This week's episode begins with some basics on Thanksgiving (0:03) before Blaine and Donovan welcome new listeners who may be from the Bluesky app (2:44). After that, they begin the non-spoiler section for judgements on the TV shows 'Say Nothing' on FX/Hulu which presents a grounded story on the Troubles in Ireland (3:23). Then they explain why 'What We Do In The Shadows' on FX/Hulu still works after six seasons (13:59) and the aspects of HBO's 'Somebody, Somewhere' that works so well (19:42). B...
Nov 26, 2024•59 min•Season 1Ep. 221
Easily the best episode to date! This week on Taking It Down, Blaine, Adam, and Donovan start with the debacle of 'Paul vs. Tyson' on Netflix, which somehow results in what social media is of late (0:04). For the non-spoiler section that begins each episode, they shift into the premiere of the second season of the Apple TV+ serires 'Silo' and determine if it fits the mold of "Dad TV" (4:39). What is "Dad TV," anyway? Keeping things spoiler-free, they also give an overview of the HBO show 'The Pe...
Nov 19, 2024•59 min•Season 1Ep. 220
The weekly TV podcast begins with Adam, Donovan, and Blaine revealing the listener survey results, which had surprises on what people like and how they watch TV (1:30). In the non-spoiler section of the podcast, they all determine that shows like 'Somebody, Somewhere' are great and have a pertinence in today's landscape (4:39). Blaine recounts generalized ideas about 'Janet Planet,' now streaming on Max (10:05). And Adam and Blaine give everyone a thumbs up on the Amazon Prime film 'My Old Ass' ...
Nov 12, 2024•43 min•Season 1Ep. 219
This week, Blaine begins with an introduction for anyone listening on Election Day in the United States (0:01) before moving into non-spoiler thoughts on the Disney+ series 'Agatha All Along' (1:17). Its season finale coincided with Halloween, but did it have anything else going for besides fan service? Then host of 'Takin' On Sports,' TD Wood, joins the show where they discuss the evolving dynamics of college football broadcasting (5:22). TD shares his perspectives on how this shift enhances so...
Nov 05, 2024•37 min•Season 1Ep. 218
This week, Blaine announces a survey with a chance to win for listeners (1:35). From there, it's a lot of TV to choose from. What do you pick (1:46)? Then he recounts the journey of a particular Southern landscape of Jasper via 'TrueSouth' and its most recent episode on the SEC Network and Hulu without spoiling the latest from the show (3:32). Also in the non-spoiler section, he offers recommendations on the new documentary on Bruce Springsteen's touring life, 'Road Diary' on both Hulu and Disne...
Oct 29, 2024•25 min•Season 1Ep. 217
On the weekly episode of the TV podcast, there are so many choices (0:38)! To begin the non-spoiler section, Adam returns as he and hosts Blaine and Donovan try to unpack the quirky world of movie 'Hundreds of Beavers,' which truly exemplifies unconventional storytelling (0:59). The trio also explores the audience for 'Disclaimer,' a new series on Apple TV+, without any spoilers (7:57). The three dissect some of its themes and complexities while pondering who would appreciate it. Continuing in t...
Oct 22, 2024•57 min•Season 1Ep. 216
This week on the TV and streaming podcast, Blaine offers a quick introduction (0:01) and finds out that Threads offers plenty of ideas on what not to do (2:19)! Then Blaine and Donovan dive into the intriguing worlds of 'Bad Monkey' as the beginning of the nonspoiler section of the podcast (3:20). Blaine pits 'The Penguin' against 'Agatha All Along' and finds a clear winner in 'The Penguin' without ruining either (8:30). Then the two get into spoiler discusses as they share their thoughts on how...
Oct 15, 2024•46 min•Season 1Ep. 215
This week's episode begins with how to help out the podcast if you wanted (0:58) before moving into some brief thoughts on the new trailer for season two of 'The Last of Us' from HBO (2:51). In the nonspoiler section, Blaine and Donovan discuss the visually captivating film 'I Saw the TV Glow' and the latest episode of 'The Penguin' (4:35). As they shift to a deeper analysis and spoilers, listeners are treated to a rich exploration of 'I Saw the TV Glow,' where emotional weight and how it haunts...
