531: Should You Buy Into The Franchise?

Superstore creator Justin Spitzer has teamed up with Eric Ledgin for a new sitcom set at an Oregon hospital. Is it goofier than the subject matter demands? Stephanie Early Green returns to talk about it. Around The Dial takes us through Married At First Sight, Anatomy Of Lies, Sister Wives, Cruel Doubt, and The Penguin. Stephanie pitches the 10th episode of Australia's Instant Hotel's first season for induction into The Canon. Then, after naming the week's Winner and Loser, we close up with a Game Time about TV shows that burned brightly, but too briefly (and...not always brightly). Put your feet up -- in or out of traction; that's up to you -- and join us! GUESTS 👤 Stephanie Green TOPICS Lead Topic: 🏥 St. Denis Medical Around The Dial: 👰‍♀️ Married At First Sight Around The Dial: 🩻 Anatomy Of Lies Around The Dial: 💍 Sister Wives Around The Dial: 🤔 Cruel Doubt Around The Dial: 🐧 The Penguin The Canon: 🏨 Instant Hotel S01.E10 Winner & Loser: 😱 Macaulay Culkin Winner & Loser: 🐮 Taylor Sheridan Game Time: 📉 One Season And No Movie 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 🩺 Tara's comedies about doctors and hospitals, at Cracked 🍽️ Stephanie's essay "My Great Hunger" at The Cincinnati Review 🤔 Cruel Doubt on YouTube 📚 The major-case sale at Exhibit B. Books 🎁 Extra Hot Great gift subscriptions at Patreon 📷 Photo: Ron Batzdorff / NBC

We thought a far-out distraction from current events was the way to go this week -- so we went to a fictional White House with accidental president Mike Brady, via 2002 TV movie The Brady Bunch In The White House. Should you take the tour -- or is this second-generation photocopy of an already-mediocre nostalgia brand not a candidate for your attention? We went Around The Dial with the new season of Abbott Elementary, the Criterion Closet series, and Mad Men before Ari wove together a Canon case for a sixth-season Star Trek: The Next Generation, "Tapestry." Prestige casting won, Amazon lost, and we voted early often for film-adaptation shows in Game Time. It's your patriotic duty to listen now! GUESTS 👤 Tim Grierson TOPICS Lead Topic: 🏛️ The Brady Bunch In The White House Around The Dial: 🏫 Abbott Elementary Around The Dial: 📀 The Criterion Closet Around The Dial: 🥃 Mad Men I Am Not A Crackpot: 🤖 AI On Taskmaster The Canon: 🔪 Star Trek: The Next Generation S06.E15: Tapestry Winner & Loser: 🍯 Arlios Winners Winner & Loser: 🦾 Prime Video Game Time: 📺 Honey, I Shrunk The Screen 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 📀 The Criterion Channel on YouTube 🙅‍♂️ Tim Grierson on X 🎬 Tim's profile of director Sean Baker for the LA Times 🌴 The Again With This Patreon 🔥 Get Extra Extra Hot Great in the EHG Club 📷 Photo: Paramount Television

Prime Video's new unscripted show invites product creators to pitch supposed experts from the business world for the chance to get their wares featured in the Buy It Now store; reality TV expert Andy Dehnart returns to discuss what is essentially "Shark Tank, But Crappier." Around The Dial takes us through Somebody Somewhere's final season, The Summit, Four In A Bed, and Raiders Of The Lost Art. Andy pitches the Dating Around episode "Guru" for induction into The Canon. Then, after naming the week's Winner and Loser, it's on to a Game Time with a lot of love to give. Put down that goop that lets you wash your face without water, and join us! GUESTS 👤 Andy Dehnart TOPICS Announcement: 🎙️ Club Campaign New Perks Lead Topic: 💸 Buy It Now Around The Dial: 📍 Somebody Somewhere Around The Dial: ⛰️ The Summit Around The Dial: 🛏️ Four In A Bed Around The Dial: 🖼️ Raiders Of The Lost Art The Canon: 🥂 Dating Around S01.E02: Gurki Winner & Loser: 🏢 Only Murders In The Building Winner & Loser: 🍔 Adam Richman Game Time: 😘 The Dating Game 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 🦋 Andy Dehnart on Bluesky 🏷️ Tara's post on Buy It Now at Cracked 📍 Tara's Somebody Somewhere review at Cracked 🌫️ Reality Blurred ⛰️ Andy's review of The Summit at Reality Blurred 🛏️ Andy's Four In A Bed review at Reality Blurred 😴 Four In A Bed on Tubi 🎨 "Want To Learn Art History? Here Are 9 Absolutely Classic TV Series That Will Give You A Solid Education -- And Keep You On The Edge Of Your Seat" at Artnet 🗂️ Best Evidence at Reality Blurred 🥂 Andy's review of Dating Around at Reality Blurred

