Pop Culture Happy Hour is a podcast from NPR that helps you keep up with the latest in pop culture. Hosts Linda Holmes, Aisha Harris, Stephen Thompson, and Glen Weldon discuss binge-worthy TV shows, movies, music, and video games four episodes a week. The show covers everything from lowbrow reality TV to Oscar-winning films, offering reviews, recommendations, and recaps. It aims to be your go-to source for pop culture conversation with a cheerful tone.
Episodes
Possible Love
The film Possible Love recently hit Netflix, and it’s worth your time. It’s the latest from director Lee Chang-dong, whose previous film Burning was a critical hit. In the Korean film, two couples living very different lives come together – wealth and privilege meets working class struggle, as the film dissects how much a basic sense of self-worth is bound up with having a job. And the toxic, pern
Godzilla Minus Zero
Godzilla Minus Zero is the sequel to Godzilla Minus One, the global word-of-mouth hit that just happened to be the first Godzilla movie ever to win an Oscar. In the movie, our heroes battle Godzilla and…a new nemesis. The Japanese film includes stunning visual effects, while also digging into themes of regret, shame, and the devastating aftermath of World War II. Need a few more disaster movies? C
Wild Horse Nine and What’s Making Us Happy
Wild Horse Nine is a terrific new movie that stars John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell as two CIA agents who head to Easter Island for an unusual and mysterious mission in the early 1970s. They bicker and banter constantly, but the film is more than just a hangout movie: It also reflects heavily on memory and regret. Written and directed by Martin McDonagh (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri),
Cozy fall recommendations
Fall is in the air and you need stuff to watch and listen to and read as you curl up under the blanket and settle in. We’ve got you covered with some under the radar picks that are, as the kids say, giving autumn. We talk about: Over the Garden Wall, The Guest, books by Josephine Tey and Helene Hanff, and the music of Connie Converse and The Weakerthans. Looking for more cozy recommendations? Chec
The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins
The comedy series The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins stars Tracy Morgan as a disgraced former football star and Daniel Radcliffe as a documentary filmmaker who team up to make a movie. The NBC/Peacock mockumentary sitcom also stars Erika Alexander and Bobby Moynihan, with creators who come from shows like 30 Rock, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Girls5eva – and the joke density bears that out. The
VisionQuest
The new Disney+ show VisionQuest is the latest Marvel television series, and it’s one of the good ones. It’s the conclusion of the trilogy that began with WandaVision and continued through Agatha All Along, reuniting actors Paul Bettany, who plays the synthezoid Avenger named Vision, and James Spader, who returns as Ultron. The show is a timely parable about artificial intelligence, and it’s yet a
War and What’s Making Us Happy
Nothing’s fair in love and war — and it's especially true in the very watchable HBO series War. Dominic West and Sienna Miller play a high-profile British couple duking it out in a high-stakes divorce. And the cutthroat litigation between the law firms representing them threatens to rival any of the marriage drama they’ve got going on. War was created by George Kay, who is also behind shows like L
The scariest movie I’ve ever seen
Do you like scary movies? It's spooky season, so what better way to get into the Halloween spirit than plopping down in front of a film engineered to scare your pants off. Today, in this encore episode, we’re revisiting our conversation about the scariest movie we've ever seen – including The Babadook, Event Horizon, The Night of the Hunter, and… Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.Looking for more spooky sea
Wildwood
Wildwood is one of the best movies of the year. It’s an epic stop-motion animated saga about a young girl trying to rescue her brother, and it’s filled with raging battles, fantastical animals and a voice cast featuring Carey Mulligan, Mahershala Ali, Angela Bassett, and Tom Waits. Wildwood was made by Laika, the studio behind Coraline and Kubo and the Two Strings. If you’re looking for other grea
Clayface
