The Best Podcasts of 2023

It's a tale as old as the App Store. Your small talk reaches a lull, and, before you can run for cover, someone unleashes the dreaded ice-breaker: Been listening to any good podcasts lately? As bonding as it might be to discover a fellow listener of your favorite series out in the wild, trying to come up with your go-to list of favorite podcasts can feel like a nearly impossible task. After all, the podcasting industry has arguably become one of the most oversaturated entertainment mediums of today. (Just walk into any party and ask who has a podcast, and you're nearly guaranteed to find at least one person who has bought recording equipment off of Amazon for this very purpose.) There's a podcast for nearly every rabbit hole, random assortment of search words, or obsession you can think of these days. But, as the heinous TikTok clips of "free thinkers" behind mics will remind you, that doesn't mean all podcasts are good podcasts. [View in Browser]( [Esquire]( [SHOP]( EXCLUSIVE [SUBSCRIBE]( [The 20 Best Podcasts of 2023 (So Far)]( [The 20 Best Podcasts of 2023 (So Far)]( It's a tale as old as the App Store. Your small talk reaches a lull, and, before you can run for cover, someone unleashes the dreaded ice-breaker: Been listening to any good podcasts lately? As bonding as it might be to discover a fellow listener of your favorite series out in the wild, trying to come up with your go-to list of favorite podcasts can feel like a nearly impossible task. After all, the podcasting industry has arguably become one of the most oversaturated entertainment mediums of today. (Just walk into any party and ask who has a podcast, and you're nearly guaranteed to find at least one person who has bought recording equipment off of Amazon for this very purpose.) There's a podcast for nearly every rabbit hole, random assortment of search words, or obsession you can think of these days. But, as the heinous TikTok clips of "free thinkers" behind mics will remind you, that doesn't mean all podcasts are good podcasts. [Read More](   [Greg Abbott Gets the Swift Kick In the Jewels He So Richly Deserves]( [Greg Abbott Gets the Swift Kick In the Jewels He So Richly Deserves]( A district court judge has declared his "Death Star" law unconstitutional. [Read More]( [Clarence Thomas Has Quite the Explanation for All Those Trips On Harlan Crow Luxury Airlines]( [Clarence Thomas Has Quite the Explanation for All Those Trips On Harlan Crow Luxury Airlines]( The leak made him do it. [Read More](     [I Asked a Music Psychologist Why Gen Z Loves Sad Songs]( [I Asked a Music Psychologist Why Gen Z Loves Sad Songs]( Let’s play a game. If you have a Spotify account, log in and search, “sad.” What do you see? My account suggests a myriad of playlists, such as “Sad Crying Mix,” “Lonely Sad Mix,” “Crying Myself To Sleep,” “Sad Bops'' and more—all of which, the streamer claims, were made specifically for me. If it weren't for the surplus of SZA and Frank Ocean songs on each tracklist, I’d roll my eyes at the concept. Alas, the algorithm is correct. It understands exactly what I want to listen to, and it knows what you want to hear, too. To make sure of it, Spotify hired a team of experts to track listening habits and burgeoning trends. This year, the group discovered that crying is all the rage—at least, among Gen Z users. According to Spotify’s data, Gen Z’s top search in 2023 is simply... “sad.” As a fellow Zoomer, I’ll admit I’ve listened to “Sad Bops'" once or twice, but haven’t we all? I thought that was a circumstantial experience, not a plague affecting my entire generation. [Read More](   [33 Accessories Every Home Bar Ought to Have]( [33 Accessories Every Home Bar Ought to Have]( It'll never replace the bar, but making your own drinks can be a lot more rewarding. [Read More]( [15 Shoes That'll Make Standing All Day Suck a Little Less]( [15 Shoes That'll Make Standing All Day Suck a Little Less]( Give your feet the comfort they deserve. [Read More](     [A 2023 Golf Style Year in Review: The Age of Wisdom & Foolishness]( [A 2023 Golf Style Year in Review: The Age of Wisdom & Foolishness]( It’s difficult to understate how relentless 2023’s golf apparel influx was. Do you know someone who hits the ball? Of course you do, now. Go ahead and ask any one of them about golf clothes and there’s a one hundred percent chance they’re gonna mention an Instagram ad they got the other day for a new brand named after a punned-out iteration of a phrase in the golf vernacular. Also a virtual guarantee? It’s the fourth ad just like that they were served that day. The beast of the paralysis of choice ate this year, in both the best and worst ways. An age of wisdom and foolishness, if you will. [Read More](   [Weight Loss After 40]( Follow Us [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Notice/Notice at Collection]( esquire.com ©2023 Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Hearst Magazines, 300 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019