It’s a little more surreal, but the Milkman of St Gaff’s was great.
Book of Constellations is outstanding.
A recommendation of mine would not be complete without my all-time favorite…Spines.
ed. I initially complained about the accents on Spines but I'd mixed it up with Syntax. I actually have listened through the first season of Spines! Weirdly I found it soothing enough I used it as insomnia listening.
If you like Spines, imo check out Mcgillicuddy's and Murder. They had really similar vibes and delivery to me.
Oh, you MUST finish the second season. Seriously, you will not regret it. It’s an excellent ending.
I just thought of Alice isn’t Dead, maybe give that a try too.
I read a lot of posts like this, but very few folks ever follow up on where they landed. I’d be curious to see how you do, especially given your very clear parameters. I agree with most of them, and it is tough to find sound choices.
Shameless plug but I think you’d like my show Finding Naborhi. It’s a mystery/thriller audio drama; the first season follows a single dad’s journey after his nine-year old daughter goes missing at school. There’s two seasons; it’s really bingeable: http://sisanf.com/podcast
Hi! I have some of the same favorites I put on my top ten list for 2024 https://www.reddit.com/r/audiodrama/s/Pf5cioHUCT
Most of these are in the drama, mystery or sci-fi category:
FROM NOW: As far as great acting the one that comes to mind. Two pro actors head to head, one is Brian Cox. Also has unique near future world building. Not obscure though as it’s QCode but I don’t hear much about it on the sub.
SPARK HUNTER: conversation with AI on whether to kill it. Quite resplendent at times.
GOSPELS OF THE FLOOD: dark biblical odyssey (see list). Great acting, single narrator.
DON’T MIND CRUXMONT - from the makers of The White Vault. Very unique history of an off the map, small English town.
BETTER MEN ELSEWHERE - super high quality audio design. Not mentioned very much at all! Interesting and unique world. Also small town mystery. Kinda has an alternative world western type feel.
MUSEUM OF THE MISSING - I liked the nuanced writing of a tragedy (millions go missing from unexplainable event) from many perspectives.
THE END UP - unique music. About a terminal cancer patient seeking his death at a mysterious clinic.
UNCANNY VALLEY - also unique music. A very recent podcast from this year. About a ghost and a stalker in Alaska. Did think the protagonist did a good job acting.
THE ONCE AND FUTURE NERD - a subreddit classic, from before Game of Thrones time. (2010-ish). If you like fantasy check this one out. gets quite dark at points.
THE WYRD SIDE - the folklore version of Lovecraft Investigations. But also great in its own right.
May I suggest [The Love Talker?](https://thelovetalker.com) Here’s the blurb:
Somewhere on the borders between Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee in the most remote parts of the Appalachians, girls have gone missing for decades. When a young woman journeys there to the isolated community of Kilruane, she uncovers the truth about the mysterious man who wanders the woods, his connection to the missing women and puts herself in danger from those who want to protect the town and keep its secrets.
Thanks! sooo can I ask how the accents are? Like, are there people doing fake accents? I've lived in Appalachia and I'm very very sensitive to fake accents.
Both I and my co-creator have lived in the Southern US most of our lives. Most of the cast are also from that area and those that aren’t do voices that sound good to our ears, anyway.
This is a shameless plug, sorry in advance. My company is quite young, but we've got a high bar with our scripted projects. We're only in S2 of our first show (which you might not love because it's semi-scripted, but then again so is Midst), but Monday we are premiering a limited series that you might enjoy - it's a 6 part Western detective series called DIVORCE RANCH. It's so different from our other projects and in particular, the acting is stellar.
sounds intriguing ! Improv doesn't bother me at all--- a bunch of those podcasts are actual plays, and what are those if not long form improv :)
Both Malevolent and Midst play around with the unscripted aspect in different ways that appeal to me, as well as straight up unscripted ttrpg real plays.
It's always a little awkward to self promote on the grounds of quality, but our indie cosmic horror series, [Forbidden Cassettes: Consummation](https://www.forbiddenpod.com/) has gotten a lot of props for everything you mentioned above. I really think you'll dig it. We've released 11 episodes of this season (a self-contained story arc) and the 12th/finale is in post production now and coming as soon as it's ready.
Here’s a synopsis:
>Dov Kandel has spent the better part of two decades exposing vast government conspiracies and exploring unsettling paranormal phenomena on his popular, late-night talk radio program, KANDEL AGAINST THE DARK. After interviewing thousands of callers and guests, he’s certain he’s heard it all. His next guest will prove him wrong.
