Extra Hot Great: This Week In TV

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532: Should You Give Disclaimer* A Close Read? Oct 16, 2024

Show notes

Rolling Stone's chief TV critic Alan Sepinwall is back to talk about Apple TV's latest prestige limited series -- starring Cate Blanchett and Kevin Kline, directed and written by Alfonso Cuarón, and maaaaybe a little too fond of its own shot compositions. Is the hinted-at conclusion worth sticking around for -- or are we mostly seeing it through for Kline's cardigan acting? Next, we went Around The Dial with Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage, Happy's Place, Shrinking, and the Platonic (not) ideal of "this should have been a feature" docuserieses, before Tara nominated a third-season Harley Quinn episode for the Canon. An Office reboot won, Succession lost, and a new scoring wrinkle scared the hell out of us in Game Time. Throw your drawers out the train window and have a listen!
GUESTS

👤 Alan Sepinwall

TOPICS

Lead Topic: 📜 Disclaimer
Around The Dial: 💍 Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage
Around The Dial: 🙂 Happy's Place
Around The Dial: 🛋️ Shrinking
Around The Dial: 🦎 The Hunt For The Chameleon Killer
The Canon: 🃏 Harley Quinn S03.E03: The 83rd Annual Villy Awards
Winner & Loser: 👍 The new Office series
Winner & Loser: 👎 Jeremy Strong
Game Time: 🎃 Halloween Spooktacular
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NOTES

🗒 Full episode notes can be found on this episode's page on our site

✍🏻 Alan Sepinwall's review of Disclaimer* for Rolling Stone

⚖️ Alan's Better Call Saul book, Saul Goodman v. Jimmy McGill: The Complete Critical Companion to Better Call Saul

💊 Tara's Untitled: A Bad Teen Novel

👱🏻‍♂️ The Billy Crystal wig under scrutiny

🌃 Tara's piece on Saturday Night Not Ready For Primetime Players verisimilitude for Cracked

🦎 Sarah's The Hunt For The Chameleon Killer review at Best Evidence

📷 Photo: Apple
CLUB-ONLY NOTES

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531: Should You Buy Into The Franchise? Oct 09, 2024

Show notes

Three British talents from the worlds of TV comedy (Jon Brown, Armando Iannucci) and film (Sam Mendes) have come together for The Franchise, a look behind the scenes at the making of a fictional superhero movie. Does it shoot up, up, and away into the stratosphere? Devindra Hardawar returns to discuss. Around The Dial takes us to 9-1-1: Lone Star, 9-1-1 (talk about running the gamut), and the second season of Interview With The Vampire. The otherwise absent Sarah makes her pitch for inducting the Frasier episode "The Ski Lodge" into The Canon. Then, after naming the week's Winner and Loser, we close with a Non-Regulation Game Time that might not be entirely super, but is at least somewhat duper. Hide out in your trailer and listen!
GUESTS

👤 Devindra Hardawar

TOPICS

Lead Topic: 🦸🏽‍♀️ The Franchise
Around The Dial: 🧑‍🚒 9-1-1
Around The Dial: 🐮 9-1-1: Lone Star
Around The Dial: 🧛🏻‍♂️ Interview With The Vampire
The Canon: 🎿 Frasier S05.E14: The Ski Lodge
Winner & Loser: 👍 Rugrats
Winner & Loser: 👎 Peacemaker
Game Time: 🦹🏼‍♀️
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NOTES

🗒 Full episode notes can be found on this episode's page on our site

🦋 Devindra Hardawar on Bluesky

💪 Tara's review of The Franchise at Cracked

😦 Tara's Scare Tactics review at Cracked

⚰️ EEHG 297, about Interview With The Vampire S02

🎞️ The Filmcast's episode on Megalopolis

📷 Photo: Colin Hutton / HBO

530: Setting Sail With Doctor Odyssey Oct 02, 2024

Show notes

ABC's new cruise-ship medical procedural features Dawson's Creek's former Pacey Witter as a hotshot surgeon who sets sail in search of work-life balance; Jessica Morgan returns to discuss whether everything's shipshape. Around The Dial takes us through the Real Housewives of New York, Salt Lake City, AND Orange County before ending on the 30 for 30 episode "My American Son." Anne pitches the 30 Rock episode "Queen Of Jordan" for induction into the Nonac. Then, after naming the week's Winner and Loser, it's on to a Game Time that's really taking its (game) time. Put on your life vest and join us!
GUESTS

