Love Movies? Check Out These Podcasts About Screenwriting, Filmmaking, & More

The amount of work that goes into making a movie so that millions of people around the world can enjoy it is truly staggering — and these podcasts investigate everything that happens behind the scenes. From actors, comedians, and seasoned cinephiles, discover podcasts discussing your favorite films and must-watch recommendations.

The Big Picture

Episode length: 2 hours
Episode cadence: Not consistent

A part of The Ringer’s podcast network, The Big Picture hosts Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins really, really love movies. They're happy to talk at length about Denzel Washington’s best movies or their favorite flicks coming out of recent film festivals. One of the pod’s best regular features is their drafts, where Ringer regular Chris Ryan joins so the gang can draft movies from specific actors or years.

Beyond the Screenplay

Episode length: 90 minutes
Episode cadence: Fridays

After working on his popular YouTube channel Lessons from the Screenplay, Michael Tucker pivoted to an audio format with Beyond the Screenplay. Tucker, Tricia Aurand, Brian Bitner, and Alex Calleros unpack new hits like Barbie and old ones like Speed, examining why the screenplay succeeds (or if it does at all), where it might fall flat, and the lessons they’ve learned from studying it.

Black Men Can’t Jump in Hollywood

Episode length: 90 minutes
Episode cadence: Every other Wednesday

A podcast that’s funny and also investigates vital issues is rare, but when it comes to movie podcasts, Black Men Can’t Jump checks both of those boxes. The podcast focuses on movies led by actors of color and unpacks what those movies mean in the larger context of the entertainment industry, which is frequently whitewashed; recent movies include White Men Can’t Jump and the live-action remake of The Little Mermaid.

Scriptnotes

Episode length: 60 minutes
Episode cadence: Tuesdays

Led by screenwriters John August and Craig Mazin — the latter of whom worked on both Chernobyl and The Last of Us and was, famously, Ted Cruz’s college roommate — Scriptnotes is an incredibly informative podcast about the art of screenwriting. August and Mazin’s insights are great, and if you’re an aspiring screenwriter, you can actually learn a lot about structure and writing techniques from these two, like character instincts and premises.

Unspooled

Episode length: 90 minutes
Episode cadence: Thursdays

You probably know Paul Scheer from his performances in projects like The League or Black Monday, but he also hosts his own film podcast with friend and film critic Amy Nicholson. The two break down new releases like RRR and classics like Bullitt in equal measure. Their banter about whichever movie they’re discussing makes the entire thing more than worth your time.

Movies That Made Us Gay

Episode length: 90 minutes
Episode cadence: Thursdays

The description of the episode says it all: “This is the podcast where we watch a movie from our past that had a lasting impression on our little gay lives.” Scott and Pete revisit movies that helped them in their queer journeys throughout their lives, which range from the Lindsay Lohan-Jamie Lee Curtis remake of Freaky Friday to the adaptation of Carrie Fisher’s auto-fiction novel Postcards from the Edge.

The Rewatchables

Episode length: 60-90 minutes
Episode cadence: Tuesdays

You know those movies you feel like you could rewatch over and over and over again? So do the fine folks over at The Ringer, which hosts The Rewatchables. Head honcho Bill Simmons invites other Ringer staffers on to discuss movies they’ve seen a million times, complete with segments like “half-assed internet research,” “picking nits,” and “most rewatchable scene.”

How Did This Get Made?

Episode length: 45-90 minutes
Episode cadence: Fridays

Have you ever watched a movie and wondered how and why it even exists? Enter June Diane Raphael, Paul Scheer (making his second appearance in this roundup), and Jason Mantzoukas, who host the wildly popular podcast How Did This Get Made? This hilarious show, which regularly takes its act on tour, breaks down the absolute worst movies you’ve ever seen, most of which you haven’t even heard of… A tip? Go back into their archives a bit and revisit their Cats episode, where Mantzoukas describes the film as a “war crime.”

Queer Movie Podcast

Episode length: 60 minutes
Episode cadence: Every other Thursday

Focusing exclusively on movies about the queer experience, Queer Movie Podcast is hosted by Rowan Ellis and Jazza John — who are both popular YouTubers in their own right — who focus on the LGBTQ+ experience. Like Movies That Made Us Gay, they devote some episodes to “movies that made them queer” featuring special guests, and they also have covered queer cinematic classics like Call Me By Your Name and new entries like Do Revenge.

This Had Oscar Buzz

Episode length: 1-2 hours
Episode cadence: Mondays

The Oscars are a notoriously competitive and controversial ceremony, and every year, a handful of movies don’t make the cut. Joe Reid and Chris Feil are here with This Had Oscar Buzz to unpack those movies that got left out, whether they’re wondering how We Bought a Zoo failed to score any Academy Award nods or lamenting that Hustlers didn’t get Jennifer Lopez the Oscar she honestly deserved. As a bonus, they play an IMDb game at the end of each episode where they guess the top five movies associated with a random actor.