Apple Podcasts has published 20 shows it calls its favorites from podcasting’s first 20 years. The collection spans narrative reporting, fiction, comedy, history, music, health, and conversation—but it is an editorial selection, not a ranked list or a chart of the most-listened-to podcasts. Apple groups the shows by launch period and provides a suggested episode for each, making the collection a way to find a starting point rather than a listening order. See Apple’s anniversary collection.
How Apple chose and organized its 20 favorites
Apple says podcasting came to iTunes in 2005. For the anniversary, Apple Podcasts describes its 20 selections as shows that exemplify how the medium has developed and where it might go. The page calls the collection a “love letter” to programs that left a lasting impact and that Apple’s team continues to recommend. It does not assign the shows ranks or present them as the most popular by audience data.
The four launch-period groupings offer a rough tour of changing podcast forms. Apple includes each show’s launch year, category, editorial description, and a suggested episode. The descriptions below reflect Apple’s characterizations, rather than independent measurements of a show’s influence or popularity.
Podcasts launched from 2005 to 2010
Love and Radio (2005) — Personal Journals
Nick van der Kolk’s show grew from audio experiments into intimate, single-voice narratives shaped by detailed sound design. Apple presents it as an early example of episodic audio storytelling.
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This American Life (2006) — Society & Culture
Rather than treating everyday accounts as isolated anecdotes, Ira Glass’s program connects them through a theme, sometimes revealing unexpected links. Apple describes the approach as a blueprint that continues to influence narrative podcasting.
99% Invisible (2010) — Design
Roman Mars’s show investigates the design behind ordinary things. Its subjects range from architecture and urban design to fashion and parking lots.
Podcasts launched from 2011 to 2015
The Truth (2012) — Fiction
This short-fiction series builds stories in worlds close to our own. Apple highlights its sound design and unexpected turns as ways of exploring human and moral questions.
The Read (2013) — Comedy
Hosts Kid Fury and Crissle talk about culture, current events, and their own lives in a loose conversational format. Apple emphasizes the hosts’ friendship as part of the show’s appeal.
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Song Exploder (2014) — Music
Host Hrishikesh Hirway asks musicians to unpack one of their own songs, discussing its production, lyrics, influences, and creative history.
Serial (2014) — News
Apple highlights the first season, in which Sarah Koenig and her team reported in real time on the case of Adnan Syed and Hae Min Lee. The page credits the season with helping bring serialized true crime to a mainstream audience. Apple also says that season reached “over 5 million downloads in its first six weeks”; its anniversary page does not identify the original measurement organization or the year of that underlying figure.
Mystery Show (2015) — Personal Journals
Starlee Kine investigates mysteries that cannot be solved with an internet search, mixing field reporting with digressions and humor.
Acquired (2015) — Technology
David Rosenthal and Ben Gilbert tell researched, narrative accounts of how major companies began. Apple describes the show as aimed at listeners interested in business and technology.
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Podcasts launched from 2016 to 2020
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang (2016) — Comedy
Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang bring their pop-culture enthusiasms to conversations that also draw in prominent guests.
The Daily (2017) — Daily News
The show’s daily format centers on one topic, often with a conversation between hosts Michael Barbaro, Rachel Abrams, or Natalie Kitroeff and the journalist who reported the story.
Call Her Daddy (2018) — Comedy
Apple describes Alex Cooper’s show as evolving from conversational relationship content with former co-host Sofia Franklyn toward intimate celebrity interviews.
MOONFACE (2019) — Drama
James Kim’s semi-autobiographical fiction follows a queer Korean American son and his mother, with a communication barrier between them. Apple notes the use of sound design to deepen the story.
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Dolly Parton’s America (2019) — Music History
Radiolab’s Jad Abumrad interviews Dolly Parton and builds a portrait of her life and legacy alongside her music.
The Rest Is History (2020) — History
Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland explore historical subjects in conversational, multi-part episodes informed by materials such as archives and oral histories.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Podcasts launched from 2021 to 2025
Huberman Lab (2021) — Health & Fitness
Andrew Huberman combines long-form interviews with explanations of health research across physical, mental, and interpersonal topics.
Suave (2021) — Society & Culture
The series follows the friendship between incarcerated Luis “Suave” Gonzalez and journalist Maria Hinojosa. Apple describes it as expanding into questions of justice, journalism, and human connection.
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Sweet Bobby (2021) — Documentary
Alexi Mostrous’s series tells the story of Kirat Assai’s nearly decade-long relationship with a man she never met and the catfishing deception behind it.
Baby, This is Keke Palmer (2023) — Comedy
Keke Palmer takes the interviewer role in candid conversations, with members of her family among the guests.
Therapuss with Jake Shane (2024) — Comedy
Jake Shane’s celebrity interviews are built around listener questions and a playful therapist-like framing.
How to choose what to listen to first
Use the shows’ formats and subjects as filters, not as evidence of a hierarchy. The collection includes serialized reporting such as Serial, standalone investigations such as Mystery Show, scripted fiction such as The Truth and MOONFACE, and continuing conversation formats such as The Read and Therapuss. For history, try The Rest Is History; for music, consider Song Exploder or Dolly Parton’s America. Apple’s page provides a suggested episode for each selection, so a sample episode is a practical way to test a show’s style before committing to a series.
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