Author, filmmaker, and Listen To Sassy co-host Pam Ribon is back to help us figure out what Hysteria! is trying to do: satirize the satanic panic and witch hunts of a bygone era? invoke Stranger Things and the Church Lady? We're not even sure what genre we should call it, never mind whether you should watch it, but maybe our discussion will help you decide. We went Around The Dial with What We Do In The Shadows, The Change, and Woman Of The Hour before trying to sneak an undercover 21 Jump Street episode into the Ca-- er, the Pamon. Slow Horses won, car chases lost, and we got bogged down in minutiae with rightwood's IMDb-forward Game Time. Take a break from that pentagram copy-edit and check it out! GUESTS 👤 Pamela Ribon TOPICS Lead Topic: 🤘 Hysteria Around The Dial: 🧛🏻‍♂️ What We Do In The Shadows Around The Dial: 👛 The Change Around The Dial: 🕕 Woman Of The Hour The Pamon: 🔫 21 Jump Street S04.E23: How I Saved the Senator Winner & Loser: 🐴 Slow Horses Winner & Loser: 🚓 Live PD Game Time: 😑 The IMDumB Game 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 💄 Hear more Pam on Listen To Sassy 🧛🏻‍♀️ Tara's WWDITS sixth-season review for Cracked 🕛 Sarah's Woman Of The Hour review for Best Evidence 📷 Photo: Peacock

Rolling Stone's chief TV critic Alan Sepinwall is back to talk about Apple TV's latest prestige limited series -- starring Cate Blanchett and Kevin Kline, directed and written by Alfonso Cuarón, and maaaaybe a little too fond of its own shot compositions. Is the hinted-at conclusion worth sticking around for -- or are we mostly seeing it through for Kline's cardigan acting? Next, we went Around The Dial with Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage, Happy's Place, Shrinking, and the Platonic (not) ideal of "this should have been a feature" docuserieses, before Tara nominated a third-season Harley Quinn episode for the Canon. An Office reboot won, Succession lost, and a new scoring wrinkle scared the hell out of us in Game Time. Throw your drawers out the train window and have a listen! GUESTS 👤 Alan Sepinwall TOPICS Lead Topic: 📜 Disclaimer Around The Dial: 💍 Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage Around The Dial: 🙂 Happy's Place Around The Dial: 🛋️ Shrinking Around The Dial: 🦎 The Hunt For The Chameleon Killer The Canon: 🃏 Harley Quinn S03.E03: The 83rd Annual Villy Awards Winner & Loser: 👍 The new Office series Winner & Loser: 👎 Jeremy Strong Game Time: 🎃 Halloween Spooktacular 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 ✍🏻 Alan Sepinwall's review of Disclaimer* for Rolling Stone ⚖️ Alan's Better Call Saul book, Saul Goodman v. Jimmy McGill: The Complete Critical Companion to Better Call Saul 💊 Tara's Untitled: A Bad Teen Novel 👱🏻‍♂️ The Billy Crystal wig under scrutiny 🌃 Tara's piece on Saturday Night Not Ready For Primetime Players verisimilitude for Cracked 🦎 Sarah's The Hunt For The Chameleon Killer review at Best Evidence 📷 Photo: Apple CLUB-ONLY NOTES 🔥 EHG Club Perk Links & How-To 💬 Get On Our Community Discord

