My Favorite Podcasts

I love Podcasts and I listen to them quite a lot. Below, I’ve made a list of podcasts I recommend by “genre” but listed in the order I prefer them where possible.

Genre Defying

• Till Death Do Us Blart
  • Start with Episode 1
  • This podcast defies the movie review and comedy genres. The premise is that the hosts watch Paul Bart Mall Cop 2 every American Thanksgiving until they die. The hosts have NOT seen the first movie. Very easy to catch up on since there is only 1 episode per year.

D&D or Collaborative Storytelling

My favorites in this genre are 1 part comedy and 1 part collaborative storytelling. Don’t let the idea of a “Dungeons and Dragons” podcast be offputting, because it is so much more than that in ways that are hard to explain. Despite the fact that I have never played a single game of Dungeons and Dragons, this has become one of my favorite genres of podcast.

• The Dragon Friends
  • Start with Season 2 Episode 1
  • Recorded live in a theater with an audience with Australian comedians. Very high production value from the start, including live music. Very funny, with some surprises in storytelling along the way.
• The Adventure Zone
  • Start with Episode 1
  • The first campaign is weak, but the main characters continue from there, and it really picks up after that.
  • “The Balanace Arc” of this podcast is some of the best storytelling I’ve ever experienced.
• The Film Reroll
  • Jump in on the first part of any movie, but especially Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Aladdin, or The Wizard of Oz

Advice

These podcasts are fairly timeless, so you can really jump in at any point, or even go back to episode 1. I would generally recommend starting with the newer episodes and go back to the beginning if you really love them.

All of the podcasts I listen to in this genre are hosted by white men, with the exception of guests, which is not great. I need to find a more diverse set of podcasts in this genre especially.

• Dear Hank and John
• Judge John Hodgman
• My Brother My Brother and Me

Encyclopedic Comedy

Start with any episode for these podcasts.

This genre of podcast is often described as “Wikipedia as a podcast” but I personally think they are more than that, and definitely more fun.

• Do Go On
• My Favorite Murder
• The Dollop
  • start with Ep#15: Ten Cent Beer Night
• Ungeniused

Balloonfest ‘86

3 of the above podcasts have episodes that cover the same event:

• Ungeniused Ep#84: Balloonfest ‘86
• Do Go On Ep#200: Wild World Records (starting at time 45:45)
• The Dollop Ep#38: Balloonfest

Movies

For these podcasts, just pick any episode about a movie you want to hear discussed. In the case of “The Flophouse” in particular, seeing the movie beforehand is not a benefit.

• The Bechdel Cast
  • Notable episode: The Matrix with Matt Donaher
  • “The Bechdel Cast is a podcast about the representation of women in movies. Each week, hosts Jamie Loftus and Caitlin Durante plus a special guest examine a different movie through an intersectional feminist lens to determine how well or (usually) poorly the movie treats women, and of course, whether or not the movie passes the Bechdel Test.”
• The Flophouse
  • “We watch a bad movie, then we talk about it”
• Defocused
• Not Playing With Lex and Dan
• Feminist Frequency Radio (not just movies)
  • “Feminist Frequency Radio is coming for your media. Each week, Anita Sarkeesian, Carolyn Petit, and Ebony Aster bring you dispatches from the pop culture wars and invite you to listen in on their entertaining, stimulating, take-no-prisoners conversations about the latest films, games, and tv.”

Tech Podcasts

Since these podcasts are often oriented in today’s tech news, then you will generally want to start with the newest few episodes and go forward from there. That said, many of these shows have epsidoes that are interviews with special guests that are more timeless. It is also very interesting to listen to episodes from many years ago to get a different perspective on what was happening then.

• Rocket
  • Rocket has become one of my favorite tech podcasts, partly due to the all women hosts, which is rare for any podcast, but especially tech podcasts.
• Hello Internet (See Also: Cortex)
• Accidental Tech Podcast
• Connected
• Upgrade

Horror Storytelling

Don’t listen to these podcasts. You have been warned. #NoSleep

• THE BLACK TAPES
  • Start with Episode 1
• Limetown
  • Start with Episode 1
• SAYER
  • Start with Episode 1
  • first few episodes have been remastered and are later in the feed

Others

• Top Four
• Playing for Fun
• The Incomparable Game Show
• The Incomparable
• The Web Series Podcast
• Sophomore Lit
• A Piece of Work
• Bubble
• Do By Friday