Lena Dunham is back with Netflix romcom Too Much -- and so is Maris Kreizman, to discuss Dunham's return to the discourse, whether we can separate the creator from the show, and what the panelists who didn't care for it still think it did really well. We went Around The Dial with American Horror Stories 's third season, Veronica Mars 's FIRST season, and Ballard , and Tara hoped we'd come to praise AND bury "the Giamatti episode" of Black Mirror for the Canon. Richard Gadd won, Today 's Craig Me...
Jul 16, 2025•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 571
In the grand tradition of our drafts for Law & Order and the Star Trek franchise, we're using this special episode to draft teams of staff, patients, loved ones, and inanimate shows from ER -- and who better to join us than Laura Hampton, a PA known to us from our Discord as an ER superfan who recently completed a full rewatch of the entire series? No one, which is why she's here picking a team AND organized the draft with the correct number of each category of character for us to choose fro...
Jul 09, 2025•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 570
We are off this week but present you with this EHG Club unlock of EEHG 343: Should You Sign On To With Love, Meghan? It's clear the former Meghan Markle wants to do something significant with her British-royal influence; it's also clear her new Netflix homekeeping show, With Love, Meghan , isn't that. Stephanie Early Green is back to talk about why it's so dull, what might have helped, and how Martha Stewart succeeded where Meghan Sussex fails. Ask EHG wondered who would replace Noel Fielding on...
Jul 02, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 569
Like a lot of family-owned businesses, Havenport, North Carolina's Buckley Fishery is having a rough go of it lately. If they can't make their nut and pay all their employees on fish alone, maybe...smuggling cocaine will make up the shortfall? What could go wrong?! Jessica Morgan returns to talk about the ways Kevin Williamson's new show crosses over with the one we know him for best ( Dawson's Creek ), and the ways it doesn't but that we WISH it would. Around The Dial takes us through Season 3 ...
Jun 25, 2025•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 568
And that truth is: none of us thinks you should bother, including returning guest Will Leitch, who agrees that We Were Liars moves too slowly; shows AND tells too fart-sniffily; wastes the talents of an impressive cast, including Mamie Gummer and David Morse; and is based on a property whose author sounds fake. We went Around The Dial with the very real The Chicken Sisters , Untold , and The Mortician before Tara's Canon pitch reunited us with Party Down 's third-season premiere. General Hospita...
Jun 18, 2025•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 567
Summer is upon us, but what are we going to watch? Robert Krut joins us to help make our traditional lists of what we're into; what we should be into but aren't; what NO ONE should be into; and what's fine for others but not for us. Dave pitches the South Side episode "Treat Yourself" for induction into The Canon. Then, after naming the week's Winner and Loser, we close out with a Game Time that's pure poetry. Find a spot directly in front of a fan and join us! GUESTS 👤 Robert Krut TOPICS Annou...
Jun 11, 2025•1 hr 30 min•Ep. 566
David T.'s beautiful son Taylor S. Cole is back to discuss Dept. Q , a Scottish take on a Nordic-noir book series that has the good sense not to mess with star Matthew Goode's face. Chemistry in trope-y scenes, why Scandi crime stories often have a submarine, whether the mystery needed so many episodes to solve -- we're talking about all of that AND recommending actually Nordic Nordic-noir TV if you liked Dept. Q . Then we're going Around The Dial with Mountainhead , The Rehearsal , and The Last...
Jun 04, 2025•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 565
Matt Wolf ( The Stroll ) got unprecedented access to Paul Reubens, generally better known as his alter ego, Pee-wee Herman; Will Hines joins us to talk about what resulted from their 40 hours of interviews. Around The Dial takes us through Big Mouth 's eighth and final season; The Comeback: 2004 Boston Red Sox , and Magic & Bird: A Courtship Of Rivals . Sean makes his pitch for the "Long, Long Time" episode of The Last Of Us to be inducted into The Canon. Then, after naming the week's Winner...
May 28, 2025•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 564
Vulture's Kathryn VanArendonk is back to talk about Apple TV+'s Murderbot , and whether the books do a better job of exploring questions of gender and essential humanity without Alexander Skarsgard's Ken-doll crotch confusing matters. Should YOU give it a watch? We went Around The Dial with Overcompensating , Secret Lives Of Mormon Wives , and Leverage: Redemption 's third season before Anne offered another variation on the Utahn theme with a Real Housewives Of Salt Lake City Canon Presentation....
May 21, 2025•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 563
After more than two years, Rian Johnson's Poker Face -- aka "What if Columbo , but a lady named Charlie who's a human lie detector" -- is back for its second season on Peacock. Does it still deliver a pleasing throwback mystery vibe? David J. Roth returns to discuss. Around The Dial takes us through the second season of Conan O'Brien Must Go and Netflix's special Conan O'Brien: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize For American Humor ; Killing It ; and Untold: Shooting Guards . Mike presents the e...
