If you’re interested in an even more diverse set of podcasts from 2018, see picks at the halfway mark of the year from Eric Silver, Wil Williams, Ma’ayan Plaut, Arielle Nissenblatt, and myself — the best podcasts of 2018 (so far).

Alright, enough blabber. Here were my best podcasts of 2018 in no discernable order.

1. Caliphate

Holy crap. I started my Caliphate binge during a 3-hour drive from Austin to Dallas. I honestly can’t remember a quicker trip. Caliphate, produced by The New York Times, follows journalist Rukmini Callimachi as she reports on ISIS and the fall of Mosul. Expertly researched, Callimachi gives adequate context and interviews a former ISIS member to give further insight into their initial appeal, recruiting, and organization.

Caliphate is a 10-episode story with each episode hovering around the 30-minute mark.

2. Binge Mode: Harry Potter

A little less heavy than Caliphate, but arguably denser, the Binge Mode team of Mallory Rubin and Jason Concepcion strike a happy nerd cord with their deep dives into the Harry Potter series. I’ve written about my love for Binge Mode before (here and here), but it’s honestly one of my favorite podcasts — whether they tackle Game of Thrones or Harry Potter. As co-hosts, Rubin and Concepcion have an unrivaled rapport combined with sharp, sometimes dirty humor and extensive knowledge of the series and wider canon.

Binge Mode isn’t the podcast for a quick binge. As of this writing, the Harry Potter version of the feed has 63 episodes with most having over a 1.5-hour runtime. If you call yourself a Potterhead, you can’t miss it.

3. Articles of Interest

99% Invisible‘s Avery Trufelman produced a 6-part series that exemplifies what I enjoy about podcasts. Each episode goes into a different piece of clothing to analyze its history and the events that shaped it to be what we now think about it. For instance, how did Hawaiian shirts lead to “casual Friday”, or how did blue jeans become and remain such a ubiquitous article of clothing? Each episode is around 30 minutes and while thematically linked, can be listened to separately.

4. The Bright Sessions

I’ll be the first to admit, I had zero interest in audio drama podcasts. I don’t know why, I just never bothered to listen to any. However, we’re fortunate enough to have audio drama conoussier, Wil Williams, write for Discover Pods and she gave me a curated audio drama starter kit. For a comic book fan, The Bright Sessions comparisons to The X-Men are easy to make, but still don’t quite do it justice. The Bright Sessions follows therapist to the extraordinary, Dr. Bright, as she navigates complex relationships, coming of age challenges, and a sinister government corporation.

The Bright Sessions wrapped up their core story in June, but they’re still producing special individual episodes following new patients and creator, Lauren Shippen, has deals in place to adapt the story into other formats. Read our feature on Shippen here.  

5. 30 for 30 Bikram

As you’ll likely pick up from this list, I listen to podcasts for a few reasons: to be informed, to learn about something new, and to be entertained. These interests tend to lead to vastly different podcast choices — which I consider a good thing. ESPN’s 30 for 30 is a podcast I’ve subscribed to since day one. I’ve always been a fan of the documentary series and highly anticipated the podcast version of episodic audio documentaries.

However, the podcast took a mini departure from their winning format with the serialized Bikram season. They expanded their story to a 5-part series detailing the rise of popular fitness regime, Bikram Yoga and its horrific founder, Bikram Choudhury.

Read my full review of 30 for 30 Bikram here.

6. Endless Thread

I was initially apprehensive about a podcast using Reddit as their foundation. It seemed like a short-lived pseudo-branded podcast destined to live in mediocrity. But once again, I was wrong. The Reddit x WBUR collab has been a delightful new podcast for 2018. Reddit, as it turns out, is a nearly endless supply of stories and ideation for a quality podcast to build off of. From diving into Ken Bone’s fifteen minutes of fame, to analyzing the Mattress Firm potential conspiracy, to a story of strangers going great lengths to do a favor, and many other tangents, Endless Thread combines WBUR’s talent for good radio and Reddit’s already proven focus group of what people find interesting.

7. Dissect

I wrote about Dissect, the deep dive podcast analyzing specific hip hop albums, after host Cole Cuchna wrapped up the season on Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Since then, the podcast and host were gobbled up by Spotify and Cuchna has completed two seasons on Frank Ocean and Lauryn Hill.