👤 Jessica Morgan

TOPICS

Lead Topic: 🚢 Doctor Odyssey
Around The Dial: 🌃 The Real Housewives Of New York City
Around The Dial: 🧂 The Real Housewives Of Salt Lake City
Around The Dial: 🍊 The Real Housewives Of Orange County
Around The Dial: 🎾 30 For 30
The Nonac: 👸🏾 30 Rock S05.E17: Queen Of Jordan
Winner & Loser: 👍 Stranger Things
Winner & Loser: 👎 Lorraine Bracco
Game Time: 🐢 Slowly At First III: Tubey's Revenge
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NOTES

🗒 Full episode notes can be found on this episode's page on our site

🐦 Jessica Morgan / Go Fug Yourself on X

🙂‍↔️ Tara's review of Nobody Wants This at Cracked

✋ "Nobody Wants This Mean-Spirited Depiction Of Jewish Women In Nobody Wants This" by Esther Zuckerman at Time

👗 Go Fug Yourself

🍸 The Drinks With Broads newsletter on Substack

📚 Jessica's books on Bookshop

⚾️ Sarah's review of Charlie Hustle And The Matter Of Pete Rose at Best Evidence

📷 Photo: Disney / Tina Thorpe

529: Suiting Up For The Penguin Sep 25, 2024

Show notes

None of us necessarily expected to recommend a comics-IP property featuring Colin Farrell under pounds of prosthetic make-up -- but we all liked it, including returning guest Richard Lawson. We talked about how it surprised us, the small feature-film stories it seemed to contain, whether it should have let the real Farrell shine through, and who's the season MVP (spoiler: Cristin Milioti). Then we went Around The Dial with the new Matlock, Alex vs. America, and Ryan Murphy's take on the brothers Menendez before Richard battled at least five Cynthia Nixon performances to get a Law & Order: SVU episode into the Canon. Friends won, Cold Case lost ("....AAeeeEnNNNGhhHHHHH!"), and Erica introduced us to a hard-fought Game Time. Waddle on over to your podcast app and have a listen!
GUESTS

👤 Richard Lawson

TOPICS

Lead Topic: 🐧 The Penguin
Around The Dial: ⚖️ Matlock (2024)
Around The Dial: 👩‍🍳 Alex Vs America
Around The Dial: 👯‍♂️ Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story
The Canon: 🔪 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit S09.E01: Alternate
Winner & Loser: 👍 Friends
Winner & Loser: 👎 Cold Case
Game Time: 4️⃣ Four At A Time
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NOTES

🗒 Full episode notes can be found on this episode's page on our site

✍🏻 Richard Lawson at Vanity Fair

🐧 Richard's review of The Penguin

📍 Tara's Bashir Salahuddin interview at Cracked

🎙️ Tara's Natasha Rothwell interview

🔪 Sarah's review of Monsters at Best Evidence

👯‍♂️ And Richard's at VF

👩🏼‍💻 Sarah's Canon pitch for "Avatar"

📷 Photo: Macall Polay / HBO

528: How High Is High Potential's Potential? Sep 18, 2024

Show notes

An ex-Lost writer brings a French crime show to America with Kaitlin Olson as the extraordinarily intelligent cleaner who becomes the LAPD's newest consultant; we tell you whether it's the rare network show that deserves an hour of your life each week. Around The Dial takes us through the second-season premiere of Tulsa King, HBO's new doc David Chase & The Sopranos, and The Sniffer. Mlle. Caroline takes another run at getting a Psych into The Canon with "Last Night Gus" (and we also salute JMak, a Patreon supporter who added it to our Forcening pool). Then, after naming the week's Winner and Loser, we drive Metallicar right into a Non-Regulation Game Time. Unlike a church, you can face whatever direction you want as you listen!
TOPICS

Lead Topic: 🧠 High Potential
Around The Dial: 🤴 Tulsa King
Around The Dial: 🔫 Wise Guy: David Chase & The Sopranos
Around The Dial: 👃 The Sniffer
The Canon: 🍩 Psych S06.E02: Last Night Gus
Winner & Loser: 👍 Tim Robinson
Winner & Loser: 👎 Netflix's doc series Martha
Game Time: 👻 Is This Supernatural?
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NOTES

