Each month, Podcast Review’s staff offers recommendations on the best new podcasts to listen to. Here are our favorites for September:
From a young age, many of us are taught a straightforward view of law enforcement: its role is to protect us. But as we navigate the world, that understanding becomes more complicated. Empire City is a new narrative podcast from Wondery, Crooked Media, and PushBlack fronted by Peabody Award-winning journalist Chenjerai Kumanyika (Uncivil, Scene on Radio). The show explores the “largely invisible history” of the New York Police Department to understand its ongoing impact on crime prevention and social dynamics. Part history lesson, part critical study, Empire City is a compelling development in the continued discussion of modern policing. The series will debut on Wondery+ and all other podcast platforms on September 9th.
Another advice podcast? With so many already out there, we don’t blame you for looking past the relaunch of this popular show from NPR. But the new version of How to Do Everything isn’t just full of life tips, it’s also a survival guide for the sort of people who enjoy thought experiments and asking silly things on Reddit. In each episode, listeners send their burning questions for hosts Mike Danforth and Ian Chillag to answer. “How do you survive quicksand?” “How do you plan the perfect first date?” “How do you count all the hairs on your head?” Your unqualified hosts don’t know the answer. But they will find someone who does. Brand new episodes of How to Do Everything are coming soon — luckily, the archive is available while we wait.
Have you ever been the victim of a scam? If you have, rest assured you’re not alone. And in any case, it might be time to pay a visit to Scamtown, where true crime stories are far stranger than fiction. The new Apple Originals podcast about bizarre heists and wild scams seeks to push the boundaries of the genre. Presiding over these quirky tales are Emmy-nominated filmmakers James Lee Hernandez and Brian Lazarte — an accomplished duo who ensure these scams go off without a hitch. For light-hearted true crime, head to Scamtown.
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