Hooked: A Pop Culture Podcast with Mary Carver

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#23 - Missing My So-Called Life with Kristin Taylor Jul 09, 2019

Show notes

Is anything more heartbreaking to a TV fan than a favorite show being cancelled too soon? (No. No, of course not. That's the worst!) This week we're kicking off a new series about short-lived TV shows by discussing one of the most beloved gone-too-soon shows, My So-Called Life.

My friend Kristin and I are the exact same age but while I somehow missed this cultural phenomenon, Kristin did not. And she's still sad that it didn't last longer. Listen as we deep dive into the show, as well as cover a few other short-lived shows we still miss.

And if you're in the mood to binge a good, short-lived show, don't miss this guide we made for you. Click here for your free copy of Short-Lived Shows for Every Season.

MENTIONED IN THE SHOW:

My So-Called Life (streaming on Hulu)
My So-Called Life, the novel by Catherine Clark
Pitch (SO GOOD, you guys!)
Firefly
Freaks & Geeks (not streaming, but you can get it on Blu-Ray)
Galavant
Reverie

ALSO MENTIONED:

Kristin's love of medical shows: The Resident, New Amsterdam, Grey's Anatomy
The show Mary did NOT want to like: SEAL Team

DON'T FORGET:

Join The Couch on Facebook!
Find Kristin at her blog or on Facebook, and find Mary at her website or on Instagram.

#22 - All About Hamilton with Amy Clark Jun 06, 2019

Show notes

Have you seen Hamilton, the musical? Or listened to the soundtrack? Maybe scoured the internet for every #Ham4Ham clip you could find? Then this is the episode for you!

After a quick road trip to Chicago to see Hamilton on stage, Mary couldn't quit gushing and analyzing and, let's be honest, crying just a little bit about the show. So she got her friend Amy Clark (who also has been known to gush and analyze and cry about this thing) to talk about all the things on this week's episode.

And head's up! This supersized episode is also the final one of Season 1. Don't worry! The Couch will be back in a few short weeks. Until then, don't throw away your shot (get it? Hamilton reference?) and listen to episode #22. It just might blow you all away. (Hamilton reference. Again. CAN'T STOP, WON'T STOP.)

IF YOU'RE NEW TO HAMILTON:

MENTIONED IN THE SHOW:

The podcast episode that introduced Hamilton to me and so many others (Sorta Awesome with Meg Tietz & Tsh Oxenreider)
Hamilton's America (PBS documentary about the creation of the show)
Hamilton Soundtrack
Hamilton Mixtape

ALSO MENTIONED:

DON'T FORGET:

Join The Couch on Facebook!
Find Amy at her website or on Instagram, or check out her book club on Facebook!

#21 - Decision Fatigue with Emily P. Freeman May 28, 2019

Show notes

What should I watch? This new show or that one everyone's talking about? Or...maybe I'll just rewatch Parks and Rec...again...

Who hasn't been there? Freezing in the face of all the choices? Well, this week Emily P. Freeman joins Mary at The Couch to talk about our favorite long-running shows, which characters we can trust to take care of us, and how doing the next right thing can apply to our entertainment choices as well as larger ones.

MENTIONED IN THE SHOW:

ALSO MENTIONED:

DON'T FORGET:

Join The Couch on Facebook!
Find Emily at her website or on Instagram, or check out her book at nextrightthingbook.com.

#20 - All About Disney Live Action Movies with Amanda White May 21, 2019

Show notes

Lately it seems like you can't turn around without seeing another Disney live action remake. We've got Dumbo! And Aladdin! And Lion King! But that's just the tip of the Disney iceberg. In this episode, Amanda White returns to talk with Mary about all the live action movies that have come before (most of which - surprise! - Mary hasn't seen) and all the ones slated to come next. And, in their continued quest to be timely and relevant, they debate the value of Maleficent, the 2014 movie starring Angelina Jolie, as well as the definition of live action when it comes to movies about animals that talk. Tune in for all this and more!

And don't forget to get your FREE copy of Tales as Old as Time, a devotional inspired by Beauty & the Beast! (Click here to get it right now!)

MENTIONED IN THE SHOW:

Dumbo Movie Review & Family Discussion Guide on Amanda's website
Live-action Cinderella (update: Mary has now watched it and loved it, just like Amanda said she would)
Evermore, the new song in the live-action Beauty & the Beast

ALSO MENTIONED:

Tales as Old As Time: Lessons on God's Love Inspired by Beauty & the Beast
Mary Poppins Returns
Christopher Robin
Maleficent
Aladdin (trailer)
The Lion King (trailer)
And so many more...

DON'T FORGET:

Join The Couch on Facebook!
Find Amanda at ohamanda.com, and find Mary at marycarver.com.

#19 - How Pop Culture Can Help Us Heal with Becky McCoy May 14, 2019

Show notes

In a surprisingly upbeat episode, Mary and her friend Becky McCoy tackle the topic of grief. They talk about grief as it's portrayed in pop culture, and how pop culture can help a person heal from loss or grief. Based on the amount of laughter in this episode, Mary and Becky either have a fantastic perspective on these topics...or they're just big weirdos who love talking about sad things. Tune in and then tell us which you think it is!