🗒 Full episode notes can be found on this episode's page on our site

🧠 Daniel Fienberg's High Potential review at The Hollywood Reporter

🍳 Tara's review of Frasier (2023) S02

🎶 Mark And Sarah Talk About Songs on Patreon

📷 Photo: Disney / Pamela Littky

527: Admiring The Perfect Couple Sep 11, 2024

Show notes

Writer and critic Sonia Saraiya is back to bid summer adieu with a discussion of Netflix's The Perfect Couple, a six-part murder mystery among the rich and unbearable that's aiming for Revenge and Succession vibes -- but does it work? The panel has mixed feelings...except about the beautiful locations, and the star wattage of Meghann Fahy. After we rinsed off the sand, we went Around The Dial with Adam Sandler's latest special, the first season of BoJack Horseman, and The Challenge, and Julie hoped a great first date would lead to something Canon-ical with her pitch for Looking. Lee Daniels won, Bosch: Legacy (and Sarah's years-long runner) lost, and we tried to figure out who the IMDb considered most likely to succeed in Game Time. Take a break from chipping balls into the bay and have a listen!
GUESTS

👤 Sonia Saraiya

TOPICS

Announcement: 📢 Club Campaign Update
Lead Topic: 👩🏼‍❤️‍👨🏻 The Perfect Couple
Around The Dial: 😜 Adam Sandler: Love You
Around The Dial: 🐴 Bojack Horseman
Around The Dial: 🏃🏻‍♂️ The Challenge
The Canon: 👀 Looking S01.E05: Looking for the Future
Winner & Loser: 👍 Lee Daniels
Winner & Loser: 👎 Bosch: Legacy
Game Time: 🤩 TV Popularity Contest II
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NOTES

🗒 Full episode notes can be found on this episode's page on our site

🐦 Cross the Sonia Saraiya drawbridge on X

💃 The Perfect Couple cast vs. the dance sequence

😆 IndieWire on the Sandler special's fake comedy club

🙋‍♂️ Tara's review of Universal Basic Guys at Cracked

😽 Bookstore Cats on Instagram

🐈 Find a foster or rescue org near you

📷 Photo: Netflix
CLUB-ONLY NOTES

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💬 Get On Our Community Discord

526: Discussing A Scorching Burn Notice Sep 04, 2024

Show notes

We are off this week due to holiday travel but present you with this EHG Club unlock.
EEHG 294: Discussing A Scorching Burn Notice

Susanna invited us to check out the Burn Notice episode "Bad Breaks," and we were thrilled! Find out why that was the episode Susanna picked and exactly what two BN veterans and one new arrival thought about it. Ask EHG has us pondering our hypothetical Family Feud garb, the avatars we use on our various streaming platforms, and more. Then we each name our Not Quite Winners And Losers Of The Week, and close things up with another round of Now You Know Your ABCTVs. Put down your yogurt and join us!
TOPICS

Lead Topic: 🏦 Burn Notice S02.E13: Bad Breaks
Ask EHG: 🙋🏼‍♀️ 1.5x Shows
Winner & Loser: 👍 American Idol
Winner & Loser: 👎 Netflix's safety coordinators
Winner & Loser: 👍 Netflix
Winner & Loser: 👎 Quiet On Set
Winner & Loser: 👍 Family Guy
Winner & Loser: 👎 Family Guy
KRTMATIWOTVLM: 🦷 The Brady Bunch S04.E13: Love and the Older Man
Extra Credit: 🔤 Now You Know Your ABCTVs
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NOTES

🗒 Full episode notes can be found on this episode's page on our site

🏦 Burn Notice S02.E13: Bad Breaks on Hulu

📷 Photo: USA Network

525: Releasing The Hounds At Dan Curtis’s Dracula Aug 28, 2024

Show notes

As August continues letting us down in the TV premiere department, we take a look back -- waaaaaaaaay back, to 1974, when Dark Shadows creator Dan Curtis slapped his name on a TV movie version of Dracula written by Richard "I Am Legend" Matheson and starring Jack "One-Armed Pushups" Palance. Since we've previously subjected Nick Rheinwald-Jones to other Dracula adaptations, it falls to him to return and discuss it with us. Around The Dial spins around to Emily In Paris, Mastermind, the comedy specials of James Acaster, We Are Lady Parts, and Everwood. Nick makes his pitch for the S03 finale of The Bear to be inducted into The Canon. Finally, after naming the week's Winner and Loser, we end on a Game Time that comes to us in triplicate. Wash your neck and join us!
GUESTS