Clayface brings R-rated body horror to this origin story of a Batman villain. The film stars Tom Rhys Harries as an actor whose dream life crumbles after an encounter with a mob boss leaves him disfigured. Desperate for a solution, he receives a revolutionary procedure involving nanotechnology powered by AI. What could go wrong? Director James Watkins goes hard on the horror elements, but is the D
Wicker and What’s Making Us Happy
Wicker is somehow the coziest and horniest movie of the fall. Olivia Coleman and Alexander Skarsgård star as the unlikely couple: She’s a fisherwoman who commissions a husband literally made of wicker. The newly-kindled romance upends their small medieval town, where the men are the worst and the women are — surprise surprise — bored and unsatisfied with their own husbands.Are you looking for more
Youth
We all love actor/writer Sharon Horgan, and she’s got a new show on HBO called Youth. Horgan stars as Alex, a 50-year-old divorcée who finds herself at several simultaneous personal and professional crossroads. But where does this new show fall in the Horgan canon? Is it essential, or is it more of a vestigial Horgan?Looking for more TV and movies about navigating mid-life? Check out these episod
Sense and Sensibility
A new Jane Austen adaptation is going to give you love, family and honor, repressed emotions and probably financial peril that can only be resolved through marriage. A new film version of Austen's Sense and Sensibility touches on those familiar themes with the Dashwood family, which include the two oldest sisters Elinor (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and Marianne (Esmé Creed-Miles). They are, in true Austen
Whalefall and What's Making Us Happy
Guy meets whale; complications ensue. That's basically the plot of the new survival thriller Whalefall. It stars Austin Abrams as Jay, who goes diving in search of his deceased father (Josh Brolin) – and is swallowed by a whale. Based on the book by Daniel Kraus, the movie also has a lot to say about fathers and sons, as well as the lessons they have to teach each other.If you’re looking for more
You Can See Everything
About a month before Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes went to prison for defrauding her investors, she and her partner Billy Evans invited a film crew to document their lives at home with their kids. And they didn't make a deal with a conventional filmmaking team. They connected with Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim. Fielder’s unusual nonfiction work blurs the lines between truth and artifice,
The Lowdown
The great FX series The Lowdown stars Ethan Hawke as a freelance investigative reporter with a knack for sticking his nose where it doesn't belong and getting that nose punched. He gets drawn into the seedy goings-on of one of Tulsa's most prominent families. Created by Sterlin Harjo (Reservation Dogs), the modern-day Western noir comedy has an excellent ensemble including Kyle MacLachlan, Keith D
Other Mommy
The trailer for the movie Other Mommy went viral when it dropped a few months ago. It dominated the box office this weekend, but was panned by critics. But is it really one of the worst movies of the year? It’s about a 7-year-old girl who is visited by a mysterious entity who takes the form of her mother, played by Jessica Chastain. It’s a lean, intense horror film full of dark family secrets and
Carrie
The new series Carrie updates the Stephen King book for the digital age, and plays with what we think we know in some surprising ways. Streaming on Prime Video, it follows a young Carrie who has led a sheltered life with her overbearing mother. But as Carrie enters high school, she has a rough go of it. The signposts are familiar – the showers, the prayer closet, the prom, the pig’s blood – but sh
The Social Reckoning and What’s Making Us Happy
Don’t call it a sequel: The Social Reckoning is a companion piece to The Social Network. While the first movie chronicled the invention of Facebook, this one focuses on where Facebook is now. Jeremy Allen White stars as a crusading reporter alongside Mikey Madison, a Facebook insider with damning information about the business’ practices. The film also features Jeremy Strong as Mark Zuckerberg. Wr
East of Eden
A new series on Netflix is taking a bold crack at the American classic. Maybe you read John Steinbeck’s East of Eden in school. Or maybe you’ve seen the very loosely-adapted film starring James Dean. Anchored by a fantastic Florence Pugh performance, this new adaptation follows multiple generations of the Trask family. The series is an epic retelling of their story that offers a fresh perspective
Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother
Mahershala Ali’s new movie isn’t the Blade reboot, but it’s still worth your time. Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother follows a newly widowed hitman who wants out of the game. He's also a devout Muslim, and after his wife’s death, he is forced to adjust to being a single dad to three kids, while trying to balance his work and faith. But his boss (Laith Nakli) has other plans for him.If you’re loo
Verity
Verity stars Dakota Johnson as a struggling novelist who gets an unusual assignment. She's been asked to ghostwrite the final books by a superstar writer, played by Anne Hathaway. It’s an erotic thriller about marriage, manipulators, and (of course) murder. Based on Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel, Verity is a story of deceit that wants you to keep guessing until the very end, and maybe even af
Digger and What’s Making Us Happy
Digger is a loud, surprising, audacious, and sure-to-be-polarizing entry in this year’s Oscars race. The film stars Tom Cruise as a powerful oil baron who’s helped unleash an existential threat on the world — but that’s only the beginning. The looming devastation attracts the attention of the president (John Goodman) and a well-intentioned scientist (Riz Ahmed). The film takes some pretty big narr
A Different World
The TV series A Different World has loomed large in the culture since ending in the ‘90s, and now school is back in session in a new sequel series on Netflix. The show welcomes a new generation of students to the fictional HBCU Hillman College, and brings back notable alumni like Whitley Gilbert (Jasmine Guy) and Dwayne Wayne (Kadeem Hardison). And while the world is a lot different than it was 30
Forgotten Island
Forgotten Island is a wonderful new animated feature from the team that brought you Kung Fu Panda 2 and Puss In Boots: The Last Wish. We’re introduced to childhood friends Jo (H.E.R.) and Raissa (Liza Soberano). One is a free spirit, the other an aspiring scientist, and they’re both getting ready to go their separate ways. But during their last night together, they’re transported to a magical isla
The Love Hypothesis
The Love Hypothesis brings the beloved trope of fake dating to the world of science and academia – but does it bring a fresh take to the bestselling book by Ali Hazelwood? The new Prime Video movie follows Stanford graduate student Olive (Lili Reinhart). Her best friend Anh (Rachel Marsh) is holding back from pursuing a guy because she thinks Olive is interested in him. Olive wants Anh to follow h
Primetime and What's Making Us Happy
The new docudrama Primetime is a weird and highly fictionalized account of the meteoric rise of To Catch a Predator. Robert Pattinson plays host Chris Hansen, who is struggling to get bigger ratings. Hansen and his team work with local law enforcement to drag the accused sexual abusers of minors before the camera and arrest them. But does director Lance Oppenheim’s highly stylized approach work, o
Jay-Z
Jay-Z has been everywhere lately. It’s been 30 years since his acclaimed debut Reasonable Doubt, and he celebrated with a series of concerts at Yankee Stadium. And now there’s the HBO docuseries, JAŸ-Z In 8, in which Jay-Z dissects his catalog with producer Rick Rubin. The series hopes to further cement his legacy as one of the most revered lyricists of our time. But Jay-Z (or JAŸ-Z, as he’s style
Fall Guide
This fall, there’s a lot of movies and TV on tap for you to see. And we're as excited for all of it to arrive as you are. So we’ve got a guide to what’s worth keeping on your radar, including Wicker, Wildwood, Wild Horse Nine, Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother and Avatar: Seven Havens.Looking for more buzzy movie recommendations? Check out these episodes: ‘Resident Evil' is a grisly, funny fight
Great documentaries you don’t want to miss
We talk a lot about movies and TV shows, but new documentary films sometimes can sometimes get lost in the shuffle. So today we’re highlighting some new documentaries that are worth your time and you don’t want to miss – including Remake, The History of Concrete, Black Zombie, The Oldest Person in the World, and You Had to Be There.Looking for more films that might have flown under your radar? Che
Resident Evil and What's Making Us Happy
The new Resident Evil movie is wild, scary, inventive, fast-paced, and funny. That’s because the videogame-turned-film franchise got a reboot courtesy of director Zach Cregger (Weapons and Barbarian). Austin Abrams plays a medical courier tasked with transporting an important medical MacGuffin, and his journey goes haywire almost immediately as gnarly perils pile up. But does the movie’s blend of
