I was fooled.

The wool was pulled over my eyes. I was deceived. Snowed. Flimflammed. And when it comes right down to it, I have no one to blame but myself.

It began with The Walking Dead “Dead, White And Blue” marathon over the 4th of July weekend. The marathon was nice, diversionary white background noise tuned on in the background. Occasionally I’d plop on the couch in the cool of the house to take in part or all of an episode. No harm in that, I figured.

I’d seen enough chapters of the show, multiple times over and reviewed them. I’m familiar enough with all of them to hold my own in an in-depth discussion should one ever come ’round. So it was nothing more than a guilty pleasure to revisit an episode here and there or a favorite scene when it popped up. Adding to some of the hype was a recent article I read about the music used throughout the show, tunes which have become fan favorites or which punctuated characters or situations. That, too, was another nice little aside between various chores and duties and I took note of the music a bit more closely as a few of the mentioned tunes played out during the broadcast.

I even learned a thing or two, things I’d either forgotten completely or additional pieces of information I could tuck away as little asides: Lizzie’s dangerous prison monkey business in leading a walker down a walkway with Hershel’s subsequent rescue of her when things got out of hand. (There were tons of references throughout the show when it came to her delusions about the undead. I’d completely forgotten this particular one.) The revelation of the Governor’s surname, courtesy of his adviser Milton. (It’s “Blake” if you didn’t know, the same as in the comic series.) Hershel’s bit parts and sage advice, all adding legacy to his character throughout his time on the show. Little tidbits here and there that make The Walking Dead all the more enjoyable.

But there was a downside to the marathon. And it wasn’t the lure of untold hours of slothful, unproductive, eyes-glazed-over watching of rerun after rerun after rerun.

No. It was the incessant call of Chris Hardwick, host of Talking Dead, TWD‘s companion talk show. Over and over again Chris promised me — and millions of my closest friends — exclusive information about AMC’s post-apocalyptic show, along with a not-to-be-missed sneak preview of the upcoming season 5 premiere debuting in October. All I had to do was tune in to Talking Dead at 9:00 p.m.

At each commercial interruption, he teased viewers with little mini-interviews of TWD‘s actors and producers. Just as incessantly he promoted that sneak peek non-stop. I could feel his words wriggling into my brain on a mission to assert mind control over me so I was powerless to do anything but tune in for the 9:00 p.m. exclusive. His words were Kryptonite, oh so potent, wearing me ever more defenseless, eroding away any resolve I might have once had. “Special! Exclusive! Huge! Necessary! Must-See!” These were the exclamations he threw around to get me and everyone else watching to stayed tuned. In the end I’m sure Chris all but commanded me to be there.

And I was there. For the entire hour. Even though I knew for a fact that tease wouldn’t come until the very end, almost sixty minutes in.

And let me tell you something: I’m not proud of the fact I was worn down to a nub of my former self mentally, coerced into submission by an affront of relentless promotion to witness what no man had seen before:

Man, do I feel like a sucker.

Look: I don’t have anything against Chris Hardwick. But Talking Dead — while it was interesting in the very beginning — has become a blowhard promotional tool with zero substance. It used to be fun, it used to feel fresh. There was a time, during season 2 of The Walking Dead (which was the premiere season of Talking Dead) when it had an exciting behind-the-scenes vibe you used to look forward to. No longer. I stopped watching it after its second season because it became old and unwatchable. It turned into senseless hype and unsatisfying emptiness, a joke of its former self. When the likes of Kevin Smith and Todd McFarlane and Sarah Silverman (!) come on to talk about The Walking Dead (Why? Why? Why?), I could give a rat’s ass. Inexplicably, Jack Osbourne (!) and Marilyn Manson (!!!) were on one airing of last year’s program. What the hell was that about?!?

I have rules. Lots of them. Common rules, life rules, common sense rules. I like to think I learn from them. And I do … many times. One of those rules?

“You don’t learn from your successes. You learn from your mistakes.”

Let’s hope I learned something from this one.

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I’m always baffled by the number of people who don’t listen to podcasts. With the ubiquity of iPods and smartphones, it’s never been easier to just download free entertainment and have it constantly with you. History, music, sports — there are thousands of podcasts about subjects I don’t give a shit about. Me? I pretty  much stick with the comedy.

My iTunes is filled with podcasts but there are only a handful that make it onto my iPhone in weekly rotation. This list isn’t a ranking; I love all of my comedy children. Some are roundtable discussions, some are interview-based, and one is even a quasi-gameshow. The one thing they have in common though is that they consistently entertain me, in some cases for years.

Now, in no particular order, here are my top comedy podcasts:

Smodcast (Kevin Smith, Scott Mosier)

Ricky Gervais’s comedy podcast was my first foray into podcasts, but Smodcast was the first one that I subscribed to on iTunes. I came in a few months into its run and quickly caught up from the beginning. It’s evolved a lot over its nearly six years: Early episodes feature Smith spinning elaborate yarns with Mosier mainly just listening and providing occasional feedback. Mosier quickly came into his own, however, and now serves as a robust co-host, bringing his own stories and jokes to the table. If you’re just jumping into Smodcast, or introducing it to a friend, it’s better to start with an early one (the Hellen Keller episode is a classic), to get your comedy bearings. If you start with a more recent episode, you may just walk away confused as to why you spent thirty minutes listening to Kevin Smith describe the plot of whatever movie he had just watched before taping. If you’re a fan of Smith’s movies, you’ll also get a bunch of behind-the-scenes info on his process, choices, and what actors he likes and who he’ll probably never work with again.

