Most weeks, we confront our guests with a Thought Experiment to compile for an end-of-year special. But this time, we're the ones in the hot seat. We asked our friends -- past podcast guests all -- to challenge us with TV-themed Would You Rather? They came through in a big way with hypothetical choices that really set us to some soul-searching. Listen to hear what decisions we're being forced to make!
TOPICS
Lead Topic: 🤔 Would You Rather
SUPPORT THE SHOW
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NOTES
🗒 Full episode notes can be found on this episode's page on our site
📚 Pre-order Will Leitch's latest novel Lloyd McNeil's Last Ride on Bookshop
🛋️ The original credits sequence for what was then called Friends Like Us
😳 "Seinfeld In Oz" on Dailymotion
📺 The Decoding TV podcast
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1:09:36
558: Gazing Too Long Into Season 7 Of Black Mirror
Black Mirror is back with a seventh season packed with miso jam, thronglings, classic film, Christian counseling services, a whole artists' commune, and more; Brandi Brown joins us to discuss what goes down (sometimes...way down). Around The Dial takes us through Hacks, The Syd + TP Show, and Top Chef. Tara attempts to get yet another game night sitcom episode into The Canon with Will & Grace's "Alley Cats." Then, after naming the week's Winner and Loser, we're trying to get closest to the pin with Return Of The Return Of The Steep Incline Climber. Put that nubbin on your temple and listen!
GUESTS
👤 Brandi Brown
TOPICS
Lead Topic: 🪞 Black Mirror
Around The Dial: 😂 Hacks
Around The Dial: 🏀 The Syd + TP Show
Around The Dial: 🧑🍳 Top Chef
Around The Dial: 🪒 Peaky Blinders
Announcement: 🏦 The EHG Mutual Aid Vault
The Canon: 🎳 Will & Grace S01.E21: Alley Cats
Winner & Loser: 👴🏻 The Bold And The Beautiful
Winner & Loser: 💩 Mickey Rourke
Game Time: 🧗♂️ Return Of The Return Of The Steep Incline Climber
SUPPORT THE SHOW
🔥 Join the EHG Club for bonus episodes, no ads, community Discord and more!
🛍️ Shop our merch store!
NOTES
🗒 Full episode notes can be found on this episode's page on our site
🔗 Brandi Brown on Linktree
🪞 Tara's review of Black Mirror S07 at Cracked
🥚 "Every Black Mirror Easter Egg In Season 7" at Vulture
🌃 Tara's review of Hacks S04 at Cracked
⛹🏽♀️ The Syd + TP Show on YouTube
🎟️ Tickets for Brandi's May 7 show at Turf Club in Saint Paul
🎙️ Tickets to see Brandi among the performers at Rifftrax & Friends at Minneapolis's Parkway Theater
👁️ The Crime Seen podcast
📷 Photo: Nick Wall / Netflix
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1:38:59
557: Does Dying For Sex Come Correct?
The Ankler's awards editor, Katey Rich, thinks Hulu/FX's new dramedy Dying For Sex -- about dying, kink exploration, and friendship love stories -- might be in line for some awards love. Did the panel agree? Listen for our discussion, plus Holofcener vibes, useless men, and rooting for Dawson's alums. We went Around The Dial with The Amazing Race, St. Denis Medical, and Andy Kaufman doc Thank You Very Much, and Katey lured us onto the corporate jet of a third-season 30 Rock episode. Olivia Munn won, legendary TAR teams lost, and we found out which TV set elements are bigger than breadboxes in a special Katey Edition of Game Time. Invite Neighbor Guy over and listen now!
GUESTS
👤 Katey Rich
TOPICS
Announcement: 🏦 EHG Mutual Aid Vault
Lead Topic: ⚰️ Dying For Sex
Around The Dial: 🏃🏻♂️ The Amazing Race
Around The Dial: 🚑 St. Denis Medical
Around The Dial: 🎙️ Thank You Very Much
The Canon: 🏫 30 Rock S03.E05 Reunion
Winner & Loser: 👩🚀 Olivia Munn
Winner & Loser: 🌍 Will Forte and Val Kilmer's agents
Game Time: 🙋🏼♀️ 19 Questions: Katey Edition
SUPPORT THE SHOW
🔥 Join the EHG Club for bonus episodes, no ads, community Discord and more!
🛍️ Shop our merch store!
