Hark, the holiday season is upon us—and with it the most solemn of festive traditions: a gift guide! In this video and podcast special, Slate hosts Dana Stevens, Chris Molanphy, and Willa Paskin beam-in from their collective hearths to deliver unto the internet their favorite gifts for culture lovers this holiday. In addition to sharing gifts, they also discuss the cultural artifact that is the “holiday gift guide,” and its history going back to the early 20th century, up to the modern day. See ...
Nov 14, 2025•48 min
On this week’s show, Steve, Dana, and Julia merge their consciousnesses—so to speak—to reflect on Pluribus , the latest television saga from Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan. In this unlikely body snatchers/sci-fi mashup, Rhea Seehorn plays a woman intent on saving the world from… eternal happiness? What exactly it needs saving from—or if it needs saving at all—is fodder for much discourse. Next, they turn to the ruminative and funny family drama Sentimental Value , directed by Norwegian aute...
Nov 12, 2025•59 min
On this week’s show, Steve, Dana, and Julia pull up proverbially barstools at Sardi’s to discuss Richard Linklater’s latest film Blue Moon , which is about one night in the life of Broadway lyricist Lorenz Hart. As played by a transformed Ethan Hawke, Hart is witty, needy, and totally captivating. Next, they travel Down Cemetery Road by way of a conversation about the new conspiracy series starring Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson based on a novel by Mick Heron of Slow Horses fame. Finally, they tu...
Nov 05, 2025•54 min
On this week’s show, Dana is joined by fellow movie critics Amy Nicholson of The Los Angeles Times and Slate’s Sam Adams for an all-film edition of the Gabfest. First up, they enter A House of Dynamite , Kathryn Bigelow’s tense procedural about a nuclear catastrophe. Whether or not this grim thriller has any spark is up for debate. Next, they step into the raucous party of Hedda Gabler in Nia DaCosta’s Henrik Ibsen adaptation Hedda, starring Tessa Thompson as the scheming hostess. Finally, they ...
Oct 29, 2025•59 min
This is a special preview of this week's Slate Plus episode. To get the full episode, another one like it every single week, and unlimited reading on Slate.com, subscribe to slate plus at Slate.com/cultureplus and help us keep the lights on. When you have Jad Abumrad in the studio, you don’t let him leave without squeezing as much quality audio from him as possible. So, inspired by Jad’s own natural curiosity, we dedicated our bonus episode this week to responding to one of the foremost practiti...
Oct 22, 2025•6 min
On this week’s show, Dana, Steve, and Julia step into the gothic, visually rich world of Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein. It’s been years in the making, gorgeously rendered, and stars the always compelling Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi, but it’s up for debate if something like a soul emerges from del Toro’s mad machinations. Next, author and journalist Stefan Fatsis joins the logophilic panel to talk about the uncertain fate of dictionaries as chronicled in his new book Unabridged: The Thrill o...
Oct 22, 2025•1 hr 7 min
On this week’s episode, Julia and Steve are joined by guest host Rebecca Onion to admire and puzzle over the magnetic appeal of Channing Tatum in Roofman . Does the beloved hunk’s captivating performance ground Derek Cianfrance’s tonally odd film? Next, the hosts take another step into Tim Robinson’s cringey, paranoid, comedy looking glass with his new series The Chair Company . Finally, they welcome back Atlantic staff writer Caity Weaver to regale them with war stories from writing her recent ...
Oct 15, 2025•59 min
On this week’s show, our fighters Steve, Julia, and Dana enter the ring to tussle over The Smashing Machine , the Dwayne Johnson vehicle directed by Benny Safdie. Can they smell what the Rock is cooking? Is it a subtly modulated performance about a sensitive pro UFC fighter? Or, a shameless Oscar play? Next, it’s on to the offbeat climes of Tulsa, Oklahoma by way of The Lowdown, a shaggy noir series created by Sterlin Harjo and starring Ethan Hawke. Finally, they gaze into the uncanny eyes of Ti...
Oct 08, 2025•55 min
On this week’s dispatch, Dana is joined by comrades in arms Sam Adams and Isaac Butler to take on Paul Thomas Anderson’s thrilling and incendiary new film One Battle After Another. Starring Leonard DiCaprio, the action epic depicts an America one notch away from our own fractured republic. Does the target of its revolutionary fantasia hit too close? They discuss. Next, they kvell about Long Story Short, the new, time-jumping family comedy from the creators of BoJack Horseman . Finally, they turn...
Oct 01, 2025•1 hr
On this week’s episode, Julia and Dana are joined by Slate writer (and Philadelphia native) Nadira Goffe for a conversation rooted in Delaware County about Task , HBO’s new gritty crime drama from the creators of Mare of Easttown . Next, the hosts give longtime listeners what they’ve been chirping for: a discussion of birding. Specifically, it’s a discussion about the dirtbag, gonzo, totally self-produced and independently released documentary Listers: A Glimpse Into Extreme Birdwatching . Final...
