Five top podcasts that have turned into movies and TV shows

1. Homecoming

Before Julia Roberts joined the Homecoming Transitional Support Center in Amazon Prime Video’s TV show Homecoming, the story was a podcast. And it was not unknown either. Talents like Catherine Keener, Oscar Isaac and David Schwimmer ensured this podcast by Gimlet Media was already pretty popular. The podcast centres on Heidi Bergman, who is a caseworker at an experimental facility. The titular live-in facility claims to rehabilitate US Army soldiers returning from overseas wars and make them fit for civilian life. In reality, it makes them forget the memories of the war altogether. So instead of purging traumatic memories, there is a blank spot. The podcast tells the story in conversations, calls and recorded therapy sessions.

2. Lore

Created and hosted by Aaron Mahnke, Lore, which was adapted by Amazon for the TV series of the same name, tells the origins of popular horror stories and urban legends, basically how these myths originated. This included everything from Bloody Mary to vampires. Lore is non-fictional, but it is not a dry recounting of stuff that happened. Manhke’s narration is like that of a twisty thriller series. For instance, he keeps the best and biggest revelations for the end of the episode.

3. Serial

A Peabody Award-winning investigative journalism podcast hosted by journalist and radio personality Sarah Koenig, Serial tells a real story in three seasons and 32 episodes. The first season probed into the murder of a Baltimore high school student Hae Min Lee. The season was adapted by HBO for the criticall-acclaimed four part docu-series called The Case Against Adnan Syed.

4. This American Life’s What You Don’t Know episode

A 2016 episode titled What You Don’t Know of radio programme and podcast This American Life inspired Lulu Wang directorial The Farewell, starring Awkwafina in the lead role. The story follows a Chinese-American family. When the family members learn that the matriarch of the family is dying, they decide not to tell her and plan a family gathering before she dies.

5. Evil Eye

An Audible Original drama written by Madhuri Shekar, Evil Eye is one of eight Blumhouse’s upcoming film productions made for Amazon Prime Video. The film will release next month. The podcast tells a riveting story full of twists and turns that will evoke emotions as varied as euphoric joy and utter terror. There is no ghost or ghoul here, but something altogether more terrifying: human evil. A typical Indian mother fusses over her daughter, who is living in the United States. Unable to secure a good sanskari Indian boy as a match for her despite all the astrology knowledge at her disposal, she is unnerved by the man her daughter does end up liking. That is all you should know before delving into this 100-minute story. Fantastic voice performances and an ending that will leave you gasping for breath, Evil Eye is a must for those with an Audible subscription.