This week's podcast is brought to you by the McDonald's app. This Week In Streaming is a new podcast on the Decoding TV podcast feed that will cover the most interesting shows available on streaming each week. This week, Siddhant Adlakha and David Chen finish their conversation about Dead Ringers. How well did this show tie together all its disparate themes? What did we think of Rachel Weisz’s performance as the Mantle twins? Does the show have anything interesting to say about the hospital indu...
May 12, 2023•55 min
This episode of Decoding TV is brought to you by the McDonald's app. In this episode of Decoding TV, Kim Renfro and David Chen recap and review the seventh episode of Succession season 4, “Tailgate Party.” A party with important dignitaries pits Shiv against her brothers once more. Can the Roys escape their endless cycle of conflict? Is there any redemption to be found for any of these characters in the final episodes of Succession? What will become of Shiv’s relationship with Tom? And most impo...
May 08, 2023•1 hr 13 min
This week's episode is brought to you by the McDonald's app. This Week In Streaming is a new podcast on the Decoding TV podcast feed that will cover the most interesting shows available on streaming each week. This week, Siddhant Adlakha and David Chen cover the first 4 episodes of Mrs. Davis on Peacock, a new series from Tara Hernandez and Damon Lindelof. What…is this show? How well does it tackle its ostensible themes of religion and determinism? In which ways is Betty Gilpin spectacular as Si...
May 03, 2023•49 min
This episode is brought to you by the McDonald's app. In this episode of Decoding TV, Kim Renfro and David Chen recap and review the sixth episode of Succession season 4, “Living+.” The Roy gang is on the verge of announcing a new product to the world. But will it be their savior or their downfall? Can they fend off Matsson’s opinions in time to make an impact in their stock price? How well does this episode depict the intensity of putting together a speech like this? What are the real-life even...
May 01, 2023•1 hr 2 min
This Week In Streaming is a new podcast on the Decoding TV podcast feed that will cover the most interesting shows available on streaming each week. This week, Siddhant Adlakha and David Chen cover the first two episodes of Dead Ringers on Prime Video, a new series inspired by David Cronenberg’s 1988 classic. How well does Rachel Weisz handle playing a dual role as twins? What do we make of the fluctuating tone of these first two episodes? What’s going on with the group therapy buttons at the en...
Apr 27, 2023•46 min
In this episode of Decoding TV, Kim Renfro and David Chen recap and review the fifth episode of Succession season 4, “Kill List.” The gang heads off to Europe for a game of “musical electric chairs.” But what exactly is Lukas Matsson’s game? Have Kendall and Roman learned anything about CEO’ing in the past few years? What’s the deal between Shiv and Matsson? And Shiv and Tom, for that matter? Listen to hear us discuss all this and more! Also: we’re putting highlights/excerpts of our podcast epis...
Apr 24, 2023•1 hr 1 min
This Week In Streaming is a new podcast on the Decoding TV podcast feed that will cover the most interesting shows available on streaming each week. On this episode, Siddhant and David discuss the first two episodes of Barry Season 4. What do we think of the tone changes in this show? Is it fair to compare its style to Terrence Malick? Where do we think this season is going? Can we ever, really, truly escape who we are? Listen to us discuss all this and much more! Next week we will be discussing...
Apr 20, 2023•49 min
In this episode of Decoding TV, Kim Renfro and David Chen recap and review the fourth episode of Succession season 4, “Honeymoon States.” This week’s episode is a big emotional comedown from last week, as each character processes the big news. Marcia returns, but is her presence welcome? Will any of the underlings like Karl or Frank finally get the chance to shine? What’s the difference between an underline and a cross-out? Do the Roy kids have any chance of staying united? Listen to hear us dis...
Apr 17, 2023•1 hr 20 min
This Week In Streaming is a new podcast on the Decoding TV podcast feed that will cover the most interesting shows available on streaming each week. On this episode, Siddhant and David wrap up their discussion of Beef Season 1 . Do we think that Amy and Danny deserved their ultimate fates? What is this show trying to say about modern life? What are our thoughts on the show’s very final shot? What did we think of the hard swerve in episode 9? We discuss all these questions and much more! Next wee...
Apr 14, 2023•56 min
In this episode of Decoding TV, Kim Renfro and David Chen recap and review the third episode of Succession season 4, “Connor’s Wedding.” A major development happens this episode that reconfigures the endgame for this show. How do each of the main characters handle it? What did we think of the unique filmmaking style of this episode? How did we react to the episode in real time? What do we think the rest of this season will even be about? And is this episode one of the greatest TV episodes of all...
