The best Reply All episodes represent something that may never be replicated: a podcast that figured out the internet's emotional life and reported on it with the depth and care of the very best journalism, while also being genuinely, effortlessly funny. Hosted by PJ Vogt and Alex Goldman for most of its run, Reply All was produced by Gimlet Media and ran from 2014 to 2022, when it went on indefinite hiatus following significant internal turmoil at the company.
The show is gone now — Spotify acquired Gimlet in 2019 and has since wound down most of its original programming — but its best episodes remain some of the most passed-around, recommended, and re-listened-to in podcast history. This is the guide to where to start. Find internet culture and technology podcast briefs at PodBrief.
🎙️ The Best Reply All Episodes
#158 — The Case of the Missing Hit
Why it's essential: The single most recommended Reply All episode to anyone who has never heard the show — and one of the most celebrated single podcast episodes ever made. A musician is haunted by a pop song he remembers from the '90s that no one else can confirm exists. PJ Vogt takes on the case, and what follows is a detective story about memory, the slipperiness of cultural history, and the strange way music can lodge in the brain for decades. The ending is extraordinary. This episode will make you immediately search for more Reply All. (Note: This episode was produced late enough in the show's run that it didn't generate the workplace controversy that surrounded the "The Test Kitchen" series.)
#112 — The Prophet
Why it's essential: One of the most emotionally complex and quietly devastating episodes Reply All ever made. It follows a man who spent years in an online community that formed around a supposed prophet — a story about the internet, loneliness, belief, and what happens when a community that gave you meaning turns out to have been built on a lie. "The Prophet" is the episode that demonstrates Reply All's capacity for genuine investigative journalism, not just charming internet stories. Deeply human and difficult to forget.
#139 — The Roman Mars Mazda Virus
Why it's essential: PJ Vogt investigates a strange phenomenon: people report hearing Roman Mars — the beloved host of 99% Invisible — giving them directions in their Mazda GPS systems, and having conversations with the voice about design. What follows is simultaneously a deeply silly premise and a genuinely interesting investigation into how culture bleeds into technology, how voices get used and licensed, and what it means when a podcaster ends up as ambient infrastructure. One of the funniest and most original episodes in the catalog.
#76 — Lost in a Cab / #96 — The Reverend (Super Tech Support series)
Why it's essential: Super Tech Support was a recurring Reply All segment where PJ Vogt helped listeners with impossible, obsessive technology problems. "Lost in a Cab" is the Platonic ideal of the format: someone left their phone in a cab, the phone has been sold, and what began as a simple lost item becomes an odyssey through phone supply chains, informal markets, and ultimately a genuine human connection. "The Reverend" is a heartbreaking Super Tech Support about a dead man's internet presence. Both episodes showcase PJ's gift for technical detective work that reveals emotional stakes.
#119 — No More Safe Harbor
Why it's essential: A deep investigation into a man who was systematically harassed off the internet by a coordinated campaign of lies and impersonation — and the legal system's near-total inability to help him. This episode is Reply All's most important investigative work: it exposed how "cyberstalking" laws fail real victims while making clear the human cost of that failure. The reporting is meticulous and the story is infuriating in the best journalistic way.
Yes Yes No (Multiple Episodes — start with #82)
Why it's essential: Yes Yes No is the best recurring segment in podcast history. Alex Goldman and PJ Vogt would read Twitter screenshots to their boss Alex Blumberg, who would answer "yes" or "no" to whether he understood them — and then they'd explain every reference, meme, context, and subculture embedded in a single tweet. The result is a perfect artifact of internet culture from the 2015-2019 era, hilarious in the moment and strangely moving in retrospect because everything it explains is now either ubiquitous or gone. Episode #82 is a classic entry point.
#102 — Long Distance, Pt. 1 and Pt. 2
Why it's essential: One of Reply All's most innovative two-parters: PJ Vogt receives a scam call from what turns out to be a call center in India, decides to investigate, and ultimately forms a genuine human connection with one of the people who was supposed to scam him. Long Distance is funny, uncomfortable, morally complex, and ultimately a story about the way global economic inequality creates situations where ordinary people end up doing things that hurt other ordinary people. A masterpiece of gonzo reporting.
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Browse Briefs → Technology Topic →💡 What Made Reply All Special
Reply All worked because PJ Vogt and Alex Goldman were genuinely curious about the internet in a way that felt different from tech journalism:
- Human-first internet journalism: Every tech story was ultimately a story about a person — the internet was the setting, not the subject
- Real friendship as format: The chemistry between PJ and Alex was irreplaceable — their dynamic generated comedy and trust in equal measure
- Range: From profound investigations to absurdist comedy within the same episode, sometimes within the same segment
- Alex Blumberg as comedic foil: Having the company's CEO explain memes to his employees became one of the great comedic relationships in podcasting
- The internet as archive: Reply All documented internet cultures that were otherwise disappearing — niche communities, forgotten memes, early platform behavior — before they were gone
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Did Reply All end?
Reply All effectively ended in 2022. The show faced significant turmoil in 2021: reports of a toxic workplace culture at Gimlet, allegations of racism, and a situation where hosts PJ Vogt and Sruthi Pinnamaneni were accused of discouraging a unionization effort. PJ Vogt stepped back, and the show continued briefly under different hosts before going on indefinite hiatus. Spotify, which acquired Gimlet in 2019, wound down most of Gimlet's original programming. PJ Vogt has since launched a new podcast called "Search Engine."
What is the best Reply All episode to start with?
#158 "The Case of the Missing Hit" is the most universally recommended starting point — it works for newcomers, requires no prior knowledge, and is widely considered one of the greatest single podcast episodes ever made. #112 "The Prophet" is for listeners who want the show's emotional depth. Any Yes Yes No episode (try #82) is perfect for the comedic side.
What was Super Tech Support on Reply All?
Super Tech Support was a recurring segment where host PJ Vogt helped listeners with strange, obsessive, or seemingly impossible internet and technology problems. Problems ranged from tracking down a mysterious ringtone to understanding what happened to a dead person's online presence. The segments combined technical detective work with genuine human stories — often the most emotional content the show produced.
🏆 Bottom Line
Reply All ended, but its best episodes are permanent fixtures of the podcast canon. "The Case of the Missing Hit" alone justifies the entire run — and there are twenty more episodes that could compete for the title of best thing the show ever made. The catalog is available, the episodes are timeless (or timelessly dated, which is its own form of charm), and PJ Vogt's new show, Search Engine, continues in the same spirit. Use PodBrief to explore technology and internet culture podcast briefs. Also worth reading: our guide to the best 99% Invisible episodes and the best narrative nonfiction podcasts.