Saigon
Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month is upon us, and what better way to celebrate than a new fiction podcast starring Kelly Marie Tran (Star Wars, Passenger List). Saigon is an eight-part audio drama adapted from a book by Anthony Grey. Tran is joined by Rob Benedict in this epic story that spans four decades of Vietnamese history.
The story begins in 1936 French-colonial Saigon. Trinh, the granddaughter of two central characters, tells us that an American journalist, Joseph, has reunited with his childhood friend Paul, now a French policeman, and has encountered Lan, the woman who will shape his destiny.
The characters are engangled in a tale of love and betrayal, set against the backdrop of WWII, Japanese occupation, the rise of Vietnamese nationalism, and America’s war in Vietnam. It's an ambitious project that deserves your attention. Four episodes are available at the time of writing, and our full review is coming later this month.
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Bad Chat
From across the pond comes a new podcast from British radio favorites, Alice Levine and Greg James. The pair became friends while working in radio, and they've remained close for over a decade. What would any self-respecting BFFs who work in audio do? Launch their own podcast, of course.
Bad Chat just came out, but it's already climbing the British podcast charts. That's because it makes fun of its own premise: the show promises go out of its way to dwell on trivial things in Levine and Greg's lives. It's about, well, nothing. This is definitely one for the overthinkers. The first episode launches May 7.
Homicide 360
Before we get into this one, you should be aware that Homicide 360 on the Daylight creator network, which owns Podcast Review. We would have included it regardless, because it's a new show from the hosts of hit podcast Anatomy of Murder, but it's better to let you know up front.
If you're a true crime fan, you're probably aware of Anna-Sigga Nicolazzi (a former prosecutor) and Scott Weinberger (a journalist with a law enforcement background). They found an audience by using their experience to examine criminal cases through the voices of those who were closest to the facts. By centering the victim at the heart of the story, often using testimony from their loved ones to develop a fuller picture of the crime, Homicide 360 moves beyond an audio autopsy into something more grounded in empathy.
The result is moving, and often gruesome. If you are prone to anxiety, you may want to skip this one. But if you're one of the millions of listeners who tune into true crime every week, give Homicide 360 your attention. The first episode, a two-parter about a double murder and home invasion, drops May 26.
