Key Highlights
- Amelia Dimoldenberg launches the final run of her acclaimed comedy interview series Chicken Shop Date on Oct. 2 after 12 years.
- New investigative and interview offerings include Erin Moriarty’s The Woman in the Woods, Ina Garten’s Happy Hour, and Allen Salkin’s deep dive Gerbil.
- Seasonal horror and mystery programming ramps up for October with the return of Glynn Washington’s Spooked and the premiere of Ominous Thrill: Her Horrorween.
As the autumn season sets in and evenings grow longer, the digital audio and video landscape is expanding with high-profile releases across true crime, cultural criticism, celebrity conversations, and supernatural folklore. From iconic culinary icons inviting audiences inside their living rooms to multi-year independent video projects entering their final seasons, this month offers a diverse slate of shows tailored for autumnal listening and viewing.
Celebrity Conversations and Farewell Tours
A major milestone in digital entertainment arrives as creator Amelia Dimoldenberg prepares to close a long-running chapter of internet culture. Her celebrity interview series Chicken Shop Date begins its final run on Oct. 2, bringing its famously deadpan interactions, awkward flirtations, and fried-chicken dining encounters to a conclusion after 12 years. Over more than a decade, Dimoldenberg’s distinct interviewing style routinely disarmed Hollywood guests, including a widely circulated date with actor Andrew Garfield. Viewers can watch the farewell episodes on YouTube.
Meanwhile, beloved culinary authority Ina Garten brings her signature hospitality to the internet format with Happy Hour with Ina Garten, which debuted on Sept. 16. The weekly series welcomes luminaries across the arts, entertainment, sports, and culinary fields into Garten’s New York City apartment for cocktails and conversation. The show evokes the warmth of her Barefoot Contessa era, launching its premiere episode with actor and comedian Kate McKinnon. It is available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
Investigative True Crime and Hollywood Folklore
For listeners seeking deep investigative rigor, The Woman in the Woods presents a six-part true crime series hosted by 48 Hours correspondent Erin Moriarty. Launched on Sept. 16, the podcast investigates the baffling circumstances surrounding the death of Mindi Kassotis. Although Kassotis’s friends were originally informed that she and her husband had died in a hospital setting, the later discovery of a woman’s remains outside Savannah, Georgia, dismantled that narrative. The series traces law enforcement efforts to uncover the truth through archival reporting and interviews, accompanied by a visual edition on YouTube containing previously unseen footage and photographic material alongside its release on Apple Podcasts.
Focusing on a different kind of investigation, The Hollywood Reporter introduced Gerbil on Sept. 17. Fronted by investigative journalist Allen Salkin, the documentary podcast traces the decades-long, unsubstantiated urban legend surrounding Hollywood actor Richard Gere. Salkin examines archival documents and conducts interviews to unpack how the persistent rumor originally circulated pre-internet, why it endured in popular culture, and how word-of-mouth folklore metastasizes into widespread collective belief. Listeners can access the series via Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Supernatural Anthologies and Seasonal Horror
Seasonal programming takes center stage with the return of Spooked, hosted by Glynn Washington. The series centers directly on personal accounts of real people recounting their encounters with the paranormal. Season 11, titled “The Spooked Field Guide to the Shadow,” debuts on Oct. 2, featuring new weekly episodes throughout the month across Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and iHeart platforms.
Similarly embracing the horror genre, the audio fiction anthology Ominous Thrill launched its newest season, “Her Horrorween,” on Oct. 1. The 15-story collection specifically showcases horror fiction written by women, spanning subgenres such as folk horror, supernatural suspense, and psychological terror, produced with full cast ensembles and immersive sound engineering on Apple Podcasts and the show’s official website.
Internet Culture and Low-Stakes Gossip
For daily commentary and cultural dissection, Slate’s ICYMI, hosted by Kate Lindsay, provides biweekly analysis of the digital landscape on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Recent installments have explored the rise of vertical microdramas, artificial intelligence prognostications, and the practical realities of abandoning smartphones for analog devices, highlighted in the episode “No Phones? No Problem.”
Rounding out the lineup is Normal Gossip, hosted by Rachelle Hampton. Operating since 2022, the comedy podcast explores listener-submitted stories detailing the petty, dramatic, and humorous choices of everyday strangers. For October, the show offers seasonally themed narrative adventures such as “Paranormal Activity” alongside guest Amber Singletary, centering on a blended family, a purported spectral presence, and an unusual late-night witch hotline.
Why This Matters
The current slate reflects a maturing crossover between traditional broadcast journalism, Hollywood reporting, and independent creator formats. Digital shows like Chicken Shop Date illustrate how creator-led web formats have become central stops for traditional celebrity press junkets over the past decade, while network veterans like Erin Moriarty and established brands like Slate and The Hollywood Reporter increasingly package investigations specifically for multi-platform video and audio feeds. Furthermore, seasonal programming surges around October continue to demonstrate the high commercial and audience demand for true crime, folklore, and immersive audio anthologies.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the final run of Chicken Shop Date premiere?
Amelia Dimoldenberg’s Chicken Shop Date kicks off its final series run on Oct. 2 on YouTube, marking the conclusion of the show’s 12-year run.
What is the core premise of Erin Moriarty’s The Woman in the Woods?
The six-part investigative series explores the suspicious death of Mindi Kassotis. It follows investigators unravelling contradictory stories after Kassotis’s friends were told she died in a hospital, only for her remains to later be identified outside Savannah, Georgia.
Where can listeners stream Ina Garten’s new interview show?
Happy Hour with Ina Garten is available to stream in video and audio formats on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
