The best podcasts about The Walking Dead Universe (and Beyond)

I am forever indebted to these guys for all the kindness they've shown our podcast over the years. They brought us in, placed the spotlight on us from time to time, and included us in so many cool experiences. They showed us what family really means. I know them well enough to know that, upon seeing this, they would say, "We're only doing what others have done for us, over the years," but they forget that it's so very easy to just not bother. And it's not that they've reached the mountain-top, either: we share all the same struggles! The wrangling of cats in order to record their next episode, muddling through technical difficulties, and the gradual improvements necessary to make a successful podcast/livestream. It's what makes them the genuine article: they just care and, even if they're not where they ought to be, they still take the time to lift you up. When it comes to their podcast, their team is super special and each member brings their own unique expertise and life experience to the table to create genuinely hilarious and extremely knowledgeable conversations. I'm proud to call them friends and colleagues. And the BnB family of listeners are second-to-none: they are just as welcoming! The credit really goes to Beauty and the Beazts for nurturing the family they wanted to to be a part of... and we're grateful to be among them.

Benjamin from Turn Sounds/Just Keep Walking contacted us on Instagram right around the time AMC had announced that The Walking Dead's 11th season would be its last and wanted to talk about it on Instagram Live. One of the silver-linings about the pandemic was that this announcement had loomed over the horizon 3 years after that announcement was made in 2019. In that time, we not only got to know Ben and Just Keep Walking through episode collaborations, but have had the pleasure of Ben participating in some of our charity endeavors and he even personally supports our podcast via our Ko-fi page. More than anything else, Liam, Isaac, and Ben approach their conversations on The Walking Dead Universe with such delightful wit, fascinating perspectives, and even film-craft expertise. Their vast knowledge and genuinely enjoyable insights are worth the price of admission, alone, but Ben's series on the music of The Walking Dead is absolutely phenomenal and thorough. It's evocative, even in parts where the delivery is meant to be technical. At the end of the day, some folks just get you. We learn a lot from one another in so many ways just listening to each others podcast. We are proud to know them and I hope you fall in love with them as much as we have.

Diana is a kindred spirit in this space. She and I (Dave) have shared a lot of correspondence and have come to the conclusion that we think a lot alike. We've even shared the same kinds of ups and downs and it's really comforting to know someone, like her, who knows how you feel when things don't always go the way you expect them to in this space. We've collaborated on a few podcast episodes and, in a different way to Just Keep Walking, I listen to Screens In Focus for the attention to the way Diana (and friends) really digs into *feelings*. I have to give Diana a ton of credit for just going to emotional places on her podcast in a way that's expressive, clear, and doesn't get lost in those emotions so as to be more palatable and entertaining. She is a showman, through and through, and its a quality I endeavor to emulate, in my own way, in every recording. She's the genuine article: she doesn't allow the frustrations she experiences in podcasting to ever diminish the wonderful episodes she manages to produce, through and through. She is a generous bright spot in a world of noise, which is why I trust her as a great source for entertainment rundowns. One last thing: I think I see in her what Beauty in the Beazts saw in us long ago. In much the same way, I am committed to her continued success, in whatever capacity I can muster. I've loved the episode discussions she's been a part of on our podcast and I think she adds so much value to the podcasting landscape that you simply can't miss out on.

Much like Diana from Screens in Focus, Hanako and I share a lot of the same hilarious trials and tribulations in the attempt to polish a great sounding podcast! We share a love for the same fandoms, we're "of a generation" that gets the same ever-so-dated cultural references, and she and the rest of the ladies (and the occasional gentleman) of Fandom Hybrid offer differing perspectives on a single episode watch in a similar manner to SQUAWKING DEAD. They, too, are quite the riot... and once they get started, it's hard for them to stop! I have a tremendous amount of respect for what Hanako does for Fandom Hybrid and share her desires to light up people's minds: getting people to see things they may have missed or why they might enjoy something more after sharing their diverse insights. More than anything else, what you'll notice from all the podcasts we've listed, but mostly with Fandom Hybrid, they've placed their joie de vivre over the desire to modify or cultivate their podcast in order to increase their follower counts. Many podcast lose their own potential secret sauce in the pursuit of achieving greater numbers and I don't see that happening any time soon for Hanako and friends: and it just works. Family over fans.

Since there are only 5 spots to feature podcasts on this list, we chose an episode we collaborated on with both Brains Gone Bad and Aim For The Head podcast! Not only did we get to exhibit our style of podcasting with folks that have been doing this a lot longer than we had, up until that point, but it also showed that we could respectfully disagree and walk away with immense appreciation for what we all try to do: week in, week out! And, come on, it was a lot of fun to record together (and a distinct pleasure to be more of a passenger than a driver, too)! I have such respect towards these two vanguards in The Walking Dead Universe niche of podcasts. They are knowledgeable, passionate, and true entertainers - to a caliber which I know we could never possibly emulate! The reverence I have for this gaggle of ghouls is immense and I'm so grateful to have had the opportunity to make magic with them.