Psychologist Aleks Krotoski investigates the Silicon Valley scions trying to cheat death in The Immortals. Plus: five of the best US politics podcasts
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In most cases, podcasts are not a natural replacement for TV. They cater to different audiences, different technology, different sensory organs even. But when it comes to the US writers’ and actors’ strikes, they’ve just shown there’s one very important way they can step into the breach.
This week, the hosts of the best late-night chatshows in the US announced they were teaming up to create a new podcast whose stellar lineup is like an Avengers of post-watershed American TV. To support the striking staff from their shows, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert, Seth Myers and John Oliver have started Strike Force Five: a discussion show featuring a different host “leading the conversation” each episode. Not only is it a tantalising prospect given the talent involved, but it spotlights something that’s often overlooked: podcasts still have a surprising amount of freedom when it comes to work that can be created during the strike. Here’s hoping that Hollywood’s loss will continue to be podcasts’ gain – and that it raises tonnes of money for striking late-night chatshow staff.
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