This post was originally published on Audible.com.
Audio dramas and scripted fiction podcasts are as varied as novels. They come in every genre imaginable, including mysteries and thrillers, contemporary drama, historical fiction, sci-fi, fantasy, and comedy. And as we are living in a Golden Age of podcasts, whether you're craving aliens, romance, humor, family drama, suspense, magic, or something else altogether, there’s bound to be something that fits your interests. This list includes some of the best story podcasts out there, but it's only a drop in the bucket. So beware: once you start listening, you're never going to want to stop. Here are 15 of the best fiction podcasts available for your listening pleasure.
In this podcast that’s both laugh-out-loud funny and incredibly moving, marine biologist and astronaut Bee Guerrero sets out on the adventure of a lifetime: a dive into the deep waters of one of Saturn's moons. The story is structured as dispatches sent back to earth from Bee's space shuttle, and set in a future ravaged by climate change in which humans have turned to other planets for creative solutions to earth's problems. Bee and fellow astronaut and pilot Ty navigate chilling dangers and unprecedented discoveries as they search for life in uncharted waters. Featuring a dynamic full cast and original music and sound design, this podcast is an immersive listening experience you won't soon forget.
This charming podcast is a great pick for anyone who wants to relieve their days at summer camp. It's the summer of 2005, and Mookie Hooper is at Camp Cartwright, muddling her way through all the ups and downs of being a not-quite-teenager away from home. She spends her time investigating the disappearance of a girl who went missing from camp years twenty years before while simultaneously trying to unlock the sometimes more challenging mystery of how to make friends. Presented as letters Mookie sends to a mysterious figure, this romp through adolescence is as heartfelt as it is humorous—and with Golden Globe winner Jamie Lee Curtis at the helm, you know it’s bound to be something truly special.
Chris Hooper and his crew on the mining ship Marion are beset with problems. In orbit above the planet LV178, home to the strongest material known to humans, they're dealing with an infestation of hostile aliens, as well as a bad shuttle collision. Unexpected hope arrives in the form of Ellen Ripley, the last survivor of a ship that was lost in deep space. Her sudden appearance may be the one thing that can save Hooper and his crew from certain death. This action-packed space adventure will have your heart pounding with every twist and turn. If you’re a fan of the Alien film franchise, this is one you definitely won’t want to miss.
Need some lighthearted humor and workplace shenanigans in your life? This seven-episode comedy, starring actors Andy Richter and Yvette Nicole Brown, follows the staff of a used car dealership over the course of one eventful week. When owner Gary Gallea realizes that a local rival is trying to put his dealership out of business, he has to use every trick he's got up his sleeve to stay afloat. Created by Josh Koenigsberg, whose past work includes writing credits for Orange is the New Black, this zany, fast-paced comedy will have you chuckling the whole way through.
If you're looking for a podcast that you can dip in and out of at your own pace, this short fiction podcast is definitely for you. Each episode features an original short story inspired by current headlines, written by some of the best authors of our time. The stories are a mix of serious and playful: some deal with heavy subjects, such as the pandemic and police violence while others draw inspiration from more obscure news stories—such as the two pandas in Hong Kong who finally mated after ten years. Authors include Tommy Orange, Roxane Gay, Laura van den Berg, and more. Each story is read by a different narrator, including some audio greats like Bahni Turpin and Edoardo Ballerini.
This long-running podcast, which debuted in 2012 and is still ongoing, is beloved by fans and critics alike. It follows the supernatural happenings that occur in the fictional desert town of Night Vale. Presented as a fictional radio show hosted by main character Cecil Gershwin Palmer (played by actor Cecil Baldwin), the drama revolves around the ordinary news and daily events that take place in Night Vale. In a town where the strange and supernatural are mundane and expected, and conspiracy theories are always true, anything can happen.
