Top 25 New Podcasts of 2021

Our ranking of top new shows for 2021 is based on average downloads per episode as measured by Podtrac across all podcast listening apps and ranks shows which were published for the first time between December 1, 2020 and November 31, 2021.  

#1 The Apology Line - Wondery

If you could call a number and say you’re sorry, and no one would know…what would you apologize for? For fifteen years, you could call a number in Manhattan and do just that. This is the story of the line, and the man at the other end who became consumed by his own creation. He was known as “Mr. Apology.” As thousands of callers flooded the line, confessing to everything from shoplifting to infidelity, drug dealing to murder, Mr. Apology realized he couldn’t just listen. He had to do something, even if it meant risking everything. Marissa Bridge, who knew Mr. Apology better than anyone, hosts this six episode series.

#2 Suspect - Wondery/Campside

An apartment complex hosts a big Halloween party with themed rooms and costumed partygoers. By the end of the night one of the party’s hosts is murdered. And the partygoers are the main suspects in the eyes of the police: was it the guy in the devil mask, the guy dressed as Jesus, the bank robber, the construction worker? As a complex investigation winds its way through forensic evidence, witness testimony, DNA, and even a psychic, the police zero in on one suspect in particular -- but why? It’s a series about cutting-edge science and mislaid justice, race and policing, and the kinds of weighty choices that cops and prosecutors make every day. Choices that, once made, are difficult to reverse.

#3 Killer Role - NBC News

The actress Wyn Reed had that powerful combination of charisma, beauty and smarts. She was such a talent that a team of movie producers couldn’t believe it when the 28 year-old Wyn agreed to play the lead — a killer—in their upcoming, small-budget, horror movie. What the filmmakers didn’t know, as they got on location, was that Wyn wasn’t really Wyn. That was all make believe. But the killer part? That was real. This original podcast series from Keith Morrison and Dateline NBC tells a story even Hollywood couldn’t have imagined

#4 Drama Queens - iHeartRadio

Are you One Tree Hill obsessed?...it's OK...we're here for you. You can sit with us. Are Brooke, Peyton and Haley your BFF goals?

These Drama Queens are getting back together!! Bethany Joy Lenz, Hilarie Burton and Sophia Bush are the biggest Drama Queens and they are here with you to dissect every episode, deliver every detail you must know, and devote themselves to you as you rewatch every single scene together.

#5 In God We Lust - Wondery

A luxury hotel pool attendant in Miami meets a married couple. The wife starts flirting with the young man...and pretty soon he is caught up in a love triangle, one that will have far-reaching results. The husband is Jerry Falwell Jr., member of one of the most famous evangelical families in America and president of a Christian university with a strict code of conduct. The affair is part of a pattern of questionable behavior that will threaten the Falwell family dynasty.

#6 The Devil Within - Wondery

A true crime podcast that recalls the brutal slaying of BETTY ANN SULLIVAN on a snowy night in January of 1988, a night that, more than 30 years later, the small town of Jefferson Township, New Jersey has yet to fully recover from. The violence of that evening shocked the nation for the perpetrator... was her own son, a boy of fourteen who would take his own life only hours later. What the investigation revealed left a community in tatters, unwilling to believe the evil that had befallen them.

#7 Death of a Starlet - Wondery

In August of 1980, Playboy Playmate Dorothy Stratten was found dead at just 20 years old. She was the girl next door with the shy smile and whispery voice who didn’t know her own beauty. To Hugh Hefner, she was his next Marilyn Monroe. To famed director Peter Bogdonovich, she was his muse. And to her husband, Paul Snider, she was his ticket to fame and fortune. All three ambitious men adored her. Only one of them murdered her. How did Dorothy’s Hollywood dreams lead to her death?

#8 The Case - Barstool Sports

In November of 1989, 16-year-old Jennifer Fay left home for a party in Brockton, Massachusetts. She was never seen again.

Three decades later, Kirk Minihane began investigating Jennifer’s disappearance as part of Barstool Sports' first ever true crime podcast. Minihane's investigation into Jen's case led him to Oconee County, South Carolina, where he discovered several suspicious deaths and more missing people.

