Matt and Gillian Share their Favorite Podcasts that are Cozy!

Meet Gillian & Matt

My name is Matt  and I am one of the hosts of The All Things Cozy Podcast. It started as a show about cozy mysteries, which are books that I love. I forced Gillian, who is my co host, to read them. Then we decided to branch out to everything cozy.  That’s really kept us afloat for all these years because even when we ran out of cozy mysteries we wanted to talk about we could always go into any other cozy topic.

My name is Gillian Walters and I am Matt’s co host. It was Matt’s bright idea to start the podcast. It truly was a genius idea and I think he’s truly a pioneer of the cozy genre. We didn’t have any other cozy podcasts to really compete against at the time. I give him a lot of credit and I was just along for the ride because I thought it sounded fun. It was a great way to spend time with Matt.  I love spending time with him, so I will jump at any chance to do that. Here we are six years later.  

Matt’s First Podcast 

My first podcast I remember really getting into was, Script Notes. It’s a podcast about screenwriting and things that are interesting to screenwriters. It is hosted by the screenwriters, John August and Craig Mazin.  I really liked John August’s work.

He wrote Big Fish and a lot of the Tim Burton movies. I had followed his writing and then he had a podcast and so I followed him into podcasting. Once I started listening I started to  gradually get into more podcasts. I think I got into it because I wanted to  hear the voices of people who didn’t have large platforms. Most of these people weren’t on TV and  you couldn’t find them anywhere else, but they had a podcast. You could use that to really listen to them expound on their thoughts.

Gillian’s Start with Podcasts 

Doing All Things Cozy is what got me into podcasts. I don’t think I really listened to podcasts before that. Now I’m really deep into them. By doing a podcast I thought I should start listening to others. Podcasts really took off around that time too, the popularity of podcasts. 

Matt’s First Favorite Podcast: Linoleum Knife

My first pick is Linoleum Knife. It is a film review podcast hosted by film critics Dave White and Alonzo Duraldi, who also happen to be a married couple. That level of domesticity is what makes this extra cozy. It’s not uncommon that they’ll spend 15 or 20 minutes discussing what Dave is making for dinner that night. Then they will debate what last night’s dinner was like and things they can’t wait to try. They do that in such an entertaining and engaging way. 

You really feel like you’re at the kitchen table with them. They literally record at their kitchen table. Gillian and I know because we’ve been lucky enough to be on their show and sit at that kitchen table. You really are sitting around with friends, talking about movies.  I’m always a little bit wary when I hear that people who are couples reviewing films and stuff like that because it sounds like they might have the same opinion. 

In this case, they have completely different sensibilities and tastes. There’s always an interesting discussion to be had and they come at things from different angles. I think whether you are interested in movies, or whether you just like hearing people have cozy domestic conversations about like, you know, even that kind of like really familiar and and lovely couple bickering  Which again, I’m I worry that I’m making it sound like a little grating or something 

It is absolutely cozy,  listenable, lovely and it’s one of my favorite podcasts. I do not miss an episode of Linoleum Knife 

Gillian’s First Favorite Podcast: Watch What Crappens  

I recommend Watch What Crappens which is a play on Watch What Happens from Bravo. It’s hosted by Ben Meldiker and Rani Karam who are really good friends. They have two different personalities.  Ronnie is more of a wisecrack and Ben’s kind of reeling him in. The show focuses on everything Bravo, which I love. There’s another podcast that is Bravo related that I was going to plug that’s a lot more wholesome. It is  a lot more family friendly which is called Everything Iconic if that is a better fit for you.. But I’m recommending Watch What Crappens.

I love them because they do these amazing interpretations and voices of the stars. I love voice work. If I ever need a laugh, I listen to Watch What Crappens. Their Lisa Vanderpump is truly iconic and unmatched in a theatrical way. They start from the beginning of the episode. They don’t do the dialogues line by line but they reenact scenes, and that’s so hilarious to me. So, it’s good for the soul to laugh, and if you’re into Bravo, that’s just the perfect combination.

Matt’s Second Favorite Podcast: Do You Need a Ride?

My second recommendation is Do You Need a Ride? It is a podcast that has been around for quite a while and it’s still hanging in there. I love longstanding shows. You really get to build a relationship and you can really dig through the archives. Do you Need a Ride? is comedians, Karen Kilgariff and Chris Fairbanks recording themselves. They pick up other comedians from the airport or other gigs around Los Angeles and record the incredible conversations they have in the car together.

The pandemic happened and then they went in the studio for a little while, but they’re back in the car. They’re going through the car wash, they’re picking up drive thru  and it’s that amazing feeling when you are listening to this, because I mostly listen to podcasts in the car.  

When I’m listening to this podcast, I feel like I have a car full of friends. When you’re sitting in traffic, it’s such a nice feeling to have. The fact that they’re in a car really does add this other real dimension to it. They’re reacting to things that they’re seeing, and if you’ve ever driven in Los Angeles, you know there’s a lot to take in on these streets. They see a lot of stuff and they comment on it. It’s a really energized show  but also very cozy., It really rests on the incredible friendship that Karen and Chris have. Karen is one of the hosts of My Favorite Murder and she used to be Ellen DeGeneres head writer. Chris Fairbanks  is a comedian who’s appeared on lots of things and has written for different TV shows. They’re both super talented.

They pick up A-listers like Patton Oswalt, so they have amazing guests too. If you’re looking for a laugh in the car with friends, check out Do You Need A Ride?  

Gillian Second Favorite Podcast: The Vanished

So, switching gears from comedy, my next pick is The Vanished. It’s hosted by Marissa Jones. Marissa is an excellent investigative reporter and started all on her own. The show focuses on missing persons cases, but It is not your typical show. It’s mostly about folks who aren’t really the people who you would put a spotlight on or see a spotlight on.

Whether they have mental health issues or struggled with drug abuse, it’s just a case that just for whatever reason hasn’t got a lot of notoriety.  I really like how deep she goes. She talks to all of the family members, the friends, and the co workers.

She dives in so deep and thinks of every angle of possibility. That’s why I’m drawn to missing people cases because you never really know where it could go.  She does updates when it’s resolved and she talks to the family members whether it’s a good outcome or an unfortunate, tragic one. 

She treats each family and each missing person with such care and reverence that I don’t really see a lot in these true crime podcasts.  When I tell people I’m really invested in true crime I think I get a little bit judged. Especially in this day and age with how it’s been commercialized.

Marissa really sees these folks for who they are and gives them a voice where they otherwise would not have one. I am in awe of the level of investigative work. That’s what everyone in the reviews says too, it’s unanimous. She’s really shaken things up and gotten police involved where they didn’t plan to. This coverage has put the pressure on.

I think she’s an amazing reporter and I really recommend it if you’re into that kind of disappearance stuff.