Podcast Picks: NPR’s Game Shows Delight and Excite the Brain

by | Apr 2020

A person looks down at their phone while listening to a podcast.

PHOTO BY:  UNSPLASH.COM/MELANIE_SOPHIE

Consider the best of podcast comedy game shows.

Podcast: Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me and Ask Me Another
Avg. Episode Length: ~50min
Genre: Comedy, Trivia
Content Warnings: Episodes are aired on NPR, appropriate for all ages unless marked otherwise.

If you ask someone what podcasts he/she likes to listen to, chances are one of these is on the list. For several years now, NPR has produced two of the best trivia game shows for radio, and you can download them in podcast form for listening to on your own schedule.

Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me is a weekly release with a panel of writers, comedians and NPR voices playing trivia games based around current events. Contestants call in, including whoever the guest is for that week—anyone from famous actors to astronauts. If you pride yourself on being that person who always knows what’s happening in the world, this is the podcast to test your merit!

Ask Me Another is more word games, puns and useless trivia—and occasionally sends out the call for contestants, and you can test to be on the show. For both of these shows, it’s all about the hosts—they keep the shows fun, upbeat and (in Ask Me Another’s case) musical.

Where to start?: Because each episode is based around current events, try the most recent episode for Wait Wait. For Ask Me Another, scroll through the archive, and pick an episode featuring a guest star you enjoy.

CATEGORIES

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This