Sep 24, 2025•57 min
On this week’s show, Steve and Dana are joined by guest host Dan Kois to turn the volume up to… well, how hard Spinal Tap II: The End Continues rocks is the question of the day. They debate the mockumentary sequel which reunites the original Tap gang for a surprisingly tender portrait of aged rock stars. Next, they turn their icy gaze at the POV-shifting, soapy series The Girlfriend , starring Robin Wright and Olivia Cooke as the warring mother and girlfriend of a wealthy young man. Finally, the...
Sep 17, 2025•1 hr 5 min
On this week’s show, Steve, Dana, and Julia crack open the latest edition of The Paper , a new mockumentary set in the The Office universe . They debate whether the tried and true sitcom formula still delivers and assess its portrayal of local journalism. Next, they share their feelings about two couples who are terrible at sharing theirs in Splitsville, the marriage farce created and starring Kyle Marvin and Michael Angelo Covino with Dakota Johnson and Adria Arjona. Finally, the heterofatali...
Sep 10, 2025•1 hr 1 min
This week, Steve, Julia and guest host Isaac Butler visit a pre-gentrified 1990s New York to discuss the gritty crime romp Caught Stealing directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Austin Butler (no relation). Next, it’s off to Cooper’s Chase, an English manor turned retirement community , to take up the case of The Thursday Murder Club , Netflix’s new film adaptation of the beloved cozy mystery series. Finally, they assess what the film studio A24’s rise—and potential fall—means for the movie b...
Sep 03, 2025•56 min
On this week’s show, Dana, Julia, and Steve are joined by special fourth guest host: Wesley Morris of the New York Times . The foursome wield their sharpest critical tools for a discussion of the horror hit Weapon s. Whether the twisty thrill ride hits its intended target— and what exactly is said target— is up for debate. Next, they take up the latest Spike Lee joint Highest 2 Lowest which reunites the legendary director with Denzel Washington and riffs on an Akira Kurosawa classic. Finally, th...
Aug 27, 2025•59 min
This week’s episode journeys to dystopian corporate hellscapes present and future as Julia, Dana, and Steve dissect the horror and philosophical underpinnings of Alien: Earth , Noah Hawley’s new series adapting the Ridley Scott sci-fi masterpiece. Next, they set their course to Arlen, Texas where they’ll assess the return of Hank, Peggy, and Bobby in Mike Judge’s rebooted King of the Hill . Finally, they venture to Hollywood and greet its “new face” and the medical specialists who reconstructed ...
Aug 20, 2025•58 min
On this week’s show, Julia Turner is joined by guest hosts Nadira Goffe and Dan Kois to answer the urgent question: is The Naked Gun starring Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson the vital satire we need for our time? (Answer: No, but does that matter? The joke-dense spoof reboot directed by Akiva Schaffer is a hoot.) Next, they turn to tropical shores and talk about Chief of War , the epic series about Hawaiian history starring and produced by Jason Momoa. Finally, the panel examines the legacy of t...
Aug 13, 2025•1 hr 3 min
It’s the most feelin’ yourself time of the year; a time for uptempo jams to make the sidewalk your runway; a time for the annual Summer Strut playlist! As per tradition, Steve, Dana, and Julia are joined by music critic and chartologist Chris Molanphy to sift through the hundreds of listener submissions to pick their favorite songs to strut to this season. They’ll also kick off the show with a discussion of the song of the summer. You can find the panel’s collective favorites here, at the Summer...
Aug 06, 2025•1 hr 18 min
On this week’s show, Dana, Steve and guest host Nitish Pahwa summon their critical superpowers to assess Marvel’s Fantastic Four: First Steps . Can the charms of Pedro Pascal and company mixed with a Jetsons -style retrofuturism energize this long-troubled comic book IP? They discuss. Next, they’re joined by Euny Hong, author of The Birth of Korean Cool: How One Nation Is Conquering the World Through Pop Culture , to unpack why KPop Demon Hunters is such a record-breaking hit . Finally, they rev...
Jul 30, 2025•58 min
Disinfect your groceries and mind the 5G, on this week’s show Steve, Dana, and guest host Sam Adams dive into the dread-inducing world of Ari Aster’s Eddington. Starring Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal, the neo-Western explores the conspiracy-brained, mentally unstable summer of 2020 when COVID brews unrest in a small town. Like said town, the panel is divided. Next, they talk about why one of the biggest selling musical acts of all time has been both a national treasure and a forever punchline...
Jul 23, 2025•1 hr
On this week’s show, Dana and Steve are joined by guest host Isaac Butler to talk truth, justice, and the American way via James Gunn’s Superman . They discuss the latest incarnation of the man of steel and the cultural discourse he’s generating that has become as volatile as kryptonite itself. Next, they hop to another cultural lightning rod: Lena Dunham. They get into her new series Too Much which she created with her husband Luis Felber. Finally, they report back from Viola’s Room , an immers...
