Politically Re-Active

Bell and Kondabolu previously worked together on Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell,^[1] with Bell hosting and Kondabolu serving as writer and correspondent.^[2] The show grew out of conversations the two hosts were having by telephone and backstage at shows over the course of their careers as stand-up comedians.^[3]

The first two seasons of Politically Re-Active were produced by First Look Media in collaboration with Slate's podcasting division, Panoply.^[4] The show was First Look Media's first podcast. The third season was produced by Topic Studios and WarnerMedia Podcast Network.^[5]

The podcast debuted in June 2016.^[2] Early episodes focused on the U.S. presidential campaign of 2016, with weekly episodes from June through the election in November. Politically Re-Active aired two post-election episodes in November 2016, then went on hiatus.^[6] Season 2 began on March 15, 2017, and ended on October 5, 2017.^[7] The show's third season debuted on October 5, 2020.^{[8][9][10][11]}

The show consists of interviews and political comedy. Bell and Kondabolu "host (typically left-leaning) guests each week to try to understand the different ideologies that are shaping this election."^[12] Wired described Politically Reactive as "mostly reasonable discussions with guests."^[13] Topics of discussion have included dog-whistling, private prisons, presidential debates^[14] and the Olympics.^[15] Interviews are edited to insert occasional explanations from Bell and Kondabolu (introduced by Kondabolu saying, "Hold up, wait a minute!") to give additional context.^[14]

ColorLines called it a "hilarious new politics podcast"^[16] and The Guardian said of the debut, "Bell and Kondabolu are two of the sharpest, funniest political minds around, and based on the first episode, Politically Re-Active will be a great addition to the podcast roster."^[17] In July The A.V. Club said the series had "start[ed] off strong," particularly praising the interview with Kathleen Hanna: "an altogether enjoyable episode that's also a nice primer on both feminism and mansplaining. If the first three episodes are any indication, Bell and Kondabolu are going to be a podcasting force to be reckoned with."^[18] AlterNet called it "a seriously great podcast series...easily one of the most binge-worthy things I've listened to in recent memory, and already a runaway hit."^[19]

In the first six episodes, Politically Re-Active made iTunes' top 15 chart.^[20]

• Political podcast