Host Blaine flies solo this week to discuss what in the world is up with Mary Poppins (3:54) before he talks broadly about Shōgun with no spoilers (6:03) and then dissects the sixth episode of Shōgun titled "Ladies of the Willow World" (7:19). This week's episode features an ad from our friends at the podcast Polyphonic Press , a show for music fans of all stripes where each week the hosts review a classic album from a list of over one-thousand releases from all genres of music. The twist? They ...
Apr 02, 2024•18 min•Season 1Ep. 191
This week on Taking It Down , Blaine begins with a quick, non-spoiler thought on Netflix's The Gentlemen (2:59). From there, he discusses without spoiling Manhunt from Apple TV+ (3:16) and 3 Body Problem on Netflix with no spoilers (5:47). After a hello from Adam, the two give some non-spoiler thoughts on Shōgun overall (8:39) before discussing TV's odd schedule (9:44). From there, they discuss Shōgun 's fifth episode "Broken To The Fist," which has spoilers from that point forward (11:24). This...
Mar 26, 2024•37 min•Season 1Ep. 190
The TV and streaming from The Alabama Take family of podcasts returns! This week, Taking It Down begins with a new introduction from host Blaine (0:00), which also includes a few non-spoiler thoughts about the Netflix series The Gentlemen starring Theo James and created by Guy Ritchie (4:20). The co-hosts then join the discussion: can they recommend the new series Shōgun on FX/Hulu (7:55)? After the suggestions for listeners, it's a deep dive into spoilers of the show that account for why Shōgun...
Mar 19, 2024•40 min•Season 1Ep. 189
In this episode, Blaine and Donovan discuss the recent change in the video schedule for Taking It Down On Video (1:22) before they then delve into the setting of Alaska in True Detective: Night Country to answer the question: is it attempting too much (3:06)? To end, the two discuss various topics, including Apple TV+ originals, and other TV shows that could play a role for the podcast going forward (28:30), such as Manhunt , Constellation , Sugar , The Big Door Prize , Dark Matter , and The Lad...
Feb 14, 2024•34 min
To begin, it's a quick question on the Expats on Amazon Prime (1:27), before shifting into Masters of the Air on Apple TV+ to land on how it holds up thus far against its predecessors from HBO (4:02). The hosts ask Donovan why he watches Bluey (20:38) before Donovan and Blaine break down "Part Three" of True Detective: Night Country to uncover just how good it is at its halfway point and to question if it leans to heavily into one particular aspect the first season may have avoided (24:07). At 5...
Feb 06, 2024•43 min•Season 1Ep. 187
Look at TV from a different angle: Taking It Down is the The Alabama Take 's TV and streaming podcast from irrelevant Southern thinkers. Audio podcast is out every Tuesday morning and can be streamed above or with the links at the bottom of the page. The video component of the podcast airs on Tuesday evenings at 5:00 p.m. CST. For this week, it takes a full episode to dig into the mysteries of "Part Two" of the captivating True Detective: North Country . After a brief discussion on some co-hosts...
Jan 30, 2024•32 min•Season 1Ep. 186
This week! Big finishes and strong beginnings. WTF happened at the end of The Curse (1:58)? And some questions as well as praises for the end of Fargo (26:16). Lastly, True Detective: Night Country was as strong as ever for a first episode and we explain why (39:33). Taking It Down is the The Alabama Take 's TV and streaming podcast for listeners who have time for the TV, but not time for much else. From us, you'll get the mundane and absurd, the complex and the simple, the easy and the hard all...
Jan 22, 2024•57 min•Season 1Ep. 185
For the episode this week, the entire crew gathers to determine just what to make of the Amazon Prime film Saltburn (1:46) and Donovan and Blaine break down the direction of the two most recent episodes of Fargo , "Linda" and "Blanket" (22:20). For extra footage, the YouTube channel for The Alabama Take has even more from Taking It Down . This week, the extra YouTube video has the crew returning to their weekly coverage of The Challenge: Battle for a New Champion and some focused griping as well...
Jan 09, 2024•39 min•Season 1Ep. 184
This week, staffer and movie buff Ty Edmondson is back on the podcast to talk about his favorite things of the year that was as well as give a glimpse into what could be worth our time in 2024. Blaine and Ty discuss their favorite movies (1:25), including Past Lives and Beau Is Afraid . They also talk about the Wes Anderson collection on Netflix (10:25) and Ridley Scott's Napoleon (11:38). The conversation then shifts to books and TV shows, with recommendations such as The Creative Act by Rick R...
Jan 02, 2024•52 min•Season 1Ep. 183
The sole focus of the audio this week is the new Netflix film Leave the World Behind . One of the crew loved it, one hated it, and another believes he comes to like it. Summary The conversation revolves around the movie 'Leave the World Behind' on Netflix. The hosts discuss various aspects of the film, including the similarity between actors, the dizzying camera work, cinematography preferences, expectations from the director, and a comparison with the TV show 'Mr. Robot'. They conclude with clo...
