If you’re glued to a scripted podcast drama, you may be auditioning a potential TV series — a result of Hollywood’s demand for small-screen material and the realization that podcasts beyond nonfiction are a valuable resource.
Dramatizations of fact-based podcasts such as Wondery’s “WeCrashed,” about the WeWork business debacle, and Dateline NBC’s crime saga “The Thing About Pam” have become TV staples with top actors including Jared Leto and Renée Zellweger.
But there’s a new wave of fiction podcasts, some made with the express intent of judging a story’s worthiness for a second life on screen, emerging from prominent newcomers to the audio world. They’re seizing on podcasts as a more cost-effective way to test a series concept than filming a TV pilot, and more persuasive than a written pitch.
“Very traditional, legacy media companies” see fiction podcasts as content to be mined, said Mark Stern, a former studio chief and head of Syfy channel’s original content for a decade. Stern himself has shifted gears: He’s president of Echoverse, a podcast studio launched in 2020 with a focus on sci-fi, fantasy and supernatural stories.
