Pop Culture Happy Hour

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Digger and What’s Making Us Happy Oct 02, 2026

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Digger is a loud, surprising, audacious, and sure-to-be-polarizing entry in this year’s Oscars race. The film stars Tom Cruise as a powerful oil baron who’s helped unleash an existential threat on the world — but that’s only the beginning. The looming devastation attracts the attention of the president (John Goodman) and a well-intentioned scientist (Riz Ahmed). The filmtakes some pretty big narrative swings along the way. But will Digger work for everyone?
Want more Tom Cruise? Check out these episodes:
In 'Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning,' Tom Cruise is too controlled
'Top Gun: Maverick' puts Tom Cruise back in the cockpit, 36 years later
'Mission: Impossible' is back, but will you accept it, or will it self-destruct?
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A Different World Sep 30, 2026

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The TV seriesA Different World has loomed large in the culture since ending in the ‘90s, and now school is back in session in a new sequel series on Netflix. The show welcomes a new generation of students to the fictional HBCU Hillman College, and brings back notable alumni like Whitley Gilbert (Jasmine Guy) and Dwayne Wayne (Kadeem Hardison). And while the world is a lot different than it was 30-plus years ago, in a lot of ways, it’s also kind of the same.
If you’re looking for more nostalgia, Check out these episodes:
‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ is a comfy nostalgia trip
‘Practical Magic 2’ wants to cast a spell of '90s nostalgia
How you feel about 'Bel-Air' may depend upon how you feel about CW dramas
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Forgotten Island Sep 29, 2026

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Forgotten Island is a wonderful new animated feature from the team that brought you Kung Fu Panda 2 and Puss In Boots: The Last Wish. We’re introduced to childhood friends Jo (H.E.R.) and Raissa (Liza Soberano). One is a free spirit, the other an aspiring scientist, and they’re both getting ready to go their separate ways. But during their last night together, they’re transported to a magical island. The film is full of mythological creatures and fantastical settings, but it’s also rooted in friendship and memory.
If you’re looking for more animated epics, check out these episodes:
Nature needs a little help in the inventive Pixar movie ‘Hoppers’
'The Wild Robot' is grand and gorgeous, with big feelings
'The Super Mario Galaxy Movie' remembers every Nintendo moment ever
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The Love Hypothesis Sep 28, 2026

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The Love Hypothesis brings the beloved trope of fake dating to the world of science and academia – but does it bring a fresh take to the bestselling book by Ali Hazelwood? The new Prime Video movie follows Stanford graduate student Olive (Lili Reinhart). Her best friend Anh (Rachel Marsh) is holding back from pursuing a guy because she thinks Olive is interested in him. Olive wants Anh to follow her heart, so she lands in a fake-dating situation with a notoriously harsh post-doc Adam (Tom Bateman), who for reasons of his own agrees to be her pretend boyfriend.
If you’re looking for more romantic comedies, check out these episodes:
Olivia Wilde is a problematic dom in 'I Want Your Sex'
‘Office Romance’ stars J.Lo as a CEO with a bad case of Brett Goldstein
‘You, Me & Tuscany' has got us lost in the pasta sauce
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Primetime and What's Making Us Happy Sep 25, 2026

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The new docudrama Primetime is a weird and highly fictionalized account of the meteoric rise of To Catch a Predator. Robert Pattinson plays host Chris Hansen, who is struggling to get bigger ratings. Hansen and his team work with local law enforcement to drag the accused sexual abusers of minors before the camera and arrest them. But does director Lance Oppenheim’s highly stylized approach work, or leave viewers feeling empty?
If you’re looking for more dramas loosely inspired by real people, check out:
‘Tony’ is a biopic that cooks
In 'Marty Supreme,' Timothée Chalamet is good at being supremely annoying
‘Blue Moon’ will bewitch, bother and bewilder you
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Jay-Z Sep 24, 2026

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Jay-Z has been everywhere lately. It’s been 30 years since his acclaimed debut Reasonable Doubt, and he celebrated with a series of concerts at Yankee Stadium. And now there’s the HBO docuseries, JAŸ-Z In 8, in which Jay-Z dissects his catalog with producer Rick Rubin. The series hopes to further cement his legacy as one of the most revered lyricists of our time. But Jay-Z (or JAŸ-Z, as he’s styled it lately.) has always been a polarizing figure, both in his personal life and as a business mogul. So what does this series accomplish?
Looking for more episodes about music? Check out these:
Ariana Grande stares down the public eye in 'Petal'
It's time to talk about how y'all act at music festivals
Most overused songs in movies
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Fall Guide Sep 23, 2026

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This fall, there’s a lot of movies and TV on tap for you to see. And we're as excited for all of it to arrive as you are. So we’ve got a guide to what’s worth keeping on your radar, including Wicker, Wildwood, Wild Horse Nine, Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother and Avatar: Seven Havens.
Looking for more buzzy movie recommendations? Check out these episodes:
‘Resident Evil' is a grisly, funny fight to survive
‘Coyote vs. Acme’ is as looney as it needs to be
‘The End Of Oak Street’ is a prehistoric good time
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Great documentaries you don’t want to miss Sep 21, 2026

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We talk a lot about movies and TV shows, but new documentary films sometimes can sometimes get lost in the shuffle. So today we’re highlighting some new documentaries that are worth your time and you don’t want to miss – including Remake, The History of Concrete, Black Zombie, The Oldest Person in the World, and You Had to Be There.
Looking for more films that might have flown under your radar? Check out these episodes:
Great movies you may have missed
Fun movies you may have missed
Our favorite movies on Tubi
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Resident Evil and What's Making Us Happy Sep 18, 2026

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The new Resident Evil movie is wild, scary, inventive, fast-paced, and funny. That’s because the videogame-turned-film franchise got a reboot courtesy of director Zach Cregger (Weapons and Barbarian). Austin Abrams plays a medical courier tasked with transporting an important medical MacGuffin, and his journey goes haywire almost immediately as gnarly perils pile up. But does the movie’s blend of horror and comedy work for newcomers and longtime fans?
Looking for more gore? Check out these episodes:
In ‘Weapons’, the kids aren't at all right, not in the slightest, nope
'Ready or Not 2' is a satanic and manic thrill
In '28 Years Later: The Bone Temple,' the zombies aren’t the worst villains
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Last Seen Sep 17, 2026

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The new Apple TV series Last Seen is a compelling thriller. It stars Patrick Brammall (Colin from Accounts) as an emergency dispatcher named who gets a call one night from a girl he thinks might be his long-missing daughter. The show follows him as he becomes obsessed with finding the truth, even at the cost of his own stability and sobriety. It also tackles some thorny questions about who stands to gain and lose from solving this case.
Looking for other compelling thrillers? Check these out:

Emmy Rossum tracks down a female serial killer in 'Furious'
TV heavy-hitters get dark in 'The Beast In Me'
Connect with Pop Culture Happy Hour:
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