The Duncan & Coe History Show - Podcast Rankings and reviews

Love that these two experts let us in behind the scenes a bit—they are each so knowledgeable, and it’s fun to be in on the conversation, like eavesdropping at a very smart party. This show makes history more accessible and personal, as the hosts hold their wealth of knowledge lightly enough to share it with a bit of a wink.

Duncan & Coe is great because it’s not a scripted, planned out narrative. The hosts bounce topics back and forth and take tangents through their respective areas of expertise. Episodes are also not too long so you get a bunch of delicious history morsels in an easy to digest format.

History is so many things but at its absolute best it is a storyteller relaying fascinating true events to an audience that knows how to ask the right questions. Duncan and Coe have great rapport, depths of knowledge, and especially the uncanny ability to pair esoteric facts with compelling storytelling.

An absolute delight.

Two compelling, thoughtful people on a podcast in search of a theme. But is this show greater than the sum of its parts? What is our reason for being here? Given your success, I think we’ll get there. But guys — and I say this with love — get a room! 😉

The hosts clearly find their banter to be witty and charming and delightful, and expect the audience to feel the same way. Maybe things will improve, but thus far it’s just not working. Good history podcasts require engaging storytelling, a skill Duncan obviously has. But this show unfortunately just feels like two people giving their opinion on current and recent political events, and so far there’s no clear reason why we the audience should listen or care.

Writing this early on, so there have only been a few episodes, but Mike and Alexis need to figure out what their goal is. I’m writing this as a listener to Revolutions and not someone who knows Alexis’s previous work, so this show may very well work for her audience, but the loose format leaves too much space for Mike and Alexis to flirt. If that’s your thing, that’s fine, but I doubt it’s something either of the hosts actually intended to be so obvious.

I also don’t have a problem with “guys [gender inclusive] talking” podcasts. I think 5-4, KYE, You’re Wrong About, etc. all work because they have a particular theme, though. As it is, I just don’t know how I would explain this show to someone.