Good One

Good One takes comedy seriously, and that is not a contradiction. Hosted by Jesse David Fox, a senior comedy writer at Vulture and author of Comedy Book, this podcast sits down with comedians, writers, and performers for extended one-on-one conversations about how comedy actually gets made. Fox is not interested in surface-level banter. He wants to know why a specific joke works, how a bit evolved over months of workshopping, and what creative choices went into a particular special or set. The result is a show that appeals to comedy nerds and casual listeners alike. Episodes run long -- typically 75 to 100 minutes -- and they reward that time investment. His background as a critic gives him a vocabulary for discussing comedy that most hosts lack, and his guests clearly respect the preparation. You can hear it in how candid they get. These are not promotional interviews. They are craft conversations. With 328 episodes in the archive, the guest list reads like a directory of modern comedy. The show has been running since 2017 under the Vulture and Vox Media Podcast Network banner, releasing biweekly. It carries a 4.6-star rating from about 1,500 reviews on Apple Podcasts, with listeners consistently praising the depth of the interviews. Good One fills a specific niche that most comedy podcasts ignore. Plenty of shows feature comedians being funny. This one features comedians explaining their process, and it turns out that is just as compelling. If you have ever wondered what separates a good joke from a great one, or how your favorite comedian develops new material, this is the podcast that actually answers those questions.