. It was slow to grow on me but is one of the most personally insightful and valuable once you've banked enough of his knowledge and approach to get beyond the superficial

I listen to 100-200 podcasts a week and this is one of the few areas where I feel like I have something approaching expertise. If there's a particular area you're interested in I can probably recommend something. These are just my favorites off the top of my head

 

[whoknew]

In No Particular Order

1. All-In - Technology and Politics
2. Smartless - Entertainment/film/shows
3. Rewatchables - Entertainment/film


That's really all I got for non-sports podcasts. Give me your top 3!!

I know we can't get political but ... for your #1 ... I just can't listen to David Sacks.

 

[whoknew]

Scott Galloway - no non sense, pragmatic view of the world, critical and poignant observations of how society is raising and turning out young men
Life Hack / Optimization Stuff - Andrew Huberman or Peter Attia
Diary of a CEO

Big fan of Scott Galloway. He's great.

 

[whoknew]

• Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend
• The Big Picture
• Lawfare Pod

 

[TripItUp]

I listen to 100-200 podcasts a week and this is one of the few areas where I feel like I have something approaching expertise. If there's a particular area you're interested in I can probably recommend something. These are just my favorites off the top of my head

Wow, that's a lot of hours.

Off the top of my head, topics that interest me
1) new tv show and movie reviews, but actual good taste and obective
2) Investing - but not trying to sell me something and not overly complex, for example I'm not really into trading options and hardcore technical analysis any longer
3) traveling abroad advice, reviews...Bourdain, but maybe more nerdy
4) cooking at home - recipes and cooking advice for amateurs
5) Upcoming film previews - objective, not bought and paid for like rotten tomatoes critics etc.
6) Science discoveries - but not boring/dry, for the layman (paelontology, technology, wildlife, astronomy etc.)

 

[zamboni]

Stuff You Should Know is a good podcast - covers a wide array of topics and the two guys do a lot of research and are entertaining.

Here’s the website: https://stuffyoushouldknow.com/

 

[whoknew]

Hardcore History - The Godfather long-form history podcast, 2-3 multi-hour episodes/year. I think I was introduced to this podcast on this board ~10 years ago. Nothing better

Cold - Long-form investigative true crime, one of the best in the genre

Psychology in Seattle - Practicing therapist and professor does deep dives on different schools of psychological thought and how they developed, and in separate episodes applies them to current topics or people in the news. It was slow to grow on me but is one of the most personally insightful and valuable once you've banked enough of his knowledge and approach to get beyond the superficial

I listen to 100-200 podcasts a week and this is one of the few areas where I feel like I have something approaching expertise. If there's a particular area you're interested in I can probably recommend something. These are just my favorites off the top of my head

Wow. That is a lot of podcasting. Holy moly.

I used to love Reply All. If not familiar, the would investigate some esoteric point that listeners would write in about. I've listened to Search Engine a little (same host, I think). But if you have any suggestions in that realm, I'd welcome it.

 

[Dan Lambskin]

Im not a podcast guy but I used to travel with a guy who’d play the Skeptics Guide To The Universe

 

[Riffraff]

I'll go with the funny stuff:

1. Kill Tony - now the #1 podcast in the world. Comedians get 1 minute stand-up and then an interview afterwards. Not for the thin skinned.

2. ClueLess - brought to us by SmartLess. Smartly written brain game show that is short (15 minutes).

3. SpitBallers - The FantasyFootballers 'other' podcast about random subjects, battle drafts, and word differences, plus more.

 

[dino259]

I listen to 100-200 podcasts a week and this is one of the few areas where I feel like I have something approaching expertise. If there's a particular area you're interested in I can probably recommend something. These are just my favorites off the top of my head

Wow, that's a lot of hours.

Off the top of my head, topics that interest me
1) new tv show and movie reviews, but actual good taste and obective
2) Investing - but not trying to sell me something and not overly complex, for example I'm not really into trading options and hardcore technical analysis any longer
3) traveling abroad advice, reviews...Bourdain, but maybe more nerdy
4) cooking at home - recipes and cooking advice for amateurs
5) Upcoming film previews - objective, not bought and paid for like rotten tomatoes critics etc.
6) Science discoveries - but not boring/dry, for the layman (dinosaurs, technology, wildlife, astronomy etc.)

