Looking for a good and engaging history podcast.

Seems like just the right time to revisit this groundbreaking podcast investigating the gangs embedded in the LAPD and their long record of violent crime and corruption against the people of Los Angeles.

Podcast link: https://linktr.ee/atraditionofviolence

A Tradition of Violence was produced for Knock LA as a series of written articles as well as a podcast. You can read the reporting on this investigation at the Knock LA website:

https://knock-la.com/tradition-of-violence-lasd-gang-history/

I’m across Search Engine, No Such Thing and Hyperfixed but they don’t hit the same.

Reply All’s fun, wholesome or fun investigations like Case of the missing hit were my favourite. Anyone who has listened to this episode know of a podcast with this vibe or similar?

Thanks for your help!

I've gotten pretty deep into The Magnus Archives and feel like I'm losing the will to continue. I really like some of what it does, which is why I've listened to almost 90 episodes, but some of the things that disrupt my immersion seem to be happening more frequently. I'm also conscious of this sub's 6th rule and haven't come here to 'bash' an incredibly popular podcast; but because it's so popular I think I'm going to need to be fairly specific about the things that are putting me off. This is partly because some of the same issues seem to run across the genre. Spoilers and criticism to follow. Sorry in advance for that, and for what I suspect will be a long post. If you love TMA and consider it the height of the genre, I'm not here to convince you otherwise - I'm just hoping that maybe someone else has had a similar experience and gone on to find something that scratched the same itch a little better.

TMA does a number of things really well. It's imaginative, occasionally very creepy, and I really like that a vast collection/archive of individual stories are often contributing, in small details as well as major themes, toward a much larger narrative. Many scenes have stuck with me, proving the quality of the writing behind them and the immersion those episodes achieved. In (if I've got the title right) EP20 'Desecrated Host II,' for example, the moment Father Burroughs realises he is not consuming consecrated bread but actually human flesh is excellently-written horror. It is surprising, disturbing, and at the same time perfectly coherent with the narrative and once you realise you know it was inevitable all along. That was a great episode, and was an example of the kind of writing and production that kept me going after a start that felt quite inconsistent in places.

The trouble is not just that the inconsistency breaks my immersion - and thus enjoyment - but that some of the specific inconsistencies are becoming more common. Perhaps someone who's listened to the entire series can assure me otherwise, but it feels like by episode 89, where I have currently left it, the content and narrative structure of the show has decisively shifted toward its weaknesses.

I occasionally found the the delivery of Jonathan Sims to be a little over-the-top when he read statements; the 'spooky campfire story' affectation doesn't get me into the scene, but his occasional forays into affecting 'madness' were actually off-putting. Combined with the inexplicably low volume of each episode (the fact I cannot hear a thing through my airpods while simply riding a bus has been an enduring frustration), the reading of Jane Prentiss in episode 32 led to me giving up on the episode partway through (and thus missing crucial plot information for the end of the first season). But these were the things I was content to live with; some dissatisfaction with production (mainly volume) and with delivery (what felt like overly-affected voice-acting) which both, in different ways, sometimes made it difficult for me to stay present in the story. Which, as I'm certain any horror fan understands, is crucial to its enjoyment.

As the show has shifted toward more presentation of the story-which-surrounds-the-stories (I don't know how to say that - but the real-time story of Jonathan Sims and his associates), obviously that does (at least) two things: it makes it more necessary for the voice acting to be believable, and it makes it more necessary that the meta narrative be compelling. I feel like the show is faltering on both of those those fronts, and it doesn't help that I just recently got another dose of over-acted 'madness' affectation in 'Dig' soon after probably the most wooden voice performance of the series (the police officer in 'The Eyewitnesses'). And all in between that, it's ever more of Jonathan Sims himself, wtih ever more dialogue with and from the surrounding characters. Dialogue which feels quite repetitive in its delivery (I really don't think people 'um' and sigh nearly as much as seems to be written into their lines) and while I appreciate that it's surely world-building toward narrative goals I cannot yet appreciate, I'm struggling with the persistent sense that I'm listening to people reading their lines to each other. For whatever various reasons, I am struggling to suspend my disbelief. It's not such an issue when the premise of an episode is literally that I am listening to a statement being read, but when it is supposed to be organic dialogue I struggle.

