It took quite a bit of research to uncover a good amount of these as I often try not to merely cater to the Spotify top ten and I’d like to extend some much given thanks to the audio drama subreddit for their excellent recommendations.

With a bit of assistance, I’ve found the new, the obscure, the scary, the silly, and the weird combinations of both. Here we have fifteen audio dramas that have caught my attention as of late all coming in a variety of tones, lengths, and genres spanning meaty, long-form mysteries, science fiction anthologies, or a short and sweet miniseries from the likes of newcomers and experienced vets.

As a note, all of these podcasts should be listened to from the beginning unless otherwise stated. Almost all of these podcasts are serialized stories with continuous narratives.

The Best Audio Drama Podcasts

Audio drama is certainly a subjective subject. What one person likes, another will hate. But we’ve gone to great lengths to ensure our picks for the best audio drama podcasts employ excellent storytelling, character development, and have the requisite plot twists that will keep you hooked.

So let’s look at the best audio drama podcasts the medium has to offer. At the end of the post we’ve included some bonus audio dramas that didn’t quite make the list of “best,” but are still pretty damned good and worth your time.

Without further adieu.

The Fourth Ambit

A slightly newer podcast debuting last spring of 2021, The Fourth Ambit is already a solid few hours in the length of their episodes and has got me hooked like malware on a hard drive. 

The Fourth Ambit is a dark, intelligently written sci-fi that weaves a fascinating futuristic landscape where the merging of advanced technology and the human condition take center stage. You won’t want to miss any of Gilles’ misadventures between virtual reality and reality-both of which seem to be equally dangerous.

Give Me Away

Give Me Away focuses on a crashed spaceship titled “The Ghosthouse” for the constant presence of ghastly screams from doomed extraterrestrial life trapped in its mainframe. The only way to end such eternal torment is to transfer their minds into willing human participants-permanently. 

This audio drama comes from the writers behind such favorites of The Message, Life/After, and Steal the Stars which ensures Give Me Away will be a gripping, methodical mystery built from the ground up on atmosphere and chilling discoveries.

It makes for a piece of amazing science fiction with a psychological core, dabbling into complex themes of identity and self worth. You’ll be deeply enamored with the journey of protagonist Graham Shapiro and an exploration into the value of one’s life, be it his own and those around him.

If you do like science fiction do check out some of the paranormal podcasts we’ve reviewed recently. Are they fact or fiction? Or a blend of audio drama?

The Program Audio Series

Joining my collection of favorite anthology series besides The Long Hallway and Theatre of Tomorrow is The Program Audio Series where we’re transported to a universe where Money, State, and God form into one entity governing over a future society. The Program Audio Series lets us into the lives of multiple strangers-some innocent, some not so much, all of them somehow affected by the might gonglamorith of technology. 

The Program audio series is an unapologetically cruel but undeniably creative collection of short stories about a terrifyingly possible future and a rapidly changing present.

PLEASURE MACHINE

It all starts when African American sound artist H gets a job offer from tech cooperation Librate–a once in a lifetime opportunity that wroughts on a number of personal conflicts. That’s the base plot of Colt Coeur’s PLEASURE MACHINE, a nine episode long thrill ride that’s a blend of Dear White People and Sorry to Bother You.

PLEASURE MACHINE’S writing is deeply provocative and smart yet simple in execution with its neat editing tricks, and atmospheric sound design that packs so much into so little time. Many struggling under the stress of freelance, social constructs, and societal pressures will adore this miniseries, these all being topics that PLEASURE MACHINE provides with a complex, adult perspective.

Margaret’s Garden

The Bloody Disgusting Podcast Network has carefully crafted the quaint American suburb of Everton, a picturesque suburban brimming with all-American charm, modern appliances, and opportunity…seventy years ago, that is. 

The American Dream becomes the American Nightmare in their show Margaret’s Garden, a suspenseful suburban audio drama fresh from the oven as of the fall of 2020. Margaret’s Garden is a nice blend of Greener Grass and 1989’s Parents, setting itself up as a piece of truly memorable and macabre Americana.

Greenhouse

Put your flower shop AU’s to bed because Atypical Artists’ Greenhouse is the kind of blooming romance you won’t want to miss. Cute, cozy, and awkwardly sweet, Greenhouse is To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before with deeper roots than your favorite Wattpad fic.

Watch from the shrubs as two wallflowers learn to overcome their fears and open up to each other one letter at a time. Our leads Abigail and Rose are as socially anxious as they are adorable and you’ll be ready for their love story to grow from the first “dear”.

Donald August Versus the Land of Flowers

Babysitting and bad gardening merge in this short audio drama comedy that packs plenty of personality (and pollen) in just under an hour. In this unlikely summer tale in Southern Florida we join twelve-year-old Donnie and his nanny Lex as they investigate the presence of a mysterious palm plant when their game of detective turns into a legitimate investigation.

At a brief five episode length, Donald August Versus the Land of Flowers is a simple, charming story with just the right amount of childhood innocence and the kind of summer fun that will lighten up any dreary day. 

Jack of All Trades

In search of work and a place to live, young and spry Jaclyn Seeglay, often known as Jack, gets hired at Fidus Achates as their new repairwoman, even if her own resume could use some tweaking in the truth department. 

Little to her knowledge, she’s signed up to be the company’s new paranormal hunter who must determine if the creaky floors and leaky faucets are the results of poor house planning or a poltergeist. 

Though I”m sold on the absolute disaster lesbian of a protagonist and her hilarious coworkers, Jack of All Trades comes with some surprisingly strong lore and unique takes on supernatural creatures that give its world immaculate depth.

What Can I Get Started For You?

What Can I Get Started For You? is a slice-of-life comedy mini-series that tells the story of four New York baristas passing by work days with hilarious banter and curating the perfect Spotify cue to survive the next lunch rush. 

Lucky Doll Productions has crafted the ultimate coffee shop story complete with seductive health inspector checkups and talent shows.

What Can I Get Started For You? gets by on the strength of its snappy writing, fun characters, and unique stage play framing that gives it the vibe of watching sitcom misadventures. Don’t even bother adding sugar to your coffee this morning, this show’s good vibes should be enough.

PodCube

No need to adjust your settings, PodCube is just as odd as it seems and the kind of alien experience you might be looking for if you have a taste for a weird workplace comedy. PodCube seems to be a semi-improvisation project though it might be the actors’ natural comedic flow with each other that’s got me recalling the Interdimensional Cable segments from Rick and Morty.

Despite its inherent weirdness, PodCube is a weirdly grounded look into the chaos of mainstream marketing and working under capitalistic restrictions. Between fake movie trailers and awkward press conferences, PodCube never once tries to explain itself. You should have been listening to this yesterday.

The Swashbuckling Ladies Debate Society

Now this is unfortunately a late arrival as The Swashbuckling Ladies Debate Society is on its third season as of this writing and as a fan of Barbie and The Three Musketeers I’m honestly a little sad no one told me about this sooner. 

Here we visit an alternate 20th century France in the seaside town of Massalia under the threat of brutal political corruption from a group that calls themselves The Six. It’ll take wits, cunning, and teamwork to fight the forces disturbing the peace and married lesbian couple Saffron and Zinnia are up for the challenge.