NOTES
🗒 Full episode notes can be found on this episode's page on our site
🦋 Follow Katey Rich on Bluesky
🏆 The Prestige Junkie podcast
🎧 The Fighting In The War Room podcast
🥀 Tara's Dying For Sex review at Cracked
⛰️ Vanity Fair's Twin Peaks feature
📚 20% off "plus-ones" at Exhibit B. Books
CLUB-ONLY NOTES
🔥 EHG Club Perk Links & How-To
💬 Get On Our Community Discord
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1:04:57
556: Moving In To Mid-Century Modern
Will & Grace co-creators David Kohan and Max Mutchnick are back with a throwback multi-cam sitcom that isn't Gay Golden Girls, but isn't NOT Gay Golden Girls. Would we travel down the road and back again for more? Joe Reid joins us to talk about it. Around The Dial takes us through Last One Laughing UK, Shrinking, Adolescence, The Pitt, and Gone Girls. Joe pitches the Simpsons episode "Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious" for induction into the Nonac. Then, after naming the week's Winner and Loser, it's on to a Game Time that's more hard work than usual. Put down the cottage cheese and listen!
GUESTS
👤 Joe Reid
TOPICS
Lead Topic: 🛋️ Mid-Century Modern
Around The Dial: 💂🏻 Last One Laughing UK
Around The Dial: 🧠 Shrinking
Around The Dial: 👦🏻 Adolescence
Around The Dial: 🏥 The Pitt
Around The Dial: 🫥 Gone Girls
Announcement: 🏦 The EHG Mutual Aid Vault
The Nonac: ☂️ The Simpsons Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious
Winner & Loser: 🔪 Scripted true crime
Winner & Loser: 🏰 Citadel
Game Time: 🥩 Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Maker
SUPPORT THE SHOW
🔥 Join the EHG Club for bonus episodes, no ads, community Discord and more!
🛍️ Shop our merch store!
NOTES
🗒 Full episode notes can be found on this episode's page on our site
🦋 Joe Reid on Bluesky
🪞 Tara's Mid-Century Modern review at Cracked
🪦 "Linda Lavin's Husband Reveals Her Touching Final Words" at ExtraTV.com
⚔️ Tara's Side Quest review at Cracked
🏆 This Had Oscar Buzz
🎬 Demi, Myself & I
🦤 Joe at Vulture
📷 Photo: Disney / Chris Haston
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1:31:42
555: Should You Tour The Residence?
Muppeturgy's Adam Grosswirth returns to talk about Shondaland's latest show for Netflix, The Residence, which takes us behind the scenes at the White House via a murder mystery -- but could the stellar cast make up for a too-long runtime and not-funny-enough writing? Do we have an Only Murders In The West Wing copycat problem? And should you bother watching? We went Around The Dial with The Righteous Gemstones, Smash on Broadway, and B-B-B-B-Bosch: Legacy's swan-song season, and Adam hoped he could train the panel to vote a first-season Murder, She Wrote into the Canon. Project Runway won, Netflix lost, and it came down to the wire in a very (equalizer) challenging Game Time. Grab that Audubon off the windowsill and have a listen!
GUESTS
👤 Adam Grosswirth
TOPICS
Lead Topic: 🏛️ The Residence
Around The Dial: 💎 The Righteous Gemstones
Around The Dial: 🎼 Smash
Around The Dial: 🅱️ Bosch: Legacy
Around The Dial: 👹 Daredevil: Born Again
Around The Dial: 🍄🟫 Scavengers Reign
The Canon: 🐶 Murder, She Wrote S01.E06: It's A Dog's Life
Winner & Loser: 👠 Project Runway
Winner & Loser: 🎙️ Netflix
Game Time: ⚖️ Cap’n Grosswirth’s Oops! All Equalizers
SUPPORT THE SHOW
🔥 Join the EHG Club for bonus episodes, no ads, community Discord and more!
🛍️ Shop our merch store!
NOTES
🗒 Full episode notes can be found on this episode's page on our site
🦋 Adam Grosswirth on Bluesky
🐸 The Muppeturgy podcast
🔪 Tara's review of The Residence at Cracked
🔚 Not watching to the end? Here's Decider's recap of the finale
✝️ Tara's review of The Righteous Gemstones at Cracked
🙂 Sarah's review of Happy Face at Best Evidence
📷 Photo: Jessica Brooks / Netflix
CLUB-ONLY NOTES
🔥 EHG Club Perk Links & How-To
💬 Get On Our Community Discord
Join Tara Ariano, Sarah D. Bunting, David T. Cole and their valued guests each week for discussion of what's new on TV plus our hall of fame roundtable segment called The Canon, listen as we appoint Winners and Losers Of The Week and of course our ultra competitive TV trivia quiz: Game Time.