10 TV Shows You Didn't Know Started As Podcasts
In the 23 years since their debut, podcasts have achieved mainstream success. They quickly overtook talk show radio, and studies show that younger generations are listening to podcasts almost as much as watching traditional TV.
Not only are podcasts perfect for multitasking, but they're also a cheaper, more accessible medium than most art forms, allowing for countless passion projects and deep dives into stories you might otherwise not have heard. In fact, podcasts have beaten TV to some of the best true crimes and fiction stories. Use our guide to find 10 TV shows you probably didn’t know started as podcasts, available to watch on Netflix, Prime Video, and more.
Lore is a horror anthology series that delves into all things macabre. Each episode tackles a different story, often exploring the origins of folktales or dark practices that shed light on human nature. It’s a series that will fascinate you if you're interested in dark and strange history, as it probes into everything from grave-robbing legends to the father of lobotomy. Meanwhile, the series is inspired by the podcast of the same name from host Aaron Mahnke.
Mahnke spent up to 20 hours a week researching each episode, determined to tell stories with some element of truth and documentation. Ultimately, the show follows the podcast's tone, evoking the vibe of telling spooky stories around the campfire, while also including a notable educational element. If you love horror anthologies like Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities (2022) and The Terror (2018), you’ll love Lore.
Homecoming tells the story of social worker Heidi Bergman (Julia Roberts), who begins to suspect everything is not as it seems with the Homecoming Transitional Support Center, a shadowy facility that claims to help veterans transition to civilian life. It’s an excellent psychological thriller that nails the eerie tone and draws you in with an intriguing central mystery. Homecoming season 1 is an adaptation of the podcast of the same name, which featured its own celebrity voice-acting cast, including Catherine Keener, Oscar Isaac, and David Schwimmer.
Both the podcast and TV show are adept at creating that moody, haunting tone and feature excellent acting. However, Homecoming also goes beyond the podcast, tackling an original story in season 2, which investigates the corporate fixer for the Homecoming facility. While the major shift from season 1 to season 2 can be a little disorienting, season 1 is a strong adaptation of the award-winning podcast.
Dirty John is an anthology true crime series in which each season tackles a love story gone terribly wrong. Season 1 tells the story of John “Dirty John” Meehan (Eric Bana), a con artist who drags his new wife, Debra Newell (Connie Britton), and her family into a terrifying web of lies, manipulation, and abuse. It is based on the podcast of the same name in which Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Christopher Goffard hosts a deep dive into the true story of Meehan.
If you’re one of the TikTok users who found yourself watching all 50 parts of the infamous “Who TF did I marry” series, then Dirty John is just for you. The TV show and podcast explore stranger-than-fiction stories that both intrigue and horrify viewers and listeners. They tackle stories of deceit and manipulation that leave you contemplating whether you can ever really know someone.
Limetown follows journalist Lia Haddock (Jessica Biel), who seeks to get to the bottom of the neuroscience research facility Limetown, where over 300 people went missing. The series is based on the scripted fiction podcast of the same name, which topped the iTunes podcast charts shortly after its debut. Both the show and the podcast are reminiscent of Homecoming in their mystery premise and their adeptness at creating an unsettling atmosphere.
Limetown also reminds me a bit of Never Let Me Go (2010) and Stranger Things (2016) in that it’s a story of victims of experimentation and those around them trying to make sense of what truly happened. It has a thrilling sense of mystery, a spooky atmosphere, and sci-fi elements that make it intriguing. If you love dark, slow-burning mystery tales that thrive on paranoia, you’ll love Limetown.
The Shrink Next Door centers on Marty Markowitz (Will Ferrell), a patient of psychiatrist Dr. Ike Herschkopf (Paul Rudd), who finds himself in over his head when Ike slowly but steadily begins inserting himself into Marty’s personal life. As absurd as the story is, it’s based on the true story of Dr. Herschkopf, which Wondery covered in a podcast of the same name. While both the show and the podcast tackle the same story, their tones vary widely.