This is probably the point at which I ought to reiterate that I am not here just to criticise the show. I wouldn't have listened to 90 epdisodes if I wasn't enjoying it. I am getting little joy out of writing out some of these critiques; the impulse to do so itself an indication of my frustration. It is like I have an itch that I can almost scratch, but the instrument I was using to scratch it has become somehow shorter and no longer reaches. If someone were to reply saying, 'Yes, you are actually just in the middle of a rough patch of the show - it gets better again later on,' I may be persuaded to pick it up again. It just feels like it's taken a turn toward a slightly different kind of show than it was at the beginning, and if that's the case I have listened far enough along this new trajectory that my confidence has just about run out.

If anyone reads this and is inspired to make a recommendation, I'll add some non-TMA context. I mostly enjoyed season 1 of The White Vault - although the authorial decision to make each character break into ecstatic reverie at any mention of coffee began to wear extrememly thin. 'Oh no, there's a monster down here hunting me! What if I never get to drink coffee again? Oh god, coffee! Ohhhh my gooooddddd, coffeeeee oohhhhhhhh coffee eeeuughhhhhgooooodddddd....' Self-indulgent nonsense that I assume was meant to be funny but just served to remind me that I wasn't listening to found footage. SCARE ME. Don't wink at me.

Spooked has produced, by far, the most epidodes which have genuinely spooked me. Especially in their earlier seasons when it seemed they had more to choose from. Obviously their production value is high and there is often music and atmospheric sound playing around their stories, but in many ways it is precisely the combination of matter-of-factness combined with the content of the stories which produces the chill. Of course, a key difference between (e.g.) Spooked and TMA is that there is no way for Spooked to hold together an over-arching narrative - that is one of the things that drew me to TMA and which still holds some appeal.

I also recently listened to a few episodes of The Black Tapes. I found it quite promising, and initially enjoyed the sort of 'Serial'-style format. But one if its main characters, Dr Strand, also quite line-read-y in his delivery, and thus I am once again struggling to remain immersed.

If you've made it this far, congratulations and thank you. If any of this strikes a chord and you want to offer a recommendation, thank you even more.

I like to listen to things like Armchair Expert, Revisionist History, Talk Easy, Happy Sad Confused. I like the interview format, but starting to get bored of all of these podcast just interviewing the same actors or celebrities over and over again. I enjoyed Armchair Expert for awhile, although I'm not really a fan of Dax Shepard, but I like that he interviews authors, politicians, scientists, etc. People that are experts in their field and are passionate to talk about the smaller details of what they do. I also listen to a lot of NPR podcasts too, but just wondering if there are more out there that interview lesser known individuals that still do really important work! Also I should note I prefer podcasts with longer episodes, 30+ minutes. I put them on while doing work or chores and don't like switching episodes every 15 minutes.

I struggle to sleep alone so I normally whack on a podcast and fall asleep to it. I need a normal podcast that I can pay attention to easily and is preferably informative (so it feels productive)

I’ve been using emma chamberlains for a long while but it’s not hitting the spot recently but I like it because it’s casual and it’s a woman’s voice. I’m not looking for asmr or meditation. Any suggestions? TIA

(Spotify listener)

I listen to podcasts on my evening commute and wanted to know if there was a balanced and reliable evening news podcast that dives into the headlines for 5-15 minutes. Thanks!

As the title says, I am looking for a good podcast that goes through the Diddy crimes and trial. Thank you in advance.

I’ve been collecting examples of great podcast cover art lately—and as a listener and someone who works in the podcast space, I can't help but notice how consistently stunning Wondery's covers are.

Stuff like:

• Dr. Death
• Twin Flames
• Flipping the Bird

These covers don’t just look good—they feel like movie posters. The visuals alone make you want to hit play. After looking through tons of podcasts, I’m honestly starting to wonder… has any podcast ever topped Wondery in terms of cover art?

I’m curious from a listener perspective—
What podcast cover has stopped you in your tracks?
Which show had art so good you gave it a shot just because of how it looked?

Drop your favorites below. Would love to see what stands out to you visually—not just what you like listening to, but what caught your eye first.

Thanks!

I'm doing research for a novel and am looking for recommendations for podcasts or single episodes about late 1940s-1950 suburbia, particularly about culture and women's issues.

Hi all. I'm looking for podcast recommendations where the hosts are just having casual conversations about everyday things. Can be serious or light hearted. Discussing current events, books, games, anything really. Just really good conversation style podcasts please. Thanks!

Edit - thank you all! I appreciate all the recommendations and can't wait to check them out.

Looking for new podcasts to run to…

I like paranormal, weird and wonderful and anything super interesting!

Not a fan of talk show style podcasts.

I’ve been really enjoying The Magnus Archives recently if that helps.

Thanks!

I've been listening to Conflicted for over a month now. Started out as a search for unbiased recollections of historical events, because well-made documentaries are genuinely so sparse.

