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A new podcast debuted this past week, releasing episodes every week day. Here's a your first look, and my first impressions.
The Daily Smile Podcast Review
Podcast Name: The Daily Smile
Hosted By: Nikki Boyer (you know her from the Dying for Sex podcast, and a variety of different internet and cable shows).
What It's About: Every episode is a different story or interview about something fun and happy, reminding you of the good in the world (even on the worst of days).
Where You Can Find It: Listen on Wondery.com or in your favorite podcast player.
Average Episode Length: 15 minutes
Episodes Listened To:
- Drone Love
- Tommy's Haircut
- The Real Life Golden Girls
- Call of the Wild
My First Impressions: I loved the first episode of The Daily Smile (the one titled Drone Love). It sounded a lot like two other Wondery podcasts that I love, Imagined Life and The Moment (links to my full reviews of these shows are below).
I assumed that all of the other episodes would follow the same format, but that wasn't the case. I didn't love the Tommy's Haircut episode (although I could totally relate, having taken scissors to my husband's head 5 weeks into quarantine). I was lukewarm on The Real Life Golden Girls, but then ended up loving Call of the Wild.
It's not that the stories aren't good, but more that there isn't really a format for the show.
Host Nikki Boyer brings the same perkiness and enthusiasm to each episode, but in the episode where she's giving a haircut to her boyfriend while on a video call with a hairdresser, it felt more like I was watching a Facebook Live than listening to a podcast.
I like knowing what I'm getting when I download an episode of a podcast; spontaneity and surprises are only sort of welcome. The Daily Smile (at least in the first few episodes) is a little too all over the place for me.
It's no surprise, then, that I like the end of each episode, which DOES have a structure/format to it: it's when Nikki shares three more feel-good things making her smile. Think of this as the stumble-upon of a cute puppy video online.
The good news: Episodes of The Daily Smile are short (about 15 minutes each), so if you love the idea of a feel-good podcast, you won't risk a lot to listen to an episode or two. I think this show has potential, so even I'm willing to give it a shot for another few episodes.
One last thing: This podcast's theme song is a fun, upbeat tune that I actually like having stuck in my head!
You Might Also Like:
Imagined Life Podcast Review
The Moment Podcast Review
