The Best Media :trophy:

THE BEST THE BEST THE BEST

📌 Written by Dan 📅 Last updated: August 26th, 2025

📜 Table of Contents


Introduction

In a landscape saturated with content, the real difficulty is often knowing where to begin. But what if, instead of relying on a single perspective, you could build a list shaped by many voices?

This serves as a guide to landmark creative achievements, assembled by combining thousands of curated rankings to form a broad critical consensus.

From the novel that transformed literature to the album that altered the course of music, these works represent the most influential in their fields, enduring over time and leaving a lasting mark on culture.


📖 Books, from 664 unique lists

How it's ranked
Ratings from Goodreads (0/5) and Library Thing (0/5)

No. Title Author Year Goodreads ★ LibraryThing ★
1 Ulysses James Joyce 1922 3.75 3.9
2 The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald 1925 3.93 4.1
3 In Search of Lost Time Marcel Proust 1913–1927 4.33 4.2
4 The Catcher in the Rye J. D. Salinger 1951 3.81 3.9
5 One Hundred Years of Solitude Gabriel García Márquez 1967 4.11 4.3
6 Nineteen Eighty-Four George Orwell 1949 4.19 4.2
7 Moby-Dick Herman Melville 1851 3.52 3.8
8 The Sound and the Fury William Faulkner 1929 3.84 4.0
9 Don Quixote Miguel de Cervantes 1605 & 1615 3.87 4.0
10 Anna Karenina Leo Tolstoy 1878 4.05 4.2
11 Crime and Punishment Fyodor Dostoevsky 1866 4.26 4.3
12 Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen 1813 4.28 4.4
13 Lolita Vladimir Nabokov 1955 3.89 4.1
14 War and Peace Leo Tolstoy 1869 4.12 4.3
15 Wuthering Heights Emily Brontë 1847 3.85 4.0
16 The Lord of the Rings J. R. R. Tolkien 1954–1955 4.52 4.6
17 To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee 1960 4.28 4.4
18 The Bible Various Various 4.36 4.5
19 The Brothers Karamazov Fyodor Dostoevsky 1880 4.33 4.4
20 The Trial Franz Kafka 1925 3.98 4.1

21st Century List

No. Title Author Year Goodreads ★ LibraryThing ★
1 The Corrections Jonathan Franzen 2001 3.73 3.8
2 White Teeth Zadie Smith 2000 3.76 3.9
3 2666 Roberto Bolaño 2004 4.27 4.3
4 Atonement Ian McEwan 2001 3.91 4.0
5 Austerlitz W. G. Sebald 2001 4.07 4.2
6 Never Let Me Go Kazuo Ishiguro 2005 3.83 4.0
7 The Road Cormac McCarthy 2006 3.97 4.1
8 Kavalier & Clay Michael Chabon 2000 4.11 4.2
9 The Year of Magical Thinking Joan Didion 2005 4.06 4.2
10 Oscar Wao Junot Díaz 2007 3.91 4.0
11 The Human Stain Philip Roth 2000 3.84 4.0
12 Goon Squad Jennifer Egan 2010 3.78 3.9
13 Middlesex Jeffrey Eugenides 2002 4.00 4.1
14 Wolf Hall Hilary Mantel 2009 3.89 4.1
15 My Brilliant Friend Elena Ferrante 2012 4.06 4.2
16 Cloud Atlas David Mitchell 2004 3.94 4.1
17 Americanah Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie 2013 4.26 4.3
18 Gilead Marilynne Robinson 2004 4.12 4.3
19 The Years Annie Ernaux 2008 4.05 4.2
20 House of Leaves Mark Z. Danielewski 2000 4.10 4.2

🎬 Films from 16,874 unique lists

Ratings are from Rotten Tomatoes (0/100%) and IMDb (0/10)