Some possibilities:

Stacking benjamins - investment items, have different and reoccurring guests.

Ologies with Alie Ward - interview session with some sort of expert-ology.

Economics of every day things- short episodes about how things work. Part of Freakonomics network.

 

[Master of Subservience]

Hardcore History - The Godfather long-form history podcast, 2-3 multi-hour episodes/year. I think I was introduced to this podcast on this board ~10 years ago. Nothing better

Cold - Long-form investigative true crime, one of the best in the genre

Psychology in Seattle - Practicing therapist and professor does deep dives on different schools of psychological thought and how they developed, and in separate episodes applies them to current topics or people in the news. It was slow to grow on me but is one of the most personally insightful and valuable once you've banked enough of his knowledge and approach to get beyond the superficial

I listen to 100-200 podcasts a week and this is one of the few areas where I feel like I have something approaching expertise. If there's a particular area you're interested in I can probably recommend something. These are just my favorites off the top of my head

Wow. That is a lot of podcasting. Holy moly.

I used to love Reply All. If not familiar, the would investigate some esoteric point that listeners would write in about. I've listened to Search Engine a little (same host, I think). But if you have any suggestions in that realm, I'd welcome it.

Reply All was great. Fantastic, really, and hard to replicate as what made it so great was the chemistry between the hosts and the quirky, organic way it grew and went about things. Search Engine is pretty good, but I get the impression that I feel the same as you, that it's not nearly as special as Reply All was.

For podcasts that cover a broad, somewhat random spectrum of topics by a clever and funny duo, there are a quite a few (Stuff You Should Know mentioned above comes to mind), but if you're trying to find another Reply All it's going to be hard not to be disappointed.

Memory Palace is great, but hosted by one guy and not nearly as funny. Better in what he finds, though. Revisionist History by Malcolm Gladwell is another.

Blocked and Reported is a heterodox, "internet nonsense" podcast that is hilarious. They actually covered the unfortunate disintegration of Reply All somewhere along the line. I just looked it up, Episode 115.

Smoke 'Em if You Got 'Em is by a pair of women writers that covers pop culture, how politics seeps into culture and the history of the same, and writing. Highly recommended. As a man, it is really interesting and informative to hear two women talk about sometimes taboo subjects but devoid of preachiness or victimhood. It's hard to explain, exactly, without sounding misogynistic, which is not what I mean at all, but there's definitely a candidness and intelligence that makes you feel like this is how discussions should be, and ones that I'm not usually privy to.

House of Strauss is by an ex-sports writer who covers things he finds interesting, about half the time somewhat sports-related, but usually in ways or from an angle that is totally unique. The last three are similar in that the hosts would have traditionally been left-leaning but are disillusioned by the present-day Left. Not right or even overtly political, they cover stuff from what has come to be known as a "heterodox" perspective, neither left or right, which I identify with. It's a viewpoint hard to find articulated elsewhere other than podcasts, interestingly. The Third Column is another one, but more exclusively politics focused. All highly intelligent and varying degrees of humorous.

I would say, for almost any podcast in any genre, if there's a pay tier for no ads and extra content, it's usually worth the extra $5-10 bucks a month. Most often you get their entire back catalog so it's a steal, really, for how much entertainment you get per dollar, and no ads improves the listening experience by a tremendous, somewhat unexpected degree. At least worth paying for one month to see if you like it. Just something to consider.

This is an interesting question and I feel like I'm missing some, which I surely am. Let me marinate for a bit, it's hard to put one's finger on what Reply All actually was and what other podcasts might be like it. Too Beautiful to Live just came to mind as worth checking out, there's going to be some vibe or chemistry with the hosts of all of the above that you either resonate with or you won't, and that's going to be somewhat hard to predict. Good question, though. If you find one you like that I didn't mention please let me know.

