Decoding TV

Latest Episodes:

Decoding TV Ep. 9 - They Just Went to the Sexytime Pool Mar 14, 2024

Show notes

In this episode of Decoding TV, David Chen and Patrick Klepek run down what’s going on in the world of TV, then discuss the first two episodes of of The Gentlemen (Netflix)and the fourth episode of Shogun (Apple TV+).

What do we think of the Oscars this year? Why would they show us the stars of upcoming films without telling us what the films are, exactly? Does The Gentleman on Netflix capture the magic of Guy Ritchie’s early British gangster pics? And what did we think of that scene in this week’s Shogun? Listen to hear us discuss all these topics and more!

Homework for next week:

Shogun Ep 5 (Hulu/FX)
Manhunt Eps 1-2 (Apple TV+)

Shownotes:

00:01:45 - The 2024 Oscars
00:22:30 - Marvel fires Beau DeMayo
00:39:30 - The Gentlemen
Episode 1 - Refined Aggression
Episode 2 - Tackle Tommy Woo Woo
01:01:00 - Shogun
Episode 4 - The Eightfold Fence

Links:

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

Decoding TV Ep. 8 - Stealing Paperclips from CTU Mar 07, 2024

Show notes

In this episode of Decoding TV, David Chen and Patrick Klepek run down what’s going on in the world of TV, then discuss the season premiere of The Regime (Max)and the next episode of Shogun (Apple TV+).

What do we think of the prospect of more Rings of Power from the same showrunners? Would we buy a Sopranos ice cream booth for $82K? Is Kate Winslet enough to maintain our interest in The Regime? Listen to hear us discuss all these topics and more!

Homework for next week:

Shogun Ep 4 (Hulu/FX)
The Gentlemen (Netlfix)

Shownotes:

00:08:45 - Shogun is a hit
00:12:40 - Brother Sun Canceled, Neuromancer Adaptation at Apple
00:18:00 - Rings of Power Showrunners Sign New Deal with Amazon
00:24:30 - The Sopranos Finale Booth Sells for $82K
00:44:30 - Shogun
Episode 3 - Tomorrow Is Tomorrow
01:13:00 - The Regime
Episode 1 - Victory Day

Links:

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

Decoding TV Ep. 7 - How Many Pimples Do I Have To Watch Pop? Feb 29, 2024

Show notes

In this episode of Decoding TV, David Chen, Jessie Earl, and Patrick Klepek discuss what’s going on in the world of TV, then discuss the season premieres of Shogun (Hulu/FX)and Constellation (Apple TV+).

Are we excited about the new Game of Thrones spinoff? Is it really a good idea to try to bring Harry Potter back in TV form? Does Constellation have more to offer beyond a mystery box? Is Shogun really as good as everybody says it is? Listen to hear us discuss all these topics and more!

Homework for next week:

Shogun Ep 3 (Hulu/FX)
The Regime Ep 1 (Max)

Shownotes:

00:02:11 - True Detective will return!
00:12:40 - A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight to launch in late 2025
00:18:00 - New Harry Potter series to debut in 2026
WSJ: Uncancelling JK Rowling
Jessie Earl: JK Rowling's Anti-Transgender Stance And Hogwarts Legacy
00:29:30 - Constellation
Episode 1 - The Wounded Angel
Episode 2 - Live and Let Die
Episode 3 - Somewhere In Space Hangs My Heart
00:52:30 - Shogun
Episode 1 - Anjin
Episode 2 - Servants of Two Masters

Links:

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

Bonus Ep. - Expats Season Finale Feb 26, 2024

Show notes

In this Decoding TV bonus episode, Patrick Klepek and David Chen discuss the first season of Lulu Wang’s Expats on Prime Video, including:

Episode 1 - The Peak
Episode 2 - Mongkok
Episode 3 - Mid-Levels
Episode 4 - Mainland
Episode 5 - Central
Episode 6 - Home

This show has some gorgeous cinematography and great acting, but left both of us feeling a bit cold. What was it about the show that made it inaccessible? Why was episode 5 such an amazing tour-de-force by comparison? How did we feel about the way the show wrapped up all the plots? And do we believe that Nicole Kidman would ever wear a JanSport backpack? Listen to hear us discuss all these topics and more!

Links:

Email us and let us know what you think at decodingtv(AT)gmail(DOT)com
Listen to Patrick’s videogame podcast, Remap Radio
Subscribe to Patrick’s newsletter, Crossplay
Follow this podcast on Instagram
Follow this podcast on Tiktok
Subscribe to David’s free newsletter, Decoding Everything
Follow David on Instagram
Follow David on Tiktok

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Decoding TV Ep. 6 - Zero Subtlety Whatsoever Feb 21, 2024

Show notes

NOTE: We’re planning to do a mailbag bonus episode soon! Let us know your questions and TV recommendations by emailing us at decodingtv(AT)gmail(DOT)com.

In this episode of Decoding TV, David Chen and Patrick Klepek discuss Jon Stewart's return to The Daily Show and the season finale of True Detective: Night Country. Is Jon Stewart still the voice we need right now? Did True Detective: Night Country stick the landing? Are people out of control for going after Alan Sepinwall for liking it? Is Nic Pizzolatto acting like a cringe-y asshole online (again)? Listen to hear us discuss all these topics and more!

Shownotes:

00:03:11 - Jon Stewart’s return to The Daily Show
00:26:56 - The discourse around True Detective: Night Country
00:42:30 - True Detective: Night Country Part 6 (season finale)

Homework for next week:

Constellation Eps 1-3 (Apple TV+)
Shogun Eps 1-2 (Hulu/FX)

Links:

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

Decoding TV Ep. 5 - An Acceptable Amount of Gouging Feb 13, 2024

Show notes

In this episode of Decoding TV, David and Patrick discuss the why/how the ads of the Super Bowl kinda stink these days, Warner/Fox/Disney’s new streaming venture, whether or not Mr. and Mrs. Smith on Prime Video is about anything (and whether or not it needs to be), and how we anticipate True Detective: Night Country wrapping up.

