The comedy podcast universe is ever expanding, not unlike the universe universe. We’re here to make it a bit smaller, a bit more manageable. There are a lot of great shows and each has a lot of great episodes, so we want to highlight the exceptional, the noteworthy. Each week our crack team of podcast enthusiasts and specialists and especially enthusiastic people will pick their favorites. We hope to have your ears permanently plugged with the best in aural comedy.
Mohr Stories - J.B. Smoove
Pablo: It’s strange to watch old episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm before Leon Black entered Larry David’s life with the force of a hurricane (due to an actual hurricane). There are a lot of episodes where Larry’s problems could’ve been solved quickly with the bombastic don’t-give-a-fuck attitude of Leon instead of relying on advice from the aloof Richard Lewis or emasculated Jeff Greene. And like Curb, Mohr Stories is at its best when the guest is equally as brash and loud as host Jay Mohr, like Nick DiPaolo or this week’s guest, J.B. Smoove. In just under an hour, the two touch on very few topics, but it allows them to go in-depth on what’s on their mind. First up is using your job to get a job, something which Smoove excels at having turned his Curb gig into hosting Last Comic Standing and playing Chris Rock’s bodyguard in Top Five. The next is dogs and why man’s best friends are racist slaves. Finally, Smoove tells a Shaolin fable that should have executives ready to reboot Jaden Smith’s Karate Kid reboot with Smoove in Jackie Chan’s role. If you can find it online, download Smoove’s newest project, the MSG Network show Four Courses, for a show with a guest list that puts Dinner for Five to shame: The latest episode featured Jim Norton, Todd Barry, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Godfrey, and Gerry Cooney.
Hollywood Handbook - Seth Morris, Our Close Employee
Elizabeth: Move over Paul Sheer: You’re not the only one with an Earwolf spin-off anymore. After a few rounds of “Eh, Wrong!†calling out listeners who don’t understand the concept of the show and some underwhelming listener mail, Sean and Hayes announce their new network under the Earwolf umbrella, Wolfcool, made by their production team, Calvin and Hobbes Productions. To accompany the big news, they talk to Seth Morris, the host of one of the new Wolfcool podcasts Talkin’ Turkey, the first and only show solely about Thanksgiving. Clips from the pilot episode let listeners know to expect some green bean controversies, discussion of utensil anticipation, and a debate regarding whether people who use jumbo marshmallows on their yams are white trash. (The answer to the last question is, of course, yes.)
The PO’DCast with Dennis Miller & Adam Carolla - Dumpgate
Marc: What do you get when you cross a conservative comedic radio commentator with a conservative comedic podcaster? The PO’DCast, featuring Dennis Miller as the former and Adam Carolla as the latter. Considering that both of these guys have platforms from which to spew their views, this is like a DC/Marvel comic crossover of legendary proportion. This is only the second edition of their mashup, and one gets the feeling that the two hosts are politely feeling out the edges of each other’s hot buttons. The show kicks off with their takes on the Super Bowl, with particular emphasis on the “poopdown†executed by Seahawks’ wide receiver Doug Baldwin. The pair riff through a series of subjects as part of their “We Rant Therefore We Are†segment, touching on politics, the Middle East, movies, Saturday Night Live, and other pop culture touchstones. Miller revels in sprinkling out obscure references as part of his shtick, registering delight whenever Carolla taps into one of them and goes with it. Miller, on the other hand, doesn’t seem quite sure what to do with his co-host’s humble I’m-just-a-carpenter perspective on the complexities of life but is perfectly willing to roll with it. The show is set up to take callers, giving the boys some fodder to munch on without too much danger of taking each other to the mat for their views. The show is consistently funny, not the least of which comes from the ongoing but subtle attempts to get the upper hand. Those honors go to Miller in this episode, who smoothly slides out of the studio with moments to go — “I’m gonna rock, Ace! Good to talk to you!†— leaving Carolla to close things out on his own. You’ll get him next time, Adam!
Nerdist Writers Panel - Friends Writers Room Reunion
Leigh: If you’ve spent the past month and a half obsessively watching every episode of Friends on Netflix, this episode of Nerdist Writers Panel is the universe’s way of telling you to keep up the good work. Host Ben Blacker makes magic happen when he sits down with Friends writers Jeff Greenstein, Jeff Strauss, Alexa Junge, and Adam Chase. The episode is filled with so much trivia, even the most casual of Friends fans might have a hard time keeping their cool. Like which character the writers wanted to be an Eskimo, the idea to move them all to Minnesota, and the specific pronunciation of Smelly Cat. They also reveal tons of backstory about storylines and character development. The story of how Monica’s personality came to be is a personal favorite. Also, Ross and Rachel weren’t the original idea for the “it†couple. In fact, it wasn’t even Chandler and Monica. Friends was a groundbreaking show that meant so much to so many people. So hearing the writers talk about how much they cared about these characters and how passionate they were about every little detail, it’s easy to understand why it became arguably the greatest sitcom of all time. So if you are making your way through all 236 episodes of Friends, take a break and listen to this episode.
The Naughty Show - International Bad Boy Hour #4
Kaitlynn: Comedian Sam Tripoli hosts the self professed #1 adult comedy party on the web. Each week The Naughty Show features comedians, adult film stars, rappers, and all around crazy characters. This week did not disappoint in the naughty section of its name. The description of this episode comes with a meltdown warning of the international bad boy Steve Randolph. After they plug dates (if you’re keen skip to 8 minutes in) the show really starts with Steve detailing the end of his 18-month porn drought. An early highlight of the episode is Sam and Steve’s mutual friend Nitti calls in reminisces about his and Steve’s time in rehab. Ever wonder what someone brings into rehab? The only thing Nitti brought with him was porn and a passport. Rick Kosick also calls in and tries to calm Steve down about his porn relapse and midlife crisis. A mystery caller tells them how the Super Bowl is completely rigged and probably by…you guessed it…the Illuminatti. Fingers crossed he calls back next week (although he didn’t want his name on air, he happily gave out his Twitter handle). The episode ends with a little bit of trivia on the origin of the word “goof,†which will leave you confused and uneasy.
Other Podcasts We’re Listening To:
Talk of Shame with Streeter Seidell - Marc Normand
WTF with Marc Maron - Cameron Esposito
The Flop House - No Good Deed
The Worst Idea of All Time - #49
The Talk of Shame - Mark Normand’s NOLA Blackout Adventure
Hound Tall - That’s Gay
Terrified - Moshe Kasher
Welcome Back Andy - 2012 Olympics
The K Ohle with Kurt Braunohler - Get Lost with Derrick Brown
My Sexy Podcast - Jacqueline Novak - Vera’s Going to Prom!
Leigh Cesiro is a writer living in Brooklyn who only needs 10 minutes to solve any Law & Order: SVU episode.
Elizabeth Stamp is a writer living in Brooklyn, New York.
Pablo Goldstein is a writer from Los Angeles, CA.
Marc Hershon is host of Succotash, the Comedy Podcast Podcast and author of I Hate People!
Kaitlynn E-A Smith is a writer/creator and (somehow) MA fashion grad, born and living in Toronto.