While the events that marked the start of 2021 have made the year already feel like its lasted an entire decade, we are, in fact, just getting started. Which means there is still timeso much time!for good things to happen, and dare we say, even things to look forward to. Like these 21 podcasts, all of them premiering in the first half of 2021 and bringing something new for fans of true crime, self-help, comedy, television, spirituality, and politics. It should be an auspicious year for audiophiles, even if the jury is still out on everything else.

Chicano Squad (Vox)

Premiered January 5

Hosted by actor, writer, and activist Cristela Alonzo (Cristela), Chicano Squad details the true story of five Latino officersthe titular Chicano Squadwho were assigned to solve homicides in Houstons Latino neighborhoods in the late 1970s. The 11-episode series, which premiered on January 5, is a deeply reported and sobering look into the intense racial discriminaton and police brutality that plagued Houston during the time period, and resulted in a growing number of unsolved murders. Featuring interviews with members of the squad, including Jaime Escalante, Raymond Gonzales, and Cecil Mosqueda, and grounded by Alonzos compelling narration, Chicano Squad delivers on true-crime conventions while digging deeper, unafraid to expose the social inequities and institutional failures that are so often the fulcrum for violence and tragedy.

Listen: The Death of Jos Campos Torres

The Hoame Podcast (The Brand Is Female)

Premiered January 7

As registered psychotherapists and cofounders of the Hoame meditation studio, hosts Carolyn Plater and Stephanie Kersta are on a quest to improve societys collective mental health through meditation, mindfulness, and other healing modalities. On The Hoame Podcast, Plater and Kersta will speak with healers, authors, doctors, and spiritual leaders to explore topics including crystal work, energy healing, and tarot reading. While their clinical practice is rooted in science, Plater and Kerstas goal is to expand listeners understanding of what healing, medicine, and wellness can look like, with a particular focus on mental health issues like anxiety, depression, addiction, and stress.

Listen: Tarot reading: learning to trust our intuition

The Apology Line (Wondery)

Premiered January 19

If you could call a number and apologize for anything youd ever done, what would you apologize for? In the 1980s, a man named Allan Bridgealso known as Mr. Apologyset up a hotline where New Yorkers could come clean about whatever wrongdoings were weighing on them. As the confessions flowed in, Bridge soon found himself mired in tales of infidelity, drug dealing, and even murder. Hosted by Marissa Bridge, The Apology Line charts Allans complicated relationship with his own creation, which threatened to consume him as he became more and more entangled in his callers lives and crimes.

Listen: Whos Sorry Now?

The Kennedys (Spotify)

Premiered January 19

Launched on the 60th anniversary of John F. Kennedys inauguration, The Kennedys will examine the highs and lows of the famed American dynasty, from their outsize influence in the realms of politics, entertainment, and public service, to their more sordid scandals, tragedies, and conspiracies. Hosted by Carter Roy (Conspiracy Theories, Unsolved Murders), The Kennedys aims to provide a new perspective on the Camelot myth.

Listen: Who Stole JFKs Brain?

No F*cks Given (Cadence13)

Premiering January 26

Hosted by best-selling author and self-help anti-guru Sarah Knight, this weekly podcast is based on her No F*cks Given Guides self-help book series (The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*ck). In her characteristically profane and candid style, Knight will offer unique self-improvement advice, with the goal of helping listeners live happier, calmer, and more confident lives. Topics will include getting organized, surviving the daily grind, making big life changes, and improving relationships with family and friends. Preaching her care less and get more out of life ethos, No F*cks Given aims to fire up listeners who want to start 2021 in high gear.

Anything for Selena (WBUR and Futuro Media)

Premiering January 28

Hosted by journalist Maria Garcia, this 10-episode series revisits the story of beloved Mexican American pop star Selena Quintanillas life and death from a deeply personal angle, and explores what the singers legacy can reveal about identity and belonging. As a queer, first-generation Mexican immigrant, Garcia weaves her own life story with Selenas and provides additional cultural analysis and historical context, resulting in a fresh, vivid perspective on what loving Selena in 2021 really means.

Preview: A Podcast About Belonging

The History of Sketch Comedy (Audible)

As one of the cocreators and costars of the Emmy-winning sketch series Key & Peele (not to mention a five-year stint on MadTV), host Keegan-Michael Key is uniquely qualified to guide listeners through the history of the sketch comedy genre. In this 10-episode series, Key will trace the roots of sketch comedy as far back as the 1500s, and work forward to chart the rise of the form on seminal television shows like SNL and SCTV. Directed and cowritten by his wife, Elle Key, The History of Sketch Comedy will also provide critical analysis of influential sketches, characters, and performers who helped shape the comedic form, while weaving in Keys own personal journey with the genre.

Vox Quick Hits (Vox)

Premiering January 2021

Originally posted here:
21 Podcasts to Look Forward to in 2021 - Vanity Fair