No. Title & Director Year Rotten Tomatoes (%) IMDb (★/10)
1 Citizen Kane, Orson Welles 1941 99% 8.3
2 Vertigo, Alfred Hitchcock 1958 94% 8.3
3 2001: A Space Odyssey, Stanley Kubrick 1968 92% 8.3
4 Tokyo Story, Yasujiro Ozu 1953 100% 8.2
5 The Rules of the Game, Jean Renoir 1939 97% 7.9
6 The Godfather, Francis Ford Coppola 1972 97% 9.2
7 8½, Federico Fellini 1963 98% 8.0
8 Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans, F.W. Murnau 1927 98% 8.1
9 The Searchers, John Ford 1956 94% 7.9
10 Seven Samurai, Akira Kurosawa 1954 100% 8.6
11 Singin' in the Rain, Donen & Kelly 1952 100% 8.3
12 Jeanne Dielman, Chantal Akerman 1975 95% 7.5
13 Apocalypse Now, Francis Ford Coppola 1979 90% 8.4
14 Bicycle Thieves, Vittorio De Sica 1948 99% 8.3
15 Taxi Driver, Martin Scorsese 1976 89% 8.2
16 Persona, Ingmar Bergman 1966 91% 8.1
17 In the Mood for Love, Wong Kar-wai 2000 92% 8.1
18 Breathless, Jean-Luc Godard 1960 96% 7.7
19 The Passion of Joan of Arc, Carl Dreyer 1928 98% 8.1
20 L'Atalante, Jean Vigo 1934 100% 7.7

21st Century List

No. Title & Director Year Rotten Tomatoes (%) IMDb (★/10)
1 In the Mood for Love, Wong Kar-wai 2000 92% 8.1
2 Mulholland Dr., David Lynch 2001 83% 7.9
3 Yi Yi, Edward Yang 2000 96% 7.9
4 Spirited Away, Hayao Miyazaki 2001 96% 8.6
5 There Will Be Blood, Paul Thomas Anderson 2007 91% 8.2
6 Tropical Malady, Apichatpong Weerasethakul 2004 89% 7.4
7 Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Céline Sciamma 2019 97% 8.1
8 The Tree of Life, Terrence Malick 2011 85% 6.8
9 The Gleaners & I, Agnès Varda 2000 96% 7.6
10 Moonlight, Barry Jenkins 2016 98% 7.4
11 Parasite, Bong Joon-ho 2019 99% 8.5
12 Caché, Michael Haneke 2005 89% 7.3
13 Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Michel Gondry 2004 92% 8.3
14 Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, Apichatpong Weerasethakul 2010 90% 6.7
15 La Ciénaga, Lucrecia Martel 2001 87% 7.0
16 Goodbye, Dragon Inn, Tsai Ming-liang 2003 81% 7.1
17 A Separation, Asghar Farhadi 2011 99% 8.3
18 Melancholia, Lars von Trier 2011 79% 7.1
19 Werckmeister Harmonies, Béla Tarr 2000 98% 8.0
20 City of God, Fernando Meirelles & Kátia Lund 2002 91% 8.6

📺 Television from 2,826 lists

How it's ranked
Ratings are from Rotten Tomatoes (0/100%) and IMDb (0/10)

No. Title Years Rotten Tomatoes (%) IMDb (★/10)
1 Breaking Bad 2008–2013 96% 9.5
2 The Simpsons 1989–present 85% 8.7
3 The Wire 2002–2008 94% 9.3
4 The Sopranos 1999–2007 92% 9.2
5 Game of Thrones 2011–2019 89% 9.2
6 Mad Men 2007–2015 94% 8.7
7 Twin Peaks 1990–1991, 2017 82% 8.8
8 Seinfeld 1989–1998 89% 8.9
9 Friends 1994–2004 79% 8.9
10 The Twilight Zone 1959–1964 100% 9.0
11 Doctor Who 1963–present 90% 8.6
12 BoJack Horseman 2014–2020 93% 8.8
13 Better Call Saul 2015–2022 98% 9.0
14 Lost 2004–2010 86% 8.3
15 Arrested Development 2003–2019 75% 8.6
16 South Park 1997–present 80% 8.7
17 Stranger Things 2016–present 92% 8.6
18 The Office (US) 2005–2013 81% 9.0
19 The X-Files 1993–2018 74% 8.6
20 Parks and Recreation 2009–2015 93% 8.6