Apr 10, 2023•1 hr 38 min
Hey Decoding TV folks! David Chen here with an exciting announcement. For the past year, Decoding TV has been doing weekly deep dives into different TV shows and streaming shows with some of the best writers and commentators on the internet. But while the weekly recap model works really well for a bunch of shows like The Last of Us , Westworld, and Succession , it takes a lot of time and commitment to cover a show that way and if we confined ourselves only to this model, there would just be a bu...
Apr 07, 2023•1 hr
Support this podcast by becoming a paid member at decodingtv.com ! In this episode of Decoding TV, Kim Renfro and David Chen recap and review the second episode of Succession season 4, “Rehearsal.” A business deal threatens another Roy family event. Will the Roy children be able to overcome their differences in time for the board meeting? What exactly is Logan try to build at the new ATN? Will Mattson get cold feet for the Gojo deal? Will Connor ever experience the fullness of emotion that human...
Apr 03, 2023•1 hr 15 min
This bonus episode is free but you can get all our bonus episodes by becoming a paid subscriber at DecodingTV.com ! We’re trying something new with Decoding TV this season. In the past when we’ve done bonus episodes, they’ve typically analyzed the pre-existing materials for a TV show (e.g. House of the Dragon, The Last of Us ). Since Succession is original IP, it demands a different approach. As such, I’ve invited David Cho to join me to do a few bonus episodes throughout the season. David Cho i...
Mar 30, 2023•42 min
This episode of Decoding TV is brought to you by Nissan - EVs that electrify. Succession has returned and the Roys are back to the old backstabbing, treacherous ways! In this episode of Decoding TV, Kim Renfro and David Chen recap and review the first episode of season 4, “The Munsters.” How much has the status quo changed since the last episode? Do we think The Hundred would actually be a successful media venture? Is “The Disgusting Brothers” a good nickname for Greg and Tom? Is Logan Roy’s con...
Mar 27, 2023•1 hr 15 min
This episode is brought to you by Nissan - EVs that electrify. Succession is back this Sunday for a fourth and final season! I’m so pleased to be able to bring you weekly coverage of the show featuring my A Cast of Kings co-host Kim Renfro . In this special season 4 preview episode, we discuss: Why is it we love Succession so much? Where we left off with each of the Roy characters at the end of season 3 Jesse Armstrong’s comments on why he wanted to end the show Where we think season 4 will wrap...
Mar 22, 2023•1 hr 2 min
This episode is brought to you by Nissan - EVs that electrify. Thanks for a great season of TV recapping! We’ll be recapping Succession next so stay tuned for more episodes of the podcast. In this Decoding TV bonus episode about The Last Of Us , David and Christian discuss topics such as: Listener/viewer reactions to the season The realism of the season finale The philosophical questions in the discourse What we think season 2 of the show might look like (spoilers are clearly marked) And much mo...
Mar 18, 2023•1 hr 2 min
This episode is brought to you by Nissan - EVs that electrify. Thank you for listening this season! We’ve loved making this podcast for you. We’ll be doing one additional bonus episode next week responding to feedback and other thoughts on season 1 so please stay tuned. In this episode of Decoding TV, David Chen and Christian Spicer discuss season 1 episode 9 of The Last Of Us , “Look for the Light.” Joel and Ellie wrap up their journey for the season. But how well does this ending work? Do we t...
Mar 13, 2023•1 hr 14 min
This episode is brought to you by Nissan - EVs that electrify. In this episode of Decoding TV, David Chen and Christian Spicer discuss season 1 episode 8 of The Last Of Us , “When We Are In Need.” A new character illustrates a different element of the post-apocalypse. But how believable is the character of David? What do we make of Joel’s turn this episode? And how amazing is Bella Ramsay in this episode? (Spoiler: Extremely!). We discuss all this and more on this week’s episode. Links: Email us...
Mar 06, 2023•1 hr 18 min
This episode is brought to you by Nissan - EVs that electrify. In this episode of Decoding TV, David Chen and Christian Spicer discuss season 1 episode 7 of The Last Of Us , “Left Behind.” A detour takes us away from the main timeline of the series. How well does it work in at this point in the story? How does it compare to the game? What does it teach us about Ellie’s life and her relationship to others? And what is this show trying to say about FEDRA anyways? Listen to hear us discuss all this...
Feb 27, 2023•1 hr 7 min
Thanks to our sponsors for this episode: Nissan - EVs that electrify The McDonald's app - Download the McDonald's app today In this episode of Decoding TV, David Chen and Christian Spicer discuss season 1 episode 6 of The Last Of Us , “Kin.” Joel and Ellie reunite with someone familiar in unexpected circumstances. What is the source of friction between the characters? How will Joel deal with the possibility of getting out of his commitment to Tess? And is Joel going to make it out of this situat...
