While you’re busy setting new goals for the new year, it’s time to clean up your podcast feeds and add some fresh voices to the mix. You Must Remember This, one of our favorite podcasts “about the secret and/or forgotten histories of Hollywood’s first century,” returns on January 31. To get in the mood, we’ve selected a few podcast newcomers and several oldies but goodies you should check out in the new year. If you are really feeling the moment that Lifetime is having right now, consider yourself a Serial junkie, love to laugh at your own sadz, or understand the catharsis of a good “read,” then subscribe to our seven picks for 2017.
Mother, May I Sleep With Podcast?
Listen if: you can recite the entire Lifetime eating disorder-themed filmography by heart. HelloGiggles co-founder Molly McAleer is equal parts hilarious, charming, and thoughtful.
“Welcome to Mother, May I Sleep With Podcast?, the only podcast that breaks down Lifetime Original Movies, one movie at a time, one week at a time. Lifetime Original Movies are a staple of any TV junkie’s diet, and we take them very seriously. So seriously that we’ve dedicated an entire podcast to picking a part each and every one ever made. The stories, the actors, the stunning dialogue, the IMDB trivia… we’re here to discuss it all with the appropriate mixture of reverence and humor, one movie at a time. Hosted by Molly McAleer of Plz Advise, Emotionally Broken Psychos, and co-founder of HelloGiggles. New episodes each Sunday!”
Listen if: you prefer to look beyond the typical dude-focused drawing styles and storytelling in the comics world.
“Women and gender nonconforming people thrive in indie comics because self-publishing and small presses offer a platform for more innovative, unusual, or challenging voices. However, even within ‘alternative’ creative communities, normative gender hierarchies can emerge. In No Boys Allowed, writer/illustrator/bad party guest Micco Caporale challenges these hierarchies by highlighting female and non-binary experiences in indie comics.”
Listen if: you think Hollywood is like a big, long episode of American Horror Story.
“Elizabeth Short was a star-struck young woman whose body was found completely severed at the waist in January 1947 in Los Angeles. She would be forever remembered as the Black Dahlia, and her murder remains one of the most infamous unsolved cases in the world to this day. But few people know that more than a dozen women died in similar circumstances in Los Angeles around the same time. In this ground-breaking serialized docu-drama, host Tracy Pattin investigates these sensational cases, uncovers new evidence, and immerses listeners in both the glamour and the underbelly of 20th century Hollywood.”
The Unnamed Serial Spinoff
Listen if: you miss the inquisitive, soothing, quirky tones of Sarah Koenig and enjoy narratives with cliffhanger endings.
“[It is] an untitled project scheduled to launch, it’s a seven-part podcast about a man who despises the Alabama town he’s lived in his entire life and tries to do something about it,” says Crime Writers On podcast host Rebecca Lavoie. “It involves a murder investigation that leads to strange relationships and a hunt for hidden treasure.” For more on the upcoming spinoff, read the Current.org interview with Serial co-creator Julie Snyder.
Listen if: you’re the kind of person strangers with stories enjoy talking to on the subway.
“Everyone Else is a photographic podcast from Eva Krysiak, an audio producer from London who found herself chasing people in the street. The project looks to humanise strangers and make us more open to and curious about the people we do not know, those who look different, or who are living lives much different from our own.”
The Hilarious World of Depression
Listen if: your depression sounds like Louis C.K.
“A show about clinical depression…with laughs? Well, yeah. Depression is an incredibly common and isolating disease experienced by millions, yet often stigmatized by society. The Hilarious World of Depression is a series of frank, moving, and, yes, funny conversations with top comedians who have dealt with this disease, hosted by veteran humorist and public radio host John Moe. Join guests such as Maria Bamford, Paul F. Tompkins, Andy Richter, and Jen Kirkman to learn how they’ve dealt with depression and managed to laugh along the way. If you have not met the disease personally, it’s almost certain that someone you know has, whether it’s a friend, family member, colleague, or neighbor. Depression is a vicious cycle of solitude and stigma that leaves people miserable and sometimes dead. Frankly, we’re not going to put up with that anymore. The Hilarious World of Depression is not medical treatment and should not be seen as a substitute for therapy or medication. But it is a chance to gain some insight, have a few laughs, and realize that people with depression are not alone and that together, we can all feel a bit better.”
Listen if: you appreciate no-holds-barred commentary on everything from Trump to Kanye.
“Join bloggers Kid Fury and Crissle for their weekly ‘read’ of hip-hop and pop culture’s most trying stars. Throwing shade and spilling tea with a flippant and humorous attitude, no star is safe from Fury and Crissle unless their name is Beyonce. Or Blue Ivy. As recent transplants to New York City (Fury from Miami and Crissle from Oklahoma City), The Read also serves as an on air therapy session for two friends trying to adjust to life (and rats) in the big city.”