Handing out the 2020 Podcast Awards, Part 1: Best(s) in Show
Unlike movies that have the Oscars, or TV shows that have the Emmys, podcasts don’t have a big night for the stars of the medium to grab the spotlight, get a little tipsy, and pat each other on the back for four hours.
And it’s a shame!
While the exact origin story of podcasts is a bit fuzzy, the date that most people call the start of podcasts (2004), makes the medium not even old enough to buy a lottery ticket yet, but some of the stats are wild. According to Podcast Insights, there are nearly two million podcasts in existence (1,750,000), for a total of 43 million episodes.
Still, there is yet to be a massive conglomerate to hand out awards to the great supply of podcasts we have at our fingertips these days. Instead, there are lots of niche outlets handing out awards as they see fit, so consider this another entrant into that marketplace. After all, what is more “podcast” than a cisgender, straight, white male screaming his opinions into the great void?
This is an exercise I undertook almost four years ago, and it was quite entertaining to go back and take a look how much tastes have changed (and stayed the same) in the time since.
Before we get to the specific awards, I’d like to write this piece in memory of Daryl Grove, the ebullient co-host of The Total Soccer Show, one of my favorite podcast personalities who devastatingly passed away this fall at the age of 40. There is something truly intimate about the relationships we build with the hosts of the podcasts we listen, and when his co-host, Taylor Rockwell, delivered the news it truly torn out a small piece of my heart. I want to send well wishes to Daryl, wherever he is, as well as all his family and friends.
Best in Show, Politics: Pantsuit Politics
There were two schools of thought in 2020: A) This is one of the most important and impactful years of our collective lifetimes, and we need to be as engaged as possible, or B) FOH to alllllll news, I really don’t need that added stress in my life.
Both approaches were fair! However, if you were one of those people in Lot A, there were plenty of outstanding choices for news podcasts this year. Taking the crown once again, for me personally, was Pantsuit Politics. For the uninitiated, Pantsuit Politics began as “Sarah from the left and Beth from the right”, an attempt to balance out the mostly partisan news outlets that exist. Now, that approach has evolved as the show has gone along, in part due to the seemingly unprecedented bullshit from the Republican party in the last five or so years.
However, the show has grown into something much more than a bringing together of left and right (for those still interested in a show of that mold, Left, Right, and Center from KCRW still does a good job of that). It brings in-depth analysis to a great number of news stories; it brings together two friends with an amazing rapport and who still have an ability to balance each other perfectly even if it’s not as much from a left-right perspective any more; but mostly it brings nuance. This is a word that the duo frequently embody, to such an extent that their Patreon show is called the ‘Nightly Nuance.’
It’s a word that I never really thought about before listening to Pantsuit Politics, to be honest, but it’s one that I now try to bring to all aspects of my life. A truly impactful and remarkably informative podcast.
Other nominees: Advisory Opinions; The Brian Lehrer Show; Left, Right and Center; FAQ NYC; and PBS Newshour
Best in Show, Entertainment: The Big Picture
I will be the first to admit that my view on entertainment podcast is a bit narrow — just wait until you get to the ‘Other nominees’ section for this award. That being said, it’s not out of a lack of trying podcasts outside The Ringer sphere, it’s just that for whatever reason, The Ringer podcast network is the one that speaks to my entertainment sensibilities with the greatest aplomb (interestingly enough, this is NOT true of their sports or politics podcasts).
Among The Ringer podcast network offerings, it was The Big Picture that stood out for me in 2020. And not to take away from Amanda and Sean in particular, but I think it may have been because of the circumstances in 2020. I am privileged enough to have a job that allowed me to stay home and quarantine for basically the entirety of the year, which meant falling back in love with my Cultural First Love: movies! I watched more movies in 2020 than probably any year since high school, and The Big Picture archives were an excellent source for when I two-years-belatedly stumbled onto gems like Burning or Support the Girls.
The podcast has also really leaned into that niche that I truly love and will call for lack of a better title: Sophisticated List Making. Let’s be honest, we all love a list. Lists provide the structure and format for any excellent conversation — aka what a podcast really is. For a long time, lists drew a lot of deserved ire because of the proliferation of Bleacher Report/Buzzfeed listicles that contained the intellectual depth of a dried-out puddle, but the new era of list-making — the avant-garde, sophisticated, [other obnoxious and faux intellectual adjective] list making that The Big Picture and other outlets have leaned into is the best of both worlds.
Great work, Sean and Amanda.
Love,
A part-time member of the CR Army…
Other nominees: The Connect; Little Gold Men; The Watch; Jam Session
Best in Show, Sports: Dunktown
Ok, this is cheating a little, because the overall Best in Show is also going to come from the sports category, and isn’t Dunktown, but I wanted to use this article to highlight as many podcasts as possible, so we’ll skirt the boundaries here a bit.
For any fans of basketball, or comedy, or even fans just of two (and a half…) friends who really just seem to get along and seem to be good people, give Dunktown a listen.
It is hosted by Anastasia and Agata, two L.A.-based comedians who “learn about basketball one game at a time.” It has the catchiest theme song around, is hosted by two hilarious and socially conscious friends, has an adorable producer who pops in regularly, and as we will note in Part 2 of this series, has the best running segments of any podcast around…
Other nominees: Greatest of All Talk; Her Hoops Podcast; The Offsides Rule WSL Edition; The Throwback League; The Total Soccer Show; The Infinite Inning; Burn It All Down
Most consistent Podcast: PBS NewsHour
Judy Goddamn Woodruff. While most media has succumb to the demands of an audience that clicks the clickbait and then gets angry that the clickbait exists, Woodruff and the team and PBS Newshour simply go about their business delivering the news in a level-headed and in-depth nature night after night.
