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Pilot TV

Empire Magazinepscrb.fm

From the creators of The Empire Film Podcast, Pilot TV is your essential guide to every TV show that matters, providing a weekly rundown of all the new must-see TV shows dropping across streaming, terrestrial, satellite, cable, and beyond. Join Empire's James Dyer, Heat's Boyd Hilton, and Kay Ribeiro as they bring you breaking TV news, reviews of the week's major shows, and interviews with some of the biggest names in TV.

Pilot TV is here to make sure every minute you spend in front of the box is a minute worth spending. Served with a heavy helping of insider knowledge, irreverence and humour, Pilot TV won't just keep you informed, amused and entertained, but is guaranteed to save countless hours of your life. Because you can’t watch *everything*.

Enjoying the podcast? Sign up to Pilot+ for a bonus episode every Thursday, in-depth spoiler specials, and early, ad-free access to the regular show! Find out more at www.empireonline.com/pilottv

Episodes

#244 The Afterparty, Heat, and Quantum Leap. With guests Anya Chalotra and Freya Allan

Kay gets a much needed Witcher hit this week as we’re joined by stars Freya Allan and Anya Chalotra (although it was quite touch and go for a while), plus we head over to Apple for the after-after party of The Afterparty season 2 (which you must watch form the very beginning, NO EXCUSES), hit the outback with Danny Dyer in Channel 5’s Heat, and head back to set right that one went wrong in the reboot of Quantum Leap on Paramount+.

Jul 10, 20232 hr 42 minSeason 1Ep. 260

#243 Then You Run, A Thin Line, and Blindspot. With guest Wendell Pierce

We're in the company of The Bunk this week as Wendell Pierce aka Jack Ryan's James Greer, joins us on the podcast to talk that show's final season. Plus, we go on the run in Rotterdam with Then You Run on Sky, hang out with eco hacktivists in A Thin Line on Paramount+ and hit the beat with Ross Kemp in Blindspot on Channel 5. All that and the team puts to the test how well they truly know each other when forced to programme each other's desert island box sets.

Jul 03, 20232 hr 42 minSeason 1Ep. 259

#242 Hijack, Champion, and Cannes Confidential. With guests Anson Mount and Candice Carty-Williams

On this week's show, Captain Christopher Pike himself, Anson Mount, joins us to chat all things Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, plus Candice Carey-Williams drops by to talk about her London-based rap drama, Champion, which we also review. Meanwhile, we head up to cruising altitude with Idris Elba for Hijack on Apple TV+, and end up watching Cannes Confidential on Acorn, because both The Witcher and Jack Ryan were embargoed. Elsewhere, we up the stakes for the live show bake-off, and shocking reve...

Jun 26, 20232 hr 37 minSeason 1Ep. 258

#241 Secret Invasion, The Change, and I'm A Virgo. With guests Annie Murphy and Patrick Gibson

Annie Murphy joins us on this week's show to talk all about the first episode of the new Black Mirror, 'Joan Is Awful'. Plus Patrick Gibson gets cornered by Boydy and grilled over what would have happened in Season 3 of The OA (and manages to talk about his show Before We Die as well). Elsewhere, we get our Skrull on for Secret Invasion on Disney+, face midlife with a smile in Channel 4's The Change, and try to become one with the unique mind of Boots Riley in I'm A Virgo on Prime. Plus the team...

Jun 19, 20232 hr 42 minSeason 1Ep. 257

The Full Monty: An Empire & Pilot TV Podcast Special, In Association With Disney+

25 years after it became (for quite a spell) the biggest film of all time at the UK box office, The Full Monty is back with an eight-part limited series, streaming now on Disney+. Writer Simon Beaufoy has reassembled the original cast for a show that goes The Full Monty on the current state of the nation, with Gaz (Robert Carlyle) and chums navigating their way through a series of misadventures that shine a spotlight on everything from the education system to the NHS. In this, the latest collabo...

