Extra Hot Great: This Week In TV
Join Tara Ariano, Sarah D. Bunting, David T. Cole and their valued guests each week for discussion of what's new on TV plus our hall of fame roundtable segment called The Canon, listen as we appoint Winners and Losers Of The Week and of course our ultra competitive TV trivia quiz: Game Time.
Episodes
624: Teed Off At The Hawk
Will Leitch is back for a very sportsy episode, as we contemplate Will Ferrell’s new golf sitcom, The Hawk — as well as when Ferrell got in a rut and how he could get out, why the universe thinks we need TWO golf shows right now, and what the show could have done to avoid wasting talented co-stars (“been a movie instead” is probably the answer). We went Around The Dial with The Five Star Weekend,
623: Are We Ready To Homestead At The New Little House On The Prairie?
Little House On The Prairie has been one in a series of historical memoirs and a TV series that premiered in 1974, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for more adaptations: Kim Reed, possibly the world’s biggest franchise fan (or at least the biggest in our acquaintance) returns to talk about Netflix’s new version, which has already been renewed for a second season. Around The Dial takes us th
622: Commercial Pitchman Draft II
Though it’s never been easier to avoid commercials if that’s what you prefer, some do deserve applause. That’s why we’ve assembled to choose our favorite TV commercial characters in product categories from fast food to hard drinks to drugstores and beyond. We also stay on-theme with a pitch for the Tiny Catchy Commercial Jingle With Punchable Child Canon AND a Non-Regulation Game Time all about t
621: Is Deep Space Nine's Baseball Episode A Home Run?
Larra submitted a late-season DS9 about baseball — in which bunting figures heavily! — for this month’s Forcening, so we stepped up to the plate for Worf homers, MLB nepo casting, and practicing strike-three calls. Ask EHG invited us to write our own Drunk History eps and set Emily Gilmore up on dates, and Tara hung a funny hat a Simpsons Tiny Canon pitch; then we named Not Quite 11 tennis episod
620: Cashing Out Of Million Dollar Nannies
Who better than EEHG’s Green Screen correspondent Stephanie Early Green to discuss Freeform’s new reality show about the super-rich Snugli set — Million Dollar Nannies. Sarah actually didn’t hate the show in theory, but in practice, we found the premise non-credible, the nannies suspect skills-wise, and the richie clients were the Forbes 400 equivalent of Vrbo text art. We left the mysteries of D
619: Making The Grade With Never Change!
A whole passel of alt-comedy superstars got together to make a comedy feature for Hulu about the class of 2008 having to redo the last two weeks of their senior year. Should they…maybe not have bothered? Brandi Brown returns to discuss it (and we hope will return again after we made her endure this). Around The Dial takes us through Miss You, Love You; Office Romance; a viral video of the cast of
618: Interview With The Vampire Rocks Out
Interview With The Vampire returns with a tonally shifted, maximalist third season — and Caroline Framke also returns to talk about the show’s new POV character, in-universe songcraft, when scenery-chewing works, and how vampires’ greatest trick was convincing the world they don’t exist. We went Around The Dial with Not Suitable For Work, Love Island UK, Gardener’s World, and Michael Jackson: The
617: In Soviet Russia Star City Space Shows You
While the counter-history of For All Mankind was going on, what counter-historical events were occurring in parallel in the U.S.S.R.? The spinoff Star City is here to dramatize it, and new guest Sophie Brookover is here to say whether it’s a “da” or a “net.” Around The Dial takes us to Make That Movie, The Tower, Deli Boys S02, and Instadocs. Wendy pitches the Designing Women episode “How Great T
616: Issuing A Silver Alert For The Boroughs
The Stranger Things team (among others) is back with a similar “a community of X bands together against a supernatural force” story in The Boroughs, which features an all-star cast (Alfred Molina, Alfre Woodard, Lester from The Wire) going up against [redacted] AND their own aches and pains. Does the actors’ group chemistry carry the story, or did it need to take one thing off? And have we maybe
615: Having Fun Out Of The Sun For The Summer TV Preview
