Skip to main content
Games Radar
  • Newsarama
  • Total Film
  • Edge
  • Retro Gamer
  • SFX
SFX The world's number one sci-fi, fantasy and horror magazine
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
flag of UK
UK
flag of US
US
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of Australia
Australia
  • News
  • Subscribe
  • Newsletter
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • SFX
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe from just £3
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12
View
Trending
  • Disney Plus bundles
  • Best Sci Fi Movies
  • New Marvel TV Shows
  • New TV Shows

Recommended reading

Anson Mount as Pike in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
Streaming Services The 25 best shows on Paramount Plus to watch right now
The Best True Crime Podcasts
Thriller Shows The 30 best true crime podcasts to kill your free time, ranked
Severance
Apple TV Plus The 25 best shows on Apple TV Plus to watch right now (June 2025)
Walton Goggins as Rick Hatchett in The White Lotus season 3.
TV The 20 best shows on HBO Max to watch right now
Squid Game Season 2 on Netflix
Netflix The 25 best shows on Netflix to watch right now
Kevin Bacon as Hub Halloran in The Bondsman.
Streaming Services The best new shows and movies streaming this week on Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus and more
Andrew Lincoln as Rick in The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live
Horror Shows How to watch The Walking Dead franchise in order (release and chronological)
  1. Entertainment
  2. TV

The 8 best TV podcasts to keep you talking

Features
By Alasdair Stuart published 13 July 2016

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Add them to your download list

Add them to your download list

How many times have you finished a TV show and asked ‘That’s IT?!’ Or replayed The Walking Dead finale to prove it can’t be Daryl who dies? Or spent the day at work with your headphones on, trying to dodge spoilers? Me too. TV moves pretty fast and it’s easy to miss the big moments, and even if you do catch them, you want to talk about them again and again. That’s where the best TV podcasts come in. Think of them like the friend who’s watching at the same pace as you. They laugh, they cry, they yell ‘WHAT THE-?!’ as much as you do. And they even have a pause button. We’ve picked 8 of the best, but there’s so many, we’re sure to have missed some. Let us know what your favourite TV podcast is in the comments below and we’ll make sure to check it out.

Page 1 of 9
Page 1 of 9
8. Pop Culture Happy Hour

8. Pop Culture Happy Hour

Any show that has a regular spot called ‘What’s Making Us Happy This Week’ will always have a place in my heart. Part of American podcast legends NPR’s pop culture blog, it’s a weekly sprint through the best things the staff have seen, read, or heard in the last week. Sounds dull, right? It’s not. Linda Holmes and her team are full-on geeks and they love what they do. In-depth discussion is mixed with easy comedy and a friendly tone well as the odd quiz. And who doesn’t love a quiz?

Listen here.

Page 2 of 9
Page 2 of 9
7. The Watching Dead

7. The Watching Dead

So how many times have you watched the final scene of The Walking Dead this year? I topped out at about 10. In fact, there’s this YouTube video that proves who dies by slowing down the audio and… we may have said too much. Jim and A. Ron haven’t, though. Every episode of The Watching Dead, they explore the grim and gritty post-apocalyptic world of the show. Their feed is split between Instant Takes and longer form discussions. The long form episodes are really meaty (fresh, we promise, not undead) and include plenty of audience participation as well as NSFW language. Especially as their season 6 finale episode talks about something everyone else may have missed. Start there and work your way back.

Listen here.

Page 3 of 9
Page 3 of 9
6. Verity

6. Verity

Doctor Who’s massive history and even larger fandom can be intimidating. After all, where do you start with a 50 year old show about a shape changing alien who travels through time in a phone box? Don’t worry, Verity’s here to help. Hugo award-winning hosts Deb, Liz, Lynne, and friends are the friendliest, funniest Who experts you’ll find. Previous episodes have discussed the new show’s resurrection of the Daleks and the career of Doctor Who’s first female director. Welcoming and positive, this is Who fandom at its best. Start with their excellent look at the new wave of Doctor Who comics.

Listen here.

