Best Audio Drama Podcasts

“Make your statement, face your fear.” A weekly horror fiction podcast examining what lurks in the archives of the Magnus Institute, an organisation dedicated to researching the esoteric and the weird. Join Jonathan Sims as he explores the archive, but be warned, as he looks into its depths something starts to look back… New episodes every Thursday produced by Rusty Quill, featuring guest actors, short stories, serial plots and more. The Magnus Protocol launches in January 2024. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Life's not easy for Doug Eiffel, the communications officer for the U.S.S. Hephaestus Research Station, currently on Day 448 of its orbit around red dwarf star Wolf 359. He's stuck on a scientific survey mission of indeterminate length, 7.8 light years from Earth. His only company on board the station are stern mission chief Minkowski, insane science officer Hilbert, and Hephaestus Station's sentient, often malfunctioning operating system Hera. He doesn't have much to do for his job other than monitoring static and intercepting the occasional decades-old radio broadcast from Earth, so he spends most of his time creating extensive audio logs about the ordinary, day-to-day happenings within the station. But the Hephaestus is an odd place, and life in extremely isolated, zero gravity conditions has a way of doing funny things to people's minds. Even the simplest of tasks can turn into a gargantuan struggle, and the most ordinary-seeming things have a way of turning into anything but that. Wolf 359 is a radio drama in the tradition of Golden Age of Radio shows. Take one part space-faring adventure, add one part character drama, and mix in one part absurdist sitcom, and you get Wolf 359.

Award Winning Sitcom - Start with Season 1 Episode 1Rudyard Funn and his equally miserable sister Antigone run their family's failing funeral parlour, where they get the body in the coffin in the ground on time. But one day they find everyone enjoying themselves at the funerals of a new competitor - the impossibly perfect Eric Chapman! With their dogsbody Georgie, and a mouse called Madeleine, the Funns are taking drastic steps to stay in the business…

Do not fear the dark, fear what darkness brings... Arkham Private Investigator Arthur Lester wakes up with no memory of who he is or what has happened, only a nameless, eerie voice guiding him through the darkness.Blind, terrified, and confused, his journey will lead him towards a series of mysteries in the hopes of understanding the truth of what has transpired.As cosmic horrors seep into the world around, Arthur must ask himself whether this entity truly seeks to help him, or are its intentions more…MalevolentMalevolent is produced, written, edited, performed, scored & created by Harlan Guthrie. This podcast contains mature themes, explicit language, bodily horror, violence, otherworldly terror and death. Listener discretion is advised. Full transcripts of every episode are available here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Explore the far reaches of the world’s horrors in the audio drama podcast The White Vault. Follow the collected records of a repair team sent to Outpost Fristed in the vast white wastes of Svalbard and unravel what lies waiting in the ice below. This Fool and Scholar production is intended for mature audiences.

Nothing fancy here — just the simple audio diary of a girl in space. Also, there’s this weird and potentially ominous light in the distance that seems to be growing steadily closer. Listen for science, guns, trust, anti-matter, truth, beauty, inner turmoil, and delicious cheeses. It’s all here. In space.

Twice-monthly community updates for the small desert town of Night Vale, where every conspiracy theory is true. Turn on your radio and hide. Never listened before? It's an ongoing radio show. Start with the current episode, and you'll catch on in no time. Or, go right to Episode 1 if you wanna binge-listen.

SERIES COMPLETE. Start with episode 101. Dr. Bright provides therapy for the strange and unusual; their sessions have been recorded for research purposes. Visit www.thebrightsessions.com for more information and additional content. Created by Lauren Shippen

For Army Reserve Soldier Michael Cross, the world as he knew it ended in an instant. One minute, he's in college, and in the next, rioters are roaming the highway around him, breaking into cars, and literally tearing people apart. This is the day the dead walk. This is the world of We're Alive.We’re Alive is an ongoing series, packing performances and sound effects that rival movies and prove that modern audio drama is undead and well. Join our survivors as they band together, struggle to fortify a safe haven known as the Tower, and discovers that zombies are far from the worst thing in a post-apocalyptic Los Angeles where the rules of human decency no longer apply.We premiere 3 New episodes a month, with a week off between chapters.Little food. Little water. Little hope. Who is lucky enough to say "We're Alive?"

The Amelia Project is a secret agency that fakes its clients' deaths, then lets them reappear with a brand new identity! A black comedy full of secrets, twists... and cocoa. The series starts as a succession of interviews with clients who want to fake their deaths, then slowly a larger narrative begins to emerge... Each episode tells its own story, but we recommend starting with Season 1.

Imagine your best game of D&D. The shocks, the twists and turns, the moments that can’t be caught because you just had to be there. That’s Dice Shame.With the ability to tell a long form story, starring people who not only share a genuine love for the game—but also love for each other—we’ve managed to bring the feel of being around the table to you.Join our DM Jo, her husband Harlan, their brother Alex & their best friends Rob and Alex as they experience those unmissable, gut-wrenching, heart-aching, joy-filled moments.This legendary AP releases a brand new episode every Thursday morning at 1:20 am! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Doctors in space, a deposed alien prince, a super gay space pirate and a fiery nurse who’ll help you win your bar fight.