The last of the Emmy-begging shows are nearly behind us, which means it’s time to look ahead to what has historically been TV’s silliest season: summer! Alan Sepinwall and Kathryn VanArendonk, co-hosts of the new podcast TV Is Good, join us to share the shows they’re into; the shows they should be into but aren’t; the shows no one should be into; and the “Good For You!” shows that aren’t for them
614: Listener Game Time Returns
You hear us play Game Time, but only the bravest few dare attempt it themselves. Laura, Mike, and Rob face off in a trio of Game Times, one written by each co-host. Listen to find out how many winners there are among them!GUESTS👤 Rob Hartmann👤 Laura Hampton👤 Mike SeifertTOPICSGame Time: 📚 Stacks-onomy Of EpisodesGame Time: 🔠 One Letter OffGame Time: 🫥 Oh! I Didn't See You ThereSUPPORT THE SHOW🔥 J
613: Lake Diving, Squid Battling, And Avocado Peeling
Two past and future EHG guests and one listener are showcased in this special episode. First, the good: Mlle. Caroline's pitch for the fourth episode of BBC's 1995 Pride & Prejudice, and Dan Cassino deep (sea) dive on Iron Chef's "Squid Battle." Bringing up the rear is Wendy's Nonac pitch for The Great British Bake Off's infamous "Mexican Week." Warning: might make you hungry for a giant ham,
612: Sitting Center Court For Running Point
Krystal Farmer helps us keep turning EHG into a hoops pod by coming back to talk about Running Point's second season: why it works, what it (perhaps wisely?) hand-waves, whose idea it was to cast such short kings as NBA players, and whether a certain former WB heartthrob is getting a back-door NHL pilot. We went Around The Dial with Call The Midwife, a Jerry West documentary, and Killing Grounds:
611: Is Beef Season 2 A Prime Cut?
Beef has returned with more than twice the beefs (or beeves, if you will); Phillip Maciak has also returned to talk about whether it still sizzles. Around The Dial takes us through S05 of The Boys, Saturday Night Live, and Untold: Jail Blazers. Phillip pitches the New Girl episode "Normal" for induction into The Canon. And we close things up with the Winner and Loser of the week, skipping Game Ti
610: Does The Audacity Have Any Of Its Own?
Alas, our planned guest Devindra Hardawar couldn't join us after all -- but we forged ahead with our discussion of The Audacity, whose all-star cast didn't save the show from feeling superfluous. Should you give AMC's takedown of crappy rich Californians a try, or just watch Succession again? We went Around The Dial with Margo's Got Money Problems, Love, Ted Bundy, and the new season of Taskmaste
609: Studying The Testaments
With its series adaptation of The Handmaid's Tale a major awards success for Hulu, the logical next step is an adaptation of its sequel novel, The Testaments, revolving around the privileged young women of Gilead being prepared for their lives as Commanders' Wives; Alison Herman returns to discuss the latest project on Chase Infiniti's extremely prestigious CV. Around The Dial takes us through Ha
608: Is For All Mankind Getting Old?
For All Mankind, aka "Space Show," may be laboring under 15 tons of old-age makeup -- but the panel, and guest David J. Roth, are here for it. Maybe in space, the makeup is weightless? Or maybe it's a handful of good performances amid the non-credible writing, or the show's occasional foray into lunatic interstellar action (and Martian pizza franchising) -- but if you're not already watching, you
606: Giving The Gift Of 1980 Commercials
This is an un-vaulting of EEHG 388. Haaaaappy holidays! Return with us now to December 3, 1980 -- and all the utterly of-their-time commercials (and by "their time," we kind of mean the '70s) from a rerun of an After School Special, including Barbie food, fights over fluoride, and the worst baby-doll ever. We're also answering your Ask EHG questions about real-life tropes and memorable magazines,
606: Staying Up For The Late Shift
This is an un-vaulting of EEHG 376. For this year's special This Week In TV History episode, we're journeying back to 1996 for February sweeps -- specifically, the week of February 21-27 -- and investigating all the starry stunts the networks AND premium cable channels were busting out to capture audiences. Leading (with its chin) is The Late Shift, HBO's TV movie take on Bill Carter's nonfiction
605: Is Rooster A Cock-A-Doodle Doo Or A Cock-A-Doodle Don't?