Last Seen
The new Apple TV series Last Seen is a compelling thriller. It stars Patrick Brammall (Colin from Accounts) as an emergency dispatcher named who gets a call one night from a girl he thinks might be his long-missing daughter. The show follows him as he becomes obsessed with finding the truth, even at the cost of his own stability and sobriety. It also tackles some thorny questions about who stands
Crew Girl
The Netflix TV show Crew Girl follows in the footsteps of successful coming-of-age dramas like Sterling Point and The Summer I Turned Pretty. It follows Teagan, an ambitious high school rower (Miku Martineau) trying to fit in on the boys’ crew team at a fancy prep school. The show’s got a plucky fish out of water, a love triangle with two very different boys (Kyle Clark and Sam Braun), and a dream
2026 Emmys recap
This year’s Emmys were a big night for shows we really love, including Widow’s Bay, The Pitt and Pluribus. Actors Jean Smart and Matthew Rhys picked up wins, and Rhys made some history. And we’ll explain why we love Mariska Hargitay, who proved to be a game yet corny host.
Connect with Pop Culture Happy Hour:Letterboxd / FacebookOur weekly newsletterSupport public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks f
Practical Magic 2 and What’s Making Us Happy
In Practical Magic 2, Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman return as witch sisters doomed by a family curse that means any man they love will die. They embark on a new chapter where the next generation is discovering the dangers of being born into this family. It’s been over 25 years since the original film. But will practical moviegoers be swept up in the magic twice?If you are gearing up for the wit
Unapologetically basic TV and movies that we love
When you hear the words “pumpkin spice latte,” maybe you think of fall. But maybe you just think about the pleasures of something unapologetically basic. The same can be said for movies and TV. Today, we are revealing some of the most basic things we really love – including National Treasure, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, Dateline NBC, and The People’s Court.Looking for more episodes like this? Che
Watch this: Filipiñana
Are you tired of the same eat-the-rich narratives churned out by Hollywood? There is a great new film Filipiñana offering a new take about the inner-workings of a country club in the Philippines. It’s both beautiful to look at and an emotional gut-punch. From director Rafael Manuel, this film kind of feels like if Wes Anderson made an explicitly anti-colonialist satire.If you want a few more styli
The hidden money financing your favorite songs
We all need a trusted source for music discovery – a music-savvy friend or family member, a music site – or someone on social media. But are influencers taking money to promote music and not telling you? Today we’re bringing you an episode of NPR’s It's Been a Minute, where host Brittany Luse talks to NPR music reporter Isabella Gomez Sarmiento about the details and broader implications of this pr
Sterling Point and What’s Making Us Happy
The buzzy fantastic new TV drama Sterling Point has it all. A mysterious inheritance. A teen love triangle. Secrets and lies that echo across generations. The Prime Video series has twists, turns, and heart. You won’t want to miss it. Want more Gen Z drama? Check out these episodes: ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ has drama, romance and the music of Taylor SwiftGen Z awkwardly transitions into 'Adult
Beyond Wordle: Our favorite online games
Millions of us play little daily games on our phone. But if you’re looking to expand the horizons of your morning distractions beyond Wordle and Connections, we’re here for you. Today we’re recommending some fun daily online games, including MapTap, Catfishing, TimeGuessr, The Loop, and Clues by Sam.Looking for more conversations about fun games? Try these episodes:Wordle is a daily dose of deligh
It Ends
Have you ever been on a road trip that feels like it goes on forever and things started getting a bit existential? That’s the whole deal with the chewy new film It Ends. The horror-meets-psychological thriller follows four friends who just graduated college, as they turn onto a road through a dense forest and the road just keeps going. Directed by Alexander Ullom, It Ends is both chill and chillin
