My understanding (and I could have gotten bad information) is that the top podcast lists are based on recent subscriptions, not total subscriptions. If this is true, then the list will not give a true picture of what people are listening to and liking. If there is a podcast that has a huge following, it may not have the most NEW subscribers in a given week, but still be more popular overall.
If we do not have one yet, then we should have lists that shows the most downloaded show over the last week, month, year.
If we do not have one yet, then we should have lists that shows the most downloaded show over the last week, month, year.