The Swashbuckling Ladies Debate Society is my greatest feminist fantasies come true complete with sword fights, fiery debates, and frilly outfits. It not only makes for some excellent historical fiction but has such contagious charisma and charm, it’ll have you rallying alongside these dashing heroines.

Maxine Miles

The newest brainchild of The Bright Sessions’ Lauren Shippen is Maxine Miles, a Nancy Drew by way of Clue audio drama with a choose your own adventure twist. Taking place in the late nineties of Hastings, New Hampshire in the eve of autumn, we join Maxine’s team in uncovering the mysteries of her town after the disappearance of one of her classmates. 

The uber-intelligent and precocious Maxine definitely has the wits to crack the case but will the secrets that plague her New England home be too much for one girl to handle? 

Maxine Miles proves to be wholesome fun with a twinge of suspense and intrigue that’ll have you nostalgic over tweenage mystery novels. You definitely won’t need a magnifying glass to see why this one is a gem.

Death by Dying

The life of an obituary writer isn’t exactly thrilling but in a world where the most unlikely of deaths come attached to haunted bicycles, evil farmers, and cats with a deadly appetite, it’s just one of few misadventures in the life of a rookie occult investigator.

Death by Dying is darkly entertaining in its bold writing choices and macabre yet hilarious subject matter, making it an excellent blend of Wooden Overcoats and Less is Morgue. You’ll enjoy Death by Dying’s smooth narration, solid comedic timing, and intriguingly insane mysteries. It’s grim yet uplifting, discusses the dead and is yet filled with life in each episode.

Hannahpocalypse

It’s the end of the world as we know it and Hannah is doing weirdly fine. From Red Fathom Entertainment comes Hannahpocalypse, a comedy/horror audio drama from the perspective of the world’s last unliving girl who has (un)survived a zombie apocalypse merged with a Terminator-style apocalypse.

Hannahpocalypse is a smartly written, tongue-in-cheek take on post apocalyptic tropes told from the perspective of the titular monster. Hannahpocalypse has weaved a funny and insanely charming piece of self aware comedy that’s a refreshing take on the usual piece of glum and gritty apocalypse fiction.

Who Killed Avril Lavigne: A Time-Traveling Pop Punk Podcast

Local teen edgelord Derek Walker has his head up in space and himself back in time when his substitute teacher sends him back to Warp Tour to investigate the disappearance of pop punk princess Avril Lavinge. From that premise alone, the best damn thing might be Who Killed Avril Lavigne: A Time-Traveling Pop Punk Podcast, a love letter to rock and the early 2000’s that will resonate with millennials and the average music fan. 

Who Killed Avril Lavigne is a nostalgic yet strangely modern piece of time-travel comedy that blends crackpot conspiracies and punk rock edge seamlessly. No reason to make things so complicated, you won’t find many things this stylistically gorgeous, absurd, and unbelievably original.

Bonus audio drama podcasts

These audio drama podcasts come from versions of this article past. We still recommend them! They remain some of the greats in audio drama podcasting.

Life With LEO(h)

The androids that don’t dream of electric sheep or are probably dreaming of long walks on the beach. From the same studio that brought you podcast darling The Bright Sessions comes Life With LEO(h), a lighthearted sci-fi comedy about the bond between girl and machine. 

In true rom-com fashion, it focuses on strict and serious Jeanine Bell whose active work life as a robotics intelligence lawyer has majorly crippled her chances at an active love life.

Luckily for her, she’s getting a relationship reboot if she wants it or not once she comes across the adorably dysfunctional, and highly illegal android LEO, Loving, Empathetic, Optimistic, and (only sorta) helpful. This show will never have you doubting if robots could ever know love. When Leo is involved, romance is always part of the equation.

Read more: Life with LEO(h): Atypical’s New Fiction Podcast About Living With a Sexy Robot 

Less is Morgue

Meet your fellow monster in this excellent comedy with a horror twist, Less is Morgue. Taking place in a fantastical Tallahassee, Florida where the supernatural is the norm, a grumpy ghoul named Riley and giddy ghost Evelyn host their own podcast from the comfort of their basement.

But this duo proves that being dead doesn’t make their days any less lively. 

Less is Morgue is smartly written, weird, and wonderfully charming with a great cast of characters, quotable dialogue, and some very solid chemistry from the main undead duo that makes every scene hauntingly hilarious.

Where The Stars Fell

From the creator of Inkwyrm comes a supernatural mystery audio drama written by Newt Schottelkotte of the always experimental Caldera Studios. It follows the not so average life of Dr. Edison Tucker, A.K.A. Ed, whose search for the paranormal might have to start with herself.

Where The Stars Fell is a story of truly biblical proportions twinged with all things existential, violent, and downright weird. Honestly, it might be best to go in blind to truly get the full experience yourself. Be not afraid and check it out. 

When Angels Visit Armadillo

Conspiracies ahoy in Christin Campbell’s When Angels Visit Armadillo. Get to know Magnolia Waters as she tells all through interviews and phone calls about a mysterious disappearance back in ‘88.

When Angels Visit Armadillo is an excellent piece of Americana, a deeply intriguing mystery with Southern flair and a sapphic story at its core. It’s a pleasant mixing pot of Alice Isn’t Dead and the previously mentioned Where The Stars Fell, and despite its short runtime, it’s got a real grit to its presentation that I can’t help but respect.

Spirit Box Radio

Set your stereos to supernatural with Spirit Box Radio, a weekly horror audio drama from Hanging Sloth Studios. When the original host, Madame Marie of Spirit Box Radio‘s Advice and Community Segment goes missing, plucky newcomer Sam Enfield will have to take her place.

But hosting a mystical radio show isn’t exactly a walk in the graveyard when the studio itself is host to terrifying secrets and its own history of hauntings. Spirit Box, with its interesting premise and wiccan vibes, should be a fun listen for anyone seeking out some new, lighthearted horror.

Seen and Not Heard

Our lead in this excellent audio drama is Bet Kline, a woman who is now legally deaf and must navigate herself around such an unexpected curveball. Seen and not Heard is a brutally honest look into living with disability that doesn’t spare a good sense of humor to get its message across.

Those who have struggled with anything be it mental health or hospital stays will find a lot of catharsis in the show’s sincerity and delicate yet bold approach. (Discloure: Caroline Mincks has written for Discover Pods.)

Read more: Seen and Not Heard: On Hearing, On Listening

Ronstadt

Spooky yet weirdly sentimental, mystical yet down to earth, cool as ice and yet hot as hell-that’s one of many ways to describe Ronstadt, a severely undepreciated supernatural noir comedy taking place in an alternative Los Angeles. Meet Rhett McLaughlin, AKA Ronstadt, a snarky, dysfunctional phone jockey thrown headfirst into the dark underbelly of L.A., here known less for its sandy beaches and overpriced coffees and instead it’s otherworldly events.

Combining the aesthetics of The Meat Blockade with the general, effortlessly cool vibe of a Juno Steel adventure, Ronstadt’s strong voice acting, crisp sound editing, and solid storytelling makes a great find for mystery and magic fans looking for that urban twist.

