When I wasn’t listening to Marvel’s Wolverine: The Long Night (which I won’t stop raving about for a good while), I managed to bump into a show I wasn’t really expecting to enjoy: a show hosted by Gwyneth Paltrow, of all the people. It’s a promising podcast if it manages to keep up with the work it pulled off in its inaugural episode. An investigative story on cults and a show on TV binges round up this week’s finds. Happy listening!
Goop debuts its own podcast
You don’t have to be a fan of Gwyneth Paltrow or her company Goop to enjoy her new podcast, another attempt at expanding her ever-growing wellness empire. She pulls out the big guns for The Goop Podcast by roping in Oprah Winfrey as her first guest. From the #MeToo movement and reading lists and why she never had kids to how she stalked her way into becoming her A Wrinkle in Time director Ava Duvernay’s friend, the stories keep on coming (the episode runs for 74 minutes, so there’s a lot to unpack). The show’s a little over produced and what we gather is supposed to be soothing background music soon turns annoying. But the conversation chugs along perfectly in sync, as two veterans in their own fields discuss fame and all the attached paraphernalia. So, come for Winfrey, stay for the long train of trivia.
Dear Franklin Jones
If you’re looking for something to satisfy your binge-listening needs, Dear Franklin Jones is your best bet. A surprise hit from last month, the show takes an intimate look at the power of cults and the damage it can inflict upon unsuspecting souls. Here’s an excerpt from the show bio: Producer Jonathan Hirsch had a childhood much like yours — except his family had a secret. They were followers of a controversial spiritual leader named Franklin Jones. To Jonathan’s parents, Franklin Jones was a god, but to people outside the group, Jones was a cult leader. Now, Jonathan is going back, trying to find out what happened — and whether the group really did become a cult.
‘Raised by TV’ drops season two
Seeing that we’re living in the golden age of celebrating ’80s nostalgia (a la Stranger Things), it’s a safe bet that any show discussing the same will find a decent amount of listeners. Season two of Raised by TV has just launched, and if you haven’t been clued in since season one, the answer lies in the name itself.
Hosts Jon Gabrus and Lauren Lapkus watched a lot of TV growing up, so much so that they had to put all that TV watching to good use in their adult lives and turn it into a viable show. If you grew up in the ’80s/’90s like us, a time when the internet didn’t consume our daily lives in the way it does now, you were probably sat in front of the idiot box a lot as well. And if you want to take a trip down memory lane, Raised by TV is a good choice.
Season two begins with an episode on SNICK. Nickelodeon geeks will remember this as the network’s late night programming for older teens. The hosts discuss shows like Secret World of Alex Mack, Afraid of the Dark, and The Adventures of Pete & Pete. The show’s high on energy and you can’t help but feel like you’re sitting around a bunch of friends discussing your favourite shows.
