Sunday, Mar 19, 2017

Tough week at work? Are you constantly ill-tempered or angsty? Let these wizards of comedy podcasts lift your spirits.

2 Dope Queens

2 Dope Queens are Phoebe Robinson (Broad City) and Jessica Williams (The Daily Show): They are BFFs who talk about everything, from race issues to their love lives, and will have you rolling on the floor laughing as they do it. Adding to the fun is a ten-minute segment where stand-up comedians get to flaunt their best jokes. If you’re tired of listening to white men, 2 Dope Queens is refreshing departure, with women comics and people of colour being regular visitors to the show.

How Did This Get Made?

A celebration of the worst movies to have ever been made in the history of Hollywood, ‘How Did This Get Made?’ is proof that there’s still a market for Transformers films. Each week, hosts Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael and Jason Mantzoukas discuss films in-depth and take apart critically-panned movies, but with so much love that you’d genuinely want to head straight home and find the movie on Netflix. The sparkling chemistry between the three hosts and the sheer glee with which they unbox absolute trash makes the podcast a must-listen, especially if you’re looking to alleviate a bad mood.

The Read

Nobody throws shade quite like ‘The Read’ hosts Kid Fury and Crissle. Having been around for more than four years, these guys are almost veterans of the podcast scene. While they describe themselves as a hip-hop and pop culture podcast, ‘The Read’ is at its best when they’re giving the tough love to celebrities and pop culture icons. It’s honest, liberating and above all, downright hilarious.

You Made it Weird

Hosted by Pete Holmes, ‘You Made it Weird’ is an interview podcast that gets weird and intimate with its guests, who include everyone from musicians to TV stars, scientists and clergymen. Holmes unique conversation style means that guests are opening up to their deepest, most embarrassing stories in no time and having a blast while they are at it, too. No topic is off-limits: sex and religion are regular plot points, and Holmes is endearingly honest and open-hearted, making him one of the best chat show hosts you’ll have the pleasure of listening to.

Comedy Bang! Bang!

Mainstays of the comedy universe and having already turned their hit improv comedy podcast into a TV show, the success of ‘Comedy Bang! Bang!’ is probably the reason we have so many wonderful comedy podcasts to listen to right now. On the show, host Scott Aukerman combines interviews and improv sessions by comics, that range from the famous (Jason “Heynong Man” Mantzoukas, Paul F. Tompkins) to the upcoming. Cautionary tale: I once spit coffee onto an unsuspecting bus passenger while listening to this podcast. The jokes almost always creep up on you.

Shyama Krishna Kumar, Copy Editor

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