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 one has a lot of great episodes, so we want to highlight the exceptional and 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.
Asian Not Asian - Randall Park Wears White Suits to the Clubs
Between Asian Jim from The Office, Jimmy Woo on WandaVision, and dozens of other non-Jim roles, Randall Park is in everything. And now, that includes the latest episode of Asian Not Asian, the show where “two Asian guys not from Asia talk about American issues no American cares about.†While Park is no stranger to being a guest on podcasts, he is a stranger to being asked good interview questions, and hosts Fumi Abe and Mic Nguyen set out to change that, starting with his experiences with Korean clubbing. They also discuss Park’s experience doing stand-up before he made it as an actor, and how being an Asian comic, as well as comedy audiences, have changed since then. Abe and Nguyen also tell Park the touching story of when they went to see his movie, Always Be My Maybe, in theaters. The story, and the whole episode, is not to be missed if you’re someone who needs your fill of Nice Boy Energy. —Leigh Cesiro
Listen: Spotify | Apple | Website
Las Culturistas - Hoopin N’ Hollerin (w/Sarah Squirm)
Las Culturistas invites listeners to “join [their] culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE.†Alongside “sizzling special guests,†they dish on what they deem “the hottest pop-culture moments of the day.†This episode starts strong with a suggestion for Matt Damon to stop talking so much and a wish that a whole new slate of celebrities will wipe out the losers currently commanding the media. Then comedian Sarah Squirm gets in on the fun as the trio discuss some of the funniest things they’ve ever seen. Reno 911!: Miami is a fave of both Rogers and Yang, which they recommend to Squirm based on an especially amusing sex scene. Speaking of movies, Squirm believes The Wizard of Oz is one of the “only total work[s] of complete and total art,†saying, “This is the first movie ever made, and no one has made a movie since.†The other work mentioned is Pee-wee’s Playhouse, which leads to an in-depth conversation about Squirm’s practical-effect work and one more to-watch recommendation: The Sarah Vaccine. —Becca James
Listen: Spotify | Apple | Website
NBA Storytime - House Arrest
When it comes to free agency, trades, and other contract-related clauses, the NBA is as byzantine as a late antiquity empire in Eastern Europe. And while anti-tampering rules are so strict that GMs have been fined for compliments, the rules aren’t specific enough to penalize kidnapping. On this week’s NBA Storytime, comedian Jamel Johnson rewinds back to the summer of 2015 when free agent DeAndre Jordan verbally agreed to a deal with the Dallas Mavericks. But in the week before he could legally sign the contract, rumors started floating about Jordan getting cold feet. So Jordan’s soon-to-be-former teammates on the L.A. Clippers flew to Texas, camped out in Jordan’s home, and didn’t leave until the clock struck midnight so he could sign a new contract … with the Clippers. Okay, it wasn’t a literal kidnapping, but good storytelling needs a little embellishment. Michael Jordan dunking from the free-throw line isn’t as cool if you know he had half his big-ass foot over the line. —Pablo Goldstein
Listen: Spotify | Apple | Website
Double Threat - On the Third Day of Woodstock, Limp Bizkit Gave to Me
Another week on Double Threat and the atmosphere is threatening as ever, but at least on this show listeners can tacitly “clap back†at the forces of evil via Tom Scharpling and Julie Klausner dictating critical tweets to producer Brett for him to send to Scott Adams and Jesse Watters. It’s important work. Why isn’t there a character in Dilbert called Cupbert who is somehow related to K-cup machines? Why didn’t Klausner register on the sexual radar of Steve Wilkos? Which group of people is worse, the Manson family or the Pussy Posse, and are their objectives the same? Only one of these questions is answered in this episode, but Scharpling and Klausner finally deliver a long-awaited referendum on James Corden, discover the dangers of cockpit karaoke, and make one final, desperate plea for custom ventriloquist dummies of themselves. Internet: Do your thing. —Kathryn Doyle
Listen: Spotify | Apple | Website
Other Podcasts We’re Listening To:
Couples Therapy - Lauren Lapkus and Mike Castle
Listen: Spotify | Apple | Website
Got a comedy podcast recommendation? Drop us a line at [email protected].
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