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Nicholas Quah

Podcast Critic
See all their articles from across New York Magazine
@nwquah
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Nicholas Quah has been Vulture and New York Magazine's podcast critic since 2021. Prior to joining Vulture, he wrote the Hot Pod newsletter. He is a juror for the Peabody Awards.

  1. on location
    Where the Cold Looms Over EverythingProduction designer Daniel Taylor breaks down how True Detective: Night Country took Ennis, Alaska, to Iceland.
  2. vibe squad
    We’re Going to Miss Vibing With Tokyo ViceSeason two of Max’s yakuza drama seems likely to be its last, so let’s celebrate its ineffable appeal while we still can.
  3. the industry
    Spotify’s New Joe Rogan Deal Brings the Company Full CircleAfter years of splurging and expanding, the audio platform’s podcast strategy has backtracked.
  4. vulture recommends
    Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth Brings the Vacation to YouThe Yakuza series’ fidelity to real-life locations is staggering, even if the latest entry emphasizes sprawl over density.
  5. 1.5x speed
    The Case of the AI George Carlin Comedy PodcastIs this what the future of podcasting looks like?
  6. tv review
    Masters of the Air Skims the SurfaceApple TV+’s WWII miniseries soars when it’s in flight but gets weighed down attempting to cover too much narrative ground.
  7. 1.5x speed
    What Will Podcasting Look Like This Year?Five questions (and some attempted answers) about what the medium will look like in 2024.
  8. reality tv
    The Traitors Needs NormiesWith mere mortals banished from season two, the game loses out on a grand possibility.
  9. 1.5x speed
    Who? Weekly Makes a Fake Sydney SweeneyHosts Bobby Finger and Lindsey Weber tell us about their AI bit.
  10. vulture recommends
    The Gold Is Worth Its WeightThe British heist drama pulled off a great first season by sticking to the genre fundamentals.
  11. survey says
    The Best Podcasts of 2023, According to People Who Make PodcastsHundreds of hosts, producers, creatives, and executives reveal what they heard and loved this year.
  12. 25 days of reality
    The K-Reality WayNetflix’s Korean unscripted slate offers American viewers a reminder of all the other ways reality television can be.
  13. the industry
    The Podcast World’s Year From HellDozens of hosts, producers, and executives vent about a tough year for the audio industry — and cautiously look ahead to 2024.
  14. emergency discussion
    Squid Game’s Next ChallengeThe results of this twisted reality-TV experiment have us wondering where it goes from here.
  15. best of 2023
    The Best Podcasts of 2023Despite a tough year for the industry, the podcast world remains vast in its pleasures.
  16. overnights
    Squid Game: The Challenge Season-Finale Recap: Rock, Paper, Scissors … Shoot!Without scale and spectacle to lean on, the finale has little more than chance and cruelty left at its disposal.
  17. the industry
    Heavyweight Down, Stolen GoneSpotify dropped two critically adored podcasts this week.
  18. overnights
    Squid Game: The Challenge Recap: A Game of Civil DecencyWe have our final three.
  19. overnights
    Squid Game: The Challenge Recap: Collective Organizing and Its DiscontentsThe Glass Tile challenge is still haunting me.
  20. overnights
    Squid Game: The Challenge Recap: I Like the Chaos of Their GameParanoia is ramping up as the competition’s challenges and twists lead to more cutthroat gameplay.
  21. overnights
    Squid Game: The Challenge Series-Premiere Recap: The Ol’ Golden TicketNetflix’s newest reality competition is just as shockingly cruel as the Korean hit series it’s adapted from.
  22. exit interview
    A Big ‘What If’How the Scott Pilgrim Takes Off co-creators reclaimed the element of surprise.
  23. tv review
    Oh No, Is Squid Game: The Challenge … Good?The adaptation of Netflix’s capitalism-skewering phenomenon is so openly venal it might just reinvent reality TV.
  24. tv review
    Nothing Is As It Seems in Scott Pilgrim Takes OffThe word adaptation isn’t precise enough to describe what’s going on in Netflix’s new anime interpretation.
