The Podcasts of 2024
Here we are again. Another year has gone by and I can confidently say that my passion for parasocial relationships with disembodied voices is as strong as ever. You might say that it has gotten even stronger, since this is the year that I actually took the insane step of installing an HF antenna on top of my house so that I can listen in on inane chatter from around the globe via my Ham radio.
VR also helped me understand a little more about what draws me so much to podcasts. There is a longing in me, ever present, to just be in a room where people are. I find something so incredibly comforting about listening to conversations because I suppose it helps me feel like I am not alone, but more importantly, it helps remind me that the universe is an interesting place and that this world is full of interesting and interested people.
Silence breeds boredom and a false sense of the stagnation of the world. That is something that I feel in my bones. I need to be where the dialog is. I am still very much that young boy with the wireless AM/FM radio headphones from radio shack, feeling somehow safe and at peace listening to talk radio in the small hours of the night. Nothing about that has changed.
That all said, I want to reflect on my appreciation and gratitude for all of the podcasts that have kept me company in 2024.
Podcasts that almost never update but I love dearly:
This list is going to be very similar to last year, which I guess should not be surprising, given the nature of the category.
Knifepoint Horror - [horror]
Knifepoint and I are well matched in that they publish a new episode roughly every month and a half, and I usually don't listen to them until several years later. That may sound like I do not actually care very much for this show, but nothing could be further from the truth.
Maybe it is the little hipster in me, but I love feeling like I am someone in on this show when no one else is. Soren Narnia, the author, has an ethereal quality in my imagination. Are they even real? Is that an actual name?
Given that these episodes have no introduction, no credits, no theme, and that they just begin and end, it truly feels like these are artifacts from another world. Slipping into our minds through the cracks and fissures between realities.
Great for road trips.
Kingdom of Loathing Podcast - [gaming]
I am still really bummed out at the fact that Video Games Hot Dog got literally cancelled back in 2018 or 2019 or whatever it was. Right or wrong, a lot of ugly stuff about one of the host's past got dredged up and, though he definitely seemed to have demonstrably changed and bettered himself in the meantime, the show was brought to an end because it was a time on the internet when we were all very into forming lynch mobs and persecuting strangers for alleged misconduct.
Imagine my shock when, earlier this year, I happened to check on the feed for the Kingdom of Loathing podcast, and I found that it had gotten an update at the end of 2023. It was the first episode in almost 3 years. It was not exactly a new episode of VGHD, but most of the same hosts were there, and it was just really nice to spend a little time with them and get updates on their lives. That's all.
Antisocial - [news]
Even as I have withdrawn from the more politically minded shows, Antisocial is something that always has a place in my feed. The concept of the show is rock solid: Adam Fleming is a perfect moderator and presenter for a civil discussion between two people on opposite sides of a divisive issue. There was one episode that I skipped this year because it dealt with kids identifying as animals in schools in Scotland and they touched on furry culture and I just did not want to listen in case it was not a good or fair representation. I like that this show is not year-round. Like a lot of things from the BBC, you get 6 or 7 episodes a year and then you wait for it to come back around again.
The Best Podcast that Almost Never Updates but I love dearly:
Boston's Favorite Son -[Comedy]
There are several times per year when I am sure that this podcast is dead and never coming back, only to be genuinely overjoyed and relieved when an episode drops in my podcast feed. This is the only show for which I have a notification enabled on my podcatcher. I need to know when this show is back, and I stop everything that I am doing in order to listen to it. It is just that important to me.
Jonathan has two kids now and is also taking care of his elderly mom. Jim is now Steph. Conrad is barely a part of the show and yet an integral and essential personality. We are all getting older. Jonathan still isn't famous. But isn't the real fame the friendships that we treasured along the way?
New Podcasts That I Enjoyed This Year:
I worked quite a few new shows into my podcast rotations this year. They did not all stand the test of time, but each did connect with me on some level.