The third Bill Lawrence show to début or return in 2026 Q1 is Rooster, loosely "What if Carl Hiaasen had a daughter he needed to help through her divorce from a fellow prof at a New England liberal arts college by taking a job there?" College English instructor Robert Krut returns to discuss whether it's worth auditing. Around The Dial lands on Vladimir, The Fall And Rise Of Reggie Dinkins, Chris
604: Investigating R.J. Decker
R.J. Decker is a photojournalist-turned-private investigator who originated in a novel by Carl Hiaasen. Is he more than just the network-TV version of Bad Monkey? Kim Reed returns to talk about it. Around The Dial takes us to Nate Bargatze's new ABC game show The Greatest Average American, and all over the current reality landscape: The Traitors S04, Survivor 50, House Of Villains S03, and Austra
603: A Little More Conversation About Paradise
Paradise is back for a whole new season of [major spoiler redacted]. After we made guest Alyson Lewis cram 11 episodes in a week, is she mad at us, or delighted to welcome her favorite new show into her life? Listen to find out. Around The Dial takes us through Reality Check: America's Next Top Model, Tales Of The Unexpected, and The Rockford Files. Tara pitches Northern Exposure's S02 premiere,
602: Did We Love Love Story?
The latest true-life story from the Ryan Murphy factory is Love Story, all about John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette. Was our 90s nostalgia powerful enough to get us past its taste issues? Jessica Morgan returns to talk about it. Around The Dial stops at Going Dutch Season 2 (NOT Tara's favorite show, but she does like it!) and Summer House. Dave wonders if a certain recent piece of Star Tre
601: Did The 'Burbs Make Us Stir-Crazy?
Peacock counter-programmed the Super Bowl with a series adaptation of the 1989 horror comedy The 'Burbs. Horror expert Matt Monagle makes his EHG début to discuss whether it made a convincing case for its existence in its new format. Around The Dial stops at Shrinking S03 and the first two seasons of AMC's Interview With The Vampire. Tara explains why front-facing vertical video commercials in th
600: Going Backstage With The Muppet Show
The Muppet Show returns with a one-off episode starring Sabrina Carpenter; Muppetry expert Adam Grosswirth returns to discuss it, including whether the new version nailed the original's vibe, what makes a good Muppet guest (and whether Sabrina's got the right stuff), and how we can't believe Dolly Parton never guested on the show (...so far). Later, we went Around The Dial with The Pete Davidson
599: Sharing Our Recollections About Memory Of A Killer
Fox's new drama Memory Of A Killer, about a hitman in denial about his serious memory loss, stars Patrick Dempsey, so naturally we had to invite Dan Cassino, one of our most dedicated Grey's Anatomy fans, to discuss whether you should add a reminder to your calendar to watch it, or immediately forget it exists. Around The Dial takes us through The Beauty, a roundup of cozy British and internation
598: Should You Enroll In Starfleet Academy?
The Star Trek universe goes teen drama -- and, for once, does it in the/a future instead of the pre-TOS "past." Since it's a Trek property, Andrew returned to talk about Paul Giamatti feasting on his anachronistic lines, whether the show works better as sci-fi or Space High, and where it ranks in Paramount-era Trek shows. We went Around The Dial with Ponies, Andrew's middlebrow-TV catch-up, and S
597: Charting A New Season Of The Pitt
The Pitt returns to take viewers through another remarkably busy day in the ER at Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center. What is there to celebrate in the show's fictional Fourth of July? Heather Cocks, our S01 guest, returns to talk about it. Around The Dial takes us through a passel of recent comedy specials from George Civeris, Kumail Nanjiani, Frankie Quiñones, and Sarah Squirm (aka Sarah Sherman)
596: Would You Rather IV: Would You Dan Rather?