  25. tv review
    Something’s Missing From A Murder at the End of the WorldBrit Marling and Zal Batmanglij applying their signature extravagant weirdness to a murder mystery is both too much (complimentary) and not enough.
  26. emergency discussion
    Link Shouldn’t TalkWhat do we want from a Legend of Zelda movie?
  27. video game review
    Keep Mario WeirdThe pleasures of Super Mario Bros. Wonder, and Nintendo broadly, are rarely just about the strengths of its gameplay.
  28. cause of death
    House of Usher’s Most Diabolical FallsIn Mike Flanagan’s hands, not all deaths are created equal. Let us rank the ways.
  29. close read
    The Beckham BentFisher Stevens’s doc never questions the footballer’s choices. With its subject serving as executive producer, how could it?
  30. hi mom
    I Love My Video Game ParentsStarfield offers the option to visit your mom and dad. Why does that feel so good?
  31. 1.5x speed
    Pablo Torre Wants to Be Your New Favorite Sports PunditHis latest podcast hopes to be more than just a reaction to last night’s games.
  32. 1.5x speed
    Welcome to Jo Firestone’s Sexy Murder MysteryThe comedian’s excellent podcast Murder on Sex Island is perfect for fans of murder, sex, and islands.
  33. post-game analysis
    Was Winning Time a Loss Or a Victory?Two critics review the highlights and personal fouls of HBO’s ambitious but flawed attempt to distill a dynasty.
  34. close read
    Aaron Rodgers Enters His Housewives EraHard Knocks sets up the future Hall of Famer for what could be a riveting reality-television career.
  35. vulture recommends
    Searching for the Greatest Tennis Video Game EverBring back Top Spin 4.
  36. 1.5x speed
    Search Engine Is the Spiritual Successor to Reply AllThe new podcast from PJ Vogt makes familiar pleasures feel new.
  37. buffering
    What We Love (and Hate) About Free Streaming in 2023An emergency discussion about our “no-commitment relationship” with FAST.
  38. 1.5x speed
    The Retrievals Is a NightmareThe latest Serial Productions podcast examines how one fertility center failed to see excruciating pain.
  39. a long talk
    Ira Glass Just Wants to Make a Decent ShowThe pioneering radio host reflects on the legacy — and business — of This American Life 800 episodes in.
  40. podcasts
    Dua Lipa and the the Middlebrow Pop Intellectual PodcastAt Your Service aspires to be a Fresh Air for the jet set. Does it work?
  41. close read
    The Donna EffectThe Bear’s chaotic matriarch is the Berzatto family’s foundational world, cracks and all.
  42. the industry
    Spotify Is Equally Responsible for the Royal Podcast FlopSure, everyone’s looking at Harry and Meghan, but it takes two parties to tango.
  43. tv review
    Siren Goes OffNetflix’s brutal new K-reality competition elevates strategic gameplay to an art form.
  44. podcasts
    Of Course The Anna Delvey Show Is a ConBut isn’t that why we’re here?
  45. 1.5x speed
    Planet Money Goes AIThe long-standing NPR series puts together a nearly passable episode using only artificial intelligence.
  46. emergency discussion
    It’s the End of Top Chef As We Know ItWith Padma Lakshmi’s departure, the venerable series is losing something irreplaceable. But its latest season hints at an even deeper identity crisis.
  47. 1.5x speed
    Who Needs the New York Times Audio App?The newspaper of record’s new product probably won’t replace your favorite podcast app.
  48. tv review
    Universes Collide in American Born ChineseThere’s a tender, vibrant coming-of-age story in Disney+’s new series, if you can find it beneath all the tiresome celestial conflict.
  49. podcasts
    The Podcast That Isn’t Afraid of James DolanReign of Error takes on the notorious businessman who controls Madison Square Garden (and the Knicks, Rangers, and Rockettes) with an iron fist.
  50. 1.5x speed
    Sex, Lies, and Podcast AudioJo Piazza’s podcast She Wants More gets women to open up about their extramarital relationships.
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