Odessa

0.0 (0)
DOCUMENTARY
SERIES

A failing school system. An oil bust. A marching band determined to keep playing through a pandemic. This is the story of one Texas high school in crisis — and trying to reopen its doors. Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

EPISODE 1

Part 1: The School Year Begins

Odessa is a four-part audio documentary series about one West Texas high school reopening during the pandemic — and the teachers, students and nurses affected in the process. For the past six months, The New York Times has documented students’ return to class at Odessa High School from afar through Google hangouts, audio diaries, phone calls and FaceTime tours. And as the country continues to debate how best to reopen schools, Odessa is the story of what happened in a school district that was among those that went first.

38 min
EPISODE 2

Part 2: Friday Night Lights

In 1988, a high school football team in Odessa, Texas, was so good that it became the inspiration for a book, movie and, eventually, the television series “Friday Night Lights.” And in the decades since, as West Texas has weathered the unsettling undulations of the oil industry, football has remained steady. So after the pandemic hit, the town did what it could to make sure the season wasn’t disrupted. And at Odessa High School, where the football team struggles to compete against local rivals, the members of their award winning marching band were relieved they could keep playing. In Part 2 of Odessa, we follow what happened when the season opened — and how the school weighed the decision to start against the possible risks to students’ physical and mental health.

44 min
EPISODE 3 • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

Part 3: The Band Bus Quarantine

Last fall, as Odessa High School brought some students back to campus with hybrid instruction, school officials insisted mask wearing, social distancing and campus contact tracing would keep students and faculty safe. And at the beginning of the semester, things seemed to be going OK. But then a spike in coronavirus cases hit town, putting the school’s safety plan to the test. In part three of our four-part series, we follow what happened when a student quarantine stretched the school’s nurses to capacity, fractured friendships and forced some marching band members to miss a critical rite of passage: the last football game of their high school career.

36 min
EPISODE 4 • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

Part 4: Wellness Check

This episode contains references to mental health challenges, including eating disorders. Joanna Lopez, the high school senior we met in our first episode of Odessa, has turned inward: staying in her bedroom, ghosting friends and avoiding band practice. But playing with the marching band at the last football game of her high-school career offers a moment of hope that maybe, one day, things will get better. In the finale of our four-part series, we listen as the public health crisis becomes a mental health crisis in Odessa.

43 min

4 Episodes

Cheryl Strayed, also known as Sugar, says writing taught her how to give advice. In this moment of uncertainty, she’s setting aside advice-giving in favor of wisdom-seeking and turning to the writers who have long inspired her for courage and insight. Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

0.0 (0)

SOCIETY & CULTURE
In August of 1619, a ship carrying more than 20 enslaved Africans arrived in the English colony of Virginia. America was not yet America, but this was the moment it began. No aspect of the country that would be formed here has been untouched by the 250 years of slavery that followed. On the 400th anniversary of this fateful moment, it is time to tell the story. “1619” is a New York Times audio series hosted by Nikole Hannah-Jones. You can find more information about it at nytimes.com/1619podcast. Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

5.0 (1)

NEWS
This is The Field, a series that goes inside towns and cities across America in the lead-up to the 2020 presidential election. Each week, Times reporters will speak to voters to understand their hopes and fears at a time when the stakes have never felt higher on either side. Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

0.0 (0)

DAILY NEWS
For 40 years, journalists chronicled the eccentric royal family of Oudh, deposed aristocrats who lived in a ruined palace in the Indian capital. It was a tragic, astonishing story. But was it true? Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

0.0 (0)

DOCUMENTARY
He didn't want to fight in Putin’s war—he just wanted to survive. But to make it back to his family and live in peace, he would have to run. An audio feature from The New York Times Magazine. Narrated by Liev Schreiber. Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

0.0 (0)

SOCIETY & CULTURE
Wish you could just talk to the 2020 candidates one-on-one and decide for yourself which one deserves your vote? Join the New York Times editorial board at the table with the candidates as you've never heard them. Listen as each Democratic contender makes the case as to why they can win the race against Donald Trump. Learn how the editorial board came to make their endorsement, to better help you make yours. For full transcripts of each interview, visit nytimes.com/endorsements. Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

0.0 (0)

POLITICS

View Subscription FAQs

Joanna Lopez

Guest

A failing school system. An oil bust. A marching band determined to keep playing through a pandemic. This is the story of one Texas high school in crisis — and trying to reopen its doors. Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Channel

The New York Times
Creator

The New York Times
Episodes

4
Seasons

1
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© 2021-2022 THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY; The New York Times encourages the use of RSS feeds for personal use in a news reader or as part of a non-commercial blog, subject to your agreement to our Terms of Service.
Show Website

Odessa
Provider

The New York Times Company