Cuchna’s penchant for choosing albums that happen to near and dear to my heart is unfathomable (pssst Cole, Yeezus next, thanks). Dissect does a great job of providing context into the events that led to the album creation, analyzing and discussing the significance of the lyrics, and breaking apart the beat production so even us layman can understand.

8. Disgraceland

I don’t typically gush over true crime podcasts unless there’s something unique or some unmatched production value. Disgraceland does have its faults — notably some exaggeration. However, there’s no denying the compelling writing and delivery of the story. Each episode tells the past crime of some musician. Stories include the alleged forced overdose of Sex Pistols’ Sid Vicious, drug- and sex-crazed Rick James, and of course the murder of Tupac.

Read my feature on Disgraceland creator, Jake Brennan here.

9. Slow Burn

The first anthology of Slow Burn was one of the best podcasts of 2017, chronicling the Watergate investigation and impeachment process of President Nixon. The collective podcast community was unsurprisingly excited when they revealed the Bill Clinton scandal and impeachment would be the focus of season two. It didn’t disappoint, and in many ways, surpassed the inaugural season. Host Leon Neyfakh does a masterful job of crafting historical evidence, new interviews, and forgotten context to present a well-known story in a new light.

Neyfakh surprised many when he announced his departure from Slate to start his own podcast company. Their first podcast, FIASCO, appears to follow a similar format to Slow Burn and will initially focus on the 2000 presidential election, Bush v. Gore. For their part, Slate has remained steadfast that Slow Burn will continue without Neyfakh.

10. Ars Paradoxica

Another audio drama I fell in love with (thanks again Wil! Read her full review). Ars Paradoxica tells the complicated story of time travel and clandestine government organizations. What I appreciated most, however, was their magnified attention to detail. They don’t shy away from the existential issues time travel would undoubtedly create — multiple universes, butterfly effect, and more. This unbridled focus is also readily apparent within the plot and dialogue that led to constant theorizing and speculation among the most ardent fans.

Though the main story is spread between 36 episodes, there are several bonus episodes and cast interviews that give even more insight into the story and characters.

11. Villains

Best-selling author, Shea Serrano, takes his unique humor, fanboy’ness, and honesty to create one of my favorite new podcasts. The concept of Villains is fairly simple, each week Serrano and a panel of guest hosts dive into a specific movie villain and discuss their motivations, actions, and determine if they’re redeemable. The topics and format is something The Ringer has already had success with The Rewatchables — a movie podcast.

What’s absolutely endearing about Villains is Shea’s honesty about being an amateur podcaster. In multiple episodes, Shea has added post-production audio footnotes providing meta-commentary on the podcast and his mistakes. It’s great.

12. Hi-Phi Nation

Along with Dissect, Hi-Phi Nation is another indie podcast receiving a promotion in 2018. In November, creator Barry Lam announced Hi-Phi Nation had been picked up by Slate to join their ranks. The philosophy podcast carefully blends qualitative and quantitative data to craft an immensely interesting podcast while also being extremely informative.

If you need to start with one episode, I’d recommend “The Chamber of Facts,” which details how our political beliefs are shaped by media echo chambers and what happens when the script is flipped.

13. Decoder Ring

Another new podcast from this year to crack my best of list. Slate’s Decoder Ring is billed as “cracking cultural mysteries”. This likely intentional vague descriptor really works for a podcast that’s explored topics ranging from opposing factions of a Sherlock Holmes fanfic theory to the origins and rise of the art in hotels.

Also, what I said at the top of the article about why I listen: “to be informed, to learn about something new, and to be entertained” — this podcast is a perfect 3/3. Host, Willa Paskin, does a great job acting as the audience’s proxy by asking the right questions and getting to the crucial aspects of the story.  

14. The Big Loop

Whoa, another audio drama! Audio dramas make-up 18.75% of my best of list, a stat I would not have believed had you told me a year ago. Creator and professional good human, Paul Bae, takes an episodic approach the genre. While most audio dramas tell a narrative fiction story serialized over several seasons, The Big Loop changes stories, characters, and overall format with each episode.

In the first episode, “The Studio,” Bae takes his influence from a popular Love+Radio episode, “The Living Room,” but adds a characteristic supernatural spin on the story. Arguably the best episode, however, is “Goodbye Mr. Adams,” which tells the coming-of-age story and a special lesson from a unique teacher. Briggon Snow voices the main character and does a great job encapsulating the teenage angst he brought to his character Caleb from The Bright Sessions. Combined with clever writing and intriguing stories, The Big Loop also adds custom music to provide the soundtrack for each episode.