Jul 16, 2025•56 min
On this week’s show, Julia and Dana are joined by June Thomas for a decidedly feminist discussion. They start with Sorry, Baby , the debut feature from writer, director, and actor Eva Victor, about a young academic’s life after a terrible trauma. The panel debates whether the film— which was a Sundance hit for A24 — is a tart, surprising traumedy or a frustratingly evasive experiment. Next, they get into Dear Ms.: A Revolution in Print , the HBO documentary about the pioneering feminist magazine...
Jul 09, 2025•56 min
On this week’s show, Steve, Julia, and guest host Sam Adams are off to races with F1:The Movie , the new Brad Pitt racing vehicle featuring lots of racing vehicles. Is the thrill ride more than the sum of its sports movie cliches, high-octane action sequences, and perpetually handsome movie-star? Does the answer even matter? Next, they’re joined by Slate senior supervising producer Daisy Rosario to decode the particularly British charms of Taskmaster , the UK panel/game-show now in its 19th seas...
Jul 02, 2025•58 min
On this week’s show, Julia, Dana, and Steve return to the Rage Virus-infected world first created by Danny Boyle and Alex Garland two decades ago. They talk about 28 Years Later and what the zombie movie sequel has to say about now. A lot it turns out: COVID, Brexit, human mortality, and more. Next, they grapple with the media phenomenon that is Alex Cooper—the spunky and sexually frank host of the blockbuster podcast Call Her Daddy— by discussing the recent documentary about her rise, Call Her ...
Jun 25, 2025•58 min
On this week’s show, Steve and Dana are joined by guest host Dan Kois to weigh the suitability of Materialists as a rom-com for our transactional age. In choosing between suitors played by Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans, matchmaker Dakota Johnson must choose between love and money— but is there a soul beneath all this romantic calculation? They debate. Next, they return to the depths of a billionaire-backed fiasco in the new documentary Titan: The OceanGate Submersible Disaster about the jaw-dropp...
Jun 18, 2025•58 min
On this week’s show, the secret word is: Pee-wee. Dana, Steve, and Julia discuss the new documentary Pee-wee as Himself. The fascinating two-part film, directed by Matt Wolf, attempts to reveal the complex man Paul Reubens behind the beloved, surprisingly subversive, goofball that was Pee-wee Herman. Next, they tee off to talk about Stick , the new comedy series starring Owen Wilson set in the world of professional golf. In the third segment, they’re joined by Atlantic staff writer Caity Weaver ...
Jun 11, 2025•56 min
On this week’s show, longtime hosts Julia, Stephen, and Dana are all together in-person to talk about Mountainhead, the new HBO Max movie from Jesse Armstrong, creator of Succession. Then, they dig into the new Amazon Prime series Overcompensating . Finally, they talk about the new PR junket, full of spicy food and odd quizzes, inspired by this Vulture article by Nicholas Quah . Endorsements: Dana : The Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Swerve: How the World Became Modern by Stephen Greenblatt . ...
Jun 04, 2025•58 min
On this week’s show an all-star team of super agents join Julia to gab including guest host Amy Nicholson, film critic for the Los Angeles Times . Their first mission: Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning, the supposed final installment of the Tom Cruise action juggernaut. Like Cruise on to a vintage biplane, Dana jumps on the call to discuss all the film’s death-defying stunts, clunky exposition, and lasting cultural impact. Next, they’re joined by Slate senior editor Rebecca Onion to dish o...
May 28, 2025•59 min
In this week’s show, Dana and Julia are joined by guest host Isaac Butler to go through the A24, bromance looking glass to discuss Friendship , the surreal cringe comedy starring I Think You Should Leave’s Tim Robinson and the always friend-crushable Paul Rudd. Next, they share their thoughts on Final Thoughts: Jerry Springer, the new podcast by Prologue Projects and Leon Neyfakh about the improbable and complex story of the infamous talk-show host and one-time progressive politician. Finally, t...
May 21, 2025•55 min
On this week’s show, Steve, Dana, and Julia gab about Another Simple Favor , the sequel to Paul Fieg’s 2018 A Simple Favor , which again pits Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick in a twisty, noir comedy. Next, they discuss Amy Sherman Paladino’s new Franco-American ballet TV confection Étoile . Finally, they confer on the shocking conclave pick of an American pope with New York Times journalist and Vatican-watcher Ruth Graham. In the exclusive Slate Plus Bonus Episode, the panel spoils the heck out o...
May 14, 2025•50 min
On this week’s show, it’s one of the Gabfest’s most cherished traditions: the yearly call-in show. Dana, Julia, and Stephen answer listen-submitted questions that run the gamut – can cooking for one be a joy? Should philosophy be studied more? And how did you make your most recent friend? In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel gets into Lena Dunham's latest addition to the canon of "writers writing about moving out of New York." Email us at culturefest@slate.com . Podcast production by J...
May 07, 2025•1 hr 2 min
