With the passing of another year, it's time to countdown the highs and lows of the year gone by. In today's entry, it's time to look back at the growing medium known as podcasting, which thanks to shows like Serial have started to become respected as mainstream entertainment. The following audio shows released weekly (sometimes even daily and monthly) reflect the best that the medium has to offer in entertainment as well as education. Today will begin the two part series by highlighting the bottom half of the Top 20. What made the list? Well, whatever did should likely be going on your radar sooner than later. So check out today's Listmania, and hit that subscribe button to find your new favorite show.
HONORABLE MENTIONS: My Brother My Brother and Me, Fresh Air, 99% Invisible, Song Exploder, Off Camera, The Bugle, Sawbones, Spontaneanation, Wiretap, Henry and Heidi, Conversation Parade, The Knick Podcast, Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Collosal Podcast, The Treatment, We Hate Movies, On the Media, Better Call Saul Insider Podcast, Truth and Iliza, Throwing Shade, Weird Adults
 |
| Lauren Lapkus |
20. With Special Guest Lauren Lapkus (Earwolf)
With each passing year, more and more alternative comedy mainstays seem to be developing their own podcasts based around their various characters. Even if shows like Womp It Up showed an impressive dedication to character and world building, there were few that remained as consistently fun as Lauren Lapkus. With the simple premise of playing the guest to other people's shows, she managed to tap into characters that ranged from endearingly clueless to downright annoying. While the show itself is hit and miss, it's fun to anticipate what each week's average hour-long episode will be. Thankfully, Lapkus has failed to run out of steam yet, and that is only a testament to her character building skills. It also helps that unlike other shows, there is no world building or continuity for newcomers to feel intimidated by. Just pick an episode and let the magic of character comedy overwhelm you.
19. Benview on Spielberg (Benview Network)
Retrospective podcasts are a dime a dozen nowadays. While the realm of movies is not well mined, very few filmmakers have a profile lengthy enough to justify more than a few episodes. Of course, not everyone has had a career like Steven Spielberg. The quest of co-hosts Justin Quizon and Matt Benson is to watch every movie (and TV show credit) and comment on them. In their first full year, they covered the classics with varying results. There was an enthusiastic two parter on Jaws and some controversial opinions on E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial. Even if you find yourself disagreeing with Quizon (the resident enthusiast) or Benson (the resident apatheticist), there's a lot of fun commentary on Spielberg's career both old and new. The new year promises coverage of the director's work from the 90's and 00's, so get on board before they get to your favorite.
18. The Oscars Prognosticators
Recipients:
-The Film Experience
-Little Gold Men (Panoply)
There's a lot of people who love talking about The Academy Awards (myself included) and their rich history. For my money, there have been very few voices on the subject as endearing as Nathaniel Rogers and Katey Rich. While Rogers' premiere show The Film Experience is a looser format that is directly just conversation; this year's newbie Little Gold Men is a more polished and focused show that has featured interviews from some of 2015's most likely Oscar contenders; such as Jennifer Jason Leigh, Adam McKay, and Jason Segel. Both are invaluable resources for those who want to track awards season week-to-week, and their array of esteemed colleagues (notably: Richard Lawson, Joe Reid, Mike Hogan, and Nick Davis) make it each episode full of fun and accessible banter. With a crowded market for prognosticator podcasts, these are the two to keep an ear out for.
17. Retail Nightmares
In the case of most people who subscribe to podcasts, retail culture is very familiar. You've ever seen it or lived it, though for most the latter. It was your first job. It was where you saw the seedy underbelly of society rent movies or buy groceries. That is the magic and simplicity of Alicia Tobin and Jessica Delisle's fairly young podcast. Every week, they invite on a different guest to talk about their experiences in retail. For a subject that sounds so dull, there's been surprisingly a lot of depth to be covered with each new episode. Thankfully, the dour subject is met with the bubbly and sentimental hosts, whose occasional riffing makes the entire experience all the more endearing. If you have had any experience in retail, then this show will definitely strike a nerve at some point. If that doesn't sell you, it also is full of great jokes and conversation about cute animals. What's not to like?
 |
| Left to right: W. Kamau Bell, Spike Lee, and Kevin Avery |
16. The Wolfpop Movie Retrospectives
Recipients:
-The Canon (Wolfpop)
-Denzel Washington is the Greatest Actor of All Time Period (Wolfpop)
-Maltin on Movies (Wolfpop)
If you like comedy and movie talk, then Wolfpop will be right up your alley. In the case of the three shows selected for this spot, they all give a great and diverse look into film culture that is worthy of its own acclaim. Maltin on Movies finds Leonard Maltin giving his experience and wisdom in the form of three recommendations. The Canon features Devin Faraci and Amy Nicholson battling out on which films are great. While both are dizzying achievements thanks to their personalities, Denzel Washington is the Greatest Actor of All Time Period seems to be the show to beat culturally. Co-hosts W. Kamau Bell and Kevin Avery (Last Week Tonight) turned the novelty of talking about Denzel Washington's career into a place to discuss all things about black culture (including a recent episode on The Wiz Live, with guest David Alan Grier). Even if the show occasionally strays from the Washington talk, it's an informative and entertaining look into pop culture from an angle that is not often explored. Don't take my word for it. They have Spike Lee's stamp of approval.
