230: Grabbing Our Mics For Season 2 Of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Here's hoping you rested your ears over Thanksgiving, because they're getting battered by Season 2 of Amazon's The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and Sherman-Palladino superfan Nick Rheinwald-Jones is returning to discuss whether it killed or bombed. Around The Dial clicks through the Comedy Central sketch special Goatface, Magic For Humans, The Comedy Lineup, and a whole slate of food shows, including...
1hr 40m Dec 12, 2018
1hr 40m
229: The Christmas-Creep TV Forcening
It's just the three of us for our EHG "holiday episode" -- a meditation on the theme of Christmas creep. And yeah, they DO start playing carols in the mall on, like, November 2 these days...but that's not exactly the definition "creep" that became central to our discussion as we contemplated a Hill Street Blues that contained literally all the acting, plus plenty of judgment of singletons; an A...
42m Dec 05, 2018
42m
228: Making A Break For It With Escape At Dannemora
Resident upstate...er, resident Kim Reed is back to talk about Ben Stiller-directed drama/thriller/Shawshank aspirant Escape At Dannemora. We discuss everything from accents to wardrobe to pacing to whether trying to recreate '70s thrillers is a worthwhile goal. Should Sarah keep watching past Episode 4? Keep listening and find out. After that, we debate whether Dave would Hate This Jekyll-and-...
2hr 1m Nov 28, 2018
2hr 1m
227: Getting High On Narcos: Mexico
Netflix's Narcos has moved to a new time period and a new location with the spinoff Narcos: Mexico, and Maggie Serota has joined us to talk about what's changed as our attention turns from Colombian cartels to ones closer to a certain famous border. Around The Dial clicks through Showtime's Shut Up And Dribble, A&E's The Clinton Affair, perennial segment star Patriot, and an update on Teen Tita...
1hr 27m Nov 21, 2018
1hr 27m
226: Talking Through Our Memories Of Homecoming
As Amazon brings the scripted podcast Homecoming to TV in an adaptation starring Julia Roberts -- apparently she's done some films? -- we welcome Mark Lisanti to talk about its music, its colour scheme, and how engrossing we found its conspiracy thriller storyline. Around The Dial takes us to two comedies by and for fortysomething women (Baroness Von Sketch Show and Sally4Ever), two other Amazo...
1hr 50m Nov 14, 2018
1hr 50m
225: House Of Cards Season 6 Faces The Nation
Netflix's political potboiler returned last weekend -- without its former linchpin in the Frank Underwood role. WE returned with first-time guest Kathryn VanArendonk to talk about whether this is the one Netflix-original season that actually felt too short; which is more egregious, Doug's beard or Claire's pregnancy pad; and what the franchise might have gained by just coming back in five years...
1hr 38m Nov 07, 2018
1hr 38m
224: Getting Spellbound By Charmed And Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina
With Hallowe'en upon us, we decided to take a look at this season's two witch remakes: The CW's Charmed, and Netflix's Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina. Eve Batey joins us to discuss whether they put a spell on us, or if we wished we could burn them at the stake. Around The Dial stops at The House On Haunted Hill, Iron Fist's second (and final) season, and Counterpart. Find out whether the climax...
1hr 20m Oct 31, 2018
1hr 20m
223: Life After Roseanne On The Conners
The Conners debuted last week, sans its controversial founder -- and Sarah Baker made HER EHG debut to talk about everything from how the show handled "Roseanne"'s death to the healing properties of Goodman and Metcalf to whether we'll keep watching without a possible train-wreck as motivation. We went Around The Dial with The Cool Kids, Get A Room With Carson And Thom, a Camping/Splitting Up T...
1hr 27m Oct 24, 2018
1hr 27m
222: Going Through Changes With Big Mouth
Big Mouth has returned to Netflix for a second season of monstrous puberty (and puberty monsters), and Joe Reid is joining us to talk about the various sweaty humiliations that come with it! Around The Dial takes us to America To Me, Maniac, Chuck, and Dave's forcened sampling of Dreamland. Joe proposes the induction of the Friends episode "The One Where Rosita Dies" into the Nonac. Then after ...
