Best Podcast Reviews

Like This Movie or TV Show? You’ll Love This Podcast

February 3, 2020 11:58 am

Last updated on April 14th, 2022

When you’ve just watched something fantastic and want to steep in its story a while longer, podcasts might not be your first thought–but they definitely should be. Here’s a recent list of some of the zeitgeisty TV and film, paired with a podcast that you might love based on what made that media great.

If you liked The Lighthouse, you’ll love Station Blue

The Lighthouse is a story about isolation and what effect in can have on someone’s mind. So, too, is Station Blue–mostly. Both works focus on someone going to an otherwise uninhabited location (in Station Blue, a station in Antarctica) and coming across unexpected terrors, suspense, and confusing interplays between reality and borderline hallucinations. Like The Lighthouse, Station Blue is a slow burn that creeps up in stakes until everything boils over. For some added fun, be sure to also read Station Blue creator Ester Ellis’s Twitter thread with notes on the sound design of The Lighthouse:

Dear Sound Designers,
I liked the sound design in The Lighthouse enough to see it a second time! I spent the whole time scribbling down anything they did that was applicable to audio drama.
Here are my notes, a spoiler free thread.
— Chad, Hitting the Bricks Ep 1 is OUT (@ChadManic) October 29, 2019

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Google | Spotify

If you liked Fleabag, you’ll love The Shadows

Fleabag is a deeply intimate, often hilarious, sometimes heartbreaking show the a strong female protagonist trying to navigate her messy life. The Shadows follows all of those beats, but maybe with the comedy/drama ratio flipped. The Shadows is a serialized fiction podcast about a woman questioning her belief in romantic love. It’s hyper-intimate, and it has the same feel as artistic prestige TV–just as a podcast.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Google | Spotify

If you liked The Good Place, you’ll love Zero Hours

Zero Hours is an anthology fiction podcast about the end of the world. Each episode feels literary and weaves between twists and turns, even with their short runtimes. It’s a podcast laden with philosophy, but also a shocking dose of character. You’ll find yourself rooting for the cast of each episode, even knowing that the world is going to end. The concept around the podcast feels similar to The Good Place, and both works know how to keep raising the stakes.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Google | Spotify

If you liked Russian Doll, you’ll love Terrible, Thanks for Asking

Russian Doll has a central message about mental health and the importance of others. Nonfiction podcast Terrible, Thanks for Asking takes an unfliching look at peoples’ most intense traumas, how those events changed their lives, and how they learned to manage after. It’s a podcast about how the things that happen to us can change us forever, but it has the same dry, wry sensibilities as the writing in Russian Doll. It’s serious without being macabre. It’s heartbreaking without being saccharine. It’s a dose of talking about mental health without ever feeling didactic.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Google | Spotify

If you liked Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, you’ll love Childish

New musical podcast Childish is about a college student, Dante, who becomes an RA to follow in the footsteps of his idol, Childish Gambino. Like Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, it’s a sitcom-esque full musical with songs that span several different genres. Like Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, it’s also heavy with quick-paced jokes and social commentary. Regardless of whether or not you’re familiar with Childish Gambino’s music, Childish is a compelling story about a complicated young adult and his surprisingly complicated coworkers. Both works here also love taking an initially hateable character and giving them such depth, you’ll find yourself totally won over.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Google | Spotify

If you liked either Fyre documentary, you’ll love The Dropout

If you’re a fan of real-life scam-focused trainwrecks, The Dropout is arguably more wild than anything that happened in those Fyre documentaries. The Dropout tells the story of Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos, a startup that was supposed to revolutionize the entire medical industry . . . if, you know, any of their tech works. Hear about how Holmes scammed some of the richest people alive with no evidence that any of her ideas would work, as told by industry professionals, her employees, and more.