Only Sketches About Podcast

If you’re looking for a less linear podcast experience, you’ll definitely find it with the Only Sketches About Podcast, a grab bag of topics ranging from the mundane like camping trips and gift shops to the more abstract tales of UFO’s and clams. 

Only Sketches is always weird and always funny with a nice twinge of satire to boot. Regardless, Only Sketches is a delightfully unpredictable time with a small but strong cast delivering wonderfully weird stories in this collection of memorable skits.

The Luchador: 1000 Fights of El Fuego Fuerte

Do you ever read the title of something and immediately be sold on its premise? Well, that was the case with picking up The Luchador: 1000 Fights of El Fuego Fuerte, and luckily a pretty solid adventure comedy podcast happened to be attached to it. 

El Fuego Fuerte is a thoroughly original, bombastic joy ride filled to the gills with combat and camp you probably can’t find anywhere else. Creator Daniel Valero Fletcher shows a real love and passion for the art of masked wrestling and the series is pure passion from start to finish.

Mars’ Best Brisket/Midnight Burger

From your local restaurant comes Mars Best Brisket, a short and snacky sitcom by Ponders Productions. Join this eclectic couple as they create the first ever vegan restaurant on Mars, navigating food critics and new hires. Mars Best Brisket is cute, homey, and lovably original with strong writing and the unmistakable wholesome center of visiting a family diner to support its short runtime. 

In fact, why don’t we sandwich a similar recommendation into this with a heaping helping of Midnight Burger, the story of a seemingly normal Phoenix diner that’s actually a time bending, dimension hopping restaurant. Check out either one of these or maybe develop a craving for both. Regardless, you’re bound to leave here smiling and satisfied.

Patient 33

The podcast where the protagonist is in a coma. To be completely honest, that premise alone has sold me on Patient 33, a splice of comedy and medical drama that deconstructs the very nature of podcasts with its clever use of dissecting listener agency with this unorthodox but very creative choice of perspective.

Patient 33 is genuinely engaging with its ongoing plot and dysfunctional cast of characters, making Hope’s Memorial Hospital the hospital that never sleeps.

OBSIDIAN

Ever since checking out Adventures in New America from Night Vale Presents, I’ve been on the prowl for more afrofuturism. Luckily, speculative fiction podcast OBSIDIAN has seriously been scratching that itch for me lately in this truly excellent sci-fi anthology collection. 

OBSIDIAN is delightfully bizarre and insanely smart with inspired settings and one of a kind world building that dabbles into ideas of space travel to simulations, making for an intense, psychological romp that may spark only a minor existential breakdown.

Beautifully constructed from the ground up, OBSIDIAN is an easy yet engaging listen for anyone who wants to get lost for a while.

Kalila Stormfire’s Economical Magick Services

Fans of Alba Salix, Royal Physician will probably get a kick out of this ongoing lost gem from 2018, Kalila Stormfire’s Economical Magick Services. In this modern take on witches navigating the working world, local witch Kalila Stormfire makes a living as a one-stop shop for fixing magical (magickal?) mishaps. 

You won’t just get tarot card readings and healing crystals here because Economical Magick Services is conjuring up astral projection and speaking to the dead all at an adorable price. And, luckily for you, you can check out this excellent audio drama free of charge. 

We Fix Space Junk

A long time favorite of mine, We Fix Space Junk specifically appeals to my favorite brand of science fiction: the down on their luck, ragtag working class variety like you find in shoes like Wolf 359. 

Here we join repairwoman Kilner and her A.I. partner in crime as they take on any variety of odd jobs while narrowly avoiding being blown into space dust. We Fix Space Junk is a hilariously written, tongue-in-cheek satire that cinches its story with some great acting chops and editing all while being an impassioned love letter to the genre.

If you’re a fan of quirky space comedies like Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, you’re bound to enjoy this.

Community Cat News

Oh the things you’ll find if you dig just deep enough, and in this case, my journey concludes in the litter box. Community Cat News is exactly what it appears to be on the surface, an adorable glimpse into the minds of neighborhood cats and what makes them tick in their personal cuddly corner of the world. 

Composed entirely of short episodes, Community Cat News will make up only about five minutes or less of your day and with it sponsored by the prestigious Meow Meow Puffytail, Feline Rights Attorney, you know it’s bound to be a pur-fect entertainment for you and your own feline friend.

Brimstone Valley Mall

As a soda-chugging, pizza-munching, Twitter-account-owning degenerate who feels entitled to the kind of liveable wage a part time mall job simply can’t provide, a black comedy podcast about demons in a rock band working at a suburban shopping mall during the late nineties is a little too up my alley. 

Though my Goth phase is long past me, a show that encompasses Goth aesthetics is such a rare and incredibly welcomed facet to the considerably less Goth podcasts lying around. No time for prissy preps here, Brimstone Valley Mall is truly the epitome of what old people think rock music does to the youth-Satan worshipping and a sudden taste for leather included.

The Godshead Incidental

(Disclosure: Cole Burkhardt, who plays Lorem Ipsum, is a Discover Pods contributor.)

It usually doesn’t take much to impress me so The Godshead Incidental passing the test within a mere few seconds of its first episode is actually high praise. In this urban fantasy that’s a nice combination of The Wicked and The Divine and an episode of Parks and Recreation, comes one of the most unique takes on modernized mythology I’ve heard in years.

Get to know advice columnist Em as she tries to find her missing sister after a sudden run in with the God of Memory, throwing her into a risky partnership with the charmingly mysterious Lorem Ipsum. Witty dialogue, fantastic world building, and solid acting chops makes for a one of a kind experience. 

Read more: New Religion: “The Godshead Incidental” Review

The Magnus Archives 

As the kind of person who still gets startled by bread coming out of a toaster, I’m probably not the kind of person who should be getting personally invested in horror shows. Too bad The Magnus Archives has already sunk its teeth into me and hasn’t let go for the better half of last year. 

What starts as a loosely connected compilation of one-off horror stories becomes a densely personal psychological horror peppered with just the right amount of existential dread and body horror galore. If you can stomach what it has to offer, it’ll prove to be as satisfying as it is scary.

The Long Hallway

Perhaps blame my short attention span or growing fondness for Black Mirror, but there’s something I inevitably enjoy about anthologies. There’s definitely an art to be appreciated in the nature of a short story, how quickly we’re introduced to characters and ideas until we’re forced to jump to another one with the fate of our last gallery of heroes left completely abandoned. 

Anthology shows are in no short supply in audio drama but there’s just something about The Long Hallway that really caught my attention. Its methodical pace, its slightly eerie atmosphere, and its love for twists and subtle theming all packed in episodes that never go over eleven minutes makes it an excellent entry level podcast.

The Theatre of Tomorrow 

While still on the topic of anthologies, the first collection I found myself smitten by was easily 2017’s The Theatre of Tomorrow by Midnight Disease Productions. There’s just something so fun about shows that are wacky for wackiness sake and it takes a delicate hand to make these kinds of shows charming instead of obnoxious.