The podcast takes a more investigative approach to the story, while The Shrink Next Door tackles it with a hint of drama and dark humor. Both the podcast and TV series have a knack for leaving you truly aghast and even uncomfortable with how blatant Herschkopf’s ethical and professional violations are. However, The Shrink Next Door show will also surprise you with how comical it can be while still effectively probing into serious subject matter.
Dr. Death is a true-crime anthology series in which each season explores a medical professional known for malpractice and fraud. Season 1 follows the original “Dr. Death,” or Christopher Duntsch (Joshua Jackson), who earned the morbid nickname after maiming over 30 patients in less than two years through malpractice. Season 2 features Paolo Macchiarini (Édgar Ramírez), who performed numerous experimental procedures on his patients. The show is based on the Wondery+ podcast of the same name, which now has four seasons exploring different unethical medical professionals.
Dr. Death is a genre-bending show, part medical drama, part horror, and part true crime. The unique blend creates a gripping and sometimes stomach-churning show about the darkest corners of the medical industry. Jackson and Ramírez are truly terrifying in their roles, and the whole show effectively creates an anxiety-inducing atmosphere that’s impossible to look away from.
The Dropout is a biographical drama about Elizabeth Holmes (Amanda Seyfried), the young founder of Theranos, a fraudulent health company that claimed its cheap, accessible tests could detect diseases and diagnose patients utilizing just a few drops of blood. It is based on the ABC News podcast of the same name, which investigated the true story of Holmes and Theranos and followed her federal criminal fraud trial.
The Dropout tells the same story as the podcast, but is further elevated by Seyfried’s phenomenal performance. She wholly transforms into Holmes, capturing her social awkwardness and her gradual descent into someone more manipulative and menacing. The series as a whole captures the complicated story, including both the sympathetic and not-so-sympathetic aspects of Holmes’ story. Fans of stranger-than-fiction fraud stories like Inventing Anna (2022) will love The Dropout.
Archive 81 is a horror series that tells the story of Dan Turner (Mamoudou Athie), a conservator who gets pulled into a terrifying mystery regarding a cult after restoring a tape on graduate student Melody Pendras’ (Dina Shihabi) investigation into an apartment fire. The series is based on the found footage fiction podcast of the same name. Although Netflix canceled the show after one season, the podcast ran for three seasons and includes a spinoff miniseries.
Both the show and podcast are well-crafted horror stories featuring a haunting tone and engaging mystery. They tackle the kind of mind-bending mystery that effectively leaves you in the dark, questioning everything you know and endlessly tweaking your theories. Although the show's cliffhanger ending is a bit disappointing, it’s a strong adaptation of an excellent audio take on the found-footage genre.
The Horrors of Dolores Roach is a horror series centered on the exploits of Dolores Roach (Justina Machado), who, upon her release from a wrongful 16-year prison sentence, takes drastic measures to survive. It is based on both the podcast of the same name and the one-woman Broadway show, Empanada Loca. The show and podcast are quite distinct in their blend of horror and comedy, which work surprisingly well for the darkly absurd tale.
Both works are also loosely inspired by the urban legend of Sweeney Todd, lending them a bit of a Gothic-horror vibe. The result of the show is a wildly unique, zany story reminiscent of shows like Santa Clarita Diet (2017). If you love the legend of Sweeney Todd and are looking for a unique horror work, The Horror of Dolores Roach may be right for you.
Landman is a Taylor Sheridan series that follows petroleum landman Tommy Norris (Billy Bob Thornton) as he struggles to manage his crew in the oilfields of West Texas during the state’s oil boom. The series is inspired by the Boomtown podcast, in which host Christian Wallace explores the oil boom in Texas and the way it has impacted the state and even the country. Since Landman is only loosely inspired by the podcast, it isn’t as factual or as accurate, but it offers a more entertaining and accessible exploration of the oil boom.
It’s reminiscent of Sheridan’s other TV shows, like Yellowstone (2018), in its ability to transport viewers into a new world of ranches and oil fields. The show also thickens the story with family drama subplots to keep viewers intrigued. If you want a Sheridan-style dive into an intriguing and lesser-known world, Landman is a great watch.
