From a series that looks at startup culture to one that offers a window into the romantic lives of others.
8 Binge-Worthy Podcasts with Lots of Seasons
From a series that looks at startup culture to one that offers a window into the romantic lives of others.
Don’t you love that feeling of settling into a long road trip or plane ride with a podcast to binge your way through? There’s something so satisfying about being able to cue up a new favourite audio series and spend hours and hours listening to people chatting away about a fascinating subject, especially when there are multiple seasons for you to get stuck into.
From a series that looks at startup culture to one that offers a window into the romantic lives of others, here are a few of our favourite multi-season podcasts to fall in love with.
1. Sentimental Garbage
Episodes: 98
This podcast, hosted by Caroline O’Donoghue, has been running since 2018, which means…many episodes available for you to binge. In most of them, Caroline is joined by a guest as they discuss something previously dismissed as chicklit, from The Devil Wears Prada to Sweet Valley High. but we love the two seasons where she recapped Sex and the City with co-host and friend Dolly Alderton the best. The first season covered the original series (and films, eek) and the second, recently released, took in the reboot And Just Like That. Caroline and Dolly are Sex and the City obsessives, which makes for hilarious discussion that really digs into the nitty-gritty of why we all love the fab four so much. This podcast is a firm favourite.
2. How To Fail
Seasons: 14
Episodes: 139
There have been an incredible 12 seasons (and counting) of Elizabeth Day’s chart-topping podcast How To Fail, and no wonder, given how insightful, inspiring and moving this show is. Each episode, Day invites a guest to share some of their failures, both big and small, to help elucidate how failure can teach us things about ourselves, the world, and success. Day has a friendly and empathetic interviewing style and connects easily with her guests, including Stanley Tucci, Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Andrew Scott. We often re-listen to her Andrew Scott episode whenever we want to both laugh and cry. She’s a genius. We hope this podcast never ends.
3. This Had Oscar Buzz
Episodes: 216
Over the course of 192 episodes (and counting) and quite a few special miniseries – they do a new one each May – This Had Oscar Buzz charts the highs and lows of films that tried to achieve Academy Awards glory but didn’t quite make the cut. That includes films such as Mona Lisa Smile, their very first episode, or more recently, the Emily Blunt and Jamie Dornan corker Wild Mountain Thyme. Co-hosts Joe Reid and Chris Feil have a great rapport and are incredibly knowledgeable on all things movies and Oscars, which makes for fascinating listening. They’re currently deep-diving into five films that were on the cover of an Entertainment Weekly movie special – but never made it to the Oscars podium. One of those films is The Da Vinci Code. We cannot wait to listen to that episode.
4. Slow Burn
Seasons: 7
Episodes: 115
Over six seasons and more than 140 episodes, Slow Burn digs deep into the political news stories you thought you knew – the impeachment of Bill Clinton, Watergate, the Iraq War. Slow Burn looks at each of them and finds new ways of understanding and refracting them for modern audiences.
5. You Must Remember This
Episodes: 205
Another podcast for movie obsessives, You Must Remember This excavates Old Hollywood history, revealing the juicy gossip and stories of the celebrities of eras past. Hosted by Karina Longworth, this podcast has had many seasons, of which look at a specific time capsule in Hollywood history, from the Manson Murder-era late ‘60s to the current series, which looks at the erotic thriller mania of the ‘80s. We’ve learned so much about celebrity culture and movies from listening to this podcast.
6. Foundering
Episodes: 164
This Bloomberg podcast takes a specific look at startup culture, with each season focusing on a specific company and what they represent in the business world. If you’ve obsessively been watching WeCrashed on AppleTV+ or Super Pumped on Paramount+, these podcast seasons will give you even more of an insight into the world of tech and how everything can come crashing down so quickly. The first season of this show followed WeWork, and after that shifted focus to TikTok and, now, Amazon. A fascinating window into a business world from the experts in the field.
7. Where Should We Begin
Seasons: 5
Episodes: 60
For five seasons, therapist Esther Perel has lifted the lid on therapy and invited listeners into her practice, and the lives of her patients, with her beloved podcast, Where Should We Begin. The series is now a Spotify Original and continues to deliver the goods, offering a window into the lives of others. Esther Perel is one of the world’s most famous therapists for a reason, and this podcast gives us the opportunity to listen in on a session and for that, we thank the podcast gods.
8. 99% Invisible
Episodes: 545
Produced and created by Roman Mars, 99% Invisible brings to light things we don't typically think about, namely the unnoticed architecture and design that shape our world. It divulges into nearly-invisible design processes that you had no idea were incredibly fascinating and then explains why they are.