1hr 49m Oct 10, 2018
1hr 49m
221: A Million Little Things: This Is (-n't For) Us
When the most exciting thing about a new show is the moment David T. Cole rechristens it Men Of A Certain Beige, you know you've got problems...but returning guest Jeb Lund soldiered bravely through our grumpy discussion of ABC's attempt to throw This Is Us, Desperate Housewives, and thirtysomething in a blender. We went around the dial with the new Murphy Brown, HBO's Jane Fonda docu, Ken Burn...
1hr 31m Oct 03, 2018
1hr 31m
220: Saying Aloha To A New Magnum, P.I.
After the successes of its Hawaii Five-0 and MacGyver remakes, CBS has turned west -- way west -- to bring Thomas Magnum to a new generation. Did it work? We invited Stephen J. Skelton and Todd Robert Anderson, co-hosts of the Film Pigs podcast and die-hard fans of the original, to dissect 2018's Magnum P.I. (KEEP YOUR COMMA, GRANDPA). Around The Dial takes us through New Amsterdam (no relation...
2hr 4m Sep 26, 2018
2hr 4m
219: Saddle Up A New Season Of BoJack Horseman
BoJack Horseman dropped another season last weekend -- along with practically every other streaming show, but this simultaneously hilarious, dirty, and dark animated dramedy is the one we chose to discuss, along with the correct amount of Todd; background hilarity; and spot-on guest casting. We went Around The Dial with Forever, The First, Deutschland 83 and 86, the newest American Horror Story...
1hr 32m Sep 19, 2018
1hr 32m
218: Getting Into A Pickle With Kidding
Jim Carrey and Michel Gondry have re-teamed, for the first time since Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, on Kidding, the story of a children's TV host dealing with grief; Rolling Stone's Chief TV critic Alan Sepinwall returns to talk about it (and not as if he's talking to a bunch of four-year-olds). Around The Dial brings us to Lifetime's stalker thriller You; Season 2 of American Vandal; ...
1hr 10m Sep 12, 2018
1hr 10m
217: You Don't Know Jack Ryan
Tom Clancy's foxy CIA nerd is back in John Krasinski form for Amazon's new series, and first-time guests and ATX Festival poohbahs Cait and Emily joined us to talk about its problematic politics, whether the TV-scape needs another Homeland, why Krasinski chose THIS project, and Timothy Hutton's new corporate-douche casting lane. We went Around The Dial with Ozark, Anne With An E, The Big Family...
1hr 48m Sep 05, 2018
1hr 48m
216: Will You Be Enchanted By Disenchantment?
Matt Groening and a passel of ex-Futurama writers have brought Netflix a new animated sitcom set in a fantastical world with elves and personal demons and the like, but did we find Disenchantment enchanting? Omar Gallaga returns to join our discussion! Around The Dial clicks on Netflix's new teen romcom feature film To All The Boys I've Loved Before; Jerry Seinfeld's automotive chat show Comedi...
1hr 14m Aug 29, 2018
1hr 14m
215: Regarding Better Call Saul's Fourth Season
Better Call Saul came back for its fourth season a few weeks ago, and Will Leitch came back to discuss what's transpired so far: the deliberate pace, the subplots we don't care as much about (sorry, Nacho), the forecast for Mesa Verde's plans for market domination, and what we think becomes of Kim...and of course the provenance of That Letter. We went Around The Dial with Marching Orders, Sharp...
1hr 39m Aug 22, 2018
1hr 39m
214: Should You Get Initiated Into Lodge 49?
AMC's newest drama is Lodge 49, the story of a dirtbag ex-surfer mysteriously drawn to a Long Beach fraternal order; does it deserve its Better Call Saul lead-in? Surf fiction fan Adam Sternbergh returns to talk about it! Around The Dial takes us through Insecure, Babylon Berlin, and HBO's Ben Bradlee doc Newspaperman. Adam makes the case for us to induct Killing Eve's series premiere into the ...
