Want to get your fiction fix on the go but find audiobooks lack the emotion of your favorite TV shows and movies? Enter fiction podcasts.
Fiction podcasts are in a niche of their own; they tell unique stories written specifically for the format (with a few exceptions), broken down into bite-sized episodes. Whether you’re curious about this immersive form of storytelling or are just looking for a good story, we’ve pulled together 10 of the best fiction podcasts to get you started.
1) Best for binging: The Magnus Archives
The Magnus Archives is one of the best-known fiction podcasts around — and for good reason. Told through a series of recordings made by Jonathan Sims, director of a fictional paranormal research institution, the Magnus Institute, this horror podcast starts as a simple anthology before things take a turn for the… spooky as Sims realizes the statements he’s recording form part of a much bigger mystery.
If you’re looking for an incredible story to binge, this beast of a series has over 300 episodes to enjoy. And while the original storyline came to a close after its fifth (yes, fifth!) season in 2021, a derivative titled The Magnus Protocol was launched in early 2024.
2) Best limited run: From Now
Want to get into fictional podcasts but don’t have the time (or attention span) to dedicate to a long-running series? There are plenty of limited series to choose from. One of our favorites is From Now, a 6-episode series starring Richard Madden and Brian Cox. This short series explores what happens when a spaceship mysteriously returns to Earth in 2060, 35 years later — but crew member Eddie hasn’t aged a day.
3) Best anthology: The Truth
If you prefer short stories to full-fat novels, you’re probably in the market for an anthology series. The Truth, in its creators’ own words, ‘makes movies for your ears’ and spans pretty much every genre. Each episode tells a totally unique story, with a new setting and cast of characters, so no two listens are the same. Though they all have two things in common: mind-blowing concepts and riveting storytelling.
4) Best of the BBC: The Lovecraft Investigations
BBC Radio 4 is renowned for its high-quality radio plays and podcasts. One of its best is The Lovecraft Investigations, a modernization of H.P. Lovecraft’s work. Presented as a podcast-within-a-podcast, this series follows the hosts as their investigations of the occult lead them to a much bigger murder mystery…
5) Best romance: Love and Luck
Slice of life + queer love story + audio drama = Love and Luck. This charming podcast is set in Melbourne and tells Jason and Kane’s love entirely through the voicemails they leave each other. A beautifully unique concept, this podcast will have you feeling all the feels.
While the podcast sadly went on hiatus in 2020, it is still one of the best.
6) Best comedy: The Amelia Project
Did we say comedy? Well, The Amelia Project is a black comedy, to be precise. This series has twists, turns, and lots of absurdist humor, centering on a secret agency that specializes in helping clients fake their own deaths. Each episode tells the story of a different (usually rich and very odd) client, but there’s a narrative winding throughout that’ll keep you hooked.
7) Best drama: 1972
Set against the backdrop of the early 1970s civil rights movement, 1972 is part historical thriller, part crime drama. While listeners meet two very real and very famous Black women from American history, Shirley Chisholm and Angela Davis, 1972 tells a dramatized version of events. This hard-hitting yet empowering tale is a must-listen.
8) Best satire: Welcome to Night Vale
When you hear something is a ‘cult classic,’ you know it’s going to be good. Much like The Magnus Archives, this ongoing series has a lot of fun with its medium; you’re not listening to podcast episodes, but updates from Night Vale’s community radio station. Get ready to dive into the weird world of Night Vale, where the macabre and the mundane come together to create something altogether unique.
9) Best role-play: Critical Role
Here’s something a bit different for you: Critical Role is an unscripted, collaborative storytelling podcast series following a group of professional voice actors playing Dungeons & Dragons. A great listen for fans of TTRPGs and fantasy adventure in general, the gang embarks on an epic journey of imagination and improvisation, where their fate lies in the hands of their dungeon master, Matthew Mercer.
Start with their first campaign, Vox Machina. Though, be fairly warned: there are 115 episodes to catch up on, each of which is between three and five hours long.
10) Best adaption: Strawberry Spring
Told over eight 35-minute-odd chapters, Strawberry Spring is adapted from Stephen King’s short story of the same name. Following a journalist investigating a serial killer named Springheel Jack, who kills every six years under the cover of a dense seasonal fog, this immersive, scripted podcast takes narrated books to another level. Get ready to feel horrified (and enthralled) by stellar performances from Garrett Hedlund, Milo Ventimiglia, and Sydney Sweeney.