 

[Runkle]

Freakonomics - interesting 'big concept' overviews
99% Invisible - interesting 'small concept' deep dives
Gastropod - food history

honorable mention to the recently ended 10-year run of John McWhorter on Lexicon Valley - about language its evolution - not as much a fan of the returning hosts, they don't have the deep knowledge background McWhorter brought to every topic. And my pop-culture podcasts: Drop Your Buffs (Survivor in all its incarnations) and Decoder Ring (Slate's look at pop culture mysteries).

 

[beer 30]

I started with Hardcore History, couldn't get enough of it. From there I discovered Jocko's podcast which again, couldn't get enough of. Then came Rogan which was a whole different direction. From there I've followed, listened to many podcasters. My current favorites are Change Agents w/Andy Stumpf, Solving JFK w/ Matt Crumpton and then about 4 or 5 others depending on who they have on, Shawn Ryan, Rogan, Julian Dorey, Danny Jones, Mike Ritland & Darryl Cooper when he's not being a Nazi sympathizer

 

[whoknew]

I started with Hardcore History, couldn't get enough of it. From there I discovered Jocko's podcast which again, couldn't get enough of. Then came Rogan which was a whole different direction. From there I've followed, listened to many podcasters. My current favorites are Change Agents w/Andy Stumpf, Solving JFK w/ Matt Crumpton and then about 4 or 5 others depending on who they have on, Shawn Ryan, Rogan, Julian Dorey, Danny Jones, Mike Ritland & Darryl Cooper when he's not being a Nazi sympathizer

Based on all of these - a couple that may interest you that I enjoy -

• Fall of Civilizations - Each episode (or two) goes through a different civilization and talks about their height and then what caused their decline. Long but interesting.
• Behind the Bastards - Another long one but they go in depth about some of the worst people in history.

 

[beer 30]

I started with Hardcore History, couldn't get enough of it. From there I discovered Jocko's podcast which again, couldn't get enough of. Then came Rogan which was a whole different direction. From there I've followed, listened to many podcasters. My current favorites are Change Agents w/Andy Stumpf, Solving JFK w/ Matt Crumpton and then about 4 or 5 others depending on who they have on, Shawn Ryan, Rogan, Julian Dorey, Danny Jones, Mike Ritland & Darryl Cooper when he's not being a Nazi sympathizer

Based on all of these - a couple that may interest you that I enjoy -

• Fall of Civilizations - Each episode (or two) goes through a different civilization and talks about their height and then what caused their decline. Long but interesting.
• Behind the Bastards - Another long one but they go in depth about some of the worst people in history.

Thanks! Always looking for new material. I'll check them out. I started the History of Egypt w/Dominic Perry but man is that some dry material. Super interesting and learned a lot about the early dynasties you gotta be in the right frame of mind to stick with it.

 

[jvdesigns2002]

I'll just name the ones that I watch or listen to when I'm just looking to give my mind a break from the news or from the stresses of the "real world"


Arvin Haddad on youtube- he's known as the "flaws exposed" or "how to buy a mansion" guy--but he does a series where he reacts to online tours of homes (mainly mansions) and he uses his experience in real estate to point out the pros/cons. I find it informative as the information does often translate to all sizes of residential properties and I also find the episodes to be bingeworthy and funny. This is not really a "podcast" that hits if you are looking for an audio only option. You really need to be able to watch the tours as he comments on them. Tangentially--there is a gentleman named Enes Yilmazer on youtube that does very in depth property tours with really good production value. Arvin reacts to some of his videos, but I will often watch some of Enes's videos for enjoyment--but will also see if I can apply some of the lessons that I learned from watching Arvin while doing so.

MSSP--matt and shane's secret podcast. I just find the entire dynamic/crew to be funny when they are together--shane gillis, matt mccusker, gardini, lemaire, sometimes nate marshall. just a comedy podcast that feels like dudes just spitballing--and guys that have no problem making fun of themselves.

Spitballin' Cards--I know you said "non-sports" podcasts--but this one focuses on the hobby of sports cards--and I would say that it's more heavy on the baseball side. I also like watching the streams of Layton Sports cards. It's not a podcast, but in general--I find the breakers there to be polite and I enjoy watching cases of sportscards being ripped open even if I have no skin in the game. It's a nice way to see new product without having to invest in it first.

