In Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show, the comedian doubles down on the uncomfortable intimacy of his stand up special Rothaniel , where he came out publicly as gay for the first time. Jerrod Carmichael gets a film crew to follow him around as he bares his soul to the camera as he cheats on his boyfriend and forces his parents into deeply uncomfortable conversations. The HBO series is funny and poignant. But it isn't a spotless, media-managed facade. It's a portrait of a man who absolutely delights ...
May 06, 2024•27 min•Ep 1850•Transcript available on Metacast In the entertaining new film The Fall Guy , Ryan Gosling plays a down-on-his-luck stunt performer who gets a big new opportunity to get his career on track. And maybe get back the woman (Emily Blunt) whose heart he broke. Directed by David Leitch, it's a knowing comedy about action movies, and a character study of a man who likes to think he's invincible. And the movie has amazing stunts. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
May 03, 2024•22 min•Ep 1849•Transcript available on Metacast The new movie The Idea Of You tells the story of a boy band star (Nicholas Galitzine) who falls in love with an older divorced mother (Anne Hathaway). It's based on a hit novel that's at least partially inspired by Harry Styles' life and career. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
May 02, 2024•22 min•Ep 1848•Transcript available on Metacast The new Netflix series Baby Reindeer has a lot of people talking, including us. It tells the haunting semi-autobiographical story of a man (Richard Gadd) who becomes the romantic obsession of a mentally ill woman (Jessica Gunning) who proceeds to stalk him. Eventually, her threatening actions force him to address a past trauma in his own life that leaves him shaken and confused. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
May 01, 2024•23 min•Ep 1847•Transcript available on Metacast Today, we're offering up a guide to spotlight some of the movies, TV, and music we are most excited about this summer. Subscribe to Pop Culture Happy Hour Plus at plus.npr.org/happyhour Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Apr 30, 2024•24 min•Ep 1846•Transcript available on Metacast The new show Dead Boy Detectives is a spinoff of Neil Gaiman's beloved series The Sandman – both the comic and the Netflix series. It's about a pair of detective ghosts (played by George Rexstrew and Jayden Revri) who refuse to move on to the afterlife. Aided by a young psychic (Kassius Nelson), they stick around and solve mysteries that will resolve the unfinished business of other ghosts. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
Apr 29, 2024•19 min•Transcript available on Metacast The terrific new film Challengers is about being intense about tennis, sex, and competition. Directed by Luca Guadagnino, the film stars Zendaya as Tashi, a tennis coach and object of desire to two men. She's married to Art (Mike Faist), who is facing his old friend Patrick (Josh O'Connor) at a Challengers event. This reopens all the trio's old wounds, and they excavate all of their relationships with each other. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy ...
Apr 26, 2024•28 min•Ep 1844•Transcript available on Metacast It's easy to notice when a sex scene is bad. But what makes a sex scene good? Today, we are recommending films with good sex scenes, including Bound , Love & Basketball, Magic Mike's Last Dance, and Oppenheimer. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Apr 25, 2024•21 min•Ep 1843•Transcript available on Metacast In the new Starz series Mary & George, Julianne Moore plays a low-born, scheming woman who recognizes that her handsome son George (Nicolas Galitztine) could seduce the king and become his favorite. Inspired by the true story of King James I, the series is packed with seduction, vicious dialogue, and ruthless political intrigue. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
Apr 24, 2024•16 min•Ep 1842•Transcript available on Metacast Taylor Swift dropped an epic new album that spans two hours — and two high-profile breakups. The Tortured Poets Department delves deeply into two of the singer's recent relationships — one with the English actor Joe Alwyn and the other with Matty Healy, who's the lead singer of The 1975. And while Taylor Swift indulges in a few beefs on this record, the target she returns to most often is herself. Subscribe to Pop Culture Happy Hour Plus at plus.npr.org/happyhour Learn more about sponsor message...
Apr 22, 2024•31 min•Ep 1841•Transcript available on Metacast The new show Fallout is based on a hugely successful video game series known for its sardonic, very dark comedic sensibility, and its violence. It's set in the game's post-apocalyptic world – an America divided into factions wrestling for control of an irradiated wasteland. When the hopeful Lucy (Ella Purnell) steps out of the comfortable life she's known in an underground vault, the world she's confronted with is harsh, brutal, merciless – and kinda funny. Learn more about sponsor message choic...