15. Everything is Alive

Probably the most unique podcast I’ve heard in quite some time, Everything Is Alive brings life and personality to inanimate everyday objects. Creator and host, Ian Chillag, has a compelling and heartfelt unscripted conversation with objects you encounter on a daily basis to understand what they’re thinking, their struggles, and to see life a little differently. Objects range from a can of cola, to a lamppost, to a subway seat, and you actually start to think about how your interactions with these objects may be construed.

16. This is Love

I wanted to leave this list with the most heartfelt, uplifting podcasts in a world too often filled with negativity. Along with Everything Is Alive, This Is Love win the award for most likely to make you sob uncontrollably. From the team that brought you episodic true crime podcast, Criminal, you’ll get weekly episodes detailing different examples of love and loving in the world.

For example, in the second episode, “Something Large and Wild,” I was blown away by how much I cared about the relationship between an avid swimmer and a whale.

The post The 16 Best Podcasts of 2018 appeared first on Discover the Best Podcasts | Discover Pods.

ZigZag

Although it follows a similar structure to StartUp—starting a podcast company without knowing what comes next—ZigZag explores a much different story. The show is centered around technology and Civil, the blockchain-backed platform the hosts joined. The hosts Manoush Zomorodi and Jen Poyant are not afraid to admit what they don’t know, but also not afraid to dive in and get technical. Their listeners aren’t exclusively either experts or Luddites either—they’re curious people with some background knowledge who want to learn, but no one is talking to them. ZigZag delivers on their promise to decode blockchain in a kind, smart and accessible way.

The podcast isn’t a hero’s story—it’s about a team struggling against the current. Manoush and Jen sorting out what it is like to be women and mothers in tech feels fresh and real. This isn’t just lip service diversity; they discuss their lived experiences from their own perspectives, and it enriches and contextualizes their stories.

– Eric Silver

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | RadioPublic

Caliphate

Caliphate is arguably the best example of an audio documentary to date. The 10-part series from New York Times journalist Rukmini Callimachi and produced by Andy Mills gives an unparalleled view into the draw, recruitment, actions, and mindset of ISIS members. Caliphate largely follows a suspected ISIS member and through extensive interviews gives a truly breathtaking view into the making of an extremist.

Through their reporting, we get a harrowing glimpse into the actions — and repercussions — from individual viewpoints.

– Kevin Goldberg

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | RadioPublic

StarTripper!!

This new sci-fi adventure audio drama is hilarious and light-hearted, a great remedy to dark media and dark . . . 2018. Like all productions from The Whisperforge, StarTripper!! has gorgeous sound design paired with meticulous writing. It also has a phenomenal performance from Ian McQuown as the lead character: Feston Pyxis is excitable, energetic, and impulsive, a complete 180 from McQuown’s performance as The Bright Sessions‘ Agent Green.

– Wil Williams

Listen: Apple Podcasts | RadioPublic

Related reading: Upcoming Whisperforge audio drama, StarTripper!!, aims to lighten up fiction

Slow Burn

My favorite documentaries — either traditional or podcast form — are about topics I either know the general premise or are something about something completely foreign to me. The first installment of Slow Burn nicely fits into the former. Since I’m in my 30s, the concept of Watergate isn’t new to me, nor has the -gate appendage for all controversies. However, besides the main actors and a couple movie reenactments, I didn’t quite know how the news covered and the even completely captured the country’s attention for such a long period of time. Slow Burn chronicles the lesser-known people involved in the scandal and nicely parallels how these past events relate to our present.

Their next season premiered this week covering Bill Clinton’s impeachment.

– Kevin Goldberg

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | RadioPublic

Skimm’d From the Couch

I like this podcast, not entirely because of the content so much – though, the content is helpful as a female entrepreneur – but because for so long, there were only men doing podcasts like this. Skimm’d from the Couch is a podcast hosted by the two founders of The Skimm (Danielle Weisberg and Carly Zakin), a daily email newsletter that skims the news of the day. It’s quite a task. In this podcast, Weisberg and Zakin sit down with other female founders and chat with them about how they made it.

– Arielle Nissenblatt

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | RadioPublic

Cooking By Ear

Cooking By Ear is part interview show, part cooking show. It’s the closest I’ve found to a realistically timed podcast that you can both cook to and be entertained while cooking. Cooking-wise, the show asides for includes ingredients and instructions, and there are some sense-based reminders interspersed throughout. The environment of the guest’s kitchen proved to be the right space to ease into an intimate interview that talks about food and cooking, but also the lives and work of the guests.

