Pushkin Industries Fan-Favorite History Podcast, The Last Archive, Returns for Fourth Season

Dropping on June 22nd, the fourth season will feature six standalone episodes that dig into the history of truth in 20th century America.

The fan-favorite history podcast The Last Archive created by Harvard historian and New Yorker staff writer Jill Lepore returns with season four on June 22, 2023. For the past three seasons, The Last Archive has unspooled the historical context of the American post-truth crisis. This season, Lepore passes the hosting torch over to her longtime lead producer – Ben Naddaff-Hafrey – who will continue the spirit of The Last Archive by digging into the history of truth in 20th century America. Inspired by old radio dramas and through the use of rich archival sound, the fourth season will feature six cinematic episodes, all researched and written by Naddaff-Hafrey, that will trace the history of how we know what we know. Spanning mid-century songwriting machines, freelance wiretappers, science-fiction family histories, invasive species panics, and parties for time travelers, season four is an adventurous look at the history of knowledge.

Naddaff-Hafrey will not be a new voice to The Last Archive listeners. As Lepore’s lead producer on the show for the last three seasons, he has written and reported episodes and traveled the country with Lepore digging into the show’s central questions. Now in the host seat, Naddaff-Hafrey will provide his own fresh perspective on the history of ideas that lead to our current post-truth moment. In the season finale, Naddaff-Hafrey and Lepore team up once again on a quest to understand a forgotten time capsule and what it tells us about the work of history.

“I’m so excited about the new season of The Last Archive,” says Lepore. “Ben’s curiosity is matched only by his wit, and both are boundless. For some old episode, a while back, I tried to hypnotize him. But with this season, he’s the hypnotist. I was rapt.”