Oct 08, 2024•53 min•Season 1Ep. 214
The latest episode of Taking It Down has the hosts hitting on four noteworthy TV shows this week all of which are all currently streaming. First, they begin with nonspoiler related thoughts on "Bad Monkey," "The Penguin," 'The Challenge: Battle of the Eras," and "Agatha All Along" (2:00). After the overview and recommendations, they discuss the seventh and eighth episodes of "Bad Monkey" on Apple TV+, noting Vince Vaughn's standout performance and the show's balance of humor and intrigue, despit...
Oct 01, 2024•1 hr 35 min•Season 1Ep. 213
In this episode, 'Taking It Down' kicks off by asking the audience for their input on podcast chatter (0:48) before diving into a spoiler-free comparison of Disney+ 'Agatha All Along' and Max's 'The Penguin' (2:22). Next, Donovan joins the show and the two hosts share recommendations for 'Bad Monkey' on Apple TV+ with no spoilers to begin (12:33) before covering Episodes Three through Six in detail and with spoilers (15:24). In it, the two analyze these episodes' plot developments, character arc...
Sep 24, 2024•41 min•Season 1Ep. 212
It's the weekly episode with Blaine beginning things on how he came to DIRECTV and it almost got bad (1:36). Blaine then recounts not just how he came to enjoy the FX/Hulu show 'English Teacher' but what about it was the turning point -- all without spoilers (3:03). Then Blaine and Donovan decide that 'The Old Man' from FX/Hulu will deserve their attention again (7:38). What does it mean to binge a show and did you know what the research says (8:35)? They determine their preference before moving...
Sep 17, 2024•54 min•Season 1Ep. 211
How to avoid some social media problems? The introduction this week of Taking It Down makes its case (0:01). Blaine begins with a thanks to many listeners and friends which leads to thoughts on evolution (1:11). Blaine gets Donovan into the show by talking general TV, including 'Bad Monkey,' 'Ripley,' and those two shows' relationships to what happened on TV this weekend with college football (2:19). Donovan offers up his recommendation without spoilers on the Netflix series 'Ripley' (9:48). Fro...
Sep 03, 2024•45 min•Season 1Ep. 210
Blaine laments his illness of Covid (2:09) which makes him have time for a little college football TV antics before he dissects what's possibly worth everyone's time this coming Fall on TV. Find some shows, watch along, and we may cover those after covering 'Ripley' on Netflix (5:08) and 'Bad Monkey' from Apple TV+ (6:35). Towards the middle Blaine is joined by Corey Hannah (12:42), host of both 'Alabama Slam' and 'We Are A Star War' to talk about one of the podcast that has to go to everyone's ...
Aug 27, 2024•28 min•Season 1Ep. 209
The podcast comes out of its yearly August break with TV you should miss and TV you can't miss! Adam's short movie marathon during the break included the perplexing ' Kneecap ' and the ADHD-fueled ' Deadpool and Wolverine ,' but it all leaves Blaine bewildered and Adam twitchy (5:56). No spoilers! The hosts dive into 'Lady in the Lake' from Apple TV+, 'Ripley' on Netflix, and 'The Challenge: Battle of the Eras' on MTV—find out which shows made the cut and why (16:04). Spoilers ahead! The hosts u...
Aug 20, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Season 1Ep. 208
This this short episode from Taking It Down, Adam discusses what books are perfect if a musician is on tour (2:42) and the whole crew discusses the hits and misses of the third season of 'The Bear' (4:53). In the last bit, Blaine welcomes back his special guest for a quick review of 'IF,' a movie now streaming on Paramount+ (11:08). Taking It Down will take a two-week break and will return on August 20th. Subscribe or follow so that you don't miss any episodes of the podcast. Find a lot more, in...
