98 Time December 27, 2021/January 3, 2022
1 9/12
The best work yet from prolific
podcaster Dan Taberski (Missing
Richard Simmons) focuses not on
Sept. 11 itself but how that day
changed America. He unspools
the tale of how the CIA recruited
Hollywood creators to dream up
the attacks that U.S. enemies
might attempt next, examines the
persecution of Muslim Americans and
traces the rise of conspiracy theories.
A genial but shrewd interviewer,
Taberski paints a portrait of a society
redefining its identity in the wake
of tragedy.2 S***hole Country
The pseudonymous narrator of
S***hole Country is one of podcast-
ing’s most promising storytellers. The
series turns on her difficult decision
to either stay in the U.S., where she’s
lost her job and health care, or move
into the free apartment her parents
are offering in their homeland of
Ghana. Her beautiful rendering of
a trip there undercuts how certain
Americans have characterized African
nations (hence the title). But at the
heart of this series is her own struggle
to feel at home in either place, told
through moving and funny conversa-
tions with friends and family.3 Sway
Kara Swisher—who made her name
drawing out the Silicon Valley elite and
here expands to media, business and
politics—takes a productively combat-
ive approach to interviews. She is one
of the few journalists with the guts to
call out political hopefuls like Andrew
Yang and Matthew McConaughey for
vagueness and puffery and still line up
an all-star guest the next week.4 Fighting in the
War Room
After 11 years on the air, friends
and culture critics Katey Rich,
Matt Patches, David Ehrlich and
Dave Gonzales have developed an
irresistible chemistry as they gleefully
argue over the latest superhero film
or Emmy snub. The show is a spiritual
heir to the enchanting squabbles of
Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert.5 The Just Enough Family
Succession fans will find much to love
in this addictive series about the rise
and fall of a high-society New York
family. New Yorker writer Ariel Levy
tells the story of corporate raider Saul
Steinberg and his relatives, replete
with eccentric characters and dastardly
schemes that illuminate how wealth
erodes family connections.6 Poog
Comedians Kate Berlant and Jacque-
line Novak know the idea of achieving
one’s “best self” is a myth. Yet they're
so dedicated to obsessing over wellness
trends that it can be hard to tell whether
they’re joking when they swear alle-
giance to something called face yoga.
Amid laughs, listeners will reconsider
this multibillion-dollar industry.7 Spectacle
Writer Mariah Smith compellingly
argues that reality TV, still dismissed
as trash, is worthy of scholarship. One
episode focuses on an HIV-positive
Real World star who reshaped the
AIDS conversation, another on Survivor
predicting political divides in America.
By contextualizing these shows,
she proves how they reflected and
galvanized cultural change.8 StraightioLab
Each week, comedians George Civeris
and Sam Taggart invite a guest to
discuss some “crucial element” of
straight culture, like “tabletop role-
playing games” or “ketchup,” segueing
into bits like which condiments are
straight, gay or bi. The premise is loose,
the laugh-out-loud jokes pushed to the
brink of absurdity.9 The Sporkful
Disappointed by the array
of available pasta shapes,
Dan Pashman embarked
on a mission to create a
better one, documenting the
surprisingly suspenseful,
delightful adventure in a
miniseries dubbed “Mission
ImPASTAble.”10 Criticism Is Dead
So much pop-culture analysis of
late veers into unabashed fandom
or reflexive cynicism. Hosts Pelin
Keskin-Liu and Jenny G. Zhang take a
more nuanced approach, connecting
seemingly unrelated songs, movies and
shows for thoughtful conversations on
the larger cultural landscape.