hese days Nerd Culture is everywhere. The internet has opened the floodgates and helped nerd culture to explode. It seems like everyone has a podcast discussing all thing’s nerd related, but which ones are worth the time listening too and are helping you keep informed about the world of gaming, movies, tech, conventions, and comic books? I’m always on the lookout for great podcasts to inform me and educate me on all things Nerdy.
Below is a list of my top picks for Nerdy podcasts in no particular order because they are all awesome.
THE ADVENTURE ZONE
If you’re a fan Dungeons and Dragons or other roleplaying games and are curious in learning more, then The Adventure Zone is for you. They are a trio of podcast enthusiasts who along with their dad Clint, take turns at being the dungeon master and bring audiences on adventurous campaigns filled with chuckles, quirky characters, and random decisions. Along with their extensive campaigns, they’ve also been doing short story arcs which are about 5 episodes long which are a lot easier to keep up if you’re not familiar with D&D. The format itself is quite easy to pick up, and it feels like you’re listening to a full-blown fantasy story unfold. Both the brothers and their dad were equally new to the game at the very first episode so I would recommend starting there if you’d like to experience their first venture into fantasy roleplaying fiction.
CRITICAL ROLE
Critical Role is another awesome D&D podcast starring Matthew Mercer as dungeon master guiding a group of voice actors on extensive campaigns. You might recognize Mercer’s voice in works such as McCree in Overwatch, the Fire Emblem series, and in English dubs of Japanese some animes. Characters are brought to life with a mixture of distinctive voices; even NPCs met along the way are given deep personalities by Mercer. It is a good idea to start at the first episode of campaigns if you want to stay on track and immerse yourself into their fantasy world.
KINDA FUNNY GAMES
Kinda Funny Games was initially founded by a group of former IGN editors and producers. They are dedicated to delivering podcast videos on everything gaming and pop culture. With hosts Tim Gettys, Greg Miller, and Jared Petty keeping listeners up to date with weekly discussions with the latest topics in the gaming industry as well as reviews of games they have played, that way you can stay on top of all the latest news about your favorite games and enjoy conversations about more current topics with this daily podcast dose.
MYTHS AND LEGENDS
Have you ever wondered about the origins of famous characters such as Thor, Loki, and Superman? The majority of today’s pop culture has been molded by classical myths, legends, and folklore, from your favorite comic book heroes and Disney princesses to the noble knights and grotesque monsters of the fantasy genre. The host of Myths and Legends Jason Weiser tells stories from Greek, Asian, and Norse mythology, urban legends, fairy tales, and much more. You’d seemingly be surprised to hear that those innocent Disney princesses are often based on surprisingly unsettling stories from the past. Listening to Myths and Legends is like listening to an audiobook. It allows you to escape from your normal day to day and instead lose yourself in captivating worlds filled with enthralling monsters, wizards, knights, and kings.
THE MOVIE CRYPT
Filmmakers Adam Green and Joe Lynch give firsthand stories from the professional independent filmmakers. The Movie Crypthighlights a wide variety of all-star guests that are involved in every aspect of filmmaking. The show regularly centers towards Horror Films but also dives into every genre and what it takes to see a film from Pre-Production to Post Production to the Master. If you can’t manage to fork out thousands for film school this will you learn a lot about the practicalities of filmmaking. Adam and Joe are exceptional at asking their guests questions you wouldn’t ordinarily hear on other podcasts. This podcast is a must listen for anyone who is curious about entering the film industry.
REBEL FORCE RADIO
If you consider yourself a nerd the chances are you probably love Star Wars. In my personal opinion, Rebel Force Radio is undoubtedly one of the best Star Wars podcast out there. The hosts Jimmy Mac and Jason Swank an extraordinary amount of knowledge about the films. They have had a wide diversity of guests on their podcast that has worked on all things Star Wars, including the animated shows, comic books, novels, and video games. They even interviewed the originator himself, George Lucas. They get all kinds of exclusives from Lucasfilm and have maintained to keep the show exciting and up to date over the years.
