'It's one big conversation': the unstoppable rise of the TV podcast
“We did it to set the record straight … we’ve got observers doing podcasts, writing books about The Sopranos. They weren’t there. They don’t know what it was about. We were there!” The Sopranos actor Steve Schirripa is talking about his new podcast which he co-hosts with fellow series regular Michael Imperioli. Talking Sopranos sees Schirripa – who played the kind-hearted mobster Bobby Baccalieri, his wheezy Brooklyn accent instantly familiar to long-time Sopranos fans – and Imperioli, who played Christopher Moltisanti, offer episode-by-episode recaps of the HBO juggernaut. It is catnip for Sopranos mega-fans: both actors were major characters and have an inexhaustible arsenal of anecdotes and trivia. They also have the show’s creator, David Chase, on speed-dial: he has promised to appear on an upcoming episode, as have fellow Sopranos actors Robert Iler (AJ Soprano), and JamieLynn Sigler (Meadow Soprano). “We want to talk to everyone who made the show a success,” says Schirripa. “Why did the writers make those choices? Who was up for that role? I have a lot of questions.”They are not the only ones. Once a relatively niche subgenre, the TV episode-by-episode recap podcast has, in recent years, become a podcasting phenomenon. Popular series include the Buffy the Vampire Slayer show Buffering; A Cast of Kings, about Game of Thrones; The West Wing Weekly; Star Trek: The Next Conversation; and the recently launched Fake Doctors, Real Friends, about Scrubs. The biggest podcasts pull in lucrative sponsorship deals – Talking Sopranos is sponsored by Bose – and often spin off into live events.
But what is fuelling their huge rise? “So much of our lives have moved online that the whole conversation around the water cooler about last night’s TV doesn’t really happen any more,” explains the journalist and podcaster Joanna Robinson, the co-host of A Cast of Kings and Decoding Westworld. “You tune into a podcast to listen to a conversation that 10 years ago you would have had with your friends or family.”
In the fragmented age of streaming, podcasts are a way to get that gossipy hit. With so much on offer, it is likely that none of your friends will be watching the same show at the same time as you, but there will almost certainly be a podcaster who is. “In the old days of television, there was more unity of experience,” says Kristin Russo of Buffering the Vampire Slayer. “You knew that everyone would be watching the same show at the same time. The big perk of rewatch podcasts is that they hark back to that unity.”
Episode-by-episode recap pods also provide the sort of detailed analysis that super-fans crave, as well as an opportunity to debate controversial aspects of the show. “We give an insight that no one else could possibly have,” says Schirripa. “Michael – he doesn’t miss a trick!” He tells me to expect fireworks when Talking Sopranos concludes: Schirripa and Imperioli differ in their interpretation of the show’s famously ambiguous final scene.
Some TV recap podcasts engage with shows that are currently airing, although these are less common, with many made directly by broadcasters themselves, such as Netflix of the BBC, or focused on huge TV phenomenons. Among them, of course, was Game of Thrones, which found itself heavily under the microscope in its final season, not least on Robinson’s podcast. “Criticising things is my love language,” she laughs. “I want a show to be the best version of itself it can be, and hold it accountable when it’s not. And I think in general, these podcasts show that the public has an appetite for serious criticism.”
Not all shows bear up to such close attention. Rewatch podcasts tend to engage with prestige TV. “Iconic shows become iconic because they stand the test of time and take on new meaning in changing political, cultural, and personal landscapes,” says Russo. “Buffy is a show that fans watch over and over again.” Podcasts enable listeners to engage with prestige TV on a deeper level; hosts point out details that they may not have noticed on first view, enriching their experience of the show.
However, not all TV recap podcasts are created equal. Schirripa tells me that he was motivated to start Talking Sopranos because he felt frustrated by the quality of other podcasts dedicated to the show. The most successful podcasts generally follow weekly release schedules, are well-edited with high production values, and feature knowledgable hosts with good on-air chemistry. “The relationship between the hosts is really important,” says Robinson. “People want to feel that they’re friends who are talking with each other, and that we’re all having one big conversation together.”
In the age of coronavirus, TV podcasts about cult, long-running shows are also a powerful form of escapism. “Our thirst for nostalgia is so intense right now, because the TV offering is so overwhelming,” says Robinson. “It’s a terrible time right now,” adds Schirripa. “If you can take an hour a day to listen to a podcast about a great show and distract yourself, that’s a great thing.”