The Theatre of Tomorrow is silly but inspired by its love of retro, old-timey radio plays, granting it a sort of 1950’s aesthetic pleasantness. It’s random but never incoherent which is helped by some positively solid casting and editing, making it as hilarious as it is fabulously put together. Nothing quite tickles my fancy the way a good scripted comedy does and The Theatre of Tomorrow is a severely underappreciated relic.

Fuck Humans

Audio-fiction erotica is in itself quite a rare genre. Not that podcasts can’t talk about or include sex or sexually active charaters, but many of which can hardly call themselves legitimate smut. And for the lonely adults in the world in need of some more sizzly soundbytes comes Fuck Humans, a fantasy romance for the eighteen and older audience.

Fuck Humans manages the art of combining both smut and story and doing so with expert consistency. All around, it’s the kind of show you can enjoy with a bit of privacy…or out in the open if you’re into that sort of thing. What could have been a mere monster mash is a rather simple tale about overcoming prejudices with a sexy twist.

The Penumbra Podcast

Be it you’re tuning in for the suspenseful cyber noir of private eye Juno Steel or the medieval misadventures of many a dreamy knight at The Second Citadel, The Penumbra Podcast is one of the more popular selections to have come out in years but has certainly earned its position among the greats. Excellently crafted with great characters and even greater mysteries to uncover, any path you choose guarantees hours of wit, whimsy, and wonderful angst.

Read more: Plug in, Press Play: Reimagining Podcasts as Games

Dark Dice

I personally feel like I’m still barely toddling into the realm of DnD podcasts which is a shame given how incredibly popular they are. An easy format thanks to the improvised storytelling aspects and the wholesome company of good friends with wild imaginations, but it takes far more than just setting up some sound equipment in your mother’s basement to make a session podcast worthy.

That’s why I highly recommend Dark Dice, a grim fantasy adventure following a lovably flawed party banding together to find the missing children of a nearby village while being pursued by a shapeshifting monster. Fool and Scholar Productions creates a solid atmosphere with the kind of interesting creatures, mysterious lands, and high stakes you find in the likes of Thrilling Adventure Zone and Critical Role. So roll for initiative and check it out.

Rover Red: Alone in the Apocalypse 

As someone so hung up on their own nostalgia that they still have Adobe Flash installed on their computer purely out of spite, it’s no wonder I’m still not over Rover Red: Alone in the Apocalypse, a gloriously short-lived science fiction thriller that debuted in 2017 and, much like a sentient implant drilled into my ear canal, hasn’t left my mind since. 

In this rather intense show we follow the adventures of Leah as she navigates the ruined remains of a post-apocalyptic world with only an artificial intelligence and the motivation to find her brother pushing her through increasingly difficult trials that a mysterious council, i.e. listeners, were able to vote on.

Even if there’s only so few episodes to spare, it’s worth a peak regardless for its iron hard tension, excellent world building, and blend of psychological horror and science fiction adventure that makes Ender’s Game look like Little Einsteins.

THE INFINITE NOW

As far as non-linear, artsy shows go, THE INFINITE NOW  is a short and sweet but certainly fun little detour. To describe the show’s premise is a bit of a tall order as it’s more or less a random selection of spacy monologues narrated by the show’s creator Richard Penner. But if you have a taste for surrealism, existential horror, and some atmospheric music, it’s an excellent selection to backtrack your next blunt rotation with some close friends.

The Meat Blockade

High-brow surrealist comedy with singing pirate frogs and lamb scrotum isn’t the kind of thing you’d be bragging about in your next book club but somebody’s gotta break the ice, especially if you’re in the similar company of Kafka enthusiasts. 

The Meat Blockade by the Hennesy brothers is a thrillingly absurd look into the unlucky life of Karl Berenger as he desperately tries to crawl his way back home after one single choice lands him in the gaping maw of Nighttown. Gorgeously edited, fabulously acted, and never slacking in surprises, it’s a wonderfully bizarre romp that wears its inspiration on its sleeves.

SAYER

A favorite, always going to be a favorite, and is still a favorite to this day. SAYER is the science fiction horror audio drama debut of Adam Bash who has weaved a positively fascinating if terrifying futuristic dystopia. And it’s through the eyes of the titular SAYER, as well as a number of other equally dysfunctional artificial intelligences, that we learn about the dark secrets and darker tragedies befalling the citizens of Typhon.

Hadron Gospel Hour

Hadron Gospel Hour is the kind of show your dad would like, maybe even my dad would like, but that hasn’t stopped teenage me or adult me from being insanely fond of easily one of my favorite audio drama sci-fi comedies.

With its wacky dimension hopping, reality bending mishaps, and chaotic duo of a mad scientist and average joe, Hadron Gospel Hour was Rick and Morty before Rick and Morty was cool, so it’s worth a listen simply for that level of hipster street cred.

Return Home

Small towns with big secrets is common ground to tread for many fiction series with varying levels of success. There’s something just so oddly humble about the hidden secrets of an average community being brought to the forefront and it’s things like Return Home that reminds me of the potential they have to be fun, wonderfully bizarre experiences. 

Though it may not be for everyone, Return Home is one of those shows that has a little bit of everything: comedy, strange supernatural forces, and romance all wrapped up in a package that’s so unashamedly authentic.

With a loveable trio as the leads and an interesting slew of monsters to pick from, this long trip to Melancholy Falls is a nice blend of creative and campy.

Adventures in New America

Night Vale Presents is nothing short of a seal of quality around these parts so it’s no wonder that shows like Within the Wires and Alice Isn’t Dead are such beloved audio drama favorites that still have just the slightest DNA of our favorite desert town in its veins. And though those shows are darling to me, Adventures in New America feels like a truly unique entity.

Branching off from the more Americana-esque vibes of Night Vale Presents other works, this show decides to walk in the pond of political satire with a cyberpunk twist. In this “Afrofuturistic buddy comedy”, tag along with best friends IA and Simon Carr as they wind up in increasingly more absurd heist missions on the dangerous streets of New New York City for the deliberate goal of landing in jail for the benefit of free health insurance. 

Be it you’re in the mood for social commentary or foul mouthed and funny exchanges, you’re bound to be seeing things in neon after one listen.

Steal the Stars

Written by Mac Rogers, Steal the Stars is the story of Dakota “Dak” Prentiss, a government worker on a secret test site. She and her team are tasked with looking after Moss, the comatose body of an alien named for the moss-like substance growing on its body, and its baffling ship that emits deadly waves.

The project is so dangerous that Dak’s higher-ups have completely forbidden the team from becoming attached to each other. No friends. No confidants. And definitely no hookups–which becomes more difficult when the painfully attractive Matt Salem is hired. What starts as a pulpy romance slowly turns into a political intrigue thriller, a heist, and one of the most memorable final episodes in audio drama to date.

Harlem Queen

Audio drama is known for being heavy on the sci-fi and horror, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t great realistic fiction. Based on the true story of “Numbers Queen” Madame Stephanie St. Clair, mobster and gambler, Harlem Queen is a historical fiction podcast set during the Harlem Renaissance. Harlem Queen is jazzy, glamorous, and exciting–but it also doesn’t shy away from the realities of being black, and especially being a black woman, in the American 1920’s.