For our latest game of Would You Rather?, we asked past guests, friends, and listeners to challenge us with brand-new TV-related scenarios. They came through with some of the craziest conundrums we've ever contemplated. Listen to find out how sick they, and we, actually are!TOPICSLead Topic: 🤔 Would You Rather?SUPPORT THE SHOW🔥 Join the EHG Club for bonus episodes, no ads, community Discord and mo
595: The TV Superhero Bracket
For this special episode, we're returning to the bracket format, but slimmed down for just your three co-hosts: we made up an Elite Eight of TV superheroes -- no one from the DC or Marvel universes allowed -- and argued through which deserved to go all the way. Which hero stands atop the rest of our selected comers? Listen and learn!TOPICSLead Topic: 🦸🏻 The TV Superhero BracketSUPPORT THE SHOW🔥 Jo
594: Gone Fishing With John
We are off this week for EHG Prime but present you with this EHG Club unlock of EEHG 330: Gone Fishing With JohnWe aren't sure about J M Buffy's reasons for forcening us to watch early-nineties cult show Fishing With John, but we mostly liked the surrealist slow-TV vibes we got from musician/actor John Lurie's rando travelogue. Ask EHG went deep on Ken Marino's Emmy reel, snacking cereals, and a S
593: Soft Rye, Snorkel Parkas, And The Most Important Person Ever To Hail From Toledo
For this special episode, we ponder three Canon pitches from listeners like you. Did we give The West Wing's "Evidence Of Things Not Seen" a standing ovation like a trip of eggs on the vernal equinox? Were we forced to tell Would I Lie To You?'s S06.E06 some hard truths? Will we all soon be putting out our shoes to receive blueberry muffins thanks to A.P. Bio's "Katie Holmes Day"? Listen to find o
592: Mullendash III
In what has become one of our most diabolical annual traditions, we're playing Mullendash again. This year, our guest contestants are: Stephen Falk, with whom the game was initially developed back in the 2000s, and Mullendash newcomers David J. Roth and Jeff Drake. Who can most craft the most convincing Mullenian punchlines? Who can divine the true Mullen from the counterfeits? All is revealed in
591: 2025 Guest Thought Experiments
Once again again, we made some of our Valued Guests stick around after their tapings and muse about TV in our version of a What If? Find out where their imaginations took them in this very special yearly EHG tradition!GUESTS👤 Sarah Baker👤 Omar Gallaga👤 Daniel D’Addario👤 Kari Race👤 Krystal Farmer👤 Stephanie Green👤 Adam Grosswirth👤 Brandi Brown👤 Taylor Cole👤 Robert Krut👤 Jessica Morgan👤 Adam Sternbe
590: Did Our Latest Meal At The Bear Give Us Gas?
We are off this week for EHG Prime but present you with this EHG Club unlock of EEHG 360: Did Our Latest Meal At The Bear Give Us Gas? The Bear is back for its fourth season on (sigh) FX on Hulu. Was it a fully satisfying banquet, or did it repeat? We'll tell you everything. Ask EHG requires us to consider such matters as the post-Quibi shows that should have been Quibis, and the best food to eat
589: Did We Find The Beauty In The Beast In Me?
A Manhattan real estate scion is believed to have killed his first wife in The Beast In Me, the new entirely fictional Netflix thriller series that is NOT about Robert Durst. Durst you watch it? Stephanie Early Green returns to talk about it. Around The Dial takes us through How Are You? It's Alan (Partridge), the latest from Steve Coogan; S19 of Married At First Sight; and JFK: What The Doctors S
588: Are We Of One Mind About Pluribus?
Vince Gilligan returns to the prestige airwaves with Pluribus, an apocalyptic Rhea Seehorn vehicle that's getting uniformly great reviews -- and Jeff Drake returns to the podcast to talk about why WE aren't all on the same page with its world-building, self-consciously beautiful shot compositions, and more (though we all DO agree that Seehorn is the President of Acting). We went Around The Dial wi
587: Did We Love I Love LA?
Bottoms star and co-writer Rachel Sennott has created a new sitcom star vehicle, I Love L.A., for HBO, all about the world of Zoomer influencers. How much could we take? L.A.'s own Nick Rheinwald-Jones joins us to talk about it. Around The Dial takes us through Nobody Wants This S02, Wayward, Aileen: Queen Of The Serial Killers, and Down Cemetery Road. Dave pitched "Those Old Scientists" from Sta
586: Clowning Around With It: Welcome To Derry
TV returns to the King-verse with HBO's It: Welcome To Derry, a prequel (or side...show?) of sorts for various characters from Stephen King's It -- and Josh Gondelman also returns to accept our apologies before talking about doing gory bits, using your best actors wisely, and the different kinds of tension. We're going Around The Dial with the nineteenth seasons of Married At First Sight and Taskm
585: Did Boston Blue Knock Our Sox Off?