Could these cases be connected?

#9 Spy Affair - Wondery

A charismatic Russian woman arrives in the US on a mission to improve relations between the two countries, and she soon makes some powerful friends. But who is Maria Butina? And who is she working for? As Maria gets closer to the rich and connected she also attracts the attention of the FBI. In the politically charged world of US-Russia relations, everyone has secrets and almost nothing is what it seems.

#10 MANslaughter - Wondery

MANslaughter tells intertwining stories about how one gunshot on a cold Wisconsin night in 1970 dramatically changed multiple lives. A bullet brutally tore through decorated law enforcement veteran LaVerne Stordock. Decades later, his niece, Dorothy Marcic, transformed herself into an amateur detective in a quest for truth and closure about that night. At the center of Dorothy’s investigation is Suzanne Brandon, LaVerne’s second wife, who confessed to the shooting -- and who Dorothy believes completely escaped justice. As it follows Dorothy’s discoveries, MANslaughter explores questions around the psychology of crime, the ways women are made responsible in families, and the lasting impact of trauma

#11 The Office Deep Dive with Brian Baumgartner - iHeartRadio

With the success of his hit podcast, An Oral History of The Office, podcast host extraordinaire Brian Baumgartner (AKA Kevin Malone) is taking you even deeper inside the show, releasing his full-length, in-depth conversations with the cast and crew of The Office. Every week, Brian will sit down with one of his old pals and coworkers to talk about their best job ever: The Office. They’ll laugh, cry, and crack plenty of inappropriate jokes as they discuss the inner workings of the show, their favorite moments on set, never-before-told stories and secrets, and what makes the show even more popular today. Fans will get to be the third wheel with their favorite stars as they learn everything they never wanted to know, and then some.

#12 Bridgewater - iHeartRadio

When a relic from his past is rediscovered, folklore professor Jeremy Bradshaw puts his life on hold to solve the mystery. Along the way, he’s helped by people who challenge everything he believes in, and ultimately tries to answer the question: can the past be rewritten?

#13 The Vaping Fix - Wondery

Two young Silicon Valley entrepreneurs set out to rid the world of smoking with an incredible new product. The device stands to disrupt the tobacco industry and make them rich, until it falls into the wrong hands and lives are ruined. From classrooms to hospitals, boardrooms to the Oval Office, what can be done to protect teenagers and is it too late?

#14 Camp Hell: Anneewakee - iHeartRadio

The Anneewakee Treatment Center for Emotionally Disturbed Youth operated in Douglasville, Georgia for over 25 years. Purportedly, it was a place that parents could send their troubled kids for help. But in reality, it was a breeding ground for abuse. This is the story of Anneewakee, as never told before.


#15 On Our Watch - NPR

You know the refrain. With each new scandal involving law enforcement, another horrific video of misconduct, evidence of assault, or act of fatal negligence, police officials tell the public: "We're investigating."

But what really happens inside those internal investigations that promise accountability?

For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent, if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden behind a wall of official secrecy. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, NPR and KQED reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. Hosted by KQED Criminal Justice reporter Sukey Lewis, On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?

#16 Killer Psyche - Wondery

When a shocking crime occurs, people ask “Why?” Was it about power, ego, or revenge? On Killer Psyche, retired FBI agent Candice DeLong draws on her decades of experience to reveal why these murderers and criminals committed these acts. She will reveal fascinating new details about what drove these people, including cases she was close to. Candice will share specific psychological methods and profiling techniques that experts use to understand the deepest part of the most complex, fascinating, and twisted minds, from the Unabomber to Dr. Death to El Chapo.

#17 Algorithm - iHeartRadio

When Afrikka Hardy was strangled in 2014 it seemed completely random, but it wasn’t. It was part of a pattern.

Four years earlier, reporter Thomas Hargrove had created an algorithm to detect serial killers and flagged Gary, Indiana as the site of an unusual number of strangulations.

But when Hargrove reached out to warn local police, he was ignored -- until Afrikka Hardy was murdered, and those cold cases suddenly didn’t look so cold.

