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The Delightful World of Super-Niche Podcasts

Ahh, look at this perfectly normal-looking podcast feed. Branch out and try some of these off-the-beaten-path podcasts!

We are truly living in the Age of the Podcast. So what happens when a podcast goes ultra-niche?

Here are a few particularly niche podcasts that caught our eyes and ears:

  • "The Pen Addict": Just two buddies, talking about pens and pen-adjacent accessories. Scroll through their five-year-long podcast feed and you'll see that there's so much more than just "fountain vs. ballpoint."
  • "Beef and Dairy Network": The website describes this as the number one podcast for "those involved or just interested in the production of beef animals and dairy herds." But don't be fooled — it's actually an extremely straight-faced comedy podcast that stays committed to its character through all sorts of bovine-related absurdity.
  • "Witch, Please": Two literature professors revisit each of the Harry Potter books and movies with a critical, bi-weekly feminist analysis.
  • "Gilmore Guys": There are plenty of TV-watching podcasts out there (see also: "The X-Files Files"), but this one follows two comedians — one who grew up watching "Gilmore Girls" and one who'd never watched it before — as they embark on watching all seven seasons of the show. It's tedious. It's funny. And they actually managed to snag some pretty cool guests from the set.
  • "I Was There Too": Whenever a movie gets released, the main actors and filmmakers make the media rounds. But you rarely hear from the fly on the wall. The host of this podcast sits down with lesser-known actors from well-known films, like the actor who played Biff in the Back to the Future trilogy.
  • "Do By Friday": Host Merlin Mann talks to two of the creators of the hit card game "Cards Against Humanity" on a weekly basis, with this twist: complete a new challenge by Friday. Challenges range from totally inconsequential to possibly profound, including "throw something away," "call in from Harry Potter World," and "cry."
  • "Plugged In": This podcast from the utility Con Edison is about the energy industry. One episode features a surprisingly woke conversation with female executives about the movie Hidden Figures.
  • "All's Fair": This is the official podcast from last year's New York State Fair which, while promotional, offers an unvarnished glimpse at the food and chaos that the fair has to offer.

Got a great, unexpectedly niche podcast to recommend? Tell us in the comments or tweet with the hashtag #nichecasts.