WELCOME TO NIGHT VALE
Welcome to Night Vale is a bi-monthly podcast in which episodes are presented as a radio show providing community updates for the mysterious, fictional town of Night Vale. Local weather and news are narrated with the relaxing deep voice of Cecil Baldwin who plays the role of radio host Cecil Gershwin Palmer. With a Stephen King type of vibe, this podcast can give you the serious creeps. Strange and unexplained events continuously plague the small desert town – mysterious lights in the sky, herds of mute children, and The Glow Cloud among others many others. There are currently over 100 past episodes which may seem a little intimidating, but the overarching plot progresses gradually as most episodes are usually their own standalone narratives, with the occasional running jokes and recurring characters.
I SELL COMICS
Hosted by two of AMC’s Comic Book Men, Ming Chen, and Michael Zapcic. I Sell Comics is a podcast that is mostly based around; you guessed it…comic books. These guys really understand their Comic Book history and what is currently going on in the Comic Book world. The fact that they work for Kevin Smith they know how to dish out some raw, unfiltered discussions as well. It’s always great to hear them banter amongst each other as well as roasting other members of the Kevin Smith universe. They feature a wide variety of guests from the comic book and geek world like Blue Juice Comics, Thomas Mumme, Gavin Smith, and Ronnie Porto as well as their hilarious stories from their Convention appearances and life at The Stash house located in Red Bank New Jersey.
ID10T WITH CHRIS HARDWICK
ID10T which was previously known as The Nerdist, this podcast was rebranded to ID10T by host Chris Hardwick after dropping its association with Nerdist Industries. Apart from the name change, the podcast preserves its celebrity guest interview format and celebration of everything nerd culture, giving you an insight into the minds and lives of actors and entertainers and sometimes their nerdy interests. There are currently over 300 episodes with celebrity guests such as Daniel Radcliffe, Anna Kendrick, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Sir Patrick Stewart, Mark Hamill, Bill Hader, Seth Rogen, and Chris Pratt just to name a few. The best thing about this podcast is that there’s no need to follow each episode in sequential order or keep up with a narrative, simply pick an episode featuring a someone you’re a fan of, and away you go.
HOLLYWOOD BABBLE ON
The hosts of the Hollywood Babble On podcast are the truly hilarious Film Director Kevin Smith and Family Guy voice actor, Ralph Garmen. Kevin Smith is considered San Diego Comicon royalty since premiering Mallrats there in the mid-’90s and has been a Hall H panel preference at SDCC ever since. The two of them have a flawless flow and explain and discuss all things pop culture in a truly raw and straightforward way. They are great at engaging with live crowds at their tapings. If you haven’t already tuned in, nows your chance.
MIGHTY MARVEL GEEKS
Mighty Marvel Geeks is a weekly talk show broadcast live on Sorcerer Radio. This podcast addresses highlights of the radio show with its hosts Mike Ehmcke, Eric Allen and Kylan Toles who talk about everything Marvel from the comics movies, TV shows, and basically anything Marvel related from games, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, pop-culture convention coverage, Disney Parks Marvel Attractions, Marvel Animation, and just Marvel in general. On top of discussing these topics, they do interviews with various people within the Marvel universe. Basically, this is a Marvel lover’s podcast wet dream, and I think you’ll love it.
IMAGINARY WORLDS
If you are looking for a podcast that is consistent in terms of their show and content with a very polished feel, then look no further than Imaginary Worlds. This is a Bi-weekly podcast about everything science fiction and fantasy hosted by Eric Molinsky. From talking about Star Trek and the Klingon language to having a detailed discussion on the impending zombie apocalypse, this podcast seems to have it all. You might not suspect such a polished podcast to be so fun, but for all you nerds out there this is definitely a must listen.
THE TALES OF SAGE AND SAVANT
When it comes to nerdy podcasts, there is something absolutely unique about The Tales of Sage and Savant. This is a regular monthly steampunk podcast which is set in a retro-futuristic sci-fi Victorian Steampunk universe. The story that is being told is simply captivating especially with the material the hosts bring to the table which is incredibly rich with strong vocabulary and a story that is intense. It is also an action-packed experience that anyone can enjoy. Its a fresh breath of air thanks to the humor and banter the hosts bring to the table. Plus, with how different this particular podcast really is, you won’t find anything like this anywhere else.