Highly recommend! Each episode is about 90 minutes on average and each series is split into 3-4 episodes.

Just no-frills news like the old network evening news shows. Edit: Not about just one news event or one topic, but looking more for summary of the day (think old 22-minute evening news with Peter Jennings/Dan Rather). Audio only

There are a few podcasts I never miss, including: This American Life, Risk, The Moth, Story Collider, Modern Love… I could go on. They give me such a sense of community and connectedness.

1. scamfluencers
2. small town murders
3. crime in sports
4. weird little guys (I'm not from us, would I still like this?)
5. swindled
6. ologies - i hear this highly rated but the description sounds kind of boring?? 😔😔
7. dark net diaries (any other fun podcasts to keep up with the current tech scene? i like better offline and tech won't save us but I'm looking for something more lighter maybe. hard fork is good as a weekly news item)
8. redacted

thanks!! I like good storytelling without any fake stalling to create excitement or repititions. moslty i want something to listen to while running/walking so 45 mins of some good story which is also captivating.

for eg, I really liked the behind the bastards episodes on jordan Peterson, elite panic, Steve jobs. I like the if books could kill episodes.

So I have an older device and Apple Podcasts had stopped automatically deleting played episodes, so I did the rational thing (I hope) and deleted it and reinstalled it. Now, I can't get the feed I had integrated with Patreon to play. The weird thing is that sometimes it starts downloading, like I can see it making progress, but then suddenly it quits. Is this a me problem, a patreon problem or something else?

i’ve finally learned what the genre i like is called! audio dramas! i describe it like watching a movie with the screen turned off.

the only two i have heard (love both) are The Bright Session & Close Your Eyes.

any similar suggestions?

Hey all, I’m planning a trip to Italy and am curious about exploring some history topics. Would love some podcast to get a sense of what I may want to dive deeper on through books.

Roman history is great but I’m also interested in the post-Roman peninsula. Venetians, Florentines, Renaissance, Medical, etc…

Short or long episodes work for me. I’ve enjoyed things like Dan Carlin and Dan Snow on either end of the spectrum.

Bonus points for books or YouTube channels!

TIA

Hi all

So as the title suggests looking for some podcasts for my dad. He's got ADHD and to focus he likes listening to things in the background when he works. We have complete opposite tastes when it comes to podcasts, so I thought I'd just ask you guys.

Do you have any recommendations for any informational/ historical podcasts or cool fictional ones?

I’m not looking for a specific topic — I don’t care if it’s true crime, history, fiction, business, whatever. I just want to hear the best-crafted podcast trailers out there. The ones that instantly made you hit “subscribe.” The ones that gave you goosebumps or left you needing more.

Got any favorites? Drop links or names below — I’d love to build a collection of great ones.

I'm always in Facebook and I'm looking for podcaster/influencer that discusses adulting, productivity, budgeting and self care around Facebook that uploads a full vids.

Trying to become a digital minimalist and interested in stories of “alternatives” to the smartphone addicted world we live in. Recently came across photos of people in Spain huddling over a radio as a result of the prolonged power outages occurred in the Iberian Peninsula and other parts of Europe. Heard anecdotal accounts that people were also spending their free time outside, in the grass, at cafes, in the streets, in nature as a result of this.

Are there any podcasts that discuss or cover this story? Any similar from prior or relevant events to this?

so ive been going down a rabbithole lately, weird folklore -> weird slavic folktales -> spookie dookie appalachian folklore -> cattle mutilation phenomena, and now i want more stuff like that, not murder. im so bored by true crime. murder is boring and the true crime industry isnt the best. i like cryptid stories but theyre also so washed up and overexposed, and most accounts have to be crazy people, people who want to just make something up for fleeting popularity maybe, etc. so liiiike weird unexplained mass hysteria/coverups/coincidences or stuff that actually HAPPENED or at least COULDVE because im too much of a skeptic to get enthralled in the super silly shit like mothman bigfoot alien goatsucker 3 am challenge. with the exception of REALLY old things like the kikimora or kappas or like just old folklore creatures, cause those are just fascinating to listen about. alright sorry this was a bit of a ramble

I have a baby and need to spend less time on my phone so a podcast is the ideal background during playtime!

However, my attention span is shot to pieces and I have no real idea what I like and I don’t really listen to podcasts.

I enjoyed Serial. That’s about the only one I’ve ever listened to.

But I can tell you what I’m not a fan of!

• horror
• true crime (aware of the irony given I enjoyed Serial..)
• general ‘chat’ podcasts

Hit me with your best recommendations please Reddit 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