Pod Save America - [politics]
I was as susceptible as anyone to the worry, storm and strife that overtook our national narrative this year. PSA provided a comforting framework to help me make sense of it, while not shying away from their own feelings of frustration and outrage at the way that things were going. For a while, I was hanging on their every episode, and the days that they did not post anything to Youtube I found myself missing them. Their coverage of the election was informative and their perspectives as former white house staffers was valuable. I would stop short of saying that this podcast was funny, but there were certainly moments of levity in the darkness. I appreciated that this podcast was there when I had a need for it.
The Adam Friedland Show - [Comedy]
A late addition to my podcast feed in 2024, I got curious about whatever happened to the lads from the old Cumtown podcast. The story behind it was surprisingly heartwarming. Considering the fact that they seemed to have started Cumtown as a result of their floundering comedy careers and disenchantment with trying to make it as standup comedians, it is all the more fitting that Cumtown came to an end when Stav got back into the game and started performing full time again. That awful, ridiculous, hilarious podcast had helped them find their passion again.
TAFS feels exactly like Cumtown used to feel, except they have a guest on just about every single week. The low-fi, rambling, brutally funny style of the show is unchanged, and I love that about it. I am fully aware that this show is not everyone's cup of tea, and I think some people might unfairly paint them as a bit edgy and offensive for the sake of being offensive, but I think that is a shallow interpretation of what this show actually is. This is the juvenile humor at the heart of us all, shone through a magnifying glass and made so hot that it burns. I don't listen to every episode, and I would never listen to it in public, but it always makes me laugh.
New England Legends - [Folk]
I cannot boast that I listen to every single episode of NEL, but we did go and see them perform in their first ever live show this year, so I am happy to include them in this list.
The folksy and laid-back tone of this show does a great job of hiding how much work actually goes into it. The two hosts do not waste any time, and their carefully scripted show has the feeling of a casual conversation, even as they play little theater-of-the-mind tricks to take us back in time with sound effects and occasional voice acting.
S.T. is the bigger fan of this show; she listens to every episode, whereas I need to be in the right frame of mind for it. New England Legends has the feeling of a PBS special made for grown-ups, and I mean that in the best way.
Mission Log - [Star Trek]
Mission Log is the Star Trek podcast. I would stop short of saying that it is the best Star Trek podcast, as there are probably too many to count, but this is the one that everybody knows.
The greatest magic trick that this show achieves is somehow having literally hundreds of episodes, covering every single episode of Star Trek in sequence from the Original Series onward in deeply researched, thoughtful, academic detail, and yet also feeling like the type of show where you can dip in and out at any point. They almost never make reference to anything that they have discussed in previous episodes outside of the content of the actual shows, so you never feel like you have really missed anything if you jump around and just listen to the podcasts that cover the Trek episodes that you are especially interested in hearing a deeper take on.
While not altogether humorless, Mission Log is the serious, respectful show that treats its source material with an appropriate mix of detached respect and cultural reverence, and I am often touched or surprised at their poignant thoughts about the lessons and messages behind different episodes. Just the same, they are surprisingly critical and do not pull their punches at some of the more dated and outmoded concepts when they come about, even though this is an official Roddenberry Entertainment production.
For a while this year I was listening to both Mission Log and The Greatest Generation after every single episode of TNG, but eventually I started to just listen to TGG and only occasionally check in with Mission Log, but that is not a slight on the quality of the show. I could absolutely see myself going back and listening to ML even when I have not recently seen a particular episode, just to have a couple of comforting voices talk about a show that I love.
Best New Podcast That I Enjoyed this Year:
Improv Is Dead - [Comedy]
Not all improv comedy is good, but every single second of Improv is Dead is great.
This show actually shares some DNA with some other podcasts that I love dearly, so it is no surprise that we get along so well. Rob White and Brett Lyons come from the same improv scene as the folks behind shows like Sitcom DnD, Hello from the Magic Tavern, and Hey Riddle Riddle, and I am sure that I have heard them guest on all of them at some point.
Still, weirdly, this show might have more in common with Mission to Zyxx than anything else. That is not something that I realized until right this second. Every episode begins with a short conversation between the hosts and a guest, and then they pull a word that sums up that conversation and use it as inspiration for a free-form improv show.
