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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. tv review
    Drops of God Offers an Intoxicating PairingThe Apple TV+ manga adaptation overcomes clichéd writing to serve a series unlike anything else on TV.
  2. close read
    Darth GregHow Succession’s favorite moron learned to love being evil.
  3. 1.5x speed
    What Does the WGA Strike Mean for Podcasts?And your other mailbag questions, answered.
  4. vulture investigates
    Did Kendall Do a Deep Fake?Logan Roy returned to Succession via a couple of obviously doctored videos, but exactly how they were doctored is less clear.
  5. vulture food
    How to Prepare and Eat The Little Mermaid CastThese new character posters don’t look good, but with the right recipe, they have the potential to be great.
  6. swede talk
    Succession’s Next Top WeirdoFor all their defects, at least the Roy children have clear goals. Lukas Matsson, on the other hand …
  7. best pals
    Poor ColinAn ode to Succession’s most loyal working stiff, now adrift, in jeans, without a king to serve.
  8. psa
    Toad Is AsianIsn’t it obvious?
  9. 1.5x speed
    Is The Economist Making the Best News Podcasts Right Now?The staid magazine’s podcasts are pleasantly aloof, even indifferent — and immensely listenable.
  10. 1.5x speed
    When One Podcast Picks Up Where Another Leaves OffA new project from the Marshall Project finds some overlap with a recent Serial Productions series.
  11. the industry
    The NPR Layoffs Eat Into Its FutureThe public-radio mothership made some deep cuts this week as it leans back into its broadcast roots.
  12. close read
    The Uncomfortable Dissonance of Swarm’s Faux DocumentaryDespite a standout central performance, the penultimate episode rings hollow in a show heretofore luxuriating in ambiguity.
  13. 1.5x speed
    The People’s Maximum FunA pioneering podcast company becomes worker-owned.
  14. podcast review
    Holy Week and the Aftermath of MLK’s DeathThe new podcast from The Atlantic revisits the humans who got caught up in history.
  15. finales
    The Last of Us Is Faithful to the EndThe season finale’s climax effectively streamlines its source material but illuminates the show’s narrowing adaptational ambition.
  16. 1.5x speed
    What’s So Wrong About Human-Robot Romance?The podcast Bot Love explores what happens when people get intimate with AI.
  17. podcasts
    Can Anyone Trust The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling?The podcast says it wants to have a conversation. What it really wants to do is give a sermon.
  18. podcast review
    The Coldest Case in Laramie Is Serial’s Grimmest Production YetAnd yet the show repeats many of Serial’s most familiar themes.
  19. 1.5x speed
    A Podcast Reconsiders the Romantic ComedyThe hosts of Let’s Make a Rom-Com analyze the genre — and try to write their own script.
  20. you are getting sleepy
    Joe Pera, the Sleep KingTalking to the comedian and his collaborator Ryan Dann about their new podcast, writing songs, and being slow.
  21. 1.5x speed
    What Does Spotify Want From Podcasts Now?A closer look at a head-spinning week in the audio industry.
  22. backstories
    ‘A Rosetta Stone for The Last of Us’How two non-player characters and an unexpected love story elevated the HBO series beyond its source material.
  23. 1.5x speed
    Four Podcasters to Watch in 2023And what they’re excited to work on next.
  24. close read
    Break Point’s Noble LosersSports stories have long tended to focus on the greats. What about just being in the struggle?
  25. close read
    The Last of Us Levels Up Its OpeningIn its first 25 minutes, the HBO adaptation achieves an energy the game longed to emulate.
  26. close read
    What’s Happening to Nonfiction Sports Storytelling?Welcome to Wrexham is God-tier branded content disguised as documentary. It’s also a portent of what’s to come.
  27. 1.5x speed
    This Could Be a Rough Year for the Podcast IndustryWe spoke to dozens of insiders and creators about 2023 trends, gripes, and potential pitfalls.
  28. vulture lists
    The Best Fake Podcasts of the YearFrom X, Y, and Me to The 11th Brick at Stonewall.
  29. vulture recommends
    The Town Was the Perfect Podcast for the Year Hollywood Went CrazyThe series launched in March and quickly became the watercooler of choice for the streaming wars.
  30. survey says
    The Best Podcasts of 2022, According to People Who Make PodcastsWe asked over 220 creators, producers, and hosts what they’ve been listening to.
  31. podcast review
    The Evaporated Takes Us Into a Sociological MysteryTokyo Vice’s Jake Adelstein explores the Japanese phenomenon of disappearing yourself.
  32. the year of the nepo baby
    Can There Be Nepotism in Sports? Just Look at the NBA.Ranking some of the best sons in the league.
  33. best of 2022
    The Best True-Crime Podcasts of 2022The genre remains as abundant as ever, and the year produced plenty of strong projects, as well as a clear knockout.
  34. 1.5x speed
    Bad Men, Weird L.A., and 8 More Podcasts Worth Checking OutWelcome to the Night Vale team’s latest world.
  35. best of 2022
    The Best Podcasts of 2022Forget the celebrity brand extensions. The art of podcasting is still as vibrant as ever.
  36. vulture recommends
    Pentiment Is a MiracleA medieval murder mystery is one of the best video games of the year.
  37. finales
    Andor Radicalized the Hero’s JourneyTony Gilroy’s prequel series took the world of Star Wars seriously, and in the process found new life within an old text.
  38. the vulture transcript
    Rian Johnson Breaks Open the Benoit Blanc Cinematic UniverseThe director explains how Glass Onion sets the tone for the Knives Out mysteries to come.
  39. a long chat
    Audie Cornish, ReconsideredOn the eve of her new CNN podcast, the former NPR host talks to us about her career, her old job, and missing the podcast boom.
  40. 1.5x speed
    13 Food Podcasts to Listen to While BriningFrom recipe debates to actual food science.
  41. night light
    Fighting Hotel Insomnia With HGTVFor a while, a channel filled with other people’s homes was the only thing that could lull me to sleep.
  42. 1.5x speed
    Process the World Cup With These PodcastsFor fans of both soccer and murky geopolitics.
  43. 1.5x speed
    The Criminal Podcast Explores the World of HoaxesFrom Orson Welles to the BBC, no one can be trusted.
  44. podcasts
    When a Supreme Court Podcast Gets You FiredAn interview with 5-4 host Peter Shamshiri, who recently lost his day job after his bosses found out what he’s been up to.
  45. 1.5x speed
    5 Spooky Podcasts to Listen to Right NowThe call is coming from inside the RSS feed.
  46. best of 2022
    The Best Podcast Interviews of the Year (So Far)Tom Hanks on Dead Eyes, Jamie Lynn Spears on Call Her Daddy, and other notable conversations of 2022.
  47. 1.5x speed
    13 Great Film Podcasts, According to a Film CriticBilge Ebiri on Cows in the Field, Cannes I Kick It, and other excellent shows about movies.
  48. 1.5x speed
    An Art-World Scandal (and 6 More Podcasts Worth Checking Out)Death of an Artist, Blowback, and more.
  49. 1.5x speed
    Podcasting Is Just Radio NowIt’s been ages since the last blockbuster narrative show. What does that mean for the medium as an art form?
  50. 1.5x speed
    Let’s Talk About Kids’ PodcastsThey’re a great alternative to screen time — if you can find them.
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