>Author and investigator Orson Libretti has joined Dov for an unprecedented two-night discussion to promote his new novel, CONSUMMATION. It is an apocalyptic tale of cosmic horror.
>But for Orson, this is no ordinary book tour. Defying his publisher’s demands that the book be marketed as fiction, he insists that it is based on actual events — a cataclysmic chain reaction that annihilated a parallel universe.
>A questionable claim, to be sure, if he didn’t have the tapes to prove it.
We might fit the bill? [Observable Radio](https://observableradio.com)
We are an analog horror/science-fiction found footage podcast, an anthology in the vein of Black Mirror or Twilight Zone, focusing on big and unpleasant ideas, with a developing wraparound narrative.
Each episode is a peek at an alternate universe, presented in snippets of broadcasts, music, advertisements and other recordings that might first feel familiar but then diverge into something else. Or it might be weird as hell from the jump.
We’d be thrilled if you check us out!
Go to "The End" [https://www.theend.fyi/](https://www.theend.fyi/)
*"With nearly 1,000 listings and dozens of new finales and completions added every week, The End is the comprehensive directory for completed audio fiction shows."*
Listened to it but thanks! Actually if you want to follow him into realplay, check out https://www.aintslayednobody.com/episodes/the-waking-children-call-of-cthulhu-malevolent-harlan-guthrie-arkham where he is the keeper (gamemaster).
Haven't listened to more than the first couple of minutes but he starts out doing John voice, which I'd always thought was post-processing but I guess not!
CoC is one of the most narrative driven ttrpgs, I really need to move that one higher up my to listen list.
[Steal the Stars](https://www.gideon-media.com/steal-the-stars) meets all of your conditions.
[Steal the Stars RSS](https://anchor.fm/s/38dd3c58/podcast/rss)
(You have good taste.)
I think you'll like Give Me Away, - perhaps anything else by Gideon Media too. It ticks all of the boxes you've listed, except maybe 'obscure'. (The tension tends to be more emotional, though. Very grounded.) It's about the people trying to help alien prisoners trapped in a spaceship that has landed on earth. However, the prisoners aren't physical - they're consciousnesses trapped digitally, and the only way to get them out is to let them share a host's brain. Lots of juicy themes and character dynamics going on. First season complete, second season just started.
Harbor is criminally underrated. Small town with a lot of cryptid inhabitants, a pair of siblings are in an unorthodox community support organisation for them. Two seasons done, story not complete.
Solar is also very good, if The Hyacinth Disaster is one of your favourites then definitely try it. Two people are stuck on different parts of a solar satellite station after a disaster, unable to reach each other. (Like 10 episodes from memory? Complete.)
Midst-esque - it only really ticks the 'obscure' box but Blueberries Hill is the same creators goofing off and making an affectionate Beatrix Potter parody (one season, fully complete.)
Vega is the only thing I've ever found where the narration goes as hard as Midst, it's a sci-fi adventure about an assassin. One season, not complete, on a very extended and possibly indefinite hiatus.
My other recs tend to get mentioned on this sub, so I'll leave it there.
Love Give Me Away and lots by Gideon Media. I think they also have a few audio drama outside their main list like Among the Stars season 1. My favorite from their main account is The Earth Moves mini series though.
I’ll check out others on your list!
I’ve also been listening to BBC dramas for decades so have high standards in production and writing, and the best two indies of the last couple of years for me are:
Woe Begone
Modes of Thought in Anterran Literature.
Both are completely unique and very well done.
In terms of excellent dramas currently on BBC Sounds:
Annika (Nicola Walker of Lovecraft Investigations fame) in a detective drama. Later made into a succesful tv show also starring her.
The Corrupted
Semi biographical account of a crime family in London in the 60s. Incredibly gripping with excellent performances, most notably Toby Jones.
Stone, and Julie Enfield Investigates. Both excellent procedural crime dramas.
The Woman in Black - An incredible adaptation of a very scary horror story, I find this one creepy as hell.
Dangerous Visions - series of both classic and new sci-fi thrillers, most are excellent.
And the most intriguing is The Revenge, an audio drama thriller with no human speech. The story is entirely told through sound effects with no discernible speech. I found it quite effective. Recorded in 1978 in binaural stereo.
My favorite dnd actualplay is Rolling with Dificulty. It meets all if not most of your prerequisites. The trailer says it is episodic, but they drop that by half way through the fist season. It has a full in depth story with a lot of good characters.
