15 Best Underrated Podcasts

1. Dan Carlin's Hardcore History

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In 'Hardcore History' journalist and broadcaster Dan Carlin takes his 'Martian', unorthodox way of thinking and applies it to the past. Was Alexander the Great as bad a person as Adolf Hitler? What would Apaches with modern weapons be like? Will our modern civilization ever fall like civilizations from past eras? This isn't academic history (and Carlin isn't a historian) but the podcast's unique blend of high drama, masterful narration and Twilight Zone-style twists has entertained millions of listeners.MORE Host Dan Carlin
Producer/Network Dan Carlin
Email ****@dancarlin.com
Estimated listeners
Apple Rating 4.8/5Apple Reviews 148.6K Avg Length 282 min Format Extended Get Email Contact Get access to full database of 2.7M podcastsCreate podcast lists, export in spreadsheet or CSV file with email contacts and start your podcast outreach in minutes.Sign Up for Free with Email Continue with Google

2. Ear Hustle

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Ear Hustle is prison slang for eavesdropping, and that's what listening to the show feels like: a raw, often funny, and always surprising peek into the reality of life inside prison. Hosts Nigel Poor and Earlonne Woods co-created the show that launched in 2017 while Earlonne was incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison, where Nigel was a volunteer teaching photography...MORE Hosts Nigel Poor, Earlonne Woods
Producer/Network Ear Hustle & Radiotopia
Email ****@gmail.com
Estimated listeners
Apple Rating 4.9/5Apple Reviews 24.8KFacebook 31.8KTwitter 23KInstagram 72.5K Avg Length 47 min Format Long form Since May 2017 Get Email Contact

3. Ologies with Alie Ward

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Volcanoes. Trees. Drunk butterflies. Mars missions. Slug sex. Death. Beauty standards. Anxiety busters. Beer science. Bee drama. Take away a pocket full of science knowledge and charming, bizarre stories about what fuels these professional -ologists' obsessions. Humorist and science correspondent Alie Ward asks smart people stupid questions and the answers might change your life.MORE Host Alie Ward
Producer/Network Alie Ward
Email ****@gmail.com
Estimated listeners
Apple Rating 4.9/5Apple Reviews 29.5K Avg Length 76 min Format Long form Get Email Contact

4. Heavyweight

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Maybe you've laid awake and imagined how it could have been, how it might yet be, but the moment to act was never right. Well, the moment is here and the podcast making it happen is Heavyweight. Join Jonathan Goldstein for road trips, thorny reunions, and difficult conversations as he backpedals his way into the past like a therapist with a time machine. MORE Host Jonathan Goldstein
Producer/Network Pushkin Industries
Email ****@gimletmedia.com
Estimated listeners
Apple Rating 4.9/5Apple Reviews 22.6KTwitter 28.1KInstagram 18.8K Avg Length 44 min Format Long form Since Sep 2016 Get Email Contact

5. 99% Invisible

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Design is everywhere in our lives, perhaps most importantly in the places where we've just stopped noticing. 99% Invisible is a weekly exploration of the process and power of design and architecture. From award winning producer Roman Mars. Learn more at 99percentinvisible.org.MORE Host Roman Mars
Producer/Network SiriusXM Podcasts
Email ****@gmail.com
Estimated listeners
Apple Rating 4.8/5Apple Reviews 38KFacebook 106.9KTwitter 72.8KInstagram 89.8K Avg Length 37 min Format Medium form Get Email Contact

6. Criminal

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Criminal is the first of its kind. A show about people who've done wrong, been wronged, or gotten caught somewhere in the middle. Hosted by Phoebe Judge. Named a Best Podcast of 2023 by the New York Times. Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.MORE Host Phoebe Judge
Producer/Network Criminal Productions
Email ****@thisiscriminal.com
Estimated listeners
Apple Rating 4.7/5Apple Reviews 48.7KFacebook 43.3KTwitter 32.7KInstagram 60.4K Avg Length 42 min Format Long form Get Email Contact

7. Song Exploder

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Song Exploder is a podcast where musicians take apart their songs, and piece by piece, tell the story of how they were made. Each episode features an artist discussing a song of theirs, breaking down the sounds and ideas that went into the writing and recording. Hosted and produced by Hrishikesh Hirway.MORE Host Hrishikesh Hirway
Producer/Network Radiotopia
Email ****@theoneamradio.com
Estimated listeners
Apple Rating 4.8/5Apple Reviews 8.9KFacebook 23.5KTwitter 41.5KInstagram 74.9K Avg Length 25 min Format Medium form Since Jan 2014 Get Email Contact

8. Imaginary Worlds

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Imaginary Worlds sounds like what would happen if NPR went to ComicCon and decided that's all they ever wanted to cover. Host Eric Molinsky spent over a decade working as a public radio reporter and producer, and he uses those skills to create thoughtful, sound-rich episodes about science fiction, fantasy, and other genres of speculative fiction. Every other week, he talks with comic book artists, game designers, novelists, screenwriters, filmmakers, and fans about how they craft their worlds, why we suspend our disbelief, and what happens if the spell is broken...MORE Host Eric Molinsky
Producer/Network Eric Molinsky | QCODE
Email ****@gmail.com
Estimated listeners
Apple Rating 4.8/5Apple Reviews 2.8KFacebook 3.9KTwitter 3.8KInstagram 3.2K Avg Length 41 min Format Long form Get Email Contact

9. Unexplainable

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Unexplainable takes listeners right up to the edge of what we know…and then keeps on going. The Unexplainable team — Noam Hassenfeld, Julia Longoria, Byrd Pinkerton, and Meradith Hoddinott — tackles scientific mysteries, unanswered questions, and everything we learn diving into the unknown. New episodes Mondays and Wednesdays. From Vox and the Vox Media Podcast Network.MORE Hosts Noam Hassenfeld, Byrd Pinkerton, Meradith Hoddinott, Mandy Nguyen
Producer/Network Vox Media Podcast Network
Email ****@vox.com
Estimated listeners
Apple Rating 4.6/5Apple Reviews 2.8KFacebook 3.9MTwitter 943KInstagram 1M Avg Length 30 min Format Medium form Get Email Contact

10. Noble Blood

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Author Dana Schwartz explores the stories of some of history's most fascinating royals: the tyrants and the tragic, the murderers and the murdered, and everyone in between. Because when you're wearing a crown, mistakes often mean blood.MORE Host Dana Schwartz
Producer/Network Grim & Mild
Email ****@gmail.com
Estimated listeners
Apple Rating 4.7/5Apple Reviews 15.1KFacebook 3.9KTwitter 12.8KInstagram 17.5K Avg Length 37 min Format Medium form Get Email Contact

11. The Truth

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THE TRUTH makes movies for your ears. They're short stories that are sometimes dark, sometimes funny, and always intriguing. Every story is different, but they all take you to unexpected places using only sound. If you're new, some good starting places are: Silvia's Blood, That's Democracy, Moon Graffiti, Tape Delay, or whatever's most recent. Listening with headphones is encouraged! We're a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.MORE Host Jonathan Mitchell
Producer/Network Radiotopia
Email ****@thetruthpodcast.com
Estimated listeners
Apple Rating 4.7/5Apple Reviews 5KFacebook 8.1KTwitter 8.6KInstagram 3.2K Avg Length 30 min Format Medium form Since Nov 2011 Get Email Contact