The magic is in the editing. Every episode is a fully sound-engineered radio play that makes excellent usage of music and sound effects to really bring the scenes to life. The players are so comfortable with one another, and so quick to make one another laugh, it is impossible to listen without a smile on your face.
There is a huge sense of playfulness in every episode that I really appreciate. You can tell that the performers are enjoying themselves, and yet they put in a crazy amount of work in post to make each episode a really transcendent piece of art. Just a fantastic show.
Fair to note, this is a far from "new" podcast, but it is new to me in 2024!
Podcasts That I Rediscovered:
It is always nice to reconnect with old friends. Sometimes you need a break, but that does not mean walking away forever. Here are some shows that I found myself reconnecting with in 2024 after a break.
Giant Bombcast - [Gaming]
I think it is fair to say that for a while there I fell a bit out of love with Giant Bomb. When they let go of Jess and Jason it made me feel like we were at the point of no return, and for some reason, losing Matt Rorie was my absolute breaking point.
Now that I think about it, we might have a bit of a chicken and egg situation. I often thought that it was my waning interest in video games and the games industry that made me less interested in following Giant Bomb, but it may have been the exact opposite. They had stopped doing Quick Looks altogether. The personalities that I had any attachment to were not regular features on the site anymore. I still liked many of the people involved; Bakalar, Dan, Jan, Lucy and Tam are all great. However, it seemed like whenever I checked in on the site they were featuring people that I had never heard of. And when Giant Bomb seemed to not care about games anymore, neither did I. It is hard to say which came first.
Still, nothing is forever. Even goodbyes. I kept up with Blight Club all year. I never missed an episode. For most of 2024 that was my only connection to Giant Bomb at all. Mike Minotti became one of my favorite personalities on the site.
It was their coverage of the Game Awards that brought me back. Everyone did such an incredible job. Dan gave out these gigantic sandwiches to the people that he interviewed and, weirdly, that reminded me of what I love so much about this cast of goofballs. It coincided with me doing a cleanse of most if not all of the political content in my feed, and I thought to myself... yeah, I could do with some more Giant Bomb in my life.
Obviously, it is not the same as it was back in 2016. And that is okay. Things change. They have to. But I am excited to get to know Giant Bomb as it exists now in 2024. The time away was good for me. I've really enjoyed their Game of the Year discussions so far, though I wish that they were a bit more organized. They could at least edit the videos and put in some titles and whatnot. I'm sure they are operating on a shoestring budget. Its just nice to see them again.
Americast - [politics]
It was a very political year. The BBC has always been my news outlet of choice for a lot of reasons. The foremost of them is their non-corporate funding. They are a publicly funded institution and therefor bound by law to a strict rule of neutrality. They literally have to portray a fair and balanced version of reality, and they constantly remark upon that. It is incredibly refreshing.
On top of that, though, when they cover American politics, they do so from the standpoint of an outsider. Yes, the UK has a special relationship with the US, but they are not the US. They are looking at what is happening in our country from the outside and trying to make it make sense to the British public. As an American, I cannot think of a better way to ingest news about what is happening in the political sphere of my own country. It is better than even Pod Save America, because they do not really have a dog in the fight.
Of course every pundit will have their own opinions and takes as human beings, but they are not affiliated, and that makes me trust them. It is validating when they are bewildered, because that is how I feel too.
Obviously, an election year is a time when I am going to rediscover a trusted political news source. Plus, I like their fun accents.
The Nextlander Podcast - [Gaming]
I do not exactly know why I stopped listening to Nextlander. I never stopped liking Vinny, Brad and Alex as personalities but I think I was just no longer in the market to listen to people talk at length about video games. Maybe it is as simple as that. Their streams were fun to catch occasionally but for most of 2024 they were not appointment viewing for me. I think that has way more to do with my state of mind, and how much political content I was taking in.
Honestly, I cannot pinpoint a particular time when I wanted to get back into listening to them. Earlier in the year I was a devout of their films podcast and it was the reason that we watched so many silly classics like Dick Tracy, The Rocketeer and The Phantom. Maybe it is simple as once the election happened and I made a point to get out of the echo chamber, there was suddenly room again for the comforting, familiar voices talking about things that don't really matter.
