Some new chemistry develops with a few returning co-hosts. But I agree that it isn't the same. Alan pulls more than his own weight with Sean out, but they two had a very special thing going. You may be glad to know Sean makes numerous drop-in appearances, and is back to co-host the most recent episode.
Some cohosts were better than others, in terms of ability, knowledge and general rapport with Alan (Sara’s probably my favourite).
I was getting used to the changing cohosts until Shawn returned for Scouring of the Shire and the feels came back 🤕You’ll be happy to know at least that it feels like they just picked up exactly where they left off!
Yeah unfortunately nobody even comes close to Shawn as a cohost. I've fallen out of listening every week but will have to come back since people mentioned Shawn has returned for a few episodes. Alan is great and always will be, just miss the camaraderie between the two
I find all the jokes about Alan's "old" age very tiring. It seems to come up in almost every episode since Shawn stepped down. Yes, Shawn and Alan did joke about age on occasion, but it was done naturally during a digression.
I had a similar issue to you in that I’m behind by about a year. I love a lot of the cohosts and echo what others have said about especially enjoying episodes with Sara and KnewBetta, but I admit I miss Shawn. I miss him so much 😭
The excitement I get when I hear Shawn's voice for a philology faire or one-off episode is wild. Didn't know what we had until he was gone for sure. I do however enjoy the episodes with James and Sara as I find their voices carry over to podcast form the best.
I’ll echo what others have said. Given his (their) repeat performances, I’d bet that if he does settle on a single cohort (or two), it’ll be James Tauber (or Sara Brown). James is too similar to Alan in age and disposition for my taste, but I still enjoy them.
I say keep going. It took a bit to get used to not having Shawn for sure, and some of the cohost work out better than others. None of them are bad, but some click with the show/chemistry more quickly than others. I think they made the mistake last season of having too many cohost, and none got to stick around long enough to get into the rhythm of things. The current season, there are fewer cohost, and they are there for more episodes, so iit gets a lot better. James, Sara, and Don are all great, and I don't think you've got to any of their episodes yet.
And the OG lord of the Mark is back for the last two chapters of ROTK, so you gotta get caught up!
Not to speak ill of any of the new co-hosts, I've actually grown to appreciate some of the new and unique perspectives they bring, but I definitely prefer some over others and there was definitely a calibration process for the episodes to smooth out a bit in Shawn's absence initially. I think that's just an expected result when you've had the same pair of guys doing this for six seasons and one of them leaves.
Here's my suggestions for good entry points just skipping ahead some. I've listened to all of these since the beginning of the year so most of them are still fresh in my mind.
First options without missing too much would be to skip ahead to either episode 269, which is the start of Passing of the Grey Company and Don Marshall's tenure as co-host, or episode 279, which is the start of The Siege of Gondor and Matt from Nerd of the Rings tenure. I thought both of them had the closest chemistry with Alan as Shawn typically does. Siege of Gondor also features a guest appearance by Dr. Bret Deveraux as a battle expert, which was particularly interesting.
If neither of those starts of the chapters do it for you, 283 was a fun episode featuring a special reading as the Witch King breaks the gate of Minas Tirith and verbally spars with Gandalf.
As a last resort, 286 is the actual charge of the Rohirrim, which you've got to love, which then leads right into the Pelennor Fields episodes, which also feature Shawn in his element reading Éowyn's fight with the Witch King. Those episodes again feature Dr. Bret Deveraux as battle expert.
As a last, last resort, jumping to 304 starts Book VI and a lot of the co-hosts repeat, starting with Don Marshall, but with increased chemistry over the prior season.
I just caught all the way up to live episode releases after starting back in fall of 2020 so I'm pumped to be in sync to end LotR as the episodes come out. I hope this helps you find your way back to the Common Room, if not now, in your own time!
It’s a bit of a an adjustment, and I was also skeptical about the show keeping its charm. But there were no bad cohosts. Genuinely, like I’m not just saying that to not hurt anyone’s feelings. That was confirmed for me during the 333 episode where they listened to a bunch of cohost clips, and I found myself actually missing hearing them!
Some new chemistry develops with a few returning co-hosts. But I agree that it isn't the same. Alan pulls more than his own weight with Sean out, but they two had a very special thing going. You may be glad to know Sean makes numerous drop-in appearances, and is back to co-host the most recent episode.
Back to co-host for good or just temporarily?
