Extra Hot Great: This Week In TV

Latest Episodes:

352: Zooming In On The Reality Show Exposure Apr 28, 2021

Show notes

Jessica Liese is here to talk about a brand-new, brand-content competition reality show from Hulu -- Exposure, in which professional photographers compete in irrelevant-to-their-strengths "influencer" challenges while rookie hosts Cole Walliser and Cat Jimenez make terrible photo puns. The problem isn't so much the Samsung-fluffing; it's that the show isn't process-y enough, isn't transparent about how the challenges work, and isn't made by the same people who make Bake Off and could figure out how to turn an hour-long commercial for phone cameras into something informative with clear stakes. We were relieved to FOCUS (...sorry) on other topics in Around The Dial, including MAFS: Unmatchables, a ranking of MAFS: Mothership couples, Offspring, Top Chef, and 9-1-1: Lone Star. Listener Michaela pitched an un-Harmon-ious episode of Community for the Nonac before boats won, SNL lost, and we got bookish for Game Time. Take a break from dyeing your brows and hit play on an all-new Extra Hot Great.

GUESTS

👤 Jessica Liese

TOPICS

Lead Topic: 📸 Exposure

Around The Dial: 👰‍♀️ Married At First Sight

Around The Dial: 👶 Offspring

Around The Dial: 🧑‍🍳 Top Chef

Around The Dial: 🧑‍🚒 9-1-1: Lone Star

The Nonac: ✳️ Community S04.E03: Conventions of Space and Time

Winner & Loser: 👍 "...Navally"

Winner & Loser: 👎 Saturday Night Live

Game Time: 🧠 Books We've Watched

NOTES

🗒 Full episode notes can be found on the episode 352 page on ExtraHotGreat.com

🐦 Follow Jessica Liese on Twitter

🧟 Listen to Jessica's Fear The Walking Dead podcast

💅🏽 And to her Tough As Nails pod on the Rob Has A Podcast network

🍵 Tara's Unmatchables review at Primetimer

🥋 Tara talks Mortal Kombat on the Slashfilmcast

🔎 Sarah's true-crime rec newsletter, Best Evidence

📷 Photo: Christian / Unsplash

351: Should You Enter Into Couples Therapy? Apr 21, 2021

Show notes

Dr. Orna Guralnik has returned to Showtime to work with a whole new crop of troubled partners in a new season of Couples Therapy, and Vulture's Kathryn VanArendonk -- one of the show's biggest boosters -- has returned to our podcast to yell about it! (Positively!) Around The Dial takes us through Younger, a new Mythic Quest special, PBS's Philly D.A., Why Did You Kill Me?, Sasquatch, and the midseason premiere of 9-1-1: Lone Star. Mlle. Caroline uses her Extra Credit topic to ask us about the 20-year-old (or older) shows we still like, and those we don't. Then after naming the week's Winner and Loser, it's on to a Game Time that challenges our knowledge of both anime and bullshit. Put on your artiest geometric necklace, put the dog in its bed, and join us!

GUESTS

👤 Kathryn VanArendonk

TOPICS

Lead Topic: 👩🏼‍❤️‍👨🏻 Couples Therapy

Around The Dial: 🐣 Younger

Around The Dial: ⚔️ Mythic Quest

Around The Dial: 🔔 Philly D.A.

Around The Dial: 😵 Why Did You Kill Me

Around The Dial: 👣 Sasquatch

Around The Dial: 🧑‍🚒 9-1-1: Lone Star

Extra Credit: ⏳ Passing The Test Of Time

Winner & Loser: 👍 Warrior

Winner & Loser: 👎 Morrissey

Game Time: 🧠 Anime Bullshit

NOTES

🗒 Full episode notes can be found on the episode 351 page on ExtraHotGreat.com

🐦 Kathryn VanArendonk on Twitter

🦤 Kathryn's Couples Therapy review at Vulture

🛋 Rich Juzwiak's interview with Orna Guralnik at Jezebel

📺 Tara's review of Couples Therapy Season 2 at Primetimer

📡 Tara talking about Season 1 of Couples Therapy on the Appointment Television podcast

💰 Dave Chen's Patreon

🔔 Kathryn's review of Philly D.A. at Vulture

✍️ Kathryn's author page on Vulture

🎧 The Appointment Television podcast

🤩 The Specials podcast

📚 Exhibit B Books Online

350: Should You Be Doing The Most With Phoebe Robinson? Apr 14, 2021

Show notes

Doing The Most With Phoebe Robinson joined the ranks of "rich people hanging out with each other" shows last week, and Here For It author R. Eric Thomas joined US to talk about the 2 Dope Queens co-host's foray into TV, including clunky animations, guest chemistry, and whether the animals in the pilot were too well-behaved. Dave was Not A Crackpot about leaving internet-based "fun" to the experts before we went Around The Dial with Kung Fu, Home Economics, Cybill, The Great Pottery Throw Down, United States Of Al, and Pennyworth. Then we studied some layouts for a first-season Ugly Betty submission before declaring a Winner and Loser and mashing up character names in Game Time. Don't be an ass; listen to an all-new Extra Hot Great.

