No, podcasts are not video games. Perhaps they fall a little outside the purview of a self-imagined video game blog.
However, as someone who contends for the title of most podcasts consumed per week, I have taken it upon myself to catalog the best of the best when it comes to the trendy media form with little barrier to entry.
Below is a non comprehensive list of the best comedy podcasts with a rating up to three stars.
1-Star: A solid laugh.
A man falls into a portal to a magic land of fantasy with his audio equipment and decides to host a weekly podcast with a wizard and a talking badger. The running jokes can wear thin through extended listening, but the premise is great and it is worth it to watch talented comedians work their way through the rules of their made up world.
A good place to start is probably the beginning. The audio quality is rough in the early episodes the the cast builds off the story the improvise as they go on. Episode 4 — the FML — is a solid sampling episode that is early enough to not be overwhelming in backstory but is an early example of the cast finding their stride in making up fantasy nonsense.
The creator of Community and co-creator of Rick and Morty. Gives a weekly rant in front of a live audience. He works in guests and his “comptroller”: Jeff Davis, but this is Dan Harmon’s show. He is exceedingly smart and as a result exceedingly dark and depressing. Luckily the show concludes with a session of Dungeons and Dragons to leave a good taste in your mouth.
A good place to start would be the latest episode. The podcast doesn’t have a progressive story (unless you count the role-play segments which are hard to follow even if you’re listening to it in order). The episode quality doesn’t vary much and any episode can quickly teach you whether or not Dan Harmon is your kind of guy.
2-Star: Appointment listening.
The McElroy brothers dole out advice in response to listener submitted questions as well as insane inquiries they pull from Yahoo Answers. The backlog is massive and their natural humor ranges from horses to haunted dolls to farm wisdom. It is the perfect podcast to learn the answers to none of the questions you wanted answers to.
A good place to start would be episode 118: Celebrity Dream Date. The early episodes are rough listening due to audio quality and the brothers taking some time to find their stride. Other than that the podcast can be listened to in any order, but episode 118 is a good sampler.
There are a litany of “bad-movie podcasts” out there but The Flophouse is the creme de la creme. Hosted by several Daily Show alumni, it moves at a lightning quick pace and the amount of memorable bullshit that comes out of their mouths is impressive.
A good place to start is the most recent episode and work backwards. The show got much better as it went along and was a tough listen until the audio was upgraded and Elliott Kalan became a regular host.
Scott Aukerman, Lauren Lapkus, and Paul F. Tompkins all host their own podcasts, but they decided they wanted put together one where they could just be friends together. The final product is unscripted hilarity and consists of personal stories, playing games, and general insight into their careers.
A good place to start is the beginning. There aren’t many episodes out and they are consistent in quality and content.
3-Star: So good, you might buy their merch.
It began as Comedy Death Ray over a decade ago as a live show at UCB theater. It transitioned from radio to podcast form and was eventually adapted into a TV show. The podcast is still going strong, as Scott Aukerman interviews both veteran and upcoming comedians improvising as absolutely insane characters.
A good place to start is episode 355, Kid Detectives. Lauren Lapkus and Thomas Middleditch are regular guests on the show and the crazy performance they put on as Nancy Drew-style child detectives is the perfect cross section of what can be expected from the show on whole.
Hello From the Magic Tavern’s Adel Rifai started his own podcast about solving riddles and puzzles with Chicago comedians Erin Keif and John Patrick Coen. It doesn’t take long to recognize that the hosts have no respect for the subject matter of their own show, nor each other. This results in amazing weekly episodes of role play, quizzes, and general dumping on on each other.
A good place to start is the first episode. The show is gangbusters from the get-go and the hosts do not stop to explain the running jokes throughout the rest of the series.
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