Stranger Things Season 5 and Series Finale - Spoiler Review and Character Wrap-up

These are the only awards that really matter, the 2026 HO Awards! On this episode of The Hollywood Outsider podcast, we are breaking down our 2026 awards for both film and television. If you haven't listened to our HO Awards for movies and TV before, we do ours a bit different, for example our "actor" category covers all genders, we do not separate it. For TV: network, cable, and streaming all count, it just has to have had at least 3 new episodes in 2025. For movies, theatrical, VOD, and streaming are all eligible. If you want to follow along, the categories are below, so let us know what your picks are on our social media channels. What will take our awards? Wake Up Dead Man, The Pitt, Stranger Things, Reacher, Pluribus, F1: The Movie, Thunderbolts, Bugonia, Adolescence, Severance, Weapons, Sinners, The Housemaid, or something else? Each of us will award our winners in each category, and at the end, we'll combine ours with listener picks to determine what was the HO TV series and Movie of the Year! Take a listen to the 2026 HO Awards for TV and Film! [divider style="solid" top="20" bottom="20"] Discussed on this episode (0:00 – 15:22) Opening | Best Movie or TV Experience, Most Impactful News Story (15:23 – 59:43) Television Awards (59:44 – 1:56:35) Film Awards (1:56:36 - 2:11:08) Listener Top 10 | HO TV Series and HO Movie of the Year Listen to our podcast, Inspired By A True Story, now available in your favorite podcast feed! Please support The Hollywood Outsider and gain immediate access to bonus content, including Patreon exclusive podcast content like our Bad Movie Night by visiting Patreon.com/ TheHollywoodOutsider Be sure to join our Facebook Group Follow us on X @BuyPopcorn Be wary of potential mild spoilers for 2024 films and TV series TV Award Categories Best Special Effects and/or Stunts on TV Best Villain or Badass Best Supporting Actor Best Actor Most Disappointing Series Best Specific Moment on TV The Justin Macumber Award: Little-seen or discussed TV series that just completely won you over and you hope more people find it in the new year. Named after the late Justin Macumber. The Top 10 Movie Award Categories Best Physical Effects or Stunts Best Use of CGI in Film Best Villain or Badass Best Supporting Actor Best Actor Most Disappointing Series Best Specific Moment in Film The Justin Macumber Award: Little-seen or discussed film that just completely won you over and you hope more people find it in the new year. Named after the late Justin Macumber. The Top 10

On this episode of The Hollywood Outsider podcast, it is time to say goodbye to one of our favorite TV shows of this century with our Stranger Things Season 5 and Series Finale spoiler review and wrap-up! We venture through each and every character's arc, hitting highs and lows, debating Will's monologue and the reaction it caused, the choice to focus on Holly this season, the finale and repercussions, and so much more. Hawkins, Indiana will never be the same. So let's head into this special podcast and spend one last adventure with Mike, Will, Lucas, Dustin, Eleven, Max, Hopper, Joyce, Nancy, Jonathan, Steve, and the 46 other characters we met along the road. Goodbye, Stranger Things! Discussed on this episode Stranger Things Season 5 The Finale and Season Revelations Each Character's Journey Will's Monologue, Vecna's Plan, Eleven's Choice Click here for more info on our 2026 Alaskan Cruise! Please support The Hollywood Outsider and gain immediate access to bonus content, including Patreon exclusive podcast content like our Bad Movie Night by visiting Patreon.com/ TheHollywoodOutsider

On this episode of The Hollywood Outsider podcast, it is time for our final episode of the year, and therefore it is time to say goodbye to 2025! We dive into a few of the biggest stories of the year - while shying away from all of that low-hanging political fruit - as well as recent news on director Rob Reiner that has impacted us all. The Warner Brothers and Netflix OR Paramount merger, watercooler TV makes a resurgence, K-Pop Demon Hunters, and even the impact of AI. Then, we say cheers to the past 25 years in movie and TV by an entire section of our show dedicated to a few of the highlights and even - using AI - determining what truly is the best of the best when it comes to this quarter century. How accurate is it? Let's find out together.  It's a packed episode, and we appreciate all of your support, so we hope you enjoy. We will see you on the other side of 2026! Discussed on this episode (0:00 – 46:59) Goodbye 2025 (47:00 – 1:20:06) Cheers to the Past 25 Years Click here for more info on our 2026 Alaskan Cruise! Please support The Hollywood Outsider and gain immediate access to bonus content, including Patreon exclusive podcast content like our Bad Movie Night by visiting Patreon.com/ TheHollywoodOutsider Be sure to join our Facebook Group Join us on Discord Follow us on X @BuyPopcorn Subscribe on Apple Subscribe on Spotify Subscribe via RSS

