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| Scene from The West Wing |
Welcome to Podcast Portal Monthly, an offshoot of Podcast Portal which intends to highlight five lesser known podcasts that have shined in some significant way over the past month. There will be an attempt to highlight a few great up and coming shows that reflect the strengths of the podcasting medium and elevate them to new and effective heights. If you have a show that's worthy of checking out, please leaving the comments. Who knows. Maybe it will be featured in an upcoming entry. You'll just have to wait and see.
1. Benview on Spielberg
Hosts: Matt Benson, Justin Quizon
Network: Benview Network
Episodes Considered:
1. "Hook (1991) Part 1"
2. "Hook (1991) Part 2"
Summary: It is likely that if you have been reading Optigrab for the past year, you'll know how much I enjoy this Steven Spielberg retrospective podcast. It comes out monthly and has covered every one of his films with insight and humor. With this episode, Matt Benson and Justin Quizon finally hit the 90's and come across Hook. On paper, it shouldn't be an interesting episode. However, the two bring in Hook enthusiast Marc to discuss in detail this strange kids movie that manages to have three very divided opinions - specifically in the case of Matt, who hates the first half and knows no other adaptation (except for Arrested Development). It's a great listen and perfectly encapsulates the show at its best. Considering how interesting the director's career in the 90's was, you probably should get on board now before they tackle Schindler's List, Jurassic Park, and Saving Private Ryan. It's going to be a fun ride.
Best For People Who: Like lively and in-depth conversations about films, specifically in regards to Spielberg and any tangentially related subjects.
2. 90's Percentile
Hosts: Jack and Dan
Network: W.E.E. Studios
Episodes Considered:
1. "Episode 11 - I.D. Software"
2. "Episode 12 - Dunkaroos, The Rise of Ska Music"
3. "Episode 13 - Austin Powers, Hackers, Perfect Strangers"
4. "Episode 13.5 - Prince"
5. "Episode 14 - Hip-Hop Looney Tunes, The Fifth Element"
Summary: If there's one thing that runs rampant, it's nostalgia. It is why the hosts of the often amusing The Simpsons podcast Worst Episode Ever started 90's Percentile. With the simple promise of talking about everything 90's for 60 minutes, they venture into the interesting and strange decade that spawned quite the odd culture. As one can guess from the subtitles of each episode, there's a lot wacky topics considered (all submitted by listeners) and they bring their expertise and humor to the mix. While they can get a little too tangential and offbeat to be consistent, this past month saw the show hit its stride with some of its strongest episodes yet. While the show does veer outside of 90's commentary (there's plenty of Lost and The Leftovers talk here), it is only for a moment. Also, the choice to dedicate a ridiculous amount of time to the obscure Bad Religion song "I Love My Computer" is a symbol of what this show is best at. It's sillier than educational, but that's fine.
Best For People Who: Grew up in the 90's, or have a strong fondness for the random culture that was born from it.
3. Surprisingly Awesome
Hosts: Adam McKay, Adam Davidson
Network: Gimlet Media
Episodes Considered:
1. "#10 - Circle of Fifths"
2. "#11 - Boredom"
Summary: If there's one unfortunate trend with Gimlet Media, it's the random hiatuses of their excellent programming (where is The Mystery Show?). While Surprisingly Awesome didn't take one necessarily, co-host Adam McKay was on hiatus to promote The Big Short (and win an Oscar for it). The show's not the same without him, and it's wonderful to have him back. While the output isn't that frequent, the episodes produced are far and away worth it, with each episode exploring a boring topic to the point that it becomes interesting. This month's two selections are a great return to form for the young show, and here's hoping that the two Adams stick together for the remaining episodes. The other guests were good, but it's far from the same.
Good For People Who: Like useless trivia and enjoy learning about the mundane things that make the world go round.
4. Beautiful Stories from Anonymous People
Hosts: Chris Gethard
Network: Earwolf Studios
Episodes Considered:
1. "5. A Real Life Superhero"
2. "6. Mountain Man vs. City Boy"
3. "7. The Cycle of Life"
4. "8. Running Down a Stapler"
Summary: If there's one thing that I want you to do, it's to learn the name Chris Gethard. The comedian has been making the rounds for years now (producing the very funny "My Comedy Album" a few years back) and has been overdue for his own podcast in just as much time. Thankfully, he hits the scene with a show that isn't based around any dumb gimmick. The catch is that he talks to "anonymous" people for an hour. While this is the beginning of things, one must listen to the episode to discover why Gethard is a great communicator and can unravel unexpected clues within his subject's life. He is very interactive and keeps things lively. It's human interest stories at the next level. Based on his few episodes so far, he's got a promising show to his credit.
Good For People Who: Like hearing stories about average people who have lives far more interesting than you'd think.
5. The West Wing Weekly
Hosts: Joshua Malina, Hrishikesh Hirway
Network: None
Episodes Considered:
1. "1.03: A Proportional Response"
2. "1.04: Five Votes Down"
3. "1.05: The Crackpots and These Women"
4. "1.06: Mr. Willis of Ohio"
Summary: If you're anyone who likes The West Wing, there's no reason to ignore this show. Not only does it feature one of the actors as host (Joshua Malina), but it has proven to be a great resource for the show's trivia. After a solid debut, the show has quickly begun to feature in depth recaps (with clips) of the various episodes as well as interviews with various cast members, including Dule Hill and Janelle Moloney. The show manages to pack information into a format made better by everyone's friendliness with each other. With over 140 episodes to go, there will be probably be a whole lot more goodies on the way. Who knows. They might even get Aaron Sorkin to agree to an interview.
Best For People Who: Like The West Wing.
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