Blue Bloods is dead, but its spirit lives on (along with however many actors don't have anything better to do) in Boston Blue, CBS's new Beantown-set spinoff. How authentic is it to the Boston a Bostonian would know? Boston's own Margaret H. Willison returns to talk about it. Around The Dial takes us through Downey Wrote That, The Good Wife, The Good Fight, Love Is Blind, and Task. Never Not Mike
584: Breaking Down The Chair Company
Tim Robinson is back with The Chair Company, a cringe-com with a mystery (or is it??) at its center, and Variety's Alison Herman is also back to talk about it: the little self-flagellating moments the show gets right, whether it's the Tim Robinson property for people who usually don't enjoy Tim Robinson, and why Robinson is like David Lynch. We went Around The Dial with 9-1-1s old and new, Devil I
583: Having A Grave Discussion About Monster: The Ed Gein Story
The fourth season of Monster, Netflix's true crime anthology, concerns itself with Wisconsin serial killer (or was he? (he probably was)) Ed Gein, played by former Queer As Folk cutie Charlie Hunnam. Did it get under our skin? Richard Lawson returns to talk about it. Around The Dial takes us through Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent, Only Connect, and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Richard
582: Is Chad Powers A Winner?
Pretend we made a witty "third and taking-too-long" pun, because that's what we -- and guest Kim "Best Thing" Reed -- thought about Glen Powell vehicle Chad Powers. It isn't bad, but between the first-drafty jokes and getting stuck between two tones, we're not sure you should watch all the way to the end zone. Okay, let's ditch the football puns to go Around The Dial with On Brand With Jimmy Fallo
581: Giving You The Lowdown On The Lowdown
Reservation Dogs creator Sterlin Harjo has reunited with his S03 guest star Ethan Hawke for The Lowdown, a shaggy Tulsa neo-noir. Should you put it high on your list of priorities? We discuss. (Spoiler: yes.) Around The Dial takes us to Caleb Hearon: Model Comedian, The Great Pottery Throw Down, and Lynley. Tara pitches the Regular Show episode "Sleep Cycle" for induction into The Canon. Then, af
580: Is It Time To Hit Snooze On The Morning Show?
The Morning Show is back to bring us its version of 2024. Can any of us possibly be ready to go back there? Maybe not, but we don't have the strength to resist gorging on The Morning Show's baloney, either. Morning Show-ologist Christina Tucker returns to talk about it. Around The Dial clicks through Futurama S13, Rivals, and Celebrity Weakest Link, then takes a trip to the cinema for Downton Abb
579: Putting Out The Paper
Will Leitch, sportswriter and newspaper journalist, is back to talk about The Office-verse sitcom The Paper -- and whether you should bother with the season that just dropped in its entirety on Peacock. Has the world moved on from the TV mockumentary? Does this show understand what it is to love reporting? And does any of that matter if the show's not quite funny enough? Later, we went Around The
578: This Week In Historical TV: September 4-10, 1991
We are off this week but present you with this EHG Club unlock of EEHG 324: This Week In Historical TV: September 4-10, 1991.Earlier this year, our Patreon supporters unlocked a new milestone, and with it a new annual BONUS bonus episode: This Week In Historical TV! Since we've gone with September 4-10, 1991 and chosen as our lead topic Cast A Deadly Spell, an HBO TV movie that combines classic ha
577: Going Long On Long Story Short
We haven't heard much from creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg since BoJack Horseman ended in early 2020, but he's back with a new animated family dramedy, Long Story Short, which has already been picked up for a second season. Are we excited to lengthen our time with it? New guest Eli Yudin joins us to talk about it. Around The Dial clicks through Peacemaker S02, Zach Galifianakis: Live At The Purple On
576: Making Heads Or Tails Of The Twisted Tale Of Amanda Knox
Amanda Knox's arrest for murder in Italy became a sensational true crime story...so of course it is now the subject of a scripted true crime series. Did we find it sensational? Eve Batey joins us to discuss it. Around The Dial lands on North Of North, The Yogurt Shop Murders, Back To The Frontier, and The Fixer. Tara pitches the Friends episode "The One With Russ" for induction into The Nonac. The
575: Should You Plot A Course For Alien: Earth?