May 14, 2025•1 hr 37 min•Ep. 562
Did Alan Alda vehicle The Four Seasons need an eight-part dramedy reboot? The panel -- joined by Alyson Lewis of Cracked -- doesn't think so, although one of us enjoyed returning to a version of a property that aired constantly on HBO in the mid-eighties. But did the story need this many episodes, or this downbeat a tone? Do we enjoy this iteration of a Tina Fey character? And why is a certain actor almost certain to get killed in prestige programs like this? Later, we went Around The Dial with ...
May 07, 2025•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 561
Heather wanted us to watch a 29-year-old Sam Elliott playing a cowboy in a Season 2 episode of The Streets Of San Francisco , and who were we to resist? We tell you whether the episode's worth ripping off your pearl snap shirt over. Our latest Ask EHG takes us through questions about, among others, our most out-of-character favorite shows and the strangest places we've ever run into someone we knew. Sarah pitches "Smizing" for the TV coinage Tiny Canon. Then, after sharing a new batch of Not Qui...
Apr 30, 2025•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 560
Most weeks, we confront our guests with a Thought Experiment to compile for an end-of-year special. But this time, we're the ones in the hot seat. We asked our friends -- past podcast guests all -- to challenge us with TV-themed Would You Rather? They came through in a big way with hypothetical choices that really set us to some soul-searching. Listen to hear what decisions we're being forced to make! TOPICS Lead Topic: 🤔 Would You Rather SUPPORT THE SHOW 🔥 Join the EHG Club for bonus episodes...
Apr 23, 2025•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 559
Black Mirror is back with a seventh season packed with miso jam, thronglings, classic film, Christian counseling services, a whole artists' commune, and more; Brandi Brown joins us to discuss what goes down (sometimes...way down). Around The Dial takes us through Hacks , The Syd + TP Show , and Top Chef . Tara attempts to get yet another game night sitcom episode into The Canon with Will & Grace 's "Alley Cats." Then, after naming the week's Winner and Loser, we're trying to get closest to t...
Apr 16, 2025•1 hr 39 min•Ep. 558
The Ankler's awards editor, Katey Rich, thinks Hulu/FX's new dramedy Dying For Sex -- about dying, kink exploration, and friendship love stories -- might be in line for some awards love. Did the panel agree? Listen for our discussion, plus Holofcener vibes, useless men, and rooting for Dawson's alums. We went Around The Dial with The Amazing Race , St. Denis Medical , and Andy Kaufman doc Thank You Very Much , and Katey lured us onto the corporate jet of a third-season 30 Rock episode. Olivia Mu...
Apr 09, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 557
Will & Grace co-creators David Kohan and Max Mutchnick are back with a throwback multi-cam sitcom that isn't Gay Golden Girls , but isn't NOT Gay Golden Girls . Would we travel down the road and back again for more? Joe Reid joins us to talk about it. Around The Dial takes us through Last One Laughing UK , Shrinking , Adolescence , The Pitt , and Gone Girls . Joe pitches the Simpsons episode "Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious" for induction into the Nonac. Then, after naming ...
Apr 02, 2025•1 hr 32 min•Ep. 556
Muppeturgy's Adam Grosswirth returns to talk about Shondaland's latest show for Netflix, The Residence , which takes us behind the scenes at the White House via a murder mystery -- but could the stellar cast make up for a too-long runtime and not-funny-enough writing? Do we have an Only Murders In The West Wing copycat problem? And should you bother watching? We went Around The Dial with The Righteous Gemstones , Smash on Broadway, and B-B-B-B-Bosch: Legacy 's swan-song season, and Adam hoped he...
Mar 26, 2025•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 555
Patreon supporters earn the right to "forcen" us to watch TV episodes of their choosing, and while we usually never know what we're going to get, this time we each made a selection from the list of submissions. Was Dave worshipful of The Chosen 's "The Rock On Which It Is Built"? Did Tara want to take The Young Ones episode "Bambi" out back and shoot its mom? Did Sarah thrill to the artistry of Hustle 's series premiere, "The Con Is On"? Listen, find out, and then (if you haven't already) join u...
Mar 19, 2025•49 min•Ep. 554
We all love the series regulars on our favorite shows. But the magic of episodic television is that someone can pop into your life for just an hour, or 22 minutes, or maybe even just one scene, and make an impression that lasts a lifetime. Your co-hosts invited Jeff Drake to join us for a special episode in which we winnowed down our Sweet 16 of one-off TV characters to the one that, in this particular bracket, towers above them all. Listen to find out who the ONE one-off champion turned out to ...
Mar 12, 2025•1 hr 44 min•Ep. 553
Obviously, we couldn't have anyone else come discuss Running Point but Krystal Farmer -- so thank God she agreed, and we went deep on everything from the charms of Kate Hudson to how much of a sport a sports-com should show, plus dumb pro-team fonts and believable sibling energy. Later, we went Around The Dial with Grosse Pointe Garden Society , Futurama on Hulu, and On Call , and Tara schooled us with her A.P. Bio Canon pitch. Éanna Hardwicke won, the Oscars' "In Memoriam" segment lost, and we ...
