With the holidays upon us, there’s no doubt going to be a lot of family togetherness. And what comes hand-in-hand with family togetherness? Family aggravation! So if you’re home for the weekend and find that you can’t take another moment of, “Why aren’t you married? Where are my grandkids? Isn’t it time you got a real job? Did you hear what [fill in the name of random high school acquaintance] is doing now? etc..” TheTVaddict has an idea to help you survive the inevitable family overload — TV Podcasts, the perfect ‘time-out!’
If you find yourself about to burst, take a deep breath, refrain from screaming, grab your iPod and head outside for a nice long walk. Yup, you heard me, a walk. But not to worry, you’ll be prepared for your unexpected constitutional because you’ve already taken my advice and downloaded some of theTVaddict.com’s favourite TV related podcasts. (Click on any album to head directly to the iTunes Music Store)
Okay first on the list is a no brainer, theTVaddict.com’s official (and only!) podcast. On it you’ll join myself Daniel (theTVaddict) and my good friend Ariel (or Ari) as we discuss what we watched on TV this week. Of course we’re known for going off track and discussing life as well. It’s a nice 30-40 minutes of random ramblings about television and life in general. A can’t miss!
My podcast aside, the TV Guide Official Podcast is my most anticipated podcast of the week. If only to hear Dan Manu (the moderator) attempt to control a group of funny, sometimes racy and definitely opinionated group of staffers. The panel is rounded out by the adorable Angel Cohn, the opinionated and smart film critic Maitland and of course, the king of all media (in his own mind!) Michael Ausiello.
Each week Ronald D Moore, creator and executive producer of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA takes time from his busy week to do a commentary on the week’s episode of BSG. Moore offers incredibly honest and insightful commentary on the week’s episode, and is a must listen for fans of the show. Even better than the commentaries are the occasional special podcasts that Moore records. Recently Moore recorded a roundtable discussion with actor’s (including Baltar, Apollo and Helo) from the show. It was refreshing (and surprising) to hear actors talk so honestly about the show and their likes, dislikes and theories. Moore’s BSG podcasts is the perfect example of a showrunner truly going that extra mile for the fans.
Continuing with the theme of showrunners talking about their show we move onto Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindeloff’s officiall LOST podcast. Albeit far shorter than the BSG version, Cuse and Lindeloff are highly entertaining as they record about twenty-minutes of discussion rehashes (and hash) each week a new episode of LOST premieres. In additioning to answering fan questions, Cuse and Lindeloff have great chemistry and are a pleasure to listen to (so excited for the LOST zombie season!). The only negative to the podcast is the lame actor interview that is generally tacked on to the start of the podcast. Nobody wants to hear LOST actors answer some incredibly boring questions doled out by the Podcast’s annoying announcer.
The UGLY BETTY podcast started off pretty poorly. In fact, the show was so bad, that I was this close to deleting it from my iTunes subscription list. Thankfully, everything changed with podcast #3 and the arrival of stars Becki Newton (Amanda) and Michael Urie (Marc). Actors Newton and Urie are funny, unscripted and honest. Listening to the podcast now, it’s like being on set with the stars, as they dish about the show.
Each week different actors and creative team members do a commentary that can be played along with the episode of SCRUBS. Thus far we’ve seen commentary by Zach Braff, Neil Flynn, Donald Faison, Judy Reyes, John C McGinley and Neil Flynn. This TV Addict only has one question, When do we get podcasts from ‘The Todd’ and Ted?
This fall, my friends over at DuckyxDale and Give Me My Remote started putting out a podcast. While it’s a lot of fun to hear the actual voices (Dan and Kathie) behind their sites talk about TV, they lose points for being incredibly inconsistent with their releases (they’ve only done 3!). Real life is no excuse folks, TV podcasts should definitely be taking a priority over you know, work and social lives!
For those of us who aren’t able to get HBO, the REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER podcast is a God send. A week after each show airs, HBO releases the complete audio feed of Maher’s complete show. The show is brilliant, hilarious and makes me wish I watched Maher’s POLITICALLY INCORRECT while it was on the air. If you’re a fan of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, you’ll love REAL TIME. If you’re a republican, well, this show probably isn’t for you.
Pop Candy is one of theTVaddict’s most frequented sites. Whitney Matheson does a fantastic job keep up with everything one needs to know about pop culture. Her weekly podcast, is pretty new on the scene, but has featured some great segments for TV Addicts everywhere. Highlights have included interviews with Scott Wolf (THE NINE), Kate Flannery (THE OFFICE) and cast members from BATTLESTAR GALACTICA. The only drawback for TV Addicts specifically is that the show’s sole focus is not TV, there’s music and movies as well.
That’s about it for theTVaddict’s favourite podcast. Please post away with your favourites, podcasts I’ve missed and any shows that you’d think readers would like. I hope this list makes your holiday season a little brighter — or at least that plane ride/long drive to your family’s house a little easier! 
