An Ode to Reply All: My five episode guide to the best {insert category here} ever
Reply All was a podcast when that really meant something. Now that every twenty-something with access to a microphone is blasting their voice across the internet, podcast recommendations are met with an eye roll. Trust me, I get it.
For more than seven years, Reply All has pushed the boundaries of storytelling, journalism, entertainment and art. Podcasts like Reply All are the reason the category is so oversaturated today. They made magic. Your neighbor that rants about the Saints in his garage thinks he is doing the same thing. I can assure you he is not.
The Reply All crew released their final episode last Thursday. In my opinion, it was the right move. After the show lost a host and a few key producers about a year ago, it was never the same (although they still released some bangers in their final year, don’t sleep on those).
As sad as this is, I have decided to turn this into a net positive for the world. If you’ve never listened to Reply All before, I am so jealous of you. You have a full, 189-episode catalog of some of the most entertaining and thought provoking entertainment at your fingertips.
Seriously, I would give my left foot to be able to experience it again for the first time.
Here are my five favorite episodes to get you started. Feel free to use this as your tailored guide to the best podcast ever. Or, just load up episode one and enjoy the ride from the start.
Episode #104 - The Case of the Phantom Caller
A New Jersey woman receives ominous, often unsettling calls that appear to be listening in on the lives of unsuspecting bystanders. The Reply All crew dig in to help her find out why.
Episode #83 - Voyage into Pizzagate
This was the first episode I listened to, so I may have rose-tinted glasses here. But, I still hold to this day that no group is better equipped to tell the frightening story of Pizzagate than Reply All.
Episode #102 and #103 - Long Distance, Part I and II
My all-time favorite. When Alex Goldman gets a call from scammers, instead of hanging up, he makes friends - and travels all the way to India to meet them and tell their story.
Episode #56 - Zardulu
When the infamous “Pizza Rat” video went viral in 2015, most chalked it up as another all-too-familiar internet flash in the pan. Reply All dug deeper to reveal that the video was a pre-planned stunt by performance artist Zardulu, and it was far from her first or last rodent-based project in the city.
Episode #167 - America’s Hottest Talkline
When the State of Mississippi released a crisis hotline number at the height of the pandemic, one reporter discovered that it actually routed to a phone sex service. But, the reason why reveals a larger, darker story on the infrastructure behind our phone systems.