Mar 05, 2025•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 552
After Suits became a surprise streaming hit a couple of years back, of course NBCUniversal couldn't resist going back to the well, and that's how we got the spinoff Suits LA . Is it facing contempt charges? Kari Race returns to talk about it. Around The Dial takes us through The Baldwins , Ladies & Gentlemen...50 Years Of SNL Music , Dear Child , America Undercover and A Thousand Blows . Kari makes the case for inducting an episode of Kroll Show into The Canon. Then, after naming the week's ...
Feb 26, 2025•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 551
The White Lotus is finally back, and so is novelist and Variety columnist Dan D'Addario to talk about a new locale for familiar hateful-richies storylines. We also talked about who we think gets killed, the most and least successful guest storylines, David Lynch, and what happens when a pandemic lark breaks big for premium cable, before going Around The Dial with Cobra Kai , Yellowjackets , and Lorne Michaels. Dan couldn't help but wonder if his And Just Like That... Canon pitch would succeed; Q...
Feb 19, 2025•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 550
Family Feud is a game show that has delighted audiences for decades by challenging teams of related players to guess answers supplied by randomly selected survey subjects. Completely unrelatedly, our latest special episode, Kinfolk Kerfuffle , has contestants trying to match poll answers submitted by our Discord members. Dave presides as chosen family Tara, Sarah, Adam Grosswirth, and Kim Reed take on handpicked tribe Taylor Cole, Dan Cassino, Larra Morris, and Nick Rheinwald-Jones. It's time to...
Feb 12, 2025•50 min•Ep. 549
After NBC screwed up Charles Star's booking by dropping The Hunting Party series premiere weeks early, it's fitting (?) that he should, instead, join us for a Prime Video original movie about a scheduling snafu: the Nicholas Stoller-written and -directed You're Cordially Invited , starring Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon at war over a wedding venue. Did it leave us wanting to toss rice, or toss our cookies? Listen to find out. Around The Dial takes us to Clean Slate , The Hunting Party (Charl...
Feb 05, 2025•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 548
Sterling K. Brown takes the lead in Paradise, and in the investigation that drives Hulu's new paranoid thriller -- and Rolling Stone 's lead TV critic, Alan Sepinwall, is back to discuss both. Do the layered flashbacks work better for this material than for Brown's previous Dan Fogelman project, This Is Us ? Does the dumb world-building outweigh the watchable acting? After we talked about how this underground/domed world stacked up against others on TV, we went Around The Dial with Common Side E...
Jan 29, 2025•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 547
With Saturday Night Live about to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its series premiere, Peacock has assembled four documentary specials about how the show is made. Do any of them really advance our knowledge about this comedy institution? Omar Gallaga returns to talk about it. Around The Dial takes us through Severance , A.P. Bio , Playing For Peanuts , and Star Wars: Skeleton Crew . Omar pitches the Shōgun episode "Crimson Sky" for induction into The Canon. Then, after naming the week's Winner...
Jan 22, 2025•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 546
Various legal proceedings aside, The Pitt is ABSOLUTELY not ER ...but if you liked ER , Fug Girl Heather Cocks agrees with the panel that you'll like Max's new and extremely gnarly medical drama. It has all the ingredients that make a doctor show (versus a soap with doctors in it) compelling: solid casting; elegant world-building via medical students; and just enough jargon. We're going Around The Dial with Switching Gears , The Breakthrough , and comfort TV scripted and non- in the form of The ...
Jan 15, 2025•1 hr 30 min•Ep. 545
Amy is a hard-charging doctor who's alienated almost everyone in her life. Then amnesia following a car accident erases the last eight years of her life from her memory. Can she start over and fix what she broke during that lost time?! Sarah Baker is here to discuss whether Fox's new drama Doc imprinted on her memory at all. Around The Dial takes us through Going Dutch , The Circle , Somebody Somewhere , and Everwood . Mlle. Caroline pitches the Ghosts (UK) episode "The Thomas Thorne Affair" for...
Jan 08, 2025•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 544
We are off this week for EHG Prime but present you with this EHG Club unlock of EEHG 313: Taking A Journey In The World Of David The Gnome . It's time again for us to submit to the wishes of listeners like you, which is how we've ended up watching the series finale of The World Of David The Gnome . What was clearly conceived as a sweet story about gnomes and animals living harmoniously together in nature takes a WILD turn for its very last episode, so: thanks for exposing us all to that, Matt! T...
Jan 01, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 543
We are off this week for EHG Prime but present you with this EHG Club unlock of EEHG 296: Showing Proper Deference To Star Maidens . We're in the doldrums of mid-May. None of the week's TV premieres lit us with a fire of passion. What better time for Dave to make us all watch Star Maidens , a mid-70s British sci-fi show about a CRAZY planet where women are in charge and men are their bitter servants. What could go wrong? For Ask EHG, we solicited your DUMBEST questions, and you came through with...
Dec 25, 2024•53 min•Ep. 542
