Podmasters is a bi-weekly column where staff writer Laura Rosenfeld highlights the podcasts you need in your life. Every week, she tackles a new genre, recommending everything from well-known series to little-listened-to-gems that will make you laugh, cry and learn.
This week's spotlight on TV podcasts will help you keep up with all of the buzzworthy moments sure to hit your TV screen this year.
Though advancements in technology have made it so TV is not necessarily something we all experience at the same time, it has remained something that brings us together by giving us unforgettable moments that you just can't help but express your feelings about on Twitter or talk with your co-workers about the next morning.
It's no surprise then that TV would be an especially popular genre for podcasters to base their shows around. Sometimes, the only way to cope with a jaw-dropping moment on a TV show like a major break-up, betrayal or death is to hear that someone else is just as distraught over it as you are.
There's a TV show for basically any taste out there, and similarly, there are so many podcasts about TV that you'd be hard-pressed to be unable to find at least one you would enjoy listening to on the regular. From new shows to fan favorites and critical commentary to behind-the-scenes interviews, TV podcasts will help you discover new shows to fall in love with and also gain a new appreciation for the shows you already love.
So sit back, relax, and tune into an episode of these five TV podcasts. Who knows? You may just find them as entertaining as the TV shows they feature.
Talking TV With Ryan And Ryan
If you're hoping to look at TV with a more critical eye, the podcast Talking TV With Ryan and Ryan is a wonderful place to start. In each episode, The Huffington Post TV critic Maureen Ryan and TV writer Ryan McGee analyze the shows currently taking over your TV screen, from Jane the Virgin to The Jinx to Mr. Robot. The sound quality of this podcast isn't always the best, but the sound bites are always on point. Be sure to read the episode titles cleverly combining the names of the shows the Ryans are going to talk about in the episode. You're sure to get a kick out of those as well.
EW.com’s InsideTV Podcast
What happens behind-the-scenes of the hottest TV shows can be just as entertaining as the final product. EW.com's InsideTV Podcast will give you the inside scoop on your favorite TV shows straight from the mouths of the people responsible for making them. This usually-weekly podcast brings you some of the best TV interviews from Entertainment Weekly Radio on SiriusXM Satellite Radio. Past episodes have featured the likes of The Walking Dead cast dropping hints about season 6 of the show, Orphan Black creators John Fawcett and Graeme Manson breaking down an episode of the hit sci-fi show, and Ben McKenzie discussing the new direction for Gotham Season 2. Listening to this podcast is almost like sitting down and having a chat with some of the biggest names in TV yourself.
Kumail Nanjiani’s The X-Files Files
The X-Files returns to TV on Jan. 24, 2016, for a six-episode revival series. That means you have about four months left to revisit all nine seasons of the original series (and two movies) or view them for the first time. If you need some more motivation to help you power through the series, look no further than Kumail Nanjiani's The X-Files Files where the comedian, who currently stars as Dinesh Chugtai on the HBO comedy series Silicon Valley, revisits almost every episode of The X-Files with the help of a special guest. Nanjiani and his guests gush about the show as any fans would, but they do it in a way that is way smarter and funnier than just listening to you and your friends talk about The X-Files probably would be.
Extra Hot Great
Television Without Pity paved the way for TV coverage on the Internet before it ceased operation on April 4, 2014. However, the irreverence of Television Without Pity still lives on in the form of old recaps on its site as well as the podcast Extra Hot Great, which comes from the creators of the websites Television Without Pity, Tomato Nation and Fametracker. Though Extra Hot Great often covers TV shows currently on TV, as many TV podcasts do, it does so in both a serious and silly way. I especially appreciate the fact that Extra Hot Great also has mini-episodes in between its 90-minutes-plus full installments where the hosts and guests just get weird talking about their favorite TV shows and moments as they relate to certain topics. Ultimately, Extra Hot Great may often sound like just a bunch of griping, but we only complain about TV because we care, right?
The Right Reasons
The best part about watching reality TV shows is talking about all of the drama-filled and cringeworthy moments that go down in each episode. Thankfully, there are a lot of reality TV-focused podcasts out there for you to experience these unbelievably "true" moments with other people. Grantland's The Right Reasons podcast is one of my favorites because it hits all of the big reality shows on TV these days, and the enthusiasm of hosts David Jacoby and Juliet Litman is infectious. Most of all, I enjoy the fact that Jacoby and Litman do not write off reality TV as only frivolous entertainment but show how it's entertainment that's worthy of being dissected and discussed, just as the most thought-provoking TV drama series are — just maybe with more exclamation points in the commentary.
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