Top New Podcasts of 2017, So Far.

Last updated on April 4th, 2024

At any given time, if you peruse the top podcasts charts you’re bound to see a group of the usual suspects headlining. It’s no real surprise, however, since simply being on the list leads to more listeners and subscribers which keeps you on the top charts. It’s a difficult cabal to break into. That’s why I’m excited for this new flock of the top new podcasts to break the mold and get some relatively fresh faces in the mix.

However, a new wave of podcasts is emerging and jumping onto the charts. As I’m writing this, six podcasts are on the top 10 that weren’t there the week before. I’m double-checking my math, but I’m pretty sure that’s 60%. Podcasts such as Sworn (#1), 30 for 30: The Podcast (#2), Ear Hustle (#5), and What Trump Can Teach Us About Con Law (#8) are brand new even. Admittedly, these “newcomers” aren’t all that new in the traditional sense. The majority either have an existing tremendously successful podcast production machine and marketing engine and/or have some name-brand personalities that propel the podcast to notoriety.

Here are some of the staff’s favorite top new podcasts and their recommendations.

Sworn

Joe: 

Sworn was at the top of the iTunes charts before the first episode was even released (as they proudly state in the first episodes). Whether the listeners stay will likely depend on the content. It is clear from its first episodes, though, that Sworn may well benefit from the path cut by its sister podcast, Up and Vanished.

Sworn’s first episodes dove into the basic facts of the case and included an exclusive look at crime scene photographs from the Sheriff investigating the claim. Initial listeners seem delighted with the content with first week rankings garnering four stars or better. The sustained popularity of the show may well hinge upon where the evidence takes us in the Lake Oconee case (assuming that the focus remains there, that is). What we know now is that Sworn is off to a very big start.

What Trump Can Teach Us About Con Law

Brendan:

“This sounds like an article written by The Onion…” Despite the cliché, this is what I think each time I listen to Roman Mars’ new podcast, What Trump Can Teach Us About Con Law.

Roman Mars is the host of the podcast 99% Invisible and co-founder of Radiotopia. In his new show, What Trump Can Teach Us About Con Law, he has partnered with constitutional law professor Elizabeth Joh; together they check Twitter to compare what the 45th president of the United States has done, says he’s done, or says he will do against 200 years of judicial branch interpretations and rulings on the United States Constitution.

Everything is a remix, right? Con Law is Roman Mars’ mashup of other great podcasts in a concise and well-produced package. Two of my favorite new podcasts since this administration started are Can He Do That? by The Washington Post, analyzing the scandal of the week by asking the titular question, and Civics 101 (♫ “Civi- Civi- Civics! One Oh One!” ♬) by New Hampshire Public Radio, a weekly dive into “what you may have forgotten in civics class” or because most public schools stopped teaching civics. Con Law mixes these formats with Roman as the everyman asking questions of Elizabeth in the teacher role, who shares her knowledge of constitutional law.

What Trump Can Teach Us About Con Law is as quirky and well edited as you’d expect from a Mars’ production. There are two episodes out now that are about 15 minutes each. Give it a listen and let us know what you think in the comments below.

Revisionist History

Lauren:

If you haven’t listened to the first season of Revisionist History, stop reading, and go binge it now. It’s well worth it.

Season two hits the ground running with the first episode discussing the problems with our infatuation with golf and the unnecessary tax breaks a lot of prestigious country clubs enjoy.

Revisionist History has been peppered throughout Discover Pods with unanimous recommendations. If you’re looking to learn something new, or simply experience a new point of view on some topic I highly encourage you to check out the podcast. Each episode dives into a new subject with excellent interviewing, research, and overall production.

30 for 30: The Podcast

Kevin:

30 for 30: The Podcast hasn’t even aired yet and it’s currently ranked as #2. Let that soak in.

When ESPN first started the 30 for 30 documentaries I was completely floored. I didn’t expect them to be so good, so thorough, so captivating. Though some subjects I’m more interested in than others, nearly all the documentaries are on my must-watch list.

That’s why when I saw the announcement they were forming a podcast version of the documentaries I was immediately excited and can’t recall another podcast I was this eager to see launched. Given their abundant resources, ESPN is positioned pretty well to transform the already-successful storytelling into a podcast.

The first episode will premiere June 27th and according to ESPN’s release, the first season will

“explore and report on a new sports story that will be a combination of original interviews and archival sound. Two of the topics that will be featured in the first season of 30 for 30 Podcasts will be: “Dan and Dave Revisited,” the true story of the massive 1990’s marketing campaign around the world’s two best decathletes, and “On the Ice,” the story of how a group of amateur Brits became the first all-women’s team to make it to the North Pole.”

Honorable Mentions:

Black on the Air with Larry Wilmore

Part Time Genius

Cold Case Files: The Podcast

Binge Mode

Ear Hustle

Mogul

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What do you think? What are your favorite top new podcasts? Let us know in the comments.