Podcasts Ranked Weirdly

Like your average Millennial/Gen Z hybrid, I listen to a LOT of podcasts. I find it hard to rank my podcasts because they are all so different, so I am going to use some weird categories to explain why I love various pods. (Explicit podcasts will be marked with an E.)

Spousal Banter – Pretty self-explanatory: these are podcasts hosted by married couples.

• Wonderful!: Griffin and Rachel McElroy talk about two things they love that week. They delve into the origins and histories of things like soft pretzels and Tetris because the hosts have been enjoying those things. It’s simple and lovely and reminds me to look for joy in the small things. (E)
• Sawbones: Justin and Dr. Sydnee McElroy talk all things medical history. Sometimes it’s gross and sometimes it’s sad, so I would definitely put a content warning out for anyone who is squeamish or uncomfortable with explicit talk of medical procedures, death, or similar subjects. I like this podcast because it’s essentially a wife using her profession to educate her husband, who has genuine interest and curiosity for the subject. I just think it’s neat.
• DELETE THIS: Hank and Katherine Green talk Hank’s Twitter feed. Katherine doesn’t like Twitter, Hank is addicted to Twitter, and together they produce a delightful combination of laugh-out-loud humor and intelligent social and/or political commentary. The name comes from Katherine’s veto power; she can tell Hank to delete a tweet that he should not have tweeted for any reason, and she can tell him not to post a draft. This podcast is chock full of bits with dumb theme songs, extremely casual conversation, and sometimes cat purrs. I laugh out loud at least once every episode. I think this is my favorite podcast of all time. (E)

It’s About the Cones Family Dynamic– These are podcasts I enjoy because they are hosted by families who love to make one another laugh.

• My Brother My Brother and Me: Eldest sibling Justin, middle sibling Travis, and youngest sibling Griffin host an “advice” podcast where they answer listener questions and questions posted on Yahoo! Answers. MBMBaM (pronounced either ehm-bee-ehm-bee-ay-EHM or muh-BIM-bam) is a comedy podcast where three brothers try to one-up each other’s dumb jokes and make you laugh. Usually doesn’t contain any information about current events, so it’s a really good escapism podcast. Pretend the world isn’t on fire and listen to the McElroys roast the Hell out of each other and their listeners for an hour each week. Also, they have a catalog going back to 2012, so you can jump in at any time but you have a lot of extra content. (E)
• Dear Hank and John: Younger sibling Hank and older sibling John Green host an “advice” podcast where they answer listener questions and deliver that week’s news from Mars and the fan-owned English soccer team AFC Wimbledon (respectively). Listen as Hank and John deliver terrible advice and think up hypothetical solutions to real-life awkward problems, but also give good advice for more serious problems. (As their tagline states, it is a comedy podcast about death.) And yes, it is that John Green.
• The Adventure Zone: The McElroy siblings I mentioned above are joined by their father Clint to play tabletop games. They started with Dungeons and Dragons, but the campaign they just finished was based around the Monster of the Week game. The point of this podcast is not to play the game, however, but to create an engaging narrative around their player characters and the world in which they adventure (their adventure zone, if you will). Griffin is a DM on steroids as he guides his dumbass family members through incredibly rich and heartfelt storytelling. (E)
• Still Buffering: Eldest sister Dr. Sydnee McElroy, middle sister Teylor Smirl, and youngest sister Rileigh Smirl discuss their generational gap; Sydnee and Teylor are both nineties kids, while Rileigh is a solid Gen Z’er. Every episode Sydnee (a doctor and mother of two) and Teylor (a Brooklyn bartender and artist) attempt to teach their baby sister how to navigate her teenage (and now college) years by discussing a different topic such as clothes, parties, and scaring the crap out of your relatives. Engaging discussion about generational differences and sisterly love abound.

Buddy Comedy– These shows are hosted by best friends who have a great dynamic.

• This Might Get Weird: Grace Helbig and Mamrie Hart have been close friends for nearly ten years. Living in L.A. brings a lot of weirdness, so Grace and Mamrie spend an hour each week updating one another on the strange and delightful happenings of the last week in their lives. Each person is hearing the other’s stories for the first time, and you’re basically just sitting in on a gossip session between two best friends. Listen while they have weird encounters and you laugh at/with them (you decide). (E)
• Just Between Us: A rework of the popular YouTube series, Gaby Dunn and Allison Raskin talk to each other about tough subjects, give advice to a dubiously international listener, and interrogate their guest with questions about their careers, personal lives, and also whether or not they would stay with their hypothetical partner. It’s engaging and educational content spliced perfectly with Gaby and Allison’s Odd-Couple comedic relationship. (E)
• Neat! A Boozecast: Teylor Smirl and Liz June talk alcohol history. This podcast is pretty new, but so far has been more educational than I was expecting. If you’re a history dork, this podcast is for you. If you’re interested in the origins of various alcoholic drinks, this podcast is also for you! Either way, Teylor and Liz are both funny, delightful humans who love to talk about the history of booze, and as someone who has never had an alcoholic drink in my life nor do I plan to, I find their conversations so interesting and fun. Also, there is a video companion to the show on YouTube where Teylor and Liz make drinks related to the episode, so if you’re interested, this is an audio/visual experience. (E)
• Positiviteeny!: Erika Ishii, Amy Dallen, and Travis McElroy get on Skype three times a week (ish) and talk for no more than ten minutes about things that make them happy. It’s a great pick-me-up to listen to Travis talk about interactions with his toddler or Erika talk about how much fun she has wearing wild outfits or Amy talk about nerdy things in which she finds happiness. It’s positive, and it’s teeny!