15. The Inseparable Movie Critics
Recipients:
-The Dissolve Podcast
-The Next Picture Show
One of the greatest losses of 2015 was the closing of The Dissolve website. Created by former A.V. Club writers, it was the perfect place for movie fans looking for something outside of franchise and gossip reports. Their lengthy retrospectives are some of the best film writing from the first half of this year. Which is why it's a miracle that Scott Tobias, Keith Phipps, Tasha Robinson, Rachel Handler, and Genevieve Koski like each other enough to make yet another show. While The Next Picture Show lacks the fun and games of their earlier show, it has found a very compelling format that compares old cinema to new (for example: All the Presidents Men to Spotlight). The one advantage is that these co-hosts all have an invaluable mix of chemistry and expertise that makes its brief existence almost essential to those who love movies. The bright side is that even if this show ends (though I hope not), they'll find a new way to get the gang back together. There's something heartwarming about that.
 |
| Greg Proops |
14. The Smartest Man in the World
On paper, Greg Proops' podcast sounds like the work of some crazy televangelist or cult leader. He basically gets up on stage every week and talks for, on average, two hours about everything from politics to recent deaths, pop culture, and old time baseball. He is an eccentric presence who has the miraculous gift of gab and an ability to make his stream of consciousness work as more than a gimmick. Even if he does hit his occasional lulls, his personality and charisma saves him in time. By this point, he has been doing it for several years and you'll know whether or not his nasally voice is for you. For me, his eccentricity is part of his charm and the ability to be both profound and occasionally juvenile is an impressive feat. Most people could try to do a podcast like this, but it's not likely that you'll be nearly as good after a certain point.
13. Extra Hot Great (Previously.TV)
There are few TV podcasts that are as widely packed and entertaining as Extra Hot Great. While the novelty of sound bites and reality show coverage may sound exhausting, the co-hosts Tara Ariano, David T. Cole, Sarah D. Bunting, and Joe Reid manage to make it enjoyable thanks to lively discussions and playful jokes. While the show's increasing length may be intimidating, it simply means that there's more room to cover classic TV, crime shows, and very entertaining games. There's few shows that even attempt to be as fun as this. It's a confectionary show that manages to be a lot of fun each time out. If that isn't enough, they also have daily short episodes to tide you over. As a whole, there's few shows that are as unique and exciting as Extra Hot Great, and hopefully that stays true in the year to come.
12. The Simpsons in Review
Recipients:
-The Simpsons Show
-Everything's Coming Up Podcast
-Worst Episode Ever
One of the advantages of The Simpsons' resurgence in 2014 was that it convinced a generation to start their own podcasts on one of animated comedy's most influential shows. What's even more impressive is that each of these three weekly shows take a different approach to everyone's favorite yellow family. Among the more straightforward is The Simpsons Show, which chronicles the series in order (they're up to season five) and even discusses the cultural reception at the time. Meanwhile, Worst Episode Ever looks at more recent episodes with the motto: "A show about The Simpsons, by people who love The Simpsons, about how much we hate The Simpsons." It's more of a scathing and analytical show whose work can be intriguing, but often mired in the co-hosts doing obnoxious voices. What is likely to be the best of the bunch is Everything's Coming Up Podcast, which has the novelty of interviewing actual writers and show runners from the series; and is the most embracing of Simpsons fandom. While each of these three are really strong, it's dependent whether or not you'll like them based on how you want to remember The Simpsons. Still, it's an achievement to have one show spawn three different approaches.
11. I Was There Too (Wolfpop)
There is a lot to adore about what Wolfpop is doing with movie podcasts. However, I Was There Too may be their best show. Host Matt Gourley has a simple goal. He wants to interview supporting actors to famous movies and TV shows to discover what their experience was like. While this may sound contrived, the results often give a fascinating back story to films that include: Pulp Fiction, Aliens, Inglourious Basterds, and even TV series like Deadwood. For film nerds, this show is an essential worthy of listening to each time. It's got plenty of good banter, and good luck finding these stories anywhere else.
UP NEXT: Come back on December 26 for the Top 10 podcasts of 2015.
Comments
Post a Comment