Each month, Podcast Review’s staff offers recommendations on the best new shows to listen to. Here are our favorite podcasts for August.
Cold Blooded: Mystery in Alaska
As we head into the early days of fall, I begin to crave podcast series with a little more bite. Cold Blooded: Mystery in Alaska is exactly what I’m looking for: eerie, compelling, and full of twists. Set in the remote town of Ketchikan, Alaska, a doctor is found dead in his home. At first, investigators suspect a heart attack or suicide. But when police take a closer look at the scene, the evidence points to something far more sinister: Was Dr. Eric Garcia murdered?
In this new true crime series, Ketchikan police uncover a secret romance, the theft of hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of property, and a suspicious figure with ties to the porn industry. Two episodes of Cold Blooded have already dropped, with four more to come.
The curiously named StanLand is a five-part satirical audio comedy series from Mike Sacks and S.G. Wilson. The new show promises big laughs in its metafictional tale, featuring a cast that includes Rhea Seehorn, Bobby Moynihan, Steve Little, and Jon Hamm.
Here’s the silly plot: When podcaster Melanie Hughes (Rhea Seehorn) disappears, her abandoned recorder is found on the side of the road in Poolesville, Maryland. Inside is the story of a magical portal, a once-noble fantasy realm called Zyngia, and one deeply mediocre man named Stan (Bobby Moynihan). Zyngia was once ruled by a talking lion king. Now it’s slowly being destroyed by corporate capitalism and it may be up to Melanie and Stan to save it. Or maybe they’ll just get the hell out.
If you’re looking for a creative, original show this month, StanLand is the obvious choice. Two episodes have already been released, with more available early to subscribers.
Scamanda quickly became a cult favorite for true crime fans around the world. This month, award-winning journalist Charlie Webster returns with Unicorn Girl, a bizarre story that echoes so many of the tall tales we’ve heard over the last decade, from Elizabeth Holmes to Belle Gibson. But is this one of those stories?
Meet Candace: a mother of two, a nurse, and the CEO and founder of multiple million-dollar companies. She’s the kind of person who seems to have it all: saving the world and looking good doing it. But one manic summer, those around her begin to notice that Candace’s world is starting to unravel. Was she lying about everything? Or is she a real-life unicorn? Listen to the new series to find out. The first episode launches August 18.
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Alice Florence Orr is a staff writer and managing editor for Podcast Review. She is a writer and freelance media strategist.