1hr 57m Aug 15, 2018
1hr 57m
213: Does Making It Work?
What's not to love about a crafting competition show hosted by Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman? Wellll, Linda Holmes and the regulars could think of a few things, but our nitpicks stem almost entirely from liking the show and wanting it to be its best, punniest self. We talk host bits, judging inconsistencies, the comparison of apples to macrame, and there's even Sarah's obligatory semi-annual re...
1hr 52m Aug 01, 2018
1hr 52m
212: Scaling The Walls Of Castle Rock
Hulu's latest original series, Castle Rock, is inspired by the works of Stephen King -- but is the resulting series Stephen Kingdom Hearts? Deadspin editor, Dave And Jeb Aren't Mean co-host, and spouse of a Maine native David Roth makes his début to talk about it! Around The Dial spins to Seven Year Switch, Bosch, Last Chance U, and a vintage ad from Stephen King's past. David makes a pitch for...
1hr 37m Jul 25, 2018
1hr 37m
211: Looking For Signs Of Life On In Search Of
Rebooting a show hosted by original Spock with the new Spock may have seemed...logical, but the summer-weight EHG panel didn't think much of the new In Search Of, which is perhaps a casualty of the internet, and definitely suffers from not committing to its crackpot premises. At least we got to make an American Movie reference about the premiere? Later, we went Around The Dial with Dr. Pimple P...
1hr 21m Jul 18, 2018
1hr 21m
210: Journeying To The Outpost
Even in 2018, the summer TV season isn't all prestigious limited series and Emmy contenders: there's still misbegotten syndication-quality sci-fantasy stuff like The CW's overseas-Syfy import The Outpost! We stretched the bounds of Monty Ashley's patience by inviting him to join us and discuss it. Around The Dial clicks through the second seasons of Nailed It! and GLOW, as well as Penn & Teller...
1hr 23m Jul 11, 2018
1hr 23m
209: Does Detroiters S2 Get A Yes In The Room?
The second season of Detroiters started last week, and new guest Josh Gondelman joins us to talk about why it's so great, and why it should be better known: the crack timing, the considered use of Tim Meadows in his lower "gear," and the things it gets right about longtime friendships. We're going Around The Dial with Pose, Nanette, Barry, Jersey Shore: Family Reunion (again), Luke Cage, and Ha...
1hr 42m Jun 27, 2018
1hr 42m
208: Going Off-Script To Talk About Summer Reality Premieres
While some prestigious shows do find berths on summer schedules, it's also still a dumping ground for C-list reality shows -- and for you, we welcomed back Jeff Drake...and made him join us in suffering through five premieres from the past week. In what ways does Travel Channel's Caribbean Pirate Treasure fail to live up to its title? Whose trust is being broken in Investigation Discovery's Bro...
1hr 20m Jun 20, 2018
1hr 20m
207: Getting Our Claws Into Season 2
Season 2 of Claws is underway on TNT, and Jeb Lund returns to talk about everything from yummy visuals to tonal whiplash to Franka Potente's Rrrrrrussian accent. We're also going Around The Dial with an ATX Festival round-up, David Cassidy: The Last Session, and Sharp Objects; and into The Box with Jeb's Homicide: Life On The Street submission from the first season. Teresa of RHONJ is a winner,...
1hr 14m Jun 13, 2018
1hr 14m
206: Stopping To Smell The Roses On The Bachelorette
It's time already for another Bachelor washout to take her turn as a chooser of men on a new season of The Bachelorette, and Diablo Cody, the Oscar-winning screenwriter who also happens to be a citizen of Bachelor Nation, is joining us to discuss the start of the season. Around The Dial flips through AMC's new dramedy Dietland, Jersey Shore: Family Reunion, The Tale, and Succession, before we m...
