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IThere’s a consensus here on how many seasons a successful TV series should be given before it’s called off. Two is probably the optimal number for a comedy — think The Office (the UK one), Fleabag, Fawlty Towers, etc. For dramas, it probably stretches further to five (Breaking Bad) or six (The Sopranos). There are notable long-running exceptions (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Curb Your Enthusiasm, etc.), but as a rule, they tend to plummet.
In the case of podcasts, the model hasn’t been established yet. Given how easy it is to make a great show with the right people and the right format, it’s hard to see the end of super-popular shows in a way that similar TV entertainment franchises can’t achieve (Bake Off jumped the shark when it left the BBC in 2016, and even Taskmaster began to decline after Mike Wozniak left the show). He had hemorrhoids Guardian’s own Comfort Eating With Grace Dent has just returned for its eighth season (episode one is with Rag’n’Bone Man), while Off the menu – whose success is now so widespread that a new podcast about recycling we reviewed this week features a segment in which they reference his classic catchphrase “Chips or bread?” – is in its eleventh year. Louis Theroux just launched Its third season on Spotify, after two on the BBC, begins with a typically candid episode with former porn actress Mia Khalifa. Shagged Married Avoid appears to have done away with the seasons altogether and just be on an endless march until the climax of time itself.
What this means for podcast fans is interesting: with only a few hours left in the day, is this the reason why… The most listened to Are shows typically long-form? What is it about podcasts that seems to stave off listener fatigue? And how long can we be expected to be committed to a franchise we love: 10 years? 20? 30?
Either way, it bodes well for no shortage of great content. Speaking of which, read on for this week’s recommendations…
Alexi Duggins
Deputy TV Editor
Selections of the week
Stevie’s Wonder
Widely available, weekly episodes.
This podcast is a real treat for Stevie Wonder fans, with an impressive analysis of his golden period in the 1970s. Host Wesley Morris has an enviably strong guest list: Barack Obama reveals how loving Wonder’s music was a test of fire for his relationship with Michelle, while Deniece Williams has glowing stories about Wonder’s rock’n’roll tour with the Rolling Stones (yes, there were nights at the Playboy Mansion). Hannah Verdier
Slow burn: The rise of Fox News
Widely available, weekly episodes.
How did Fox News go from a channel that seemed doomed to extinction to a political and cultural force? Josh Levin gives it the Slow Burn treatment, with a forensic and accessible analysis informed by the people who worked there in the early 2000s. Could anyone have stopped the rise of the “scrappy little wrestler”? High voltage
Holly Burn’s Dream House
Widely available, weekly episodes.
Nick Helm wants to live in a gated home that’s “like a Scottish Jurassic Park.” Luke McQueen wants his house to have an indoor football pitch where people play football dressed as sumo wrestlers. This wacky new show from comedian Burn interviews comedians about their ideal residence and is like listening to episodes of Grand Designs too weird to broadcast. Alexi Duggins
Talking nonsense
Widely available, weekly episodes.
Two recycling experts get down to business about waste and make for a very interesting podcast: this conscious look at how to be green with waste is an intriguing and light-hearted take on topics such as “Trash or not?” (don’t recycle your receipts, people) and how brands will soon start funding local council recycling systems. Revealing stuff, and rarely dry. ADVERTISEMENT
Sincerely… Michelle Elman
Widely available, weekly episodes.
In less than 24 hours, TV life coach Michelle Elman announced her engagement on Instagram, received messages about her fiancé’s infidelity, and called it quits. How do you deal with this publicly when your job is to teach people to set boundaries? She tells us all about it in this very honest and helpful series. Hollie Richardson
After the newsletter promotion
There’s a podcast for that.
This week, Hannah Verdier choose five of The best podcasts about reality showsFrom cautionary tales of exploitation to the quest to marry “Prince Harry”
The harsh reality: The story of Miriam Rivera
Miriam Rivera’s story has been the subject of commentary in tabloids and on TV shows, but this nuanced podcast celebrates who she was rather than portraying her as a victim. In 2004, reality TV was not welcoming territory for the trans pioneer and New York ballroom superstar, who was touted as the prize for six men who wanted to date her. To them, she was a beautiful woman, but her “secret” was revealed as the punchline of a joke. It’s particularly interesting to hear interviews with people who worked on the show and were desperate to make it big.
Backstage: Inside The X Factor
Chi Chi Izundu was an entertainment journalist when The X Factor was on TV, and looking back at the show 20 years later brings back memories both good and bad. How could Simon Cowell think it was okay to tell someone they were overweight? What happens when you’ve just been on national TV but are struggling to find a job? And what about those headline-grabbing comedy contestants who became ‘show fodder’? Even if you know X Factor inside out and remember it fondly, you’ll hear plenty of eyebrow-raising from contestants and staff.
Split Screen: Thrill Seekers
“I have no artistic integrity whatsoever and I would do anything for money,” admits Steve, who wowed casting directors for a new reality show with a song about a lemming who pretends to be gay to avoid paying child support. He didn’t know what he was getting into, and neither did listeners of this podcast, as the big reveal only comes after the first episode. So if you want to know how easily a group of hopefuls can be convinced to participate in a mystery reality show, dive into the action like they did.
The Bachelor of Buckingham Palace
Journalist Scott Bryan investigates the most ridiculous and hilarious premise of a reality show, I Wanna Marry “Harry,” in which the carrot dangled in front of a group of matchmaking Americans was the prince. Except, of course, this Harry was a doppelganger rather than the 2014 royal who had recently put her crown jewels on display in Las Vegas. As Bryan observes the show through a 2024 lens, he mixes wry commentary on the stunt with deeper analysis of the consequences for the contestants. And the big question: Should it even be called a reality show if it’s so fake?
Unreal: A critical history of reality television
“The dumbest genre in entertainment, or the one that tells us the most about ourselves?” ask Pandora Sykes and Guardian writer Sirin Kale in this 2022 podcast that treats the art form with the seriousness it deserves. From the naive days of Big Brother to the “influencer sausage factory” that is Love Island, it also includes the Kardashians, Jade Goody and the cast of TOWIE. It’s refreshing to see the presenters are long-time fans rather than serious detractors, and they use their insider’s view to share concerns about ethics and what still needs to change in the genre today.
