Podcast Review: Imagined Life

Last Updated on December 3, 2019

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This is a no-spoilers podcast review of Wondery’s Imagined Life podcast.

I usually hear about podcasts well before they launch, so I was surprised the other day when I heard an ad that said, “Imagined Life, a new podcast from Wondery, available now.”

I've been super busy lately, so I clearly missed the buzz about this podcast. But, now that I've listened, and poked around Twitter and Facebook a little, it's clear that there is a buzz about Imagined Life.

Here's just one of many positive comments from a Facebook group I'm in:

The concept of the Imagined Life podcast is unique: each episode tells the story of a famous person, but you don’t know who the person is until the very last minute of the episode.

Wondery's trailer for the podcast describes it with more drama: They take you on "an immersive journey" so you can "experience the challenges, heartbreaks, losses, and triumphs" of the person in the story.

As the listener, you're supposed to imagine that you are the main character in the story, to really understand the people and events that shaped the now-famous person; to experience how they got to where they are now. You're supposed to imagine it as your life.

What I Like About Imagined Life

I'm really excited to see a new podcast format roll out. I love that podcasters - both independent and network shows - are thinking out of the box and putting new twists on classic ideas.

Let me count the ways in which the concept of Imagined Life appeals to me:

First: You’re forced to commit.

Unlike most podcasts, you can’t scan the episode titles in the Imagined Life podcast feed and say, “Nah, I don’t like X celebrity, so I'll skip this episode”.

You’re either willing to commit to a 45 minute episode - having no idea what it’s about - or you’re not. For me, there’s some fun in the not-knowing. It feels a little risky, maybe even spontaneous.

Once committed, there are really only 2 possible outcomes for you:

1) at the end of the episode, you'll say, “Hey! I really like that celeb! I’m so surprised by everything I just learned about them!”

Or

2) at the end of the episode, you'll say, “Eh. Interesting backstory. Still not a fan.”

Either way, there’s still a 100% chance that you’ll be entertained.

Second: It’s not the usual interview-style format.

I listen to podcasts in a variety of genres, and only a few genres don't do a standard interview format (audio drama and some true crime). For me, all those interviews can get a little stale.

With the exception of the Death, Sex & Money podcast, a lot of podcast interviews are of celebs, or well-established industry experts, making the rounds to promote their latest project. You end up hearing their story over and over again, within a short period of time.

This isn't the case with Imagined Life. Listening to this podcast is like a combination of reading a biography and watching the movie based on the book and actual events.

The episodes are mostly narrated, and include scene re-enactments, but you never actually hear from the celebrity themselves. The narration is performed by actors Virginia Madsen and Robbie Daymond, both of whom inject the appropriate emotion into each segment of the story.

The re-enactments really help to bring the story to life (though the disclaimer at the end of every episode is quick to point out that the re-enactments aren't word-for-word depictions of the situations or conversations).

Imagined Life reminds me of the classic Sesame Street skits called Here Is Your Life (and the spinoff, This is Your Lunch - if you're not familiar, go YouTube it.)

As I listen, I can’t help but wonder what the celebrity would think of this version of their story.

Third: It’s sort of like playing trivia with yourself.

I’ve listened to the first three episodes of the show, and I find myself listening closely to all the little details in the story, and coming up with potential celebrities as the episode progresses.

In episode 1, I didn't have a clue who the person was until the very end. Episode 2 was an easy guess (most people in the Facebook group agreed).

Episode 3 was definitely the best so far. It took me a while to figure out who it could be (about half the episode). Then, I thought I might know, but I wasn’t certain. I was still waiting for just the right clue to drop. Finally, I was 98% sure, but still holding my breath for confirmation.

At one point, episode 3 actually gave me goose bumps. I was driving in the car and the emotion that I felt can only be described as exhilarating. This is not something I can say about most podcasts!

Imagined Life is pure entertainment.

[bctt tweet="Listening to the Imagined Life podcast is sort of like playing trivia with yourself." username="Podcast_Maniac"]

What Imagined Life Needs to Improve

There's only one thing that I really think Imagined Life needs to improve, and that's the ad reads.

The ad breaks came without warning, and were read by the actor/narrator telling the story. It took me a second to realize that the narrator was suddenly reading a commercial, since their phrasing and tone were so similar to the plot of the story. This was confusing and jarring.

Imagined Life isn't the first podcast to do this (and it probably won't be the last). Many new podcast listeners, as well as international listeners of American podcasts, have told me that they get confused by the transition into ads on many podcasts. I hope that the folks producing Imagined Life will fix this for future episodes.

I Recommend Taking a Chance on Imagined Life

This podcast is fun and entertaining. The first three episodes have been fairly kid-friendly (references to domestic violence and sexuality, but nothing explicit). It's definitely safe to listen to at work.

The great thing is that you can start with any episode that you want, and I recommend starting with #3.

Your Turn

Have you listened to Imagined Life? What did you think? Leave a comment below (and please try to avoid spoilers!)