Katie Clark Gray is a Webby award-winning podcast producer, Pew Fellow, and partner at Uncompromised Creative. Past credits include: writer/producer, “The Best Idea Yet” (Wondery); senior producer, “Masters of Scale” (WaitWhat); writer/performer, “Fathom.” More at Uncomp.ninja.
Apocalypse Preparedness Kit
Humanity’s got some problems. There’s creeping authoritarianism, genocide, and climate change, and that’s just some of what we’ve covered in this issue. But as you fill your ears with news and chat shows chronicling the fraying of modern society, the undersung genre of fiction podcasts is here to help. These serialized works of make-believe use dramatic tension and well-crafted characters to prepare us for the worst, while helping us imagine a better, braver version of ourselves.
Here are 10 podcasts to help you prepare for the coming apocalypse, as recommended by the audio-makers and Good Tape staffers cited below. Just make sure to download these shows before absconding to the bunker.
“Give Me Away”
Recommended by Katie Clark Gray, contributing editor, Good Tape
The gist: An alien ship has crash-landed in the Nevada desert. And it screams, because trapped inside its mainframe are thousands of disembodied political prisoners. The only way to free them is to transfer their consciousnesses into humans willing to share their minds with an extraterrestrial — forever. Who would volunteer for that, and who will try to stop them?
The threat: A mistrustful public, divided family members, jumpy military leaders, religious extremists, and a malevolent politician primed to seize power. In other words, it’s table stakes for 2025.
The prep: There are lots of relevant lessons in this sprawling saga from Mac Rogers (“Steal the Stars”), ranging from defending bodily autonomy to waging effective resistance. But the biggest lesson is about radical generosity. This story is about people who offer strangers permanent residence inside their skulls. Imagine what even a fraction of that kind of empathy could do.
“The Strange Case of Starship Iris”
Recommended by Mac Rogers, writer and cocreator of “Give Me Away”
The gist: In 2189, Earth narrowly wins a war against extraterrestrials. This story is about what comes after.
The threat: Earth’s government has become an authoritarian surveillance state, which also feels pretty relevant. “‘Starship Iris’ is so good at delivering far-future world-building that goes down smooth with humor, a lived-in milieu, and characters you love hanging out with. The dialogue is witty but also knows when to stop being witty, and there’s tons of suspense and romance,” Rogers told us.
The prep: As Rogers described it, this show is an encyclopedia of coping mechanisms for people living under authoritarianism. You also get models of resistance, mutual support, and recognition of one’s own limits.
“Camlann”
Recommended by Jessica Best, creator of “The Strange Case of Starship Iris”
The gist: This fantasy series explores what would happen if one day, every apocalypse occurred at once. Amidst the devastation, three survivors and their dog venture out into the countryside to reckon with what happened and try to rebuild their lives.
The threat: All those simultaneous apocalypses, for starters, brought on by massive folkloric monsters. Also, a bunch of characters from Arthurian legend become real, suggesting that “your fate is not necessarily your own,” said Best.
The prep: Best shared that this show will come in very handy “if the apocalypse comes to involve the Green Knight and company — and who knows, because things are getting weirder every day.”
“Hearthbound: An Untelling of the Odyssey”
Recommended by Ella Watts, writer, and Amber Devereaux, producer and composer of “Camlann”
The gist: Odessa’s just trying to get home to her wife, but along the Loneliest Road in America, she’ll encounter strange hosts, stray souls, and echoes of the past she’s running from, or running toward.
The threat: The specific apocalypse here is nuclear, but it also involves the isolation of communities forced apart by disaster.
The prep: “‘Hearthbound’ is a deeply kind, deeply queer reclamation [which] presents us with an Odessa who is far kinder than her namesake Odysseus,” Watts and Devereaux said. “This will remind us that the only way to survive the end of the world is to do it together.”
“StanLand”
Recommended by Sami Wittwer, founding creative director, Good Tape
The gist: This story begins in a dusty IKEA wardrobe and ends in a magical realm called Zyngia. But Zyngia is slowly being swallowed up by fast-food chains and vape stores. Its only hope? Stan, an unemployed, unremarkable man in a bathrobe, and Melanie, the cynical podcaster who followed him, played by Bobby Moynihan and Rhea Seehorn, respectively, round out a star-studded cast.
The threat: Rampant consumerism, programmatic ads, and herpes are devouring the ancient magic and fantastical beasts of this hidden world. Relatable.