The Dog Stars
In the new post-apocalyptic film The Dog Stars, a virus has wiped out most of humanity and the survivors eke out a meager existence trying to stay alive. Sound like an oh-too-familiar tale? What if it featured stars like Jacob Elordi, Margaret Qualley, and Allison Janney? And was directed by Ridley Scott and based on a best-selling novel? Would it be enough to pull you in? Should it be? Want more
Coyote vs. Acme and Dolly Parton
The movie Coyote vs. Acme comes with some buzzy lore: it was famously shelved, and almost didn’t see the light of day. But it’s here now, and it’s good and looney! It follows Wile E. Coyote when he decides to sue the Acme Corporation for manufacturing crappy, ineffective products. The cast includes Will Forte, John Cena and Lana Condor. We also talk about our favorite Dolly Parton musical performa
Adults
Every generation gets its own version of a “20-somethings hang out and make mistakes” sitcom. And Gen Z’s got Adults, a silly series about a group of friends cohabitating in Queens, New York – and it makes for fun and all-too-relatable TV fodder. Adults is back for its second season on Hulu, so today we’re revisiting our episode about the series. If you want more bingeable comedies, check out thes
Fictional teachers we wish we had
It’s back to school season, which has us thinking about our favorite teachers. The ones who really saw us, changed our points of view, or set us on new paths. But of all the teachers we've seen in TV and movies, which of them do we wish we'd had to educate us in real life? Today we’re talking about fictional on-screen teachers from My Girl, My So-Called Life, Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit and Du
Lanterns
HBO’s new DC superhero show Lanterns is not the show you think it is. It’s about a couple of space cops: Kyle Chandler plays Earth’s Green Lantern, Hal Jordan, a grizzled, impulsive old-timer reluctantly training up his backup, John Stewart (Aaron Pierre). Yet the story avoids cosmic sweep and spectacle in favor of a character-driven mystery and a grounded setting. Does this series thread the need
Tony and What’s Making Us Happy
In the new film Tony, we meet chef and author Anthony Bourdain before he was in the public eye. He was a wayward, overconfident young guy, and, as played by Dominic Sessa, kind of a piece of work. The movie focuses on a pivotal summer in 1975, when Tony worked in his first kitchen, a tiny hole-in-the-wall in Provincetown. But does the film break out of the familiar biopic formula to tell a compell
What's Making Us Happy (1970s Version)
We're traveling way back in time to 1971 -- when Richard Nixon was president, the Beatles were newly broken up, and Fiddler on the Roof was one of the biggest movies at the box office. Today in this encore episode, we’re revisiting a special edition of What's Making Us Happy, recommending pop culture from the 1970s – including Isaac Hayes’ Shaft soundtrack, Carol King’s Tapestry, Marvin Gaye’s Wha
Phoebe Bridgers’ album Lost Weekend
Phoebe Bridgers is your favorite pop star’s favorite pop star. And she’s just released a gorgeous new solo album, Lost Weekend. It’s packed with guest stars including her boygenius bandmates, pop superproducer Jack Antonoff and her partner, Bo Burnham. The record’s 16 songs are full of lore, lush sonic ideas, and quotable insights about love, sex, and death. But does Bridgers’ long-awaited return
Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma
The new movie Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma is a bloody and bewildering queer slasher film. Directed by Jane Schoenbrun (I Saw the TV Glow), it stars Hannah Einbinder as a queer young filmmaker tapped to reboot a defunct slasher franchise, and Gillian Anderson as a reclusive actress. The movie is a meditation on slashers and film itself, sexuality and identity – and it’s also gore-filled fu
The End of Oak Street and What’s Making Us Happy
In the fun, entertaining new film, The End of Oak Street, Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor star as a married couple in the early 1980s. One night, their entire suburban neighborhood is transported to a time filled with a variety of large and dangerous dinosaurs. Written and directed by David Robert Mitchell (It Follows), it’s part action-adventure, part monster movie, part dark comedy. But after so
Summer blockbusters we somehow missed
