1. Serial, season 1 – An engrossing investigative podcast about a teenage girl’s murder and the (possibly wrongful) conviction of her ex-boyfriend Adnan Syed. As of September 2018, episodes of seasons one and two had been downloaded over 340 million times, a podcast record. (The first season is better than the second, although it is also good.) The genius of this series is the ability to humanize the players of something most of us consider from a distance: Expect to be charmed by the articulate sincerity of the ex-boyfriend, and cringe as you experience the fragile nature of constantly changing evidence obtained from unreliable witnesses.
2. S-town – An absolutely riveting story that unravels the mysteries of an unusual man’s life, although the reporter’s original goal had been to investigate a murder in a rural town. The center of the story holding it together is an eccentric Renaissance man in a small town whose complex and needy persona attracts opportunists looking to exploit him for personal gain. Reality turns out to be more sordid, poignant and two-faced than any soap opera could conjure.
3. The Shrink Next Door – This is a fascinating series reported by Joe Nocera (of New York Times fame) about an East Coast academic psychiatrist who manipulates at least one patient into sacrificing control of his finances, social connections, and business for decades.
Check out future columns where I’ll have three more outstanding podcasts to recommend.
Thanks MotE for the recommendations — I just downloaded shrinknextdoor and excited to give it a go. always looking for great new podcasts to listen to on my daily walks! if you haven’t heard it yet, I will recommend ‘Dr Death’ to you. Signed, DotW
[dad on the walk]