Wolf 359

Wolf 359 was an audio drama space opera, set in a massive space station orbiting the eponymous red dwarf star. What starts out as a lighthearted story about the lackadaisical protagonist Doug Eiffel being bored in space eventually becomes an action-packed, dramatic, heart-wrenching story about the cost of the greater good, the path to redemption, what it means to be human, and overcoming trauma. Wolf 359 concluded its four-season run at the end of 2017, making it a perfect completed story to listen to without worrying about staying current.

The Big Loop

The Big Loop is a somewhat sci-fi, somewhat magical realism anthology series created by Paul Bae of the well-known horror fiction podcast The Black Tapes. Each episode of The Big Loop is a different story, meaning you can skip around and jump in whenever you’d like. Each episode also feels like a different genre: “The Studio” is a sort of ghost story, “YOU” is about an astronaut and her AI, and “All God’s Children” is somewhere between comedy and Lovecraftian horror. If you’re in for a supernatural story with some heavy emotional punches, though, “Goodbye Mr. Adams” is a great place to start.

CARAVAN

A product of audio drama cornerstone The Whisperforge, CARAVAN is a buckwild journey into a story about demons, vampires, banshees, and the caravans that slay them. Protagonist Samir is a play on a typical nerdy everyman genre fiction hero, with the important differences that he’s queer, Desi, and explicitly not thin. As Samir falls into an otherworldly, weird west canyon, he teams up with a traveling group of demon hunters but winds up seeing how he can change their ways to be more ethical. CARAVAN plays with genre, the hero’s journey, and eroticism in one big, unabashed, thrilling bundle.

36 Questions

If you’re looking for a realistic fiction story you can get through in an afternoon and you’re not against the idea of musicals, 36 Questions is a great first foray into audio drama podcasts. This 3-part limited series is a full musical about a husband and wife who are recently separated and their attempts to rekindle their romance–or snuff it out for good. The songs are gorgeous and catchy with lyrics that balance profoundness with authenticity. It’s a fiction podcast you won’t be able to get out of your head, whether because of the songs or the incredible characters singing them.

Alba Salix, Royal Physician

Alba Salix is a comedy audio drama about a royal physician in a fantastical realm, trying her hardest to make her patients understand common sense. It’s one part Scrubs, one part Monty Python, one part Robin Hood: Men in Tights. It’s an easy listen even with an overarching plot that delivers fast-paced jokes and ridiculous characters. If you want to get an introduction to audio drama podcasts but maybe without so much drama, Alba Salix is delightfully whimsical, light-hearted, and hilarious.

The Amelia Project

The Amelia Project is a comedy audio drama about a company that helps clients fake their deaths and start anew, complete with faked identities. Each episode is a consultation with the prospective client to find out why they want their death faked, how they want it do be faked, and how they want to come back. The comedy is absurd and twisted without ever being to gritty or macabre. The level of creativity in The Amelia Project is already enough to make it a great listen, but the acting and sound design are both just as impressive.

For more on The Amelia Project, make sure to read Morgan Hines’s interview with its creators.

Greater Boston

Greater Boston feels like the Mike Schur equivalent in the podcast world. Like Brooklyn 99 or Parks and Recreation, Greater Boston takes place in a hyperbolic version of a real place. Like The Good Place, that level of hyperbole is sometimes brought to bizarre high-concept episodes with an almost supernatural feel. Greater Boston takes place after the world’s most boring man dies on a roller coaster, and the podcast only gets more surprising, hilarious, and intriguing from there.

Fan Wars: The Empire Claps Back

Rom-coms are finally returning to popular culture, including in podcasts. Fan Wars: The Empire Claps Back is a romantic dramedy about two fans on the opposite sides of many debates in the Star Wars discourse. It’s a classic setup: two hot-headed opponents make assumptions about each other, expect the worst from each other, and then consistently surprise themselves when they find common ground and maybe even common attraction. Wrap the premise up in some cosplay and give it a lightsaber and you’re in for a great listen.

Limetown

Limetown is an audio drama that straddles the line between science fiction and horror. Framed like an investigated journalism podcast a la Serial, Limetown follows a reporter trying to find out what happened to a town where everyone suddenly went missing ten years ago. Limetown packs so much character development into its first season, with most episodes following a specific interviewee, but it balances character with one of the most riveting plots I’ve ever heard. After several years, Limetown is returning with its second season on October 31st–yes, Halloween–2018, as well as releasing a prequel novel set when Limetown was founded.

The Bright Sessions

The Bright Sessions is a character-driven audio drama about people with superpowers going to therapy. Don’t shy away if you’re not a fan of big superhero blockbusters, though–The Bright Sessions is much more Friday Night Lights than The Avengers. It’s a gorgeous character study, but it also has a plot that focuses on government conspiracies, well-researched discussions of mental health, and some beautiful love stories. The Bright Sessions is also being adapted as a TV show and three spinoff novels, so make sure to catch up first.

Marsfall

Marsfall is a newer addition to the audio drama world, but it’s already being regarded as one of the best in the scene. This science fiction audio drama follows a different character’s perspective each episode as they land on Mars for an expedition. The changing point of view adds depth to each part of its somewhat large cast while also complicating the ethics so often discussed in the plot. Marsfall also proves that large-scale action sequences are not only possible in audio, but can also be beautiful.

Station to Station

Station to Station is a horror audio drama that turns the audio medium on its head. Plenty of audio drama podcasts give a reason for their story to take place in audio, but Station to Station subverts this with internal monolgues and changing perspectives. This fiction podcast follows a researcher on a massive ship whose research partner never showed up for the voyage–but did leave the protagonist some audio recordings. Station to Station is an audio drama that you could listen to casually, but it’s best when given the time and attention one might give Lost or Westworld, and it merits just as much theorizing.

The post 15 Audio Drama Podcasts to Get You Hooked on Fiction appeared first on Discover the Best Podcasts | Discover Pods.

Aries: Caliphate

Aries traits: headstrong, virtuous, caring
Aries dates: March 21 – April 19

Aries, you’re likely to jump into conflict with action–but also with care. Caliphate is an emotionally gripping story about a New York Times journalist having deep, empathetic conversations with people radicalized to join ISIS. The journalist’s personal experiences are at the forefront, satiating your need for a human connection with the host, and the conversations about right and wrong will challenge–and then solidify–where you stand on some ethical debates.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Google | Spotify

Taurus: Hometown

Taurus traits: focused, patient, persistent
Taurus dates: April 20 – May 20

Taurus, you love a good, simple, earnest story about what makes people feel comfortable and safe. Hometown is a fiction anthology series told as vignettes from people describing their hometown. Each episode is a new story and a new perspective, so the tone does vary, but it always stays sweet and sincere. There’s a sense of low stakes–not no stakes, but instead, a shirking of big drama–that helps each narrative feel comforting and warm.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Google | Spotify

Gemini: Adventures in New America

Gemini traits: charismatic, witty, analytical
Gemini dates: May 21 – June 20

Gemini, your knack for hijinks paired with your love of fast-paced intellectual analysis makes Adventures in New America perfect for you. This Afrofuturist fiction series from Night Vale Presents is hilarious and bizarre, but underneath its pulpy genre veneer is a deluge of rapidfire social commentary. The story takes so many twists and turns, you’ll find yourself outpaced, and so excited about it.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Google | Spotify