The Fire Escape Cast - [Gaming]
I almost entirely forgot that this podcast existed. This was a somewhat off-the-books side project for Dan, Mary and Mike that started even while Dan was still working at WWE, if I remember correctly. The fact that it came out every other week and had no other content like videos attached to it made it somewhat easy to drift away from, but I was very happy to listen to their Game of the Year deliberations at the end of 2024. I plan on keeping them in the podcast rotation. Their chemistry is great, and they seem to really have their formula down. They make it seem like drinking beers and talking professionally yet casually about games is easy.
Podcasts That I Stopped Listening To:
The other side of the coin from the above category, these are the shows that I found I no longer wanted in my earholes in 2024. It does not mean that they are bad shows, but it is worth it to me to spend some time reflecting on why it is that I turned away from them.
Over The Top - [Pop Culture / Sports]
Being a fan of a specific personality like Peter Rosenberg is somewhat of a blessing and a curse. As I have been listening to him on Cheap Heat for something close to 10 years now, I feel like I have a fairly good understanding of his whole personality and vibe as a radio host. That understanding made it so I could tell when his heart was not completely in a project, though, and I could tell after a few episodes that he was not super enthusiastic about this project, and he was probably disappointed by its lack of success. I stopped listening fairly early and was not surprised to later find out that it seems to be on permanent hiatus.
The Pawtuxet General - [History]
As proud as I was to have a delightful little show that was made right in my hometown and focused so much on local Warwick/Cranston/Rhode Island history, I think I found that The Pawtuxet General did not exactly have a place in my life in 2024. I greatly appreciated the work and care that went into the production, but being that it was neither funny nor necessarily thought-provoking, I did not find myself drawn to it very often. It was a cozy thing to listen to on long car rides with S.T., but that was just about the only times that I ever put it on. Unfortunately it seems like they are having some family issues and they have become very infrequent with the rate that they publish episodes. I hope that they are alright! I do not at all regret being one of their Patreon subs, and it was a delight to meet the team in person that one time at the farmer's market. It meant a lot to be able to tell them how much we appreciated the work that they did.
Pod Save America - [politics]
This one is pretty straight-forward. After the election I needed a few podcasts and late night talk show hosts to help me make sense of things and reflect on the reality of our situation, but after a few weeks it just felt like I was in an echo chamber. I needed to make a change for my own sanity, so I cut out PSA entirely and stopped watching all of the late night monologues. I started to focus more on comedy and gaming. What else can I do? I have to live my own life and try to be the person that I feel like I need to be. Listening to the same people make the same jokes and complaints every week is not going to help that.
Americast - [politics]
For the same reason as listed above, I needed to cut the cord on Americast as well. I love and respect the team but it is just not something I want to spend my time and brainpower on these days. Maybe that will change at some point in the future, but I needed to step away.
The Word Association - [Comedy]
Its kinda fun that while I became a giant fan of Improv is Dead, which features Rob White and Tim Lyons, and I remained a staunch fanatic of Adal's work on Magic Tavern and Hey Riddle Riddle, this one just did not find a place in my regular podcast listening schedule. It was great for putting on while I fell asleep back when I was using a lot of THC, but once I quit it and started listening to a lot of other things like politics and gaming, there just was not a lot to draw me into this one. I have not unsubscribed from it, but this just isn't a show that I rush out to listen to when a new episode drops.
History Goes Bump - [Documentary]
I feel much the same about this show as I do New England Legends. The two hosts are great and they produce a very well-made, svelte show that has somehow not run out of interesting paranormal topics to discuss after more than 550 episodes. That is monumental. Still, it does not find its way into my regular rotation, and it never really did. I wish that I were the type of person that made listening to this show a priority, but it is also more or less relegated to a few episodes a year when we have a long road trip to cover.
The Press Box - [Media]
As much as I don't consider TPB to be a political podcast, it is impossible to ignore that they are in the same arena. I initially got into this show because I wanted a bit more Dave Shoemaker in my life, and I always enjoyed the obvious deep and long running friendship between the hosts, but in 2024 I just hit a point where I no longer needed a podcast about the media in my feed anymore.
