As is often said, there’s simply too much TV to watch everything.
It would take over 14,000 years to exhaust Netflix’s content alone, but like a brimming restaurant menu, with great choice comes a greater opportunity for disappointment.
Whether it’s wanting some direction on what to watch next, needing a deep dive discussion into a favourite TV show, or just having enough general knowledge to breeze through an office kitchen chat, these TV podcasts have got you covered.
Pilot TV Podcast
Hosts: James Dyer, Terri White and Boyd Hilton
From the team behind the Empire, the titan film magazine, Pilot TV’s spin-off quarterly turns readers attention to the delights of the small screen.
In the weekly Pilot TV Podcast, James Dyer hosts alongside his fellow deputy editor Boyd Hilton and Empire’s editor-in-chief Terri White, as the trio aim to cut through the clutter of the TV schedule.
With a lively discussion about the week’s newest releases, which classic and new shows they have been enjoying, and interviews with the top stars, the team offer an insightful critical conversation about the best, and the rest, of British TV.
The presenters’ genre tastes range from the mainstream to the downright bizarre, meaning there is a recommendation for everyone to take away. Expect effing and jeffing, exchanging jibes and lots of laughs.
Obsessed With...I May Destroy You
Host: Sophie Duker
BBC Sound’s Obsessed with… podcast series provides the ultimate TV companion to the broadcaster’s biggest dramas, including Line of Duty, Killing Eve and Normal People.
Comedian Sophie Duker hosts the I May Destroy You edition, with each instalment dissecting two episodes of Michaela Coel’s masterpiece.
With the help of some excellent guests, such as Queenie author Candice Carty-Williams, co-stars Paapa Essiedu and Weruche Opia to Michaela Coel herself, Duker dissects I May Destroy You’s themes of sexual assault, consent and race in a frank, personal and relatable style.
Despite these difficult topics, Duker doesn’t scrimp on the laughs. Each episode feels like catching up and discussing the show with friends, which was an undeniable tonic during its lockdown release.
An episode to look out for is episode three with the guest Tolani Shoneye, a.k.a Tolly T, from The Receipts Podcast, with the pair hilariously discussing the messy behaviour of I May Destroy You’s lead characters.
The Watch
Hosts: Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald
'Normal People' on Hulu: Interview With Paul Mescal | The Watch
Connell Waldron isn’t a fictional character to Paul Mescal, and he’d love to play him again if there’s a second season of 'Normal People.'
Posted by The Watch Podcast on Thursday, 14 May 2020
From The Ringer podcast network in the US, The Watch sees close friends Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald offer a comprehensive digest of all things pop culture, including movies, music and predominantly TV.
With an analytical eye, the pair discuss everything from what the Emmy nominations say about the TV landscape to which streaming services will survive in the current sea of competitors.
Ryan and Greenwald take a deep dive into what makes our favourite shows so watchable and original, and what this says on a wider level about the present cultural moment.
From Normal People’s Paul Mescal to Succession’s Sarah Snook, The Watch interviews all the buzziest stars, asking all the must-know questions.
While the pair occasionally discuss American shows which are yet to reach the UK, the podcast gives British listeners a heads-up on which series are likely to provide the next water cooler moment.
So I Got to Thinking – The Sex and the City Podcast
Hosts: Juno Dawson and Dylan B Jones
Over twenty years since Sex and the City first made cultural waves, So I Got To Thinking sees author Juno Dawson and GX Magazine editor Dylan B Jones ask whether Carrie Bradshaw’s soul-searching questions are still relevant today.
On a journey through 00s nostalgia, the British pair re-watch the iconic comedy drama and highlight what aged well, which quotes are funniest and which parts are straight-up problematic in 2020.
With new guests weekly, the super-fans leave no SaTC stone unturned, from quintessential Miranda moments to Samantha’s salacious escapades.
What to Watch on Netflix/ 10/10 (Would Recommend)
Host: Dotty (Ashley Charles) / Tolani Shoneye (Tolly T) and Gena-mour Barret
With a constant stream of new content, Netflix can seem like an unconquerable mountain of options, leaving viewers clueless about where to start.
Former 1Xtra DJ Dotty acts as our tour guide through the vast streaming landscape, with each episode offering a deep dive into the best TV shows of a specific genre.
The ‘food episode’ sees Dotty joined by Off Menu podcast host James Acaster, journalist Chris Mandle and chef DJ BBQ, where the group discuss the streamer’s mouth-watering foodie offerings such as Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat and Chef’s Table.
For those looking for laughs, comedians Joel Dommett and Rachel Parris (The Mash Report) join Dotty to reveal the weird and wonderful world of Netflix’s comedy slate.
The podcast is sure to separate the wheat from the chaff, making the hours spent indecisively scrolling on Netflix a thing of the past.
The podcast has since rebranded to 10/10 Would Recommend, hosted by The Receipt's Podcast host Tolani Shoneye and Gena-mour Barrett, who works at Netflix.
Each week, the Tolly T and Gena-mour will be telling us what they're watching as well as speaking to a guest from the wide world of Netflix. In their opening episode, the pair interview comedian Micheal McIntyre about his new Netflix special Showman.