To paraphrase Samuel L. Jackson’s Carl Lee Hailey, there’s certainly a time and a place for anger at the world around us (a certain pod that excels in that manner will be grabbing a big prize tonight), but there’s also always going to be a place, nay, a need for the type of reporting that Woodruff, Yamiche Alcindor, Amna Nawaz, et. al do at PBS.
Other nominees: Freakonomics Radio; The Offside Rule; NBA Daily Ding
Most Important Listen: Ear Hustle
This was a loaded category in 2020. It seemed like every type of news, be it sports, culture, etc. realized it was necessary to bring the larger conversations being had in 2020 into the fold.
However, the most important listen remained Radiotopia’s Ear Hustle, recorded (when possible) at San Quentin, the California State Penitentiary. There are many places in the past nine months that have not been treated with the attention, care, love, and empathy that they deserved, but at the top of that list, with a bullet, has to be nursing homes and prisons.
Every episode of Ear Hustle should be listened to and shared, but the recent episode “The Bells” which discusses in depth what Covid has done to inmates, simply demands to be listened to.
Other nominees: Burn It All Down; Culture Kings (especially this episode); Advisory Opinions; Still Processing; The Brian Lehrer Show
Best Supporting Actress: Shireen Ahmed, Burn it All Down
We’re going to be talking a lot more about Burn It All Down in a bit, and to highlight any particular one of the five amazing co-hosts may be a fool’s errand, but I like to this of it as a personality test. In any group of more than about three, especially when each is charismatic and unique in character, it’s almost inevitable to turn the process into a personality test. Are you a Samantha or a Miranda? A Johnny Drama or an E? I find myself doing this with Burn It All Down, and it shouldn’t be a shock given the winner here, but I’m a Shireen (and I think most of my friends would agree). I assume I’m not the only one to do this, so any other listeners, I’d be curious who your Burn It All Down personality is. Maybe we can make this the new enneagram.
Other nominees: Molly Wood, Make Me Smart; Raiza Licea, Spanish Aqui Presents; any of the other Burn It All Down co-hosts: Amira Rose Davis, Lindsay Gibbs, Jessica Luther, or Brenda Elsey
Best Supporting Actor: Richard Lawson, Little Gold Men
LGM is the Vanity Fair awards show, and an excellent show that covers really any and everything pop culture. The show is hosted by a trio a talented critics: Katey Rich, Joanna Robinson, and Lawson, with an array of strong circulating guests. All three are excellent podcast personalities, but Lawson in particular shines with an impressive balance of quick wit and well-timed levity.
Other nominees: Eno Sarris, Rates and Barrels; Mero, Bodega Boys
Best Male Lead: Chris Ryan, The Watch
The Watch has long been one of my favorite pop culture podcasts, in theory focusing on television, but really touching on all things culture, and often from an impressive 10,000-foot lens. Ryan does an very strong job steering the ship, especially given the fact that his co-host has mostly moved from the critical side of this to the creation side, and his cultural intake is no longer what it used to be. (Shots slightly fired.)
The show has lost a bit of its fastball as a result, but it’s still a must-listen and Ryan remains an elite podcaster, capable of dropping easily the most obscure (but strong-hitting) references you’ll ever hear.
Other nominees: Edgar Momplasair, Culture Kings; Desus, Bodega Boys; Zach Lowe, The Lowe Post; David French, Advisory Opinions
Best Female Lead: Meg Linehan, Full Time with Meg Linehan
There is no more singular reporter in her/his field than Meg Linehan in American women’s soccer. A large part of that is the disappointing lack of support going into covering the sport, but a not insignificant part of that is that Linehan may well be the top sports journalist working right now.
She has every possible connection in the sport, is a leader in terms of equality and progressiveness, and brings it all to fans in an entertaining and engaging tone. She’s truly one of the best. Full Time is hosted by Linehan but brings in a variety of knowledgeable and engaging personalities to join her. Aside from all the blatant Boston Breakers propaganda/nostalgia ;) the show is a must-listen for any fan of women’s soccer in the U.S.
Other nominees: Amanda Dobbins, Jam Session; LaChina Robinson, Around the Rim; Agata and Anastasia, Dunktown; Judy Woodruff, PBS NewsHour
Podcast of the Year: Burn It All Down
We mentioned Burn It All Down a few categories back, with Shireen Ahmed taking the Supporting Actress category, but there really should be no cap on the number of awards this show racks up. For those who have never listened: first of all here is a link. Their tagline is “The feminist sports podcast you need” and there’s truly no better quintet of voices in the world of sports podcasting than these five. The show follows a loose format of introductory banter, one or two main stories, a brief interview (which now is released separately later in the week), the Burn Pile, Bad Ass Woman of the Week, and then what has been good in each of their worlds.
Each section is of high enough quality to honestly stand on its own, but instead, the listener gets all of it tightly woven into an hour to two hours a week. The Burn Pile is the standout segment, in which each co-host (Ahmed, Amira Rose Davis, Brenda Elsey, Lindsay Gibbs, and Jessica Luther) brings a story from the world of sports that week that they’d like to burn. Sadly, there is always more than enough kindling, as anyone who pays close attention to the world of sports news knows. The five co-hosts bring their own unique perspective and depth to each story, balancing the right amount of anger, call to action, and therapeutic group burning to each story to allow the listener to get angry, do something about it, and then cleanse.
Not to pound this point into the ground, but most of 2020 felt like the embodiment of that exact cycle, and no podcast met that calling better, more frequently, and with such excellent ferocity as Burn It All Down. For that very reason, it simply has to be the winner of the Podcast of the Year.
Check back soon for Part 2 of this series where we dive into some silly smaller categories and hopefully give shout outs to an even deeper roster of excellent podcasts.