MENTIONED IN THE SHOW:

This quote from Patton Oswalt about grief in pop culture
This post from Mary about grief
This conversation about a Will & Grace episode

ALSO MENTIONED:

Dead to Me (Netflix)
Sorry for Your Loss (Facebook Watch)
Harry's Trees by Jon Cohen
Gortimer Gibbon's Life on Normal Street (Amazon Prime)
48 Christmas Wishes (Netflix)

DON'T FORGET:

Join The Couch on Facebook!
Find Becky at her website, on instagram, or on her podcast, Sucker Punched.

#18 - The Best & Worst TV Moms with Alana Dawson May 07, 2019

Show notes

With Mother's Day right around the corner, it's time to look at the best (and the worst) moms TV has to offer. From Cersei Lannister to June Cleaver, Mary and her friend Alana Dawson are debating what makes a good television mom. Did they include your favorite? Is Lorelei Gilmore REALLY a good mom? Can they separate their feelings about Aunt Becky from recent revelations about Lori Loughlin? Tune in to find out!

MENTIONED IN THE SHOW:

Raven's Home (not to be confused with That's So Raven)
The Stephanie Plum books (and the movie)
That 70s Show
Gilmore Girls
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Reba (the TV show, though we love the singer, too)
Madam Secretary (because no episode is complete without it)

ALSO MENTIONED:

The Mom Wants More Podcast episode with Mary Carver
List of cozy mysteries similar to the Stephanie Plum books
Fast Talk & Faith (a devotional inspired by Gilmore Girls)

DON'T FORGET:

Join The Couch on Facebook!
Find Alana at @alana_pilar and @themomwantsmorepodcast on Instagram!

#17 - Summer Movie Preview with Dawn Camp Apr 30, 2019

Show notes

Now that Avengers: Endgame is out, we can theoretically stop obsessing about it and turn to all the other movies coming out this summer. Mary and her friend, Dawn Camp, watched eleventy billion trailers before sitting down to talk about the best ones. Wondering what to watch on your summertime date nights, girls' nights, or family nights? Tune in to find out (or download your free guide)!

MENTIONED IN THE SHOW:

Click here for a free guide to The Couch's summer movie picks!
Endeavour on Prime
Chuck - which we discussed a lot on episode S1E2!
Field of Dreams, which turns 30 this year!
RunPee (an app that tells you the best time to take a bathroom break during a movie)

DON'T FORGET:

Join The Couch on Facebook!
Find Dawn at DawnCamp.com, incourage.me, or on instagram!

#16 - The One About the Sitcoms with Kayse Pratt Apr 23, 2019

Show notes

In this week's episode, Mary is joined by her friend, Kayse Pratt. They talk about one of their favorite topics: sitcoms! They talk about their favorites from childhood, the sitcoms they watch now, why sitcoms are important, and their top 3(ish) sitcoms of all time.

MENTIONED IN THE SHOW:

The fashion of Blossom
A very special episode of Mr. Belvedere
Family Matters was a spinoff of Perfect Strangers.
The shows of TGIF and Must-See TV

ALSO MENTIONED:

History of Sitcom Theme Songs (Will Smith and Jimmy Fallon)
Friends. So much Friends.

DON'T FORGET:

Join The Couch on Facebook!
Find Kayse at her website, Anchored Women, or on instagram!

#15 - If You Like This Show, Read This Book with Amy Clark Apr 16, 2019

Show notes

In this week's episode, Mary is joined by Amy Clark, founder of MomAdvice.com and host of The MomAdvice Book Club on Facebook. As a self-proclaimed book nerd who loves reading, reviewing, and recommending books, she's the perfect person to tell us what to read next, based on our favorite TV shows.

For all the details on each show and book mentioned (plus a few extras that didn't make the cut!), click here to download your free guide.

MENTIONED IN THE SHOW:

ALSO MENTIONED:

Crazy Rich Asians soundtrack
I'll Be There for You: The One About Friends by Kelsey Miller

DON'T FORGET:

Join The Couch on Facebook!
Find Amy at MomAdvice.com, or join her Facebook group (The MomAdvice Book Club)!
Download your free list of 20 book recommendations!

#14 - Who Do You Look Up to When Nobody Looks Like You? with Alia Joy Apr 09, 2019

Show notes

This week Mary and Alia Joy talk about the people in pop culture they've admired and looked up to. And they also talked about the difficulty of finding someone to look up to when nobody looks like you. (And Mary realized the characters she liked most as a kid have something interesting in common...)

MENTIONED IN THE SHOW:

Molly Ringwald in John Hughes movies (This recent article by Ringwald is an interesting read.)
Niki Taylor and Krissy Taylor
Fresh Off the Boat
To All the Boys I've Loved Before
Crazy Rich Asians
Winona Ryder
Say Anything
Ming-Na Wen
Sookie in Gilmore Girls

ALSO MENTIONED:

Stranger Things
Roswell, New Mexico (not to be confused with the original series from the early 2000s)

DON'T FORGET:

Join The Couch on Facebook!
Find Alia at aliajoy.com, and don't miss her incredible new book, Glorious Weakness.

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