GUESTS

👤 R. Eric Thomas

TOPICS

Lead Topic: 💨 Doing The Most With Phoebe Robinson

Around The Dial: 🥋 Kung Fu

Around The Dial: 🏡 Home Economics

Around The Dial: 👱 Cybill

Around The Dial: 🏺 The Great Pottery Throw Down

Around The Dial: 🇺🇸 United States Of Al

Around The Dial: 🤵🏻‍♂️ Pennyworth

The Canon: 🏆 Ugly Betty S01.E18: Don't Ask Don't Tell

Winner & Loser: 👍 Ancient Aliens

Winner & Loser: 👎 Don't

Game Time: 🧠 Connective Tissue

NOTES

🗒 Full episode notes can be found on the episode 350 page on ExtraHotGreat.com

🐦 Follow Eric on Twitter

📰 Eric's weekly humor newsletter

🕸 Eric's website

📍 And check out Eric's book, Here For It

🏠 Tara's Home Economics review at Primetimer

🇺🇸 Past guest Roxana Hadadi's United States Of Al review at RogerEbert.com

🎧 Quaid In Full's Something To Talk About episode featuring Tara

📷 Photo: Tyler Twins

349: Surveilling Law & Order: Organized Crime Apr 07, 2021

Show notes

Elliot Stabler has returned from his ignominious exile in...uh, a very nice-sounding job in Italy, and into an SVU spinoff that will find him Taking! His wife's murder! Personally! all over the Mob. Christina Tucker joins us to discuss this new vehicle and what a(n unpleasantly) surprising departure it actually is from the Law & Order model. Around The Dial takes us through Made For Love, Wipeout, Godzilla vs. Kong (on HBO Max! Watch it while you can! A lot!), and The Falcon And The Winter Soldier. Olivia makes the case for Doctor Who's "Silence In The Library" to be inducted into our Canon. Then after naming the week's Winner and Loser, it's on to a non-regulation Game Time that has us choosing some odd numbers. Get on the Wonder Wheel and crank us up!

GUESTS

👤 Christina Tucker

TOPICS

Lead Topic: 👮‍♂️ Law & Order: Organized Crime

Around The Dial: 😍 Made For Love

Around The Dial: 🔴 Wipeout

Around The Dial: 🦍 Godzilla vs. Kong

Around The Dial: ⛄️ The Falcon And The Winter Soldier

The Canon: 🏆 Doctor Who S04.E08: Silence In The Library

Winner & Loser: 👍 C.S.I.: Vegas

Winner & Loser: 👎 Paul Pierce

Game Time: 🧠 I'm Not Like The Others

NOTES

🗒 Full episode notes can be found on the episode 349 page on ExtraHotGreat.com

🐦 Christina Tucker on Twitter

🧱 Kathryn VanArendonk's review of the Organized Crime premiere

🔀 Variety's list of the best L&O intra-franchise crossovers

😖 Tara's review of FX's Hysterical

👩🏻‍🌾 Christina's review of Martha Stewart's Very Good Things at the Boston Globe

✋🏽 The Unfriendly Black Hotties podcast

🌈 Christina at Autostraddle

348: Did Pooch Perfect Made Us Want To Flea? Mar 31, 2021

Show notes

Reality-television expert Andy is back to talk about Pooch Perfect, and why you shouldn't sit, stay in front of the show, including awkward hosting by Rebel Wilson, consent issues with dyeing dogs, and a total lack of narrative tension. Matters improved with Around The Dial, as we discussed Genius: Aretha, Superstore, Race To The Center Of The Earth, Tough As Nails, The Bridge, and Housewives in the age of COVID before generating a suite of new Survivor themes for Josh's Extra Credit. After Andy tried to find Starz's The Chair a seat in The Canon, true crime won, CBS lost, and Dan Cassino forced us to answer casting calls during Game Time. Give yourself a treat: it's an all-new Extra Hot Great.

