So you’ve fallen head-over-heels for Heavyweight, where Jonathan Goldstein somehow convinced you that a 20-year-old argument about who ate the last piece of birthday cake is a profound meditation on human connection and the weight of unresolved grudges.
You’ve probably found yourself ugly-crying in your car while listening to grown adults apologize for things that happened in middle school, nodding along as Jonathan’s neurotic inner monologue spirals into existential territory over whether he should call his cousin about that weird thing that happened at summer camp in 1987. Now you’re hooked on this particular brand of emotional archaeology. I get it. It’s the kind of storytelling that takes mundane interpersonal drama and transforms it into gut-wrenching, beautifully crafted audio therapy sessions that somehow make you want to call your own estranged relatives (but also maybe hide under a blanket forever).
If you’re ready to continue this journey of vicarious emotional labour and masterfully produced feelings, here are some podcasts that will scratch that same itch. These are the podcasts that flog the same kind of nostalgia-filled emotional purging that the Heavyweight podcast is so masterful at.
Family Ghosts
Every house has haunts. Each episode of Family Ghosts explores true stories behind mysterious figures whose legends have haunted families for generations. Secret jewel-smuggling grandmothers, double-life uncles, vanished siblings, and other spectral characters cast shadows over lives in unexpected ways. Everyone is shaped by familial secrets, intrigues, and myths. By sharing these legends, perhaps people can better understand each other’s realities.
The Selects Podcast
Selects is a program that presents rediscovered audio works uncovered from web archives, radio broadcasts, and vintage podcasts. These pieces arrive through suggestions and influences from some of today’s most gifted audio producers.
Beautiful Stories From Anonymous People
One phone call. One hour. No names. No limits. That’s the concept behind Beautiful Stories from Anonymous People, hosted by comedian Chris Gethard (the Chris Gethard Show, Broad City, This American Life). Weekly, Chris takes one anonymous call and cannot hang up first, regardless of what happens. From startling confessions and family secrets to philosophical conversations and shameless promotion, anything goes.
Endless Thread
Hosts Ben Brock Johnson and Amory Sivertson explore the internet’s expansive and intriguing network of digital communities to uncover hidden histories, unresolved puzzles, and other stunning stories both online and in real life.
Personal Best
Personal Best honors modest goals, partial victories and the gentle contentment of becoming less incompetent at tasks. Weekly, the show assists regular individuals in addressing minor concerns they wouldn’t discuss with a life coach, such as finding bravery to eat solo at upscale restaurants or reducing handshake awkwardness. The hosts serve as self-improvement companions.
Grown, a podcast from The Moth
Grown is a podcast about the uncertain time between adolescence and full adulthood. Co-hosted by Aleeza Kazmi and Alfonso “Fonzo” Lacayo, two Moth storytellers navigating adulthood themselves, the show features true stories about growing up’s challenges and joys. They explore first crushes, culture, identity, and secrets through personal narratives from Moth events, conversations with storytellers, street interviews, and audio diaries from young voices. Grown reminds listeners that regardless of age, everyone is still growing.
Search Engine
The hosts attempt to understand the world, one inquiry at a time. No question too large, no question too minor.
Ear Hustle
Ear Hustle is prison slang for eavesdropping, capturing what listening feels like: a raw, funny, and surprising glimpse into prison life. Hosts Nigel Poor and Earlonne Woods co-created the show in 2017 while Earlonne was incarcerated at San Quentin, where Nigel taught photography as a volunteer. Since Earlonne’s 2018 release, the show has expanded to include stories from California prisons and post-incarceration experiences.
Days Like These
The finest story listeners will encounter all week, narrated by those who experienced it. This podcast is no longer in production.
The Secret Room
What’s the single secret never shared with anyone? Welcome to The Secret Room, a podcast featuring the genuine stories people never reveal.
Proxy with Yowei Shaw
It’s the puzzle that won’t solve – a dilemma so distinctive it creates isolation. But what if there was someone who truly understood? On Proxy, the hosts locate precisely the individual needed, the person who can help listeners become a little less trapped. It’s not therapy – it’s emotional investigative journalism.
Mobituaries with Mo Rocca
Correspondent Mo Rocca has always cherished obituaries. Each Mobituaries episode covers his favorite departed people and things. This season profiles legendary athlete Jim Thorpe, iconic singer Peggy Lee, and the death of the mid-Atlantic accent known from Katharine Hepburn, Franklin Roosevelt and Jacqueline Kennedy. Mo includes episodes on folks who “Died on the Same Day” – like Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett, or Margaret Thatcher and Annette Funicello.
Reply All
A program about the internet that is actually a consistently original examination of contemporary life and how to navigate it.
Snap Judgement
Snap Judgment combines authentic stories with compelling beats to create cinematic, dramatic radio. The show’s raw, musical storytelling approach challenges listeners to view the world through different perspectives. It’s storytelling… with a BEAT. Discover the best episodes of Snap Judgement.
This is Love
Love encompasses more than expected. From the makers of Criminal. New episodes biweekly.
Strangers on a Bench
Have you ever wondered about mysterious strangers on park benches? Singer-songwriter Tom Rosenthal spent six months walking London parks, approaching random bench-dwellers to record conversations. Every stranger remains anonymous with no names or workplaces revealed, leading to greater openness and surprising revelations from participants.
Life Changing
In this series Dr Sian Williams speaks with people who experienced extraordinary events that completely changed their lives. The podcast explores the human experience and how individuals handle life-altering obstacles. These journeys are rarely straightforward and often reveal remarkable discoveries along the way.
The Moth
The Moth’s podcast presents episodes of the Peabody-Award Winning Moth Radio Hour and original Moth Podcast content. Since 1997, The Moth has featured thousands of true stories told live without notes to packed audiences worldwide. Storytellers stand alone under spotlights with only microphones and rooms full of strangers, creating shared experiences that are both terrifying and exhilarating. Discover the best episodes of The Moth.
The Memory Palace
The Memory Palace is a monthly historical podcast hosted by Nate DiMeo that debuted in 2008 The program features historical narratives concerning such subjects as the Cardiff Giant and the CIA project Acoustic Kitty, crafting intimate and atmospheric stories from forgotten corners of history. DiMeo’s distinctive storytelling approach transforms obscure historical moments into compelling audio narratives.
Wiretap
Listeners never know exactly where WireTap will lead them. From a researcher who records parrots’ last words to experiencing romance with Lois Lane after her breakup with Superman, the perspectives of Jonathan Goldstein and his friends and family are genuinely distinctive.
Discover the best episodes of Heavyweight
Read our review of the Heavyweight podcast