Two podcasts you should listen to this week: 'Running from COPS' and 'It's Been A Minute'

Do you love podcasts, but don’t know how to find new shows? Are you new to podcasts, and don't know where to start?

Welcome to “Thanks for Listening” — a new column about the absolute best podcast episodes to listen to this week, according to two producers at KUOW who make podcasts for a living.

Every Monday, we both suggest a podcast that we really enjoy listening to and tell you why we like it. So, without further ado, this week's selections...

Clare’s Pick: Running from COPS (Headlong Season 3)

Suggested Episode: "The One-Celled Amoeba"

Length: 36 minutes

Listen while: Scrolling through Twitter

Brainpower required: 2/5

Family friendly? Yes

Yes, this podcast is about "COPS," the longest-running reality TV show in history. A lot of people would consider it trash TV, but it is way more than that. The show defined how whole generations of Americans – certain Americans, at least – see the police and crime. It changed reality TV forever. And that's just the start.

Dan Taberski ("Running from COPS" host and former reality TV producer) LOVES this show. But the more of it he watched, the more he saw the cracks in the façade of "real life" that "COPS" is supposedly portraying.

On the podcast, he and the rest of the Headlong team (who also made the viral hit "Missing Richard Simmons") are telling the story of the show’s history and the many problems it finds itself ensnared in. The first episode, "The One-Celled Amoeba," tells the completely bonkers story of how "COPS" came to be and unpacks why we love to watch it. That alone makes it worth a listen. And if you want to know more, this episode also gives you a taste of the many threads the show follows throughout the season, pulling apart the complex illusion that "COPS" has built over its more than 30 years on air.

Caroline’s Pick: It’s Been a Minute with Sam Sanders

Suggested Episode: "Kathy Griffin’s Life on the Blacklist"

Length: 32 minutes

Listen while: This is a great length and vibe for a commute.

Brainpower required: 1/5

Family friendly? Yes

"It’s Been A Minute" is an NPR podcast hosted by Sam Sanders that always makes me smile, which is so valuable given how anxiety-inducing the nonstop news cycle can be. His show comes out twice a week. On Fridays it’s a panel discussion recapping the news and pop culture events of the week, and on Tuesdays, the show features an interview with a guest.

I highly recommend listening to the recent Tuesday episode where Sam Sanders interviews Kathy Griffin, whose comedy career took a downward turn after she appeared in a visceral photo depicting her holding what looked like President Trump’s bloody severed head. She got death threats, her tour was cancelled, she’s constantly accused of being in ISIS on the internet, she was put on the no-fly list (yes, the one for terrorists) and longtime friends ghosted her.

In the episode she talks about how she’s come to terms with what happened and whether she’d do it again. Sanders is so engaged with everything she has to say (just the right amount of engaged interjection—it’s an art!). Plus, she talks about an amazing pact she made with Kim Kardashian in the wake of everything that happened. What?! This episode has it all.