GUESTS

👤 Andy Dehnart

TOPICS

Lead Topic: 🐶 Pooch Perfect

Around The Dial: 🤯 Genius

Around The Dial: 🛒 Superstore

Around The Dial: 🌎 Race To The Center Of The Earth

Around The Dial: 💪 Tough As Nails

Around The Dial: 🌉 The Bridge

Around The Dial: 🤷‍♀️ The Real Housewives Of New Jersey

Extra Credit: 🗿 New Survivor Themes

The Canon: 🪑 The Chair S01.E09: The Test

Winner & Loser: 👍 True Crime

Winner & Loser: 👎 CBS

Game Time: 🧠 Casting Calls

NOTES

🗒 Full episode notes can be found on the episode 348 page on ExtraHotGreat.com

🐦 Follow Andy Dehnart on Twitter

📰 Subscribe to Andy's newsletter

👓 Read Andy's reviews of The Bridge, Tough As Nails, and Race To The Center Of The Earth on Reality Blurred

🗣 Tara's Ben Feldman interview for Vanity Fair

📷 Photo: ABC / Robert Trachtenberg

347: Muppet Thunderdome Mar 24, 2021

Show notes

Over New Year's, we treated our Patreon supporters to a very important thought experiment: if 27 Smurfs entered Thunderdome to compete in battles to the death, who would be the last Smurf standing? Now, we are turning our minds to the same question...but with Muppets from The Muppet Show. Naturally, we had to bring in an expert to consider the question, which is why Adam Grosswirth of the Muppeturgy podcast is here. Will Fozzie Bear emerge alive from combat with Lew Zealand and Sam the Eagle? Does Camilla the Chicken peck her way out of battle with Sweetums and Scooter? Listen as we plumb the depths of these philosophical questions and so many more!

GUESTS

👤 Adam Grosswirth

TOPICS

Lead Topic: ☠️ Muppet Thunderdome

NOTES

🗒 Full episode notes can be found on the episode 347 page on ExtraHotGreat.com

🐦 Adam Grosswirth on Twitter

🐸 The Muppeturgy podcast

🐦 Muppeturgy on Twitter

▶️ Adam's collection of relevant GIFs

346: Is Waffles + Mochi The Cream Of The Crop? Mar 17, 2021

Show notes

We're thrilled the third time was the charm for our guest Alison Herman, as we all dug into the pro-cooking kids' show from the Obama-tainment industrial complex, Waffles + Mochi. We talked about "variety" shows for children, whether Mrs. Obama is as stiff as Mochi is adorable, and supplemental tomato facts before going Around The Dial with Step Up: High Water, kid 90, Allen vs. Farrow, Greek, Last Chance U: Basketball, and famous original 9-1-1. Dave hoped a first-season episode of Warrior had a fighting chance to get into the Canon. British divorces won, American engagements lost, and we all struggled to see the answers in Tara's non-regulation Game Time. Put a potato in some formalwear and join us for an all-new Extra Hot Great.

GUESTS

👤 Alison Herman

TOPICS

Lead Topic: 🧇 Waffles + Mochi

Around The Dial: 💃🏽 Step Up: High Water

Around The Dial: 👧🏼 Kid 90

Around The Dial: 💥 Allen Vs. Farrow

Around The Dial: 🏺 Greek

Around The Dial: 🏀 Last Chance U: Basketball

Around The Dial: 👨‍🚒 9-1-1

The Canon: 🏆 Warrior S01.E05: The Blood and the Shit

Winner & Loser: 👍 Paul Bettany and Claire Foy

Winner & Loser: 👎 Chris Harrison

Game Time: 🧠 Camera-Shy

NOTES

🗒 Full episode notes can be found on the episode 346 page on ExtraHotGreat.com

🧇 Waffles + Mochi review by Alison's colleague Justin Charity at The Ringer

🍡 Sonia Saraiya's review for Vanity Fair

🏛 Alison's anniversary piece on Greek

🐦 Alison on Twitter

💄 Listen To Sassy

🌹 "I Am Your Bachelor, and I Am Also Running to Be Your Governor" by Stephanie Early Green

📷 Photo: Adam Rose / Netflix

345: Moving Back Into The Loft For The Real World Homecoming: New York Mar 10, 2021

Show notes

As part of the relaunch of CBS All Access as Paramount Plus, the original Season 1 cast of The Real World has reunited in their old Soho loft for a limited series, so we got back together with our former Real World recapper Kim Reed to discuss the series premiere! Also on the Paramount Plus tip, Tara also has to stress that she is not a crackpot for being irate that Oprah's interview with Harry and Meghan is somehow not on it. Around The Dial takes us through Good Girls, an update on Married At First Sight, the WandaVision finale, a Cop Rock tie-in on Last Week Tonight, and the midseason finale of 9-1-1: Lone Star. Lauren uses her Extra Credit to make us assemble a group of TV friends we would want to hang out with -- and who we think would enjoy hanging out with each other; then Sean makes the case for the Nonac induction of ER's Season 4 travelogue "Fathers And Sons." Finally, we crown the week's Winner and Loser, and close up with a Game Time as sticky as it is speedy. After you're done taking Gouda for a quick walk around the block, join us for our latest episode!