Summer blockbusters are hugely popular and as a result, financially successful, and seen by lots of people. So with summer blockbuster season coming to a close, we decided to revisit our conversation about our own personal blockbuster gaps, and finally watch a movie that absolutely everyone saw – except for us — including Armageddon, Beverly Hills Cop II, Ghost, The Fast and the Furious.If you nee
Ted Lasso
Ted Lasso is finally back. But is this new fourth season worth the wait, and does it have anything fresh to say? Ted (Jason Sudeikis) has returned to the U.K., only this time, he’s coaching a brand new women’s soccer team. The hit Apple TV series features familiar faces including Hannah Waddingham, Juno Temple, and Brett Goldstein, as well as newcomers Tanya Reynolds and Abbie Hern.Want more laugh
Our dream TV workplaces
We spend the majority of our adult lives at work. We also see so many depictions of working life on TV. So where’s the fictional place we’d like to work? We’ll talk about Ted Lasso, Game of Thrones, The Muppet Show and The West Wing.If you want more workplace shenanigans, check out these episodes: ‘Widow’s Bay’ is an island in the screamThe final course at ‘The Bear’ was both sweet and savory‘The
One Night Only and What’s Making Us Happy
One Night Only is set in an alternate universe where premarital sex has been outlawed, except for one 12-hour window a year. The film stars Monica Barbaro and Callum Turner as two beautiful New Yorkers looking to have sex when the mandate is temporarily lifted. But does the film deliver on its sexy premise, or is it more chaste than it seems? Looking for other conversations about rom-coms? Try the
Ariana Grande’s album Petal
Ariana Grande has been omnipresent the last few years. Discussions of her relationships and her weight have made Grande an internet fixture in recent years. She’s coming off a long run promoting and starring in the two Wicked films, and her hit song “Hate That I Made You Love Me” has been everywhere this summer. She’s also announced she’s taking a step back from public life after her current tour.
We debate the sweatiest movie of all time
Whether they're lightly perspiring, gently glowing, or soaked through from sweltering, people in the movies sweat a lot. But what movie has had people sweat the very most? With another summer underway, we are revisiting our debate about what is the sweatiest movie of all time — including Do the Right Thing, Dog Day Afternoon, Y tu mamá también, and Body Heat.If you like need more summery suggestio
I Want Your Sex
Sex is back, baby! In the fun new movie I Want Your Sex, Olivia Wilde plays Erika, a mixed-media artist who enters into a very consensual, very kinky, but very unprofessional sub/dom relationship with her assistant Elliot (Cooper Hoffman). Elliot’s having the time of his life, but Erika is a lot, and soon his life starts to fall apart. I Want Your Sex is directed by Gregg Araki and the film double
Spider-Man: Brand New Day and What’s Making Us Happy
Zendaya and Tom Holland are back in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and the movie has a more grounded tone than we’ve seen from the franchise. But does it strike the right balance of fun and darkness? Directed by Daniel Destin Cretton, the film also features Jacob Batalon, Jon Bernthal, Tramell Tillman, and Sadie Sink.Looking for more spectacular Spider-episodes? Check out: 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' mi
The Dink
The Dink is pickleball’s very funny new entry into the classic genre of sports comedies. In the new film, Jake Johnson stars as a washed-up tennis underachiever whose loyalties become divided after befriending a pickleball player played by Mary Steenburgen. It’s got a contest with huge stakes and a surprising dose of heart, and the jokes make it over the net. If you want more breezy fun flicks, ch
Furious
The new Hulu show Furious is a twisty serial killer drama with a sense of humor, but does it hit its mark? Emmy Rossum stars as Alice, a low-level FBI agent on the hunt for a young woman (Lola Petticrew) who’s been targeting prominent men across New York City. Furious will keep you guessing as both women carve their own paths to justice. Need more deep dark thrillers? Check out these episodes:TV h
The best summer snacks (according to you)
There’s plenty to love about summer: Summer music, summer road trips, summer movies. But to enjoy all those things, you have to sustain yourself with summer snacks. But what are the best summer treats of all? We asked our listeners, and we are revealing the results in a game all about summer snacks. (Today’s episode originally ran as a bonus episode for NPR Plus supporters.)
