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The best new podcasts of 2025 (so far) include Good Hang with Amy Poehler, Sea of Lies, Crook County, IMO, and Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce. This curated selection combines Spotify editorial picks with Edison Research audience data and Apple’s U.S. chart, covering comedy, interviews, true crime, journalism, politics, and pop culture.
Because the sources use different standards, the list is not presented as an objective ranking. Spotify’s editors prioritize discovery and editorial judgment, Edison Research measures audience for shows that debuted in 2025, and Apple reports performance on its U.S. podcast platform. The result is a practical shortlist for finding a new show that fits your mood and preferred format.
Key takeaways
- Good Hang with Amy Poehler is the strongest broad-audience pick, ranking No. 1 in both Edison Research’s 2025 new-podcast ranking and Apple’s U.S. Top New Shows chart.
- Sea of Lies, Embedded: Alternate Realities, Tortoise Investigates: Lucky Boy, and Crook County are the best choices for reported or investigative storytelling.
- Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce ranked No. 2 in Apple’s U.S. Top New Shows of 2025, making it one of the year’s most visible celebrity-led launches.
- Crook County is the clearest finite binge: Edison Research describes it as an eight-episode series released in February and March 2025.
- Spotify’s list is an editorial selection, Edison Research measures audience, and Apple publishes a platform chart; the three sources do not measure the same thing.
How were the best new podcasts of 2025 selected?
The best new podcasts of 2025 were selected as a curated guide rather than an objective universal ranking. The recommendations combine Spotify’s editorial picks, Edison Research’s ranking of shows that debuted in 2025, and Apple Podcasts’ U.S. Top New Shows chart.
Those sources provide different kinds of evidence. Spotify emphasizes editorial judgment and breadth across interviews, investigations, true crime, comedy, and television commentary. Edison Research ranks new shows by weekly listening audience, while Apple reports how shows performed within its own platform. A show’s appearance in one list should not be treated as equivalent to a ranking in another.
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Spotify editorial and audience-development manager Rachel Selvin captured the balance between celebrity appeal and reporting: “It would be impossible to overlook all the famous faces on our ‘Best New Podcasts of 2025 (So Far)’ list.” Selvin also said, “But even with all the buzz around viral celebrity moments, the old rules of podcasting still hold true: A great investigation usually equals a great show.”
What are the 12 best new podcasts of 2025?
The 12 best new podcasts of 2025 cover personality-led interviews, serialized investigations, politics, television nostalgia, lifestyle, music, and pop culture. The table is a quick way to match each show with the kind of listening experience it offers.
| Podcast | Best for | Evidence or format note |
|---|---|---|
| Good Hang with Amy Poehler | Light, personality-driven celebrity conversations | Spotify pick; No. 1 in Edison’s new-podcast ranking; No. 1 on Apple’s U.S. Top New Shows chart |
| IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson | Warm conversations about relationships, life, and personal decisions | Spotify pick; Spotify also highlighted an episode with Issa Rae |
| Sea of Lies | Serialized investigative true crime | Spotify pick and selection in Spotify’s Best True Crime of 2025 group |
| Embedded: Alternate Realities | Reported narrative journalism and unusual real-world stories | Spotify pick |
| ReLiving Single | Television nostalgia and pop-culture discussion | Spotify pick |
| The Protocol | A focused investigation with a defined subject | Spotify pick; verify the current episode description and completion status before publication |
| Tortoise Investigates: Lucky Boy | Carefully reported investigative storytelling | Spotify pick; a serious, deliberate reporting choice |
| Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce | Celebrity conversation and sports-adjacent culture | Spotify pick; No. 2 on Apple’s U.S. Top New Shows chart |
| Redefined with Leslie and Arielle | Conversational lifestyle and identity-focused listening | Spotify pick |
| The Best People with Nicolle Wallace | Current affairs and politics | June 2025 debut; No. 4 in Edison’s ranking and No. 10 on Apple’s U.S. chart |
| Crook County | A finite true-crime series about organized crime | Eight-episode Tenderfoot TV and iHeartPodcasts series released in February and March 2025 |
| The Magnificent Others with Billy Corgan | Long-form interviews with musicians and notable guests | February 2025 premiere; included in Edison’s top-ten new podcasts |
1. Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Good Hang with Amy Poehler is best for light, personality-driven celebrity conversations. It is the clearest broad-audience recommendation in this guide. Spotify included the show in its best-new-podcast selection, Edison Research ranked it No. 1 among podcasts that debuted in 2025, and Apple ranked it No. 1 in its U.S. Top New Shows of 2025.