On this episode of The Hollywood Outsider podcast, we are at the quarter mark of this century and it is time to reflect. This is an introspective look back at our favorite movies and TV shows between 2000 and 2025, aka the past 25 years, with both narrowing our focus down to our favorites within this time frame, as well as listener Top 10s. This episode covers a lot of ground, so enjoy this discussion on the best movies and TV shows of the 2000s! Discussed on this episode (0:00 – 1:14:30) The Best Movies of the 2000s (1:14:31 – 2:08:37) The Best TV Shows of the 2000s Click here for more info on our 2026 Alaskan Cruise! Please support The Hollywood Outsider and gain immediate access to bonus content, including Patreon exclusive podcast content like our Bad Movie Night by visiting Patreon.com/ TheHollywoodOutsider Be sure to join our Facebook Group Join us on Discord Follow us on X @BuyPopcorn Subscribe on Apple Subscribe on Spotify Subscribe via RSS

On this episode of The Hollywood Outsider podcast, we are at the quarter mark of this century and it is time to reflect. Therefore we are continuing our series that we began earlier this years by discussing the best holiday or Christmas movies of the past 25 years. The important distinction here, is that these are the best movies that we watch at this time of year to get us in the holiday spirit, so they are not necessarily Christmas movies. Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Hateful Eight - they all are just as relevant as Elf or 8-Bit Christmas. So sit back, grab some mistletoe, and lets debate the best holiday movies of the 2000s! Click here for info on our 2026 Alaskan Cruise! Discussed on this episode The Best Holiday or Christmas Movies of the Past 25 Years Please support The Hollywood Outsider and gain immediate access to bonus content, including Patreon exclusive podcast content like our Bad Movie Night by visiting Patreon.com/ TheHollywoodOutsider Be sure to join our Facebook Group Join us on Discord Follow us on X @BuyPopcorn Subscribe on Apple Subscribe on Spotify Subscribe via RSS

Every year, we love to celebrate the holiday season with our listeners, and there is no better way to do that than with our 2025 Holiday Special! It all started 10 years ago with a random idea: we were big fans of holiday specials, yet podcasts seemed to skip over the idea completely. Therefore, we decided we can do whatever we want here at The Hollywood Outsider, so let's create our own tradition and the Annual Holiday Special was born! Every year we rekindle the past (and occasionally add a little something new), assembling some of the best moments from our hosts for the most fantastic holiday special ever! Debating what constitutes a Christmas movie and specials we love, what makes for a great Christmas movie, Christmas cliches, and even our Holiday Spirit Movie Battle Royale! That's not all, oh no. The Christmas spirit kicks into overdrive as we open up and share our personal memories of the holiday season, stories that remind us of Christmas. And no holiday special would be complete without a visit from the big man himself, so get ready for as much St. Nick as legally allowed as Santa Claus drops by the studio to tell us just how naughty or nice we are, all throughout the episode! With a special game from Amanda, Santa in his sleigh, John's obsession with puppets, Troy's intriguing selection of Holiday Spirit films, Scott's first Christmas Poem, Bad Santa, and a lot of fun for everyone – This is the one podcast you don't want to miss this holiday season!

On this episode of The Hollywood Outsider podcast, WICKED: FOR GOOD has arrived in theaters to magically conquer the world! Therefore, it's time to grab a broom and fly back to Oz to see how Elphaba and Glinda (or Galinda) wrap up their story. Does Jon Chu's film correct the issues of the second half of the musical? Do the new songs add anything? Are important aspects fleshed out? Do Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande repeat their stellar performances from the first film? Most importantly, does Wicked 2 captivate us the way the original did? Listen as we break down every character in the rousing conclusion to the Wicked franchise.  After challenging the Wizard's totalitarian regime in Oz, Elphaba must grapple with her identity as the "Wicked Witch of the West". Meanwhile, the Wizard has given Glinda the title "Glinda the Good" and a public status as the nation's defender against Elphaba. The two witches must make decisions that seal their fates in this second musical installment. Let's dive in to our Wicked: For Good review and spoilercast! Discussed on this episode (0:00 – 8:27) Spoiler-Free Review - Wicked: For Good (8:28 – 46:16) Wicked: For Good Spoilercast Click here for our Wicked Spoiler Review Click here for more info on our 2026 Alaskan Cruise! Listen to our true crime podcast, Inspired By A True Story, now available in your favorite podcast feed! Please support The Hollywood Outsider and gain immediate access to bonus content, including Patreon exclusive podcast content like our Bad Movie Night by visiting Patreon.com/ TheHollywoodOutsider Be sure to join our Facebook Group Join us on Discord Follow us on X @BuyPopcorn Subscribe on Apple Subscribe on Spotify Subscribe via RSS

