When things are getting rough, and you’re not sure what to do, a comedy podcast is a great way to tune out the world and have a laugh doing so. There are so many comedy podcasts, but only a few have really made an impact on the podcasting world.
Here are five of the best comedy podcasts worth your time.
1. My Brother, My Brother, and Me
An advice show for the modern era, “My Brother, My Brother, and Me” (MBMBaM, pronounced ‘muh-bim-bam’) features Justin, Travis, and Griffin McElroy as they try to solve the world’s problems.
They get questions mailed to them by listeners but will also head to Yahoo Answers to look for people in need. Problems on the show are never overly serious and usually have a humorous tone or put a lot of weight on a small social problem, such as eating abandoned pizza left on a plate from another restaurant patron.
Sometimes the brothers will come up with miniature “podcast within a podcast” ideas. One of the longest-running entries is “Munch Squad,” where Justin will interrupt the podcast with some funny news from the fast-food industry. Travis also has a segment where he tests the other two brothers on terrible riddles he found online.
All in all, MBMBaM is a fun podcast that highlights the little problems people go through in life and explores them with a humorous tone. It covers adult topics, so you should definitely not put it on when the kids are around; however, if you’re listening by yourself, you’ll find hours of entertainment in MBMBaM.
2. Judge John Hodgman
Judge John Hodgman is a comedy podcast where people can bring small, trivial disputes into Internet court. John Hodgman interviews both sides of the dispute to get a bigger picture of what’s going on, then uses this knowledge to make a final verdict on, as the show puts it, “who’s right and who’s wrong.”
The podcast sounds serious and heavy, but John Hodgman is a great humorist that puts a fun spin on each case. As such, while Mr. Hodgman is working toward a verdict, he’s still very funny and riffing with his other host, Jesse Thorn. The end result is a fun show where people’s problems get solved while still enjoying themselves.
3. How Did this Get Made?
Do you love watching movies that are so bad they’re good? If so, be sure to check out “How Did This Get Made,” a podcast that unearths bad movies to discuss them.
The podcast is a little different from others, as its format alternates each week. First, there’s a “minisode” where the hosts talk about what’s going on in their lives. In the minisode, they reveal which movie they’re going to watch and riff on next week. This gives listeners a chance to hunt down a copy for themselves and watch it ahead of time.
The next week the hosts will discuss the movie in front of a studio audience. They’ll riff on what they liked and didn’t like about it, which is a lot of fun, even if you didn’t see the movie they’re talking about.
4. Beef and Dairy Network
Beef and Dairy Network gives listeners a glimpse into a fictional world about dairy. Don’t be fooled by its title – while the topic may seem boring, the podcast takes a very surreal turn that makes it a stellar comedy podcast.
It’s a British-made podcast that won the gold medal at the British Podcast Awards for 2017 and 2018. As such, if you want the absolute best in British comedy podcasts, Beef and Dairy Network should be on your list of podcasts to listen to.
5. No Such Thing as a Fish
If you don’t want your podcast to be a pure comedy show and want some type of takeaway for it, try No Such Thing as a Fish.
This podcast is set up by the fact-checkers (referred to as “elves”) of the British trivia show QI. They assemble all the interesting facts that didn’t make it on the show and present them on their podcast with some great commentary and banter.
A Strong Cast of Comedy Podcasts
Comedy podcasts are everywhere on the Internet, but some of them really rise to the occasion. Now you have five comedy podcasts to choose from, from raw humor to shows with facts sprinkled in.
With the sheer number of comedy podcasts available, we’re bound to have missed some classics. Do you have any additions to this list? Give everyone a heads-up below!
Simon Batt is a Computer Science graduate with a passion for cybersecurity.
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