By Robert Scucci
| Published 8 seconds ago
It’s official. Last Podcast on the Left is coming to Netflix. I first heard the news on Wednesday, January 21 during the weekly Side Stories episode, when series host Marcus Parks announced that the true crime comedy podcast would be showing up on Netflix feeds by the end of the month. In this case, the long-running series is part of a licensing play, meaning the video episodes from the back catalog will simply be available to stream on Netflix for subscribers, while regular listeners can continue using Spotify or their podcast apps as usual.
In other words, if you don’t have Netflix, you can still tune in week after week to listen to Last Podcast on the Left. But if you’re a diehard Netflix junkie, you can now catch the show there without changing your media consumption habits.
While this is great news for Marcus Parks, Henry Zebrowski, and Ed Larson, it also points to a much larger shift in the media landscape as we move further into 2026. That shift is Netflix making a serious push to dominate the podcast space.
Last Podcast On The Left Reaching A Wider Audience
Hosted by Marcus Parks, Henry Zebrowski, and Ed Larson, Last Podcast on the Left is a true-crime and comedy podcast covering everything from serial killers and alien invasions to government conspiracies and just about any other macabre subject imaginable. The series debuted in 2011, clocked in over 1,100 episodes, and has only continued to grow in popularity over the years.
I’ve always gravitated toward the “Heavy Hitter” series, where they spend multiple episodes unpacking the lives and crimes of figures like BTK, Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, John Wayne Gacy, and Aileen Wuornos. That said, the show has been a part of my weekly listening routine for over a decade at this point, and I’m glad to see what started out as a bootstraped project continue to flourish. If you have a dark sense of humor and enjoy learning about the worst people and events in history while three dudes work out their shtick through exhaustive research, it’s hard to beat. I’m hopeful this Netflix deal helps the show reach a wider audience without compromising its integrity or legacy.
Licensing Existing Properties Vs Netflix Originals
Personally, I breathed a sigh of relief when Marcus Parks clarified that Last Podcast on the Left’s involvement with Netflix was strictly a licensing arrangement. It’s still the same show, just using Netflix’s infrastructure and reach to capture a new audience. Alongside that, the group has also hinted at additional projects that will land on the streaming platform in the coming months, which should broaden their scope as podcasters, media personalities, and content creators. It feels like a rare win-win kind of situation, especially since ownership of the show was not transferred in the process.
On a much broader scale, Netflix plans to go hard on podcasts in 2026 by partnering with Spotify, iHeartMedia, and Barstool Sports as a way to distribute already existing shows to the streaming sector. On the flip side, this also means Netflix is beginning to produce its own podcasts to fill their ever-growing content slate. As of this writing, Bridgerton: The Official Podcast will operate as a companion piece to the hit series and is scheduled to debut on January 29, 2026.
Beyond that, it’s still unclear what original podcast concepts not tied to already existing IPs will look like, especially when filtered through committee decisions and the kind of focus-group feedback Netflix productions are known for. Netflix has already announced The Pete Davidson Show, and The White House with Michael Irvin recently saw its debut, but it feels inevitable that scripted podcasts are probably coming next. If that happens, I’m genuinely curious about how Netflix plans to hold the attention of distracted viewers who may not be listening to a word anyone is saying.