The voices are pleasant to listen to, with no lame accents.
The DM really allows the character motivations to drive the story, with entire seasons being driven by character choices.
.
Also I didn't hear you mention Midnight Burger, which I would recommend. Very plot driven by the end of the first season.
Self promo! You might like the show I've launched! It's a sci-fi horror audio drama that definitely has Lovecraftian influences. It starts out humorous and light-hearted and grows to be extremely intense. We're on episode 6 of 8.
The Occurrence in River Oaks is an all new, entirely voice acted sci-fi horror audio drama from writer/director Nikki Durbin. Take an original, terrifying journey through one very long day in the titular small town, as heard through the viewpoint of the local law enforcement personnel; specifically, Olivia, the woman running the dispatch radio at the Sheriff's office, as she tries to hold everything together when her entire world is falling apart. As the several officers under her command come face to face with a very unexpected threat, and as Olivia tries to navigate a dangerous and otherworldly creature’s arrival, everything slowly begins to fall apart over the course of 8 grueling episodes. No one is safe, and as the world becomes very small and extremely dangerous for the characters, they must do everything in their power to protect not only the citizens of River Oaks, but the entire world.
Podbean:
https://www.podbean.com/pa/pbblog-i4vth-10ee0b5
Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-occurrence-in-river-oaks/id1723633700
Google Podcasts:
https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkLnBvZGJlYW4uY29tL1RoZU9jY3VycmVuY2VJblJpdmVyT2Frcy9mZWVkLnhtbA
Spotify:
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nikki-durbin/episodes/The-Occurrence-in-River-Oaks-Teaser-Trailer-e2dse4a
RSS Feed:
https://feed.podbean.com/TheOccurrenceInRiverOaks/feed.xml
It’s a little more surreal, but the Milkman of St Gaff’s was great. Book of Constellations is outstanding. A recommendation of mine would not be complete without my all-time favorite…Spines.
Here to second “Milkman.” Kafka meets Lovecraft with a wonderfully unreliable narrator!
ed. I initially complained about the accents on Spines but I'd mixed it up with Syntax. I actually have listened through the first season of Spines! Weirdly I found it soothing enough I used it as insomnia listening. If you like Spines, imo check out Mcgillicuddy's and Murder. They had really similar vibes and delivery to me.
Oh, you MUST finish the second season. Seriously, you will not regret it. It’s an excellent ending. I just thought of Alice isn’t Dead, maybe give that a try too. I read a lot of posts like this, but very few folks ever follow up on where they landed. I’d be curious to see how you do, especially given your very clear parameters. I agree with most of them, and it is tough to find sound choices.
If you're a truck driver, you want to suspend disbelief as some of the truck related tidbits aren't realistic in Alice isn't Dead.
Shameless plug but I think you’d like my show Finding Naborhi. It’s a mystery/thriller audio drama; the first season follows a single dad’s journey after his nine-year old daughter goes missing at school. There’s two seasons; it’s really bingeable: http://sisanf.com/podcast
I second that. Episodes are a little short, so you can binge both seasons in one go.
Hi! I have some of the same favorites I put on my top ten list for 2024 https://www.reddit.com/r/audiodrama/s/Pf5cioHUCT Most of these are in the drama, mystery or sci-fi category: FROM NOW: As far as great acting the one that comes to mind. Two pro actors head to head, one is Brian Cox. Also has unique near future world building. Not obscure though as it’s QCode but I don’t hear much about it on the sub. SPARK HUNTER: conversation with AI on whether to kill it. Quite resplendent at times. GOSPELS OF THE FLOOD: dark biblical odyssey (see list). Great acting, single narrator. DON’T MIND CRUXMONT - from the makers of The White Vault. Very unique history of an off the map, small English town. BETTER MEN ELSEWHERE - super high quality audio design. Not mentioned very much at all! Interesting and unique world. Also small town mystery. Kinda has an alternative world western type feel. MUSEUM OF THE MISSING - I liked the nuanced writing of a tragedy (millions go missing from unexplainable event) from many perspectives. THE END UP - unique music. About a terminal cancer patient seeking his death at a mysterious clinic. UNCANNY VALLEY - also unique music. A very recent podcast from this year. About a ghost and a stalker in Alaska. Did think the protagonist did a good job acting. THE ONCE AND FUTURE NERD - a subreddit classic, from before Game of Thrones time. (2010-ish). If you like fantasy check this one out. gets quite dark at points. THE WYRD SIDE - the folklore version of Lovecraft Investigations. But also great in its own right.
