From The Office to Gossip Girl, classic comfort-watches are getting the audio treatment.
When Steve Jobs cleverly relabeled “radio programs” as “podcasts” and encouraged people to download episodes into their devices, he revitalized a genre of storytelling that was already a century old. Since then, podcast subjects have ranged from true crime to interview series. But the latest to gain popularity is celebrity-hosted nostalgic TV rewatch podcasts, on which the stars of popular TV series share their perspective as people who actually lived through the making of the shows fans love.
There are lots of rewatch podcasts out there. Some are hosted by TV critics, like Too Long; Didn’t Watch, on which each episode a celebrity guest watches a series they missed the first time round, or The Storm, on which culture writers strictly rewatch Lost.
Some celebrity-hosted “rewatch” podcasts are less about the show and more of an excuse for old friends to get together and talk. Fake Doctors, Real Friends, for example, is supposedly a rewatch of Scrubs, but it’s really just Zach Braff and Donald Faison being entertaining for an hour. (To be fair, they are entertaining! And sometimes they actually watch the show.)But some are very serious about the rewatch portion, and the in-depth discussions are almost better than watching the show itself. Here is a selection of some of the best options out there.
Office Ladies
Office Ladies arguably was the podcast that took this genre mainstream. The rewatch podcast for The Office is hosted by Jenna Fischer (Pam) and Angela Kinsey (Angela), who launched it in 2019, just ahead of the show’s 15-year anniversary. The actors dedicate each podcast episode to an episode of the show, and give cute stories and behind-the-scenes details fans haven’t heard before.
Listen to Office Ladies on the official website.
Talking Sopranos
The Sopranos was *the* series that defined prestige TV. A podcast looking back on the show with two of its stars, Michael Imperioli (Christopher Moltisanti) and Steve Schirripa (Bobby Baccalieri), seemed like a no-brainer when it launched in 2020. Talking Sopranos is a bit long on chatting. (Podcast episodes can run twice as long as an episode of the original series.) But they do eventually get to it, even if there’s a pasta sauce recipe or a Hollywood story thrown in beforehand.
Listen to Talking Sopranos on Apple podcasts.
Welcome To Our Show
It’s been four years since New Girl ended, but the rewatch podcast, Welcome To Our Show, has brought the newness back. Launched in January 2022, series stars Zooey Deschanel (Jess), Hannah Simone (Cece), and Lamorne Morris (Winston) as they through the show episode by episode, answering long-standing fan questions and telling behind-the-scenes stories.
Listen to Welcome To Our Show on iHeartRadio’s podcast channel.
The West Wing Weekly
Launched in March 2016, The West Wing Weekly was one of the first podcasts to do a rewatch hosted by a cast member. Co-hosted by Joshua Malina (Will Bailey) alongside Hrishikesh Hirway of Song Exploder, the two retrace all six seasons of the political drama, including sit-downs with creator Aaron Sorkin and many of Malina’s fellow co-stars.
Listen to The West Wing Weekly on the official website.
XOXO
Gossip Girl may be back with a new generation, but there’s also XOXO, hosted by Jessica Szohr (Vanessa) for the OG GG fans. The rewatch podcast for the original series launched a few weeks after the new Gossip Girl Season 1 ended, and it features deep-dive commentary as well as interviews with cast and crew members.
Listen to XOXO on iHeartRadio’s podcast channel.
Supernatural Then and Now
If you’re looking to get in on the ground floor of a podcast that will run for a while, Supernatural Then and Now is the place to be. The TV series finished its 15-year run at the end of 2020, and its rewatch podcast — hosted by Rob Benedict (Chuck) and Richard Speight Jr. (Gabriel) — started in January 2022.
Listen to Supernatural Then and Now on Apple Podcasts.
Drama Queens
For the One Tree Hill fans who can never get enough of the dramz, Drama Queens is here for you. Hosted by actors Hilarie Burton Morgan (Peyton), Sophia Bush (Brooke), and Bethany Joy Lenz (Haley), this podcast goes episode by episode through every season.
Listen to Drama Queens on iHeartRadio’s podcast channel.
Clear Eyes, Full Hearts
Any Friday Night Lights podcast would end up being a family affair, but the podcast Clear Eyes, Full Hearts goes one better, with hosts Derek Phillips (Billy) and Stacey Oristano (Billy’s onscreen wife, Mindy), who have fabulous chemistry.
Listen to Clear Eyes, Full Hearts on the official website.
I Am All In
Perhaps one of the loveliest on this list is I Am All In, a Gilmore Girls rewatch podcast starring Scott Patterson (Luke). Despite starring on the show, Patterson had never actually watched it before having this podcast. So, even though you get the behind-the-scenes stories, the host is discovering the show for the first time as a viewer and falling in love with it years after it ended.
Listen to I Am All In on iHeartRadio’s podcast channel.
Battlestar Galacticast
Battlestar Galactica was a cult-favorite when it ran on the Sci-Fi channel (before it was SyFy). In 2018, almost a decade after it went off the air, star Tricia Helfer (Six) teamed up with TV writer Marc Bernardin to do a rewatch called Battlestar Galacticast. It ran for two years, covering all four seasons and the specials with a perfect blend of critical insight and behind-the-scenes knowledge.
Listen to Battlestar Galacticast on the Art19 podcast site.