Page 4 of 9
Page 4 of 9
5. Engage - The Official Star Trek podcast

5. Engage - The Official Star Trek podcast

Happy anniversary Star Trek fans! Ready for the new movie? I’m a huge Trekkie and massively excited about what’s heading our way. As is Jordan Hoffman, the host of the new official Star Trek podcast. Engage is a young show but it’s off to a brilliant start. Hoffman’s affable persona drives it and the show’s mix of interviews (Weird Al Yankovic!) and features is high energy, informative and fun. Start anywhere but pay special attention to the episode about the new fan film guidelines. Trek has a huge community who produce their own movies and the show uses those guidelines to take a look at a creative and often overlooked area of Trek fandom.

Listen here.

Page 5 of 9
Page 5 of 9
4. NetFreaks

4. NetFreaks

Netflix TV is always good. Whether you’re an Orange is the New Black fan or devoured Voltron: Legendary Defender in two days (like me) then you know just how good it all is. So do the NetFreaks team, whose show is dedicated to reviewing and talking about all Netflix’s original programming. The only difference between this and having some friends over, is the show can’t bring you Doritos… yet. That tiny problem aside, Netfreaks is one of the best TV podcasts around. Hosts David Troy, Adam Eastwood, and Heather Woodcock’s OITNB season retrospective episodes will get you up to speed in no time and their episode by episode discussions of Daredevil are must-listens. Start with their Voltron episode, though because it, like Voltron, is top fun.

Listen here. 

Page 6 of 9
Page 6 of 9
3. The West Wing Weekly

3. The West Wing Weekly

Missing Madam Secretary? Now’s the perfect time to catch up on its predecessor. The West Wing is one of the best TV shows ever made, and this makes the perfect companion to a marathon binge-watch. Hosted by musician and podcaster Hrishikesh Hirway and West Wing cast member Joshua Malina, TWWW tackles an episode at a time, in order. Hirway’s a great host and Malina’s affably awkward persona complements him to a tee. The regular guest stars are the icing on the cake, making this a joyful weekly trip through an all-time classic. Start at the beginning with the podcast and the show. They’re both that good.

Listen here. 

Page 7 of 9
Page 7 of 9
2. The Avatar Returns

2. The Avatar Returns

I’m watching Avatar: The Last Airbender for the first time right now and kicking myself for not getting to it sooner. Set on an alternate earth where Earth, Air, Fire and Water are elements that magicians can control, it and sequel Legacy of Korra are a fantastic combination of fantasy, martial arts and comedy. Also? Best Sky Bison ever. TAR watches the show from the start, talking about a couple of episodes at a time. Hosts Paul Smith, Arlo J Wiley, and Eric Sipple are informal, friendly and love the show. That makes it the perfect companion for a re-watch. And yes, they even watch the live action movie. And no, you don’t have to as well.

Listen here. 

Page 8 of 9
Page 8 of 9
1. Game of Owns

1. Game of Owns

Less a podcast more a vital resource, Game of Owns is a show every GoT fan needs in their lives. Over 300 episodes, covering every book and every episode of the show, Game of Owns is almost as epic as the series itself. Hosts Zach, Selina, Micah, and Eric do the near impossible and cover every aspect of the biggest TV show in the world and the books that it’s drawn from. If you’re a newcomer to Thrones in either form, this is for you. If you’re a fan and desperately need something to tide you over to season 7, this is for you. Every episode, every chapter, every theory and every aspect of fandom gets covered. Wherever you are in the story, there’s an episode for you.

Listen here. 