Cancer: The Far Meridian

Cancer traits: emotional, imaginative, cautious
Cancer dates: June 21 – July 22

Cancer, your love of whimsy might sometimes clash with your introversion, making big adventures simultaneously enticing and difficult for you. The same is true for The Far Meridian‘s protagonist, Peri. When shy Peri finds her home, a lighthouse, transporting her to a new location every day, she has to learn to balance her fears with the adventure she’s been put on.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Google | Spotify

Leo: Aria Code

Leo traits: brash, bold, confident
Leo dates: July 23 – August 22

Leo, if you’re not familiar with arias, you should be: they’re parts of operas written specifically to show off the talents of the performer, usually including wildly difficult techniques. Aria Code talks about what makes certain arias important, but it also goes into how and why they were written and performed, scratching your itch for great storytelling.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Google | Spotify

Virgo: Song Exploder

Virgo traits: orderly, modest, practical
Virgo dates: August 23 – September 22

Virgo, your keen sense for detail is a great match for Song Exploder, which takes apart how songs are made piece by piece. If you feel like you love a song but can’t voice why, Song Exploder will help explain the nuances in songwriting and production that make songs work. You’ll love the clean editing, the songwriters’ attention to detail, and how well everything comes together as the episodes close.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Google | Spotify

Libra: Dear Prudence

Libra traits: diplomatic, sociable, protective
Libra dates: September 23 – October 22

Libra, you love keeping the peace, tending to your loved ones, and making sure everyone is heard and treated fairly. But let’s be real here: you also love the goss. Long-running advice podcast Dear Prudence is beloved for good reason. It’s a killer advice podcast delivered with a huge dose of empathy and heart, but it doesn’t shy away from questions that are wild.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Google | Spotify

Scorpio: Arden

Scorpio traits: mysterious, magnetic, passionate
Scorpio dates: October 23 – November 21

Scorpio, what could be better than a baffling unsolved mystery? The enemies-to-lovers trope. Arden is a modern retelling of Shakespeare classics, but it’s also a satire of the true crime genre–while still working as a killer fictional mystery. The two protagonists of Arden are Brenda and Bea, two diametrically opposed women with wildly different approaches to telling the core story.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Google | Spotify

Sagittarius: Ostium

Sagittarius traits: adventurous, honest, optimistic
Sagittarius dates: November 22 – December 21

Sagittarius, your love of travel and the unknown might have you craving more strange portal fantasy like Myst. Ostium is the perfect next step in podcast form. Ostium is a mysterious, ambiance-heavy fiction podcast about finding a strange town with doors and doors and doors. When the protagonist opens those doors, everything just becomes stranger, and the stakes get higher.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Android | Spotify

Capricorn: In the Dark

Capricorn traits: ambitious, disciplined, reserved
Capricorn dates: December 22 – January 19

Capricorn, you have a strong sense for right and wrong–not just ethically, but also in procedure. American Public Media’s In the Dark doesn’t just analyze strange true crime cases. It also analyzes why they were handled so poorly by the criminal justice system, and then it does something about it. Your need for systems to be taken seriously will be as satiated as the need to take action when things are done incorrectly.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Google | Spotify

Aquarius: Palimpsest

Aquarius traits: friendly, artistic, independent
Aquarius dates: January 20 – February 18

Aquarius, your love of strange, artistic stories will help you fall in love with Palimpsest. Palimpsest is a fiction podcast that takes on a different story and tone each season. The first season is a slow-burn Shirley Jackson style ghost story; the second season follows a woman working for a carnival, dealing with the whims of the fae; and the third season follows a woman through war-torn London. Each season will draw you in with its beautiful prose and keep you hooked by encouraging theories about the plots.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Google | Spotify

Pisces: This Is Love

Pisces traits: sensitive, intuitive, jovial
Pisces dates: February 19 – March 20

Pisces, it’s okay to admit that you can be a little bit of a sap sometimes. This Is Love has some sappy stories, absolutely, but it also has plenty of that gut-wrenching heartache you also love. You’ll hear intimate stories of people without having to dive too deep into their lives as a whole, giving you some necessary distance to help parse the big emotional payoff in each episode.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Google | Spotify

The post Podcast Recommendations for Your Horoscope appeared first on Discover the Best Podcasts | Discover Pods.

According to Cranor in the 2017 PodCon Panel “Serial Fiction Storytelling,” Welcome to Night Vale started with a “$65 USB mic” and a love of radio, but it’s become one of the defining podcasts of the medium. Welcome to Night Vale is far from the first fiction podcast ever made, but it was one of the first modern audio fictions to gain widespread attention and notoriety. As podcasting has become more emergent, Night Vale Presents–the eventual network spearheaded by Joseph Fink, Jeffrey Cranor, and later collaborator Christy Gressman–has grown and changed, becoming much more than just one show about one desert town. Navigating the world of Night Vale will lead you not just to interesting listens, but also telling moments from podcast culture throughout the years.

Welcome to Night Vale

Welcome to Night Vale had some early fan dedication, but its popularity quickly grew with the addition of a new character in the plot: a scientist named Carlos, someone not from the town but instead there to observe it, someone whose beautiful hair captivated narrator Cecil. As Cecil broke his NPR-esque demeanor to ruminate on his undying, ostensibly unrequited love for Carlos the scientist, fans quickly took to the sweet, positive depiction of a gay romance. This was especially refreshing to LGBT+ fans in 2012, a year in which GLAAD reports only 4% of TV characters were of non-straight identities. The podcast was especially popular on Tumblr, where a fanbase quickly expanded. The podcast’s Twitter also became known for its memorable doses of absurdism, landing it on the fringes of Weird Twitter largely popularized in 2012 to 2013.

Its first year, concluded by the episode “One Year Later,” documents the growing romance between Cecil and Carlos. While the initial episodes are episodic, they laid the groundwork for returning jokes and characters, as well as long-spanning, slow-building plotlines. While episodes of Welcome to Night Vale can usually be listened to without their surrounding context, the depth of the characters and the world does benefit from starting from the beginning. Welcome to Night Vale also gained fame from its travelling live show, with each tour featuring a different story that usually incorporated some form of audience participation.

The timing of Welcome to Night Vale‘s early success, especially with younger listeners and its prominence on Tumblr and Twitter, helped draw audiences to audio fiction as a medium. Earlier this year, I ran a Twitter poll asking for peoples’ first audio fiction. While the poll is imperfect, the stark difference in numbers is indicative of how much Welcome to Night Vale introduced an audience to fiction in podcasting.

Welcome to Night Vale helped fans explore audio fictions like The Bright Sessions, ars PARADOXICA, Wolf 359, and The Once and Future Nerd, all of which began in the years closely following Welcome to Night Vale‘s debut, and all of which are considered some of the great founders of audio fiction alongside Night Vale.

