Podcast Roundup, September 2026 edition

Look, I am not sure why my podcast slump is so slumpy, but it feels like maybe the era of Great Podcast is over. My regulars are still there, but finding a good limited run series seems virtually impossible at this point. Oh, well. I'm here for the quality ones out there still.

Criminal "911" - A woman is an emergency phone operator. Everything is as it should be until the shift when her daughter called. Such a well told, heartrending, suspenseful story. 

A History of the US Told Through 100 Objects through 99% Invisible -

99PI sold to Sirius in 2021 (that was FIVE YEARS AGO!) and it has not been the same since. Oh, well, we had more than ten years of the glory days. At some point, I actually unsubscribed and took it off my feed. BUT THEN! Roman Mars, the host and creator, started producing episodes inspired by A History of the World in 100 Objects, a podcast that was put out by the British Museum about objects in the British Museum. 

And these episodes are SO GOOD. A taste of what I've been loving.

#12 "The Negro Cloth" - Clothing that enslaved people wore is basically impossible to find. It wasn't meant to be long-lasting, scraps were used in other ways, including in quilts, and it wouldn't have been deemed "worthy" enough for someone to keep in their attic. When someone asked the inaugural director of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture about the kind of things he was most hoping to find and also least likely to find, he put "slave clothing" at the top of his list. Do you want to know what they found?! FASCINATING STUFF.

#15 "The Bundy Clock" - Someone had to invent the timeclock, didn't they?! 

#16 "The Wheel of Fortune Dalmatian" - Do you remember the shopping round on Wheel? I remember it. I lived for it. I also liked Supermarket Sweep, but we don't have time for me to talk about my complicated feelings about capitalism in game shows. OH! Do you know what Pat Sajak said Vanna White's name so often? So it would be harder to fire her. I always though Sajak was a weird choice for a host because he was oddly gruff and sort of condescending, but this little factoid made me like him a lot more. 

#18 "Hair Relaxer" - I needed this primer on black hair, I really did. The first black woman who was a millionaire was a millionaire because of hair straightener. But it's really bad for your hair and probably your overall health with increased cancer risks. But it's cultural. And...it's so complicated. 

(Okay, to be transparent, I tried to listen to #14 "The Basketball Sleeve" and nothing could have been less interesting to me, so not all episodes in this series are homeruns. But most of them are.)

"The BIG Books Episode with Chrissie Whitley, Episode 235" from Sarah's Bookshelves Live - In general, I like this podcast. I like the recommendations, I like that they don't love everything that they read, and I like that they're honest. What I didn't like?

Every book Sarah recommended this week was by a man. Do better, Sarah. 

Planet Money "The Domino's Pizza Tracker Theory of Everything" - This honestly would have been a great 99PI crossover episode. The mashup of design and commerce was fascinating! Also, do people really watch trackers? I occasionally check-in on where a package is, but I don't need minute by minute updates on anything!

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Have you listened to a great limited series pod recently? 

Forget podcasts, what else are you listening to? Great songs? Great audiobooks? I need SOMETHING for all these hours I'm walking the dog.