🎤 Podcasts from 30 lists (WIP)

Aggregated by the author
No available ratings (trust me bro)


Rank Podcast Year of Release Genre / Format
1. This American Life 1995 Thematic Storytelling, Anthology
2. Serial 2014 Investigative Journalism, True Crime
3. Radiolab 2002 Science, Philosophy, Human Experience
4. S-Town 2017 Investigative Journalism, Character Study
5. 99% Invisible 2010 Design, Architecture, Urbanism
6. In the Dark 2016 Investigative Journalism
7. Slow Burn 2017 Political History
8. Reply All 2014 Internet Culture, Human Interest
9. Dan Carlin's Hardcore History 2006 History, Storytelling
10. WTF with Marc Maron 2009 In-depth interviews, Comedy
11. My Favorite Murder 2016 True Crime, Comedy
12. Heavyweight 2016 Human Interest, Narrative Nonfiction
13. The Daily 2017 Daily News
14. The Joe Rogan Experience 2009 Long-form interviews
15. Stuff You Should Know 2008 Explanatory, Educational
16. 1619 2019 History, Race, Systemic Critique
17. Ear Hustle 2017 Society & Culture, Prison Life
18. You're Wrong About 2018 History, Cultural Re-evaluation
19. Planet Money 2008 Economics, Storytelling
20. Homecoming 2016 Fiction, Psychological Thriller

🎧 Albums from hundreds of lists

How it's ranked
Ratings are from RateYourMusic (0–5) and Album of the Year (0–100)

No. Album Artist Year RYM Rating AOTY Critic AOTY User
1 Pet Sounds The Beach Boys 1966 4.19 ★ 100 91
2 Nevermind Nirvana 1991 4.04 ★ 95 88
3 The Velvet Underground & Nico The Velvet Underground 1967 4.20 ★ 98 91
4 Revolver The Beatles 1966 4.23 ★ 97 90
5 OK Computer Radiohead 1997 4.30 ★ 97 91
6 London Calling The Clash 1979 4.12 ★ 96 89
7 What's Going On Marvin Gaye 1971 4.18 ★ 98 91
8 Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band The Beatles 1967 4.15 ★ 96 89
9 Highway 61 Revisited Bob Dylan 1965 4.15 ★ 96 89
10 Blonde on Blonde Bob Dylan 1966 4.12 ★ 95 88
11 Exile on Main St. The Rolling Stones 1972 4.10 ★ 96 89
12 Ziggy Stardust David Bowie 1972 4.21 ★ 100 91
13 It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back Public Enemy 1988 4.17 ★ 99 87
14 The White Album The Beatles 1968 4.10 ★ 96 88
15 To Pimp a Butterfly Kendrick Lamar 2015 4.39 ★ 95 95
16 Thriller Michael Jackson 1982 4.06 ★ 97 90
17 Abbey Road The Beatles 1969 4.29 ★ 100 92
18 Kind of Blue Miles Davis 1959 4.24 ★ 100 91
19 The Dark Side of the Moon Pink Floyd 1973 4.26 ★ 97 91
20 Never Mind the Bollocks Sex Pistols 1977 3.91 ★ 97 89

🎮 Video Games from hundreds of lists

Ranked by Video Game Canon
Ratings from Metacritic. If it's N/A, the game predates Metacritic or lacks a scored entry. See the Why It Matters section for clarification.
I would have used OpenCritic, but they don't have as many entries.*

