Decoding TV

Latest Episodes:

Bonus Ep: How Director Dan Trachtenberg Put Together 'Predator: Killer of Killers' Jun 16, 2025

Show notes

In this bonus episode, David chats with director Dan Trachtenberg about how Predator: Killer of Killers (now streaming on Hulu) came together. Dan discusses why they chose the time periods they did, the challenges of putting together an anthology film based around the Predator in different time periods, and what his favorite action moments are from the film.

Homework for next episode:

Dept Q (Netflix)

Links:

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ep. 71 - 'Predator: Killer of Killers' Is a Thrilling (But Brief) Visit to the Predator Universe Jun 12, 2025

Show notes

In this episode of the Decoding TV podcast, David and Patrick discuss the differences between the Invincible and Game of Thrones videogames (and why the former will probably be way more successful), muse on the plight of Warner Bros Discovery, and lament the loss of press freedom in the American media. Then, it’s time to dive into Dan Trachtenberg’s latest Predator entry, Killer of Killers, now streaming on Hulu.

Be sure to stay tuned for a bonus interview with Dan Trachtenberg coming in the next week.

Homework for next week:

Dept Q (Netflix)

Shownotes:

08:50 - TV News
Videogame News:
New Game of Thrones PC Strategy Game to Launch in 2026
Invincible Vs: A New fighting Game set in the Invincible universe
Warner Bros Discovery to split into two companies
Terry Moran suspended at ABC News
49:30 - Predator: Killer of Killers review

Links:

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ep. 70 - 'Mountainhead' Tries to Skewer Billionaire Tech Bros. Does It Succeed? (Plus: 'Rehearsal' and 'Last of Us' Follow-Ups) Jun 03, 2025

Show notes

In this episode of the Decoding TV podcast, David and Patrick discuss Succession creator Jesse Armstrong’s latest HBO original, Mountainhead. Does it do a good job of satirizing the billionaire tech class? Will Nic Pizzolatto ever write a True Detective episode again? And why do we feel sympathy for the new kids cast as the main Harry Potter characters? Listen to us discuss all these questions and more!

Homework for next week:

Predator: Killer of Killers (Hulu)

Shownotes:

03:40 - TV News
‘Harry Potter’ HBO Series Casts Harry, Ron and Hermione
‘Stranger Things’ Season 5 Gets Three-Part Release, Series Finale Set for New Year’s Eve
‘True Detective’ Creator Nic Pizzolatto Has a “Story” for Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson to Reprise Cohle and Hart: They’re “Open to It”
28:00 - Mountainhead review
58:45 - The Rehearsal Season 2 Follow-Ups
1:11:00 - The Last of Us Season 2 Follow-Ups

Links:

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ep. 69 - 'The Last of Us' Season 2 Finale Was a Messy Disappointment (But 'The Rehearsal' Finale Wasn't!) May 27, 2025

Show notes

In this episode of the Decoding TV podcast, David and Patrick are joined by Christian Spicer to dive into the latest episodes of The Last of Us and The Rehearsal.

Why was The Last of Us season finale such a disappointment? What were some of the most memorable moments? What two narrative crimes did the episode commit? And why was The Rehearsal so exhilarating by comparison? Listen to us discuss all these questions and more!

Homework for next week:

Mountainhead (HBO)

Shownotes:

03:00 - The Last of Us Season 2
Ep 7 - Convergence
1:01:00 - The Rehearsal Season 2
Ep 6 - My Controls

Links:

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bonus Ep: Andor Season 2 Post-Mortem (with Patrick Willems) May 25, 2025

Show notes

In this bonus episode, David and Patrick discuss some follow-ups to their podcast series about Andor season 2.

Why did Tony Gilroy feel the need to delineate the true nature of Kleya and Luthen’s relationship? What about Mon Mothma’s relationship with her husband and daughter? And what do we think of the possibility of Jyn Erso and Leia cameos in Andor season 2? Listen to hear us discuss all these questions and more.

Links:

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ep. 68 - 'The Last of Us' S2E06 Might Be Its Best Episode Ever May 20, 2025

Show notes

In this episode of the Decoding TV podcast, David and Patrick dive into the latest episodes of The Last of Us and The Rehearsal.

Is Max’s rebrand back to HBO Max one of the worst instances of corporate brand destruction ever? Are we excited about the new Alien: Earth series launching this summer? And why does David hate the marketing for James Gunn’s Superman so much? Listen to us discuss all these questions and more!

