The fictional podcast is enjoying a purple patch right now, with bankable stars like Oscar Isaac taking a time out from the big screen to appear in creepy returned-soldier drama Homecoming.

The psychological thriller, which dropped its debut 25-minute episode on November 16, is teased out in snippets of overheard conversation relayed in non-linear fashion.

Isaac plays a returned soldier Walter, who may be experiencing PTSD.

His co-star Catherine Keener plays Heidi, a psychiatrist engaged in the Homecoming project, designed to help soldiers adjust to civilian life. However, jumps forward reveal she’s in hiding, fearing for her life while investigators circle. 

While fictional podcasts may be all the rage right now, the idea of audio drama is hardly new.

Anyone of British heritage will at least be aware, if not a keen fan, of long-running radio serial The Archers, depicting the soap-like ups and downs of a rural community, airing continuously on BBC Radio 4 since 1950.

And of course Orson Welles shook listeners to their core with The War of the Worlds in 1938. Broadcast at The Mercury Theatre on CBS’ Halloween special, its all-too-real-sounding alien invasion yarn caused panic.

It’s early days for Homecoming yet, but the big budget, top-notch casting and high-tech digital sound effects are sure to make it a big hit.

Other fictional podcasts to check out…

If you loved Stranger Things … listen to Welcome to Night Vale

Welcome to Night Vale is a kooky sci-fi mystery serial updated twice-monthly that relays fake news reports of strange and unusual happenings in the fictional South-western American desert town of Night Vale. Writers Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor posit it as a place where all conspiracy theories are true and it’s as funny as it is spooky, with shades of The X-Files weirdest comic moments, Stephen King’s horror and Doctor Who.

If you loved The Leftovers … listen to Limetown

Fans of HBO’s mystery drama The Leftovers, which depicts the unexplained ‘Sudden Departure’ of two per cent of the world’s population and recently shot its final series in Melbourne, should check out Limetown. It depicts the aftermath of a mass disappearance at a research facility in Limetown, Tennessee. Created by Zack Akers and Skip Bronkie, there are hints of true-crime podcast Serial too, with Annie Sage-Whitehurst playing journalist Lia Haddock, who’s on a mission to uncover the truth.

If you loved Black Mirror … listen to LifeAfter

If ‘Be Right Back’, the opening episode of Charlie Brooker’s second series of the head-messing Black Mirror, broke your heart while simultaneously creeping you out (a grieving widow finds comfort in a downloadable simulation of her recently deceased husband) then give LifeAfter a whirl. The 10-episode series sees an FBI agent use similar technology to stay in touch with his dead wife Charlie, but it’s a dark hole to jump down and the consequences are dire. 

Warning: Video contains coarse language and adult themes.

If you loved Barracuda … listen to Fruit

Creator and star of HBO comedy Insecure and web series The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl Issa Rae came up with the idea for Fruit before NFL player Michael Sam made global headlines, coming out by kissing his boyfriend live on air, but the heartfelt story of rising footy star ‘X’ discussing his sexual experimentation, hopes and fears is uncannily similar. A nuanced queer drama, it’s perfect for fans of the ABC’s recent Christos Tsiolkas adaptation Barracuda.

Also check out Australian podcast Terra Incognita, where local speculative fiction authors read their own stories.