1hr 33m Jun 06, 2018
1hr 33m
205: On The Record With The Fourth Estate
Our esteemed colleague and Star Trek fantasy-draft star Mo Ryan returns to the podcast to talk about Liz Garbus's four-part New York Times documentary, The Fourth Estate, and the various frustrations we all had with both the documentary itself; its sometimes navel-gazey and tone-deaf subject; and all the things we wished the series had covered (or skipped)...though the intensity of our feelings...
1hr 48m May 30, 2018
1hr 48m
204: Counting Down 13 Reasons Why
As Netflix gives us another installment of 13 Reasons Why (and we get why they wouldn't call it 13 More Reasons Why, but...come on), our dear friend Joe Reid returns to dig into the sophomore season that has dramatically divided TV critics. Around The Dial rolls through The Middle, Dancing With The Stars, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Champions, The Mick, and Below Deck Mediterranean, with a couple of ca...
1hr 22m May 23, 2018
1hr 22m
203: Patrick Melrose Is Best In Small Doses
We hope Nick Rheinwald-Jones won't hold it against us that we invited him back to discuss Patrick Melrose, the Cinnamon Toastencrunch vanity proje-- er, "Benedict Cumberbatch-starring miniseries based on the St. Aubyn novel series." Because y'all, we haaaaated it, and we've got the extended remix of fart noises to prove it. It won't take a Sherlock to deduce that we moved smartly along to our A...
1hr 2m May 16, 2018
1hr 2m
202: Having A Bunch Of Different Kinds Of Balls With Dancing With The Stars: Athletes
Will Leitch is a renowned sports journalist, so did we have him on to talk about 30 For 30 or something similarly thoughtful and incisive about the world of athletics? No, he's joining us to talk about the very special all-athletes season of Dancing With The Stars! Around The Dial rolls through Good Girls, Gotham, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Dear White People, and Myths And Monsters. Will presents Bett...
1hr 53m May 09, 2018
1hr 53m
201: Now Re-Entering Westworld
As HBO's obsession-inducing dystopia returns for a second season, Eve Batey also returns to discuss reflections on capitalism; college-dorm philosophizing; why wigs are still shite in the future; and whether Ed Harris is using a stunt double. Eve claimed not to be a crackpot for calling for a Simpsons cancellation -- with a surprising hatchet man -- and the Bosch theme may have been deemed Wors...
1hr 21m Apr 25, 2018
1hr 21m
200: Finding Our Way Through Lost In Space
Netflix having successfully adapted House Of Cards (*********) and remade One Day At A Time, it's reached back into the archives of classic TV to bring us an all-new take on Lost In Space -- and new guest Jeb Lund is here to talk about all the Robinsons' extraterrestrial meanderings. Around The Dial stops at that bad episode of The Simpsons, Patriot, and Season 4 of Bosch. Jeb presents the Conn...
1hr 43m Apr 18, 2018
1hr 43m
199: Does The Howards End Justify The Means?
Buzzfeed's Doree Shafrir joins the panel this week for the latest filmed take on E.M. Forster's Howards End, and while we liked some things -- the casting; the memories of Witches Of East End occasioned by Julia Ormond -- not everything about the new iteration worked for us. We went Around The Dial with New Girl, Billions, Paterno, and Killing Eve before sinking our teeth into Big Little Lies S...
1hr 23m Apr 11, 2018
1hr 23m
198: Gathering The Comrades For The Americans
The Americans is wrapping up its spy mission in the U.S., and You're The Worst creator Stephen Falk has crammed his viewing of the previous two seasons to prepare for our discussion of the Season 6 premiere! Around The Dial takes us through Alex, Inc.; an update on Here And Now; HBO's latest doc The Zen Diaries Of Garry Shandling; and the fourth season of the Swedish/Danish crime drama Bron/Bro...
1hr 33m Apr 04, 2018
1hr 33m
197: Should Silicon Valley Get Another Round Of Funding?
