It is one of the unexpected success stories of podcasting, a subgenre that has risen to become one of the medium’s dominant formats: the companion podcast and its close sibling, the recap pod. These audio series provide detailed dissections of beloved TV shows, often on an episode-by-episode basis. Once the preserve of amateurs and enthusiasts, these are now big business, attracting starry hosts and lucrative sponsorship deals.
From an economic point of view, you can see the appeal: compared with narrative podcasts that take months to research and assemble, recap podcasts are cheap to make, quick to turn around and come with built-in audiences gasping for gossip and analysis of their favourite shows. They also tap neatly into what used to be called watercooler moments: the big TV moments that become talking points in the workplace. With so many people working from home, actual watercooler moments may now be rare but, as illustrated by the discourse on social media, the impulse to debate TV shows endures.
Prestige dramas in particular are catnip to podcasters. Right now, there are at least eight series delivering swift and comprehensive post-show analysis of the HBO juggernaut Succession, the finale of which arrives at the end of the month. These include Vanity Fair’s Still Watching, which provides weekly recaps courtesy of the magazine’s critics; The Sweet Smell of Succession, with David Chen and Tara Ariano; and – for my money the best of the bunch – Firecrotch & Normcore, which sees spouses Geoff Lloyd and Sara Barron deliver riotously funny debriefs on the Roy family saga. Reality TV shows, from Love Island and RuPaul’s Drag Race to The Traitors, have also proved singularly suited to the companion pod treatment, not only for hosts giddy on the latest onscreen fallouts, but also for newly ejected contestants keen to make guest appearances and start building their post-show brand.
So why are these series proving so popular? Perhaps because podcasting has long been a haven for niche pursuits and obsessions, and because the best companion pods don’t just provide funny commentary but nurture communities of like-minded people. It feels significant that these series have taken off at a time when families or groups of friends are less likely to get together to watch TV. Aside from sporting fixtures, royal events and Eurovision, where communal viewing is the norm, TV watching is increasingly a solitary activity, arranged around the schedules and tastes of the individual. But the desire to find one’s tribe is still strong, and hearing fellow fans poring over a show you love (or love to hate) brings a sense of connection that can be missing in the initial viewing experience.
The TV shows under discussion don’t have to be new to pull in listeners, either. The West Wing Weekly, Talking Sopranos, Fake Doctors, Real Friends (about Scrubs) and Office Ladies (about the US version of The Office) are among the podcasts to have capitalised on our collective nostalgia for now defunct TV shows. While those series are ostensibly fan podcasts, the twist is that they are hosted, or co-hosted, by former cast members who are uniquely placed to share insider trivia and stories.
It’s no wonder that, having spied a marketing opportunity, TV networks are now muscling their way in and producing their own “official” companion pods to their shows. These series, which are essentially sponsored content, cost mere pennies next to the behind-the-scenes promotional films of yore, and provide unrivalled access to the TV shows’ casts and crew. Such corporate encroachment may spell doom for the podcasts run and hosted by enthusiasts. In a crowded audio landscape – there are now more than 4m podcasts in existence – just making yourself heard can be an uphill struggle. But the enduring popularity of long-running pods such as Again With This (on 90s TV staples Melrose Place and Beverly Hills, 90210), …These Are Their Stories (on Law & Order and Special Victims Unit) and Talking Simpsons (on The Simpsons) would suggest that, while few will make their fortune making these shows, the efforts of indie creators are not in vain.
Podcasting has long been hailed as a democratic medium, meaning anyone with a microphone and an internet connection can give it a go. Given the low production costs and accessibility of the source material, the recap pod is perhaps the ultimate realisation of this. Whether it’s HBO rolling out a podcast to help sell its gleaming new prestige drama, or a trio of amateurs sharing misty-eyed reminiscences about a cherished childhood TV show, there is, for once, room for all.
Fiona Sturges is a freelance arts writer and the Financial Times’ podcasting critic
