Stay ConnectedThe Hollywood Outsider is a weekly entertainment podcast where we discuss specific topics in film and TV, review current movies, interview independent filmmakers, and put our own spin on movies and television. Podcast Awards winner for Best TV & Film podcast.
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On this episode of The Hollywood Outsider podcast, we're breaking down everything that's getting us excited around TV with our 2026 TV Preview Extravaganza! We talk about 30 new shows coming to both streaming and networks this year plus 15 returning shows all with their respective release date and a brief synopsis. New shows such as Vanished, Steal, The Burbs, Strip Law, Marshalls, CIA, and more as well as returning gems like Scrubs, Shrinking, One Piece, Hijack, The Pitt, The Boys, The Bear and so many more. Last year was full of highlights, but 2026 is looking even more exciting. Enjoy our 2026 TV Preview Extravaganza! What 2026 TV shows are you most looking forward to?
Discussed on this episodeOn this episode of The Hollywood Outsider podcast, we're breaking down everything that's getting us excited in film with our 2026 Movie Preview Extravaganza! We talk about all the big movies coming to theaters and streaming this year with their respective release date and a brief synopsis. Blockbusters such as Supergirl, Digger, Scream 7, Moana, Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu, Avengers: Doomsday, Dune: Part Three, Project Hail Mary, The Devil Wears Prada 2, The Odyssey, Toy Story 5, as well as plenty of smaller films like Ready or Not 2, Obsession, Send Help, and so many more. Last year was full of highlights, but 2026 is looking even more exciting. Enjoy our 2026 Movie Preview Extravaganza!
What 2026 movie releases are you most looking forward to?
Discussed on this episodeThese are the only awards that really matter, the 2026 HO Awards! On this episode of The Hollywood Outsider podcast, we are breaking down our 2026 awards for both film and television. If you haven't listened to our HO Awards for movies and TV before, we do ours a bit different, for example our "actor" category covers all genders, we do not separate it. For TV: network, cable, and streaming all count, it just has to have had at least 3 new episodes in 2025. For movies, theatrical, VOD, and streaming are all eligible.
If you want to follow along, the categories are below, so let us know what your picks are on our social media channels. What will take our awards? Wake Up Dead Man, The Pitt, Stranger Things, Reacher, Pluribus, F1: The Movie, Thunderbolts, Bugonia, Adolescence, Severance, Weapons, Sinners, The Housemaid, or something else? Each of us will award our winners in each category, and at the end, we'll combine ours with listener picks to determine what was the HO TV series and Movie of the Year!
Take a listen to the 2026 HO Awards for TV and Film!
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Discussed on this episodeTV Award Categories
Movie Award Categories
On this episode of The Hollywood Outsider podcast, it is time to say goodbye to one of our favorite TV shows of this century with our Stranger Things Season 5 and Series Finale spoiler review and wrap-up! We venture through each and every character's arc, hitting highs and lows, debating Will's monologue and the reaction it caused, the choice to focus on Holly this season, the finale and repercussions, and so much more.
Hawkins, Indiana will never be the same. So let's head into this special podcast and spend one last adventure with Mike, Will, Lucas, Dustin, Eleven, Max, Hopper, Joyce, Nancy, Jonathan, Steve, and the 46 other characters we met along the road. Goodbye, Stranger Things!
Discussed on this episodeOn this episode of The Hollywood Outsider podcast, it is time for our final episode of the year, and therefore it is time to say goodbye to 2025! We dive into a few of the biggest stories of the year - while shying away from all of that low-hanging political fruit - as well as recent news on director Rob Reiner that has impacted us all. The Warner Brothers and Netflix OR Paramount merger, watercooler TV makes a resurgence, K-Pop Demon Hunters, and even the impact of AI.
Then, we say cheers to the past 25 years in movie and TV by an entire section of our show dedicated to a few of the highlights and even - using AI - determining what truly is the best of the best when it comes to this quarter century. How accurate is it? Let's find out together.
