The holidays are for family, food, and bingeing podcasts once you’re finished with the whole family and food thing.
We’re kidding, but not really.
With an abundance of family-friendly podcasts, whether it’s thrilling audio dramas or heartwarming tales, Spotify has something for everyone.
Podcasts can be the perfect thing to bring the family together while prepping for Turkey Day, making that long trip home for the holidays, or a way of decompressing after a long day of answering a barrage of questions from loved ones.
Whatever your podcast needs are, Spotify has you covered, and here are the top picks for the holiday weekend.
Our personal favorite of the bunch is Case 63. And if you haven’t already checked out our review of the Julianne Moore and Oscar Isaac-led thriller, check it out here.
Nothing will make that road trip (or plane trip) fly by more than this scintillating sci-fi thriller that will have you craving more.
“Lauded by the Financial Times as “highly bingeable” and “next level,” “Case 63″ is the heart-palpitating story of psychiatrist Eliza Knight (voiced by Academy Award-winning actress Julianne Moore) as she records her sessions with her new patient, case 63 (voiced by Golden Globe-winning actor Oscar Isaac), who claims to be traveling from the future to prevent the next global pandemic. Sound familiar?”
And if you’re a horror fan, know that Spotify has no shortage of juicy tales to dive right into regularly.
But you cannot miss with Quiet Part Loud, created by the most notable name of horror in the 21st century, Jordan Peele.
“Academy Award-winning filmmaker Jordan Peele takes his appetite for horror into the audio space with “Quiet Part Loud,” produced by Spotify’s Gimlet Media and Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions.
‘Set before the Trump presidency, “Quiet Part Loud” involves a fear-mongering right-wing radio host Rick Egan (voiced by Tracy Letts), his crusade towards redemption, and his regretful bargain with a shape-shifting monster known as “The Blank” (voiced by Taran Killam).”
If you’re fresh off a The Crown binge and want to have a royal good time, or your Suits binge made you a bit nostalgic, you can check out Archetypes hosted by Duchess of Sussex and Suits Alum Meghan Markle.
It’s a compelling podcast with pearls of wisdom, intimate stories, and relatable conversations among some of the most famous women with a focus on female empowerment and inspiration.
“Archetypes came in hot at no. 1 for two straight weeks on Spotify podcast charts. So far, Markle has sat down and shattered female stereotypes with Serena Williams, Mariah Carey, Mindy Kaling, Paris Hilton, and more.”
Of course, they say the best way to reprieve from your dysfunctional family is to listen to other people talk about theirs, preferably with a piece of pie and a cup of coffee. Dysfunctional Family Storytime is the perfect show for that occasion.
“Dysfunctional Family Storytime” introduces listeners to a collection of stories about regular, don’t quite fit together families, hoping that all the dysfunctional families out there listening find peace in other’s chaos.”
And while the Kardashian family is infamously dysfunctional at best, you can tune into something with a more serious tone that is actually incredibly powerful and socially conscious.
With Kim Kardashian’s The System: The Case of Kevin Keith, for over eight episodes, you can follow Kim Kardashian and her team as they delve into a criminal case that involved Kevin Keith, a man who spent 28 years behind bars despite no physical evidence that connected him to a triple homicide in 1994.
It’s a chilling, heartbreaking look into the many cracks of our justice system and the perfect podcast to remind you of everything you’re grateful for in your own life.
However, if that’s too heavy for your holiday weekend fun, you can quench your thirst for knowledge and consider how history still shapes us with Not Past It.
“Ever wonder why the world is the way it is? History reveals something about the present. Each Wednesday, “Not Past It” host Simone Polanen will pick a moment from that same week in history and tell you how it shaped our lives today.”
Of course, some podcasts will suit your interests if you’re still thoroughly wrapped up in the World Cup and want to dive deep into it even further.
With 22 Goals, you can look back at the history of the World Cup through the lens of 22 of the most iconic goals ever scored in the greatest sporting event on Earth. 22 Goals is also available in Spanish and Portuguese.
You can also tune into We Came to Win, which is a curated collection of the best soccer/football content across the app carefully selected by super fans Matt Nelson and The Ringer’s Steve Ceruti.
Those are definitely among the top family-friendly picks for the holiday weekend.
Which ones do you plan on tuning into during the holidays? Sound off below!
Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.
