553: The One-Off Character Bracket

Did Alan Alda vehicle The Four Seasons need an eight-part dramedy reboot? The panel -- joined by Alyson Lewis of Cracked -- doesn't think so, although one of us enjoyed returning to a version of a property that aired constantly on HBO in the mid-eighties. But did the story need this many episodes, or this downbeat a tone? Do we enjoy this iteration of a Tina Fey character? And why is a certain actor almost certain to get killed in prestige programs like this? Later, we went Around The Dial with Taskmaster's 19th season, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and The Clubhouse, and Tara hoped Mary (and "That Woman") would make it into the Canon. Kali Reis won, Disney lost, and we synchronized our schedules for a timely Non-Regulation Game Time. Boot up your favorite second-screen farm game and have a listen! GUESTS 👤 Alyson Lewis TOPICS Lead Topic: 🍂 The Four Seasons Around The Dial: 💌 Taskmaster Around The Dial: 😺 The Mary Tyler Moore Show S05.E04: Lou And That Woman Around The Dial: 🧦 The Clubhouse: A Year With The Boston Red Sox Around The Dial: 🚀 Andor Winner & Loser: 🏦 12 12 12 Winner & Loser: 🏹 Disney Game Time: 📆 Let Me Check My Calendar 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 😵‍💫 More from Alyson Lewis at Yes I Was High When I Wrote This 🌷 Tara's review of The Four Seasons at Cracked 🔪 Tara's Jason Mantzoukas interview at Cracked 🐈 Cookie the foster cat needs a forever home 📷 Photo: Jon Pack / Netflix

Heather wanted us to watch a 29-year-old Sam Elliott playing a cowboy in a Season 2 episode of The Streets Of San Francisco, and who were we to resist? We tell you whether the episode's worth ripping off your pearl snap shirt over. Our latest Ask EHG takes us through questions about, among others, our most out-of-character favorite shows and the strangest places we've ever run into someone we knew. Sarah pitches "Smizing" for the TV coinage Tiny Canon. Then, after sharing a new batch of Not Quite Top 11 lists, we close up by recasting famous original CSI. Find yourself a comfortable bunk and listen! TOPICS Forcening Pool: 🌉 The Streets Of San Francisco S02.E21: The Hard Breed Ask EHG: 😩 Coping With Everything Tiny Canon: 👁️ America's Next Top Model S13.E03: Fortress Of Fierceness Not Quite Top 11: 😵 Defunct TV Networks Not Quite Top 11: 🌨️ Significant TV Snow Not Quite Top 11: ⚠️ Cleopatra 2525 Character Names Extra Credit: 🔬 Recast This: C.S.I. Mini: 🎸 Mark's TV Forcening (Jan 2014) 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 Streets Of San Francisco S02.E21: The Hard Breed on DailyMotion 🙏 Volunteer Match 👄 "'America's Next Top Model' recap: Private smeyes, watching you" at Entertainment Weekly 🤢 Our Nonac discussion of "Amends" in EHG 024

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 🔥 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 📚 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

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

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

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

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

Patreon supporters earn the right to "forcen" us to watch TV episodes of their choosing, and while we usually never know what we're going to get, this time we each made a selection from the list of submissions. Was Dave worshipful of The Chosen's "The Rock On Which It Is Built"? Did Tara want to take The Young Ones episode "Bambi" out back and shoot its mom? Did Sarah thrill to the artistry of Hustle's series premiere, "The Con Is On"? Listen, find out, and then (if you haven't already) join us on Patreon to tell us what we should watch next! TOPICS Forcening Pool: 🐟 The Chosen S01.E04: The Rock On Which It Is Built Forcening Pool: 🧷 The Young Ones S02.E01: Bambi Forcening Pool: 💷 Hustle S01.E01: The Con Is On 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

We all love the series regulars on our favorite shows. But the magic of episodic television is that someone can pop into your life for just an hour, or 22 minutes, or maybe even just one scene, and make an impression that lasts a lifetime. Your co-hosts invited Jeff Drake to join us for a special episode in which we winnowed down our Sweet 16 of one-off TV characters to the one that, in this particular bracket, towers above them all. Listen to find out who the ONE one-off champion turned out to be! GUESTS 👤 Jeff Drake TOPICS Lead Topic: ☝️ The One-Off Character Bracket 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 🧀 Jerem from 30 Rock 🛶 Lord Flashheart from Blackadder II 🎹 New Joe from I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson 🔫 Agent Miller from Justified 🪖 Hans Schmidt from Band Of Brothers 😏 Dan Moody from I'm Alan Partridge 🗣️ More Dan 🍭 Sweet from Buffy The Vampire Slayer 😇 Reverend Chatfield from The Mary Tyler Moore Show 🛌 Emily Hartley from Newhart 🤟 Laura from Seinfeld 👩‍⚖️ Katrina Ludlow from Law & Order 📻 80s Guy from Futurama 📉 More 80s Guy 🍼 Mr. Peters from The Dick Van Dyke Show 🐎 Anne Berrisford from Beverly Hills, 90210 👟 Hank Scorpio from The Simpsons 👏 Roger from Friends

Obviously, we couldn't have anyone else come discuss Running Point but Krystal Farmer -- so thank God she agreed, and we went deep on everything from the charms of Kate Hudson to how much of a sport a sports-com should show, plus dumb pro-team fonts and believable sibling energy. Later, we went Around The Dial with Grosse Pointe Garden Society, Futurama on Hulu, and On Call, and Tara schooled us with her A.P. Bio Canon pitch. Éanna Hardwicke won, the Oscars' "In Memoriam" segment lost, and we celebrated the leading ladies of TV in Game Time. It's that that that time again: time to listen to an all-new Extra Hot Great. GUESTS 👤 Krystal Farmer TOPICS Lead Topic: 🏀 Running Point Around The Dial: 🌷 Grosse Pointe Garden Society Around The Dial: 🤖 Futurama Around The Dial: 👮🏻‍♂️ On Call Announcement: 📢 The EHG Mutual Aid Vault The Canon: 🧫 A.P. Bio S03.E06: That That That Winner & Loser: 🙋‍♂️ Éanna Hardwicke Winner & Loser: 🪦 The Oscars In Memoriam segment Game Time: 🏋️‍♀️ Strong Female Lead 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 🦋 Krystal Farmer on Bluesky 🪙 The Two Cents Plus Tax podcast 🏀 Tara's Running Point review for Cracked 🧺 Tara on TV basketball comedies, also for Cracked 🔥 The Extra Hot Great Club page 📷 Photo: Katrina Marcinowski / Netflix CLUB-ONLY NOTES 🔥 EHG Club Perk Links & How-To 💬 Get On Our Community Discord