Not Lost

Not Lost has a premise that sounds like it shouldn't work but absolutely does: journalist Brendan Francis Newnam travels to a city, brings along a famous friend, and then they get invited into strangers' homes for dinner. That's the show. They drink, dance, eat, and talk their way through places like Montreal, Mexico City, and beyond, and the result is something that feels more like eavesdropping on the best night out you never had than listening to a travel podcast. Brendan's background in public radio (he co-hosted The Dinner Party Download) gives him a real interviewer's instinct, and his guests are genuinely impressive -- past episodes have featured Pico Iyer, Cheryl Strayed, Colman Domingo, and Tegan and Sara. The conversations are loose and funny but also surprisingly personal. You learn about a city through the people who live there, not through a list of attractions, and that makes each episode stick with you. Produced by Pushkin Industries, Topic Studios, and iHeartMedia, the production quality is top-shelf. Episodes run 35 to 50 minutes and come out on an irregular schedule across seasons, with 21 episodes available so far. It carries a 4.8-star rating from over 430 reviews on Apple Podcasts. The show is rated explicit, so expect some real talk and unfiltered moments. Not Lost is best described as a travel show for people who think they don't like travel shows -- it's really about human connection, with the destination as the backdrop.