Dec 12, 2023•29 min•Season 1Ep. 182
For this week's episode, the crew start with some quick Substack shoutouts that are worthy of your time (1:24) before looking back on Loki without any spoilers now that the second season has ended (3:06). After that, it's a debate on if The Curse from Nathan Fielder and Showtime is funny or any good at all (5:33). The final segment after the break has Donovan and Blaine breaking down the specifics of the third episode of this fifth season of Fargo on FX and Hulu (22:01). If you're a fan of video...
Dec 05, 2023•42 min•Season 1Ep. 181
This week, we get right to the point: is Napoleon a good movie? It sure could've been with some of these fixes (2:03). After the break, we discuss how Fargo returns, checks some boxes, but gets back to form (21:18). If you're a fan of video podcasts, the YouTube channel for The Alabama Take has extra footage different from the audio episode, found below, but we need a name. Chime in! Win prizes! The Alabama Take brings you an entire family of podcasts and writings -- all with no ads! But we stil...
Nov 28, 2023•42 min•Season 1Ep. 180
In this week's audio version of the podcast, the entire crew is here to first dive into the current season of MTV's The Challenge : we'll unpack why it has a different vibe and who annoys us most (1:20). After a break, Donovan talks himself into possibly loving the new David Fincher movie on Netflix The Killer (14:05) before we spoil the movie (23:04). If you're a fan of video podcasts, the YouTube channel for The Alabama Take has extra footage different from the audio episode, found below, with...
Nov 14, 2023•39 min•Season 1Ep. 179
With only Adam and Blaine this week, the guys veer way out of the podcast's usual lane of TV to talk about The Beatles. Prompted by the new single "Now and Then," they talk discuss production, albums, and songs. The episode begins with the podcast's roots (1:20) before explaining why this week isn't a TV episode (2:23). There's a dash of football discussion (4:29) before the two hosts talk about The Beatles: the new single, previous work without John Lennon, favorite albums, favorite songs, and ...
Nov 07, 2023•34 min•Season 1Ep. 178
This week for the audio episode of the podcast, Donovan and Blaine discuss some new options with the audio and video versions of Taking It Down (1:45) before moving into the sad news of Matthew Perry's death (3:20). Then it's a wrap on the final four episodes of the Netflix series The Fall Of The House Of Usher (7:54). Was it worth it? Does it answer all of its questions? If you're a fan of video podcasts, the YouTube channel for The Alabama Take has extra footage from the audio episode, found b...
Oct 31, 2023•37 min•Season 1Ep. 177
This week for the audio episode of the podcast, the four hosts have brief announcements on where they'll be this week if you want to come and see them (2:13) before getting into some thoughts on social media sites (5:37). From there, it's the problems of the still enjoyable Loki series on Disney+ (7:19). After a short break, there's a break down of episodes three and four of The Fall Of The House Of Usher , and one host ain't buying it (23:02). To wrap, there's a short talk on Tuscaloosa music, ...
Oct 24, 2023•52 min•Season 1Ep. 176
All four co-hosts this week are pretty interested in the new trailer of True Detective: Night Country , which is set in Alaska and stars Jodie Foster, and each of the hosts determines what's the impact the show could have (2:08). After that, the group pick up where they left off last week and analyze the final three short films from Wes Anderson on Netflix: The Rat Catcher , Poison , and The Swan (7:04). The final segment covers the first two episodes of the Netflix horror show The Fall of the H...
Oct 17, 2023•50 min•Season 1Ep. 175
This week the gang have a time dissecting the first episode of the new season of Loki (1:20). They also discuss the impact of Wes Anderson and his new short film on Netflix The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (20:30). To wrap the show, the gang narrows down what's in store for the next episode since there are a lot of choices as well as ask for a favor (43:48). If you prefer video podcasts, the YouTube channel for The Alabama Take has an extended version the episode with discussions this week abo...
Oct 10, 2023•46 min•Season 1Ep. 174
On Taking It Down , the episode begins with a thanks to the city and residents of Florence, specifically some who may listen to the episode (1:20) before moving into a boiling feud with fellow Alabama Take podcast We Are A Star War (4:26). Then we determine perhaps what's missing from Welcome To Wrexham : a unique voice (5:30). After a break, we get oiled up to talk about the most recent episode and elimination on The Challenge: USA (25:15). If you're a fan of video podcasts, the YouTube channel...
Oct 03, 2023•36 min•Season 1Ep. 173
For this week, the crew from Taking It Down explain how Ahsoka is bad TV and could signal bad moves for franchise moves (1:24). After the break, they discuss how though The Changeling from Apple TV+ has gotten rocky, it still is solid television. For those who prefer the video podcast, head to YouTube and find The Alabama Take. There in this week's episode, we begin with talks about HBO's cancellation of Winning Time , the big loss on The Challenge: USA , the upcoming season of Fargo with Jon Ha...