Apr 19, 2024•24 min•Ep 1840•Transcript available on Metacast Hot Ones is the YouTube show where famous people answer questions while eating increasingly hot chicken wings. Hosted by Sean Evans, the series is a phenomenon. And Conan O'Brien is its most recent high achiever, and possibly the best guest ever. What exactly makes a good Hot Ones guest? Subscribe to Pop Culture Happy Hour Plus at plus.npr.org/happyhour Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
Apr 18, 2024•19 min•Ep 1839•Transcript available on Metacast For millions of kids, the popular 1990s X-Men animated series served as a gateway drug into the world of the X-Men and comics in general. Now, the new Disney+ series X-Men '97 picks up right where the original ended. But changes are also taking place: secrets get revealed, the team roster gets shuffled, and characters meet shocking fates. What hasn't changed is everything fans expect from the X-Men: big fights, big powers, and lots of mutant melodrama. Subscribe to Pop Culture Happy Hour Plus at...
Apr 16, 2024•19 min•Ep 1838•Transcript available on Metacast NPR's Books We Love is a roundup of favorite books of the year, sorted and tagged to help you find exactly what you're looking for. From the meet cutes to the happy endings and through all the ups and downs in between, we're recommending great books for people who love love and romance. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
Apr 15, 2024•9 min•Ep 1837•Transcript available on Metacast The new film Civil War depicts a contemporary America torn apart by a military conflict between the federal government and an alliance of secessionist states. Directed by Alex Garland ( Ex Machina ), the film follows a small band of journalists led by Kirsten Dunst's jaded war photographer. They embark on a harrowing journey to the heart of the conflict, encountering brutality and bloodshed along the way. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
Apr 12, 2024•23 min•Ep 1836•Transcript available on Metacast The new Apple TV+ documentary Girls State asks: how would high school girls do things if they were in charge? The film is a follow-up to 2020's Boys State , and this time, follows an annual high school program that gives hundreds of girls a chance to create a mock government, complete with elections and a Supreme Court. It was made during the 2022 session, which ended days before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, and the case is very much on the minds of the girls in the program. Learn m...
Apr 11, 2024•22 min•Ep 1835•Transcript available on Metacast The sweeping historical epic has roared back with Shōgun . The FX miniseries takes place beginning in 1600, in a fictionalized but historically inspired feudal Japan, where the previous ruler has died with an heir not yet old enough to be in power, and everything has become chaotic. Shōgun has war, power struggles, violence, impossible love, beautiful naked people, and thorny questions about whose story it really is. Subscribe to Pop Culture Happy Hour Plus at plus.npr.org/happyhour Learn more a...
Apr 10, 2024•23 min•Ep 1834•Transcript available on Metacast Stephen King is one of the most successful living writers. He's written more than 50 books that have sold hundreds of millions of copies. And his works have been adapted into a number of classic films, including The Shining , The Shawshank Redemption , and It . This month marks the 50th anniversary of his first novel, Carrie , so we are revisiting our guide to Stephen King. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
Apr 09, 2024•19 min•Ep 1833•Transcript available on Metacast The new action film Monkey Man is Dev Patel's film – he serves as star, director, and co-writer. He plays a young man whose village was destroyed and mother murdered by elite members of society. He sets out to infiltrate their corrupt, rarified existence and seek his bloody, bloody revenge. There's plenty of gunplay, knife-play, ax-play, bone-crunching, tuk-tuk chases, and gouts of blood. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
Apr 05, 2024•25 min•Ep 1832•Transcript available on Metacast Tom Ripley is back — and still can't be trusted. The character — created by novelist Patricia Highsmith — was made indelible by Matt Damon in the film The Talented Mr. Ripley . Now, he's played by Andrew Scott on a Netflix series called simply Ripley . Tom once again worms his way into the life of one Dickie Greenleaf and attempts to sabotage his luxurious life in the Italian countryside. Subscribe to Pop Culture Happy Hour Plus at plus.npr.org/happyhour Learn more about sponsor message choices:...
Apr 04, 2024•20 min•Ep 1831•Transcript available on Metacast Throw on those boots with the spurs, grab your cowboy hat, and saddle up that horse, because Beyoncé's highly anticipated album, Cowboy Carter is here. Cowboy Carter is a country-fied album, full of legendary guests like Dolly Parton and Linda Martell, and duets with stars like Post Malone and Miley Cyrus — all tied together with the unbridled swagger of Queen Bey. But is Beyoncé knocking down the doors of the country establishment, or looking for validation? Subscribe to Pop Culture Happy Hour ...