– Ma’ayan Plaut

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | RadioPublic

Upon Further Review

Like the best sports media, this sports podcast isn’t just about sports. The first episode is about Nixon’s massive ego; the second, (a fictionalized) Jesse Eisenberg’s crushingly low self-esteem. If you can’t resist a What If (I see you, all of the readers of The Plot Against America), listen to this podcast. If you like Mike Pesca, the chattering font of knowledge who hosts The Gist, listen to this podcast. If you want to hear some very good Brooklyn accents, listen to this podcast. And if you don’t want to commit to a whole run of a show, this one is only five episodes, so listen to this podcast. Notice how I didn’t say “if you like sports.” Take a gamble and jump into the What If Machine with Upon Further Review.

– Eric Silver

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | RadioPublic

Kalila Stormfire’s Economical Magick Services

This magical realism audio drama starts off as a single-narrator series that resembles an anthology. Each episode is a case file by the witch-for-hire Kalila Stormfire who helps her clients magically, but also usually emotionally, digging into facets of psychology and sociology that add a beautiful depth to the writing. As the series progresses, though, the listener learns more about Kalila herself, including her suspicious past. It’s a fascinating plot with plenty of twists.

– Wil Williams

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | RadioPublic

Peach and Prosperity Podcast

This dad and daughter duo podcast is the perfect example of hyper-local podcasting done right. Julia and Jeff Levy work their way through local Atlanta businesses, interviewing owners, shoppers, and employees to learn about what makes that place special. I’m a huge fan of taking the typical podcast model and finding new ways to innovate upon that – this podcast takes the investigatory nature of a shopkeeper interview and brings a practical edge to it. Why should we shop at this coffee shop? Which dog biscuits are made right here in Atlanta? Julia and Jeff tell all!

– Arielle Nissenblatt

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | RadioPublic

Tides

Tides is an interesting take on a space opera, feeling somewhere between The Martian with its themes of isolation and realism and Firefly with its lively, quick-witted characters. This audio drama follows Dr. Winifred Eurus as she observes the biology on a largely aquatic planet–but as she finds herself trapped there for longer than expected, things start getting dire. What makes Tides so exemplary is its dialogue: between the writing, acting, and editing, it’s some of the most organic and engaging in audio drama right now.

– Wil Williams

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | RadioPublic

Rashomon

Rashomon is a multidimensional storytelling podcast that interviews every member in a family about the same shared experience. It’s a simple premise that interweaves retelling and reflections of the lasting impacts of small and big moments, highlighting family bonds and singular and collective memory.

– Ma’ayan Plaut

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | RadioPublic

The End of Time and Other Bothers

Tabletop roleplaying has becoming its own formidable genre within podcasting after the success of The Adventure Zone, and it’s hard to find many who do it better than The End of Time and Other Bothers. This podcast follows a group of adventurers from a futuristic world who find themselves transported back to the fantastical, medieval past. The cast of Other Bothers is deftly hilarious, incorporating improv games into the story to make for some dynamic, sidesplitting jokes. The moments that are within the game feature meticulous sound design and oftentimes a lush soundtrack.

– Wil Williams

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | RadioPublic

Binge Mode: Harry Potter

My nerdy love for Binge Mode is extremely well documented, but I couldn’t rightfully contribute to this list without gushing over their latest installment all about Harry Potter. With a similar format to how they covered Game of Thrones, The Ringer’s Mallory Rubin and Jason Concepcion tackle Harry Potter with an exquisite blend of nerdy fandom, literary critique, and simply pure entertainment. Each episode typically covers a handful of chapters from the books as they make their way through the entire series and respective movies.

If you, like me, read the books or became a fan when you were much younger, this podcast is sure to re-stoke your enthusiasm for the stories and give you a whole new level of appreciation.

– Kevin Goldberg

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | RadioPublic

Meeting the Moment

Hosted and produced by a self-described “public Muslim,” Edina Lekovic interviews people who’ve faced challenges in their lives. With guests like Krista Tippett, Hasan Minaj, and Maria Hinojosa, Meeting the Moment is an intimate interview experience with some of today’s outspoken and activist thinkers.