It's a packed episode, and we appreciate all of your support, so we hope you enjoy. We will see you on the other side of 2026!
Discussed on this episodeOn this episode of The Hollywood Outsider podcast, we are at the quarter mark of this century and it is time to reflect. This is an introspective look back at our favorite movies and TV shows between 2000 and 2025, aka the past 25 years, with both narrowing our focus down to our favorites within this time frame, as well as listener Top 10s. This episode covers a lot of ground, so enjoy this discussion on the best movies and TV shows of the 2000s!
Discussed on this episodeOn this episode of The Hollywood Outsider podcast, we are at the quarter mark of this century and it is time to reflect. Therefore we are continuing our series that we began earlier this years by discussing the best holiday or Christmas movies of the past 25 years. The important distinction here, is that these are the best movies that we watch at this time of year to get us in the holiday spirit, so they are not necessarily Christmas movies. Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Hateful Eight - they all are just as relevant as Elf or 8-Bit Christmas. So sit back, grab some mistletoe, and lets debate the best holiday movies of the 2000s!
Click here for info on our 2026 Alaskan Cruise!
Discussed on this episodeEvery year, we love to celebrate the holiday season with our listeners, and there is no better way to do that than with our 2025 Holiday Special!
It all started 10 years ago with a random idea: we were big fans of holiday specials, yet podcasts seemed to skip over the idea completely. Therefore, we decided we can do whatever we want here at The Hollywood Outsider, so let's create our own tradition and the Annual Holiday Special was born!
Every year we rekindle the past (and occasionally add a little something new), assembling some of the best moments from our hosts for the most fantastic holiday special ever! Debating what constitutes a Christmas movie and specials we love, what makes for a great Christmas movie, Christmas cliches, and even our Holiday Spirit Movie Battle Royale!
That's not all, oh no. The Christmas spirit kicks into overdrive as we open up and share our personal memories of the holiday season, stories that remind us of Christmas. And no holiday special would be complete without a visit from the big man himself, so get ready for as much St. Nick as legally allowed as Santa Claus drops by the studio to tell us just how naughty or nice we are, all throughout the episode!
With a special game from Amanda, Santa in his sleigh, John's obsession with puppets, Troy's intriguing selection of Holiday Spirit films, Scott's first Christmas Poem, Bad Santa, and a lot of fun for everyone – This is the one podcast you don't want to miss this holiday season!
On this episode of The Hollywood Outsider podcast, WICKED: FOR GOOD has arrived in theaters to magically conquer the world! Therefore, it's time to grab a broom and fly back to Oz to see how Elphaba and Glinda (or Galinda) wrap up their story. Does Jon Chu's film correct the issues of the second half of the musical? Do the new songs add anything? Are important aspects fleshed out? Do Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande repeat their stellar performances from the first film? Most importantly, does Wicked 2 captivate us the way the original did? Listen as we break down every character in the rousing conclusion to the Wicked franchise.
After challenging the Wizard's totalitarian regime in Oz, Elphaba must grapple with her identity as the "Wicked Witch of the West". Meanwhile, the Wizard has given Glinda the title "Glinda the Good" and a public status as the nation's defender against Elphaba. The two witches must make decisions that seal their fates in this second musical installment. Let's dive in to our Wicked: For Good review and spoilercast!
Discussed on this episodeOn this episode of The Hollywood Outsider podcast, let's see if we can make this podcast disappear by wading into the world of magic in movies and TV. David Copperfield, David Blaine, Now You See Me, Harry Potter...wait, does that count? We head into the world of magic to discuss both our fascination with the topic, as well as where it has been done well. Also, should heist movies count in this subgenre?
Also on this episode, Kyle Nolan from NoReruns.net joins us to discuss showrunner trouble at the networks, a V for Vendetta series, Poker Face folds, Apple TVs Pluribus, and Netflix finally gets a jolt of life with Frankenstein.
Discussed on this episode
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