The 10 best podcasts

1 SERIAL

Serial became a runaway hit in its first season—then hit a lull in its second. But the true-crime podcast’s third season is its best. Instead of focusing on one case, the show covers a new story at the Justice Center in Cleveland each week. The cases may seem mundane—like a man caught carrying weed—but many stories end in jaw-dropping revelations, exploring the effects of racial bias along the way. Host Sarah Koenig expertly demonstrates how daily miscarriages of justice amass into systemic problems.

2 SLOW