– Arielle Nissenblatt

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | RadioPublic

Honorable Mentions

This Is Love, Today, Explained, West Cork, Wooden Overcoats, Conversations With People Who Hate Me, We Fix Space Junk, Personal Best, Love Letters, Pants on Fire, The One Who Got Away, Mission to Zyxx, The Perfect Scam, Alice Isn’t Dead, Hollywood in Color.

The post The 14 Best Podcasts of 2018 (so far) appeared first on Discover the Best Podcasts | Discover Pods.

Probably the most aggressive of these podcasts is The Ringer’s Binge Mode which produced a deep dive podcast for every Game of Thrones episode starting a mere six weeks before Season 7 premiered. Releasing a full season, 10 full episodes, every Monday leading up to the premiere, Binge Mode was diving into a new consumption format, more akin to Netflix than anything else. Would listeners alter their podcast consumption habits to fit this into their schedule?

Adding to the lofty undertaking, there is already a surplus of Game of Thrones podcasts out there. Binge Mode needed to be different, more appealing, better. The margin of error is minuscule. Any wrong fact, incorrect date, misreading of a line of dialogue, unpopular theory prophesizing, and the rabid fans of Game of Thrones and A Song of Ice and Fire would tune out, criticize, and ultimately the podcast would lose credibility to other more-researched shows.

Fascinated not only about the subject matter but also with the unique testing of the roll-out schedule and how they were able to make it work behind the scenes, I was fortunate enough to get to speak with The Ringer producer Zach Mack. Along with Binge Mode, Zach produces other Ringer podcasts including The Watch, Larry Wilmore: Black on the Air, and The Big Picture.

I wanted to understand how he got started producing podcasts, the differences between the various formats of podcasts he produces, and to better understand the grueling recording schedule that led to the success of Binge Mode. Below is a transcript of our conversation lightly edited for clarity.

Listen: iTunes | Stitcher

***

Discover Pods: First things first, can you tell us what you do and the podcasts you’re responsible for?

Zach Mack: I am podcast producer at The Ringer. The podcasts I’m currently responsible for, overseeing and producing, The Watch, Larry Wilmore: Black on the Air, Binge Mode, The Big Picture which is a new podcast with [The Ringer Editor in Chief] Sean Fennessy and I have been developing on Channel 33. That’s a new podcast, probably the least present, but I think it has a lot potential. Sean’s a big movie buff and interviews directors. We had Jordan Peele who directed Get Out, we had Barry Jenkins who won for Moonlight. We’ve had a ton of great guests for a show that’s fairly new.

DP: How’d you end up at The Ringer producing podcasts?

Mack: Yeah, so, I have been a longtime podcast/radio addict. I’ll try to run through this very quickly. I had a radio station at my high school. I was in a radio course my senior year. I also was tapped to announce the basketball and football games for some reason. I don’t know why I was tapped to do that. I started to get into the broadcast booth, journalism, and radio class.

Then I went to college and I was a radio, TV, broadcast major. I graduated in 2009 before podcasts were a thing. No one was a podcast producer as a job. Podcasts had been created, but no one was making them like they’re making them now and nobody was getting paid. So when I graduated I had no idea what I wanted to do since the job I wanted hadn’t really been invented yet.

I had a lot of other jobs in various fields while I figured out what I wanted to do. And during that time I remember listening to podcasts for the first time. Even though I’d been in radio for a period of time, I hadn’t really been listening to podcasts. I started listening to Terry Gross, Adam Carolla, and Bill Simmons since those were the people putting out a lot of content in the early days. I had a very boring administrative job, so I basically had this very close relationship with Bill Simmons even though he didn’t know me. I had a relationship with him and his content and was obviously a fan.

Eventually, I really missed radio and got involved in a community show in San Francisco with a friend. I was working full time at a nonprofit, then decided to quit to pursue radio full time. I still wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do, but I bounced around. In the Bay Area in 2013, there wasn’t a lot of options — I knew I didn’t want to Power 105 or Kiss FM kind of radio — so I started doing news reporting for NPR affiliates. I have a lot of love for public radio. Then I moved to New York doing grad school and working on other podcasts. I was with WNYC doing Death, Sex, and Money. I worked at Pandora for a bit.

I was living in Brooklyn and published a podcast for the Sierra Club called No Place Like Home, and I was helping out on a political show for Mic and the Economist. I wasn’t looking to move to LA, but I saw The Ringer was hiring. That was literally the only thing that would have gotten me to leave New York. I got the offer and moved across the country for the opportunity to work with people I had been a fan of for so long. People I truly admire and respect working on content that I’m really passionate about. My first day was actually the day after the election, a very strange first day.

