How TV’s coolest characters are getting into podcasts

In “And Just Like That,” Carrie Bradshaw, played by Sarah Jessica Parker, co-hosts the “XYandMe” podcast, which discusses sex and relationships. Image: HBO Max

It seems that 2021 is the year of the podcast—a trend that’s now even talking over television! With podcast fever showing no sign of waning, TV shows have decided to jump on the trend. So have podcasts become the ultimate way of making a series cool in 2022?

In the 1990s, Carrie Bradshaw wrote a weekly column, “Sex and the City,” for the New York Star. Now, in 2021, the character played by Sarah Jessica Parker has abandoned print media, switching her Mac keyboard for a microphone as a podcast host in “And Just Like That,” the sequel to the cult HBO series. Podcasts have been booming since 2019, backed by streaming sites like Spotify. And this new audio format is now becoming part of TV series themselves.

While Hollywood has drawn on podcasts to turn them into series like “Homecoming” on Prime Video or “Dirty John” on Netflix, the format itself is now working its way into the plot of shows. As is the case in the further adventures of Carrie Bradshaw on HBO Max, where the journalist enters this new world with its new codes.

The Hulu platform has also embraced the trend. The streaming site has made podcasting part of its comedy show, “Only Murders in the Building.” The series—starring a power trio of Selena Gomez, Steve Martin and Martin Short—sees the three main characters come together to launch a podcast to solve a murder in their building. A nice nod to crime podcasts, which are particularly popular with listeners worldwide. So forget “Friends,” with characters who spend their time catching up over coffee at the Central Perk. From now on, friends make podcasts.

Television has also decided to update the plot of certain series to appeal to the new podcast-crazy generation. In the series “Chucky” on Syfy, one of the main characters, a high school student, hosts a podcast about the string of murders that occur in their town. Gone are the days of “Glee” with its singing high-schoolers, as in 2021, savvy students are taking the mic to lend their voice to a podcast. Much cooler, right?

Media outlets, celebrities and people from all walks of life—not to mention streaming sites like Netflix—have embraced this new format with growing enthusiasm. The world of podcasts has given new inspiration to the world of television, which continues to develop series inspired by podcasts and shows in the form of podcasts. AP

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