For other episodes whe
Hadestown and What’s Making Us Happy
Can’t make it to Broadway? Hadestown: The Musical has you covered. The film adaptation of the Tony-winning hit captures the musical retelling of the Greek tragedy of Orpheus and Eurydice. Fans can see the principal original Broadway cast including Reeve Carney, Eva Noblezada, and André De Shields reunite on the big screen for five nights only. Need more musicals? Check out these episodes:'Wicked:
Hot Ones
Hot Ones is the YouTube show where famous people answer questions while eating increasingly hot chicken wings. Now host Sean Evans is bringing his wings to Netflix with a series of specials called Hot Ones: Extra Heat. What exactly makes a good Hot Ones guest? On this encore episode, we discuss the show and specifically about possibly the best guest ever, Conan O’Brien.If you want hot questions an
Our rules for music festivals
Have some people forgotten how to behave at music festivals? Summer is peak music festival season, and that means many of us are braving huge crowds and sweltering heat to see a bunch of artists we love in one place. But is there a decline in social decorum in these concert settings? From using phones to being in the front row to navigating crowds, today we’re sharing personal and passionate takes
The Hawk
Will Ferrell stars as a past-his-prime golfer in the new Netflix series, The Hawk. If you loved watching him play self-absorbed athletes in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby and Blades of Glory, you might be into this too. He reunited with some funny former collaborators like Molly Shannon, Luke Wilson, and Chris Parnell. The Frat Pack vibes are high, but does this old school sports come
The Odyssey and What's Making Us Happy
The Odyssey is director Christopher Nolan’s spectacular take on Homer’s epic work – full of gods, monsters, love and very bloody revenge. Matt Damon plays Odysseus, who is trying to get home to his wife and son, played by Anne Hathaway and Tom Holland. But the journey home is not easy, as Odyssey and his crew are confronted with sea monsters, nymphs, whirlpools and cannibals. If you’re looking for
Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass
Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass is a comedy, but it’s mostly a very funny hang. Zoey Deutch plays a small town hairdresser whose fiancee has just had sex with the celebrity on his sex pass list. She's determined to do the same – with Jon Hamm. She sets off to Hollywood to find him and gathers a motley crew along the way. The film was directed by David Wain, also is known for Wet Hot Ameri
Little House on the Prairie
You may be familiar with the world of Little House on the Prairie, either through Laura Ingalls Wilder’s beloved books, or the 1970s TV adaptation. Now, Netflix is once again bringing the Ingalls family to life with a new series. It focuses on earlier in Laura's life in Kansas, where the promise of available land for the family comes at the expense of a local Osage population that's being pushed o
The Invite
What happens when a simple dinner party goes off the rails? That’s the premise of The Invite, a very good new comedy directed by Olivia Wilde. Wilde also stars alongside Seth Rogen as a couple who invite their neighbors over for a meal, played by Penelope Cruz and Edward Norton. And it’s a heck of a dinner party, full of frank talk about sex and its complications.If you like slightly absurd relati
Moana and What’s Making Us Happy
Moana is back in Disney’s new sort-of-live-action remake, but how far does it go from the original? Dwayne Johnson returns as Maui, appearing in the flesh this time around. Catherine Laga'aia plays Moana, who sets out to save her island, along with her chicken. The film features a new song from Lin-Manuel Miranda, who also wrote songs for the original animated film. Craving more live action Disney
2026 Emmy Nominations