Jun 14, 20231 hr 13 minSeason 1Ep. 256

#240 Best Interests, The Full Monty, and The Ark

On this week's show we force Kay to sit down in front of Sky Sci-Fi and make her watch The Ark, despite her protestations. Plus we take a look at Sharon Horgan and Michael Sheen drama Best Interests on the Beeb, and return to Sheffield to catch up with Robert Carlyle and the gang for The Full Monty, which picks up 25 years after the classic nineties movie. Plus we bust a few questions out of the Pilot postbag (the triage system has gone berserk), we announce the next Pilot LIVE show and James ex...

Jun 12, 20231 hr 25 minSeason 1Ep. 255

#239 The Crowded Room, Significant Other, and Arnold

On this week's show we’re pumping iron with Arnold Schwarzenegger in Netflix’s biographical documentary Arnold, Filling in hospital forms with Youssef Kerkour and Katherine Parkinson in Significant Other on ITVX, and determining whether Tom Holland is a serial killer along with Amanda Seyfried in The Crowded Room on Apple TV+. Plus Kay hasn't been allowed to watch the show about the well-endowed porn star but that's okay because the team share their (oft inadvertent) strip club stories to make h...

Jun 05, 20231 hr 19 minSeason 1Ep. 254

#238 The Gallows Pole, White House Plumbers, and Deadloch

On this week's show we’re fixing leaks in the Nixon administration with Justin Theroux and Woody Harrelson in White House Plumbers on Sky, investigating a naked corpse and an aggressive sea mammal in Australian comedy Deadloch on Prime video, and heading back to 18th Century Yorkshire with Shane Meadows for The Gallows Pole on BBC2. Plus the team discuss the (possibly inappropriate) shows they watched as children and James goes full maverick, taking the opportunity to spring all manner of surpri...

May 29, 20232 hr 40 minSeason 1Ep. 253

#237 Poker Face, Maryland, and Platonic. With guests Harriet Dyer and Patrick Brammall

Kay's dream comes true this week when she gets Colin From Accounts star/creators Harriet Dyer and Patrick Brammall in a room (sadly, Colin couldn't make it). Plus we take a look at Apple's Seth Rogen/Rose Byrne relationship comedy Platonic, ITV's Suranne Jones/Eve Best sibling drama Maryland, and Sky's Natasha Lyonne/Assorted Criminals procedural Poker Face, which FINALLY makes its way here to the UK. All that and James confesses to having watched an episode of Naked Attraction, much to Kay's di...

May 22, 20232 hr 39 minSeason 1Ep. 252

#236 Steeltown Murders, No Escape, and High Desert

We have poetry on this week's show (yes, really), plus Kay explains (if explanation were needed) why James is a moron and the team ponder the most memorable TV needle drops in recent years. Elsewhere we get our grim on in true crime drama Steeltown Murders on BBC1, have an eye for Patricia Arquette PI in High Desert on Apple, and see if No Escape floats our boat on Paramount+.

May 15, 20232 hr 30 minSeason 1Ep. 251

#235 City On Fire, Muppets Mayhem, and Ten Pound Poms. With guest Rebecca Ferguson

Rebecca Ferguson joins us this week to discuss sci-fi, AI and Apple's big-budget adaptation of Hugh Howey's book series, Silo. Plus we experience unfettered carnage with Dr Teeth And The Electric Mayhem in Muppets Mayhem on Disney+, return to Oz in Ten Pound Poms on BBC1, and dip our collective toes into another of Apple's lavish literary adaptations with City On Fire. Plus, James surprises everyone by having watched Colin From Accounts, we find out why Kay's animal form is that of an angry ferr...

