7 TV Podcasts to Check Out This Month for #TryPod

If you’re obsessed with “Serial,” start your day every morning with The New York Times’ “The Daily,” or can’t wait to find out what happens each week on “Missing Richard Simmons,” then it’s probably hard to believe that half of Americans don’t know what podcasts are. But this month, the biggest names in the podcasting industry are teaming up to spread the love. NPR, Panoply, American Public Media, WNYC Studios and many, many more are asking listeners to recommend their favorite podcasts to friends who don’t already listen. It’s a campaign they’re calling #TryPod, and with so many great TV pods out there, TV Insider is getting in on the action.

We’ve assembled a list of our favorite TV-related podcasts—all of which you can listen to for free—including everything from recap shows to roundtable discussions. And, hey, if your favorite TV podcast isn’t on the list, let us know in the comments!

The Vulture TV Podcast

From the editors of New York Magazine’s pop culture site, this show often features a variety of segments. Host Gazelle Emam, TV critic Matt Zoller Seitz and columnist Jen Chaney discuss TV trends, often joined by special guests and other members of the Vulture staff. The show also features frequent interviews with TV actors and creators, and writers reading think pieces from the site. If you’re someone who really thinks about TV, this is the podcast for you.

The Watch

The Ringer editor Chris Ryan and pop culture journalist Andy Greenwald co-host HBO’s Game of Thrones aftershow After the Thrones, but the longtime best buds cover so much more on “The Watch.” By and large they stick to their takes on current TV, but they’ll occasionally take a look at notable new movies. And don’t be put off by The Ringer’s sports-heavy, bro-skewing rep. Ryan and Greenwald are true pop culture aficionados who can dive deep into pop culture politics with Chuck Klosterman, crack wise about Taboo and The Young Pope, and can appreciate what shows as disparate as Girls and Netflix’s One Day at a Time reboot have to offer.

Remote Possibilities

TV Insider’s own Erin Medley co-hosts NJ.com’s TV podcast with TV critic Vicki Hyman. Each week the pair picks apart all your TV-watching and streaming options. Medley is that superfan who will watch anything, while Hyman brings her critical eye to everything from The Walking Dead to The Real Housewives of New Jersey.

Boars, Gore and Swords

Comedians Red Scott and Ivan Hernandez are like the woke, nerdy brothers you probably wish you had. Their Game of Thrones recaps are filled with their goofy enthusiasm for the bloody adventures of the Starks, et. al. In the off season, the guys pick apart other noteworthy shows and films with a slight bias toward sci-fi, fantasy and genre fare. They recently finished up the first season of Westworld, and have given their takes on Legion, Riverdale and The Good Place in one-off episodes this season. Even when they’re not super psyched on a show, they’re always a hoot.

Up Yours Downstairs

As the title implies, hosts Kelly Anneken and Tom Schneider—who may or may not still be “properly married” as of this writing—started out with unfailingly irreverent, though loving recaps of Downton Abbey. Since the show ended, they’ve branched out to other period dramas like Mr. Selfridge and Peaky Blinders. They’re currently plowing through Netflix’s The Crown, skewering it with their oddball wit. Anneken’s impressions of Claire Foy’s Queen Elizabeth II accent and her burning hatred for Matt Smith’s Prince Phillip—and really just Matt Smith in general—are always laugh out loud funny. This one’s definitely not for those of you who take your British period dramas too seriously.

The West Wing Weekly

Whether you’re one of those hardcore fans who does a semi-annual West Wing re-watch or a newbie experiencing Aaron Sorkin’s beloved and acclaimed political drama for the first time, this pod is definitely an essential supplement to your viewing experience. West Wing vet and Scandal star Joshua Malina and Song Exploder’s Hrishikesh Hirway discuss each episode in depth. They’re just finishing up the second season, so it won’t be hard to catch up and spend some quality time in the increasingly quaint liberal fantasy world of the Bartlet administration.

Failure to Launch

My So-Called Life. Wonderfalls. The Muppets. The Tick. Every TV lover has a show they love that never made it to Season 2. Hosts Molly Sanchez and Mitchell Thompson anchor “Failure to Launch,” a show that’s part eulogy to series that met an untimely end, part entertainment biz analysis of what went wrong ,and  part superfan gabfest.