Three British talents from the worlds of TV comedy (Jon Brown, Armando Iannucci) and film (Sam Mendes) have come together for The Franchise, a look behind the scenes at the making of a fictional superhero movie. Does it shoot up, up, and away into the stratosphere? Devindra Hardawar returns to discuss. Around The Dial takes us to 9-1-1: Lone Star, 9-1-1 (talk about running the gamut), and the second season of Interview With The Vampire. The otherwise absent Sarah makes her pitch for inducting the Frasier episode "The Ski Lodge" into The Canon. Then, after naming the week's Winner and Loser, we close with a Non-Regulation Game Time that might not be entirely super, but is at least somewhat duper. Hide out in your trailer and listen! GUESTS 👤 Devindra Hardawar TOPICS Lead Topic: 🦸🏽‍♀️ The Franchise Around The Dial: 🧑‍🚒 9-1-1 Around The Dial: 🐮 9-1-1: Lone Star Around The Dial: 🧛🏻‍♂️ Interview With The Vampire The Canon: 🎿 Frasier S05.E14: The Ski Lodge Winner & Loser: 👍 Rugrats Winner & Loser: 👎 Peacemaker Game Time: 🦹🏼‍♀️ 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 🦋 Devindra Hardawar on Bluesky 💪 Tara's review of The Franchise at Cracked 😦 Tara's Scare Tactics review at Cracked ⚰️ EEHG 297, about Interview With The Vampire S02 🎞️ The Filmcast's episode on Megalopolis 📷 Photo: Colin Hutton / HBO

ABC's new cruise-ship medical procedural features Dawson's Creek's former Pacey Witter as a hotshot surgeon who sets sail in search of work-life balance; Jessica Morgan returns to discuss whether everything's shipshape. Around The Dial takes us through the Real Housewives of New York, Salt Lake City, AND Orange County before ending on the 30 for 30 episode "My American Son." Anne pitches the 30 Rock episode "Queen Of Jordan" for induction into the Nonac. Then, after naming the week's Winner and Loser, it's on to a Game Time that's really taking its (game) time. Put on your life vest and join us! GUESTS 👤 Jessica Morgan TOPICS Lead Topic: 🚢 Doctor Odyssey Around The Dial: 🌃 The Real Housewives Of New York City Around The Dial: 🧂 The Real Housewives Of Salt Lake City Around The Dial: 🍊 The Real Housewives Of Orange County Around The Dial: 🎾 30 For 30 The Nonac: 👸🏾 30 Rock S05.E17: Queen Of Jordan Winner & Loser: 👍 Stranger Things Winner & Loser: 👎 Lorraine Bracco Game Time: 🐢 Slowly At First III: Tubey's Revenge 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 🐦 Jessica Morgan / Go Fug Yourself on X 🙂‍↔️ Tara's review of Nobody Wants This at Cracked ✋ "Nobody Wants This Mean-Spirited Depiction Of Jewish Women In Nobody Wants This" by Esther Zuckerman at Time 👗 Go Fug Yourself 🍸 The Drinks With Broads newsletter on Substack 📚 Jessica's books on Bookshop ⚾️ Sarah's review of Charlie Hustle And The Matter Of Pete Rose at Best Evidence 📷 Photo: Disney / Tina Thorpe

