Roger Ebert Podcasts

The clearest route into Roger Ebert is an archival interview. Beyond that, his name mostly surfaces inside conversations about particular movies, where it functions as a critical reference point rather than the main subject. Listeners looking for sustained Ebert coverage should set expectations accordingly: there is one obvious destination here, followed by scattered mentions across film-review shows.

The archival starting point

Free Forum with Terrence McNally offers the only episode explicitly built around Ebert: For Oscar week from the archives: 1) Roger Ebert( 2006), 2) Phil Donahue( 2007). Its patient, interview-centred format is suited to long answers and personal or historical detours. The episode shares its billing with Phil Donahue, but it remains the strongest choice for anyone who wants Ebert to be more than a passing name.

Ebert inside the movie argument

On The Rewatchables, Ebert appears amid the show’s fast, overlapping panel debates rather than in a dedicated retrospective. The relevant discussions range from ‘Basic Instinct’ Live From SF With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Mallory Rubin, and Van Lathan and ‘Eddie and the Cruisers’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Van Lathan to ‘The Nice Guys’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Rob Mahoney and ‘The Sure Thing’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan. Expect jokes, rankings and strong opinions about the films themselves; the Ebert material is secondary.

Pete and Hannah’s Watchlist: places its mentions in research-backed conversations about established movies, including AFI: Stagecoach (1939), AFI Top 100 Movie 70 A Clockwork Orange , and AFI Top 100: Movie 97: Blade Runner (1982). The duo mixes production context and film history with blunt reactions, making this a useful option when you want to hear critical reference points folded into an accessible debate.

A looser, nostalgia-driven version appears on No More Late Fees. Ebert comes up during episodes titled The Curve, Save the Last Dance, and One Fine Day. These are brisk conversations shaped by memory, teasing and quick verdicts. They are good movie-podcast listens, but poor choices if Ebert is your sole reason for pressing play.

For criticism in context

To hear how a critic's name enters a researched discussion, Awesome Movie Year makes the better choice. The show works through production history, reception and opinionated disagreement; Ebert is mentioned in Ran (1985 Foreign Film) and 2014 Epilogue. Neither title promises a focused treatment, so approach them as broader film conversations.

The same warning applies to Podcast Like It's ..., where the mentions occur in 90: Confessions of a Dangerous Mind with Jason Bailey, 88: Human Nature with Colby Day, and 84: Up with Josh Spiegel & Scott Renshaw. Its cinephile panel style favors memory, comparison and digression. Ebert is part of that conversational web, not the organizing subject.

Where to start

Begin with Free Forum with Terrence McNally and For Oscar week from the archives: 1) Roger Ebert( 2006), 2) Phil Donahue( 2007) for the one clearly signposted Ebert conversation. For a livelier glimpse of how his name circulates in contemporary movie talk, try The Rewatchables on ‘Basic Instinct’ Live From SF With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Mallory Rubin, and Van Lathan. Choose Awesome Movie Year on Ran (1985 Foreign Film) if you prefer prepared research and argumentative film criticism.

Featured shows below are part of the PlayNext catalog. Updated weekly.