Feb 20, 2023•1 hr 13 min
Thanks to our sponsors for this episode: Nissan - EVs that electrify The McDonald's app - Download the McDonald's app today In this episode of Decoding TV, David Chen and Christian Spicer discuss season 1 episode 5 of HBO’s The Last Of Us , ‘Endure and Survive’ This episode finishes off a two-episode arc as we continue to follow the stories of Kathleen, Henry, and Sam. How good was Henry’s escape plan, exactly? Is Kathleen a compelling character? What does this episode’s script do well (and not)...
Feb 13, 2023•1 hr 14 min
Thanks to our sponsors for this episode: Nissan - EVs that electrify The McDonald's app - Download the McDonald's app today In this episode of Decoding TV, David Chen and Christian Spicer discuss season 1 episode 4 of HBO’s The Last Of Us , ‘Please Hold To My Hand.’ This episode captures the bombed out countryside of the U.S. as Joel and Ellie continue their journey. How well does the episode bring this post-apocalyptic country to life? How effectively does it capture the set pieces from the gam...
Feb 06, 2023•1 hr 12 min
This episode of Decoding TV is brought to you by our sponsors: Nissan - EVs, that electrify The McDonald's app. There's always a reason to order in the app. In this episode of Decoding TV, David Chen and Christian Spicer discuss season 1 episode 3 of HBO’s The Last Of Us . Every single episode of this show has been better than the last. Has the show finally peaked? We don’t know but either way, this was a tremendous episode of television. How effectively did the show depict the relationship betw...
Jan 30, 2023•1 hr 17 min
In this episode of Decoding TV, David Chen and Christian Spicer discuss season 1 episode 2 of HBO’s The Last Of Us . What do Christian and David thinks of these flashback cold opens (a TV show invention)? How does Tess and Joel’s relationship reveal itself through the course of the episode? What do we learn about this specific post-apocalyptic universe this time around? And how about that ending? Listen to hear us discuss all this and more! Links: Email us at decodingtv(AT)gmail(DOT)com Follow t...
Jan 23, 2023•1 hr 2 min
To get more bonus episodes like this one, consider becoming a paid member at DecodingTV.com! In this Decoding TV bonus episode about The Last Of Us , David and Christian discuss many of the changes between the videogame and the TV series, including: The framing of Outbreak Day The relationship between Joel and Tess What’s going on with Joel and Sarah’s neighbors Marlene and Ellie’s relationship And much more! NOTE: We’ve tried really hard to keep this as non-spoilery as possible but show-watcher...
Jan 20, 2023•24 min
This episode is brought to you by Nissan. Nissan - EVs that electrify. In this episode of Decoding TV, David Chen and Christian Spicer discuss the series premiere of HBO’s The Last Of Us . Join us each week for episode recaps and bonus episodes discussing the show! How successfully does this beloved story make the jump to TV? How well does the casting work? Does this show have anything new to add to our cluttered post-apocalyptic TV landscape? Listen to hear our thoughts on these questions, and ...
Jan 16, 2023•1 hr 20 min
Happy holidays, all! In this Decoding TV bonus episode, David Chen is joined by Ashley Esqueda and Siddhant Adlakha to discuss The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special . What is it like to see Marvel superheroes participating in everyday Earth rituals? Does the special rely too much on your real-life knowledge of [REDACTED]? And how important is it to watch this Special before the next Guardians of the Galaxy movie? Listen to hear our thoughts! Links: Learn more about Ashley’s work Follow Ash...
Dec 25, 2022•35 min
This episode of Decoding TV is brought to you by Nissan. Nissan - EVs that electrify. In this episode of Decoding TV, David Chen, Joy, and Kim Renfro discuss the hit Netflix series 1899 (from the creators of Dark ). What did we think of the production design of this unique TV show? How did the characters evolve and change? Where do they end up? And most importantly: WTF is going on with the ending of this show? This podcast episode begins with overall thoughts before heading into full spoilers. ...
Dec 23, 2022•1 hr 29 min
Support this podcast by becoming a paid member of DecodingTV.com. For Decoding TV’s coverage of The Last of Us , I couldn’t be more thrilled to have a co-host who’s a veritable Last of Us expert. Christian Spicer co-hosts the DLC videogame podcast and is the host of The Official Last of Us podcast (!). In this introductory podcast episode, we discuss five burning questions we have about the upcoming series. The Last of Us series will debut on HBO on January 15th. You can expect the our next podc...
Dec 16, 2022•40 min
This episode is brought to you by Nissan. Nissan - EVs that electrify! In this episode of Decoding TV, Roxana Hadadi and David Chen discuss the shocking season 2 finale of The White Lotus . We finally learn who the dead bodies are in the season premiere but is the result narratively satisfying? Did Harper and Ethans’ relationship play out in a believable way? Should Meghann Fahy win an Emmy for her work this season? (spoiler: yes) Did the Di Grasso family learn anything from this whole misadvent...
Dec 13, 2022•1 hr 38 min
