We have always believed that podcasts deserve the same level of editorial coverage as film or literature. And while we are committed to our annual "best of" reviews come December, we know that listeners are looking for recommendations all year round. That's why we're launching a new feature that will evolve as time passes: the best new podcasts of 2026.
The year has been marked by quiet ambition. New limited series like Creation Myth and Love + Radio: Blood Memory have proven that "slow listening" still has an audience, while Money Trauma is exploring our anxieties about wealth in an intelligent and thoughtful way. We will update this list quarterly, so be sure to subscribe to the newsletter for new additions. Don't forget to read our Best Podcasts of 2025 list for more audio gems.
World of Secrets: The Darkest Web
In January 2026, the Department of Justice released the "Epstein Files," a tranche of documents detailing the vast network of convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. This unsettling reality that abusers do not work in isolation is the core of the latest series of World of Secrets: The Darkest Web.
The podcast follows journalist Sam Piranty, with help from producer Annabel Deas, as we gain rare access to US Special Agents Greg Squire and Pete Manning. What began as a series of cautious, off-the-record conversations evolved into a hybrid production investigating the elusive, mutating world of online child exploitation. While the internet has created cavernous spaces for these crimes to become commodities, the series highlights a sobering truth: technology is not always an ally. Piranty notes that "tech doesn’t crack these cases." Instead, agents rely on old-school detective work, diligently searching through thousands of hours of evidence to save victims like "Lucy."
The production strikes a difficult balance, avoiding click-bait to focus on child abuse as a large-scale social issue. It is a necessary, if harrowing, listen that stumbles through the darkness to find a glimmer of hope. Despite the vital work of enforcement, the series leaves us with a chilling admission from Agent Squire: "We can’t just arrest our way out of this." — Alice Florence Orr
City of Lights
In 2002, Al and Mary Ann Signorelli lost their teenage son, Jeff, to a senseless act of gun violence. The perpetrator has still not been convicted. But the indie podcast City of Lights is not about either the crime or the hunt for Jeff’s killer.
Instead, Willy Nast’s podcast focuses intimately on what the succeeding two decades were like for the bereaved parents as they contended with their grief, doing all they could to stop anyone else experiencing such a loss.
The Signorellis are an astonishingly resilient couple and it’s a privilege to hear them talk so honestly and intimately about what has happened to them; that they’ve managed to retain a sense of humour after going through all this is hard to fathom. City of Lights is also made engaging by Nast’s thoughtful, self-questioning narration, in which he considers if he’s exploiting the Signorellis by even making the podcast, ruminating on what it’s been like for him to live with the story for the decade plus of the production process. By the end of the show, it feels as if we’ve been through something big, too. — Chloe Walker
Money Trauma
"You cannot control the future. There are some days where you need more or less. But nobody needs tens of millions of dollars." These are the worlds of wealth redistribution coach Iris Brilliant, a formerly rich person who decided to rethink her life after the early death of her brother. She is the guest on an episode of a new financial podcast called Money Trauma that focuses on the mentality of people who hoard wealth. It is a tender, yet provocative look at the issue that shies away from slogans ("Eat the rich") and prioritizes understanding without demonization.
Money Trauma isn't just about wealth. It's also about the narratives we learn about money from childhood. Miho Soon approaches the subject with the same care that Molly Fischer brought to The Cut on Tuesdays. While that show has never been matched, Money Trauma is a long awaited tonal replacement for fans of thoughtful editorial takes. — AFO
Dan Taberski's Manifesto
This unassuming series might be the best podcast that Audible has made so far. In the series, which is also available on Apple Podcasts if you have an Audible subscription, is all about the art of the manifesto. Exploring the great manifestos of history and tying them to recent examples – such as those by social justice movements, terrorists, and everything in between – Taberski pieces together a list of his own.
The best part of the series is Taberki's narration. It's personal, yes. But it never veers into solipsism. Rather, Taberski provides an intelligent and humorous view of an unfashionable yet consequential topic. We recommend getting an Audible subscription just for this series. – AFO
The Secret World of Roald Dahl
There are two different but equally compelling strands to Aaron Tracy’s podcast. The first is an extraordinary look at the wild life of Roald Dahl, unraveling his past as a spy, his screenwriting work with Walt Disney and Alfred Hitchock, his stormy marriage to the Oscar-winning Patricia Neal, the multiple grievous injuries that struck his family. And that’s all before he even began to think about writing books for children.
Then there are the vile antisemitic comments he made towards the end of his life. Tracy conducts an in-depth reckoning, in conversation with several lauded critics, about how we are supposed to factor them into his mammoth legacy.