Interview Shows Where You Care Equally About the Host(s) and the Guest(s)– This one is also self-explanatory: these are interview podcasts with engaging hosts and cool guests.

• Good Christian Fun: Kevin Porter and Caroline Ely have a guest on every week to talk about some relic (or current item) of Christian pop culture and that guest’s background with religion. It’s not entirely negative, nor is it entirely positive; Kevin and Caroline are (formerly pretty intense) Christians who are taking a critical eye to major facets of Christian culture like music, movies, and children’s media (they suggest you watch the movie/listen to the artist/etc. before you listen, but I find it’s just as enjoyable either way). Whether you grew up entrenched in that culture or not, you’ll find yourself laughing along with Caroline’s roasts and Kevin’s sound bites. Also, Kevin and Caroline are really good friends and this almost ended up in the previous category but I figured it belonged here because they have a guest on every episode. (E)
• Beyond the Veil: This is a pretty underground podcast put out by Mugglenet.com about Harry Potter and mental health. Every episode, Madison Ford interviews a Harry Potter fan who found their fandom to be helpful in their mental health journey. It’s a great listen, and as a huge Harry Potter fan myself, I find the stories very relateable and I love hearing how others’ lives have been impacted by the series. It can get pretty intense at times, so pay attention to the trigger warnings at listen at your own discretion. (And no, I’m not just promoting this show because I did an interview and have an episode coming out around mid-December. But you should totally listen to my episode.)
• Not Too Deep with Grace Helbig: Grace brings a guest on each week (often times a celebrity of the caliber of Bobby Berk or Mayim Bialik, but also just as often her long-time YouTube friend Mitchell Davis) to talk about life, answer audience questions, and generally joke around with one another. I only listen when I am familiar with the guest, to be totally honest, but I always have fun. It’s a low-commitment hour of jokes and relatability. (E)

Friends with Shared Interests– Podcasts where people who are not related hang out and talk about a specific topic.

• SciShow Tangents: Hank Green, Stefan Chin, Sam Schultz, and Ceri Riley spend between thirty minutes and an hour each week learning about the scientific side of a certain topic, from sleep to bees to transportation. Coworkers bring facts (and lies) about the topic to educate one another, but mostly to compete for Hank Bucks, of which there has been a running total since the beginning of the show. Ceri and Hank both have science backgrounds, while Stefan and Sam are curious about science but also just work here. (This is a sort of reimagining of the podcast Holy F*cking Science [explicit, but I hope that’s implied], which is no longer in production but I highly recommend.)
• Pottercast: Since 2005, Pottercast has been delivering Harry Potter news courtesy of the Leaky Cauldron website and its webmistress Melissa Anelli. Nowadays, Pottercast is still delivering news and other Potter content with the same amount of vigor and investment in the franchise. If you’re an intense Potter fan like me, you’ll love the way Melissa, John Noe, and Frak Frankie Franco argue and theorize about the series like it’s 2007. Also, in the words of Lauren Fairweather, I wanna grow up to be Melissa Anelli, so there’s that.
• The Empty Bowl: Justin McElroy is a cereal enthusiast and an anxiety sufferer. Dan Goubert runs a cereal blog. Together, they created a podcast where they talk softly about cereal news. It’s encouraged to use this podcast to escape from the rest of the world (or one’s own anxiety) and think only of cereal for the duration of the podcast. Chill vibes all around.

Interpersonal Character Relationships are My Favorite– Fictional podcasts! In the olden days, these could also be referred to as “radio dramas”.

• Wolf 359: Ohhh I love this show so much and it’s been over for almost two years. So, basically, Wolf 359 is an action-comedy serial that takes place on a space station light-years from Earth. Fall in love with the crew of the U.S.S. Hephaestus as they battle sneaky corporate higher-ups, mutiny, aliens, time loops, and wildly futuristic technology. Prepare to laugh most of the time, but when you cry you will cry a lot. (Not explicit, but not recommended for children)
• The Bright Sessions: I have a touch-and-go relationship with The Bright Sessions, but it’s a fascinating concept for a show. Dr. Joan Bright is a psychologist who offers therapy to “atypicals” – people with superpowers, essentially. It starts off as everyday people trying to manage their powers similar to the way one would manage mental health issues and ends with big conspiracies, sci-fi plot twists, and a musical episode. I think this show’s biggest strength is its concept, particularly regarding the overarching plot and large story beats. I will say that I think it tries to take on more material than it can handle and ends up handling certain things clumsily as a result. That’s for you to decide, though. One of my favorite fictional ships and my favorite asexual character are in this show. Oh yeah, and pretty much everyone is queer. (E)
• The Penumbra Podcast: This podcast has a few ongoing story lines and doesn’t update super frequently, but the stories are intriguing and intense, and their queer representation is OFF the CHARTS. There are two main shows within this show: the Juno Steel saga and the Second Citadel. Juno Steel is a nonbinary private eye who solves crimes on Mars in the distant future where the government is still corrupt and gender doesn’t exist. Second Citadel is a medieval story about knights who have to protect their kingdom from outside threats, all the while they learn about themselves and how to work together. Features an interspecies polyamorous relationship and a disabled protagonist. It’s a wild ride and I would love it if you joined me. (E)

And… that’s it! Those are all the categories! Thanks for reading this podcast rant, tune in next week for another post. Maybe. And please check out these shows wherever podcasts are sold.

P.S. Remember to rate your favorite podcasts. They deserve it.

P.P.S. If you got this far, here’s a DELETE THIS animatic. You’re welcome.