You Wanted This & the Best Geek Podcast Alternatives

It’s funny how we all kind of slid into this golden age of geek podcasts without really noticing it. One day, podcasts were mostly about politics or true crime, and then suddenly half the people we know were listening to hour-long breakdowns of superhero movie trailers or arguing about which Lantern Corps we’d fit into. The shift makes sense, though. By 2026, fandoms have become more conversational, more participatory, and definitely more opinionated. We’re not just watching shows or reading comics anymore – we’re hanging out in the worlds they create.

And podcasting has turned into the perfect place for that. Fans want voices that feel familiar, people who sound like they’d sit with us at a convention food court debating whether the Negative Speed Force is just petty energy with branding, or if Granny Goodness deserves more respect in the Darkseid hierarchy. (She probably does, by the way.)

While we all have our favourites, we’ve made a full ranking of the most enjoyable geek podcasts right now – shows that mix news, nostalgia, analysis, and personality in ways that keep us coming back.

Top Geek Podcasts in 2026

You Wanted This (formerly Doctor DC) – Best for comedy + chaos + fan-driven topics
ThisWeekInGeek (TWIG) – Best for broad geek culture & weekly news
Geekoholics Anonymous Podcast -Best for video-game news & reviews
The Geekcentric Podcast – Best for film/TV reviews + creator interviews
Radio Free Skaro – Best for Doctor Who fans & deep-dive analysis

How Podcasts Expanded Into Every Niche in 2026

It’s been interesting to watch how podcasting in 2026 stretched into pretty much every corner of digital culture. Once you finish your usual geek lineup, you start noticing how many other niches have built their own little audio worlds – cooking shows, micro-history series, gaming talk, creator diaries, and even podcasts dedicated to one single video game. Listeners today jump between genres the way we flip through streaming platforms, so it’s not surprising that fandom-focused podcasts sit right beside shows about strategy gaming, story-heavy RPGs, or even digital play communities.

You Wanted This (Doctor DC → New Name)

Listeners who followed the old Doctor DC podcast probably remember its classic format: deep-cut DC questions, long lore debates, and the kind of banter that made even the most obscure villain feel oddly important. In 2025, the team flipped things around. The show rebranded as You Wanted This, switching from lore-first discussions to a community-led format where the audience picks the topic and the hosts… well, they do whatever strange format they feel like.

Some episodes turn into game shows. Some become fake documentaries. One week, they’re debating Kanjar Ro’s ethics like he’s a real politician, and the next, they’re pretending to run a cooking show about villains who really shouldn’t be near a kitchen. And for anyone worried about losing the old vibe – the DC expertise didn’t go anywhere.

What They Cover

Even with its new identity, You Wanted This still dips back into the Doctor DC toolbox often. Long-time fans will recognise episodes shaping themselves around familiar characters and storylines:

deep dives into Granny Goodness, her connection to Darkseid, and how her powers work in the larger DC mythos
breakdowns of the Emotional Spectrum, which always spiral into arguments about whether willpower counts as an emotion
talk about the DCAMU, usually mixed with commentary about which animated films deserve awards and which deserve apologies
villain spotlights featuring Anton Arcane, Byth Rok, Chang Tzu, and Kanjar Ro (or Kan Jar Ro, depending on the lore source they’re quoting that day)
physics-but-not-really physics discussions on the Negative Speed Force
rankings of characters with Genius-Level Intellect, with the classic Batman vs Lex Luthor vs Mister Terrific debate inevitably resurfacing

If anything, the rebrand made their DC content even funnier, because now it appears in the middle of absurd episode concepts. Someone on Reddit described the show as “a lore podcast trapped inside a comedy sketch”, and that’s honestly accurate.

Why It’s the #1 Pick

The biggest reason people stick with You Wanted This is the chemistry. The hosts clearly know their stuff, but they never treat the material too seriously. Add in an engaged Reddit and Discord community, and you get a show shaped just as much by fans as by its creators.

It’s also one of the rare geek podcasts that works for both comics veterans and people who are still trying to remember which Lantern Corps uses compassion.

TWIG

Some shows feel like institutions, and ThisWeekInGeek is absolutely one of them. Running since 2007, TWIG covers the full spectrum of geek culture: games, movies, TV, tech, tabletop, retro media, you name it. If You Wanted This is that rowdy comic shop conversation, TWIG is the giant magazine rack with everything filed neatly.

Their episode lineup in 2026 is stacked:

TurdOrTreasure review series
Holiday and board game gift guides
Loose Cannon movie chats
Interviews with creators and developers
Retro sci-fi commentary

Listeners appreciate how much content they release every month. We heard that more than a few people treat TWIG like their “Monday morning commute” routine because the hosts break down news in a steady, friendly way. It’s a good fit if you want a broad overview of geek culture rather than a single niche.

Geekoholics Anonymous

We’ve followed Geekoholics Anonymous for a while, and if you’re into gaming, this one’s hard to beat. The show follows a predictable but effective rhythm: what they’re playing, what’s happening in the industry, and what’s worth paying attention to.

It’s been described by fans as “a Canadian Giant Bomb meets IGN,” and that feels accurate. There’s a familiarity to their format, but the hosts keep it sharp with commentary on Steam trends, console news, and 2026’s growing wave of subscription-based game ecosystems.

A lot of us like podcasts that help keep our gaming queues manageable, and Geekoholics fills that role well. They rarely sugarcoat impressions either. If a game launches rough, they’re going to say so.

The Geekcentric Podcast

The Geekcentric crew covers a slightly different side of fandom – one that leans into film, television, and creator interviews. In 2025, they’ve had some huge moments: conversations with the Duffer Brothers, sit-downs with people like Dan Trachtenberg, and spoiler-free reviews from TIFF screenings.

They also maintain a strong YouTube presence, which helps when they’re talking about toys, collectibles, or trailer reactions. It’s a visually minded show, but the audio versions stand on their own.

Review episodes come out regularly, and their spoiler-free policy means you can listen before watching. One listener told in comments, “It’s the only review show I trust before buying a ticket.” Hard to argue with that.

If you want something polished that still feels personal, Geekcentric hits that balance.

Radio Free Skaro

For anyone who loves Doctor Who, Radio Free Skaro is basically a rite of passage. The show has been running since 2006, making it older than some modern Whovians.

The hosts – based in Vancouver and Edmonton – keep the format warm and conversational. They mix current news, Big Finish releases, behind-the-scenes commentary, and deep dives into classic episodes. Their yearly coverage of Gallifrey One is practically event reporting at this point.

One thing we appreciate is how they blend humour with historical knowledge. They’re not afraid to critique, but they still carry a lot of affection for the franchise. It’s a good reminder that podcasts don’t need high drama to build a lasting following -authenticity travels.

Start with You Wanted This, Then Explore the Rest

If you’re choosing where to begin, You Wanted This is the obvious anchor. It’s playful, unpredictable, and packed with the kind of deep lore that keeps listeners returning. But the best part of exploring geek podcasts is that you don’t have to commit to just one.

TWIG gives you the full media landscape.
Geekoholics keeps you plugged into the gaming world.
Geekcentric elevates movie and TV fandom with creator access.
Radio Free Skaro scratches that sci-fi itch that never really goes away.

Most of us jump between at least two shows depending on our mood, and there’s something kind of comforting about that. Fandom is wide enough to hold all of these voices – and it only gets more fun when you let yourself wander.

If you want, we can turn this into a comparison table or add an FAQ block to help readers choose based on their interests.