Top Society & Culture Podcasts
10 podcasts in this category
The Ezra Klein Show
New York Times Opinion
#31 OverallEzra Klein invites you into a conversation on something that matters. How do we address climate change if the political system fails to act? Has the logic of markets infiltrated too many aspects of our lives? What is the future of the Republican Party? What do psychedelics teach us about consciousness? What does sci-fi understand about our present that we miss? Can our food system be just to humans and animals alike? Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher.

Stuff You Should Know
iHeartPodcasts
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Shawn Ryan Show
Shawn Ryan
The "Shawn Ryan Show" is hosted by Shawn Ryan, former U.S. Navy SEAL, CIA Contractor, and Founder of Vigilance Elite. We tell REAL stories about REAL people from all walks of life. We discuss the ups and downs, wins and losses, successes and struggles, the good and bad in a respectful but candid way with our guest. We're better than entertainment, we're the REAL thing. Please enjoy the show.
What I survived
Jack Laurence
#57 Overall<p><strong>What I Survived</strong> explores the extraordinary true stories of people who survived the unthinkable. Each story takes you back to who these people were <em>before</em> everything changed, then inside the moment their lives were pushed to the edge, shipwrecked at sea for weeks, held captive by terrorists, falling 15,000 feet from a plane after a parachute failure, and other extreme, life-or-death situations.</p><br><p>Through first-hand accounts, we follow the ordeal as it happened, the decisions made under unimaginable pressure, and the will it took to survive.</p><br><p>Then what came after, the physical and psychological recovery, and the process of rebuilding a life forever altered.</p><br><p><strong>From the creator of award winning shows One Minute Remaining, Wanted and more. </strong></p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
Sword and Scale
Sword and Scale
#37 OverallSword and Scale is a weekly true crime podcast covering the dark underworld of crime and the criminal justice system’s response to it. The first episode launched January 1st, 2014 and feature stories of murder, abduction, rape, and even more bizarre forms of crime. It’s the purest form of true-crime where the raw uncensored audio tells the story. Everything from 911 calls to court testimony, interviews with victims and sometimes with perpetrators give listeners a 360 degree look at the seedy underbelly of human nature and so-called civilized society. Sword and scale proves that the worst monsters are real.

This American Life
This American Life
#34 OverallEach week we choose a theme. Then anything can happen. This American Life is true stories that unfold like little movies for radio. Personal stories with funny moments, big feelings, and surprising plot twists. Newsy stories that try to capture what it’s like to be alive right now. It’s the most popular weekly podcast in the world, and winner of the first ever Pulitzer Prize for a radio show or podcast. Hosted by Ira Glass and produced in collaboration with WBEZ Chicago.
Focus: Adults in the Room
KUOW News and Information
#45 Overall<p>The production team behind the Peabody-nominated "<em>Lost Patients" </em>returns with a new investigative series: "<em>Adults in the Room."</em> Episodes will come out Tuesdays at midnight Pacific Time.</p> <p>Seattle, 1999. At Garfield High School, Mr. Hudson is a legend. With a thundering voice and imposing stature, Mr. Hudson — or “Tom” as select students call him — teaches biology and leads an elite outdoors program. But when teen reporters at the school paper start exploring a rumor that he sexually abused students, all hell breaks loose. Adults close ranks, and schoolmates turn on the young journalists. And then one day, a voice on the school intercom announces that Mr. Hudson is dead. Isolde Raftery is one of the students who first hears about and reports allegations against Mr. Hudson. Today, she is an investigative journalist in Seattle. In "<em>Adults in the Room</em>," Raftery re-reports the story to understand what really happened in 1999. Was a whole school community groomed by a charismatic predator? Or was she part of a whisper campaign that cost the life of a great teacher? </p> <p>"Focus" is KUOW’s home for immersive audio documentaries. Each season zooms in on a single story that challenges commonly held narratives about life in the Pacific Northwest and reveals something bigger about American society. </p>
Freakonomics Radio
Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher
Freakonomics co-author Stephen J. Dubner uncovers the hidden side of everything. Why is it safer to fly in an airplane than drive a car? How do we decide whom to marry? Why is the media so full of bad news? Also: things you never knew you wanted to know about wolves, bananas, pollution, search engines, and the quirks of human behavior. To get every show in the Freakonomics Radio Network without ads and a monthly bonus episode of Freakonomics Radio, start a free trial for SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.
Radio Rental
Tenderfoot TV & Audacy
Discover real-life horror stories, from bizarre crimes to paranormal activity. These true stories are set inside the fictional world of Radio Rental, an 80's video rental shop. This imaginative, cult classic-inspired horror brand blurs the lines of reality, with cutting-edge documentary storytelling and a splash of comedy. From the mind of Payne Lindsey— this is Radio Rental.
The Oprah Podcast
Harpo
The Oprah Podcast is home to all-new conversations featuring Oprah Winfrey and today’s foremost thought leaders, global newsmakers, best-selling authors, visionaries and cultural changemakers. Exploring timely themes, including happiness, resilience, consciousness and connection, the weekly series aims to help listeners on their journey to lead their best life. Oprah talks to people about what matters most to them in this moment. Every month, she will feature interviews with authors called ‘Oprah’s Book Club Presented by Starbucks’ with live audiences in Starbucks across the country.