The Alien-verse has landed on TV with Noah Hawley's re-imagining (or pre-imagining) of the xenomorphic worlds of the film series -- and Andrew Cunningham has landed back in the guest chair to talk about telepathic blackmail, when hearing is scarier than seeing, and acting choices that don't make sense. Is this essential viewing, or should you jump in a shuttle and bail? Later, we went Around The D
574: Gassing On About The King Of The Hill Revival
Fifteen years after its series finale on Fox, King Of The Hill is back with its fourteenth season, now at on Hulu. Is it worth yelling from the mountains about? We discuss. Around The Dial stops at The Yogurt Shop Murders and S21 of Project Runway. Tara pitches the Close Enough episode "Secret Horse" for induction into The Canon. Then, after naming the week's Winner and Loser, we close with a Non-
573: Is Hitmakers Out Of Tune?
Critic and podcaster Mark Blankenship returns to The Blankenship Chair to discuss Hitmakers, a reality show about songwriters that needs less contrived drama and more process -- but did appeal to a couple of our panelists as eye candy. Should you give it a try, or wait until one of its pop creations comes on in an elevator? We went Around The Dial with Happy Gilmore 2, Million Dollar Secret, The C
572: Bringing Honesty To Billy Joel: And So It Goes
Well, we all have a face that we hide away forever, and we take them out and show ourselves when everyone has gone -- even Billy Joel, who has decided to take his out for Billy Joel: And So It Goes, a two-part HBO docu-series about his life and work. Should he have kept it to himself (it's his life)? Daniel Blau Rogge returns to talk about it. Around The Dial takes us through S02 of Digman!, The C
571: Is Too Much Not Enough, Or Just Right?
Lena Dunham is back with Netflix romcom Too Much -- and so is Maris Kreizman, to discuss Dunham's return to the discourse, whether we can separate the creator from the show, and what the panelists who didn't care for it still think it did really well. We went Around The Dial with American Horror Stories's third season, Veronica Mars's FIRST season, and Ballard, and Tara hoped we'd come to praise A
570: Bradying Down To The ER Draft
In the grand tradition of our drafts for Law & Order and the Star Trek franchise, we're using this special episode to draft teams of staff, patients, loved ones, and inanimate shows from ER -- and who better to join us than Laura Hampton, a PA known to us from our Discord as an ER superfan who recently completed a full rewatch of the entire series? No one, which is why she's here picking a tea
569: Should You Sign On To With Love, Meghan?
We are off this week but present you with this EHG Club unlock of EEHG 343: Should You Sign On To With Love, Meghan?It's clear the former Meghan Markle wants to do something significant with her British-royal influence; it's also clear her new Netflix homekeeping show, With Love, Meghan, isn't that. Stephanie Early Green is back to talk about why it's so dull, what might have helped, and how Marth
568: We Cover The Waterfront
Like a lot of family-owned businesses, Havenport, North Carolina's Buckley Fishery is having a rough go of it lately. If they can't make their nut and pay all their employees on fish alone, maybe...smuggling cocaine will make up the shortfall? What could go wrong?! Jessica Morgan returns to talk about the ways Kevin Williamson's new show crosses over with the one we know him for best (Dawson's Cre
567: Telling The Truth About We Were Liars
And that truth is: none of us thinks you should bother, including returning guest Will Leitch, who agrees that We Were Liars moves too slowly; shows AND tells too fart-sniffily; wastes the talents of an impressive cast, including Mamie Gummer and David Morse; and is based on a property whose author sounds fake. We went Around The Dial with the very real The Chicken Sisters, Untold, and The Mortici
566: Burning Through The 2025 Summer TV Preview
Summer is upon us, but what are we going to watch? Robert Krut joins us to help make our traditional lists of what we're into; what we should be into but aren't; what NO ONE should be into; and what's fine for others but not for us. Dave pitches the South Side episode "Treat Yourself" for induction into The Canon. Then, after naming the week's Winner and Loser, we close out with a Game Time that's
565: Taking The Down Elevator To Dept. Q
David T.'s beautiful son Taylor S. Cole is back to discuss Dept. Q, a Scottish take on a Nordic-noir book series that has the good sense not to mess with star Matthew Goode's face. Chemistry in trope-y scenes, why Scandi crime stories often have a submarine, whether the mystery needed so many episodes to solve -- we're talking about all of that AND recommending actually Nordic Nordic-noir TV if yo
564: Getting In The Big Top With Pee-wee As Himself
Matt Wolf (The Stroll) got unprecedented access to Paul Reubens, generally better known as his alter ego, Pee-wee Herman; Will Hines joins us to talk about what resulted from their 40 hours of interviews. Around The Dial takes us through Big Mouth's eighth and final season; The Comeback: 2004 Boston Red Sox, and Magic & Bird: A Courtship Of Rivals. Sean makes his pitch for the "Long, Long Time
563: Checking The Perimeter With Murderbot
Vulture's Kathryn VanArendonk is back to talk about Apple TV+'s Murderbot, and whether the books do a better job of exploring questions of gender and essential humanity without Alexander Skarsgard's Ken-doll crotch confusing matters. Should YOU give it a watch? We went Around The Dial with Overcompensating, Secret Lives Of Mormon Wives, and Leverage: Redemption's third season before Anne offered a
562: Should You Ante Up For Season 2 Of Poker Face?
