Potterless

In an interview with Rice Magazine, Schubert discussed the origins of the podcast: “I knew people have incredibly strong feelings about ‘Harry Potter,’ but I hadn’t read the series [...] And then I knew — that’s the podcast.”[6] However, Schubert was not inspired to begin the podcast until he met his now-wife, Kelly - he discovered that she was a fan of the series and so began the podcast partially as a conversation starter.[7] In an interview with The Rowling Library magazine, Schubert explained the origin of the name "Potterless" as a pun based on both Pottermore, now Wizarding World, and the fact that he had not read the series and so was Potter-less.[7]

Schubert began reading Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in March 2016, and the first episode of the podcast launched in October of that year.[8][9] Episodes were initially released bi-weekly, but the release schedule was switched to weekly in 2019. The last book material was covered in episode 89[10], after which Schubert began covering the Harry Potter films and spin-off materials such as Harry Potter and the Cursed Child[7][9][11].

The first 89 episodes of the podcast cover the Harry Potter series in reading order, with each episode dedicated to a chapter or section of chapters[11]. Episodes are approximately 60 minutes in length, and consist primarily of Schubert and his guest(s) summarizing the plot and providing commentary[1]. Recurring segments include:

• British Quandaries, in which British citizen Dottie James answers questions from Mike and his American guests regarding British-isms and whether things such as treacle tart are British or magical in origin.[4]
• Wingardium Ad-read-osa, in which Mike reads ads for the episode’s sponsors.
• Patron Round-up, in which Mike thanks and names new patrons, reads the list of “producer level” patrons, and (in the first episode of each month) announces the charity to which he has donated $1.00 USD for every current patron.[12][13]
• Mike’s signature sign-off of “Wizard On!”

Potterless has had several stand-alone live shows across the United States, as well as appearing at conventions such as LeakyCon and CONjuration.[14][15][16][17] Schubert also collaborated with Alas Earwax! on the song “Enter Thicknesse”.[18]

Each month, Schubert donates $1.00 USD per active patron on Patreon to a different charity.[12][13] As of May 2020, $17,864 USD had been donated in this manner to over 25 charities, including the CDC Foundation, The Trevor Project, and the Rainforest Trust.[12]

Potterless has charted in the top 20 for Arts and Entertainment podcasts and in the top 40 for comedy podcasts on Spotify[2][3] and has over 500,000 subscribers and 30 million downloads.[1] It was voted the Celebmix 2019 Podcast of the Year[19] and has been featured on several lists of recommended podcasts.[20][21][22]

According to Wil Williams Reviews, “Schubert is an effortlessly comedic host, and the guests add a layer of reflection and analysis that adds some nice depth to each episode."[5] The Post calls Potterless “the perfect podcast for anyone who has wanted to reread the series but doesn’t have the time… [it] provides listeners with opportunity to recall the first time they read the books and follow along on the beautiful journey of listening to someone else do the same.”[23]

Some listeners have criticized the podcast for various reasons[24], including Schubert’s criticisms of the Harry Potter series, as he often holds the writing in the books up to today’s standards. Other criticisms of Potterless include a lack of expertise on the part of Schubert’s guests, with many incorrect statements regarding the series going uncorrected, and poor audio quality in early episodes.