Nerdist (Chris Hardwick, Matt Mira, Jonah Ray)

I somehow learned about the Nerdist podcast via Twitter, right after it started. I’m still not sure how this happened, as I had no idea who Chris Hardwick was at the time, but I’m glad it did. Early episodes feature Hardwick’s comedian friends, including Thomas Lennon, Mike Birbiglia and Drew Carey. The interviews focus a lot on the process of comedy, so if you’re a stand-up nerd, you’ll love it. Interview episodes are now interspersed with “Hostful” episodes, which feature Hardwick and his co-hosts, Matt Mira and Jonah Ray, sitting around and shooting the shit sans guest. These episodes are mainly about what’s going on in their lives, but are just as fun and interesting as the interview episodes. As the podcast’s popularity has grown, so has the calibre of guests — Tom Hanks and Willem Dafoe are just a few of the big names that have appeared in recent months. However, the influx of more Hollywood guests has provided an unintended, yet hilarious, consequence of people who go on, having no idea what a podcast is, or who any of these guys are. Listening to established actors try to adopt to a new medium is a pretty good time in and of itself.

Doug Loves Movies (Doug Benson)

Comedian Doug Benson hosts this part roundtable discussion, part game show centered on movies. Guests are primarily composed of his comedian friends, with people like Sarah Silverman, Pete Holmes, and Paul F. Tompkins making frequent appearances. While each episode generally features a couple of games, the show is built around The Leonard Maltin Game. In The Leonard Maltin Game, contestants  bid on the number of cast members (from the bottom up) they need in order to guess a film’s title. It’s a pretty basic premise, but The Leonard Maltin Game manages to entertain week after week by featuring creative categories (“Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” for instance, is movies that feature three or more monsters), and either hilariously bad players (despite having made several appearances, Silverman still generally has no idea what’s going on), or freakishly good ones (Adam Scott, Jon Hamm and Samm “The Ma’am” Levine are some of the consistently best players). Leonard Maltin himself even shows up now and again to play his namesake game.

*Full disclosure: I was recently kind of on an episode of Doug Loves Movies, but Doug fucked up the recording, so it never ended up airing.

WTF (Marc Maron)

If Oprah were an angry, Jewish male comedian, this is the podcast she would have. Marc Maron has been on the scene for years, and as a result, is friends and/or enemies with basically everybody in comedy. This interview podcast is often funny, but really delves deeply into comedians’ processes and often their psyches.

If Maron has known the guest for a while, expect the interview to start off with some variation of, “I really used to think you were a dick; but I like you now.” Plus, his ten minute rambling intros to each interview are really an art unto themselves. WTF is sometimes funny, sometimes sad, but never boring.

Girl on Guy (Aisha Tyler)

The style of Girl on Guy is similar in style to WTF, but with fewer reconciliations. Most people know Aisha Tyler as an actress, or more specifically, as the only black person in the Friends version of New York City. If you’re home during the day, you may know her as one of the co-hosts of The Talk. She’s also a stand-up and a huge gamer, so she usually ends up touching on most of those topics with her guests. In an episode with your imaginary husband Nathan Fillion, the pair reminisces about hanging out in super-secret L.A. gaming rooms and just playing for hours. Tyler’s also a major foodie, so she’s more than able to hold her own with guests like Anthony Bourdain (although my favorite part of that particular episode is when she spends a good fifteen minutes trying to convince a very confused Bordain why Rocky Balboa is an excellent movie). The wide range of topics discussed is what sets apart Girl on Guy from some of the other interview-style podcasts hosted by comedians. This is the podcast I’ve been listening to for the shortest period of time, but I’ve already come away having learned a few new things.

Tell ‘Em Steve Dave (Bryan Johnson, Walter Flanagan, Brian Quinn)

TESD holds a special place in my heart, as I’ve been a listener since day one. The second podcast on the Smodcast Network, the first couple of episodes feature Bryan Johnson and Walt Flanagan, with Brian Quinn only appearing as a silent sound board monitor. Though it’s been years since I’ve listened to those first shows, I remember them as being mainly composed of Bryan wondering what the point of doing anything is, and Walt wondering why the hell he’s on a podcast in the first place, but agreeing to it because he seems to be at least semi-convinced that it’s the only thing keeping his friend from killing himself. The guys quickly find a rhythm though, and the addition of Quinn to a speaking part brings a new energy to the show. Over the years, listeners have enjoyed trips to the flea market, rants about gizmos and gadgets, feuds, and a host of games created by Walt, including the masterpiece that is “One True Three.” Walt and Bryan can also be seen on AMC’s Comic Book Men along with frequent TESD 4th chair Ming Chen, while Quinn can be seen on Tru TV’s Impractical Jokers. Despite their newfound reality stardom, the heart of TESD has blessedly remained unchanged. Although the show seems on the verge of collapse nearly every week, this seems to be an excellent harbinger of its true staying power.

A special extra shout-out goes to the Tell Em Steve Dave 2012 Christmas Special. This bonus episode is over two hours and exemplifies just how far the show has come. The guys (plus Ming and Sunday Jeff) are firing on all cylinders. Between the Christmas carols and the best game of One True Three that’s ever happened, The Christmas pod is well worth the $4.99 minimum cost. While TESD has had many charity fundraisers over the years, the proceeds from this podcast are going to Walt and Mike Zapcic (Comic Book Men), who both suffered extensive damage to their homes during Hurricane Sandy. It’s hard to convince anyone to pay for a podcast, but it’s impossible to buy this one and be disappointed.

*Full Disclosure: I was recently on an episode of TESD. It probably ruined my life, but the guys are all sweethearts.

This list barely scratches the surface of what’s great in comedy podcasts and omits some big ones. What are some of your favorites? Feel free to leave your own list in the comments!