The Podcast Pantheon: 101 Podcasts That Changed How We Listen

by Sean Malin

Spanning the most popular podcast genres—true crime, comedy, sports, relationships, and more—culture critic and Vulture‘s Start Here columnist Sean Malin introduces the first comprehensive canon in podcast history. Featuring a foreword by award-winning actor and producer Jon Hamm. The Golden Age of podcasts is upon us. With over fifty official podcast networks, more than three million programs of every imaginable category available for download, and tens of millions of unique listens and views every week in the US alone—plus, our favorites being adapted into dozens of beloved films, TV series, and books—podcasts are now part of the fabric that makes up our everyday global media. Finally, here is an exclusive insider’s perspective told through 101 different shows across dozens of genres. The Podcast Pantheon is the first book of its A resource for discovering podcasts and learning more about how this multibillion-dollar industry came into being from the geniuses who created it.   Delving into genres of all kinds—including fashion, food, health, sex, tech, and more—Malin profiles all the top podcasts, from Serial to Comedy Bang! Bang!, guiding fans Find out more about their favorite shows and how they got started. Learn about each podcast’s influences and impact on culture, history, future shows, and the industry at large. Hear exclusive stories and enjoy never-before-seen behind-the-scenes photos from favorite hosts. Discover hidden gems, whether an entirely new podcast, a new-to-you genre, or something reminiscent of an old favorite. Readers will find podcasts worth listening to and get expert advice on the best episodes to start with, solving one of the biggest and most intimidating hurdles when trying to dive into a longstanding show. Malin’s easy-to-read profiling and titillating exploration of 101 podcasts offers something for everybody, whether you’ve been listening to podcasts for years, are new to them, or are looking to start your own. EXPERT A culture critic since 2007 and the writer behind Vulture‘s hit podcasting column Start Here, Sean Malin has interviewed and connected with the world’s top podcasters, including Marc Maron, Conan O’Brien, Nicole Byer, Ira Glass, and Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey, among many others, and has the inside scoop on the most popular and award-winning podcasts.  A MUST-HAVE LISTENER’S Dip in and out of this enticing guide that’s perfect for beginners and serious listeners alike. Profiled podcasts WTF with Marc Maron My Favorite Murder Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend Office Ladies Why Won't You Date Me? The Accessible Stall Stuff You Should Know Wait, Wait . . . Don't Tell Me! How Did This Get Made? Fresh Air The Moth S-Town Hollywood Handbook Doughboys Bad with Money Welcome to Night Vale And many more! FAN FAVORITES AND NEW Sean Malin reveals fascinating information about 100+ shows and their talented hosts, tells you where to listen, and offers his favorite episode pick for each. His wide-ranging and comprehensive overview gives ample opportunity to discover something new to dive right into. Perfect Podcast enthusiasts and new listeners Those in search of new podcasts to devour Podcast creators and anyone interested in starting their own podcast  Foodies, artists, entrepreneurs, fashionistas, parents, teachers, fitness enthusiasts, newshounds, and many more Gift-giving to podcast junkies and pop culture fans Media professionals, scholars, educators, historians, and consumers

Genres: Nonfiction

238 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 16, 2025

Reviews

[He N · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genuinely fun to read about internet stuff in books. Totally different brain experience.

Got me intrigued and now would love to learn more about this whole podcasting thing

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Podcast Pantheon is like an encyclopedia of influential and well-known podcasts, spanning everything from news to comedy to music—and just about anything else you can imagine. It features 100 podcasts, each with a solid page or two describing the show, its origins, and its history.

One of the neat features is that each entry ends with a set of quick-reference bullet points. So if you don’t want to read the full write-up, you can easily find details like where the podcast is available (Patreon, Apple Podcasts, etc.) and who the creators are.

I especially appreciated seeing several of my personal favorites included among the 100. For new podcast listeners, this book is a treasure trove of discovery—you’ll almost certainly find something that piques your interest. For longtime listeners, you may recognize familiar shows, but the background information and breadth still make it a fascinating read.

[Mike Heenan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Edelweiss, the author, and the publisher for this complementary ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This book takes the reader through 101 podcasts that have come to define the medium over the past few decades. Each podcast gets 2 pages with a summary of the history of the podcast and some details like number of episodes, first episode, best episode, etc.

I found this to be a really good high level summary of lots of podcasts and helped me find a few that I'm interested in. At times, I would have preferred a longer summary of each podcast vs. having so many podcasts but that's just a preference.

[Cait's Reading Nook · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Podcast Pantheon by Sean Malin is an overview of impactful podcasts across pop culture, politics, business, history, food, tech, and many other genres. I found learned about podcasts I heard of before. As a podcaster, I found this book to be an informative and entertaining guide to show the variety of podcasts and podcasts that accelerated the growth of the industry.

This book is a great intro about podcasts from the early days of podcasts. I think an interesting follow up could be a collection of recent podcasts and their impact. It’s a great book for those new to listening to podcasts and those who are avid listeners.

Thank you to Sean Malin, NetGalley, and Chronicle Books Press for the opportunity to read and review this Advanced Reader Copy.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a honest review.

[Elle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whether a podcast enthusiast or curious beginner, this collection of 101 podcasts and brief information about them will help listeners find a new show to enjoy.

[kyle · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s interesting that like 1/3 of the entries in this book made me confused about what the subject of the show is or why it’s actually good.

[Cris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Basically just a well curated giant listicle of popular pods