Apr 02, 2024•34 min•Ep 1830•Transcript available on Metacast Movies had a big year in 1999. Today, we're going back 25 years to talk about some of the most interesting movies released in 1999 — including Drop Dead Gorgeous , Office Space, and The Talented Mr. Ripley . In this encore episode, we'll talk about what holds up, what looks really different, and what we miss the most. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
Apr 01, 2024•17 min•Ep 1829•Transcript available on Metacast Godzilla has been around for 70 years and recently won his first Oscar. The beloved 2023 Japanese production Godzilla Minus One won an Oscar for visual effects. Now, the Hollywood MonsterVerse franchise rolls on with Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire , which pairs the two titans as they face a common enemy. Today, we talk about both movies and how they offer different takes on the decades-old monster story. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
Mar 29, 2024•22 min•Ep 1828•Transcript available on Metacast In the new Netflix sci-fi series 3 Body Proble m, a killing during the Chinese Cultural Revolution sparks a chain of events that puts humanity at risk. When scientists start dying in mysterious ways, five friends just might be the key to saving the world. The series' showrunners include David Benioff and D.B Weiss, the team behind Game of Thrones, who are once again adapting an epic book series. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
Mar 28, 2024•22 min•Ep 1827•Transcript available on Metacast The new docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV examines the working environment of the young stars who fueled Nickelodeon's rise. The series pays close attention to allegations of sexual harassment, manipulation, and other problematic behavior by Dan Schneider, who was in charge of shows like iCarly , Sam & Cat , and All That . And Drake & Josh star Drake Bell talks publicly for the first time about the sexual abuse and assault he says he experienced at the hands of his dialogue coach...
Mar 26, 2024•22 min•Ep 1826•Transcript available on Metacast Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is the latest entry in the blockbuster action-comedy franchise. This time, the crew has set up shop in New York, and, with the help of the surviving original Ghostbusters, tries to stop a demon looking to freeze the world and rule over it. The film is packed with both newer and nostalgic cast members, including Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, Paul Rudd, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, and more. Subscribe to Pop Culture Happy Hour Plus at plus.npr.org/happyhour Learn more abo...
Mar 25, 2024•16 min•Ep 1825•Transcript available on Metacast The 1989 movie Road House starred Patrick Swayze as a no-nonsense bouncer who saves a honky-tonk bar from a local toughs. Now, in the new remake, Jake Gyllenhaal plays a former UFC fighter who accepts a job to clean up a seaside bar in the Florida Keys that's being terrorized by a motorcycle gang. There's still plenty of fighting and plenty of brooding, but how does it hold up to the original cult classic? Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
Mar 22, 2024•25 min•Ep 1824•Transcript available on Metacast In the new movie Immaculate, Sydney Sweeney plays Cecelia, an American woman who joins a convent in Italy. But after she arrives, she encounters strange occurrences and mysteriously winds up pregnant. Almost everyone in the convent touts it as a miracle, but Cecelia isn't so sure. Horror, of course, ensues. Immaculate was directed by Michael Mohan – who previously collaborated with Sweeney on the Hitchcock-esque thriller The Voyeurs . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/...
Mar 21, 2024•16 min•Ep 1823•Transcript available on Metacast If there is a spot in your heart-shaped like a rom-com, we've got some good news for you. You can stream a few playful love stories from your couch, whether you're a fan of Lindsay Lohan's red hair shining in Irish sunlight, Glen Powell's gleaming chest, or Camila Mendes navigating the glamorous art world. Today, we're rounding up three recent romantic comedies : Irish Wish, Anyone But You, and Upgraded. Subscribe to Pop Culture Happy Hour Plus at plus.npr.org/happyhour Learn more about sponsor ...
Mar 19, 2024•24 min•Ep 1822•Transcript available on Metacast In the very funny and gently surreal new film Problemista , Julio Torres plays Alejandro, a young man from El Salvador scraping by in New York City as he pursues his dreams. But those dreams – and his immigration status – become imperiled. He must turn to a frazzled, fire-breathing art critic played by Tilda Swinton for emotional and financial support, which proves very fraught. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
Mar 18, 2024•20 min•Ep 1821•Transcript available on Metacast 