On this episode of The Hollywood Outsider podcast, let's see if we can make this podcast disappear by wading into the world of magic in movies and TV. David Copperfield, David Blaine, Now You See Me, Harry Potter...wait, does that count? We head into the world of magic to discuss both our fascination with the topic, as well as where it has been done well. Also, should heist movies count in this subgenre? Also on this episode, Kyle Nolan from NoReruns.net joins us to discuss showrunner trouble at the networks, a V for Vendetta series, Poker Face folds, Apple TVs Pluribus, and Netflix finally gets a jolt of life with Frankenstein. Discussed on this episode (0:00 – 21:20) Opening | Network showrunner trouble, Poker Face folds, Sydney Sweeney drama, V for Vendetta (21:21 – 47:32) From the Outside In: Magic in Movies and TV (47:33 – 56:29) Review - Now You See Me, Now You Don't (56:30 – 1:01:35) Review - Eternity (1:01:36 – 1:12:15) Whatcha Been Watching - Pluribus, Frankenstein Click here for more info on our 2026 Alaskan Cruise! Listen to our true crime podcast, Inspired By A True Story, now available in your favorite podcast feed! Please support The Hollywood Outsider and gain immediate access to bonus content, including Patreon exclusive podcast content like our Bad Movie Night by visiting Patreon.com/ TheHollywoodOutsider Be sure to join our Facebook Group Join us on Discord Follow us on X @BuyPopcorn Subscribe on Apple Subscribe on Spotify Subscribe via RSS

On this episode of The Hollywood Outsider podcast, with Predator: Badlands offering a completely different kind of film than all previous ones in the series, it's time to discuss when it is time to shake up a franchise. It has been numerous times - James Bond, Fast and Furious, Friday the 13th, Breaking Bad - so when do you know it is time to start shaking up a franchise? Also, what are the best and worst examples? Also on this episode, we discuss the potential sale of Warner Brothers, Walking Dead celebrates its 15th anniversary, Mummy 4 gets an amazing update, plus reviews of Predator: Badlands and All's Fair. Discussed on this episode (0:00 – 20:05) Opening | The Mummy 4 reunites Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz, Warner Brothers is for sale, Walking Dead and They Live anniversaries (20:06 – 1:00:51) From the Outside In: Shaking Up A Franchise (1:00:52 – 1:09:52) Review - Predator: Badlands (1:09:53 – 1:17:14) Whatcha Been Watching - All's Fair Click here for more info on our 2026 Alaskan Cruise! Listen to our true crime podcast, Inspired By A True Story, now available in your favorite podcast feed! Please support The Hollywood Outsider and gain immediate access to bonus content, including Patreon exclusive podcast content like our Bad Movie Night by visiting Patreon.com/ TheHollywoodOutsider Be sure to join our Facebook Group Join us on Discord Follow us on X @BuyPopcorn Subscribe on Apple Subscribe on Spotify Subscribe via RSS

On this episode of The Hollywood Outsider podcast, it's time for our Holiday Movie Preview 2025! Every major theatrical and streaming release for the remainder of the year is on tap as we debate the best and worst of the upcoming season.  From Wicked: For Good, Avatar: Fire and Ash, Wake Up Dead Man, Anaconda, The Housemaid, Song Sung Blue, Five Nights at Freddy's 2, and everything in between!  Curious what's worth watching this holiday season? Then don't miss this episode of The Hollywood Outsider podcast! Discussed on this episode (0:00 – 06:55) Opening | Taylor Sheridan leaves Paramount (06:66 – 55:40) Holiday Movie Preview 2025 (55:41 – 1:06:32) Review - A House of Dynamite plus the ambiguous ending (1:06:33 – 1:14:10) Review - Anniversary (1:14:11 – 1:22:00) Whatcha Been Watching - IT: Welcome to Derry, Dead of Winter, Coyotes, Nobody Wants This Season 2 Click here for more info on our 2026 Alaskan Cruise! Listen to our true crime podcast, Inspired By A True Story, now available in your favorite podcast feed! Please support The Hollywood Outsider and gain immediate access to bonus content, including Patreon exclusive podcast content like our Bad Movie Night by visiting Patreon.com/ TheHollywoodOutsider Be sure to join our Facebook Group Join us on Discord Follow us on X @BuyPopcorn Subscribe on Apple Subscribe on Spotify Subscribe via RSS