The first and only podcast bringing you weekly case studies in the pop culture of a dying empire. Every Wednesday, co-hosts Josh, Brian, and A.J. dissect an artifact of popular culture, breaking down how its narrative choices reflect or subvert the reactionary political project. From video games to movies to theater to an apparently infinite supply of evangelical Christian radio drama, we expose the machinations of the worst of all possible worlds in order to figure out how to build a better one.
Also, we have bits.
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LIVESTREAM AND IN PERSON TICKETS TO OUR MAY 24 LIVE SHOW IN BROOKLYN ARE AVAILABLE NOW! To get your tickets, go to Littlefieldnyc.com The lads ring in their fifth anniversary by finally explaining the show’s title as they cover the 1974 revival of Leonard Bernstein’s hit operetta: Candide . Topics include Voltaire’s poster mind, the masterful direction of Hal Prince, and what it takes to remain hopeful in the face of the worst of all possible worlds. Media Referenced in this Episode: Candide . D...
THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall TICKETS TO OUR MAY 24 LIVE SHOW IN BROOKLYN ARE ON GENERAL SALE NOW! To get your tickets, go to Littlefieldnyc.com The lads grab their fedoras and make for Cairo as they cover Steven Spielberg’s 1981 megahit: Raiders of the Lost Ark . Topics include the undeniable charm of Harrison Ford, Indiana Jones’ skeevy origins, and what it means to be an active part of living history. Media Referenced In this Episode: Raiders of the Los...
TICKETS TO OUR MAY 24 LIVE SHOW IN BROOKLYN ARE ON GENERAL SALE NOW! To get your tickets, go to Littlefieldnyc.com Heath Saunders ( Jesus Christ Superstar Live; Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 ) joins the lads on the line as they kick-ball-change their way through Marvin Hamlisch, Edward Kleban, James Kirkwood Jr., and Nicholas Dante’s 1975 musical megahit: A Chorus Line . Topics include the rise of Michael Bennett, the serendipity of surprise playbills, and what it means to produce...
THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall HEADS UP: Tickets to our Brooklyn live show on May 24 are on general sale now! To get your tickets, go to Littlefieldnyc.com In 2011, as he sat in his recliner in the liminal state between asleep and awake with Fox News blaring, an Orlando firefighter named Mark Taylor received a message from God: the man yelling about the devaluation of the dollar on TV right then would be the next president of the United States, serving for ...
HEADS UP: TICKETS ARE NOW AVAILABLE FOR OUR MAY 24 LIVE SHOW IN BROOKLYN, EXCLUSIVELY AT PATREON.COM/WORSTOFALL JP Brammer (¡Hola Papi!) and the lads throw on their raincoats, dance to Huey Lewis and the News , and commit some mild homicide as they cover both Bret Easton Ellis’ original book and Mary Harron’s film adaptation of the trials and tribulations of Patrick Bateman: American Psycho . Topics include Ellis’ rage-bait politics, Christian Bale’s hardbody, and what it means when a significan...
Presale for PATREON MEMBERS ONLY goes live April 15th, 2026 at patreon.com/worstofall General Sale goes live Wednesday April 24th, 2026 $25 for seated, $20 for standing. 6pm doors/7pm show. Littlefield, 635 sackett st, brooklyn 11217 Join us as we get to the bottom of the gay agenda once and for all.
THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall June and Caleb from Kill the Computer meet the lads for another round of stacking blocks in Beast City as they cover the second season of MrBeast’s nightmare of a game show: Beast Games: Strong/Smart . Topics include the improvements to the games themselves, the professionalism of Jeff Probst, and what it means to model yourself as a philanthropic savior while actively taking money from some of the worst people on the planet. ...
Those of you who have been listening to our show for a while might remember last year when we did a cross-over collaboration with our friends at Kill The Computer to celebrate the work of Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson. We called it Beast Week. And now, Beast Week is back. In this episode of Kill The Computer , we talked with June and Caleb about a number of videos MrBeast released in 2025. Then we dug into his theme park Beast Land, a temporary pop-up in Riyadh that was open for 45 days as part of t...
Brooke from the I Hate James Dobson podcast joins the lads in Odyssey for further adventures in local access television, getting boils in the land of Uz, and the increasingly diabolical schemes of the Novacom Corporation. Topics include the questionable accent choices, the dubious ethics of Whit’s latest invention, and what it means to craft a serialized plot where you rail against the evils of teaching kids about pollution. I Hate James Dobson: Join therapists Jake (a former Evangelical) and Br...
THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall Joe Kassabian ( Lions Led by Donkeys ) rejoins the lads in their fight against the Paintress they cover the final two acts of Sandfall Interactive’s hit 2025 grief simulator: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 . Topics include the importance of le family , Monoco’s feet collect-a-thon, and what it means to use art as a balm for one’s grief and, more importantly, when to let that art go. Joe Kassabian: Bluesky Lions Led by Donkeys: Th...
Joe Kassabian ( Lions Led by Donkeys ) and the lads throw on their expedition armbands and make for the Paintress as they cover the first act of Sandfall Interactive’s hit 2025 French simulator: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 . Topics include the AI controversy, Ubu Roi , and what it means to make a game that finds the clair in the obscur. Preorder Joe’s Upcoming Book The Highlands Burn here!!! Joe Kassabian: Bluesky Lions Led by Donkeys: The Lions Led By Donkeys podcast is a military history podca...
THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall The lads cast off their pop idol personas and get caught up in the murderous world of Japanese procedurals as they cover Satoshi Kon’s first animated feature: Perfect Blue . Topics include the Aranofsky drama, the podcaster’s persona, and what it means to exist in a world that necessitates breaking yourself into many different personalities just to survive. Media Referenced in this Episode: Perfect Blue . Dir. Satoshi Kon. 199...
Peter Shamshiri (5-4, If Books Could Kill) and the lads throw on their green cloaks and make for the castle at Inverness as they cover the fourth season of the hit reality game show: The Traitors. Topics include the show’s Dutch origins, Alan Cumming’s fabulous fits, and what it means to move through the world thinking that you're a faithful surrounded by traitors. Peter Shamshiri: Bluesky 5-4 is a podcast about how much the Supreme Court sucks. Hosted by Peter Shamshiri, Michael Liroff, and Rhi...
THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall The lads return to Odyssey for more adventures in fractured fairy tales, the start of the Novacom Saga, and the final and fond farewell to everyone’s favorite devious Dutchman: Dr. Regis Blackgaard. Topics include Phil Lollar’s long-awaited goodbye, the logistics of time portals, and what it means to stare down Odyssey’s next big movement in serialized storytelling. Media Referenced in this Episode: Adventures in Odyssey #418:...
Rax King ( Sloppy , Low Culture Boil ) joins the lads in Patagonia for adventures in catching fish and staving off the dread as they cover the third season of the History Channel’s hit reality TV show: Alone . Topics include the history of the History Channel, the appeal of Dad TV, and what it means to make a show there’s always a puma lurking right off screen. Rax King: Bluesky // Instagram // Website BUY RAX’S BOOK SLOPPY HERE! Low Culture Boil: Hosted by trashy babes Rax King and Amber Rollo....
THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall The lads grab their heart-boxes and make for the creepy woods as they cover Walt Disney’s 1937 landmark animated film: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs . Topics include the origins of Walter Elias Disney, the make-it-up-as-you-go-along production, and the enduring legacy of the film that built the Disney empire. Media Referenced in this Episode: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs . Dir. Walt Disney. 1937. “Before Snow White” by J....
Lucy Valentine ( Boonta Vista, Savant-Garde ) and the lads hop in their Gummi Ship and make for Hollow Bastion as they cover the infamous Square and Disney RPG crossover of 2002: Kingdom Hearts . Topics include Tetsuya Nomura’s incredible character designs, the dated gameplay, and what it means to create a game where Donald Duck is seduced by a gorilla. Lucy Valentine: Bluesky Boonta Vista: The least consequential news from around the world from the least informed minds in Australia. Andrew, The...
THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall Justin Roczniak ( Well There’s Your Problem ) joins the lads in Philly for a good old fashioned rags-to-riches and riches to rags switcheroo as they cover John Landis’ 1983 Eddie Murphy-fest: Trading Places . Topics include the joys of seeing your hometown on screen, the rapid rise of Eddie Murphy, and what it means to have a movie where the climax entails the future price of frozen orange juice. Justin Roczniak: Twitter // Yo...
Tom O’Mahony ( Lions Led by Donkeys, Beneath the Skin, Bloodwork ) joins the lads in Odyssey for further adventures in tower construction, child death dreams, and what happens when an honest to God ANGEL comes to town. Topics include the myth of the Tower of Babel, the brain soup of Phil Lollar, and what it means to believe that incredibly attractive men in very expensive suits are constantly watching your every move. Tom O’Mahony: Bluesky // Instagram BLOOD WORK: A podcast about the economy of ...
THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall The lads return to the New Year just in time for the end of the world as they kick off their annual Rapture Ranuary with a follow up to one of the most influential Christian films of all time: A Thief in the Night: A Distant Thunder . Topics include the origins of premillennial dispensationalism, the trustworthiness of mustaches, and what it means to be shaped by a world view where you live in constant fear of the U.N. beheadi...
Time to reach once more into the ol' Cool Vaultaire. If you still can’t get enough Chess, check out our BRAND NEW BOBUS (with Jake!) about the new Broadway revival on our Patreon here . Jake Beckhard ( Blue Balls NYCFC ) challenges the lads to the match of the century as they try to outmaneuver the bopping songs and confounding political intrigue of the infamous Tim Rice/Benny Andersson/Björn Ulvaeus flop musical: Chess . Topics include the many different versions of the show, the innate appeal ...
Caleb @BirdRespecter ( Kill The Computer , 60 Minute Drill ) joins Brian and Josh to tell the story of Richard “Beebo” Russell, a man who walked off his job as a baggage handler at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport one day in 2018 to steal an airplane. Russell and his ill-fated flight quickly became a cause célèbre among some of the darkest corners of the internet, continuing to this day. This episode tries to figure out how and why that happened. Note: This episode deals with suicide and rac...
It is time once again for our cherished annual tradition: taking calls from listeners and guests, then stitching them together with your favorite moments from the year. (Plus, very special messages from A.J., Brian, and Josh starting at the 1:51:02 mark.) Thanks to everyone who called in, and hold on for 2026. We will find a way.
MERCHANDISE NOW ON SALE THROUGH 12/31 ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE THROUGH 12/31 The lads grab their tiny red scarves and head for Fozziwig’s Rubber Chicken Factory as they cover Brian Henson’s 1992 holiday classic: The Muppet Christmas Carol . Topics include the arch prose of Dickens, the cutting of “When Love is Gone”, and what it means to create a staple of the holiday season that involves Michael Caine throwing a wreath at a tiny puppet. Media Referenced in this Episode: The Muppet Christm...
Hosts and guests from Workers Lit dive deep into Hideo Kojima's "Death Stranding 2: On the Beach," discussing its unique Australian setting, overhauled mechanics, and the emotional journey of Sam Porter Bridges. They dissect Kojima's use of literary references, the game's unexpected parallels to the pandemic, and its profound exploration of isolation, grief, and the true meaning of connection amidst conflicting ideologies and systemic issues.
THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall MERCHANDISE NOW ON SALE THROUGH 12/31 ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE THROUGH 12/31 Scott Benson and Bethany Hockenberry ( Night in the Woods ) join the lads aboard the Demeter and double back to Transylvania as they cover Francis Ford Coppola’s vampiric 1992 fever dream: Bram Stoker’s Dracula . Topics include the gorgeous aesthetics, the terrors of Gary Oldman, and what it means to create a movie that can only be described as ...
THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall On this episode of Fancy Movie Time with Brian and A.J. , the Fancy Lads unplug their phones and have a good cry as they cover James L. Brooks' 1987 ode to the joys of work: Broadcast News . Does the electric chemistry of the three leads make this movie a Fancy Feast? Or does its overlong runtime make it a Failure to Fancy? One thing's for sure: that Gracie Films' tune sure is catchy. Next episode: Ordet (1955) ....
MERCHANDISE NOW ON SALE THROUGH 12/31 ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE THROUGH 12/31 Tom Stoppard, the acclaimed, prolific playwright behind Arcadia , Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead , Rock 'n' Roll and so many other plays, along with the screenplays to Shakespeare in Love , Brazil , and Anna Karenina , has died. He leaves behind a staggering, inspiring, often frustrating body of work that will continue to be seen long after we are gone. We are joined today by Abigail Thorn ( The Acolyte , H...
MERCHANDISE NOW ON SALE THROUGH 12/31 ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE THROUGH 12/31 On their fourth annual remembrance of Pearl Harbor, the lads hop in their B-17’s and throw Los Angeles into chaos as they cover Steven Spielberg’s notorious 1979 WWII flop: 1941 . Topics include the duality of Jon Belushi, the real-life horror of the Zoot Suit Riots, and the difficulties of delivering a punchline when everyone around you is screaming. Media Referenced in this Episode: 1941 . Dir. Steven Spielberg....