👤 Nick Rheinwald-Jones

TOPICS

Lead Topic: 🧛🏻‍♂️ Dan Curtis's Dracula
Around The Dial: 🥖 Emily In Paris
Around The Dial: 🧠 Mastermind
Around The Dial: 🤣 James Acaster's comedy specials
Around The Dial: 👛 We Are Lady Parts
Around The Dial: 🪵 Everwood
The Canon: 🧸 The Bear S03.E10: Forever
Winner & Loser: 👍 ₖₑₗₗᵧ ᵣₑᵢₗₗᵧ
Winner & Loser: 👎 Good Omens
Game Time: ☘️ Three Of Those
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NOTES

🗒 Full episode notes can be found on this episode's page on our site

🦋 Nick Rheinwald-Jones on Bluesky

⚰️ Dan Curtis's Dracula on JustWatch

🎧 The Demi, Myself & I podcast

🦢 Sarah's review of Feud: Capote vs. The Swans at Best Evidence

🥨 Shappy Pretzel

524: Getting To Know The Anonymous Aug 21, 2024

Show notes

The USA Network is apparently making original shows...that should be streaming shows, like The Anonymous, which throws The Traitors, Big Brother, and a number of other alliance-based reality shows into a blender. Kari Race is back to discuss whether it's a concoction worth drinking, given all the AI dad jokes, dead air, and inappropriate cliffhangers in the first three episodes. Then we went Around The Dial with Taskmaster NZ, Guy Montgomery's Guy Mont-Spelling Bee, and Homicide: LOTS. Mr. Throwback won (a timeslot), Teresa Giudice lost (again), and Tube Tunes got stuck in our heads again during Non-Regulation Game Time. Take a break from screaming at a pizza slice and have a listen!
GUESTS

👤 Kari Race

TOPICS

Lead Topic: 🫥 The Anonymous
Lead Topic: 🥝 Taskmaster New Zealand
Lead Topic: 🔤 Guy Montgomery's Guy Mont-Spelling Bee
Lead Topic: 🔫 Homicide: Life On The Street
Lead Topic: 🤥 Would I Lie To You S17.E09
Lead Topic: 👍 Mr. Throwback
Lead Topic: 👎 Teresa Giudice
Lead Topic: 🎶 Tube Tunes XIV
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NOTES

🗒 Full episode notes can be found on this episode's page on our site

📻 Listen to more Kari Race at Charlie's '80s Attic

💄 Listen To Sassy

🔫 Alan Sepinwall's Homicide episode recs at Rolling Stone

🏆 EHG 207's Homicide Canon

📈 EEHG 163's post-Homicide power rankings

🏀 EEHG 310 on Mr. Throwback

🌴 Again With Again With This

📷 Photo: Rico Torres / USA Network

523: Going Ape For Bad Monkey Aug 14, 2024

Show notes

Florida transplant Al Lowe Huff is back to talk about Bad Monkey, the Apple TV adaptation of Carl Hiassen's Sunshine State-noir book, and the ways it lets Vince Vaughn's...Vince Vaughn-ing find the apex of its expression. We also discussed the show's great casting, realtor shade, meta voice-overs, and unwelcome references to True Detective before we went Around The Dial with Couples Therapy, My Life Is Murder, and the fifth season of Justified. Hallie had one more thing for us to consider in a Nonac pitch for a 1990s zombie Columbo, before The Gilded Age won and a Red Sock lost. Finally, we wedged in a sequel to a Trivial Pursuit-based Game Time, so load up your battered vintage cooler with an armload of popsicles and join us!
GUESTS

👤 Allison Lowe Huff

TOPICS

Lead Topic: 🐒 Bad Monkey
Around The Dial: 🛋️ Couples Therapy
Around The Dial: 💀 My Life Is Murder
Around The Dial: 🤠 Justified
The Nonac: 🧥 Columbo S10.E05: No Time To Die
Winner & Loser: 👍 The Gilded Age
Winner & Loser: 👎 Jarren Duran
Game Time: 🥧 The Return Of Televisual Pursuit
SUPPORT THE SHOW

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NOTES

🗒 Full episode notes can be found on this episode's page on our site

🙉 Tara's Bad Monkey review at Cracked

🩻 We're talking about Scrubs on AWAWT later this week!

📚 Save on "headliner" true crime at Exhibit B. Books

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