Aug 01, 2024•11 min•Season 1Ep. 207
This week begins with no spoilers but some thoughts on how 'Presumed Innocent' came to its ending (1:27). Once Adam and Donovan join the conversation, talk turns to that big Olympics opening and question why Blaine hates the competitions (4:29) before catching their breaths over the huge Comic Con news from Marvel (13:09). Or was it as big as the MCU thinks? Is Marvel playing scared? The guys discuss all the trailers from the previous weeks, including thoughts and ideas on 'A Complete Unknown,' ...
Jul 30, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 206
This week, Blaine begins with why you should be watching 'Presumed Innocent' as it winds down for the finale this week (1:52) before he gets into spoilers for the show penultimate episode (3:04). From there, it's episodes five and six of this season of 'House of the Dragon' with spoilers (7:27) before he brings in a special co-host for a brief trip into Disney+ (19:08). To end, it's a wrap on the season of 'The Bear': episodes nine and ten plus overall thoughts (21:21). To find more, visit The A...
Jul 23, 2024•28 min•Season 1Ep. 205
It all boils down to family and dysfunction this week on Taking It Down. Blaine begins with his weekly thoughts on 'Presumed Innocent' which will have spoilers (1:18). Adam and Donovan join to talk about the dragon warfare and political drama of the fourth episode of 'House of the Dragon,' titled "The Red Dragon and the Gold" (5:15). In the second segment, they discuss episodes five through eight of the new, third season of 'The Bear' which is streaming on Hulu (32:25).
Jul 16, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 204
This week, Blaine recommends 'Presumed Innocent' on Apple TV+ with no spoilers (1:57) before getting into the specifics of what makes it worth watching (4:37). Once Adam and Donovan join, they reveal some random TV they normally don't discuss on the podcast (11:43) before the entire crew dig into the third episode of 'House of the Dragon,' titled "The Burning Mill" (14:58). After a break, Donovan and Blaine unpack the first four episodes of 'The Bear,' including all the fear on the screen that s...
Jul 09, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Season 1Ep. 203
It's a stellar episode this week as Blaine welcomes any new listeners, of which there are several these days (0:01). Plus, there's the newsletter, and Blaine explains why it exists (0:51) as well as what's new in the store (1:54). Apple TV+ cancels 'The Big Door Prize' and he explains why that's both sad and worrisome (2:13). Blaine previews next week (3:28) before getting into the week of TV with co-hosts Adam and Donovan, and that includes a bad Biden performance (4:21). Adam and Blaine discus...
Jul 02, 2024•54 min•Season 1Ep. 202
It's a bonus episode this week! For episode 201, Blaine Duncan begins with a few odd stats with the podcast (1:43) before giving very brief and non-spoiler thoughts the Netflix show 'Eric' (2:19) and the Apple TV+ series 'Presumed Innocent,' which could be the show of the summer (3:17). And since he's had time to wrap up '3 Body Problem' on Netflix, he offers his final thoughts without spoilers on how the show worked for him overall (6:36). The conversation then transitions to a discussion about...
Jun 28, 2024•55 min•Season 1Ep. 201
It is Episode 200! Blaine offers some background of The Alabama Take and the podcast (2:56) and a preview (5:56). When Donovan and Adam join, the hosts reflect on their journey with Taking It Down (7:18). Then it's one of their favorite segments in quite some time: listener questions (9:31)! With listeners' help, they discuss other media (10:12), TV shows they enjoy despite being unpopular (16:18), their favorite moments from the podcast (22:45), the best part about having a podcast (27:40), Eth...
Jun 25, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Season 1Ep. 200
This week, Taking it Down begins with some thoughts on the next episode, which will be the 200th of the podcast (1:26)! How can you get in on the action? After that, Blaine gives final thoughts on 'Sugar' from Apple TV+ with no spoilers now that it has ended its run (2:08) as well as a check-in with no spoilers on 'Under the Bridge,' which is nearing its final installment (3:51). After everyone joins the show, the question is, how do we feel now that Bob Dylan is 83 (6:02)? It's TV talk from the...
