This is Love is the kind of podcast that has you blinking back tears on modes of public transportation. It’s a show that strikes you like lightning when you’re washing dishes, five hours after you hear the episode credits roll. And it’s a show that, in the darkest times, gently reminds you that the world – and people within it – are capable of being beautiful and good.
Created by the team behind Criminal (frequently cited as one of, if not the best true crime podcasts of all time) and hosted by Phoebe Judge, This is Love takes an investigative journalistic approach to love stories. Except – back up. What qualifies as ‘love’ in this context?
Sure, love is a meet-cute in Central Park, between a man going for a run and a woman with a sketchpad (e01: The Run). But it’s also a father trying to raise two young daughters, after his wife—the girl in Central Park, all those years ago—passes away from cancer. Love is a teenager swimming alongside a baby whale in the Pacific Ocean (e02: Something Large and Wild). Love is an AI robot that cracks jokes, debates philosophy, and looks exactly like its creator’s wife (e07: How to Live Forever). Love is a guide dog and her owner descending from the 78th floor of the World Trade Centre on 9/11 (e20: Roselle and Michael). Love is a pack of wolves (e19: The Wolves).
And this? Writing a podcast review for an intimate audience of—let’s be generous—at least two (my editor and I)? This, too, is love.
This is Love, thankfully, releases fortnightly on every podcast platform, making it a much needed pick-me-up during stressful times.
“At some point, this podcast definitely made me cry on a bus.”