You’re probably familiar with the idea of Comfort Shows, those episodes you throw on when you want an extra bit of solace (New Girl, Friends, Grey’s Anatomy… you get the picture.)

Well, we have three Vocal Fries out sick with COVID-19 right now, and thought it was an apt time to round up podcasts that evoke a warm, fuzzy, cozy up in bed feeling — call them sick day podcasts.

And we’re aware that the absolute last thing you want when you’re sick in bed are reminders of the coronavirus that finally got you after two years of dodging it.

So instead, we picked podcast listens that will remind you about the beauty of being human. Plus some other random ones because… let’s face it, the person writing this blog post has COVID and some things don’t need extra explaining when you’re sick.

Here’s a list of shows you may or may not have listened to yet, you’re welcome!

10 Things That Scare Me

What are you scared of? A tiny little podcast about our biggest fears from WYNC Studios. In super short and sweet episodes, one person, speaking alone, lists the fears that keep them up at night, define their lives, and inform their choices. One person alone in a room? Sounds like an isolation period to me.

Heavyweight

Ever wanted to go back in time and right some wrongs? Heavyweight is a show about just that. Host Jonathan Goldstein helps regular people try to resolve a moment from their past they wish they could change. Expect deeply personal stories that dig deep into personal histories as they attempt to find closure for an unresolved question in their lives. We all carry heavy stories with us, and this show will have you feeling a greater connection to the personal struggles that make us human. The show is on a break right now, so there’s plenty of time to catch up on the back catalogue before the next season starts in Fall 2022.

Field Recordings

Into soundscapes? Field Recordings is a podcast where audio-makers stand silently in fields (or things that could be broadly interpreted as fields) from award-winning producer Eleanor McDowell started this podcast during the lockdown to traverse the boundaries of her small London apartment. If you’re that audio producer that loves a sound up and standing really still to capture two minutes of room tone or atmosphere, you’d like this gentle little podcast that feels like a warm hug.

Maintenance Phase

Watched a lot of Mythbusters as a child? Maintenance Phase may scratch that nostalgic itch, as host Aubrey Gordon and Michael Hobbes debunk the junk science behind health fads, wellness scams, and shoddy nutritional advice. Since its launch in 2020, the show has earned a following for it’s thoughtful biweekly interrogation of our diet-obsessed culture and the health fads of yesterday and today. Expect deep dives into crazes like the Keto diet, Weight Watchers, and the carnivore diet. PS. the show ranked number one on Vulture’s Best Podcast survey of 2021.

Rituals

Here’s a new podcast for ya’ll that just launched last week. Take a tour through the dark arts with hosts Christine Schiefer and Em Schulz. They take turns telling each other about accounts of all things mystical and occult. Their theme music totally gives that Halloween-y laying in bed under the covers watching Are You Afraid of the Dark? vibe.

This American Life

Hardly a ground-breaking recommendation, but This American Life is a classic choice for when you’re sick. Each week, they choose a theme and put together different kinds of stories on that theme. A few favourites: House on Loon Lake, Fiasco!, and 129 Cars. Listen if you want to hear a thoughtfully selected collection of radio stories. It’s that simple.

Sounds Like A Cult

This is a relatively new pick! Try it out if you like the idea of a deep dive analysis of those modern day, zeigeisty “cults” — skincare, veganism, astrology — and what is it about these particular phenomenon that capture the attentions of loyal fanbases everywhere. Co-hosted by Isa Medina and Amanda Montell, the two offer humorous and observant takes on various cultural touchstones.

Ologies

Our producer Ren always recommends this show, so we had to list it. Ologies is a comedic science show hosted by Alie Ward that was once named on Time Magazine’s list of top 50 podcasts. Ward, who is a humorist and science correspondent, interviews the professional -ologists and recounts the charming and bizarre stories that fuel their obsessions. Asking smart people stupid questions, we love it.

Mystery Show

From Starlee Kine, this is a podcast about mysteries. In it, Kine attempts to solve small but intriguing mysteries of all kinds – like Jake Gyllenhaal’s exact height, or the case of the vanishing video store. Mystery Show launched in May 2015 to great reception before being quietly cancelled by Gimlet Media after it’s short one-season run. Bad, Gimlet! But you can still listen to the delightful little series here, which was named iTunes Best Podcast of the Year.

Home Cooking

Talk about comfort podcasts! If you love firing up the oven and trying something new in the kitchen, listen to this delightful show from Samin Nosrat and Hrishikesh Hirway while you chop, dice, and blend to your heart’s delight. Home Cooking was born in the early days of the pandemic to keep people company in the kitchen while we were all locked down. Visiting early episodes is like going back in a time machine to when people were hoarding beans.

99 Percent Invisible

We have quite a few 99PI super-fans on our staff. Design nerds and architecture fiends, if you haven’t listened to this show yet, where you been!? Award winning producer Roman Mars and his team makes visible the fascinating and unnoticed worlds we walk through every day. See it through new eyes after listening to this podcast about the power of design.

Total Reboot

Phoning it in on this one after seeing it on a Guardian list of podcasts that will help distract you from the pandemic, BUT. Total Reboot sounds like exactly what the doctor ordered when it comes to sick day podcasts. Each week, comedians Cameron James and Alexei Toliopoulos review major Hollywood reboots and eventually expanded to connect various themes through miniseries. With nearly 200 episodes in the can, you won’t run out of material to listen to. And then you can even curl up and watch the movie. Win-win. (I recently revisited the entire Twilight saga - books AND films - so yeah. Listening to this later.)

Playing with Marbles

Here’s a show we made for Brain Canada that features the country’s top brainiacs, hosted by our very own principal Katie Jensen. It’s a narrative documentary podcast about brain disorders and diseases, and it is really fun! Think of it as Neurology 101, but you definitely won’t fall asleep. If you’re curious about that super complex organ between our ears and what makes it work (and not work!) tune in as we ask Canada’s top brain researchers all kinds of things. Shout out to VF producers Jay Cockburn and Max Collins for the super fun scripting and excellent sound design. There’s a reason it was an Apple Podcasts Editorial Pick.

You’re Wrong About

Sarah Marshall is a journalist obsessed with the past. Every week, she reconsiders a person or event that's been miscast in the public imagination. If you’re into myths, misconceptions, and setting the record straight, you’d like this show that unpacks American history and pop culture moments and the stories that surround them. Expect funny, well-researched, and well-informed conversations between two friends. (P.S. Former co-host and journalist Michael Hobbes recently left the show, but you can still hear him on Maintenance Phase, which is also on this list. Plus there’s always the back catalogue.)

And that’s a wrap. I’m going back to bed!

14 Podcasts to Listen to When You’re Sick At Home