Trying to keep up with the latest in pop culture? We’ve got you covered. The Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast helps you find the best new binge-worthy tv shows, movies, music, and videogames.
Join hosts Linda Holmes, Aisha Harris, Stephen Thompson, and Glen Weldon four episodes a week - plus a rotating cast of guest pop culture enthusiasts. It’s your fix for reviews, recommendations, and recaps of the pop culture everyone is talking about. From lowbrow reality TV to Oscar-winning movies to the stuff in between, we take it all with a shot of cheer. On the Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast, we watch everything so that you never miss anything.
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Spike Lee's new crime thriller Highest 2 Lowest reunites him with his favorite leading man, Denzel Washington. The film is based on Akira Kurosawa’s classic High and Low , and it’s a tense story about a very rich man with a very big problem. Part morality play and part action movie, Washington plays a music mogul who confronts questions of responsibility and power when he believes his son has been kidnapped. Follow Pop Culture Happy Hour on Letterboxd at letterboxd.com/nprpopculture See pcm.adsw...
Alien: Earth is a new TV spinoff of the Alien movie franchise, and as one might expect, it has plenty of Facehuggers, chestbursters, and dark metal corridors. The show brings the infamous Xenomorph to our planet – along with a host of other creepy crawly off-world species – and has them tangle with humans, cyborgs, synthetics and something new. The series comes from the idiosyncratic mind of Noah Hawley ( Legion , Fargo ) and is airing on FX and streaming on Hulu. See pcm.adswizz.com for informa...
The cheerleading film Bring It On spawned direct-to-video sequels and a Broadway musical. And with an all-star cast of Kirsten Dunst, Eliza Dushku, and Gabrielle Union, the movie remains a quotable classic. But a lot has happened since that might make it feel very timely, or very dated. Bring It On turns 25 this month so today we’re revisiting our conversation about the movie. Follow Pop Culture Happy Hour on Letterboxd at letterboxd.com/nprpopculture See pcm.adswizz.com for information about ou...
In the breezy comedy series Platonic , Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne play former best friends who reconnect years after a falling out. The Apple TV+ show follows their misadventures as they try to navigate their respective midlife crises and become friends again. Platonic is back for a second season, so today we are revisiting our conversation about the series. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship pre...
The intriguing and seriously creepy new film Weapons follows what happens after 17 third-graders get out of their beds on the same night, at the same time, and disappear. The community points fingers at the students’ teacher, played by Julia Garner. The latest film from Zach Cregger ( Barbarian ), Weapons explores why one student was spared that fateful night. There’s a clear answer – but we guarantee it’s not one you’ll see coming. Follow Pop Culture Happy Hour on Letterboxd at letterboxd.com/n...
Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis first switched bodies over 20 years ago in the beloved Disney body swap movie, Freaky Friday . They return in the long-awaited sequel, Freakier Friday , which offers twice as many body swaps, fights galore, and a whole lot of jokes about being old and kids these days. Follow Pop Culture Happy Hour on Letterboxd at letterboxd.com/nprpopculture To access bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening for Pop Culture Happy Hour, subscribe to Pop Culture Happy Hour+ at ...
We are 25 years into the 2000s, so we wanted to debate: what’s the most definitive piece of Y2K pop culture? We try to pinpoint the essence of that period when teens ruled the culture, viral internet memes first became a thing, and everyone was freaking out about stocking up on duct tape. We talk about Spice World , Get Over It , Britney Spears’ “Oops… I Did It Again” music video, and Janet Jackson’s “Empty.” See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for s...
Every couple goes through certain rites of passage. You date, maybe you move in together, maybe you get married. And maybe a visit to a mysterious cave makes your bodies start to fuse together. That's what happens in the new horror film Together , starring real-life married couple Alison Brie and Dave Franco. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy...
Wednesday is one of the most popular Netflix shows of all time, and it helped make Jenna Ortega a star. It takes the breakout Addams Family character Wednesday Addams and breaks her out of her home environment. Gomez (Luis Guzmán) and Morticia (Catherine Zeta-Jones) pack her off to their alma mater, the gloomy, gothy Nevermore Academy, and she’s soon drawn into the investigation of a series of grisly murders. Wednesday is about to return for a second season, so today we are revisiting our conver...