# Title Year Platform(s) Metascore User Score
1 Tetris (Game Boy) 1988 Multiple N/A N/A
2 Resident Evil 4 2005 Multiple 96 9.1
3 The Last of Us (Remastered) 2014 PS4 95 9.2
4 Half-Life 2 2004 PC 96 9.1
5 Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2017 Switch 97 8.9
6 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 2015 PS4/XB1/PC 92 9.1
7 Hades 2020 Switch/PC/PS/Xbox 93 8.6
8 Zelda: Ocarina of Time 1998 N64 99 9.1
9 Super Mario 64 1996 N64 93 8.4
10 Mass Effect 2 (Legendary Edition) 2021 PS4/XB1/PC 96 8.9
11 Zelda: A Link to the Past 2002 GBA (Four Swords) 95 8.9
12 BioShock 2007 Xbox 360 96 8.8
13 Grand Theft Auto V 2013 PS3/X360/PC/PS4/XB1 91 8.5
14 Super Metroid 1994 SNES N/A N/A
15 Shadow of the Colossus 2018 PS4 91 7.9
16 God of War (2018) 2018 PS4 94 9.1
17 Street Fighter II: The World Warrior 1991 Arcade N/A N/A
18 Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare 2007 Xbox 360/PS3 94 8.5
19 Final Fantasy VII 1997 PlayStation 92 9.1
20 World of Warcraft 2004 PC 93 8.0

Why It Matters

(if you don't understand why it's there. AI used for descriptions.)

📖 Books

Title Why It Matters
Ulysses Changed how novels were written by following characters' inner thoughts.
The Great Gatsby A classic story about the dark side of the American Dream.
In Search of Lost Time A huge, deep dive into memory and how time feels.
The Catcher in the Rye The definitive book about feeling like an outcast teenager.
One Hundred Years of Solitude Mixed fantasy with reality to tell an epic family story.
Nineteen Eighty-Four A famous warning about government control and surveillance.
Moby-Dick An epic story about obsession, nature, and humanity.
The Sound and the Fury Told a story from confusing, broken perspectives to show a family's decay.
Don Quixote The first modern novel; a funny and sad story about delusion.
Anna Karenina A masterpiece about love, society, and personal ruin.
Crime and Punishment A deep dive into the mind of a man consumed by guilt.
Pride and Prejudice A witty romance that was also a smart take on class and money.
Lolita A controversial but brilliantly written story told by a villain.
War and Peace A massive epic about war, love, and history in Russia.
Wuthering Heights A dark, passionate story of revenge that broke all the rules.
The Lord of the Rings The book that created the blueprint for modern fantasy.
To Kill a Mockingbird A powerful story about justice, racism, and growing up.
The Bible The foundation for many religions, laws, and stories in the world.
The Brothers Karamazov A classic novel that asks big questions about faith and morality.
The Trial A nightmare story about being trapped in a system that makes no sense.

21st Century List

Title Why It Matters
The Corrections A big, funny, and sad novel about a modern American family falling apart.
White Teeth An energetic story about immigration and culture in London.
2666 A giant, mysterious novel about violence, art, and a dark secret.
Atonement A powerful story about a lie that ruins lives, set during World War II.
Austerlitz A haunting book about a man searching for his past after the Holocaust.
Never Let Me Go A sad sci-fi story about what it means to be human.
The Road A simple but powerful story of a father and son surviving the end of the world.
Kavalier & Clay An epic story about two friends who create a superhero during WWII.
The Year of Magical Thinking A raw and honest book about dealing with grief and loss.
Oscar Wao Mixed comic book fun with immigrant family history in a powerful new way.
The Human Stain A bold novel about secrets, identity, and scandal in America.
A Visit From The Goon Squad Tells a story about time and the music industry in a unique, chapter-hopping way.
Middlesex A sweeping family story that explores gender and identity.
Wolf Hall Made history feel immediate and personal by showing it through a politician's eyes.
My Brilliant Friend An intense and honest story about a lifelong friendship between two women.
Cloud Atlas Connects six different stories across time to explore how our lives are linked.
Americanah A smart and funny novel about race, love, and what it means to belong.
Gilead A quiet, beautiful book about a father's thoughts on life, faith, and family.
The Years A unique biography told from a collective "we," capturing the feeling of an era.
House of Leaves A horror novel that plays with how words are laid out on the page, messing with your head.