Silicon Valley returns for its fifth season on HBO, and a Who Weekly podcast host returns to the panel -- this time, Jezebel's Bobby Finger, and we're all wondering how much battery the show has left. How many times can it repeat the same cycles? How much longer can it really expect to keep Kumail Nanjiani? And seriously, what's with all the barfing? After Sarah celebrated a Real Housewife Tiny...
1hr 49m Mar 28, 2018
1hr 49m
196: Raising Our Voices On Rise
NBC having lined up the showrunner from Friday Night Lights, a producer of Hamilton, and the former Ted Mosby for a weekly drama series about a high school putting on a musical, it was made very clear to us that we had better not think of having any guest on to talk about it other than Adam Grosswirth -- and since we can take a hint, we were happy to have him on to discuss whether the show hits...
1hr 28m Mar 21, 2018
1hr 28m
195: Hitting The High Points Of Jessica Jones Season 2
S2 of Netflix Marvel anti-heroine joint Jessica Jones was a long time coming -- and unfortunately it took a long time to get going. Kotaku's Kirk Hamilton joins the panel to discuss the absence of Kilgrave malice, whether thirteen episodes is five too many, and the evident female gaze of the season's directorial corps. Around The Dial recommended Champions, Altered Carbon, and the second season...
1hr 43m Mar 14, 2018
1hr 43m
194: Filling Our Plates With MasterChef Junior
It's time once again for Gordon Ramsay to take a break from screaming at adults and spend a few weeks gently critiquing kids: that's right, MasterChef Junior is back for Season 6. To talk about the premiere, we welcome first-time guest Lindsey Weber of the Who Weekly podcast to talk about the half-sized hash slingers. Around The Dial takes us to Atlanta, Vanderpump Rules, Drunk History, and Nig...
1hr 13m Mar 07, 2018
1hr 13m
193: UnREAL Season 3 Tries To Make A Connection
After a literal car wreck of a second season, UnREAL is finally pulling back the curtain again on fictional dating show The Suitor -- and grown-ish writer Kara Brown pulled up a guesting chair for the first time to help us unpack the show's issues, starting with its, well, need to address capital-I Issues. Also Jeremy, who is not a fetch we're willing to see happen. Does UnREAL try to do too ma...
1hr 34m Feb 28, 2018
1hr 34m
192: Booting Up Our Powerbooks For The '90s Dramedy Everything Sucks
Netflix has a new period drama, set in the '90s, called Everything Sucks. Where does it fall on the spectrum of Stranger Things to Freaks And Geeks? We've asked true '90s kid Stephanie Green to join us and break it down. Around The Dial takes us to Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, The Bachelor, and Chris Rock's new Netflix special, Tambourine. We ponder whether _The New Adventures Of Old Christine_S03.E06,...
1hr 17m Feb 21, 2018
1hr 17m
191: A Meditation On Here & Now At Exactly 11:11
It's an EHG reunion! Too bad it's for Here & Now, Alan Ball's new HBO show, and while Tara and Sarah couldn't make it past the pilot, Joe had some additional insights on the existential crises (and Jim Carrey-an supernatural twists) of a Portland blended family that even the show itself doesn't seem to like. We went around the dial with the new Queer Eye, American Crime Story: The Assassination...
1hr 43m Feb 14, 2018
1hr 43m
190: Taking Notes On A.P. Bio
As NBC leads us into the Olympics with a sneak peek of its new sitcom A.P. Bio, we call on Monty Ashley (get it) to discuss whether it should have been held back. Around The Dial takes us to 2 Dope Queens, Dragula, Intervention, Altered Carbon, and The Cloverfield Paradox. Monty makes the bold case for Episode #1839 of Sesame Street to be inducted into the Canon, and then after we name the week...
1hr 31m Feb 07, 2018
1hr 31m
189: Taking It One Day At A Time
Season 2 of the updated One Day At A Time dropped last weekend, and we talked with Kim Reed about the fine balance between sitcommy and touching; how the two finales stacked up; and whether we'd keep watching if Rita Moreno leaves the show. We went around the dial with I Love Dick, The End Of The F**cking World, Black Lightning, and Big Mouth, and then Tara tried to deliver a Canon win with the...