Newscast - [politics]
As much as I still love Adam Fleming and Antisocial, the depressing news of war and everything across the world just became too much for me after a while. It was fun following the UK election and Kier Starmer's rise to power and everything, but even my appetite for UK politics has waned this year. I am sure that I will come back to it. The BBC front page is more or less the only place that I go for news these days, and I will start listening again when I am ready.
Podcasts That I Miss Terribly:
These are the shows that ended or otherwise went away this year. It does not include older shows that I still miss like Furcast or VGHD. These are just the ones whose loss is felt most immediately in 2024.
Tell Me About it - [Comedy]
Some things are too good for this world.
I know that Adal Rifai has had a number of side projects with various levels of success, but this is one that I could tell he was 100% bought-in on, and it was genuinely such a great idea. There is something so wholesome and pure about just bringing people on to talk about something that they love or something about which they are passionate. I'm brazenly co-opting it for a panel at this year's ANE. And yet apparently it just did not catch on, and its been on permanent hiatus for a long time.
Off Book - [Comedy]
Off Book was a show that shouldn't have actually existed. Musical improv is one of those things that seems so difficult that I cannot even wrap my head around it, and the fact that these two were able to literally improv an entire musical with full instrumentation every episode was wild. Wild. I love that the reason the show ended was because they are actually now working on a proper comedy musical, and it was awesome to see Jess pop up on Star Trek Lower Decks. I'm just grateful that we got Off Book for as long as we did, and I certainly have not listened to every single episode, so there are plenty of laughs still to be had.
The Podcast that I Miss Most Terribly in 2024
Sitcom DnD - [Comedy]
The ending of this show caught me like a punch in the gut. It was such a pleasure witnessing this show grow and mature into the final form that it eventually took. Everyone got so comfortable with their roles and each other and the tone of the show. By the end, Sitcom DnD had a fantastic identity all of its own that, in my opinion, really stood out among other DnD shows.
Obviously something was amiss when Ben Briggs announced his departure from the program, and the actual finale had me sobbing in my kitchen. It still came very unexpectedly.
In the grand scheme of things, I am glad that they ended it the way that it did. Instead of fading away, they capped off a great story in a way that will make this a real pleasure to re-listen to some time in the future. I just miss these guys so much.
Podcasts That I Need to Just Start Listening to Already!:
I don't have much to say about these three aside from the fact that they have come heavily recommended to me. I've subscribed to them all but for months now I have not listened to a single episode. With any luck, all three will be on the best-of list next year!
The Magnus Archive - [Horror]
Worlds beyond Number - [Fiction]
Victoria's Lift - [Fiction]
The Best Podcasts of 2024!
Hello From the Magic Tavern - [Comedy]
This was not a great year for HFTMT. I was sitting down to think about it earlier this week and I genuinely don't think I can point to a single concrete point of plot progression in 2024. Do they still have the Dark Lord trapped within a Carfoon of Blemish in the Basement? Or was that a different tavern? I lost track of when they transitioned from their last tavern to the Wanderlost, which is making its away around Foon on its own pair of legs. There is a Wizard War going on, right? That is how the last season ended, with Usidore taking away all of the Wizards' immortality. Northeastia hates Arnie now? Is there an animal war also happening?
It is a bit of a jumbled mess. The slow pace of plot progression on this show used to be a punchline, but it has really crawled to a stop this year.
All the same, HFTMT is a fun and comforting little improv comedy show and I still find myself listening dutifully every week, so that has got to count for something.
Cheap Heat - [Pro Wrestling]
I have lost track of how many new eras and soft reboots Cheap heat has undergone in the many years that it has been podcasting about wrestling. This was a big transitional year, though, as they departed The Ringer network and finally went completely independent with a Patreon and everything.
The patreon is, in my opinion, wildly overpriced, though I really do like the idea of the regular watchalongs that they do. If had had more disposable income I would have loved to make the jump with them but for now I am perfectly happy with the weekly free feed.
