Finding a companion podcast for your favorite TV show
TL;DR skip to the end for the list of my favorite companion podcasts.
One of my favorite past-times is taking advantage of all of the amazing television being produced these days. When an episode ends and my mind is still buzzing over what I just saw I often turn to a podcast to dig deeper.
Which shows lend themselves to companion podcasts?
Podcasting is so popular and accessible that you can find one for any show that you like, however I find it most valuable to listen to podcasts for shows that are dense with lots of easy to miss references and Easter eggs.
Game of Thrones, the new prequel series House of the Dragon and (presumably, I haven’t seen it yet) The Rings of Power are perfect examples of shows that don’t have the time to explain everything to the viewer or only make passing references to the important history of their broader worlds. Casual viewers don’t need or care to explore any further, but for those of us more invested in the show a podcast enriches it with important context.
Marvel and Star Wars shows also benefit from parallel podcasts because they are part of larger franchises. Podcasters are typically super fans of those worlds and can point out the subtle details that you miss because they’ve read the comics, books or other materials.
Do the podcasts contain spoilers?
For series that are directly adapted from books, the hosts who have read the books generally avoid spoilers that they know are coming, but will point out differences between the show and the book.
For the Marvel shows which take inspiration from comics but aren’t direct adaptations of them, the hosts will spend a lot of time speculating about where the story is going and which characters may appear in future episodes. This speculation will often be wrong and a perfect example of that is the widely anticipated reveal of Mephisto as the villain of WandaVision that did not come to pass.
But the collective efforts of podcasters and their audiences to analyze a show will inevitably spoil future plot points, but many hosts will save such speculation for the end of their episodes so that you can opt out if you choose.
There are several podcasts available for my favorite show, how do I pick one?
If I find a podcast host that I like, they often cover more than one show so I will stick with that host. Otherwise I will search for the show title in the Apple Podcasts app and peruse what’s available. There the number of subscribers and star ratings will tell me how popular a given show is (Overcast is actually my podcast player of choice, but it doesn’t offer this kind of data).
But there are other things to look for, like episode length. I generally prefer episode lengths that are 45 to 90 minutes (or longer if the subject is a movie). Some podcasts will go on for 2+ hours for a 45 minute episode which feels excessive to me.
Publication date and time are also important. If I am excited enough to watch a show as soon as it’s released, I’d also like to listen to the podcast as soon as I’m done watching. Most podcasters will try to get their shows published within 24 hours of the episode drops and I’m not patient enough to wait much longer than that.
My show has an official companion podcast, should I just pick that one?
The official podcasts do have a couple of advantages. First they will drop as soon as the show does. Second they typically contain interviews with the cast and crew who may provide interesting insights into how the show is made.
However they have some disadvantages too. For example, since they are paid by the same studio that produces the show, they can’t ever be critical of it, while an independent podcast can point out issues. Hell I often enjoy listening to the hosts rant about how bad an episode was.
Also those cast and crew interviews usually contain long segments where they will drone on and on about how great the other cast and crew are. I’m sure this is great for the morale of everyone who works hard on that show, but it’s rarely entertaining.
Why aren’t there any Netflix shows on your list?
Netflix’s tradition of dropping entire seasons at once works against the companion podcast model. It’s challenging for a podcast host to record episode-by-episode companions for a show that is ready to binge from the start. A week-by-week drop fits better with their recording schedule. I once tried listening to a podcast for Daredevil season 3 months after it dropped only to discover that the host had given up halfway through.
That doesn’t mean there aren’t any, I’m sure you kind find a lot of companion shows for Stranger Things, The Witcher or The Sandman, it just hasn’t worked for me.
There are 2 podcasts that look good to me based on that criteria, how do I choose?
You should sample an episode of each to break any ties. Obviously you want hosts who are entertaining and have good chemistry together.
There’s also a big range in technical quality. I once heard a podcast host pause to let out their barking dog which was the last episode I downloaded. Podcasters should sound good and take the time to edit out interruptions, crosstalk, excessive “um’s” and “ah’s,” etc.
You’ve done all this work already, will you please just let me know which ones you like?
Here you go…
Marvel
I have sampled many different podcasts that cover the MCU, all of which have their pros and cons. I’ve spent time listening to MCU Fan Show and Marvel Cinematic University, but my current go-to is Biff! from The Incomparable.
House of the Dragon
I tried a few and settled on Oysters, Clams and Cockles. The hosts are funny and have a great rapport.
Star Wars
I’ve tried A Complicated Profession and Children of the Watch, both of which are decent but I’m open to trying something new once Andor gets going.
Star Trek
Jason Snell is one of my favorite hosts and he has a Star Trek podcast called Vulcan Hello. I’ve been watching all of the new Star Trek series which can be uneven (Discovery and Picard) to great (Strange New Worlds) but this show’s take is honest and fun.
For All Mankind
Again I like Jason Snell’s companion, this one is called NASA Vending Machine.
