Long Play takes six commutes to ask what the South decides (2026)

For September, start Long Play.

Crooked Media's six-episode series follows the people, communities, and political forces reshaping the American South. The timing has two parts: the series introduction appeared on July 23, while the final episode arrived on August 24. The show earns this month's slot because Apple's US Top New Shows chart, reported by the Associated Press on August 18, placed Long Play at No. 3. 1 2 3

The payoff is a finite political series that fits a commuter's calendar. The Apple feed lists one two-minute introduction and six core episodes. The core run takes about 2 hours 27 minutes, with episodes ranging from 21 minutes 36 seconds to 27 minutes 3 seconds. 4

The decision card

Field	September pick
Series	Long Play 4
Team	Jennifer Palmieri, Errin Haines, and Mitch Landrieu host the series for Crooked Media. 2
Format	Six-part reported political series built around six Southern states, their communities, and the forces changing their political power. 2
Release state	Complete: the six core episodes run from July 27 through August 24, 2026. The August 24 finale closes the series. 3 4
Episode count	Six core episodes. Apple lists seven feed entries because the feed also carries a two-minute introduction. 4
Runtime	21:36 to 27:03 per core episode; about 2:26:46 for all six. 4
Central question	What does the South reveal about who holds political power, how that power changes, and what the rest of the country misses? The series frames the question as: "To win America, you need to win the South." 2
Best for	Regular podcast listeners who want current US politics grounded in state history, local voices, and a finished route through one region.
Listening platform	Apple Podcasts, with the Crooked Media show page as the official series home. 2 4
August signal	No. 3 on the US Top New Shows chart reproduced by AP for the week ending August 16, 2026. 1

Loading content card…

Long Play podcast artwork with the show's title and its three hosts. — *The official artwork names Jennifer Palmieri, Errin Haines, and Mitch Landrieu as the hosts. 2*

What the six episodes ask

Each episode takes one state as a way into a larger question about Southern political power. The sequence moves through state history, voter coalitions, institutions, and the people who may shape the next election cycle. 2

North Carolina: "Tar Heel Flip" - Released August 3 at 24:22. Jennifer Palmieri, Mitch Landrieu, and Errin Haines examine unaffiliated voters, the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, the fight over state government, and elections decided at the margins. 4
Tennessee: "A Single Party Issue" - Released August 10 at 21:36. The episode uses redistricting, one-party rule, and grassroots activism to ask who gets represented when one party holds the state government. 4
South Carolina: "Primary Focus" - Released August 17 at 24:14. The hosts look at why South Carolina comes first in the Democratic presidential primary and how electability, new candidates, and an open Senate seat are changing the state's role. 4
Mississippi: "Reckoning and Rebuilding" - Released August 24 at 27:03. The finale connects voting rights, the legacies of Emmett Till and Medgar Evers, the 2026 Senate race, and the people building political power in a state that has received less investment. 3
Georgia: "The New Bellwether" - Released July 27 at 24:53. The episode traces how civil-rights history, population growth, and a changing electorate made Georgia central to national politics. 4
Texas: "Is This The Year?" - Released July 27 at 24:38. The hosts examine immigration, education, faith, and the changing priorities of Texas voters through the people living inside those debates. 4

The release order in the Apple feed places Georgia and Texas together on July 27, followed by North Carolina on August 3, Tennessee on August 10, South Carolina on August 17, and Mississippi on August 24. The feed order gives the finished series a clear seven-day rhythm for the four August episodes, while the full six-state route remains available for a self-paced listen. 4

The commute test

A 21- to 27-minute episode fits the shorter end of the channel's 35-55 minute commute audience. A one-way drive can hold one episode with time left for the transition into work, or two episodes can cover a longer trip with a natural break between states. The six core episodes total about 2 hours 27 minutes, so one episode on each weekday commute finishes the story in three days of round trips or six one-way drives. 4

The series rewards attention because each state carries its own history and political vocabulary. The same format also keeps the commitment light: a listener can finish a state before the next drive ends, then return to the larger regional question on the following day. The tradeoff is subject matter. This is current political reporting about voting rights, representation, race, party control, and election strategy, so the episodes ask for a focused commute rather than passive background sound. 2 3

How to start

Open Long Play on Apple Podcasts and use the episode list for the six core episodes. The two-minute introduction supplies the premise; the state episodes supply the series itself. 4
Start with "Georgia: The New Bellwether", the first state episode in the feed, then continue to Texas, North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina, and Mississippi. 4
Use one episode per one-way commute. The six-state run then becomes six manageable listening blocks, with the August 24 finale available immediately. 3

Long Play is a good September commitment because the show gives a commuter a complete route, a short episode length, and a question that travels beyond any one state: how does the South shape the country that follows it?