Page 9 of 9
Page 9 of 9
Alasdair Stuart
See more TV Shows Features
Read more
Anson Mount as Pike in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
The 25 best shows on Paramount Plus to watch right now
The Best True Crime Podcasts
The 30 best true crime podcasts to kill your free time, ranked
Severance
The 25 best shows on Apple TV Plus to watch right now (June 2025)
Walton Goggins as Rick Hatchett in The White Lotus season 3.
The 20 best shows on HBO Max to watch right now
Squid Game Season 2 on Netflix
The 25 best shows on Netflix to watch right now
Kevin Bacon as Hub Halloran in The Bondsman.
The best new shows and movies streaming this week on Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus and more
Latest in TV
Fist of the North Star 2026
Fist of the Northstar is getting a reboot in 2026 – the most gonzo fighting anime of all time returns nearly 40 years after its debut
Baylan Skoll and Shin Hati in Ahsoka
Ahsoka star Ivanna Sakhno says the Star Wars show's second season is "currently in the middle of filming" and promises a "bigger" and "even more in-depth" journey: "I'm really excited for people to see it"
One-Punch Man season 3: Saitama punching while in mid-air during the anime One-Punch Man.
Anime Expo 2025: dates, announcements, and why One-Punch Man fans should be excited
Friday the 13th
They'll do anything but make a new Friday the 13th movie: the first new image of a live-action Jason Voorhees in 16 years comes from a YouTube short sponsored by a cider company
The Front Man in Squid Game season 3
Who does [SPOILER] play in Squid Game season 3?
Anthony Ramos as The Hood in Ironheart
Ironheart stars come as close as Marvel will allow to spoiling a major cameo, promising one of the "elite actors of our time" will show up next week
Latest in Features
One-Punch Man season 3: Saitama punching while in mid-air during the anime One-Punch Man.
Anime Expo 2025: dates, announcements, and why One-Punch Man fans should be excited
The Shrouds
It may feature corpses, missing limbs, and AI, but with The Shrouds, legendary director David Cronenberg has made the ultimate meditation on grief: "To me, there is no afterlife"
A full setup for Fate of the Fellowship with cards, tokens, and pieces all laid out
Legendary board game designer says his upcoming Lord of the Rings project is "definitely the most thematically and mechanically rich game I’ve worked on"
Promotional artwork for the Steam Summer Sale 2025 which runs from June 26th - July 10th at 10am PT
I've spent six hours exploring the Steam Summer Sale with our Games Editor, and these are the 10 best games on discount I'd recommend so far
The Outer Worlds 2 screenshot of Aza, a cultist companion with short pink hair who holds a dagger
The Outer Worlds 2 is "going deeper and more complex" with its companions, and I'm already making grabby hands at this RPG
Ruffy runs across the ocean on wooden crates in Ruffy and the Riverside, with the GamesRadar+ Indie Spotlight logo
Banjo-Kazooie and Paper Mario mix together in this delightful puzzle platformer that has me swapping textures to solve puzzles by changing the world
  1. Sam fires at the ghost mech squid boss in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
    1
    Death Stranding 2: On the Beach review: "This tarpunk delivery epic is more Metal Gear Solid than ever, for better and worse"
  2. 2
    Rematch review: "As with Rocket League, the just-one-more-game pull is magnetic"
  3. 3
    Tron: Catalyst review: "Disc slinging is a thrill in this gorgeous rendition of the series, but I'm let down by a time-loop story that falls flat"
  4. 4
    FBC: Firebreak review: "A disappointingly bland multiplayer FPS that's missing far too much of what made Control special"
  5. 5
    Dune: Awakening review: "Both extremely compelling and extraordinarily boring, sometimes at the same time – yet still a true Dune love letter"
  1. M3GAN doll in M3GAN 2.0
    1
    M3GAN 2.0 review: "A bold sequel with a slightly underwhelming conclusion"
  2. 2
    28 Years Later Review: "Enough terror, splatter and suspense to satisfy”
  3. 3
    Predator: Killer of Killers review: "Great characters, thrilling action, and gorgeous Arcane-esque animation"
  4. 4
    From the World of John Wick: Ballerina review: "Brilliant action, even if the plot gives you a sense of déjà vu"
  5. 5
    Karate Kid: Legends review: "Better than Karate Kid (2010), nothing on Karate Kid (1984)"
  1. Lee Jung-jae as Gi-hun in Squid Game season 3
    1
    Squid Game season 3 review: "A staggeringly excellent final season wraps up one of the greatest Netflix shows ever"
  2. 2
    Ironheart review: "A relic of Marvel's content-at-all-costs era"
  3. 3
    Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 review: "The show's most assured run of episodes to date"
  4. 4
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 8 spoiler review: 'The Reality War' is "a mix of the good, the bad, and the truly baffling"
  5. 5
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 7 spoiler review: 'Wish World' is "an exciting and ambitious" start to the season finale, with hints of WandaVision

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...