THE INDOOR KIDS
The Indoor Kids Podcast is all about video games. Comedian Kumail Nanjiani and writer/producer Emily V. Gordon continue their popular videogame podcast in between an increasingly hectic career in television, movies and other side projects. Kumail and Emily hang out among nerd relevant influential people like comedians, game developers, and voice actors. The hosts Kumail and Emily will take you on a hilarious nerd fuelled trips from their childhood Shinobi obsessions, to the best and worst video game adaptations of movies.
HOW DID THIS GET MADE?
Have you ever seen a movie so bad that it’s amazing?. Well, this is a hilarious podcast that revolves around addressing truly terrible movies and asking the question, How Did This Get Made? Hosted by celebrity comedians and actors, Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael, and Jason Mantzoukas who breakdown the hilariously bad movies like Tommy Wiseau’s over the top dramatic sometimes not “The Room”, Lee Frost’s strange but intriguing “The Black Gestapo, Anthony C Ferrante’s insanely absurd “Sharknado, David Kellogg’s cheesy as hell “Cool as Ice” among many others. They often bring in other celebrity comedians to add to the fun of explaining all the things that went wrong in the making of ironically bad films like, Birdemic. This show is clever, amusing, and side-splittingly funny at the worst of times.
FLASH FORWARD
Ever finished a science fiction story and wondered what would happen if its premise became reality? The host of Flash ForwardRose Eveleth is committed to examining and exploring that very idea. Each episode she takes on a possible or not so possible future scenario interviewing historians, scientists, and writers about the futures that might or might not be coming. Rose has published numerous podcasts so it might be a hard at first to decide which one to listen in on. One of her most popular podcasts are “Eternal Life in Prison” under the assumption that in the distant future humans are able to live for many centuries, the question is what if “life in prison” could mean 100 or 200 or 400 years? Does that change the way that sentences are handed out? What happens when a person gets out of prison after serving a couple of hundred years? listen in and find out.
THE BRIGHT SESSIONS
If superpowers and disturbing conspiracies are your things, then get ready to embrace one of the best podcasts for science fiction on the internet. Featuring quite an extended cast of well-crafted voice actors, The Bright Sessions is a science fiction podcast that follows a group of therapy patients each of which has their unique supernatural powers. The show documents their struggles and revelations as well as the motives of their mysterious therapist, Dr. Bright. Each episode represents a different “case study” by the mysterious Dr. Bright, whose agenda is as curious as of her patients.
DRIVE TO WORK
This is one podcast that no Magic the Gathering aficionado should not miss out on. Drive to Work is a podcast by MTG Head Designer Mark Rosewater in which he records when he drives to work. In the 30-minute podcast, Mark breaks down every aspect of the game, from its early development, core design principles to the nitty-gritty details of new sets as well as shares stories, insights, questions from listeners and more.
HELLO FROM THE MAGIC TAVERN
If you want a tonne of comedy with your nerdy podcast, then you will want to tune in to Hello From the Magic Tavern. This podcast brings together three comedians from Chicago who take turns inviting their friends and other comedians onto the podcast. Hello from the Magic Tavern is a podcast about Arnie, a human from Chicago who has fallen through a magical rift behind a Burger King into the land of Foon. Since he has his podcasting equipment with him and he’s getting a weak WiFi signal from Burger King through the rift, he decided to host a weekly podcast from The Vermilion Minotaur where he interviews the strange people and creatures he meets. Regardless of what the topic is, this podcast is equal parts hilarious and captivating. With content that is actually updated moderately frequently and genuine engagement from the audience, this is a podcast that every nerd can enjoy.
LORE
Do you like your magic a tad darker than what you found in either Harry Potter or Fantastic Beasts? If so, then you might appreciate the Lore podcast. The host, creator, and producer of the show Aaron Mahnke dives into historical, mysterious, or unusual. Lore is an award-winning, critically-acclaimed podcast about true life scary stories. Lore reveals the darker side of history, examining the creatures, people, and places of our wildest nightmares. We are talking disturbing folklore that that will give you the serious creeps and keep you hanging to edge of your seat. This is going to be more for the history-loving nerds out there, who also love some fantasy and mythology thrown in. But really, this is one podcast that you won’t want to miss out on.