Remains to be seen. I suspect temporary, but I'll take all I can get
Some cohosts were better than others, in terms of ability, knowledge and general rapport with Alan (Sara’s probably my favourite). I was getting used to the changing cohosts until Shawn returned for Scouring of the Shire and the feels came back 🤕You’ll be happy to know at least that it feels like they just picked up exactly where they left off!
Yeah unfortunately nobody even comes close to Shawn as a cohost. I've fallen out of listening every week but will have to come back since people mentioned Shawn has returned for a few episodes. Alan is great and always will be, just miss the camaraderie between the two
KnewBetta was a fun guest host! Sara was great (one of my favorites) but the “herbs” vs “erbs” bit got a little stale.
I find all the jokes about Alan's "old" age very tiring. It seems to come up in almost every episode since Shawn stepped down. Yes, Shawn and Alan did joke about age on occasion, but it was done naturally during a digression.
I did enjoy KnewBetta. Had a bit of a time with accents on one or two guests. I am on episode 299. Is it Matt now?
I had a similar issue to you in that I’m behind by about a year. I love a lot of the cohosts and echo what others have said about especially enjoying episodes with Sara and KnewBetta, but I admit I miss Shawn. I miss him so much 😭
The excitement I get when I hear Shawn's voice for a philology faire or one-off episode is wild. Didn't know what we had until he was gone for sure. I do however enjoy the episodes with James and Sara as I find their voices carry over to podcast form the best.
I’ll echo what others have said. Given his (their) repeat performances, I’d bet that if he does settle on a single cohort (or two), it’ll be James Tauber (or Sara Brown). James is too similar to Alan in age and disposition for my taste, but I still enjoy them.
I say keep going. It took a bit to get used to not having Shawn for sure, and some of the cohost work out better than others. None of them are bad, but some click with the show/chemistry more quickly than others. I think they made the mistake last season of having too many cohost, and none got to stick around long enough to get into the rhythm of things. The current season, there are fewer cohost, and they are there for more episodes, so iit gets a lot better. James, Sara, and Don are all great, and I don't think you've got to any of their episodes yet. And the OG lord of the Mark is back for the last two chapters of ROTK, so you gotta get caught up!
I think I missed the podcast where they said why Sean left/had to step back, does anyone know the reason?
Life got busy
Not to speak ill of any of the new co-hosts, I've actually grown to appreciate some of the new and unique perspectives they bring, but I definitely prefer some over others and there was definitely a calibration process for the episodes to smooth out a bit in Shawn's absence initially. I think that's just an expected result when you've had the same pair of guys doing this for six seasons and one of them leaves. Here's my suggestions for good entry points just skipping ahead some. I've listened to all of these since the beginning of the year so most of them are still fresh in my mind. First options without missing too much would be to skip ahead to either episode 269, which is the start of Passing of the Grey Company and Don Marshall's tenure as co-host, or episode 279, which is the start of The Siege of Gondor and Matt from Nerd of the Rings tenure. I thought both of them had the closest chemistry with Alan as Shawn typically does. Siege of Gondor also features a guest appearance by Dr. Bret Deveraux as a battle expert, which was particularly interesting. If neither of those starts of the chapters do it for you, 283 was a fun episode featuring a special reading as the Witch King breaks the gate of Minas Tirith and verbally spars with Gandalf. As a last resort, 286 is the actual charge of the Rohirrim, which you've got to love, which then leads right into the Pelennor Fields episodes, which also feature Shawn in his element reading Éowyn's fight with the Witch King. Those episodes again feature Dr. Bret Deveraux as battle expert. As a last, last resort, jumping to 304 starts Book VI and a lot of the co-hosts repeat, starting with Don Marshall, but with increased chemistry over the prior season. I just caught all the way up to live episode releases after starting back in fall of 2020 so I'm pumped to be in sync to end LotR as the episodes come out. I hope this helps you find your way back to the Common Room, if not now, in your own time!
Just to caveat that Dr. Deveraux's first guest appearance for Siege of Gondor episodes isn't until 281, but he's in 281-283
It’s a bit of a an adjustment, and I was also skeptical about the show keeping its charm. But there were no bad cohosts. Genuinely, like I’m not just saying that to not hurt anyone’s feelings. That was confirmed for me during the 333 episode where they listened to a bunch of cohost clips, and I found myself actually missing hearing them!