GUESTS

👤 Kim Reed

TOPICS

Lead Topic: 🌎 The Real World Homecoming: New York

I Am Not A Crackpot: 🤪 Not having Oprah's Harry and Meghan interview on Paramount Plus is a gigantic failure

Around The Dial: 😊 Good Girls

Around The Dial: 👰‍♀️ Married At First Sight

Around The Dial: 🧙🏻‍♀️ Wandavision

Around The Dial: 🚓 Cop Rock

Around The Dial: 👩‍🚒 9-1-1: Lone Star

Extra Credit: 👯‍♀️ Make New Friends

The Nonac: 🩻 ER S04.E07: Fathers And Sons

Winner & Loser: 👍 Bosch

Winner & Loser: 👎 HBO Max

Game Time: 🧠 The Wide Stick That Gives You The Edge

NOTES

🗒 Full episode notes can be found on the episode 345 page on ExtraHotGreat.com

🐦 Kim on Twitter

🌎 Andy Dehnart's The Real World Homecoming: New York premiere review

🦤 Jen Chaney's review at Vulture

🗞 James Poniewozik's review at The New York Times

🎥 Tara's review at Variety

🤴🏻 "Why Isn't Oprah's Bombshell Interview With Meghan and Harry on Paramount Plus?" at Variety

👰‍♀️ The Married At First Sight scene where two women shut Chris down HARD

🎞 Tara on Slashfilmcast

👀 Alan Sepinwall's podcast, Too Long Didn't Watch

🗓 Last Week Tonight's "Raids" segment on YouTube

🎶 March MASTAS 2021: Ultimate Teen Idols

344: Brutal Bridesmaids Isn't Brutal Enough Mar 03, 2021

Show notes

Brandon is back to talk about last weekend's Brutal Bridesmaids and its strange lack of bloodshed, plus ugly bridal fashion, an emergency male-stripper substitution, and realistic wedding-party cliques. We went Around The Dial with Close Enough, Punky Brewster's reboot, Search Party, Murder Among The Mormons, and Dave's 911 Lone Star report before re-imagining legendary episodes of TV as Lifetime movies in an Extra Credit from David Ellis Dickerson. We dug into a classic episode of The Mole for Canon Consideration, then declared the GLOW team winners and Joss Whedon a huge loser before heading to the DC-verse for Game Time. Chug that Booty Blaster; it's time for an all-new Extra Hot Great.

GUESTS

👤 Brandon

TOPICS

Lead Topic: 👰‍♀️ Brutal Bridesmaids

Around The Dial: 🏠 Close Enough

Around The Dial: 🧑‍🎤 Punky Brewster

Around The Dial: 🔦 Search Party

Around The Dial: ☠️ Murder Among The Mormons

Around The Dial: 🧑‍🚒 9-1-1: Lone Star

Extra Credit: 👼 Mother, May I Sleep With Angel?

The Canon: 🏆 The Mole S02.E11: The Eleventh Betrayal

Winner & Loser: 👍 GLOW creators Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch

Winner & Loser: 👎 Joss Whedon

Game Time: 🧠 It Happened in DC

NOTES

🗒 Full episode notes can be found on the episode 344 page on ExtraHotGreat.com

🧑‍🎤 Tara's review of the new Punky Brewster for Primetimer

🐦 Find Brandon on Twitter

🎧 Listen to Brandon's podcast, The Discourse

📷 Photo: LMN

343: Taking Off Our Glasses For Superman & Lois Feb 24, 2021

Show notes

After illness prevented her from making her earlier booking, LaToya Ferguson has returned to talk about another show she feels passionate about: The CW's Superman & Lois! Is she all in on this latest iteration of the Man of Steel and his family? Listen and find out! Around The Dial takes us through It's A Sin, Cherries Wild, In & Of Itself, the full-throated endorsement of Firefly Lane that circumstances ROBBED LaToya of the chance to deliver earlier this month, and a report on a particularly bonkers episode of 9-1-1: Lone Star. Francoise uses her Extra Credit to ask us to share any TV-related resolutions we've made for 2021 (look, we're close to the Lunar New Year); then it's on to Tara's Canon presentation on Saved By The Bell (2020) S01.E07: "House Party." Finally, we crown the week's Winner and Loser, and close up with a game that requires us to determine, once again: is this anything? Put on your tights and cape -- or take them off; whichever feels right -- and join us!

GUESTS

👤 LaToya Ferguson

TOPICS

Lead Topic: 🦸🏻‍♂️ Superman & Lois

Around The Dial: 😈 It's A Sin

Around The Dial: 🍒 Cherries Wild

Around The Dial: 🗂 In & Of Itself

Around The Dial: 🪰 Firefly Lane

Around The Dial: 👨‍🚒 9-1-1: Lone Star

Extra Credit: 📺 TV Resolutions

The Canon: 🔔 Saved By The Bell (2020) S01.E07: House Party

Winner & Loser: 👍 Bosch