In its 37th episode, “The Auction,” a book deal was announced for Welcome to Night Vale for a standalone companion story to the podcast, Welcome to Night Vale: A Novel. This book deal made Night Vale the first of its kind to be adapted in another medium. Following in this tradition, book deal would later be offered to audio fictions Limetown and The Bright Sessions (as well as, later on, Night Vale Presents’s own Alice Isn’t Dead, but more on that later). In the case of Tor’s Steal the Stars, the audio fiction and novelization were written concurrently, but it’s hard to say whether partnerships like these would have existed, or at least existed as easily, without Welcome to Night Vale‘s early success.

Welcome to Night Vale has continued its now six-year run, usually starting a new long-form arc every year. Welcome to Night Vale has since gotten a second companion novel, 2017’s It Devours!: A Welcome to Night Vale Novel, as well as script books for its first and second seasons. Night Vale is also slated to produce script books of its third and fourth seasons, and is also being adapted for TV with FX. In this case, though, Night Vale didn’t pave the path but instead walk down the pavement; in 2017, Amazon had already picked up Aaron Mahnke’s Lore, and independent audio fiction The Bright Sessions had already been optioned earlier in the year.

The Beginning of Night Vale Presents

In 2015, Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor formed Night Vale Presents, a network of “independently-minded creators and listeners” who are new to podcasting. In its first year, Joseph Fink launched Alice Isn’t Dead, Jeffrey Cranor launched Within the Wires, and the two brought on Christy Gressman and musician Julian Koster for The Orbiting Human Circus (of the Air). The Orbiting Human Circus was Fink and Cranor’s first foray into partnerships with new creators, a trend that would continue to grow throughout Night Vale Presents’s following years.

Alice Isn’t Dead

Beginning March 7th, 2016, Alice Isn’t Dead was the first new podcast for the Night Vale Presents. Created by Joseph Fink, this audio fiction follows a narrator named Keisha, played by Jasika Nicole, who drives a cargo truck around the country for the purpose of finding her missing wife, Alice, who she believes–shocking, I’m sure, given the title–is not dead. The tone of the podcast weaves between a casual American Gothic, ruminating on gas stations and open fields and roadside attractions, and horror, as Keisha finds more clues connecting to her wife.

Like Welcome to Night Vale, Alice Isn’t Dead gained a dedicated following not just for its representation of lesbian women of color, but also from its sharp imagery and darker tone. In 2015, a trend of  posts describing types of “Regional Gothic” started trending. These posts would take aspects of a region within (usually) the United States and make it hyperbolic, turning it sinister or at least ominous. Whether by coincidence or by design, Alice Isn’t Dead fit into the culture of these posts perfectly, playing on the strange and specific nuances of the states and raising their stakes.

Like Welcome to Night Vale, Alice Isn’t Dead is being adapted in both a novel, coming this October, and a TV show, which is set to be released very fittingly on USA. Alice Isn’t Dead is still running, and is currently in its third and final season.

Within the Wires

Within the Wires, Night Vale Presents’s next project, debuted on June 20th, 2016. Ostensibly taking a departure from using the audio form to take a character story, Within the Wires instead leaned heavily into the form: the first season was framed as relaxation tapes that slowly unraveled into a story about one woman trying to help another escape from imprisonment in a sci-fi facility. A partnership between Jeffrey Cranor and co-writer/actor Janina Matthewson, the first season did feel like a gateway for fans to explore other audio fiction that played with form. Speaking anecdotally, Within the Wires was the first podcast that made me realize that Welcome to Night Vale might not be the exception to the rule when it came to audio fiction but, instead, a good example of the many fantastic works I could enjoy. The fandoms for indie audio fiction like those mentioned previously were booming. Its experimental format, unnerving tone, and shockingly emotional performances and writing felt like a revelation that led many of us to more and more audio fictions.

Each season of Within the Wires focuses on a new story with a new narrator. Its second season focused on guided museum tours, the narrator an artist giving her commentary on the works of (and her complicated, tumultuous relationship with) an artist featured in several museums. The second season was not completely distinct from the first, though, and the two did eventually tie together in subtle ways.

The third season of Within the Wires launches on September 4th and will be ” a political thriller set in 1950s Chicago told exclusively through dictated letters and notes from a bureaucrat to his secretary.”

The Orbiting Human Circus (of the Air)

The Orbiting Human Circus (of the Air), or OHC for short, was the first Night Vale Presents project to be produced by someone other than Fink or Cranor. The first episode was released on October 11th, 2017, though the idea stems back to creator Julian Koster’s 2002 album, 2nd Imaginary Symphony for Cloudmaking. Koster is a veteran of cult-classic indie bands Neutral Milk Hotel and The Music Tapes, and his ideas for OHC were brought to life with the help of co-creator Ellie Heyman and Producer Christy Gressman, who would later become one of the forerunners of Night Vale Presents. OHC was also the first Night Vale Presents project to bring in celebrities, such as John Cameron Mitchell, Charlie Day, and Tim Robbins.

OHC is a whimsical, perhaps magic realism audio fiction that follows a janitor named Julian who cleans up the Eiffel Tower after broadcasts of a live radio show within it, also called The Orbiting Human Circus (of the Air). While OHC does have a plot, it works much more off of its characters, its tone, and its auditory aesthetic. Performers recorded lines with authentic vintage microphones, and in a panel at 2018’s Podcast Movement, Christy Gressman noted that at least some of the audio was recorded, pressed to vinyl, and then recorded again to achieve a certain texture.

Like the Night Vale Presents podcasts before it, OHC feels very indicative of its time: in 2017, there had been a cultural push for more tender, whimsical media after years of focusing on gritty, edgy stories. Children’s shows like Adventure Time and Steven Universe had become part of the zeitgeist; introspective and artistic animation like Kubo and the Two Strings and Paddington were gaining critical acclaim. OHC played off of these conventions but blurred the lines between what makes media specifically for children or adults.

OHC has been on hiatus since releasing 2nd Imaginary Symphony for Cloudmaking was released on its feed. However, it will be returning this year for its second season, this time in partnership with WNYC.

Branching Out and Partnering

After the success of Night Vale Presents’s first four shows, the network decided to branch out in two distinct ways: first, by adding nonfiction podcasts to its lineup, and second, by partnering with the Public Radio Exchange (PRX). PRX is an organization that helps distribute and monetize podcasts, also helping train podcasters on best practices. PRX is also partnered with podcast network Radiotopia, individual podcasts like This American Life and The Moth, and services like RadioPublic. The partnership between Night Vale Presents and PRX was announced on January 29th, 2018.

Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor also helped found PodCon, a convention “for creators, industry, and fans alike,” alongside Hank Green, Travis McElroy, and Justin McElroy. PodCon took place January 19-20th, 2018, in Seattle, Washington, with a lineup of events that included “live shows, comedy, workshops, panels, performances, mash-ups, meet and greets, and more.” PodCon 2 has been announced and is currently running a crowdfunding campaign.

Conversations with People Who Hate Me

Conversations with People Who Hate Me was the first nonfiction podcast on Night Vale Presents. Hosted by Dylan Marron, voice actor for Carlos on Welcome to Night Vale, the series focused on Marron having personal, patient conversations with people who had left him hateful comments on social media platforms. The podcast launched on July 31st, 2017, and was met almost immediately with critical and fan praise. In a culture that had just recently faced the intense schism of the 2016 election, the podcast set a tone of open conversation, reminding the listener that “there’s a human on the other side of the screen” when they use online anonymity to comment on something hatefully.