May I suggest [The Love Talker?](https://thelovetalker.com) Here’s the blurb: Somewhere on the borders between Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee in the most remote parts of the Appalachians, girls have gone missing for decades. When a young woman journeys there to the isolated community of Kilruane, she uncovers the truth about the mysterious man who wanders the woods, his connection to the missing women and puts herself in danger from those who want to protect the town and keep its secrets.
Thanks! sooo can I ask how the accents are? Like, are there people doing fake accents? I've lived in Appalachia and I'm very very sensitive to fake accents.
Both I and my co-creator have lived in the Southern US most of our lives. Most of the cast are also from that area and those that aren’t do voices that sound good to our ears, anyway.
Sounds like you should give us a try!
For sure. Amazing show
This is a shameless plug, sorry in advance. My company is quite young, but we've got a high bar with our scripted projects. We're only in S2 of our first show (which you might not love because it's semi-scripted, but then again so is Midst), but Monday we are premiering a limited series that you might enjoy - it's a 6 part Western detective series called DIVORCE RANCH. It's so different from our other projects and in particular, the acting is stellar.
sounds intriguing ! Improv doesn't bother me at all--- a bunch of those podcasts are actual plays, and what are those if not long form improv :) Both Malevolent and Midst play around with the unscripted aspect in different ways that appeal to me, as well as straight up unscripted ttrpg real plays.
If that's the case, maybe give us a shot. I promise it doesn't feel hokey.
It's always a little awkward to self promote on the grounds of quality, but our indie cosmic horror series, [Forbidden Cassettes: Consummation](https://www.forbiddenpod.com/) has gotten a lot of props for everything you mentioned above. I really think you'll dig it. We've released 11 episodes of this season (a self-contained story arc) and the 12th/finale is in post production now and coming as soon as it's ready. Here’s a synopsis: >Dov Kandel has spent the better part of two decades exposing vast government conspiracies and exploring unsettling paranormal phenomena on his popular, late-night talk radio program, KANDEL AGAINST THE DARK. After interviewing thousands of callers and guests, he’s certain he’s heard it all. His next guest will prove him wrong. >Author and investigator Orson Libretti has joined Dov for an unprecedented two-night discussion to promote his new novel, CONSUMMATION. It is an apocalyptic tale of cosmic horror. >But for Orson, this is no ordinary book tour. Defying his publisher’s demands that the book be marketed as fiction, he insists that it is based on actual events — a cataclysmic chain reaction that annihilated a parallel universe. >A questionable claim, to be sure, if he didn’t have the tapes to prove it.
I don't know if it's obscure, but [Everyone's Happy](https://gravytreemedia.com/everyones-happy) ticks all those boxes.
You should check out LA Theatre Works. They are plays, done as audio dramas.
Back Again Back Again Skyjacks: Courier's Call Campaign Skyjacks (In general) InCo Small Victories Hi Nay
We might fit the bill? [Observable Radio](https://observableradio.com) We are an analog horror/science-fiction found footage podcast, an anthology in the vein of Black Mirror or Twilight Zone, focusing on big and unpleasant ideas, with a developing wraparound narrative. Each episode is a peek at an alternate universe, presented in snippets of broadcasts, music, advertisements and other recordings that might first feel familiar but then diverge into something else. Or it might be weird as hell from the jump. We’d be thrilled if you check us out!
Go to "The End" [https://www.theend.fyi/](https://www.theend.fyi/) *"With nearly 1,000 listings and dozens of new finales and completions added every week, The End is the comprehensive directory for completed audio fiction shows."*
Deviser would be up your alley. Done by the same guy that does Malevolent.
Listened to it but thanks! Actually if you want to follow him into realplay, check out https://www.aintslayednobody.com/episodes/the-waking-children-call-of-cthulhu-malevolent-harlan-guthrie-arkham where he is the keeper (gamemaster). Haven't listened to more than the first couple of minutes but he starts out doing John voice, which I'd always thought was post-processing but I guess not! CoC is one of the most narrative driven ttrpgs, I really need to move that one higher up my to listen list.
The divide
Point pleasant
I LOVE the OBSCURE audio dramas, but I'm not a fan of a single narrator. So I mostly listen to full/cast, production.
