伴随播客正在迅速兴起，以满足观众对幕后细节的好奇；今年仅已推出至少17个此类节目，内容覆盖《Beef》《The Pitt》《The Last of Us》等作品，并配合 HBO 11月推出《哈利·波特》电影回顾播客，以及5月15日《Rivals》第二季的官方播客。该趋势显示，电视观众不再只在播出时观看，而是愿意在整天任何时刻持续接触相关内容。
这种形式之所以受欢迎，在于它把制作中的决策、改编过程和专家分析打包呈现：例如 Neil Druckmann 讲述《The Last of Us》改编时如何重组剧情，节目还请儿科医生解析《The Pitt》的医学情节、请空间科学家讲解《3 Body Problem》的天体物理学。HBO 播客总监 Becky Rho 与制片人 Darby Dorras 都强调，节目必须“真正沉浸且有洞见”，而不是只靠轻松闲聊留住听众。
从商业角度看，播客填补了流媒体削弱 DVD 花絮后的空白，也继承了 2010 年代《Gilmore Guys》这类重刷播客的受众基础；对电视台而言，它们制作成本较低、能提升留存率，而且便于移动端收听。尽管未来若美国 2025 年发行的 1,100 部节目中有一半都配官方播客，市场可能出现饱和，但目前这一格式仍处于强劲增长期。
Companion podcasts are rising quickly to satisfy viewers’ curiosity about behind-the-scenes details; at least 17 have launched this year alone, covering titles such as “Beef,” “The Pitt,” and “The Last of Us,” alongside HBO’s November podcast revisiting the “Harry Potter” films and the official podcast for season two of “Rivals” on May 15. The trend shows that television audiences are no longer limited to watching at airtime, but are willing to keep engaging with related content throughout the day.
The format is popular because it packages production choices, adaptation process, and expert analysis: Neil Druckmann, for example, explained how “The Last of Us” was reworked for television, while a paediatrician dissected the medical storylines in “The Pitt” and a space scientist guided listeners through the astrophysics of “3 Body Problem.” HBO podcast director Becky Rho and producer Darby Dorras both stress that the shows must be “genuinely immersive and insightful,” not just light chat that hopes listeners will stay.
Commercially, podcasts fill the gap left when streaming reduced DVD bonus features, and they build on the audience that once embraced rewatch podcasts such as “Gilmore Guys” in the 2010s; for networks, they are relatively cheap, improve retention, and are easy to consume on the move. Although saturation could arrive if half of the 1,100 U.S. shows released in 2025 had official podcasts, the format is still in a strong growth phase.
Source: “Companion podcasts” are the latest hit format
Subtitle: Ready for more after bingeing on TV?
Dateline: 5月 14, 2026 11:25 上午 | NEW YORK