The podcast is currently in its second season, in which Marron facilitates conversations between other creators and the people who have left them hateful messages.

It Makes a Sound

Another venture into people outside of the early Night Vale sphere being brought on to produce a Night Vale show, It Makes a Sound is a realistic fiction audio fiction by actress and writer Jacquelyn Landgraf, who also performs with the Neo-Futurists. Debuting on September 23rd, 2017, It Makes a Sound follows a woman who desperately wants to find the lost music of Wim Faros, a musician seemingly only she remembers.

It Makes a Sound feels distinct from the other Night Vale Presents audio fictions in its genre. It is the only Night Vale Presents work of fiction in a realistic setting with no speculative fiction elements to date. It does, however, feel congruent with Night Vale Presents in the way it weaves together a strange, off-kilter story with deeper ruminations–here, on memory, mortality, and family. The series was a limited run that ended on January 20th, 2018; however, the end of the final episode did suggest potential further expansion, and an album of the show’s music is in development.

I Only Listen to the Mountain Goats

On September 27th, 2017, Night Vale Presents premiered its entrance into fancasts with I Only Listen to the Mountain Goats, though in true Night Vale fashion, with a twist: while most fancasts feature a few hosts discussing the works, one of the hosts in I Only Listen to the Mountain Goats is John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats. In the podcast, Darnielle and co-host Joseph Fink discuss “what it means to be an artist, to be a fan, and as many people are, both at once” with a guest.

I Only Listen to the Mountain Goats marks Night Vale Presents’s entrance into a more standard style of podcast, showing a reverse timeline for most networks. Traditionally, networks will begin with nonfiction conversational podcasts like fancasts and maybe eventually bring on audio fictions, while Night Vale Presents has done the opposite.

Pounded in the Butt by My Own Podcast

After Welcome to Night Vale‘s success on the fringes of Weird Twitter, Night Vale Presents’s partnership with popular bizarre erotica novelist Chuck Tingle comes as little surprise. Not only did Chuck Tingle enter the zeitgeist for his erotica novels such as Pounded In The Butt By My Own Butt and Pounded In The Butt By My Book “Pounded In The Butt By My Own Butt”, but also for his presence on Twitter:

Each episode of the podcast features a guest reading one of the stories–also called “tinglers”–to some form of an audience, whether it be a group of people or just one person. The podcast features some minimal sound design and includes an intro and outro by Chuck Tingle.

Sleep with Me

Sleep with Me is a long-running nonfiction podcast hosted by Drew Ackerman, who uses the podcast to tell rambling, uninteresting stories with the specific and unironic goal of helping people sleep–and at least my anecdotal evidence shows it succeeds. Sleep with Me originally partnered with the Feral Audio network; however, when allegations of abuse came out against Feral Audio’s Dustin Marshall, Ackerman quickly left the network and was subsequently picked up by Night Vale Presents. Sleep with Me is the first podcast that was acquired by Night Vale Presents versus being originated on the network. Given the unique, quirky, and massively successful nature of the podcast, there is a chance the acquisition of Sleep with Me is an outlier with Night Vale Presents versus signifying an upcoming trend.

Good Morning Night Vale

As of writing, Good Morning Night Vale is the most recent launch for Night Vale Presents, having debuted on June 6th, 2018. Good Morning Night Vale is an episode-by-episode deep dive recap through Welcome to Night Vale‘s archives, hosted by Welcome to Night Vale actors Meg Bashwiner, Symphony Sanders, and Hal Lublin. Good Morning Night Vale is akin to The Good Place: The Podcast in concept, and the two launched in close proximity, with the first episode of The Good Place: The Podcast uploading just five days before the first episode of Good Morning Night Vale. The idea of creators analyzing their own work on their own network initially seemed novel and perhaps strange, but when broken down to its essentials, podcasts like Good Morning Night Vale are largely taking the concept of a commentary track, breaking it away from the time constraints of a typical commentary, and putting it on an RSS feed versus a DVD.

The further step into fancasts helps solidify Night Vale Presents as no longer a network of primarily fiction, but a network of podcasts that are doing something strange and innovative, even if–and perhaps especially–working with a concept that has already been well established in some way.

The Future of Night Vale Presents

It’s yet to be seen how the current booming culture of podcasting, and specifically fiction in podcasting, will affect Night Vale Presents. However, its two upcoming audio fictions give some lens into how Night Vale may have been influenced recently.

Adventures in New America

Coming September 28th, 2018, Adventures in New America is a “sci-fi, political satire, Afrofuturistic buddy comedy, serialized for New Americans in a new and desperate time.” While the cast and crew list for Adventures in New America have yet to be released in full, having a podcast that is specifically a work of Afrofuturism indicates a move towards further representation within Night Vale Presents. Afrofuturism is a genre that’s been around for some time, but is finally receiving more attention with successes like Black Panther or Janelle Monae’s Dirty Computer. Adventures in New America “follows the escapades of two mismatched African-New-American best friends — fat, lonely, curmudgeon IA and lesbian sneak-thief Simon Carr — who take on a series of increasingly wild heists to get quick cash to pay for IA’s medical treatment while attempting to survive the wilds of New New York City… and a secret cabal of Tetchy Terrorist Vampire Zombies from outer space.”

Dreamboy

So far, Dreamboy sounds like a return to the classic Night Vale Presents feeling–one of an off-kilter subject, strange occurrences, and a dose of whimsy. Launching October 23rd, 2018, Dreamboy will be a serialized audio fiction about the color of nighttime changing in Cleveland, Ohio. The story will center on “Dane, a spun-out musician spending the winter in Cleveland, Ohio, [who] has two main goals: keeping his job at the Pepper Heights Zoo and trying not to waste all his time on Grindr. What he doesn’t expect is to get swept into a story about dreams, about forevers, about flickering lights, about unexplained deaths, about relentless change, and about the parts of ourselves that we wish other people knew to look for. Oh, and also a murderous zebra.”

Ever since Welcome to Night Vale debuted in 2012, the works of Joseph Fink, Jeffrey Cranor, and their Night Vale Presents collaborators have helped shape the climate of podcasting, but have also been shaped by that climate. Credit is often given to Night Vale Presents for its success with fiction in podcasting, while so many sources focus solely on nonfiction–but even Fink and Cranor have expressed much of their success being dependent on being in the right place at the right time, regardless of how high the quality of their productions are.

With several podcasts, books, adaptations, and touring live shows under their belts, it’s exciting to see the creators’ growing praise of smaller, independent audio fictions. Jeffrey Cranor recently talked up the audio fiction Greater Boston, and in a PodCon 2 planning livestream, Joseph Fink said he is hoping for a larger audio fiction presence at this year’s convention.

Night Vale Presents will, almost definitely, continue to grow and help the shape the landscape of podcasting–but podcasting’s effect on Night Vale Presents will be an interesting progression to continually unfold.

The post A History of Night Vale Presents appeared first on Discover the Best Podcasts | Discover Pods.