May 28, 2024•48 min•Season 1Ep. 199
This week, Blaine checks in on 'Manhunt' from Apple TV+ (1:23) before pondering why people are missing 'The Big Door Prize' (3:15). When the entire crew joins, they toss ideas for the upcoming 200th episode (7:16) before discussing the depth of the ideas in 'Dark Matter' as well as non-spoiler thoughts on the show itself from Apple TV+ (9:38). After that, they decide how they feel about the announcement of two more seasons of 'Shōgun' (20:30). After the break, Blaine and Donovan discuss episodes...
May 21, 2024•53 min•Season 1Ep. 198
Blaine flies solo this week, but not without a lot to say. This week's episode begins with some of the latest from The Alabama Take (0:16) before he gives brief and non-spoiler thoughts on the fourth episode of 'The Sympathizer' (1:15). He ponders the news on 'Shōgun' (1:44), recommends 'Dark Matter' on Apple TV+ (2:53), and explains what '3 Body Problem' needs to do if he's to continue its path (3:56). The big topic, though, is spoilers: they should be handled with care and respect for the crea...
May 14, 2024•15 min•Season 1Ep. 197
This week, Blaine begins with various TV shows without spoilers, including final thoughts on 'The Gentleman' on Netflix. From there, it's a brief opinion on the most recent episode of 'Under the Bridge' on Hulu; he gets to the big event of the Apple TV+ show 'Sugar'; then he comes down more friendly on 'Manhunt' from Apple TV+. Adam and Donovan join and they all discuss the direction and lack of criteria for 'The Challenge: All-Stars' The guys offer ideas and opinions on the current fourth seaso...
May 07, 2024•49 min•Season 1Ep. 196
This week, Blaine begins with a few non-spoiler thoughts on the Netflix sensation 'Baby Reindeer' (0:42) before he laments all the shows that seem worth watching, from 'The Sympathizer,' 'Under the Bridge,' 'The Big Door Prize,' all the way down to 'Manhunt' (2:26). What should be next? From there, the entire crew join in to talk without spoilers on 'Shōgun' (4:42) before breaking down the incredible finale in depth with spoilers (7:21). To end the episode, Donovan and Blaine discuss the first f...
Apr 30, 2024•49 min•Season 1Ep. 195
This week, Blaine starts with an entire bundle of television. First, he lets listeners know how to leave the podcast a voice message (1:30) as well as how to sign up for The Alabama Take 's newsletter (2:16). Then it's the new series from Netflix 'Baby Reindeer,' which is gaining some traction; this segment does not contain spoilers for the show (2:46). After that, Blaine returns to the Apple TV+ show 'Sugar' to discuss a few things from the fourth episode, all without spoilers (5:28). Hulu's ne...
Apr 23, 2024•51 min•Season 1Ep. 194
This week, Blaine begins with The Alabama Take and its newest endeavor: a newsletter, plus some more news (1:40)! Blaine then talks about headlines in pop culture that contain spoilers for TV shows and movies -- and he calls out names (3:30). Donovan joins the podcast, and they briefly discuss what they may think of the new Apple TV+ series ' Franklin' since they have yet to see it (8:30). They discuss a few spoiler-free things related to Shōgun (12:16) before getting into the specifics and spoi...
Apr 16, 2024•37 min•Season 1Ep. 193
In this week's TV and streaming coverage on Taking It Down, the hosts discuss the TV series Shōgun and the two-episode premier of the Apple TV+ show Sugar . To begin, Blaine has brief thoughts without any spoilers for 3 Body Problem from Netflix (2:07) and Manhunt (3:09) before he brings in Adam and Donovan to give them advice on transcripts with podcasts (4:07). From there, the hosts talk about both Shōgun (5:02) and Sugar (6:51) with no spoilers as they determine if they would recommend each. ...
Apr 09, 2024•38 min•Season 1Ep. 192