After more than two years, Rian Johnson's Poker Face -- aka "What if Columbo, but a lady named Charlie who's a human lie detector" -- is back for its second season on Peacock. Does it still deliver a pleasing throwback mystery vibe? David J. Roth returns to discuss. Around The Dial takes us through the second season of Conan O'Brien Must Go and Netflix's special Conan O'Brien: The Kennedy Center M
561: Should You Try To Weather The Four Seasons?
Did Alan Alda vehicle The Four Seasons need an eight-part dramedy reboot? The panel -- joined by Alyson Lewis of Cracked -- doesn't think so, although one of us enjoyed returning to a version of a property that aired constantly on HBO in the mid-eighties. But did the story need this many episodes, or this downbeat a tone? Do we enjoy this iteration of a Tina Fey character? And why is a certain act
560: Bull Riding Through The Streets Of San Francisco
Heather wanted us to watch a 29-year-old Sam Elliott playing a cowboy in a Season 2 episode of The Streets Of San Francisco, and who were we to resist? We tell you whether the episode's worth ripping off your pearl snap shirt over. Our latest Ask EHG takes us through questions about, among others, our most out-of-character favorite shows and the strangest places we've ever run into someone we knew
559: The Would You Rather? Rath-boree
Most weeks, we confront our guests with a Thought Experiment to compile for an end-of-year special. But this time, we're the ones in the hot seat. We asked our friends -- past podcast guests all -- to challenge us with TV-themed Would You Rather? They came through in a big way with hypothetical choices that really set us to some soul-searching. Listen to hear what decisions we're being forced to m
558: Gazing Too Long Into Season 7 Of Black Mirror
Black Mirror is back with a seventh season packed with miso jam, thronglings, classic film, Christian counseling services, a whole artists' commune, and more; Brandi Brown joins us to discuss what goes down (sometimes...way down). Around The Dial takes us through Hacks, The Syd + TP Show, and Top Chef. Tara attempts to get yet another game night sitcom episode into The Canon with Will & Grace
557: Does Dying For Sex Come Correct?
The Ankler's awards editor, Katey Rich, thinks Hulu/FX's new dramedy Dying For Sex -- about dying, kink exploration, and friendship love stories -- might be in line for some awards love. Did the panel agree? Listen for our discussion, plus Holofcener vibes, useless men, and rooting for Dawson's alums. We went Around The Dial with The Amazing Race, St. Denis Medical, and Andy Kaufman doc Thank You
556: Moving In To Mid-Century Modern
Will & Grace co-creators David Kohan and Max Mutchnick are back with a throwback multi-cam sitcom that isn't Gay Golden Girls, but isn't NOT Gay Golden Girls. Would we travel down the road and back again for more? Joe Reid joins us to talk about it. Around The Dial takes us through Last One Laughing UK, Shrinking, Adolescence, The Pitt, and Gone Girls. Joe pitches the Simpsons episode "Simpso
555: Should You Tour The Residence?
Muppeturgy's Adam Grosswirth returns to talk about Shondaland's latest show for Netflix, The Residence, which takes us behind the scenes at the White House via a murder mystery -- but could the stellar cast make up for a too-long runtime and not-funny-enough writing? Do we have an Only Murders In The West Wing copycat problem? And should you bother watching? We went Around The Dial with The Righte
554: Forcening Fun-anza!