None of us necessarily expected to recommend a comics-IP property featuring Colin Farrell under pounds of prosthetic make-up -- but we all liked it, including returning guest Richard Lawson. We talked about how it surprised us, the small feature-film stories it seemed to contain, whether it should have let the real Farrell shine through, and who's the season MVP (spoiler: Cristin Milioti). Then we went Around The Dial with the new Matlock, Alex vs. America, and Ryan Murphy's take on the brothers Menendez before Richard battled at least five Cynthia Nixon performances to get a Law & Order: SVU episode into the Canon. Friends won, Cold Case lost ("....AAeeeEnNNNGhhHHHHH!"), and Erica introduced us to a hard-fought Game Time. Waddle on over to your podcast app and have a listen! GUESTS 👤 Richard Lawson TOPICS Lead Topic: 🐧 The Penguin Around The Dial: ⚖️ Matlock (2024) Around The Dial: 👩‍🍳 Alex Vs America Around The Dial: 👯‍♂️ Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story The Canon: 🔪 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit S09.E01: Alternate Winner & Loser: 👍 Friends Winner & Loser: 👎 Cold Case Game Time: 4️⃣ Four At A Time 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 ✍🏻 Richard Lawson at Vanity Fair 🐧 Richard's review of The Penguin 📍 Tara's Bashir Salahuddin interview at Cracked 🎙️ Tara's Natasha Rothwell interview 🔪 Sarah's review of Monsters at Best Evidence 👯‍♂️ And Richard's at VF 👩🏼‍💻 Sarah's Canon pitch for "Avatar" 📷 Photo: Macall Polay / HBO

An ex-Lost writer brings a French crime show to America with Kaitlin Olson as the extraordinarily intelligent cleaner who becomes the LAPD's newest consultant; we tell you whether it's the rare network show that deserves an hour of your life each week. Around The Dial takes us through the second-season premiere of Tulsa King, HBO's new doc David Chase & The Sopranos, and The Sniffer. Mlle. Caroline takes another run at getting a Psych into The Canon with "Last Night Gus" (and we also salute JMak, a Patreon supporter who added it to our Forcening pool). Then, after naming the week's Winner and Loser, we drive Metallicar right into a Non-Regulation Game Time. Unlike a church, you can face whatever direction you want as you listen! TOPICS Lead Topic: 🧠 High Potential Around The Dial: 🤴 Tulsa King Around The Dial: 🔫 Wise Guy: David Chase & The Sopranos Around The Dial: 👃 The Sniffer The Canon: 🍩 Psych S06.E02: Last Night Gus Winner & Loser: 👍 Tim Robinson Winner & Loser: 👎 Netflix's doc series Martha Game Time: 👻 Is This Supernatural? 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 🧠 Daniel Fienberg's High Potential review at The Hollywood Reporter 🍳 Tara's review of Frasier (2023) S02 🎶 Mark And Sarah Talk About Songs on Patreon 📷 Photo: Disney / Pamela Littky

Writer and critic Sonia Saraiya is back to bid summer adieu with a discussion of Netflix's The Perfect Couple, a six-part murder mystery among the rich and unbearable that's aiming for Revenge and Succession vibes -- but does it work? The panel has mixed feelings...except about the beautiful locations, and the star wattage of Meghann Fahy. After we rinsed off the sand, we went Around The Dial with Adam Sandler's latest special, the first season of BoJack Horseman, and The Challenge, and Julie hoped a great first date would lead to something Canon-ical with her pitch for Looking. Lee Daniels won, Bosch: Legacy (and Sarah's years-long runner) lost, and we tried to figure out who the IMDb considered most likely to succeed in Game Time. Take a break from chipping balls into the bay and have a listen! GUESTS 👤 Sonia Saraiya TOPICS Announcement: 📢 Club Campaign Update Lead Topic: 👩🏼‍❤️‍👨🏻 The Perfect Couple Around The Dial: 😜 Adam Sandler: Love You Around The Dial: 🐴 Bojack Horseman Around The Dial: 🏃🏻‍♂️ The Challenge The Canon: 👀 Looking S01.E05: Looking for the Future Winner & Loser: 👍 Lee Daniels Winner & Loser: 👎 Bosch: Legacy Game Time: 🤩 TV Popularity Contest II 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 🐦 Cross the Sonia Saraiya drawbridge on X 💃 The Perfect Couple cast vs. the dance sequence 😆 IndieWire on the Sandler special's fake comedy club 🙋‍♂️ Tara's review of Universal Basic Guys at Cracked 😽 Bookstore Cats on Instagram 🐈 Find a foster or rescue org near you 📷 Photo: Netflix CLUB-ONLY NOTES 🔥 EHG Club Perk Links & How-To 💬 Get On Our Community Discord