Vegas Matt on youtube---I know it's dumb, but I enjoy watching people gamble. I like this offering because the typical Vegas Matt crew consists of four people--Matt, EJ, WBG, and W2 Jesus. The two "W's" are pretty analytical in their gambling. WBG used to be a professional poker player--so they can provide some insight--especially when they play video poker. The different versions of video poker (deuces wild, jacks or better, games with different multipliers) have different ways of playing (some of them are better to hold three to a flush versus a small pair..etc) have different optimal strategies..etc. With that said--the main reason I watch is that each video is basically a full gambling session (40 minutes to 1 hour long). A lot of gambling influencers only post their winning sessions and edit out the losing. Vegas Matt is different in that they post full sessions and in the description of each video--they have updated total results of their net winning/losses. I basically learned baccarat from watching Vegas matt.

 

[mr. furley]

Milk Street Radio
Smartless
Hidden Brain

 

[Senor Schmutzig]

Hardcore History - The Godfather long-form history podcast, 2-3 multi-hour episodes/year. I think I was introduced to this podcast on this board ~10 years ago. Nothing better

Cold - Long-form investigative true crime, one of the best in the genre

Psychology in Seattle - Practicing therapist and professor does deep dives on different schools of psychological thought and how they developed, and in separate episodes applies them to current topics or people in the news. It was slow to grow on me but is one of the most personally insightful and valuable once you've banked enough of his knowledge and approach to get beyond the superficial

I listen to 100-200 podcasts a week and this is one of the few areas where I feel like I have something approaching expertise. If there's a particular area you're interested in I can probably recommend something. These are just my favorites off the top of my head

Wow. That is a lot of podcasting. Holy moly.

I used to love Reply All. If not familiar, the would investigate some esoteric point that listeners would write in about. I've listened to Search Engine a little (same host, I think). But if you have any suggestions in that realm, I'd welcome it.

Search Engine is PJ Vogt, one of the Reply All hosts. The co-host was Alex Goldman, who has his own podcast called Hyperfixed. A similar context and flow to Search Engine/Reply All.

 

[Senor Schmutzig]

Armchair Expert - Dax Shepard

This Past Weekend - Theo Vonn

will check out...what do you like about them?

I listen to Armchair Expert pretty consistently.

It's authentic and vulnerable. Dax doesn't shy away from his history as an addict or his challenges of remaining sober. He's also brutally honest about his faults and imposter syndrome of being "just a guy" to being "just a rich guy" who somehow hit it lucky with his podcast and marrying Kristin Bell. I also like the long format of the podcast and the "fact check" at the end that is more personal conversation between Dax and his co-host Monica Padman. You get to know them personally, almost to a fault. They have a wide range of guests during the week, usually one intellectual (scientist, politician, professor, etc.) and one more entertainment-focused (actor, musician, comic, etc.). I also like their Armchair Anonymous segments on Fridays where they have a topic and their readers call in and tell their stories.

 

[Senor Schmutzig]

Some in my rotation other than Armchair Expert:

The Daily - From the New York Times, a 30-40 minute deep dive into a relevant and current news topic
What a Day - A further left-leaning version of The Daily from Crooked Media. A little bit more witty and approachable than The Daily.
Top Floor - A weekly show about the "future of hospitality". I'm in the industry so I think it's relevant and interesting.
Acquired - Narrative history of various IPO's, acquisitions and mergers. These are extra-long form, usually 2-4 hours. The Rolex and Hermes episodes were really interesting as was Starbucks. Been meaning to listen to Steve Ballmer episode also as I heard it was excellent.
The Pitch - Podcast version of Shark Tank

 

[Golden Gopher]

Armchair Expert - Dax Shepard

This Past Weekend - Theo Vonn

will check out...what do you like about them?

I listen to Armchair Expert pretty consistently.

It's authentic and vulnerable. Dax doesn't shy away from his history as an addict or his challenges of remaining sober. He's also brutally honest about his faults and imposter syndrome of being "just a guy" to being "just a rich guy" who somehow hit it lucky with his podcast and marrying Kristin Bell. I also like the long format of the podcast and the "fact check" at the end that is more personal conversation between Dax and his co-host Monica Padman. You get to know them personally, almost to a fault. They have a wide range of guests during the week, usually one intellectual (scientist, politician, professor, etc.) and one more entertainment-focused (actor, musician, comic, etc.). I also like their Armchair Anonymous segments on Fridays where they have a topic and their readers call in and tell their stories.