The 2026 Emmy nominations are here. We’re unpacking the record-breaking nominations for Hacks, plus a big day for Widow’s Bay, The Pitt, and The Bear. We’ll also talk about the snubs and make some early predictions of who will win. Connect with Pop Culture Happy Hour:Letterboxd / FacebookOur weekly newsletterSupport Pop Culture Happy Hour+See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection a
Gen Z and the movies
Two big horror films, Obsession and Backrooms, just smashed all box office expectations. So much of their success has been driven by Gen Z, which is now the biggest moviegoing demographic. But what makes a movie a Gen Z movie? Today we’re bringing you an episode of NPR’s It’s Been a Minute. Host Brittany Luse talks about this trend with Sam Adams and Reanna Cruz. If you want to hear more about the
A wacky merchandise quiz
Everywhere you look, movies and TV shows are teaming up with all kinds of companies to make odd product tie-ins. Green Shrek ketchup. The Handmaid’s Tale wine. Grogu serving boards. Today on the show, we’re playing a game about some very strange brand collaborations.If you like want more episodes like this one, check out:We fantasy cast 'The Traitors'Our 15th Anniversary Time CapsuleA Cameo QuizCo
Minions & Monsters and What’s Making Us Happy
Minions & Monsters is the newest addition to the Despicable Me franchise, but this prequel set the minions loose in 1920s Hollywood. They naturally become superstars in the age of silent film. But, as talkies take over, they struggle to stay relevant — until one of them ends up conjuring some cute but deadly monsters using a dead wizard’s old spell book. After many films featuring the hijinks of t
The Bear
Did the final season of FX’s The Bear serve up the perfect last bite or are diners and viewers alike left wishing for more? Carmy (Jeremy Allen White), Syd (Ayo Edebiri), and the rest of the kitchen staff are back in action as they face down their final day of service. It’s now streaming on Hulu.If you like seriously funny dramas, check out these episodes: ‘Widow’s Bay’ is an island in the scream
The best depictions of the American dream
America turns 250 this year. So for this special birthday, we discuss our picks for what pieces of pop culture best depict the American dream, including The Wire, Apollo 13, Grey Gardens, and the spiritual successor to Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car.”If you like want more episodes like this one, check out:How we handle spoilersOur 15th anniversary time capsuleWe rewatch the movies we loved as teensPop
Jackass: Best and Last
In Jackass: Best and Last, Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, and the rest of the crew are back for a final round of stunts, pranks, and laughs. The film features new laugh-out-loud bits as well as footage from the franchise’s best clips over its long history. But did Jackass: Best and Last stick the landing or fall just short of a big bang? Need more gut-busting laughs? Check out these episodes: ‘Stop! T
Supergirl and What’s Making Us Happy
Hollywood’s newest Supergirl is kind of a dirtbag — in the good way. Fearless and grumpy, Supergirl (Milly Alcock) sets out on a quest to support a new pal’s revenge journey and to make a point that should be clear by now: Never mess with a lady’s dog. Also featuring David Corenswet and Jason Momoa, is Supergirl a worthy follow up to Superman?If you want more DC superhero action, check out these e
Great movies we missed
There have been some fantastic movies released this year, and we know you can’t see them all. So we’re recommending four recent movies we missed that you should add to your watchlist: The Furious, Tuner, She’s The He, and Heresy.If you need a few more fun film recommendations, check out these episodes: Fun movies you may have missedOur favorite movies on TubiWe debate the best movies to watch on a
Recommended
Learn English A2 with Daily News | Simple English Listening Practice
Bad Friends
Learn 50 English Phrases While You Sleep | Everyday English Phrases & Vocabulary
Dateline NBC
True Crime Classics
Yours Truly Johnny Dollar Collection
Suspense OTR
پلی لیست | PlayList
Crime Stories with Nancy Grace
Conspiracy Files with Paige Carter
Bible Tea
Dark Night Tales with Brian King