The Naked Gun franchise has always been a rapid-fire delivery system for gags, delivered straight-faced by a cop who doesn't know that anything is funny. In the new Naked Gun movie, that role is handled by the very straight-faced Liam Neeson. With Pamela Anderson as his femme fatale, Neeson tries to save the world from, quite literally, a plot device. And like the original franchise, this Naked Gun is all about a joke pileup. Follow Pop Culture Happy Hour on Letterboxd at letterboxd.com/nprpopcu...
The Netflix series The Hunting Wives is a soapy murder mystery full of nudity and intrigue, about a group of Texas women who are up to no good. It stars Brittany Snow as a woman who follows her husband from the East Coast to Texas for a job working for a rich businessman and budding politician (Dermot Mulroney). Sophie is immediately enchanted by his sultry wife, played by Malin Åkerman. If you always thought Desperate Housewives would be better if more of the housewives were having sex with ea...
Almost 30 years after the original, Adam Sandler returns in "Happy Gilmore 2," a Netflix sequel packed with callbacks, flashbacks, and celebrity cameos. The PCHH panel critiques the film's self-serious tone and lengthy narrative, which some felt detracted from the original's simple charm. While acknowledging a few bright spots like the "Maxi Golf League" concept, the discussion largely centers on whether the fan service feels earned and if the streaming release model encourages lower quality.
Last year was Brat summer and saw the rise of Chappell Roan, Shaboozey, and Sabrina Carpenter. But is there a song of the summer for 2025? Today we're talking about the competing songs of this summer from Justin Bieber, Morgan Wallen, KPop Demon Hunters , PinkPantheress, and more. We'd love to know what you think about Pop Culture Happy Hour. Please help us out by telling us what you like and how we could improve by completing a short, anonymous survey at npr.org/pchhsurvey . See pcm.adswizz.com...
The Fantastic Four are back again in a new movie--and it's an eye-popping good time. The Fantastic Four: First Steps stars Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn as the famously fractious family with amazing powers who tangle with a godlike being who wants to eat the Earth. We've seen this story before, but the vibe is different this time. It's a brighter, boldly colored retro-future with flying cars, semi-helpful household robots and lots of talk about the importance ...
Hosts Glenn Weldon and Kristen Meinzer share their top YouTube channel recommendations. They delve into "Tasting History with Max Miller" for historical culinary insights, the food-focused celebrity interviews of "Dish," and urban planning analysis from "City Nerd." Also discussed are the hilarious British game show "Taskmaster," the dynamic board game channel "No Rolls Barred," and the oddly satisfying "Audiology Associates" for ear care videos. This episode offers a diverse range of engaging and often surprising content to explore.
In the original I Know What You Did Last Summer , some very '90s teenagers are targeted by a killer clad in fisherman's garb and armed with a hook. Nearly 30 years later, a new sequel fires up a very similar plot. The movie includes a new group of young people — including Chase Sui Wonders and Madelyn Cline — and a few key survivors from the first go-'round (Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr.) But does it live up to the legacy of the original? Follow Pop Culture Happy Hour on Letterboxd...
Sorry, Baby is a refreshingly disarming movie. The film was written and directed by Eva Victor, who also stars a newly minted professor at the liberal arts college where she received her graduate degree. The school is also where she was once sexually assaulted. The movie takes on a traumatic experience with wry humor and vulnerability — and it announces Victor as a filmmaker and performer to watch. Follow Pop Culture Happy Hour on Letterboxd at letterboxd.com/nprpopculture To access bonus episod...
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Eddington plunges us back into that familiarly distressing time of the early days of the pandemic. Directed by Ari Aster ( Hereditary and Midsommar ) Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal star as political rivals in a small southwest town. Their conflict collides with the news of George Floyd's murder, which brings tensions to a full-on boil for the whole community. Follow Pop Culture Happy Hour on Letterboxd at letterboxd.com/nprpopculture See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and...
The Netflix animated movie KPop Demon Hunters is a phenomenon, with a soundtrack that's climbing the Billboard charts, and a fandom rivaling that of just about any K-pop idol. The film is loads of fun, it's packed with some of the catchiest bangers you'll hear all summer. It's about a superstar girl group called HUNTR/X, who also keeps busy protecting humanity against an army of demons. Follow Pop Culture Happy Hour on Letterboxd at letterboxd.com/nprpopculture To access bonus episodes and spons...
NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour panel dives deep into the 2025 Emmy nominations, covering Outstanding Drama, Comedy, and Limited/Anthology Series, along with their respective lead acting categories. Hosts Glenn Weldon, Linda Holmes, and Aisha Harris share their insights, express their picks, and debate surprising snubs and well-deserved recognition, including strong buzz for "The Pit" and passionate discussions around "The Bear's" comedy classification and "Presumed Innocent's" inclusion.
When your long-term boyfriend leaves you for an Instagram influencer, what can you do? In the new Netflix romantic comedy series Too Much , the answer is to go to London for work, and meet a struggling musician who happens to be very, very handsome with a life almost as messy as yours. Starring Meg Stalter and Will Sharpe, and co-created by Lena Dunham, it features a cast full of comedy MVPs, a meet-cute, and a very unusual dog. To access bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening for Pop Culture...
After much anticipation, there is a pretty great new Superman movie. And he's bringing exactly what we look to him for: hope. Writer and director James Gunn and new Man of Steel, David Corenswet, team up for a new tale of the eternal struggle between evil billionaire megalomaniac Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) and some people in colorful costumes who combine all their powers to stop him. And this time, there's a dog. Follow Pop Culture Happy Hour on Letterboxd at letterboxd.com/nprpopculture See pc...
This summer marks Pop Culture Happy Hour's 15th birthday. We decided to re-watch the movies we loved at 15 with fresh eyes, and of course, some of them have aged better than others. Today on the show, we revisit the movies we loved as teens — including Chicago , Back to the Future , The Breakfast Club , and The Hunger . Follow Pop Culture Happy Hour on Letterboxd at letterboxd.com/nprpopculture See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and ...
Love Island USA is pure chaos, and admittedly: we love it. It's one of many spinoffs of the long-running British hit series, Love Island — and it might be the closest thing we've got to a watercooler event. The latest season of Peacock's knowingly trashy reality dating show has fired up the group chats thanks to this messy batch of conventionally sexy singles. Sometimes, for better or worse, fans even get to stir the pot and decide who stays or goes. To access bonus episodes and sponsor-free lis...
The hosts of Pop Culture Happy Hour recommend three distinct songs ideal for hitting the road. They discuss why Indigo Girls' "Closer to Fine," Blur's "Song 2," and Beyonce's "Love on Top" make perfect road trip anthems, highlighting sing-along potential, energy, and nostalgic value.
On this episode, the Pop Culture Happy Hour panel dives into "Jurassic World Rebirth", the latest installment in the long-running dinosaur franchise. Reviewers share their largely mixed to negative feelings, critiquing the film's messy plot, inconsistent character execution despite strong actors, and how its attempts to update the formula with "mutant dinosaurs" lose the wonder of the original. They discuss themes like societal boredom with dinosaurs and the meta-commentary on capitalism in the film industry. Finally, the panel shares the books, shows, and music currently making them happy.
Pop Culture Happy Hour dives into the conclusion of Netflix's hit series, Squid Game. The panel shares their overall impressions of the final two seasons, discussing both compelling elements and criticisms regarding pacing, external storylines, and repetitive aspects. They specifically analyze the controversial baby plotline, the return of the VIPs, the Cate Blanchett cameo, and debate whether the ultimate ending landed effectively compared to earlier points in the series.
The Bear is back for a new season. The FX on Hulu series sees Carmy and Sydney (Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edebiri) trying to get the restaurant they opened together on its feet before they run out of money. Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) is thrown by his ex-wife's approaching wedding and what it's going to mean for him. Plus there's scallop drama, secret negotiations, and guest stars both new and old. To access bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening for Pop Culture Happy Hour, subscribe to Pop ...
The horror comedy M3GAN spawned memes, made a fortune, and even taught us a lesson about the dangers of outsourcing our humanity to AI. The sequel, M3GAN 2.0, pans out to tell a bigger story about an even deadlier AI killing machine — and brings back the original M3GAN for some hi-tech robot-on-robot violence. Though M3GAN was defeated at the end of the original film, her tech remains — and it's found its way into a rogue AI assassin named Amelia. Follow Pop Culture Happy Hour on Letterboxd at l...
