What Podcasts are you listening too? The Golden Age of Podcasting Edition

[Gradine]

I've got a handful to share right now:

You're Wrong About-
Debunking myths on historical events, mostly (but not entirely) falling into the realm of true crime (with attempts to deconstruct the often exploitative nature of that genre)

Asynchronous-
The Video Game Catch-up Podcast. They've spent a good chunk of time working their way through the Mass Effect series, but they'll always be favorite for covering my favorite video game nobody bothered to play, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim.

 

[Cadence]

I don't podcast a lot, but I do use it to pick up some episodes I only catch the ends of on BBC World Service - Crowd Science seems to be one that happens with most.

 

[Hex08]

Only a few of these get every episode listened to but most get a pretty regular listen

Science/Skepticism/Tecnology podcasts:
The Skeptics Guide to the Universe
The Weirdest Thing I Learned this Week
Ask Us Anything
Inquiring Minds
Talk Nerdy
In Machines We Trust

History podcast:
The Rest is History

News podcasts:
The Daily
Post Reports
Meet the Press

Fiction podcasts, most of which are finished but I am still making my way through them:
Wolf 359 (not Star Trek related)
Dust
The No Sleep Podcast

And a couple that I no longer listen to but that I thought were amazing when I did:
Welcome to Night Vale
The Thrilling Adventure Hour, especially the "Sparks Nevada, Marshal on Mars" and "Beyond Belief" episodes

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

The Thrilling Adventure Hour, especially the "Sparks Nevada, Marshal on Mars" and "Beyond Belief" episodes

The clear standouts of TAH, for sure.

 

[Jack Daniel]

Still working my way through Hello from the Magic Tavern (and its many, many spinoffs); Hey Riddle Riddle; Mission to Zyxx; and Improvised Star Trek.

 

[Deset Gled]

I'm a big fan of Old Time Radio. It's not technically podcasts, but, meh, close enough. The favorites list that I keep going back to:

Mindwebs - Straight readings of classic speculative fiction.
Dragnet - The radio show is better than the TV show, IMNSHO.
Suspense - Classic thrillers.

Some shows I've been trying out recently:
Nero Wolfe - Fun alternative to Sherlock Holmes.
Lux Radio Theatre - Radio versions of movies, often with the original cast. Kinda hit or miss. "Magic Town" was a hit. "The Day the Earth Stood Still" was a miss.

Actual modern podcasts that I like:
My Favorite Murder - True crime/comedy mix
Levar Burton Reads - Reading Rainbow for adults.
The No Sleep Podcast - One of the better horror short story series I've found.

 

[bostonmyk]

Outside TTRPG stuff:
Dan Carlin's Hardcore History and Hardcore History Addendum
Fall of Civilizations: Long-form history podcast similar to above but covers cultures and eras that normally don't get covered.
Dead Robot's Society: Two-Three writers bs'ing about doing their thing. Raw and funny.
Cory Doctorow: Tech culture show me how to live stuff.
Gone Medieval: Shorter history. Unique topics.
The naughty word Nobody Tells You About Writing: Long-form and sometimes pedantic but learn a lot.
Writer's Routine: Good because it covers a wide range of authors.

 

[Cadence]

I'm a big fan of Old Time Radio. It's not technically podcasts, but, meh, close enough. The favorites list that I keep going back to:

Mindwebs - Straight readings of classic speculative fiction.
Dragnet - The radio show is better than the TV show, IMNSHO.
Suspense - Classic thrillers.

Some shows I've been trying out recently:
Nero Wolfe - Fun alternative to Sherlock Holmes.
Lux Radio Theatre - Radio versions of movies, often with the original cast. Kinda hit or miss. "Magic Town" was a hit. "The Day the Earth Stood Still" was a miss.

Good call on the old time Radio! I have the Sirius channel for it in my regular rotation while driving or working.

My all time favorites are Gunsmoke, Damon Runyon Theater, the Jack Benny Show, and Fibber McGee and Molly.

That leaves out the detective/police shows and I'd put Yours Truly Johnny Dollar (with Bob Bailey) as my favorite there.

In no particular order, Fort Laramie, Let George Do It, Dragnet, Richard Diamond, Tales of the Texas Rangers, Phil Harris - Alice Faye Show, Broadway is My Beat, and Our Miss Brooks might be the ones I'd ponder if forced to make a top 10 list.

Those are all kind of like comfort food or going back to a favorite restaurant to me, because I know the voices and general quality of what I'm going to get. The various theater, sci-fi, mystery, and crime anthology shows all have some spectacular episodes - but I find myself only giving a new episode of them a try on long trips or if I recognize the main cast members voice.

 

[Deset Gled]

Good call on the old time Radio! I have the Sirius channel for it in my regular rotation while driving or working.

My all time favorites are Gunsmoke, Damon Runyon Theater, the Jack Benny Show, and Fibber McGee and Molly.

That leaves out the detective/police shows and I'd put Yours Truly Johnny Dollar (with Bob Bailey) as my favorite there.

In no particular order, Fort Laramie, Let George Do It, Dragnet, Richard Diamond, Tales of the Texas Rangers, Phil Harris - Alice Faye Show, Broadway is My Beat, and Our Miss Brooks might be the ones I'd ponder if forced to make a top 10 list.

Those are all kind of like comfort food or going back to a favorite restaurant to me, because I know the voices and general quality of what I'm going to get. The various theater, sci-fi, mystery, and crime anthology shows all have some spectacular episodes - but I find myself only giving a new episode of them a try on long trips or if I recognize the main cast members voice.

Gunsmoke is definitely another example where the radio show was better than the TV show. William Conrad was a lot more my style than James Arness. Johnny Dollar is another really awesome show. A great example of how calling a show "formulaic" isn't an insult if the formula works.

I will admit I have a harder time with old comedy. With old sci-fi, crime, horror, etc, I really enjoy the exercise in viewing things from the lens of a different time. But sometimes with comedy it makes the jokes feel more like a homework assignment than entertainment. I find that Jack Benny and Damon Runyon are both pretty accessible, but Fiber McGee in particular doesn't work for me. I've been thinking about hunting down some My Favorite Husband or other pre-TV Lucille Ball to see how it holds up and compares to I Love Lucy.

 

[Cadence]

Gunsmoke is definitely another example where the radio show was better than the TV show. William Conrad was a lot more my style than James Arness. Johnny Dollar is another really awesome show. A great example of how calling a show "formulaic" isn't an insult if the formula works.

I will admit I have a harder time with old comedy. With old sci-fi, crime, horror, etc, I really enjoy the exercise in viewing things from the lens of a different time. But sometimes with comedy it makes the jokes feel more like a homework assignment than entertainment. I find that Jack Benny and Damon Runyon are both pretty accessible, but Fiber McGee in particular doesn't work for me. I've been thinking about hunting down some My Favorite Husband or other pre-TV Lucille Ball to see how it holds up and compares to I Love Lucy.

Comedies do seem a lot more variable to me in terms of what individual folks like/don't like. And there are some I like a lot sometimes... and other times it feels just painful (Burns and Allen and Gildersleeves in particular). The one that makes me saddest is Digby O'Dell (the friendly undertraker) on Life of Riley. I wish he was a character on a show that I liked!

I remember loving the Lucy TV shows in rerun growing up... but the radio ones I've heard don't do it for me. I wonder if it's the lack of the physical comedy and great facial expressions.