The Best Official TV Podcasts That Are Actually Worth Your Time

I may be biased because I believe that Only Murders in the Building (2021) is one of the best shows on TV—and not only because there’s been a new season every year since it debuted. It’s a truly great mystery show with a found family at its core. So, I was thrilled when Disney+ and Hulu launched an audio/visual companion podcast with the show’s fifth season. I also don’t know that enough people know about this podcast, which is such a shame. What’s not to love about Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez talking about the show? 

It was even more exciting that the Only Murders in the Building Official Podcast was hosted by one of the show’s cast members, Michael Cyril Creighton, who plays Howard Morris. With all the twists and turns to the show’s mystery, it’s a real treat to watch/listen to the cast and crew break down thoughts and theories in real time. The podcast releases new episodes after every new episode of the show, extending the already-trending conversations about Season 5. Only Murders in the Building Official Podcast is a high-quality debrief with the living and dead guests and residents of the Arconia. I can’t recommend it enough to Only Murders in the Building fans.

It’s only fitting that one of the best shows on TV has one of the best companion podcasts. I revisit the podcast about Rivals (2024) Season 1 all the time. Fit with a set that creates a comfortable and specific-to-the-show environment, it was all released in one go. The second season’s edition takes a different approach to complement the season’s rollout.

There are new episodes from the premiere through the season finale later this year. Rivals: The Official Podcast is hosted by author, broadcaster, and journalist Pandora Sykes. She’s the perfect host because of her experience in podcasting and her deep appreciation for Dame Jilly Cooper’s books, which the show is based on. Also, with all of Rivals’ characters and storylines, there really is a reason for this podcast to exist. There’s so much to break down and discuss with the cast and crew, so Rivals: The Official Podcast never disappoints.

This podcast has taken a few forms since Bridgerton’s (2020) premiere. It started as a fully audio production, hosted by Gabrielle Collins. She would return to host Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, The Official Podcast about the prequel series Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story (2023). There would be episodic discussions as well as interviews with the Bridgerton books’ author, Julia Quinn, cast, crew, and historical experts.

The new version of Bridgerton: The Official Podcast has a visual component that can be streamed on Netflix. It launched with the show’s fourth season about Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) and Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha). It has more of those conversations with host Alison Hammond, who TV-lovers may recognize from co-hosting The Great British Bake Off (2010). Hammond asks great questions that dig into what fans want to know while being a fan herself.

The Good Place: The Podcast feels special because it was ahead of the curve. Launching in 2018, it started right in the middle of The Good Place’s (2016) four-season run. Even so, the podcast took things back to the start with the pilot. It was expertly hosted by one of the show’s stars, Mark Evan Jackson, who plays the Immortal Being Shawn. 

I like to think of The Good Place: The Podcast as one of the best examples of what can happen when someone who knows the show so intrinsically hosts the companion podcast. Evan Jackson asked creator Mike Schur and star Kristen Bell, for example, engaging questions about the show’s jokes and its moral themes. The podcast has great bits, like bleeping the cursing in the same way that The Good Place does. It’s a feel-good podcast that fans of Hannah Simone and Lamorne Morris’s New Girl (2011) rewatch podcast, The Mess Around, will enjoy.

The Pitt Podcast is one of the best and, fittingly, newest podcasts. Given the show’s meteoric rise, it’s also one of the most necessary companion podcasts. The Pitt (2025) fans, myself included, are always clamoring for more, and this podcast offers that right after a new episode airs, starting with its second season. For instance, I loved hearing writer Cynthia Adarkwa and guest star & director Shawn Hatosy break down The Pitt Season 2, Episode 9, “3:00 P.M.”

The Pitt is such a detail-oriented show that it’s really rewarding to hear all the behind-the-scenes thoughts and processes that go into bringing the show to life. The podcast—hosted by physician Dr. Alok Patel and journalist & writer Hunter Harris—has the chance to dig into character details or medical cases well beyond that hour of the shift in the show. Admittedly, it can rely too heavily on recaps, but I’m excited to see The Pitt Podcast grow if it returns alongside the show’s already-renewed third season. Because, like the show, the podcast is best at the details.