Algorithm follows the investigation into Afrikka’s murder, exposing the warnings that police ignored, and uncovering more than anyone expected -- that a serial killer was strangling women in Gary, Indiana could've been stopped. And that Afrikka Hardy should be alive today.


#18 Fox Hunter - Imperative Entertainment

The murder of 18-year-old Rhonda Sue Coleman in 1990 has been a thorn in the side of the small community of Hazlehurst, GA for over 30 years. No arrests, no answers, and no justice. The family, friends and townspeople have never let go of the hope of finally getting the answers they so desperately seek.

#19 - Good Assassins: Hunting the Butcher - Diversion Podcasts/iHeartRadio

Part spy thriller, part detective case, part Holocaust history. This is the untold story of the epic Israeli spy mission to hunt down a savage, escaped Nazi murderer. Led by a brilliant Mossad agent who lost his entire family in the Holocaust, the hunt for the infamous Butcher of Latvia was a secretive espionage operation that forever altered the fates of all ex-Nazis. Bestselling author and journalist Stephan Talty brings the story to life using interviews with the Butcher’s victims, the relatives of the Israeli agents, and the Mossad spies themselves, revealing for the first time this little-known chapter of Holocaust history and the pulse-pounding undercover operation that brought The Butcher to justice.

#20 The Opportunist - KastMedia

The Opportunist tells true stories of regular people who turn sinister by embracing opportunity. How does an everyday person turn into a thief, a scammer or a cult leader? Perhaps the most dangerous person is the one who appears the most normal. Perhaps there is a dark potential lurking inside all of us that is just waiting for the right opportunity to emerge

#21 Operator - Wondery

During the 1-900 number craze of the Nineties, one company provided the vast majority of phone sex. American Telnet was an empire founded by the man who called himself “The Telephone Pimp.” He ran the company “like General Motors” and got filthy rich doing it. But for the (mostly) women who answered the calls and delivered fantasies 24-7, it was a different story. The powerful stigma against sex work was always lurking just beneath the surface, until it threatened to tear apart the whole company.

#22 Morning Wire - The Daily Wire

Trust in the media is at an all-time low. And there’s a reason—endless virtue signaling and manufactured outrage. Finally, there’s an alternative. Morning Wire is presented by Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief, John Bickley, and co-host Georgia Howe.

#23 Smart Talks with IBM - iHeartRadio

Join Malcolm Gladwell, author and host of Revisionist History, as he talks to thought leaders and industry innovators to explore what it means to look at today's most challenging problems in a new way.

#24 In Plain Sight: Lady Bird Johnson - The Walt Disney Company

"In Plain Sight: Lady Bird Johnson" presents a surprising and original portrait of Lady Bird Johnson, told in the former first lady's own words -- from over 123 hours of her White House audio diaries, heard here largely for the first time ever. It recasts Lady Bird's role in the Johnson White House as her husband's closest advisor and most trusted political partner and provides history-making revelations about LBJ's time in office. It's the story of how one vastly underestimated woman navigated the power, politics and polarization of her era to become one of the most influential members of the Johnson administration... even if we never knew it.

25 Dear Chelsea - iHeartRadio

On this weekly advice show, comedian & author Chelsea Handler answers listener questions with the hilarious edge you know her for. Joined each week by celebrity and expert guests, Chelsea never shies away from giving her honest opinion on everything from love, sex and weed to family issues or losing a loved one. Every episode takes you on a ride from funny and informative to inspirational and heartbreaking – and back again.

26 Haunted Road with Amy Bruni -iHeartRadio

Amy Bruni, star of the hit TV shows Kindred Spirits and Ghost Hunters, takes listeners on a guided tour of America's most haunted locations, with the help of expert paranormal investigators who have actually been there.



 In addition to the Top New Shows year-end ranking, Podtrac also publishes these monthly Rankings:

Top New Shows of 2021 Ranking Methodology

  • To qualify as “new”, a show must publish its first episode between December 1, 2020 and November 31, 2021.

  • Ranking is based on average downloads per episode from December 1, 2020 to November 31, 2021 as measured by Podtrac.

  • Episodes marked by publisher as Bonus or Trailer episodes are excluded from the calculations.