Both strands come together to make The Secret World of Roald Dahl an atypically rich podcast; as dramatic and fun as it is thoughtful and considered. You’ll never look at Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, or The BFG in quite the same way again. — CW
Love + Radio: Blood Memory
Nick van der Kolk did not expect to find a "poet" among the ranks of a notorious neo-Nazi prison gang. But for over a decade, the Love + Radio pioneer remained fixated on Michael Thompson, a wiry, soft-spoken enigma with a "bifurcated personality." The result of Van der Kolk's fascination is Blood Memory, a ten-part audio epic that stubbornly defies the visual pivot of the true crime industry.
Van der Kolk rejects the clutter of narration, allowing Thompson’s seductive, guru-like voice to unfurl in long, uninterrupted stretches. This choice has been the most controversial element of the show. Some listeners felt that Thompson should have been challenged more. But the series refuses to offer easy answers or moral prescriptions. Instead, it invites a "decadent" and uncomfortable proximity to a killer, embracing the friction between empathy and skepticism. For Van der Kolk, the project is a creative "proving ground" — a stubborn insistence that in an era of reactive media, there is still a premium on complexity. — AFO
Pop Syllabus
Even if you’re terminally online, it can be a struggle keeping on top of the multi-headed hydra that is cultural zeitgeist. Pop Syllabus, hosted by TV writer and journalist Christiana Mbakwe Medina, is here to help.
Every week, Mbakwe Medina talks to an expert in a different, and often very niche part of the cultural conversation, to get their perspective and see where it fits in with the wider picture. Though the show — which started as a Substack — is only in its infancy, so far episodes have already focused on K Beauty, Astrology, Disney Adults, Being Black on reality TV, ‘Looksmaxxing’, and Valley Girls. There have also been interviews with actors Wunmi Mosaku and Jeff Hiller.
While there’s no shortage of cultural criticism podcasts around these days, Pop Syllabus has quickly navigated to the leading pack, thanks in large part to Mbakwe Medina’s ability to navigate both a range of topics and tones with humor, intelligence, and warmth. —CW
Creation Myth
Helena de Groot, a voice typically associated with the high-culture realms of The Paris Review Podcast and Poetry Off the Shelf, pivots toward the deeply personal in her latest project, Creation Myth. The CBC series explores the debris of a marriage that ended because De Groot did not waver in her choice to remain childless. Now in her forties, she revisits that conviction, questioning if her autonomy was worth the silence that followed.
The narrative mirrors a broader modern vacillation. For a generation of women weighing economic instability against personal agency, the decision to decline motherhood is often framed as a radical act of self-preservation. Yet, Creation Myth eschews the "center your pleasure" clichés of modern wellness. Instead, De Groot conducts a haunting audit of her own legacy, wondering if she mistook a lack of desire for a lack of purpose. It is a stark, beautifully rendered inquiry into the stories we tell ourselves to justify the lives we chose. — AFO
Bear Hunt
Goalhanger's exciting new audio fiction series aims to be a story worthy of "British Bourne." When a British Airways flight mysteriously crashes, Russia is to blame. The Prime Minister, a "centrist dad" type of politician, sets in motion an ill-advised plan to eliminate the Russian President, but suddenly loses power in the general election. Is it too late to prevent his plot?
Bear Hunt's sound design is exceptional. Even better is its tightly woven plot, which is based on real military and espionage techniques. In theory, the whole story is possible, though the makers couldn't possibly comment on whether any of the references have actually happened – yet. Stick with the full ten episode run. Details that seem confusing at first soon make sense and the chase scenes are worth tuning in for alone. – AFO
What to Carry, What to Burn
Blair Braverman's exceptional podcast is all about tales of survival. So far, stories have included that of Ada Blackjack, an Iñupiaq woman who embarked on a tragic expedition to claim a remote island for Canada and survived, and Lauren Elder, the sole survivor of a small plane crash who battled mirages while making her way down an over 12,000-foot mountain in heels. From castaways to abductees, each tale is more extraordinary than the next. What to Carry, What to Burn delivers thrilling storytelling worthy of genuine praise. If you're already a fan of shows like Heavyweight and You're Wrong About, make sure to tune in to Braverman's new podcast. – AFO
OnlyFantasy
Esteemed podcaster Leon Neyfak joins forces with comedian and OnlyFans creator Gracie Canaan to explore the peculiar and troubling relationships taking place on the infamous platform. Not only is OnlyFantasy a real snapshot in time, but it also provides differing perspectives on sex work that make the show a genuinely thought-provoking listening experience. Neyfakh functions as the audience surrogate, while Canaan is the industry pro with insights into real intimacy dynamics on the app. Their points of view help give OnlyFantasy a broader outlook and propulsive momentum that proves alluring enough to binge the entire series. – AFO