Agreed. I enjoy the variety and the way they mix up the content so it's not just the same thing every day/week.

 

[Instinctive]

Plain English
not sure if the Press Box counts, but I think it does (sports tangential)
My First Million


Others I recently added because they did an education pod and I work in that field now...Pattern Breakers, No Priors, Invest like the Best, and the Drive with Peter Attia.

Oh and Futue of Education - Mackenzee Price

 

[dino259]

also, here is the original or is it official or ***official*** not sure how many quailfy ***********

Your Favorit Podcast thread

 

[kardplayer]

I still listen to one of the first big ones - Never Not Funny - 4 guys and 1 guest (most weeks). Guest is usually a comedian or an actor.

 

[Zow]

This American Life
Rewatchables
Plain English

I used to like Pod Save America but haven't listened to it in years because it's just too depressing and I usually listen to pods when I am doing things like working out, jogging, or milling around a hotel room where I don't want any too "heavy."

 

[thecatch]

Legal: Divided Argument, Advisory Opinions
History: Hardcore History, The Rest is History (my favorite history pod at the moment), School of War, History of England, the Cost of Glory, Ancient Warfare Podcast
Video games: Kinda Funny GamesCast

I'll listen to Plain English or Freakonomics depending on the topic.

 

[Nemesis]

6) Science discoveries - but not boring/dry, for the layman (paelontology, technology, wildlife, astronomy etc.)

You might like American Innovations
Hosted by bestselling author Steven Johnson (“How We Got To Now”)
Interesting looks & back-story of how some things came to be:
• Radar
• Organ Transplant
• Auto-tune
• Ambulances
• Heimlich Maneuver
• Rubber

the podcast ran 57 Seasons from 2018-2021 & apparently it looks like it is now part of Wondery+ (paywall)

 

[Nemesis]

1) Spitballers - as someone else described above, 2x Comedy Podcast award winner of the year from the FantasyFootballers. 3 guys w/ Multiple segments in each episode to keep things moving & light hearted

2) Worklife with Adam Grant - Organizational psychologist Adam Grant takes you inside the minds of some of the world’s most unusual professionals to discover the keys to a better work life. Great speaker & interviewer that is able to book guests from all walks of life.

3) Trivia with Budds- daily pop culture trivia show hosted by comedian & TV producer Ryan Budds. 10 questions in ~7 mins

 

[Bob Loblaw]

The Honeydew Podcast with Ryan Sickler - standup comedian has different guests each week. He likes to "highlight the lowlights" of guests' pasts. He used to have a podcast with Jay Larson (another standup comedian) called The Crabfeast. Both catalogues are fantastic.

 

[Golden Gopher]

Armchair Expert - Dax Shepard

This Past Weekend - Theo Vonn

will check out...what do you like about them?

Armchair Expert was the first podcast I ever listened to. Again, my experience is limited. I enjoy that he's a no-nonsense guy who calls it like he sees it, doesn't mince words, and isn't afraid to make fun of himself (and others, but first and foremost himself). He has a variety of guests... Some celebs (recent examples.... Jason Aldean, Seth Meyers, Shaq, Luke Combs, Alexander Skarsgard), and some experts (authors, etc.) on various topics. Tends to stay away from politics which makes it a podcast that could appeal to all. Also, as someone else mentioned, they do an episode every week where callers share crazy stories within a certain category. First day of school stories, stories on a subway, divorce stories, etc.

Theo is a unique dude. Again, has some great guests. Celebrities, politicians, experts on various topics, etc. He's probably somebody you're either going to enjoy or can't stand listening to. He's also a comedian. While I find his stuff funny, it's not so much the comedy that I enjoy about the podcast. Some of his guests are fascinating listens.

 

[beer 30]

It's funny, I listen to a podcast every day, multiple different ones and other than Hardcore History, not a one of them have been mentioned by anyone else in this thread. The amount of podcasts out there to chose from is incredible right now, appreciate all the new material