Let us know what you think of all of the above by emailing us at decodingtv(AT)gmail(DOT)com!

Shownotes:

00:03:15 - Warner, Fox and Disney Launch Joint Sports Streaming Venture
00:17:30 - The Ads of Super Bowl LVIII
00:37:45 - Mr and Mrs. Smith
Episode 5 - Do You Want Kids
Episode 6 - Couples Therapy
Episode 7 - Infidelity
Episode 8 - A Breakup
01:02:04 - True Detective: Night Country Part 5

Homework for next week:

True Detective: Night Country Part 6 (Max)
The Daily Show (Comedy Central)

Links:

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

Decoding TV Ep. 4 - #JusticeForEvan Feb 07, 2024

Show notes

In this episode of Decoding TV, David and Patrick discuss Evan Rachel Wood’s comments about the end (or lack thereof) of Westworld, Netflix and Apple TV+’s upcoming show slate, and why Nic Pizzolatto should probably stay off Instagram for a few more weeks.

Let us know what you think of all of the above by emailing us at decodingtv(AT)gmail(DOT)com!

Shownotes:

3:48 - Evan Rachel Wood on Westworld’s Ending
17:00 - Apple TV+’s upcoming slate and Netflix’s upcoming slate
45:00 - Nic Pizzolatto and Issa Lopez’s comments on Night Country
53:00 - Mr and Mrs. Smith
Episode 1 - First Date
Episode 2 - Second Date
Episode 3 - First Vacation
Episode 4 - Double Date
1:19:30 - True Detective: Night Country Part 4

Homework for next week:

True Detective: Night Country Part 5 (Max)
Mr. and Mrs. Smith Eps 5-8 (Prime Video)

Links:

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

Decoding TV Ep. 3 - See Your Life Fracturing Into a Million Pieces Jan 31, 2024

Show notes

In this episode of Decoding TV, David and Patrick discuss the upcoming season of Squid Game and the return of Jon Stewart to The Daily Show. Then it’s time to dive into Masters of the Air, Expats, and True Detective: Night Country.

Is Jon Stewart’s return a good thing, or the sign of a network running on fumes? Can Squid Game seize the popular imagination again? Does Masters of the Air capture the same magic as Band of Brothers? Does Expats show Nicole Kidman and Lulu Wang at the top of their game? Listen to hear us discuss all these questions and more!

Let us know what you think of all of the above by emailing us at decodingtv(AT)gmail(DOT)com!

Shownotes:

4:00 - Squid Game 2 will premiere in 2024
23:00 - Jon Stewart is returning to The Daily Show
31:30 - Masters of the Air Eps Part 1 and Part 2
52:00 - Expats episodes 1 and 2 (“The Peak” and “Mongkok”)
1:22:00 - True Detective: Night Country Part 3

Homework for next week:

True Detective: Night Country Part 4 (Max)
Mr. and Mrs. Smith Eps 1-4 (Prime Video)

Links:

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

Decoding TV Ep. 2 - A Strictly Dehydrating Regimen Jan 24, 2024

Show notes

In this episode of Decoding TV, David and Patrick discuss David’s recent trip to Sundance, react to news of the Emmy’s record low ratings, ponder the potential of a She-Hulk season 2, reflect on what happens when creators get too close to the material they put out, and continue their coverage of Echo and True Detective.

Let us know what you think of all of the above by emailing us at decodingtv(AT)gmail(DOT)com!

Shownotes (Times may be off by 1-2 mins due to dynamically inserted ads. When in doubt, listen for the trailer/clip of the show).

4:00 - David’s trip to Sundance
23:00 - Emmy ratings hit a new low
33:09 - She-Hulk season 2 is not looking good
42:10 - Issa Lopez asks for help with Rottentomatoes scores
56:15 - Echo Episodes 3-5 (“Tuklo” “Toloa” and “Maya”)
1:18:00 - True Detective: Night Country Part 2

Homework for next week:

True Detective: Night Country Part 3 (Max)
Masters of the Air episodes 1-2 (Apple TV+)
Expats episodes 1-2 (Prime Video)

Links:

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

This Week In Streaming: Fargo Season 5 Eps 6-10 Jan 18, 2024

Show notes

This Week In Streaming is a show on the Decoding TV podcast feed that covers the most interesting shows available on streaming each week. On this episode, David Chen is joined by writer, filmmaker, and YouTuber Jessie Earl to discuss the final five episodes of Fargo season 5, which are streaming right now on Hulu/FX:

Episode 6 - The Tender Trap
Episode 7 - Linda
Episode 8 - Blanket
Episode 9 - The Useless Hand
Episode 10 - Bisquik

The last half of the season brought us to a massive standoff, before a time jump takes us to an epilogue. How did we feel about how things resolved? Were we a fan of how each character’s plot was resolved? And what did we make of the final scene of the show (series?)? Listen to hear us discuss all these questions and more!

Stay tuned for our new weekly podcast, as we continue to cover shows such as True Detective: Night Country and Echo. When possible, we will broadcast the episode live on YouTube, so be sure to follow us there. Thanks for being a paid subscriber!

Links:

Email us and let us know what you think at decodingtv(AT)gmail(DOT)com
Subscribe to Jessie Gender on YouTube
Learn more about Jessie’s short film, Identiteaze
Follow this podcast on Instagram
Follow this podcast on Tiktok
Subscribe to David’s free newsletter, Decoding Everything
Follow David on Instagram
Follow David on Tiktok

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

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