Podcasts to get you through

I USED TO DIP IN AND OUT OF podcasts during moments of transition—on the subway heading to work, walking to meet a friend for dinner or sitting in the waiting room of my dentist’s office. But none of us are doing any of those things now, and podcasts have seen an overall dip in streaming over the past two months, according to podcast-analytics company Podtrac.

And yet I have found more time for podcasts, like the hours I now spend cooking, putting together puzzles or taking long walks. Luckily, I can turn to a handful of wonderful pop-up shows that have risen to the challenges of this particular moment: they provide answers to quarantine-cooking questions, distract rambunctious children and offer tools to cope with social distancing. I’ve been interspersing those new favorites with a few old stalwarts, particularly pop-culture podcasts that require I watch a movie or read a book before tuning in. It’s a guaranteed way to eat up all those hours we’re spending indoors.

STAYING IN WITH EMILY AND KUMAIL

Comedic couple Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani are well equipped to serve as social-distancing know, Gordon fell ill and was put into a medically induced coma early in their relationship. As an immunocompromised person, she’s no stranger to self-isolating when she feels unwell—and she has unusually good advice, given that she was a therapist before she became a Hollywood screenwriter. On the podcast, the couple share the daily trials of isolation—like accidentally dropping a glass of water onto their beloved Nintendo Switch. When she’s not cracking jokes, Gordon offers ways to manage feelings of depression and anxiety. Their evident care for each other, and their loving banter, buoys this podcast above other celebrity shows.