Based on the true story of two famous female pirates, Anne Bonny and Mary Read, this historical drama weaves together adventure and romance in an unforgettable story about survival, justice, and the struggle to live freely. As young women, Anne and Mary disguised themselves as men to both escape poverty and live their lives freely. Anne became a pirate, while Mary sailed with the navy. When the two women meet and fall in love, they embark on a dangerous journey across the seas. Pursued by law enforcement and Anne's husband, their lives are often in mortal peril. But they never give up on their dream of living life on their own terms.
Cozy English mystery meets creepy paranormal activity in this comedic podcast. When a strange event rocks the tranquil English countryside, blogger-turned-paranormal-researcher Cassie Chambers is on the scene to check it out. She's none too pleased to find herself working with Glen Hedely, an uptight agent for a shadowy branch of the American government. Cassie and Glen soon realize they're facing a dangerous threat from an alien dimension. Putting aside their differences, they must navigate unhelpful bosses, a nasty cult, and their own fears in order to solve the mystery before it's too late. Starring Sophie McShera, who played Daisy on Downton Abbey, and Adam James, best known for his role on Doctor Foster, this is one scripted podcast you won't want to miss.
In this humorous podcast that explores all the joys and pitfalls of modern life and internet culture, Alicia Silverstone stars as Katy Perry, a young woman whose life begins to unravel after she's fired from her blogging job. She decides to turn her attention to the next big thing to guarantee her instant fame: podcasts. She begins a podcast about that one time in high school when she told a classmate to Eat sh*t.
What begins as a simple project quickly turns into a dark mystery that leads Katy on a surprising journey through her own past.
From Night Vale Presents, the creators of some of the best scripted podcasts running today, comes this sharply funny and always prescient Afrofuturistic comedy about two African-American best friends in New America. Set some years in the future, the story follows grumpy IA and thief Simon as they attempt to get away with a string of high-stakes heists to help pay IA's medical bills. But surviving let alone thriving in the unpredictable landscape of New America is not easy. If smart political satire with a side of space zombies is your thing, do not miss out on this brilliant podcast.
This mystery podcast explores loss, trauma, and recovery. Porter is a thirty-something computer programmer living in Nashville. He's been in love with his best friend, Genevieve, for years. But the day after they finally go out on their first date, Genevieve is killed. Over the next several months and years, as Porter attempts to find out what really happened, he endures a long and eventful healing journey. Thoughtful and dark, this ongoing drama is now in its fourth season.
This scripted podcast is all about dating as a millennial. The show follows a cast of diverse characters, mostly women, as they navigate love, sex, and relationships in all their varied forms. Each episode hones in on a different storyline, and the show promotes positive sexual and romantic experiences for women across a spectrum of ages, sexualities, and races. It may not be safe for work, but it is a refreshingly honest podcast about the ups and downs of dating in today's world.
If you're looking for thrills and chills, you won't want to miss this long-running weekly horror podcast. The show is narrated by creator Jonathan Sims, who plays the fictional Jonathan Sims, head archivist of the Magnus Institute, a London research center devoted to all things esoteric. Sims is working on slowly cataloguing the many statements and documents from the archives, exploring the dark secrets and odd events the institute studies. But as he delves deeper into the archives, a larger and more terrifying truth begins to emerge.
In this unique short fiction podcast, radio veteran Jonathan Mitchell creates movies out of sound. Each episode tells a different twenty minute story that range from funny to serious to dark to absurd and everything in between. Different actors bring these stories to life each week, along with creative sound design and effects. These stories, many of which have been featured on NPR, will make you laugh and cry, plunging you right into the heart of the messy, unpredictable, and sometimes glorious experience of being alive.
This post-apocalyptic drama takes place fifteen years after the collapse of life as we know it. In a world defined by environmental destruction and resource scarcity, two siblings from rural Maine are dragged out of their simple existence by a mysterious figure from their past. As they fight against religious fanatics and corrupt armies, the siblings encounter untold dangers—and the possibility to build a better world. With original music and over 30 voice actors, this epic story is audio drama at its best.
Laura Sackton is a writer based in rural Massachusetts. She loves all things queer lit, and has a particular fondness for audiobooks.
