The 10 Best Comedy Podcasts

Comedy podcasts have become an excellent medium for comedians to showcase their talents, experiment with new ideas, and make themselves more accessible to their fanbase. Recently, comedy podcasts have also begun to crossover into more mainstream media.  Last year BBC America began airing a show based on the Nerdist Podcast.  This summer The Comedy Bang! Bang! podcast also became the basis for a television show airing on IFC.

I love listening to comedy podcasts, and I highly recommend them to all comedy nerds and anybody else has time to waste. The following list counts down the ten best comedy podcasts out there right now.

10. Affirmation Nation with Bob Ducca
Launched: 30 May 2011
Updates: None since February

Bob Ducca (Seth Morris) would love to list for you his illnesses, his emotional issues, and pretty much anything else that he’s written down on paper. Affirmation Nation is a hilarious two to five minute show that focuses on the the strange life and thoughts of the peculiar Bob Ducca.

9. The Bugle (http://thebuglepodcast.com)
Launched: 14 October 2007
Updates: Weekly (on Fridays)
John Oliver (The Daily Show with Jon Stewart) and Andy Zaltzman (John Oliver: Terrifying Times) host this news podcast each week, satirizing stories from around the globe. Oliver and Zaltzman are sharp, and their satire is biting.

8. SModcast (http://smodcast.com)
Launched: 5 February 2007
Updates: Weekly (around midnight on Mondays)
SModcast is Kevin Smith (Clerks, Red State, etc) and Scott Mosier (a producer on some of Smith’s films) having a conversation about whatever catches their attention for an hour and a half to two hours. Smith and Mosier have discussions worth hearing.

7. The Pod F. Tompkast (http://www.paulftompkins.com/view_blog.php?id=20)
Launched: 29 July 2010
Updates: Sporadic but almost monthly
Paul F. Tompkins (Laboring Under Delusions) is a frequent, always hilarious guest on everyone else’s podcasts. It’s only sensible that he would start his own.  The Pod F. Tompkast combines Tompkins interesting musings over very soothing music, clips from The Paul F. Tompkins Show at Largo, and skits in which Tompkins puts his large repertoire of characters into contact with one another. Tompkins is joined in his live material by other comedians. Comedienne Jen Kirkman also contributes regularly.

6. Doug Loves Movies (http://douglovesmovies.com)
Launched: 18 September 2006
Updates: Weekly to Bi-Weekly
Doug Loves Movies--consists of the always funny Doug Benson (Smug Life) and his guests from the comedy crowd talking about movies.  The guests play games such as the Leonard Maltin Game in which Benson reveals a film’s cast members in the reverse order from Leonard Maltin’s Movie Guide. Guests attempt to guess the movie’s title before others.

5. You Made It Weird with Pete Holmes (http://www.nerdist.com/podcast/you-made-it-weird/)
Launched: 25 October 2011
Updated: Often (at least weekly)
You Made It Weird with Pete Holmes (Impregnated With Wonder) is commonly a 90 to 120 minute interview with some comic talent. In every episode, Holmes has hilarious conversations with his guests about their views on comedy, sex, and religion.

4. The Nerdist Podcast (http://www.nerdist.com/podcast/nerdist/)
Launched: 8 February 2010
Updated: Often (at least weekly)
Chris Hardwick (see my review of his book for tons of info) hosts the Nerdist Podcast with his co-hosts Johan Ray and Matt Mira. The show is generally an hour-long interview with noteworthy comedians or entertainers who relate to nerd culture. There are also other shows in which Hardwick, Ray, and Mira just discuss different topics amongst themselves for an hour.

3. How Did This Get Made? (http://www.earwolf.com/show/how-did-this-get-made/)
Launched: 10 December 2010
Updated: Twice a Month (with mini-episodes on the off weeks)
Each episode of How Did This Get Made? features hosts Paul Scheer (The League), June Diane Raphael (Burning Love), and Jason Mantzoukas (The Dictator) and one or more guest(s) analyzing a particular film in an attempt to understand characters and plot(s) that are usually indecipherable. Listeners can see the film or not see the film; the humor of the podcast does not depend on it. The hosts have a way of clarifying the movie’s plot and describing its important scenes that will maintain every listener’s attention.
Last year, How Did This Get Made? was selected by iTunes as its favorite comedy podcast of the year.

2. WTF with Marc Maron (http://www.wtfpod.com)
Launched: 1 September 2009
Updated: Often (at least twice a week)
Marc Maron (This Has to Be Funny) is riddled with anxiety, haunted by his past behavior towards other comics, and struggles to hold his tongue. WTF with Marc Maron consists of interviews with members of the comedy world from Carrot Top to Louis CK. Maron is able to get some of the biggest names in comedy to sit down with him in his garage and open up. When Maron has a negative history with his guest, he addresses the tension from the beginning. He rarely avoids uncomfortable topics.
Some of Maron’s interviews have become famous for guests’s revelations, willingness to expose emotional vulnerabilities, and sharing of very personal stories. (The interviews with Louis CK, Todd Glass, and Paul Scheer stand out as interesting.) Other interviews have been very controversial. The unfolding of Carlos Mencia’s egocentrism over two interviews is the best example of this.

1. Comedy Bang! Bang! (http://www.earwolf.com/show/comedy-bang-bang-podcast/)
Launched: 1 May 2009
Updated: Weekly (on Tuesday morning)
Comedy Bang! Bang! consists of humorous interviews, strange characters, and long-running callbacks. The show is hosted by Scott Aukerman, a former writer for Mr. Show with Bob And David and the co-creator of Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis. Generally, one or more guests are introduced and are comedically interviewed by Aukerman. Inevitably one or more characters will crash the interview and redirect the discussion to some insane idea or topic. Usually Aukerman and all of the guests will then play some improv-style game such as “Would You Rather?”--in which the guests are presented with two ridiculous scenarios and are then given the opportunity to ask questions about either scenario to better understand their choice--or “Freestyle Rap Battle,” which should be self-explanatory.