🎬 Film

Title & Director Why It Matters
Citizen Kane, Orson Welles Changed how movies looked and felt with its unique camera angles and fractured story.
Vertigo, Alfred Hitchcock A suspenseful masterpiece about obsession, with a dizzying, dream-like feel.
2001: A Space Odyssey, Stanley Kubrick Turned science fiction into art with stunning visuals and big ideas about humanity.
Tokyo Story, Yasujiro Ozu A simple, quiet, and heartbreaking film about family and growing old.
The Rules of the Game, Jean Renoir A clever and tragic look at high society right before a world war.
The Godfather, Francis Ford Coppola The ultimate gangster film, blending family drama with epic crime.
8½, Federico Fellini A famous film about a director who doesn't know what film to make, blurring reality and dreams.
Sunrise, F.W. Murnau A silent film masterpiece that used visuals to tell a powerful, poetic story of love.
The Searchers, John Ford A classic Western that explored darker themes of racism and obsession.
Seven Samurai, Akira Kurosawa The original "getting the team together" movie; a huge influence on action films.
Singin' in the Rain, Donen & Kelly A joyful musical about Hollywood's change from silent films to "talkies."
Jeanne Dielman, Chantal Akerman A groundbreaking feminist film that shows the hidden reality of a woman's daily life.
Apocalypse Now, Francis Ford Coppola A wild, fever-dream movie about the madness of the Vietnam War.
Bicycle Thieves, Vittorio De Sica A simple, powerful story about a poor man's desperate search for his stolen bike.
Taxi Driver, Martin Scorsese A dark and gritty look at a lonely man's breakdown in a corrupt city.
Persona, Ingmar Bergman A mind-bending film that explores what makes us who we are.
In the Mood for Love, Wong Kar-wai A beautiful, sad film about two people who fall in love but can't be together.
Breathless, Jean-Luc Godard A cool, stylish film that broke all the rules and started the French New Wave.
The Passion of Joan of Arc, Carl Dreyer A silent film that creates incredible emotion just by focusing on actors' faces.
L'Atalante, Jean Vigo A dreamy and realistic love story about a couple living on a river barge.

21st Century List

Title & Director Why It Matters
In the Mood for Love, Wong Kar-wai A beautiful, sad film about two people who fall in love but can't be together.
Mulholland Dr., David Lynch A weird, dream-like mystery that twists Hollywood into a nightmare.
Yi Yi, Edward Yang A deeply human look at a family in Taiwan, showing life from different points of view.
Spirited Away, Hayao Miyazaki A beautiful animated fantasy that's a modern classic for all ages.
There Will Be Blood, Paul Thomas Anderson An intense epic about a greedy oil man's rise and fall.
Tropical Malady, Apichatpong Weerasethakul A strange, hypnotic film from Thailand that's part love story, part jungle myth.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Céline Sciamma A beautiful, slow-burn romance about a forbidden love between two women.
The Tree of Life, Terrence Malick A poetic film that mixes one family's story with the creation of the universe.
The Gleaners & I, Agnès Varda A charming documentary about people who find value in what others throw away.
Moonlight, Barry Jenkins A powerful and tender story about a young Black man growing up and finding himself.
Parasite, Bong Joon-ho A thrilling and funny movie about class warfare that made history at the Oscars.
Caché, Michael Haneke A tense thriller about a family being watched, exposing hidden secrets and guilt.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Michel Gondry A creative and heartbreaking romance about trying to erase memories of a lost love.
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, Apichatpong Weerasethakul A strange, beautiful film about a man spending his last days with ghosts and spirits.
La Ciénaga, Lucrecia Martel A film that perfectly captures the feeling of being stuck, focusing on a rich family's lazy decline.
Goodbye, Dragon Inn, Tsai Ming-liang A slow, sad, and beautiful tribute to the magic of watching movies in an old theater.
A Separation, Asghar Farhadi A stressful and brilliant drama about a family in Iran facing impossible choices.
Melancholia, Lars von Trier A beautiful and sad film that uses the end of the world as a metaphor for depression.
Werckmeister Harmonies, Béla Tarr A slow, haunting, black-and-white film about social collapse.
City of God, Meirelles & Lund An energetic and violent look at life for kids growing up in the slums of Rio.