Patreon supporters earn the right to "forcen" us to watch TV episodes of their choosing, and while we usually never know what we're going to get, this time we each made a selection from the list of submissions. Was Dave worshipful of The Chosen's "The Rock On Which It Is Built"? Did Tara want to take The Young Ones episode "Bambi" out back and shoot its mom? Did Sarah thrill to the artistry of Hus
553: The One-Off Character Bracket
We all love the series regulars on our favorite shows. But the magic of episodic television is that someone can pop into your life for just an hour, or 22 minutes, or maybe even just one scene, and make an impression that lasts a lifetime. Your co-hosts invited Jeff Drake to join us for a special episode in which we winnowed down our Sweet 16 of one-off TV characters to the one that, in this parti
552: Is Running Point A Hoops Dream?
Obviously, we couldn't have anyone else come discuss Running Point but Krystal Farmer -- so thank God she agreed, and we went deep on everything from the charms of Kate Hudson to how much of a sport a sports-com should show, plus dumb pro-team fonts and believable sibling energy. Later, we went Around The Dial with Grosse Pointe Garden Society, Futurama on Hulu, and On Call, and Tara schooled us w
551: Extra Hot Great v. Suits LA
After Suits became a surprise streaming hit a couple of years back, of course NBCUniversal couldn't resist going back to the well, and that's how we got the spinoff Suits LA. Is it facing contempt charges? Kari Race returns to talk about it. Around The Dial takes us through The Baldwins, Ladies & Gentlemen...50 Years Of SNL Music, Dear Child, America Undercover and A Thousand Blows. Kari makes
550: Getting Back Into The White Lotus Position
The White Lotus is finally back, and so is novelist and Variety columnist Dan D'Addario to talk about a new locale for familiar hateful-richies storylines. We also talked about who we think gets killed, the most and least successful guest storylines, David Lynch, and what happens when a pandemic lark breaks big for premium cable, before going Around The Dial with Cobra Kai, Yellowjackets, and Lor
549: Kinfolk Kerfuffle
Family Feud is a game show that has delighted audiences for decades by challenging teams of related players to guess answers supplied by randomly selected survey subjects. Completely unrelatedly, our latest special episode, Kinfolk Kerfuffle, has contestants trying to match poll answers submitted by our Discord members. Dave presides as chosen family Tara, Sarah, Adam Grosswirth, and Kim Reed tak
548: RSVP-ing To You're Cordially Invited
After NBC screwed up Charles Star's booking by dropping The Hunting Party series premiere weeks early, it's fitting (?) that he should, instead, join us for a Prime Video original movie about a scheduling snafu: the Nicholas Stoller-written and -directed You're Cordially Invited, starring Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon at war over a wedding venue. Did it leave us wanting to toss rice, or toss
547: Will You Find Any Trouble In Paradise?
Sterling K. Brown takes the lead in Paradise, and in the investigation that drives Hulu's new paranoid thriller -- and Rolling Stone's lead TV critic, Alan Sepinwall, is back to discuss both. Do the layered flashbacks work better for this material than for Brown's previous Dan Fogelman project, This Is Us? Does the dumb world-building outweigh the watchable acting? After we talked about how this u
546: Does SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night Actually Go Far Enough?
With Saturday Night Live about to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its series premiere, Peacock has assembled four documentary specials about how the show is made. Do any of them really advance our knowledge about this comedy institution? Omar Gallaga returns to talk about it. Around The Dial takes us through Severance, A.P. Bio, Playing For Peanuts, and Star Wars: Skeleton Crew. Omar pitches the
545: Should You Wade Into The Pitt?
Various legal proceedings aside, The Pitt is ABSOLUTELY not ER...but if you liked ER, Fug Girl Heather Cocks agrees with the panel that you'll like Max's new and extremely gnarly medical drama. It has all the ingredients that make a doctor show (versus a soap with doctors in it) compelling: solid casting; elegant world-building via medical students; and just enough jargon. We're going Around The D
Recommended
Doctor Zhivago Slow Read
The Swerve Podcast: Obscure Topics | Conspiracy Theories
The Young and Called Podcast .
Conspiracy Files with Paige Carter
World News Tonight with David Muir
Bad Friends
Iran War Daily
MosaLingua Language Lab
Grind Hard Mix Show
The Articulate SpecialOne
Difference Makers
The Loop
