You keep telling your friends you’re going to watch the shows they recommend. Your list of “movies I need to watch” is longer than the Constitution. And you always say you want to start watching the news.
Yet there you are again on a Friday night staring at your computer screen, Netflix pulled up, debating whether or not it’s really worth watching “The Office” again for the seventh time. Well I’m here to tell you, yes. Yes, it is. At least one more time, because coming to your ears on Oct. 16 is the “Office Ladies” podcast staring Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey.
https://open.spotify.com/show/3OHCFs84lqizjkL4C9bNTA?si=nSXBNqZmQsWzTEMo79nUHw
Each week, Fischer and Kinsey, who played Pam Beasely and Angela Martin, will “watch an episode of The Office and give you all the stories and behind-the-scenes scoop … as well as some BFF banter about our lives.”
This sounds like it is going to be a legendary podcast. Unfortunately, it is still a few weeks until its official release.
So, in the meantime, let’s dream up possible behind-the-scenes podcasts featuring cast members of the some of the great sitcoms out there.
Friends
Like “The Office,” “Friends” is another one of those sitcoms that resurged in popularity on Netflix after its initial run — making “Friends” not only a heavy influence on pop culture in the ‘90s, but also today.
Watching Friends on a Thursday nights was an event in the ‘90s and is one of the most binged shows on the most binged platform among the binge-iest generation so far today. Meaning people of all ages would flock to this podcast.
And “Friends” was such a character-driven show. The diverse and strong personalities of everyone was what made “Friends” hilarious and relatable. So having the actors go behind the scenes and talk about what it was like playing those characters would make a perfect podcast.
And who wouldn’t love to hear Matthew Perry and Matt LeBlanc get their goofball energy back together, and tell behind-the-scenes stories like the one LeBlanc told Jimmy Kimmel about how he dislocated his shoulder while filming an episode and they wrote it into the show as Joey jumping on the bed?
Seinfeld
The show that’s about nothing’s podcast would have to be about something. So how about getting Jerry Seinfeld on there breaking down how he and the other writers scripted “Seinfeld”?
One of the coolest aspects of the series was how Seinfeld’s stand-up routines and their themes were incorporated into each episode. And you don’t just see bits of his stand-up sprinkled throughout, but also within the dialogue, as Jerry often uses his observational style of humor in conversations.
Going behind the scenes of Seinfeld’s writing process — and the similarities and differences between how he wrote jokes for “Seinfeld” as compared to his stand-up — could be a really cool way to look into episodes
How I Met Your Mother
Yes, the series finale for “How I Met Your Mother” was less than stellar to say the least. And listening to Josh Radnor’s and Cobie Smulders’ take on it would make for a great episode. But there are also nine fantastic seasons chock-full of stuff to be discussed.
A huge part of “How I Met Your Mother” was telling stories, and taking viewers behind the scenes of what it was like “telling” those stories, from Marshall and Lilly having their first baby to Barney meeting his father, would be really interesting. And they can also answer questions like, What do they think of The Bro Code? Where did the Pineapple come from? Would they ever make a slap bet?
The “How I Met Your Mother” cast also has great chemistry together, on and off set. They play off each other, joke around and tell interesting anecdotes from their time filming the show. All things that would make for a great podcast.
The Big Bang Theory
“The Big Bang Theory” is still pretty fresh off its series finale, but there’s no doubt it solidified its spot as one of the all-time greats, thanks in large part to its intricate and unique characters who work so well together.
So well in fact, that two of the actors, Jim Parsons who portrayed Sheldon and Mayim Bialik who played Amy, have announced they are teaming up for a new comedy series on Fox.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tplHcZlgDyk
And like “Friends,” getting the actors behind those characters back together for some behind-the-scenes gossip would make for a great podcast.
It might be awhile before a podcast makes sense though, as again, “The Big Bang Theory” just ended this past May. But once it lands on a streaming service, allowing people to binge the crap out of it, viewers would love a podcast giving them all the behind-the-scenes action of the show. Johnny Galecki could talk about seeing Sheldon’s crazy eyes up close, or Kaley Cuoco can compare the dynamics of being the only female cast member to later being one of three.
Two and a Half Men
There’s no question who would be leading this podcast — Jon Cryer and Charlie Sheen. Sorry Ashton Kutcher.
But seriously, these two would make an amazing podcast. Who wouldn’t want a behind-the-scenes look from these two? Cryer hints at some of the craziness that happened on set in an interview with “Access Live,” and fans of the show would love to hear about some of that. And of course, Sheen is one of the most diverse and intriguing people in Hollywood and would have more than enough to talk about.
Getting them together might be the tricky part though, as Cryer admitted to not having talked to Sheen in a couple of years. He also sounded pretty hesitant about getting back together with Sheen when questions of a reboot were brought up. If we’re lucky though, he might not be as hesitant if it came to a podcast.
For now, these potential podcasts are all just wishful thinking. But you never know; maybe the “Office Ladies” will start a trend of cast members from old TV shows creating podcasts to give viewers a closer look at their favorite media.
Until that happens though, you’ll at least be getting some cool behind-the-scenes info from the “Office Ladies” podcast every week. Plus, an excuse to re-watch “The Office” again. I mean who doesn’t want that?
