Maybe you've laid awake and imagined how it could have been, how it might yet be, but the moment to act was never right. Well, the moment is here and the podcast making it happen is Heavyweight. Join Jonathan Goldstein for road trips, thorny reunions, and difficult conversations as he backpedals his way into the past like a therapist with a time machine.  more

Imaginary Worlds sounds like what would happen if NPR went to ComicCon and decided that's all they ever wanted to cover. Host Eric Molinsky spent over a decade working as a public radio reporter and producer, and he uses those skills to create thoughtful, sound-rich episodes about science fiction, fantasy, and other genres of speculative fiction. Every other week, he talks with comic book artists, game designers, novelists, screenwriters, filmmakers, and fans about how they craft their worlds, why we suspend our disbelief, and what happens if the spell is broken. Imaginary worlds may be set on distant planets or parallel dimensions, but they are crafted here on Earth, and they're always about us and our lived experiences. more

Song Exploder is a podcast where musicians take apart their songs, and piece by piece, tell the story of how they were made. Each episode features an artist discussing a song of theirs, breaking down the sounds and ideas that went into the writing and recording. Hosted and produced by Hrishikesh Hirway. more

Decoder Ring is the show about cracking cultural mysteries. In each episode, host Willa Paskin takes a cultural question, object, or habit; examines its history; and tries to figure out what it means and why it matters. Get more of Decoder Ring with Slate Plus! Join for exclusive bonus episodes of Decoder Ring and ad-free listening on all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe from the Decoder Ring show page on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/decoderplus for access wherever you listen. more

Author Dana Schwartz explores the stories of some of history's most fascinating royals: the tyrants and the tragic, the murderers and the murdered, and everyone in between. Because when you're wearing a crown, mistakes often mean blood. more

Host Derick McDuff, along with a guest, looks at films that are underrated, underappreciated, and even ones that have just slipped under the radar and passed most people by. Look for new episodes every other Monday! For more head to underratedmoviepodcast.com more

The stories behind the world's most iconic and fascinating sounds.

Can't sleep? You're not alone—and there's help. Nothing Much Happens is a bedtime story podcast beloved by millions. Yoga and meditation teacher Kathryn Nicolai tells soothing, cozy stories where—just as the title says—nothing much happens. That's the magic. Instead of spiraling thoughts or anxious scrolling, you'll be gently guided to a calm, comfortable place. Each episode is read twice, with a slower second telling to ease you into rest. Trusted by listeners for over seven years and streamed more than 180 million times, it's a ritual of safety, comfort, and sleep. Subscribe to our ⁠⁠Premium channel.⁠⁠ The first month is on us. 💙 Find our bestselling book Nothing Much Happens in over 20 languages worldwide. more

Insomnia? Mind racing at night? Worries keeping you up? Tune in for a bedtime story that lets you forget your problems and progressively gets more boring until you fall to sleep. So get in bed, press play, close your eyes, and drift off into dreamland. more

Volcanoes. Trees. Drunk butterflies. Mars missions. Slug sex. Death. Beauty standards. Anxiety busters. Beer science. Bee drama. Take away a pocket full of science knowledge and charming, bizarre stories about what fuels these professional -ologists' obsessions. Humorist and science correspondent Alie Ward asks smart people stupid questions and the answers might change your life. more

Hosts Ben Brock Johnson and Amory Sivertson dig into the internet's vast and curious ecosystem of online communities to find untold histories, unsolved mysteries, and other jaw-dropping stories online and IRL. more

Criminal is the first of its kind. A show about people who've done wrong, been wronged, or gotten caught somewhere in the middle. Hosted by Phoebe Judge. Named a Best Podcast of 2023 by the New York Times. Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. more

the memory palace

Since 2014 this longstanding podcast favourite has been creating hard-hitting cinematic stories about love, bodies and all of the things between humans that we don't know how to name. Creator Kaitlin Prest works with her friends, idols and all kinds of loved ones to bring you into an expansive sonic universe that challenges what we think we know about relationships. more

THE TRUTH makes movies for your ears. They're short stories that are sometimes dark, sometimes funny, and always intriguing. Every story is different, but they all take you to unexpected places using only sound. If you're new, some good starting places are: Silvia's Blood, That's Democracy, Moon Graffiti, Tape Delay, or whatever's most recent. Listening with headphones is encouraged! We're a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. more

Adventures in language with Helen Zaltzman. TheAllusionist.org

Articles of Interest is a show about what we wear.Produced and Hosted by Avery Trufelman

What Went Wrong covers Hollywood's most notoriously disastrous movie productions, digging into the behind-the-scenes insanity of everything from massive flops to record-breaking blockbusters. In each episode, hosts Lizzie Bassett and Chris Winterbauer dive into a new film to explore the mind-blowing (and sometimes numbing) reasons why making a movie is nearly impossible (especially a good one). Produced by David Boman. Subscribe on Apple Connect or PATREON for 'WWW' BONUS CONTENT! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. more

Point of Origin is about the world of food, worldwide. Each week we travel to different countries exploring culture through food, examining its past and present, and what it teaches us about who we are and how we came to be. Join Whetstone Magazine co-founder host Stephen Satterfield as he connects with those most immersed in defining and preserving global foodways. Along the way we're drinking natural wine in Australia, sipping tea — Taiwanese Oolong and Sri Lankan Ceylon — and eating frejon, a Nigerian staple with Brazilian origins. The power of food is that it has a story to tell. Point of Origin is a podcast that enthusiastically uplifts the voices of women and people of color. We believe that this diversity isn't just noteworthy but part of what makes our work essential and distinguished. When the gatekeepers are diverse, so too are the stories, its tellers and their experiences. more

We talk about everything and anything.

A podcast about mysteries, hosted by Starlee Kine. From Gimlet.