The prep: The schlubby, id-driven Stan is a perfect avatar for any one of us at our laziest and least prepared; and if you don’t identify with him, you’ll surely feel a twinge of recognition at solipsistic, work-obsessed Melanie. If these two can get it together to save Zyngia, what’s stopping us from saving our own world?
“Woodbine”
Recommended by Bryan DeGuire, Michael Mongiardi, and Marianna Miniotis, producers of “StanLand”
The gist: Beatrice Ashe is living a quiet life as an assistant at the Woodbine Agency, a small detective firm in the east end of Toronto. When Bea almost dies in a brutal attack, her boss, Grace, has a choice: let her die or offer a second chance that brings Bea into a new world of shadow.
The threat: The monsters are literal in this one, but that’s just the beginning. The “StanLand” team told us: ‘Woodbine is about the threat of your past; the things that rise from the grave late in the night to find you in the dark, in your dreams, in your waking life. It’s also about vampires and the threat of having to keep working a nine-to-five job after being stabbed to death.’
The prep: Literalizing danger is what horror tales do best, which helps us process and contextualize the IRL threats in our lives.
“Uncanny Valley”
Recommended by Alex Nursall and Emily Kellogg, co-creators of “Woodbine”
The gist: When people ask Audrey why she moved to Alaska, she answers, “For a fresh start.” But a lot of folks in Alaska are hiding from something, and Audrey is no different.
The threat: What’s more dangerous, your average human stalker, or an otherworldly being that thrives in the remote wilderness? According to Nursall and Kellogg, it’s a toss-up in this slow-burning, atmospheric horror story.
The prep: “This podcast will help you get ready for two of the scariest parts of the apocalypse: learning to live in isolation and dealing with the deranged and obsessive men who might be surviving alongside you,” Nursall and Kellogg said.
“Two Thousand and Late”
Recommended by Dane Cardiel, founder and publisher, Good Tape
The gist: Harper, a 36-year-old nihilist, gets possessed by a demon hell-bent on jumpstarting the apocalypse. Harper doesn’t want the world to end, but the demon has given her way more power than she’s used to having. Will Harper succumb to temptation or procrastinate the apocalypse away?
The threat: The demon and the end of the world are two big ones. But there’s also the crushing banality of everyday life, with its minimum-wage jobs, petty landlords, sexual harassment incidents, chronic pain, and so on.
The prep: The latest entry from Lauren Shippen (“The Bright Sessions”) is all about finding optimism the hard way. The characters have destructive tendencies even before the supernatural being gets involved, but they’ll help remind you that even a broken world is worth fighting for.
“Bubble”
Recommended by Becca James, managing editor, Good Tape
The gist: Set in the fictional town of Fairhaven, described as “a literal bubble of corporate utopia,” a small band of monster hunters struggles to meet cute and make ends meet in the most unforgiving of markets.
The threat: Outside the bubble of Fairhaven lies the unpredictable brush, which poses numerous threats to these gig workers, such as free spirits unhindered by the constraints of capitalism. Maybe more scary than the hippies, however, are the human-eating monsters.
The prep: Created by Jordan Morris as a satirical take on millennial misadventures, the biggest takeaway from “Bubble” is that the only way to survive is to find the humor in the horror. If you can’t laugh at the absurdity of whatever apocalypse you may find yourself in, you’re unlikely to make it out alive.
“The Harbingers”
The gist: Adam and Amy are rival anthropology students who become obsessed with a long-extinct, magic-wielding ancient society known as the Harbingers. But uncovering the Harbingers’ secrets unexpectedly turns Adam and Amy into the first two living magicians in thousands of years. Their newfound abilities make them global superstars, but also cause a mass tragedy that will force them to reckon with their powers.
The threat: Unchecked power is frightening enough when it comes in the form of repressive governments, massive corporations, and tech billionaires. Wait until you see what millennia-old magic can do.
The prep: This story from the mind of Gabriel Urbina (“Wolf 359”) serves as a timely reminder that not all societies on the brink of collapse manage to pull out of a nosedive. Sometimes they really do end, leaving behind only artifacts. Helping us sit with this concept is probably the best apocalypse prep of all.
Katie Clark Gray is a Webby award-winning podcast producer, Pew Fellow, and partner at Uncompromised Creative. Past credits include: writer/producer, “The Best Idea Yet” (Wondery); senior producer, “Masters of Scale” (WaitWhat); writer/performer, “Fathom.” More at Uncomp.ninja.