The combination of editorial recognition and platform rankings makes Good Hang the safest starting point for listeners who want an accessible conversation show rather than a demanding serialized investigation. Edison’s ranking measures weekly audience, while Apple’s chart reflects Apple Podcasts performance, so the two No. 1 results should be understood as separate indicators rather than a single universal measurement.
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2. IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson
IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson is best for warm, accessible conversations about relationships, life, and personal decisions. Spotify included IMO among its best new podcasts of 2025 so far and separately highlighted an episode featuring Issa Rae among its best episodes of the year so far.
IMO is a good fit when the appeal is the hosts’ chemistry and perspective rather than a single unfolding case. Choose it for personal, conversational listening that can work in shorter sessions.
3. Sea of Lies
Sea of Lies is best for serialized investigative true crime. Spotify included Sea of Lies in its best-new-podcast list and also selected its opening episode for the platform’s Best True Crime of 2025 group.
The dual placement makes Sea of Lies a strong choice for listeners who want a case-driven binge. It belongs on the investigative side of this list, alongside shows that prioritize reported narrative over recurring celebrity conversation.
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4. Embedded: Alternate Realities
Embedded: Alternate Realities is best for reported narrative journalism and unusual real-world stories. Spotify included the show among its best new podcasts of 2025 so far.
Embedded: Alternate Realities is the journalism-forward recommendation here. Pick it when the reporting, subject, and construction of the story matter more than host personality or celebrity access.
5. ReLiving Single
ReLiving Single is best for television nostalgia, cast context, and pop-culture discussion. Spotify selected ReLiving Single as one of its best new podcasts of 2025 so far.
The show gives this list a television-and-culture option instead of concentrating entirely on true crime and interview formats. It is the natural choice for listeners who want to revisit a familiar series through discussion and behind-the-scenes context.
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The Protocol is best for listeners who want a focused investigation with a defined subject. Spotify included The Protocol in its best-new-podcast selection.
The title alone does not establish the show’s subject, episode count, or completion status. Check the current publisher or platform description before starting if you specifically want a finished series or need to know the investigative premise in advance.
7. Tortoise Investigates: Lucky Boy
Tortoise Investigates: Lucky Boy is best for carefully reported investigative storytelling. Spotify included the show in its best-new-podcast selection.
Lucky Boy is a natural recommendation for listeners who prefer serious reporting and a deliberate pace. Choose it over a personality-led show when immersion comes from the investigation itself.
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8. Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce
Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce is best for celebrity-led conversation, sports-adjacent culture, and mainstream listening. Spotify included the show in its best-new list, and Apple ranked it No. 2 among the U.S. Top New Shows of 2025.
Its Apple ranking places it among the most prominent new launches of the year on that platform. The show is a better match for listeners seeking a host-led conversation and contemporary culture than for listeners looking for a tightly reported case.
9. Redefined with Leslie and Arielle
Redefined with Leslie and Arielle is best for conversational lifestyle and identity-focused listening. Spotify included Redefined with Leslie and Arielle among its best new podcasts of 2025 so far.
Redefined supplies a lifestyle-oriented counterpoint to the investigative, political, and celebrity formats elsewhere on the list. It is a useful pick when the subject is personal identity and conversation rather than news or plot-driven storytelling.
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10. The Best People with Nicolle Wallace
The Best People with Nicolle Wallace is best for current-affairs and politics listeners who prefer a host-led discussion format. Edison Research identifies The Best People as a June 2025 debut and ranks it fourth among the year’s new podcasts by annual weekly audience. Apple later placed it No. 10 in its U.S. Top New Shows chart.
The show broadens the list beyond entertainment and true crime. Because Edison’s annual audience average can favor shows that launched earlier in the year, the ranking should be read as an important audience signal rather than a definitive quality score.
11. Crook County
Crook County is best for a finite true-crime series with a personal connection to organized crime. Edison Research describes Crook County as an eight-episode Tenderfoot TV and iHeartPodcasts series released in February and March 2025.
The series centers on filmmaker Kyle Tekiela’s investigation into his father’s double life as a Chicago mafia hitman. Crook County is the clearest choice for listeners who want a defined beginning and end instead of an ongoing weekly show.
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12. The Magnificent Others with Billy Corgan
The Magnificent Others with Billy Corgan is best for long-form interviews with musicians and other notable guests. Edison Research identifies the show as a February 2025 premiere and includes it among the ten new podcasts with the largest U.S. weekly listening audiences over the year.
The show expands the guide into music and personality-driven interviews. It suits listeners who enjoy extended conversations with recognizable guests and want something different from comedy, politics, or investigative reporting.
Which new podcast should you choose?