DP: Were the Keepin’ it 1600 people still around then, or had they branched off and created Crooked Media?

Mack: They were there for the first month or two, they were around. I got to work with them once or twice, but somebody else was producing the show. They would just come by for an hour twice a week or so.

DP: What’s your typical day like between recording, editing, and the rest of the behind the scenes action? Do you help book guests?

Mack: I get in, and there are various amounts of preproduction that range from interesting to not at all interesting. Like sending ad reads for the talent, highlighting subjects they can discuss with guests. Every host has a little different approach.

[The Watch’s] Chris [Ryan] and Andy [Greenwald] are like set it and forget it. They’ve been doing the show for so long, they have it down. All I do is chime in and make suggestions. I’m not in the muck of creating their content as much as I am with a few of the other shows.

Basically, I do whatever I can do for the show running today or tomorrow helping assist the host prepare. Whatever that takes. Crafting the approach or narrative. When Sean is interviewing directors we’ll talk a day before and talk about where the interview will go and what we want to get out of it.

The hosts are usually on top of it.

Then there’s a lot of recording. For Binge Mode, the editing has been a lot more extensive. Binge Mode is edited and fact checked a lot more than the others. In the beginning of Binge Mode, we were a lot more conscious of time so we were actively trying to stay around that 30 minute mark. As it went on it became apparent people just wanted more. The fanbase didn’t want someone that just glossed over the topics, but rather go deeper. So going an extra 15 or 20 minutes was what we did.

Production meetings range from podcast to podcast. For Binge Mode we were in constant contact – we were calling, texting, we had Slack group, a shared doc – throughout the day and night. We spent every weekend together. That was nuts. That’s been my life for the last couple months.

DP: I chuckled when you mentioned time because in one of the later episodes in the outtake you mention you’re at 80 minutes and Jason and Mallory just bust up laughing.

Mack: Yeah, that’s one of my favorite outtakes. That recording specifically was already like 9:00 pm on a Monday and everyone was getting loopy because we were all exhausted.

Just hearing them burst into genuine laughter in that way erased any raw feelings though. They had such a great time recording it. It was such a beast to record so many, but it was such a fun time.

DP: Can you tell us a little bit about the recording schedule? Would you knock out 10 episodes at a time or space them out through the week?

Mack: So we actually started recording early. The decision to make Binge Mode was made several months before it came out. The roll out strategy was already determined. It actually turned out to be one of the best things about it, it was really well packaged. The roll out was so unique but worked well.

Our strategy was relentless, here’s 10, here’s 10 more, here’s 10 more and so on. Production-wise it was a beast, a death march, but rollout and idea-wise it was great.

For future Binge Modes, we’ll set up more lead time. But for this one, we recorded seasons in advance. I think we had gotten through 3 seasons when season 1 came out. But Mallory and Jason had to leave town along with working full-time jobs. It’s not like their other work just stopped. They’re both like scholars with this too. They didn’t want to get anything wrong, so it was a lot of studying and research on their end.

A funny story was, when Mallory and I originally wanted to start to do this, we knew it would be this massive undertaking needing as much time as possible. So there was a big day on the internet when Game of Thrones was announcing their release date. I think it was either July 1st or July 16th, everyone wanted the earlier date since they were chomping at the bits to have the next season start. So when it was announced the later date we celebrated because we knew we had a couple extra weeks. I think she was even in tears.

DP: Unleashing the entire seasons every Monday for six consecutive weeks really puts the “binge” in Binge Mode. I wrote earlier I wasn’t sure if the format could succeed. Were you skeptical about how the bulk would be received?

Mack: When I first heard the plan, I thought it was a little nuts. It was insane. That’s not how I listen to podcasts.

I know there are a million other Game of Thrones podcasts, so how could we bring something new to the space? Would people be willing to revisit an analysis of old episodes that have been out for six years? How are we going to do this well? That was my biggest concern.

But Jason and Mallory are true pros. They know this stuff inside and out. They’re perfectionists.

But we got it done. I’m genuinely so proud of it.  

But yeah the rollout strategy was just crazy. But since I’m a podcast nerd, whether I like something or think it’ll work or not, I’m so pro just playing in the space. It’s the wild west. So little is defined. I love working at a company that’s just down to play around with different formats and ideas. We’re not so rigid. If you have a good idea or want to try something, it can be done. I love that at The Ringer.

