In today’s podcast news roundup, Tom Welling and Michael Rosenbaum will take fans back to “Smallville“; QCode hatches supernatural comedy series “Bloodthirsty Hearts”; the Obama’s Higher Ground and Spotify culture series “The Big Hit Show” unpacks “Fight Club”; and more.
DATES
More than a decade after “Smallville” ended its run on TV, series stars Tom Welling (who portrayed Clark Kent/Superman on the show) and Michael Rosenbaum (Lex Luthor) are hosting a new podcast revisiting every episode of the fan-favorite hit. “Talk Ville,” from Cumulus Media, is set to premiere July 13, with new episodes dropping each subsequent Wednesday, available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Podcasts and other platforms. In the podcast series, Welling and Rosenbaum will rewatch each episode of the TV series show by show, sharing behind-the-scenes information and anecdotes. “Smallville” aired from 2001-10, initially on The WB before moving to The CW network; all 10 seasons are currently streaming on Hulu.
Welling said in a statement, “I’m glad we’re finally able to do this! Looking forward to rewatching the series, sharing stories and revealing insights from my time on ‘Smallville.’” Rosenbaum added, “‘Smallville’ was one of the most successful series on television and it’s the most successful thing I’ve ever been a part of. Rewatching these old episodes with Tom is like going back in time… and it’s a happy place.”
QCode‘s supernatural comedy series “Bloodthirsty Hearts” is set to premiere July 7. The eight-episode show is created and written by George V. Ghanem (“Graymail”) and directed by Sam Beasley (“Ripples”). “Bloodthirsty” tells the story of the first-ever convention for Bloodthirsty Hearts — a slasher-fantasy novel series that was turned into a semi-erotic movie franchise — and the five high schoolers who bonded over the story. The event is everything the superfans hope for… until the same murderous creatures from their beloved story come to spill blood.
Co-produced by Tenderfoot TV, “Bloodthirsty Hearts” features a female-led cast including Victoria Moroles (Plan B, Teen Wolf) Gus Birney (Shining Vale, The Mist TV series), Sofia Bryant (I Am Not Okay With This), Sivan Alyra Rose (Chambers), Cheyenne Haynes (Camping) alongside Taran Killam (Paltrocast with Darren Paltrowitz), Happy Anderson (Bring on the Dancing Horses), Naomi Grossman (American Horror Story), and Ezra Buzzington (Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty). The series is executive produced by Ghanem; QCode’s Rob Herting, Michele Zarate and Sandra Yee Ling; and Tenderfoot TV’s Donald Albright and Payne Lindsey.
Spotify and Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground the next chapter of “The Big Hit Show,” their documentary-style podcast that explores some of the biggest moments in pop culture, will premiere Wednesday, July 13. In Chapter 3, host and journalist Alex Pappademas will crassly violate the first rule of “Fight Club,” exploring David Fincher’s 1998 cult classic starring Edward Norton and Brad Pitt — tracing its journey from a failed novel and movie to a film still being discussed today. The fourth and final chapter will debut later this summer.
Tenderfoot TV and iHeartRadio have teamed on their first joint weekly talk-format true-crime podcast series, “Facing Evil,” set to premiere July 14. The show is co-hosted by sisters Rasha Pecoraro and Yvette Gentile, who revealed the true story of their dark family history in hit podcast “Root of Evil” in 2019, tracing their family lineage to George Hodel, the prime suspect in the infamous Black Dahlia murder case. Three years later, Pecoraro and Gentile are back with “Facing Evil,” which will delve into cases and apply the lessons of healing they’ve learned in their quest to overcome generational trauma to focus on the victims and individuals at the heart of the cases. “Facing Evil” is produced by Tenderfoot TV and iHeartMedia, and distributed by the iHeartPodcast Network. On July 7, a special bonus feature “Episode 0” will be released detailing the sisters’ origin story with background information from “Root of Evil.”
EXECS
Podcast award program The Signal Awards has tapped industry veteran Deondric Royster as managing director. In the role, he will lead all strategic business efforts for the awards program and carry out its core mission to honor excellence in podcasting and enable discovery within the industry, while simultaneously building educational and community engagement initiatives. He will also launch and host a new industry-focused Signal Awards podcast featuring star hosts and below-the-line talent. Royster, after starting out as an independent podcaster, has held senior posts at iHeartRadio, Anchor, and most recently Spotify. The Signal Awards inaugural ceremony will take place in January 2023, with more details to be announced; submissions are open through Aug. 5, 2022. More info at this link.