May 08, 20232 hr 41 minSeason 1Ep. 250

#234 Fatal Attraction, Black Ops, and Queen Charlotte. With guests Lizzy Caplan and Joe Russo

We chat Fatal Attraction with Lizzy Caplan this week, as she jumps into the Glenn Close role for the Paramount+ adaptation of the classic '80s thriller. Plus Joe Russo stops by to talk all things Citadel. Meanwhile, the BBC busts out some comedy coppers in the excellent Black Ops, and Bridgerton's monarch gets a spinoff in Queen Charlotte on Netflix. Plus one of our listeners delivers wine to the office and James reveals the true extent of his sociopathic telly-watching routine.

May 01, 20232 hr 43 minSeason 1Ep. 249

#233 Inside No. 9, The Curse, and Sam: A Saxon. With guests Reece Shearsmith, Steve Pemberton and Tom Davis

It's another very hot episode this week: not because of excessive sexy chat but rather because the AC in the studio is broken again. So please put any delirium or rambling (over and above the usual amount) down to that. Other than a large quantity of sweat, Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton join us to talk about the new eighth series of Inside No.9 (Inside No. 8?) and Big Tom Davis hangs out with Boyd to chat the new series of The Curse. Plus, we get ChatGPT to review the podcast and try very...

Apr 24, 20232 hr 54 minSeason 1Ep. 248

#232 Dead Ringers, Malpractice, and Drops Of God. With guests Melanie Lynskey, Rachel Weisz and Alice Birch

Not only do we have Rachel Weisz and Alice Birch on this week's show to talk all about Prime Video's resurrection of '80s Cronenberg thriller Dead Ringers, but Melanie Lynskey joins us for an update on how Yellowjackets Season 2 is going. Plus the team head off to A&E with Niamh Algar in Malpractice on ITV, and try a little oenology with Apple's manga adaptation Drops Of God. All of which leads to a slightly anarchic discussion of super-tasters, Boyd's tea-making technique, and the time Kay knoc...

Apr 17, 20232 hr 56 minSeason 1Ep. 247

#231 The Last Thing He Told Me, Obsession, and The Hunt For Raoul Moat. With guests Jennifer Garner and Charlie Murphy

Jennifer Garner joins us on this week's show to talk about Apple's new mystery thriller, The Last Thing He Told Me, plus Charlie Murphy drops by to fill us in on Netflix's new BDSM-happy erotic thriller, Obsession. Elsewhere, we join The Hunt For Raoul Moat on ITV, get some surprising statistics about podcast listeners in Fiji, and James comes to a final decision on the issue of the cake.

Apr 10, 20232 hr 43 minSeason 1Ep. 246

#230 Rain Dogs, Beef, and Grease: Rise Of The Pink Ladies. With guest Jack Farthing

Daisy May Cooper and Jack Farthing return to our screens this week with Rain Dogs, a BBC series that has been described as The Last Of Us, except with poverty instead of mushroom zombies. Jack himself drops by the show to tell us if that is indeed the case, and we also find out if Grease is still the word in Paramount's Rise Of The Pink Ladies and tune in to a grudge match for the ages in Netflix's Beef. Kay is on holiday this week so Beth Webb rejoins us (for her sins) and there may (or may not...

Apr 03, 20232 hr 42 minSeason 1Ep. 245

#229 Succession, The Big Door Prize, and Rabbit Hole. With guests Toni Colette and John Leguizam

Like Snap! Toni Colette and John Leguizamo have got the power and they're both in the house this week talking all about Prime Video's adaptation of the Naomi Alderman book with James. Meanwhile, Kay and Boyd break out their Team Slime Puppy T-Shirts as Succession makes its return to our screens. We're also exploring our inner potential along with Chris O'Dowd in The Big Door Prize on Apple and running around New York with Kiefer Sutherland in Rabbit Hole on Paramount+. All this, and somehow time...