'We Fix Space Junk' follows seasoned smuggler Kilner and reluctant fugitive Samantha as they travel the galaxy, dodging bullets and meeting strange and wonderful beings as they carry out odd jobs on the fringes of the law.A female-led sci-fi comedy sitcom set in the far future, in a high-tech, dystopian world, We Fix Space Junk draws on the sci-fi of the past, following in the footsteps of Harry Harrison and of Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.Equal parts love-letter to sci-fi and satire of the present-day, Space Junk is lovingly produced by Beth Crane and Hedley Knights of Battle Bird Productions.To support the show visit patreon.com/BattleBirdProd or visit Battlebird.productions

At the Penumbra, you might follow Juno Steel, a brooding, sharp-witted private eye on Mars, as he tangles with an elusive homme fatale, tracks dangerous artifacts of an ancient alien civilization, and faces his three greatest fears: heights, blood, and relationships. Or you might enter the world of the Second Citadel, where the merciless Sir Caroline must corral a team of emotionally distraught all-male knights to defend their city against mind-manipulating monsters...even the ones they’ve fallen in love with. These audio dramas and more await you in the Penumbra, dear traveler. We hope you enjoy your stay. (Start with "1.01: Juno Steel and the Case of the Murderous Mask" or "1.09: Second Citadel - The Head of the Janus Beast.")The Penumbra is created and produced by Harley Takagi Kaner and Kevin Vibert. Follow us on Twitter (@thepenumbrapod), Tumblr (@thepenumbrapodcast), TikTok (@thepenumbrapodcast), Instagram (@thepenumbrapodcast), or Facebook (The Penumbra Podcast). For early and ad-free episodes, production scripts, commentary tracks, blooper reels, livestreams with the creators, and much more, you can find The Penumbra Podcast: SPECIAL EDITION at: https://thepenumbrapodcast.supercast.comYou can find all of our transcripts here. If you would like to view trigger warnings or SFX attributions, you can scroll to the end of the appropriate episode transcript: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/2/folders/1bnWLw5dTW4l9A0bmOMzEiy6XqqsXHHi_

In 2189, Earth narrowly won a war against extraterrestrials. The Strange Case of Starship Iris is about what comes after. It's a story of outer space, survival, espionage, resistance, identity, friendship, found family, romance, and secrets. (Also, there’s jokes.) For more info, visit http://procyonpodcasts.com/starship-iris

A detective comedy drama || Even Greater London, 1887. In this vast metropolis, Inspector Archibald Fleet and journalist Clara Entwhistle investigate a murder, only to find themselves at the centre of a conspiracy of impossible proportions.

Step inside the Magic: the Gathering world of Ravnica in this Fantasy Mystery Audio Adventure governed by the rules of Dungeons & Dragons from the mind of Brian David Judkins, artist and creator of Ukiyo-Pop.com. Join Brian as he leads five actors and comedians through an epic tale of action, adventure, and intrigue!Five strangers meet in a tavern on the eve of the Ravnican New Year's Festival. A chance encounter with a metal orb unlike anything the travelers have ever seen sets them off on an adventure across the massive cityscape and places them on a collision course with destiny. Follow the show and interact with the creators and players on Facebook at Facebook.com/EncounterParty or Twitter/Instagram at @Encounter_Party! #EncounterParty

It's Spring 2142 (a Tuesday), and Gated Galaxies has launched its 400 Oz-8000 ships, each carrying 50,000 "resting guests" to, hopefully, a new home on a shiny, brand-new planet. Except this whole "terraform and take over" idea isn't actually the plan; the real plan is far more nefarious and involves a great deal of cackling. But those aboard the ships don't know that, so off they toodle (those that make it out of Earth's atmosphere, at least), all shiny and optimistic. This is the story of one of those ships – the Oz 9 – and its tiny crew of hopeless incompetents. So far, they've been in space half an hour and several hundred people are dead. So... bright future, clearly.

King Falls AM centers on a lonely little mountain town's late-night AM talk radio show and its paranormal, peculiar happenings and inhabitants.New shows available the 1st and 15th of every month! Be sure to start from Sammy's first show (May 1st, 2015) to stay up to date with all your King Falls favorites.

The award-winning fantasy-comedy! In Alba Salix, overworked, cynical witch Alba tends to the health of the King, Queen and citizens of the kingdom of Farloria, with the help of her obnoxious apprentice Magnus and an absent-minded fairy named Holly. The spinoff The Axe & Crown follows the misadventures of Gubbin the troll tavernkeeper, his clueless landlord Stan and his shady niece Betula.Support us here!

Now a Prime Original TV series. From Gimlet, Homecoming centers on a caseworker at an experimental facility, her ambitious supervisor, and a soldier eager to rejoin civilian life — presented in an enigmatic collage of telephone calls, therapy sessions, and overheard conversations. Starring Catherine Keener, Oscar Isaac, David Schwimmer, David Cross, Amy Sedaris, Michael Cera, Mercedes Ruehl, Alia Shawkat, Chris Gethard, and Spike Jonze.

When an experiment in a time much like our own goes horribly awry, Dr. Sally Grissom finds herself stranded in the past and entrenched in the activities of a clandestine branch of the US government. Grissom and her team quickly learn that there's no safety net when toying with the fundamental logic of the universe.

A truck driver searches across America for the wife she had long assumed was dead. In the course of her search, she will encounter not-quite-human serial murderers, towns literally lost in time, and a conspiracy that goes way beyond one missing woman.

When a night watchman finishes his shift at work, he is terrified to discover that everyone in the world who went to sleep the previous night has died. Now he and a band of survivors must stay awake and uncover the secret of this global epidemic, before they fall asleep.Starring and produced by Markiplier. Created by Jake Emanuel & Willie Block.