Welcome to Podcast Portal: a spontaneous column that will highlight podcasts of all genres that are lesser known or new shows that are worth giving a listen. With the medium continuing to grow, it is hard to acknowledge all of them. However, I am going to try and find as many noteworthy titles as possible to share and hopefully expand your mind to the greatest growing medium out there. If you have any podcast that you feel is worth adding to the Podcast Portal, please make sure to inform me whether through the comments or through an e-mail (information in sidebar).
*This is a special edition of Podcast Portal that will rank all of the new shows that are currently available from the Wolfpop Network. This doesn't include any of the shows that are already established/have more than one episode. Also, this list was entirely compromised of judging the first episode as to allow for fair criticism.
1. Maltin on Movies
It could just be that giving Leonard Maltin his own show is long overdue, but I find a lot to admire about this new series that sees him and co-host Baron Vaughn discussing various topics related to current releases. It is an overall impressively candid and enjoyable show that matches all of the expectations of the eccentric critic.
2. The Canon
Yes, it does seem unfair that the movie podcasts will dominate the top spots of this list. However, what the network has done is wisely invest in critics with a distinguished voice who deserve their own hour of programming a week. In this case, pitting stubborn critics Devin Faraci and Amy Nicholson together as they discuss iconic cinema is fascinating, especially if they are divisive about something beloved. In the premiere episode, a discussion of Goodfellas opens pathways for something more strange and telling of how these two perceive cinema.
3. Denzel Washington is the Greatest Actor of All Time Period
Okay, I just am really excited to see that W. Kamau Bell finally has a show. I was a fan of his Totally Biased show and have been wondering what he has been up to in the time afterwards. While I will admit that choosing to chronicle Denzel Washington movies is a little bit of a strange topic, it is an ingenious one that will hopefully lead to a lot of interesting critiques, especially as he is one of the predominant black actors who the more that you think about, the more that the show may have a point. He may have made some clunkers, but I want to know if this show can prove their title true.
4. Crybabies
This is where Wolfpop starts falling into an ingenious category that will hopefully pay off. The show revolves around discussing how media can make us emotional. For the first episode, it does manage to cover a lot of ground and make a compelling case for why we should care. Most of all, the hosts are engaging and the infinite amount of ways that this could actually go right, this leaves me hope that this will turn into something fascinating and weird. This is my vote for show with most potential.
5. I Was There Too
This is impossible to rank rationally because it is something that I have heard before. Matt Gourley and Paul F. Tompkins almost always seem to be in cahoots with each other. That is why that despite very interesting stories, I am leery about how this show can be in the long run. The chemistry was strong and the fluid conversation made for a lot of great moments, but is it just because I am so familiar with these two working together? I like it and I may come back if the guest is interesting, but it does make for a strangely familiar debut that makes me a little skeptical.
6. Reading Aloud
It is the one show on the network that manages to be different by being all about reading and performing pieces. Over the course of the premiere episode, it manages to give a wide array of interesting approaches to literature. Most of them work while others need to be better tuned. However, for those literature nerds out there, this is likely to be a show to keep an eye out for, especially because the people that they have reading stories can knock it out of the park every now and then.
7. OMFG!
Speaking as I am not into the subject matter all that much, I am surprised how invested I was in the long run. It is a show about exploring modern trends. The hosts have great chemistry and while I don't see myself listening to it too much, I do think it is serviceable to those who would be interested in the topics.
8. Nerd Machine's Picking Favorites
Way too much stuff being discussed about random 80's pop culture stuff that I don't care about. Not for me.
9. The Sylvester Stallone Podcast
Yes, the reality is that Sylvester Stallone is not on the actual show. That is the joke. However, where it could have lead to an inventive caricature of the actor discussing stuff with Paul Scheer, it relies on a very dull and predictable joke of him not being there. The show is more frustrating than funny and I hope that it bites the dust sooner than later.
Overall Thoughts: The top five are shows that I would listen to on any given episode provided that I had the interest in the subject matter. Of the remainder, I only find myself not interested in two of them to the point of not ever listening again. I would say overall that is a resounding amount of positive remarks that make this overall launch a rather successful venture. I hope that the network continues to grow and get more interesting as time moves on. Fingers crossed. So far, they have a great little hull to work with.
Thanks for the thoughtful commentary Thomas!
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