Getting completely off of reddit this year has meant that I am no longer reading r/squaredcircle several times a day, so I am far less exposed to other peoples' opinions about wrestling than I used to be. And that has been a massive benefit in terms of how much I enjoy actually just watching the product and how much I appreciate the two wrestling podcasts that are still in my feed. Peter, Dip and Greg are great listening, and I hope that they never change. I am happy for their success.
The Jeff Gerstmann Show - [Gaming]
It is actually rather surprising to me that I have ended up listening to nearly every single episode of TJGS in 2024. When he departed Giant Bomb to do his own thing, I was initially turned off at the idea of him sitting there by himself talking at me for 3 hours a week or more. And yet, that is exactly what I wanted, as it turns out.
His weekly show where he plays and ranks NES games has been appointment viewing for me, and I find that I really do appreciate his thoughts and insights on games and the games industry. Jeff is just a really good and interesting guy, and despite it being entirely different from even old Giant Bomb, his show is the most like the old GB in spirit.
The Masked Man Show - [Pro Wrestling]
A few years back when Cheap Heat left ESPN and joined The Ringer, my sincere hope was that we were going to get David Shoemaker and Peter Rosenberg again collaborating like they did back in the old days of Cheap Heat before Dave left. Shoemaker had become somebody important on the Ringer podcast network, and it was just a feelgood story. It felt like a homecoming.
I think there were fewer than five times all told that Peter and Dave were on the same show for the entire time that Cheap Heat and the Masked Man were under the same roof, which is pretty puzzling.
Regardless, The Masked Man w/ Kaz continues to be the other side of the coin from Cheap Heat. The two shows take different approaches to discussing the world of graps, and they compliment each other very well. I am also coming to consider Kaz as one of my favorite voices in podcasting altogether. The insight that he brings as a former WWE writer is always a treat, and he just has an awesome sense of humor and is super natural as an on-air talent. He and David go great together. This how and Cheap Heat are the only way that I ingest any kind of commentary on the wrestling business, and for now it is just enough.
Hey Riddle Riddle - [Comedy]
Another year, another moment to reflect on how grateful I am to have Hey Riddle Riddle in my life. This is the most expensive patreon that I support at $87 dollars a year, and I feel that it is worth every penny. They simply never miss. Somehow, they've continued to come up with fun and interesting ideas of things to do on the Patreon feed; I especially love the long-form and scene-jumping improvs that they have been doing, like the most recent one where it all centers around Y2K, or the one where its all at a mall at Christmastime. Adal, Erin and JPC are an incredible trio that obviously really care about the work that they do, and it shows.
I went to see them live in Boston this year. It was a great show, but it also helped me learn that I no longer really like going and doing those kinds of adventures by myself anymore. Maybe I should push back on that and put effort into learning how to enjoy doing things alone again. Regardless, not only did I get a really interesting show, but I'll always remember that trip because of the introspection it drew out of me.
My Number 1 Podcast of the Year:
The Greatest Generation / Greatest Trek - [Comedy]
2024 was the year that I watched probably a thousand hours of Star Trek.
I watched all of TNG, the latter half of Discovery, probably a bunch of Picard, so much Lower Decks, a few bits of The Original Series. As of this writing I'm almost through with season 2 of DS9. I watched a lot of Star Trek, and it made me really happy.
One of the best parts of all of this Trek was having Ben and Adam from The Greatest Generation there along with me to make dick and fart jokes all along the way. This was the podcast that I was most happy to have rediscovered last year, and it means a lot to me to be over my feelings of embarrassment from when we went to see them in North Adams several years ago.
That painful memory has been replaced by several very happy ones, including when I went to see Ben and Adam talk about Star Trek 5 as part of the Share Your Embarrassment Tour earlier this year.
It just occurred to me that this year I got to see both of my favorite podcasts live in person in 2024. That is really fun. I cannot wait to continue working through DS9 and then get on to Voyager and Enterprise, and I am so looking forward to listening to Ben and Adam talk about the episodes in their funny and thoughtful way.
Tonight is New Years Eve, and I think I will make a point to make sure we watch their recorded live show on the episode Conspiracy, with the nubben bugs, before the link expires in the new year.
What a great year in podcasts! Here is looking forward to a 2025 equally full of audio excellence.