🎧 Albums

No. Album Artist Year Why It Matters
1 Pet Sounds The Beach Boys 1966 Made pop music into art with its beautiful and complex sound.
2 Nevermind Nirvana 1991 Brought grunge rock to the mainstream and defined the '90s.
3 The Velvet Underground & Nico The Velvet Underground 1967 A dark, weird, and hugely influential album that inspired punk and indie rock.
4 Revolver The Beatles 1966 Pushed rock music forward with new studio tricks and psychedelic sounds.
5 OK Computer Radiohead 1997 A classic album about feeling anxious in the modern world.
6 London Calling The Clash 1979 A punk masterpiece that mixed in rock, reggae, and pop.
7 What's Going On Marvin Gaye 1971 A beautiful soul album that was one of the first to tackle social issues.
8 Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band The Beatles 1967 The famous concept album that turned the album itself into a work of art.
9 Highway 61 Revisited Bob Dylan 1965 Changed music forever when Dylan mixed folk lyrics with a rock & roll band.
10 Blonde on Blonde Bob Dylan 1966 A sprawling double album that captured Dylan's songwriting at its peak.
11 Exile on Main St. The Rolling Stones 1972 The ultimate messy, gritty, and brilliant rock and roll record.
12 Ziggy Stardust David Bowie 1972 A classic concept album about a rockstar alien that defined glam rock.
13 It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. Public Enemy 1988 Revolutionized hip-hop with its loud, political, and groundbreaking sound.
14 The White Album The Beatles 1968 A huge, sprawling album that showed off the band's incredible range.
15 To Pimp a Butterfly Kendrick Lamar 2015 A modern masterpiece that blended hip-hop with jazz to explore Black identity.
16 Thriller Michael Jackson 1982 A pop mega-hit with iconic music videos that broke racial barriers on MTV.
17 Abbey Road The Beatles 1969 A perfect final statement from the world's biggest band.
18 Kind of Blue Miles Davis 1959 The best-selling and most famous jazz album of all time.
19 The Dark Side of the Moon Pink Floyd 1973 A legendary concept album about life and death that's a sonic masterpiece.
20 Never Mind the Bollocks Sex Pistols 1977 The loud, angry, and essential album that kicked off the punk rock movement.

📺 Television

Title Why It Matters
Breaking Bad The story of a good man's transformation into a villain, told with incredible suspense.
The Simpsons A cartoon that has brilliantly made fun of American life for decades.
The Wire Showed how drugs, police, and politics are all connected in a struggling city.
The Sopranos The show that proved TV could be art, with its story of a mob boss in therapy.
Game of Thrones A huge fantasy epic that became a worldwide phenomenon.
Mad Men A stylish and smart show about advertising, identity, and the 1960s.
Twin Peaks A weird, surreal, and influential mystery show that broke the rules of TV.
Seinfeld The classic "show about nothing" that changed sitcoms forever.
Friends The ultimate comfort show about a group of friends that defined a generation.
The Twilight Zone Told creepy, clever sci-fi stories that were really about our own world.
Doctor Who A classic British sci-fi show that is always reinventing itself.
BoJack Horseman A cartoon about a talking horse that's one of the best shows about depression.
Better Call Saul A prequel that became just as good as Breaking Bad, showing a man's slow moral decay.
Lost A huge hit that got everyone talking with its plane crash mystery and sci-fi puzzles.
Arrested Development A super-clever sitcom packed with running jokes and hidden gags.
South Park A cartoon that makes fun of current events faster and more brutally than anyone else.
Stranger Things A fun and scary show full of 80s nostalgia about kids fighting monsters.
The Office (US) A hilarious and heartwarming comedy about quirky coworkers.
The X-Files The classic show about two FBI agents investigating aliens and conspiracies.
Parks and Recreation A funny and optimistic comedy about local government and friendship.

