‘Number 16. Limitless.’
Beginning with an episode on Rob Reiner’s courtroom classic A Few Good Men, The Rewatchables podcast, hosted by Bill Simmons, has now been running for almost ten years across 512 episodes (as of January 2026). While Simmons is more well-known in America as a sports broadcaster (he worked at ESPN for many years before starting The Ringer – a sports and pop culture network), I stumbled across him after The Rewatchables was named one of the top 50 most important podcasts of the 21st century by some publication or other. Let’s dive in…
The concept of The Rewatchables (as suggested by the title) is a run-through of any film that can be watched over and over again. Each episode is split into categories (most rewatchable scene, picking nits, unanswerable questions, who won the movie?, etc.), with further ever-changing categories or awards thrown in for good measure (would the movie be better with Tom Hanks or Tom Cruise, the Big Kahuna Burger award for best use of food and drink, etc). Once you fall into the peculiar rhythm of The Rewatchables (basically talking about the movies the same way guys talk about sports), it’s impossible not get swept up in it all.
I think what I love about this podcast is that there is no barrier to entry. The kind of films discussed here are, on the whole, popcorn fare – mostly big Hollywood productions in the action, comedy or sports genre. Anyone who had the pleasure and privilege to listen to Simmons’ recent podcast in which he listed his top 50 most rewatchable films of the 21st century to an increasingly baffled Chris Ryan and Sean Fennessey (his regular co-hosts) will know how infectious this show can be. This is just a guy that loves movies, with no care for how he is perceived, talking to other guys (and the occasional gal) like friends talk to each other in bars the world over. This is how actual movie lovers talk about movies. I’m not saying there isn’t a place for the more academic side of film criticism, but I am saying that whatever this is is more successful.
I listen to loads of film podcasts (primarily horror-based), but if I had to recommend one film pod to film buffs and casual viewers, it would be The Rewatchables. It’s no coincidence that Simmons and his crew have signed a deal for all future episodes to be available to watch via Netflix. Start with Bill’s top 50 rewatchable films episode, and then, when you love it, you’ve got over 500 other wonderful episodes to get lost in.