Start Here: Alt Comedy Podcasts for Beginners

If you want to get into alt comedy podcasts, start with three shows: Off Menu for something easy and very funny, the WTF with Marc Maron archive for comedians telling their own stories, and Comedy Bang! Bang! for the weird, improvised heart of the scene. Then branch out depending on which one you liked. That is the whole method; the rest of this page explains why, and where to go next.

A quick note on what this page is. AltComedy does not make its own podcast. This is a listening guide: a short, opinionated starter path through shows that exist. For the full ranked canon, see the 25 best comedy podcasts of all time. For an explanation of the different formats and how the business works, see our guide to comedy podcasts.

Why comedy podcasts are hard to get into

Most comedy podcasts are made for people who already listen to them. They are long, full of running jokes and references to past episodes, and the hosts assume you know who everyone is. Drop into a random episode of a beloved show and it can sound like a private party.

The fix is to choose your entry point carefully. Start with shows that have a clear premise, a strong host and standalone episodes, and leave the deep-lore hangout shows until you are hooked.

Step 1: The three-show starter pack

Off Menu with Ed Gamble and James Acaster

A comedian or celebrity guest is invited to a dream restaurant and orders their ideal starter, main, side, dessert and drink. Acaster plays a genie waiter; Gamble is the enthusiastic host. The premise means every episode stands alone, the food talk gives guests easy things to be funny about, and Gamble and Acaster's friendship is warm rather than cliquey. It is the best gateway to British alternative comedy, too. Pick any guest you already like. See James Acaster.

WTF with Marc Maron

The show that made comedian interviews a genre. Maron's conversations are long and personal, and he gets comedians to talk about failure, addiction, family and craft in ways they rarely do elsewhere. The show ended in 2025, which makes it easier to approach: you are not keeping up, you are exploring an archive. Search the feed for a comedian you love, or try the two most famous episodes: his 2010 conversation with Robin Williams and his 2015 interview with President Obama, recorded in the garage. See our Marc Maron profile.

Comedy Bang! Bang!

This is the real alt comedy experience: host Scott Aukerman chats with a guest, then improvisers show up as ridiculous characters and nobody breaks. It can be bewildering at first, so start with one of the show's annual "best of" episodes, which collect highlights. If you laugh at those, you will love the main feed. Our Earwolf and Comedy Bang! Bang! guide explains the history and the recurring characters.

Step 2: Branch out by taste

If you liked Off Menu: try premise and hangout shows

• How Did This Get Made? Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael and Jason Mantzoukas dissect bad movies. Pick an episode about a film you have actually seen.
• The Adam Buxton Podcast. If the British tone appealed, Buxton's long, gentle chats are the next stop.
• Doughboys. Chain restaurant reviews from two very different friends.
• My Brother, My Brother and Me. Three brothers giving terrible advice. Start with a recent episode.

If you liked WTF: try interviews and stories

• Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend. Looser and sillier than WTF, with Conan's staff as a supporting cast.
• Richard Herring's Leicester Square Theatre Podcast. Live interviews with British comedians, each ending in absurd "emergency questions."
• Beautiful/Anonymous. Chris Gethard talks to one anonymous caller for an hour. Funny and often moving.
• For more, including radio interviews and books, see our guide to the best comedian interviews.

If you liked Comedy Bang! Bang!: go deeper into improv

• Threedom. Aukerman with two of CBB's best performers, Lauren Lapkus and Paul F. Tompkins, and no guests.
• Hello from the Magic Tavern. An improvised fantasy sitcom. Unlike most podcasts, this one is best started from the beginning, because there is a story.
• Hollywood Handbook. The advanced course: two hosts permanently in character as delusional industry insiders. Give it a few episodes.

If you'd rather learn something: try investigative comedy

• Jamie Loftus's Lolita Podcast (2020). A limited series, so start at episode one and go in order. Then try Ghost Church. See Jamie Loftus.
• The Dollop. One strange story from history per episode. Start with any topic that sounds interesting.

If you like pop culture and smart chatter

• Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang.
• Poog with Kate Berlant and Jacqueline Novak, two of the most interesting stand-ups working, discussing wellness and consumer culture.

Step 3: How to listen without burning out

1. Don't binge-subscribe. Pick one show at a time and give it three episodes. Hangout shows in particular get better once you know the hosts.
2. Skip freely. Comedy podcasts are long and uneven. It is fine to skip intros, ad breaks and stretches that aren't working.
3. Use speed carefully. Listening at 1.5x kills comic timing. Interview shows survive it; improv shows don't.
4. Follow people, not shows. If a guest makes you laugh, look up their own podcast or their stand-up. That is how most listeners discover the scene.
5. Watch the YouTube versions sometimes. Many shows now post video. It helps to put faces to voices, especially for character-heavy shows.

What about the giant shows?

You will notice some of the most famous comedian-hosted podcasts are missing from this path. The Joe Rogan Experience, SmartLess and Kill Tony are enormous, and plenty of people enjoy them. But they are not really alt comedy podcasts. Rogan's show is a general interview show; SmartLess is friendly celebrity chat; Kill Tony is a live open-mic roast that belongs to the club and stand-up world. None of them will tell you much about the scene this site covers, which is built on improv, experimental stand-up and comedians who would rather be strange than broadly liked. If those shows are what got you into podcasts, great: the three-show starter pack above is the next step sideways.

What to do once you're hooked

Podcasts are a back door into the wider alt comedy world. Most of the people above are primarily stand-ups, writers and improvisers, and their podcasts are the most relaxed version of their work. Once you have a few favourites, watch their specials, see them live if they tour, and read about where they came from. Our guide What is alt comedy? is a good place to start, and our list of the 50 greatest alt comedy specials will tell you what to watch next.

Frequently asked questions

Does AltComedy have its own podcast?

No. AltComedy is an editorial site and does not produce a podcast. This page is our guide to the existing alt comedy podcasts we think beginners should try first.

What is a good first comedy podcast?

Off Menu is the easiest to love: short-ish, friendly, built around a simple premise and very funny. If you prefer stand-up and comedian stories, start with the WTF with Marc Maron archive. If you like surreal improv, try Comedy Bang! Bang!

Should I listen to a podcast from the first episode?

Usually not. Most comedy podcasts took months to find their voice. Start with a recent episode or one with a guest you already like, then go back if you get hooked.

What is an alt comedy podcast?

Loosely, a podcast made by and for the alternative comedy world: improvised character shows, comedian-hosted interviews and hangouts, and experimental formats that would never get commissioned for TV or radio.