I'm not really sure I follow what you're asking.

Slate's Gabfests are a lot like what you're describing, and immensely popular (and well-produced).

I do. Most podcast makers I know do to at least some extent, though not usually as much as the biggest podcast consumers.

I think Jimmy and Matt deserve much of the credit you're giving them, but I also think you may be ascribing some causality that isn't necessarily real. They're all part of an LA comedy community that's based primarily at the UCB. They drew most of their guests from that community, as did Doug, the Sklars, etc. I…

The BBC's "A History of the World in 100 Objects," which is a series of short documentaries built around items in the British Museum is tremendous. So is Nate DiMeo's The Memory Palace, which is a short-ish narrative history podcast, mostly stories from American history. Totally amazing.

NO! YOU'RE THE GREATEST!