Sep 26, 2023•25 min
This week's episode begins with a list of specific thank yous to the donors of the donation drive for the home site, The Alabama Take (1:58). If you helped out and pitched in, then you'll hear your name! From there, it's a few jokes at the expense of two specific politicians who made news this week (4:36). Then we get into Victor LaValle, the author of The Changeling and this year's Lone Women on what makes his work good (6:39) before we dive fully into the Apple TV+ adaptation of his work, The ...
Sep 19, 2023•47 min
This week's episode begins with the hypothesis that Apple TV+ has taken the crown from HBO for quality TV shows (2:37). Then, the group give spoiler-free thoughts on why The Changeling from the same streamer feels so special (9:28). After a short break about The Alabama Take , it's a breakdown of what happened -- and where it could lead -- on the most recent episode of The Challenge: USA (14:03). If you're a fan of video podcasts, the YouTube channel for The Alabama Take has an extended version ...
Sep 12, 2023•33 min•Season 1Ep. 170
The entire crew gather to first talk about the intersection of college football and intellectualism and how it's not a dichotomy (2:38) before shifting into The Challenge: USA and asking if production has too much of a hand in certain things (7:07). After the break, Blaine and Donovan discuss at length how zany and sober the latest HBO documentary Telemarketers is, which people should view just for the enlightenment (17:01). If you're a fan of video podcasts, the YouTube channel for The Alabama ...
Sep 05, 2023•43 min
After nearly the entire month of August on a break, the entire crew of Taking It Down is back to reflect on the passing of Bob Barker first, as well as offer thoughts on celebrity deaths of late (2:16). After that, the major segments begin with a breakdown of how the HBO series How To With John Wilson has dipped in quality. After a break, the crew discuss how The Challenge: USA on CBS became as good as its predecessor on MTV and why everyone should be watching it (15:17). If you're a fan of vide...
Aug 29, 2023•33 min
For this week's episode, the crew at Taking It Down go spoiler free for all of the discussions. The talks begin with an explanation of the upcoming August break for the podcast and a call to action from listeners (1:37). From there, it's a dive into the online backlash on Secret Invasion , particularly its recent finale (3:37). After that, Donovan makes a recommendation of the Max star-studded series Full Circle from writer and director Steven Soderbergh (12:15). The Max show reminds them that H...
Aug 01, 2023•48 min•Season 1Ep. 167
Guest host Ty Edmondson is back on Taking It Down this week to help explain how Knock At The Cabin , now streaming on Peacock, is two-thirds good. They begin with a brief talk about the one that got away: Succession on HBO (1:38) before talking some generalities of Knock At The Cabin (4:24). After the break, they discuss the movie and book in depth with spoilers (15:02). For the YouTube version of this week's show, found below, the bonuses include a talk with Ty on what makes a movie great as we...
Jul 25, 2023•30 min
In this week's episode, we dissect how It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia keeps being funny and why it's a television classic (1:35). After the break, it's a deep dive into the mysteries of the Apple TV+ sci-fi drama Silo , which is worth a look (18:28). For a transcript of this week's episode, see the website. For the YouTube version of this week's show, found in The Alabama Take 's YouTube channel, the bonus material includes a trip to IKEA to begin, how it's the 165th episode of this podcast, ...
Jul 18, 2023•38 min
Apple TV+ has some quality shows, and we have recommendations almost solely from that streaming app, including Hijack (1:37), City On Fire (3:04), and Silo (5:04) all with spoiler-free discussions. Then it's a brief note on the current season of The Righteous Gemstones and why it's not quite as good, yet, as previous seasons (8:11). After the break, it's a short discussion on the details that Secret Invasion is adding to its show that make it a little better than other Disney+ and MCU shows have...
Jul 11, 2023•21 min•Season 1Ep. 164
For this week's Taking It Down , it's a brief thought on the 4th of July (1:36) before talking about Juvenile's Tiny Desk Concert on NPR (2:23). Then the rest of the episode is dedicated to the back half of the current season of The Bear , particularly what the characters' actions tell us about the series (4:15). The Alabama Take brings you an entire family of podcasts and writings -- all with no ads! But we still have some bills to pay. If there's nothing in the shop to interest you, feel free ...
Jul 04, 2023•40 min•Season 1Ep. 163
In Episode 162 of Taking It Down , the crew begin with the secret recipe of the second season of The Bear as they discus the first three episodes of the new season on Hulu (1:37). After the break, it's a talk on how there are potentials within the first episode of the Disney+ series Secret Invasion (18:21). Find the other podcasts in The Alabama Take network in any podcast app.
Jun 27, 2023•50 min•Season 1Ep. 162