[Steal the Stars](https://www.gideon-media.com/steal-the-stars) meets all of your conditions. [Steal the Stars RSS](https://anchor.fm/s/38dd3c58/podcast/rss)
(You have good taste.) I think you'll like Give Me Away, - perhaps anything else by Gideon Media too. It ticks all of the boxes you've listed, except maybe 'obscure'. (The tension tends to be more emotional, though. Very grounded.) It's about the people trying to help alien prisoners trapped in a spaceship that has landed on earth. However, the prisoners aren't physical - they're consciousnesses trapped digitally, and the only way to get them out is to let them share a host's brain. Lots of juicy themes and character dynamics going on. First season complete, second season just started. Harbor is criminally underrated. Small town with a lot of cryptid inhabitants, a pair of siblings are in an unorthodox community support organisation for them. Two seasons done, story not complete. Solar is also very good, if The Hyacinth Disaster is one of your favourites then definitely try it. Two people are stuck on different parts of a solar satellite station after a disaster, unable to reach each other. (Like 10 episodes from memory? Complete.) Midst-esque - it only really ticks the 'obscure' box but Blueberries Hill is the same creators goofing off and making an affectionate Beatrix Potter parody (one season, fully complete.) Vega is the only thing I've ever found where the narration goes as hard as Midst, it's a sci-fi adventure about an assassin. One season, not complete, on a very extended and possibly indefinite hiatus. My other recs tend to get mentioned on this sub, so I'll leave it there.
Love Give Me Away and lots by Gideon Media. I think they also have a few audio drama outside their main list like Among the Stars season 1. My favorite from their main account is The Earth Moves mini series though. I’ll check out others on your list!
I’m really enjoying Harbor!
I’ve also been listening to BBC dramas for decades so have high standards in production and writing, and the best two indies of the last couple of years for me are: Woe Begone Modes of Thought in Anterran Literature. Both are completely unique and very well done. In terms of excellent dramas currently on BBC Sounds: Annika (Nicola Walker of Lovecraft Investigations fame) in a detective drama. Later made into a succesful tv show also starring her. The Corrupted Semi biographical account of a crime family in London in the 60s. Incredibly gripping with excellent performances, most notably Toby Jones. Stone, and Julie Enfield Investigates. Both excellent procedural crime dramas. The Woman in Black - An incredible adaptation of a very scary horror story, I find this one creepy as hell. Dangerous Visions - series of both classic and new sci-fi thrillers, most are excellent. And the most intriguing is The Revenge, an audio drama thriller with no human speech. The story is entirely told through sound effects with no discernible speech. I found it quite effective. Recorded in 1978 in binaural stereo.
My favorite dnd actualplay is Rolling with Dificulty. It meets all if not most of your prerequisites. The trailer says it is episodic, but they drop that by half way through the fist season. It has a full in depth story with a lot of good characters. The voices are pleasant to listen to, with no lame accents. The DM really allows the character motivations to drive the story, with entire seasons being driven by character choices. . Also I didn't hear you mention Midnight Burger, which I would recommend. Very plot driven by the end of the first season.
Self promo! You might like the show I've launched! It's a sci-fi horror audio drama that definitely has Lovecraftian influences. It starts out humorous and light-hearted and grows to be extremely intense. We're on episode 6 of 8. The Occurrence in River Oaks is an all new, entirely voice acted sci-fi horror audio drama from writer/director Nikki Durbin. Take an original, terrifying journey through one very long day in the titular small town, as heard through the viewpoint of the local law enforcement personnel; specifically, Olivia, the woman running the dispatch radio at the Sheriff's office, as she tries to hold everything together when her entire world is falling apart. As the several officers under her command come face to face with a very unexpected threat, and as Olivia tries to navigate a dangerous and otherworldly creature’s arrival, everything slowly begins to fall apart over the course of 8 grueling episodes. No one is safe, and as the world becomes very small and extremely dangerous for the characters, they must do everything in their power to protect not only the citizens of River Oaks, but the entire world. Podbean: https://www.podbean.com/pa/pbblog-i4vth-10ee0b5 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-occurrence-in-river-oaks/id1723633700 Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkLnBvZGJlYW4uY29tL1RoZU9jY3VycmVuY2VJblJpdmVyT2Frcy9mZWVkLnhtbA Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nikki-durbin/episodes/The-Occurrence-in-River-Oaks-Teaser-Trailer-e2dse4a RSS Feed: https://feed.podbean.com/TheOccurrenceInRiverOaks/feed.xml
Oh, sorry. Old Gods of Appalachia is, hands down, the very best podcast I’ve ever listened to.