Mar 27, 20232 hr 48 minSeason 1Ep. 244

#228 Great Expectations, Yellowjackets, and The Dry. With guest Daveed Diggs

Daveed Diggs — Jefferson himself! — joins us on this week's show. Plus the whole team is practically giddy (too much sugar, most likely) as we get back to the wilderness for Yellowjackets, sample Ireland's answer to Fleabag (apparently) with ITV's The Dry, and see what Steven Knight does with Dickens in BBC1's Great Expectations. Plus there's a whole to-do about cake and Kay comes perilously close to murdering James on air (fair).

Mar 20, 20232 hr 35 minSeason 1Ep. 243

#227 Extrapolations, Ted Lasso, and Redemption. With guests Brett Goldstein, Nick Mohammed and Martha Plimpton

We have a veritable hootenanny of guests on this week's show with both Brett Goldstein and Nick Mohammed on to talk Ted Lasso Season 3, and Martha Plimpton joining us to chat Bermondsey gangsters in A Town Called Malice on Sky. But that's not all, because we also take a look at the near future with star-studded environmental drama Extrapolations on Apple, and head over to Dublin for ITV crime drama Redemption. Plus James apologises for Kay's egregious failure to spot the Robert Kirkman/Brian K V...

Mar 13, 20232 hr 51 minSeason 1Ep. 242

#226 The Mandalorian, Abbott Elementary, and The Bay. With guest Neil Cross

Luther is back this week (albeit in film form) and series creator Neil Cross drops by the show to talk all about the big man in the coat. Plus, in an unusually feisty instalment of the pod, we evaluate the return of The Mandalorian, explore the phenomenon that is Abbott Elementary and have a huge, three-way blow up about ITV's The Bay, which involves so many shifting alliances and sudden turns it'll give you whiplash. We also (somehow) find the time to discuss some of the properties we're nervou...

Mar 06, 20232 hr 49 minSeason 1Ep. 241

#225 Unforgotten, Django, and The Diplomat. With guests Sanjeev Bhaskar, Sam Claflin and Camilla Morrone

Unforgotten is back! That's reason enough for celebration but even more so is the fact that DI Sunny Khan himself — aka Sanjeev Bhaskar — is on the show to talk all about it. And that's not all as Sam Claflin and Camilla Morrone also drop in to chat Prime Video's Daisy Jones & The Six. Elsewhere, the team feast their eyes upon Catalonian murder mystery The Diplomat over on Alibi and nouveau Western Django on Sky Atlantic, plus mull over all the various TV tropes that give them the 'icks'.

Feb 27, 20232 hr 55 minSeason 1Ep. 240

#224 Liaison, Fleishman Is In Trouble, and Desperate Measures. With Billy Crudup and Vincent Cassel

Both Billy Crudup and Vincent Cassel join us on this week's show, the former to talk about Apple's retro future series Hello Tomorrow, and the latter about international espionage thriller Liaison, also on Apple TV+. But that's not all, because we also hit the dating apps with Jesse Eisenberg in Disney+'s Fleishman Is In Trouble and take on the criminal underworld with Amanda Abbington in Desperate Measures on Channel 5.

Feb 20, 20232 hr 42 minSeason 1Ep. 239

#223 Picard, Better, and The Twelve

We "Make it so" one last time this week with the third and final season of Star Trek: Picard, which Trek newbie Kay takes to like a Ferenghi to money laundering. Plus we dabble in a little jury duty with The Twelve on ITVX and some policing with villaining on the side in Better on BBC1. All that and we not only find time to sort out the seating arrangements at one of our listeners' weddings but manage to sift through the Trillions of spinoffs (see what we did there) announced this week as well.

Feb 13, 20231 hr 22 minSeason 1Ep. 238

#222 Consent, Funny Woman, and The Gold. With guest Sarah Michelle Gellar

Sarah Michelle Gellar joins us on the show this week to chat Wolf Pack and, of course, Buffy The Vampire Slayer. And speaking of Buffy, the team tackles a question (prompted by episode 3 of The Last Of Us) on the greatest single episodes of TV. Plus, we talk about the issue of rape culture in schools via Channel 4's hard-hitting one-off drama, Consent, head back to 80s London for BBC's The Gold, and visit 60s Blackpool with Gemma Arterton for Sky's Nick Hornby adaptation, Funny Woman.

