Watch It With a Podcast
February 4, 2022 - Ever finish a movie or a show and wish you had someone to discuss it with? Is there a favorite show you’ve rewatched annually for 20 years and you wish you had another super-fan to gush with? Do you enjoy behind the scenes secrets from those in the industry and those involved in the making of the media? Pair your screen viewing with a podcast for a more in-depth experience!
As the popularity of podcasts has skyrocketed and we all juggle our streaming subscriptions, it is easy to watch something and follow it up with a fun, comedic, and in-depth discussion of what you watched. These podcasts exist for film and television shows, new and old, and are free and addictive!
To find a rewatch podcast of a specific type of media, open your favorite podcast player and search for the TV show or movie title you are looking for a podcast about. Filter by “Podcast Episodes”. Things to keep in mind when looking for this type of podcast: Do you want it to have spoilers or be spoiler-free? Also, does the podcast tell you what is going to happen in the future of the series? If you are watching a TV show for the first time along with a podcast, this is important so you can discover the show with the hosts.
Here are some of my favorite movie and TV rewatch podcasts:
The Bechdel Cast: Comedians Jaimie Loftus and Caitlin Durante discuss movies (new and old) through a feminist lens using the Bechdel test as a jumping off point for discussion. The Bechdel test is a very basic media metric. A movie “passes” if the film has two named female characters, that have more than two lines of dialogue, and the dialogue doesn't revolve around a man. Spoiler: An amazing amount of movies do not pass.
It Ends at Prom: Wives Harmony and B.J. Colangelo rewatch teen girl movies (80’s - present) and discuss them from their perspectives. B.J. grew up watching these as a teen girl and is introducing them to her wife, Harmony, who grew up as a teen boy. How do these coming–of-age stories stand up today and how do they affect our understanding of gender? A comedic and insightful analysis, this is a fun and interesting way to rewatch favorites and discover new gems.
You Are Good: Sarah Marshall, best known for her debunking podcast, You‘re Wrong About, and Alex Steed, rewatch a movie they grew up with and discuss the feelings it brings them. Less of an analysis and more a discussion of feelings, families, and memories, the episodes bring original music and discussion. These are feel-good movies with feel-good discussions.
Buffering the Vampire Slayer: Musician, Jenny Owens Young, and LGBTQ author and educator, Kristin Russo, watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer, spoiler free. The discussions of the episodes are through a queer-feminist lens. They include in-depth episodes on race, mental health, and larger general topics brought up in the show. At the end of each episode, Jenny writes and performs an original song about the Buffy episode. Many of the cast and crew of Buffy have been interviewed for episodes. If you love Buffy or have always wanted to watch it, now is the time!
Some popular rewatch podcasts are hosted by the stars of the show so you can hear truly behind the scenes stories from every episode! A sampling of these include:
The Office Ladies: Jenna Fisher and Angela Kinsey rewatch The Office
Fake Doctors, Real Friends: A Scrubs rewatch with Zach Braff and Donald Faison
The West Wing Weekly: Co-hosted by Joshua Malina, rewatching The West Wing
Talking Soprano’s: Michael Imperioli and Steve Shirripa rewatch The Sopranos
90210MG: Jenny Garth and Tori Spelling rewatch Beverly Hills 90210
There are rewatch podcasts for every type of TV show and movie and more are appearing every day. There is sure to be one to pair with your interests.
Katie Larson, Library Aide