I love that people are trying different things. I just listened to this musical podcast, it wasn’t quite for me, I’m not a musical head, but I’m really into the fact that they did that and they’re playing around in the space. So whether it’s Hannibal Buress screwing around with auto tune live on his podcast, to it being a musical, or a radio drama, or putting out 60 podcasts in 6 weeks. So any break from the norm or tradition is positive. Podcasts are so new there shouldn’t be a norm or tradition.

DP: Ok, I’m going to do some rapid fire questions now, ready? Do you think we’ve reached peak podcast?

Mack: No way. I think there’s so much room to grow. Until this weekend I had never heard of a musical podcast.

DP: Favorite guest?

Mack: Barry Jenkins was really great when he came in. It was really cool to see him before the Oscars as all the buzz started up. He came in and was so humble, personable, and a truly charismatic person.

DP: Did Mallory and Jason convince you to finally read A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones)?

Mack: Haha, no way. I really love the show. I’ve found when I read something and see the movie or show, I fixate on the differences between the two. So I think without reading I can just focus on the show and enjoy it.

It’s also hard to read the book when any question I’ve ever had I can just ask either one of them.

DP: What is your favorite non-Ringer podcasts?

Mack: Reply All is incredible. Also, I really miss The Champs with Neal Brennan and Moshe Kasher

DP: What biggest difference between producing Larry Wilmore: Black on the Air and Binge Mode?

Mack: Wow, they’re so different, hmm. Larry’s show is just such a different beast. I think the biggest difference is the formality. Jason and Mallory are meticulous with details and outlines whereas Larry is much more free-flowing with his outlines and conversations with guests.  

DP: Do you want to host a podcast of your own someday or would you rather stay behind the mic?

Mack: I got into radio being on the mic, I’m very used to being on the mic. Ultimately, when the right opportunity or scenario comes up I would love to be back on a show. That being said, I really do love producing. I’ve also gotten really into show development, Binge Mode was the first project I was on from the inception.

The post Binge Mode: The most audacious Game of Thrones podcast appeared first on Discover the Best Podcasts | Discover Pods.

However, with just a little over a month away from the Game of Thrones season seven premiere, Binge Mode needed to cram a lot of analysis into very little time. To accomplish this, they’re launching 10 podcast episodes — one for each TV show episode — every Monday until the premiere date. Each episode hovers around 30 minutes in length and follows a similar structure of plot overview, key themes, analysis, background lesson, and seven final thoughts.

Recommended reading: The 10 Best Game of Thrones Podcasts

Why wasn’t I a fan of the idea? I, and I assume many of you, typically listen to podcasts during preset times such as my commute to work or while I work out. For me, this usually equals about an hour of “podcast time” per day, sometimes two hours at most. To fit Binge Mode into my podcast queue schedule, I’d have to give up on a few podcasts that I already regularly listen to. Was I ready to make that sacrifice? I wasn’t quite sure, but I decided to give the first episode a listen and make a decision based off that.

For added context, I’m a huuuuge Game of Thrones and A Song of Ice and Fire fan. Couple that with already being an enormous fan of Jason’s Ask the Maester columns on Grantland and The Ringer, and this podcast seemed to perfectly aligned with my interests. Still, I wasn’t sure if I was ready to commit to The Binge.

It took about two minutes to make up my mind. I was hooked.

Like many of you, I can never consume enough Game of Thrones-related content. Disregarding my existing podcast queue was easier than I expected too. I group all my podcasts into two segments:

1. Evergreen — content that isn’t time sensitive and I could come back to weeks or months later
2. Timely — content that is in reaction to a current event

The Evergreen episodes like 99PI, WTF, Invisibilia, Freakonomics, and others would continue to grow on my unplayed queue. The Timely episodes like Pod Save America, The Watch, and all my sports podcasts had to be thrown away, missed but not forgotten.

Sorry NBA Finals; Sorry Comey testimony reactions; Winter is coming.

Though I occasionally peruse the ASOIAF sub-Reddit and listen to several Game of Thrones-related podcasts, for my money nobody has a better blend of knowledge, analysis, and articulation as both Mallory and Jason. Nearly every episode I get new insightful analysis on a TV show I’ve seen multiple times.

Listen to episode 1: S1E1 Winter Is Coming below…

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