🎤 Podcasts

Title & Creator/Host Why It Matters
This American Life, Ira Glass The foundational pillar of audio storytelling; it established the template for narrative journalism.
Serial, Sarah Koenig The show that made podcasting a mainstream obsession with its gripping, episodic true-crime story.
Radiolab, Jad Abumrad & Robert Krulwich Redefined audio with its cinematic sound design, making complex ideas feel visceral and thrilling.
S-Town, Brian Reed Elevated the podcast to literary nonfiction, turning a mystery into a novelistic story of one man's life.
99% Invisible, Roman Mars Made the hidden world of design fascinating, proving any niche subject could have mass appeal.
In the Dark, Madeleine Baran Set the gold standard for investigative journalism as a tool for justice, freeing a wrongfully convicted man.
Slow Burn, Leon Neyfakh / Slate Transformed recent political history into a gripping thriller that revealed its relevance to the present day.
Reply All, PJ Vogt & Alex Goldman Used the weird corners of the internet to tell deeply compelling and surprisingly human stories.
Dan Carlin's Hardcore History, Dan Carlin Proved audiences crave epic, multi-hour deep dives into history delivered with dramatic flair.
WTF with Marc Maron, Marc Maron Stripped away the artifice of celebrity interviews, pioneering a new standard of raw, honest conversation.
My Favorite Murder, K. Kilgariff & G. Hardstark Merged true crime with comedy to build a massive community and destigmatize morbid curiosity.
Heavyweight, Jonathan Goldstein Invented a unique genre of therapeutic documentary, helping people find closure by confronting their past.
The Daily, Michael Barbaro / NYT Made daily news an essential audio ritual by providing deep, narrative context to a single big story.
The Joe Rogan Experience, Joe Rogan Became the world's biggest podcast by championing unfiltered, long-form conversations on any topic.
Stuff You Should Know, J. Clark & C. Bryant A pioneer of the "explainer" podcast, proving the simple power of two curious friends talking.
1619, Nikole Hannah-Jones / NYT A Pulitzer Prize-winning show that reframed the national conversation on the legacy of slavery in America.
Ear Hustle, Earlonne Woods & Nigel Poor A groundbreaking look at life inside prison, told with unprecedented humanity by those living it.
You're Wrong About, Sarah Marshall Tapped into the cultural desire to re-examine the past, debunking myths about misunderstood events and people.
Planet Money, NPR Made complex economics accessible and wildly entertaining through creative, narrative storytelling.
Homecoming, Eli Horowitz & Micah Bloomberg Proved the cinematic potential of fiction podcasts with its star-studded, immersive psychological thriller.

🎮 Video Games

Title Why It Matters
Tetris The perfect, timeless puzzle game that's simple to learn but impossible to master.
Resident Evil 4 Set the standard for modern action-horror games with its non-stop thrills.
The Last of Us A powerful, movie-like story about survival and love at the end of the world.
Half-Life 2 A landmark game that used physics and world design to tell its story.
Zelda: Breath of the Wild Changed open-world games by giving players total freedom to explore.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt An epic fantasy RPG with great writing and meaningful choices.
Hades A super-addictive game where dying is part of the story.
Zelda: Ocarina of Time The legendary 3D adventure that inspired countless other games.
Super Mario 64 The game that showed everyone how to make fun 3D platformers.
Mass Effect 2 An epic sci-fi adventure where your choices shape the galaxy.
Zelda: A Link to the Past The perfect 2D adventure game, with amazing puzzles and world design.
BioShock A smart shooter with a killer story and an unforgettable underwater city.
Grand Theft Auto V A massive and chaotic open-world game that satirizes modern America.
Super Metroid Created a whole genre of games about exploring a big, lonely, interconnected map.
Shadow of the Colossus An artistic game where you only fight giant, majestic creatures.
God of War (2018) A spectacular reboot that gave a famous character a new, more emotional story.
Street Fighter II The game that started the competitive fighting game boom.
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Changed online multiplayer and made shooters feel like action movies.
Final Fantasy VII The game that made JRPGs a global phenomenon with its epic story.
World of Warcraft The MMO that became a cultural phenomenon, creating a massive online world.
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Pub: 19 Aug 2025 14:54 UTC

Edit: 26 Aug 2025 15:02 UTC

Views: 113