Decoding TV

Latest Episodes:

The Crown: Season 4 Lookback and Season 5 Preview Nov 05, 2022

Show notes

Decoding TV is kicking off our coverage of The Crown today! In this episode, David Chen and his wife @joyonapping offer their overall thoughts on the show, why it continues to be compelling after all these years, and what the next seasons might have in store.

Programming Note: While Decoding TV will cover Season 5 of The Crown, we’re still working out the details of our coverage. At the very least, we can promise there will be one more Decoding TV podcast episode discussing season 5 but we may or may not have weekly coverage given that the show will be released binge-style on Netflix beginning November 9th. Stay tuned to Decoding TV for more details.

The Crown is returning to Netflix on November 9th for its fifth and penultimate season. Its last season drew attention for its depiction of Princess Diana and her marriage to Charles - an event that even many millennials such as myself remember in their lifetimes. Season five promises to begin following that story to its horrifying conclusion (the show currently plans to end with season six).

The production of The Crown is estimated to cost over $100 million per season, making it one of the most expensive TV shows ever made. It’s also one of the most critically acclaimed: The Crown has been nominated for hundreds of awards since its premiere in 2017, including Outstanding Drama Series at the Emmys and Best Television Drama at the Golden Globes. In 2021, it won all seven drama categories at the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards, becoming the first show to ever do so.

Listen to this episode to hear David and Joy discuss where we left off with every plotline from season four and what topics we think season five will probably tackle.

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Emergency Podcast: Westworld Has Been Cancelled Nov 05, 2022

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Welp, it’s official: Westworld has been cancelled. Once one of HBO’s biggest tentpole shows, Westworld has seen its popularity and viewership erode over time.

In this bonus episode, David Chen and Siddhant Adlakha discuss their feelings about this news and the legacy that Westworld leaves behind.

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Andor S1E09 - Nobody's Listening! Nov 04, 2022

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This episode of Decoding TV is brought to you by McDonald's, proudly serving communities since 1965. McDonald’s. I’m lovin’ it.

David Chen and Patrick Willems dive into season 1 episode 9 of Andor, “Nobody’s Listening!,” now streaming on Disney+.

How does a show like Andor tackle depictions of torture? How well does the show deal with Kino Loy’s personal journey? Is Mon Mothma ever going to get on board with this whole Rebellion thing? Also: The Keero ship finally gets its day. All this and more on this episode of ~Decoding TV!

You can always email us at decodingtv(AT)gmail(DOT)com.

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The White Lotus S2E01 - Ciao Oct 31, 2022

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This episode of Decoding TV is brought to you by McDonald's, proudly serving communities since 1965. McDonald’s. I’m lovin’ it.

A new season begins at The White Lotus in Sicily! And here on Decoding TV, David Chen and Roxana Hadadi try to figure out where exactly this show might be headed.

In the season 2 premiere, “Ciao,” we meet, Harper (Aubrey Plaza) and Ethan (Will Sharpe), along with Daphne (Meghann Fahy) and Cameron (Theo James) who are away on a vacation together. Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge) and her assistant Portia (Haley Lu Richardson) try to navigate a fraught situation with Greg (Jon Gries). Dominic (Michael Imperioli), his father Bert (F. Murray Abraham), and his son Albie (Adam DiMarco) try their best to get along. And hotel manager Valentina (Sabrina Impacciatore) tries to keep locals Mia (Beatrice Grannò) and Lucia (Simona Tabasco) at bay. Listen to hear our thoughts on the episode!

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Andor S1E08 - Narkina 5 Oct 28, 2022

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David Chen and Patrick Willems dive into season 1 episode 8 of Andor, “Narkina 5,” now streaming on Disney+.

Unexpected developments put Andor in an untenable situation. Will Cassian get back to Maarva while he still can? Will Meero figure out who Axis truly is? Can Bix survive the most recent incursion? Also: we get a weekly #Karntent check in. All this and more on this week’s episode of Decoding TV covering Andor!

You can always email us at decodingtv(AT)gmail(DOT)com.

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The White Lotus - Season 1 Lookback and Season 2 Preview (with Roxana Hadadi) Oct 26, 2022

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The second season of The White Lotus will debut on October 30 on HBO and run for 7 episodes, and I’m thrilled to share that Decoding TV will be recapping and reviewing each episode. Furthermore, I’m excited to announce that my co-host will be Roxana Hadadi, a TV critic at Vulture.com and one of my favorite writers on the internet today.

In this episode of Decoding TV, we discuss season 1 of The White Lotus, with a particular focus on its finale. Where did we leave off with each of these characters? What was this show trying to say about wealth and privilege, and how effectively did it say it? And what about that whole murder mystery plot? Listen to hear our thoughts on all of the above!

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Andor S1E07 - Announcement Oct 21, 2022

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David Chen and Patrick Willems dive into season 1 episode 7 of Andor, “Announcement,” now streaming on Disney+.

This week is a transitional episode as all of our characters react to the major developments from last week. Where do we see Andor’s arc going in this show? How will Karn, Cinta, and Vel play into it? What does the Imperial Security Bureau have to do with Google Messaging apps? And most importantly: What should we call the Karn/Meero ship? Keero? Marn? Listen to hear our theories and wild speculations!

You can always email us at decodingtv(AT)gmail(DOT)com.

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The Rings of Power S1E08 - Alloyed Oct 16, 2022

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David Chen and Don Marshall discuss the eighth episode of the first season of Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power: ‘Alloyed.’

In the season 1 finale, several major twists are revealed with one major headfake thrown in for good measure. But how well did the show earn them? Where do things stand at the end of season 1 for our major characters? What plot threads are we looking forward to for season 2? For answers and speculations that address these questions (and many more), listen to the episode!

Also: starting at 1:38:00, we dive into full book spoilers for a bit! Enjoy.

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She-Hulk S1E09 - Whose Show Is This? Oct 15, 2022

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In this episode of Decoding TV, Dan Gvozden from The Amazing Spider-Talk joins David and Siddhant Adlakha to dive into the season 1 finale of She-Hulk: Attorney At Law.

The finale upends where we think this show is going, while providing some amusing meta-commentary about how Marvel shows are put together in general. But taken as a whole, does this season all add up to anything meaningful? Listen to hear our thoughts!

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Andor S1E06 - The Eye Oct 14, 2022

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David Chen and Patrick Willems dive into season 1 episode 6 of Andor, “The Eye,” now streaming on Disney+.

The heist is afoot and it is spectacular! Andor and crew invade the garrison at Aldhani. But who will live? Who will die? And will anything be done to subvert our expectations for what heists can be? Listen to hear our theories and wild speculations!

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