The best new podcast of 2025 depends on whether you want conversation, investigation, nostalgia, or current affairs. Use the following decision table to narrow the list without treating the recommendations as a universal ranking.
| If you want… | Start with… | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Warmth and humor | Good Hang with Amy Poehler or IMO | Both are personality-led conversation shows with an accessible tone |
| A celebrity-led mainstream show | Good Hang or Not Gonna Lie | Both received strong platform recognition; Good Hang ranked No. 1 and Not Gonna Lie No. 2 on Apple’s chart |
| Serialized true crime | Sea of Lies | Spotify placed it in both its best-new and best-true-crime selections |
| A finite true-crime binge | Crook County | Edison describes it as an eight-episode series released in February and March 2025 |
| Reported journalism | Embedded: Alternate Realities or Lucky Boy | Both are positioned around investigative or narrative reporting |
| Television nostalgia | ReLiving Single | It focuses the list’s pop-culture and television angle |
| Politics and current affairs | The Best People with Nicolle Wallace | It is the guide’s clearest current-affairs and politics pick |
| Music interviews | The Magnificent Others with Billy Corgan | It broadens the list into long-form conversations with musicians and notable guests |
What is the difference between conversational and investigative podcasts?
Conversational podcasts are driven primarily by hosts, guests, chemistry, and recurring topics, while investigative podcasts use reporting and narrative structure to examine a subject or case. Good Hang, IMO, Not Gonna Lie, and The Magnificent Others are the clearest personality-led choices; Sea of Lies, The Protocol, Lucky Boy, and Crook County are the more investigation-oriented choices.
The distinction is not absolute. A celebrity show may include reporting or serious discussion, and an investigative series may rely on a strong host presence. The categories are most useful as a listening-intent shortcut: choose conversation for company and personality, or investigation for immersion and a story that develops over episodes.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Which shows are serialized, and which are easier to sample?
Serialized shows generally reward listening in order, while recurring conversation shows are often easier to sample from a recent episode. Crook County is the only recommendation here with a specific format and length documented in the supplied research: Edison Research describes it as an eight-episode series. Current episode structures for the other shows should be checked on their publisher or podcast-platform pages before publication because formats and completion status can change.
If you want a contained commitment, start with Crook County. If you want a show you can dip into between other activities, start with Good Hang, IMO, Not Gonna Lie, or The Magnificent Others. For a reported experience, try Sea of Lies, Embedded: Alternate Realities, Lucky Boy, or The Protocol after confirming whether the available run is complete.
How should the rankings be interpreted?
Spotify’s editorial list, Edison Research’s audience ranking, and Apple’s platform chart answer different questions. Spotify asks which new shows its editors recommend; Edison measures new podcasts that had the largest weekly listening audiences; Apple reports the most popular new shows within Apple Podcasts in the United States.
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Edison Research’s 2025 ranking covers podcasts that debuted in 2025 and had the largest weekly listening audiences over the year. Edison also cautions that shows launched earlier in the year can benefit from having more time to accumulate an annual audience average. For that reason, Good Hang’s No. 1 Edison position, Apple’s No. 1 position for Good Hang, and Apple’s No. 2 position for Not Gonna Lie are useful evidence of reach, not proof that every listener will prefer those shows.
Apple’s chart is also geographically specific: the cited ranking is for the United States. Availability, chart position, and episode catalogs can differ in other countries.
Bottom line
Start with Good Hang with Amy Poehler for the safest all-purpose recommendation, Sea of Lies for serialized true crime, Crook County for a documented eight-episode binge, Embedded: Alternate Realities or Lucky Boy for journalism, and ReLiving Single for television nostalgia. The strongest choice is the one that matches your preferred format and mood, not necessarily the show with the highest platform ranking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are these the definitive best new podcasts of 2025?
No. The list is a curated guide based on Spotify’s editorial selections, Edison Research’s audience ranking, and Apple Podcasts’ U.S. chart. Those sources measure different things, so the order is not a scientifically proven universal ranking.
Which new podcast of 2025 is easiest to binge?
Crook County is the clearest finite binge because Edison Research describes it as an eight-episode series released in February and March 2025. Check current platform listings before listening in case catalog details have changed.
What are the best new investigative podcasts of 2025?
Start with Sea of Lies for serialized investigative true crime, Crook County for a finite organized-crime story, Embedded: Alternate Realities for reported narrative journalism, or Tortoise Investigates: Lucky Boy for carefully reported storytelling.
The Bottom Line
Good Hang with Amy Poehler is the best starting point for most listeners, while Sea of Lies, Lucky Boy, and Crook County are stronger choices for investigative listening. Treat Spotify’s editorial picks, Edison’s audience ranking, and Apple’s U.S. chart as complementary evidence—not interchangeable proof of a universal top 12.
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