Feb 06, 20232 hr 37 minSeason 1Ep. 237

#221 Nolly, Dear Edward, and Your Honor. With guests Russell T. Davies and Joe Cornish

TV legend Russell T. Davies joins us on the show this week to talk Nolly, his new three-part drama, which stars Helena Bonham Carter as Crossroads star Noelle Gordon (and there may be a few Doctor Who nuggets in that conversation as well). Plus Joe Cornish is here to chat all things Lockwood & Co, his new supernatural series on Netflix (which we reviewed on Pilot+ last week). All that and we look at Apple's interconnected drama Dear Edward, watch the second series of Paramount's Your Honor, and ...

Jan 30, 20232 hr 59 minSeason 1Ep. 236

Extraordinary: A Pilot TV/Empire Special, In Association With Disney+

Welcome, folks, to a most extraordinary podcast (in association with Disney+). A podcast in which Team Empire and Team Pilot TV get together to discuss the extraordinary Extraordinary, the brand-new sitcom that is now streaming on Disney+. Created and written by Emma Moran, Extraordinary is set in a world where everyone develops a superpower after they turn 18. Everyone, that is, except for Jen (Mairead Tyers), who is approaching 25 and is still fumbling for direction and meaning and purpose. Be...

Jan 25, 20231 hr 10 minSeason 1Ep. 235

#220 Shrinking, Extraordinary, and Wolf Pack

This week Brett Goldstein and Bill Lawrence deliver the anti-Ted Lasso in Apple's Shrinking (which stars actual Harrison Ford), plus we find ourselves pleasantly surprised by new Disney+ original series Extraordinary, and swap Lupin for lupine in Paramount+ supernatural series Wolf Pack. Plus the team tackle questions around the tragic demise of physical media and there's a surprising amount of chat about '90s Europopsters Snap

Jan 23, 20231 hr 16 minSeason 1Ep. 234

#219 The Last Of Us, Chemistry Of Death, and Maternal. With guests Kumail Nanjiani and Parminder Nagra

Kumail Nanjiani joins us on this week's show to explain the nature of comedy to James, plus Parminder Nagra stops by to discuss ITV's now back-to-work series, Maternity with Kay. Elsewhere, we go traipsing through the woods with Harry Treadaway in Chemistry Of Death, and are FINALLY able to talk about The Last Of Us, which James has already declared to be the show of 2023. There's also some Golden Globes chat, some musings on shows we'd like to have our memories erased to re-watch and much excit...

Jan 16, 20232 hr 44 minSeason 1Ep. 233

#218 Welcome To Chippendales, The Reunion, and Reginald The Vampire

It may be January but we're stripping off alongside Kumail Nanjiani this week in Welcome To Chippendales on Disney+, watching an early contender for most utterly batshit show of the year with The Reunion on ITVX, and finding the lighter side of undeath with Reginald The Vampire on Sky Sci-Fi. Plus, we talk about some of TV's best character actors, bemoan Netflix's axe-swinging killing spree, and announce the launch of our all-new, very exciting SECOND podcast: the imaginatively named, Pilot TV+....

Jan 09, 20231 hr 24 minSeason 1Ep. 232

Review of The Year 2022. With guests Will Sharpe and Denise Gough

2022 is DONE! Well, nearly. And, in place of our regular show this week we bring you our official postmortem of the year that was, packed with our personal picks, our favourite episodes, a look at what we're excited about in 2023 and a bunch of year-related questions from you, our long-suffering listeners. But that's not all, because we also run though our final, canonical, completely unanimous and in no way divisive list of Pilot TV's best shows of 2022, and welcome a pair of very special guest...

Dec 26, 20223 hr 31 minSeason 1Ep. 231