1hr 28m Jan 31, 2018
1hr 28m
188: Does High Maintenance's Second Season Deliver A High?
High Maintenance is back on HBO, and John Ramos is also back to talk about the adventures of The Guy in marijuana-delivery-land; whether the show's too New York-y to be relatable, or warm-hearted enough to have broad appeal; and what exactly happened to that one lady's cat. We also went around the dial with new Soderbergh joint Mosaic, new-to-John show Insecure, and the same old comforting Top ...
1hr 22m Jan 24, 2018
1hr 22m
187: Doubling Our Fun With Counterpart
As we count down to the official premiere of Starz's previously sneak-peeked new J.K. Simmons vehicle Counterpart, Eve Batey and Tim Ehhalt join us to discuss all the twists, turns, and...twins? Around The Dial takes us to new series Alone Together and Dr. Pimple Popper; limited series Wormwood; and returning fan favorites The Magicians and The Fosters. We debate the induction of the Justified ...
1hr 29m Jan 17, 2018
1hr 29m
186: Now Boarding L.A. To Vegas
A new year means new sitcoms, and Spotted Dick/seasoned business traveler Adam Grosswirth is joining us to discuss one in particular: Fox's budget-airline-com L.A. To Vegas! We debate whether Dave Will Hate Ridley Scott's new TV project The Terror, before Around The Dial takes us to The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, 9-1-1, The X-Files, and The Leftovers. The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt episode "Kimmy Go...
1hr 12m Jan 10, 2018
1hr 12m
185: Reflecting On A New Season Of Black Mirror
Happy new year! And...unhappy near-future narratives, as Nick returns to discuss the fourth season of Black Mirror. We all ranked the episodes from our least to most favorite, and discussed what worked (Star Trek neckbeard vengeance; "San Junipero" with a twist) and what didn't (chases; barely altered procedurals). After we went Around The Dial with The Profit, Black-ish spin-off Grown-ish, and...
1hr 36m Jan 02, 2018
1hr 36m
184: O Canon-baum, O Canon-baum
What's under the Extra Hot Great tree today in this winter-holiday all-Canon episode? First up is Supernatural's fifth-season "Changing Channels," a TV trope send-up with a couple of Buntnip elements the submitter hopes will guarantee a vote from Sarah, followed by a very courageous anime submission in the form of Gurren Lagann S01.E08. And once we've dispensed with Jeffrey Dean Morgan in-jokes...
59m Dec 27, 2017
59m
183: The Extra Hot Great Besties
Heading into Christmas, we decided to do our most positive episode ever: offering up our "Best"s in categories selected by listeners like you! What's the best show to watch when you're sick? What's the best fake website from a TV show? What's the best thing about living in The Good Place? We answer these questions and many more in our first Besties-sode! TOPICS Lead Topic: 🏆 The Extra Hot Gre...
42m Dec 20, 2017
42m
182: Curtsying To The Crown
We couldn't decide which was the week's most important TV premiere -- the second season of Netflix's QEII drama The Crown, or Syfy's dark Chris Meloni comedy Happy! -- so we decided to cover both! Joining us from Go Fug Yourself are our official purveyors of Epic Old School Recaps of The Crown, Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan! Around The Dial takes us to quick mentions of Married At First Sigh...
1hr 57m Dec 13, 2017
1hr 57m
181: The Quest To Care About Knightfall
Jim Durr joined us for the first time (on this pod, anyway) to talk about Knightfall, the new medieval drama on History, and while all its trebuchets, extreme helmet cams, and campy popes can't quite_make us care whether they ever track down that crusty old Grail. We went Around The Dial with _GBBO, Netflix's weird but compelling Stranger Things: Deutschland offering Dark, and the best (and fam...
1hr 36m Dec 06, 2017
1hr 36m