When you love a TV show, there’s nothing better than a timely rewatch accompanied by a podcast from the people who got to make it
If you’re like us, you’re always on the lookout for a good show or podcast recommendation to sink your teeth into as you while away those hours walking, working out or in the car.
But have you ever thought about combining the two? Imagine rewatching your favourite TV show and then getting to listen to the actors or creators of the show chat about what it was like to film it.
Rewatch podcasts have become a genre all of their own and it’s definitely big business, giving old shows a new lease of life and it’s former stars a very nice side hustle!
Here are some feelgood ones we think you’ll love:
The West Wing Weekly
Given what’s happened in American politics over the last decade, re-watching The West Wing may feel particularly bittersweet but it might also be the escapism you need to remind yourself that all can and will be well again.
This rewatch podcast is hosted by Joshua Malina aka. Will Bailey on the show, and his friend and West Wing superfan Hrishikesh Hirway and it’s excellent. Not only do they do a deep dive into each episode, they also have fantastic interviews with the writers, creators, main actors and later, political experts from both sides of the divide to discuss the election episodes.
(Fun fact: Malina’s Twitter byline is “Hi. I ruined The West Wing” and he has a hilarious love-hate-prank relationship with Bradley Whitford who played Josh Lyman on the show.)
Office Ladies
Who didn’t love The US Office? The show experienced a massive surge in popularity (and a whole new audience) when it started streaming on Netflix and has made podcast stars of two of it’s original cast – Angela Kinsey and Jenna Fischer – who play Angela Martin and Pam Beesley in the beloved show.
In Office Ladies, the talented duo take us on a trip down memory lane with lots of behind-the-scenes details from the show and explain how they came to be best friends themselves. There are clips, interviews, fan mail, banter but best of all, you’ll find out that it was as much fun making it as it was to watch.
Fake Doctors, Real Friends with Zach and Donald
Scrubs is one of those shows that actually gets better and funnier each time you watch it. And what could be better than having the two stars of the show (and real life best friends), Donald Faison and Zach Braff, talking about their time making it?
The podcast started in the early days of the pandemic but has since gone on to become one of the best rewatch podcasts out there. Donald and Zach aka. Turk and JD, share their memories of the hit show that ran from 2001 – 2009 and include their producers Joelle Monique and Danl Goodman, who talk about things from the audience’s perspective.
Parks and Recollection
The first season of this rewatch podcast for the hit NBC show Parks and Recreation was hosted by Rob Lowe and Alan Yang. Lowe played Chris Traeger on the show and Yang was a writer/producer on it.
However, from Season 2, the hosts changed to Jim O’Heir and Greg Levine – O’Heir played the long-suffering Gerry Gergich on Parks while Levine was one of the show-writers. And while we’re not saying you should skip the first season entirely, if it’s anything like the show, you’ll know that things really start to get good from Season 2 onwards!
Gilmore Guys
This rewatch podcast is a little different to the others in that it features superfan Kevin T. Porter and his friend Demi Adejuyigbe, a first-time viewer, as they watch and rewatch The Gilmore Girls. Throughout the seven seasons of the show, they bring on special guests (many of whom have never watched the show) and their natural hilarity makes it a joy to listen in.
Although as you can see from the photo above, they also get to feature plenty of high profile interviews and chat to the stars of the show!
If you’re a fan of the guys, you may also be interested to know that they have rewatch podcasts for two other Amy Sherman-Palladino creations – Bunheads and The Marvellous Mrs Maisel.
Welcome to our Show
New Girl is always worth a rewatch and if you haven’t seen it before, well, we’re more than a little jealous.
Starring Zooey Deschanel as the titular character, it was a more modern and diverse Friends without the studio audience and quirky coffee shop. And thankfully for the fans, the podcast stars aligned for three of the main cast – Zooey, Hannah Simone and Lamorne Morris – who play Jess, Cece and Winston, to get together to shoot the breeze about the blast they had making the hilarious show.
They reveal never-before-told stories, share favourite memories and talk about the scenes that were left on the cutting room floor.
The Always Sunny Podcast
This very funny podcast already has a big following in Ireland as evidenced by the recent live podcast show that took place in Dublin’s 3Arena in April.
It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia gained a cult following while the show aired but has since exploded in popularity as more and more people discover it and the brilliant podcast featuring the three lead actors – Rob McElhinney, Charlie Day and Glenn Howerton.
Tune in to hear them recount the show’s best moments and listen as they go off on even funnier tangents that make you wish you had been a fly on the set wall for the sixteen seasons of the iconic show.
Just Jack & Will
Believe it or not, this Will & Grace rewatch podcast has just started with episode one dropping on 22 June.
Veteran podcast host Seán Hayes and Eric McCormack aka. Jack McPharland and Will Truman, get together to rewatch the show that changed their lives and created a cultural shift in how gay relationships were portrayed on network television. Although in the introduction, Seán claims that he has never actually watched the show while Eric may have watched it ‘a little too much’.
They’ll be breaking down each episode, chatting to guest stars, talking about their favourite jokes, giving us all the behind-the-scenes details as well interviewing the directors, writers and producers that came and went during the show’s impressive 11-season run.
So, there you have it – an almost perfect list of podcasts for you to get started on. All we need now is for Frank and Karl to start a Succession rewatch podcast and our lives will be complete.