Homework for next week:

The Last of Us Season 2 episode 7(HBO)
The Rehearsal Season 2 episode 6 (HBO)

Shownotes:

06:30 - TV News
HBO Max Lives! Max to Change Its Name Back After Two Years
‘Alien: Earth’ Sets August Release Date Plus 10 Images and Plot Details Revealed
‘Fallout’ Renewed for Season 3 Ahead of Season 2 Premiere in December
‘Game of Thrones’ Spinoff ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Shifts to 2026 Release
39:30 - The Last of Us Season 2
Ep 6 - The Price
1:14:00 - The Rehearsal Season 2
Ep 5 - Washington

Links:

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bonus Ep: Andor Season 2 Eps 10-12 (with Patrick Willems) May 15, 2025

Show notes

In this bonus episode of Decoding TV, David and Patrick Willems discuss the final three episodes of Andor Season 2:

Ep 10 - Make It Stop
Ep 11 - Who Else Knows?
Ep 12 - Jedha, Kyber, Erso

What did we think of how this show connected to the events of Rogue One? Were we happy with how the show wrapped up the stories of characters like Bix and Luthen? What are our closing thought on the series as a whole? Listen to hear us discuss all these questions and more.

You can also watch our convo on YouTube:

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ep. 67 - In 'The Last of Us' S2E05, Fear Leads to Anger and Anger Leads to Hate May 13, 2025

Show notes

In this episode of the Decoding TV podcast, David and Patrick dive into the latest episodes of The Last of Us and The Rehearsal.

It feels like there’s not gonna be enough time to tell a complete story in this season of The Last of Us. Where does episode 5 leave our characters? Is there any possibility the Harry Potter PR tour is going to turn around? Are we excited about a revamp of the Netflix homepage? And did we really need to launch a Max app in the first place? Listen to us discuss all these questions and more!

Homework for next week:

The Last of Us Season 2 episode 6(HBO)
The Rehearsal Season 2 episode 5 (HBO)

Shownotes:

01:30 - TV News
‘Shogun’ Season 2 to Begin Production in January 2026
Netflix Plans Major Overhaul of Homepage Design, OpenAI-Powered Search and TikTok-Style Vertical Feeds
Max Purges Over 200 Seasons of Television As It Pivots Back to the HBO Brand
J.K. Rowling Says ‘I Wouldn’t’ Fire Paapa Essiedu From HBO’s ‘Harry Potter’ for Supporting Trans Rights: ‘I Don’t Have the Power’ and ‘Wouldn’t Exercise It If I Did’
HBO Exec Promises ‘Harry Potter’ Series ‘Not Secretly Being Infused’ With J.K. Rowling’s Anti-Trans Rhetoric
38:00 - The Last of Us Season 2
Ep 5 - Feel Her Love
1:11:00 - The Rehearsal Season 2
Ep 4 - Kissme

Links:

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bonus Ep: Andor Season 2 Eps 7-9 (with Patrick Willems) May 08, 2025

Show notes

In this bonus episode of Decoding TV, David and Patrick Willems discuss the next three episodes of Andor Season 2:

Ep 7 - Messenger
Ep 8 - Who Are You?
Ep 9 - Welcome to the Rebellion?

This batch probably has some of the most intense action in Star Wars ever put to film. We also got some actual Star Wars references to things like the Force and other iconography. What did we think of Syril Karn’s arc this season? How did we feel about Mon Mothma’s big moment? Have stormtroopers and droids ever looked more terrifying? Listen to hear us discuss all these questions and more.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ep. 66 - Why 'The Rehearsal' Had Us Screaming At Our TV (Plus: 'The Last of Us' Hits Seattle) May 06, 2025

Show notes

In this episode of the Decoding TV podcast, David and Patrick dive into the latest episodes of The Last of Us and The Rehearsal.

What do we think of The Last of Us’s depiction of Seattle? How did we feel about how this week’s episode moved Ellie and Dina’s relationship along? And was Nathan Fielder’s The Rehearsal this week an act of insanity of genius? Listen to us discuss all these questions and more!

Homework for next week:

The Last of Us Season 2 episode 5(HBO)
The Rehearsal Season 2 episode 4 (HBO)

Shownotes:

01:00 - The Last of Us Season 2
Ep 4 - Day One
46:30 - The Rehearsal Season 2
Ep 3 - Pilot’s Code

Links:

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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