584: Breaking Down The Chair Company

Tim Robinson is back with The Chair Company, a cringe-com with a mystery (or is it??) at its center, and Variety's Alison Herman is also back to talk about it: the little self-flagellating moments the show gets right, whether it's the Tim Robinson property for people who usually don't enjoy Tim Robinson, and why Robinson is like David Lynch. We went Around The Dial with 9-1-1s old and new, Devil In Disguise: John Wayne Gacy, and The Alabama Solution, and Tara busted out her see! cret! skill! at Canon pitching for a first-season episode of Platonic. Julio Torres won, Yellowjackets lost, and the panel tried to hit IMDb episode-count bulls-eyes in the second half of the 30 Under 30 Game Time. Leave that deviled-egg remnant right where it is and come join us! GUESTS 👤 Alison Herman TOPICS Lead Topic: 🪑 The Chair Company Around The Dial: 🧑‍🚒 9-1-1: Nashville Around The Dial: 🚒 9-1-1 Around The Dial: 🤡 Devil In Disguise Around The Dial: 😮‍💨 The Alabama Solution The Canon: 🏟️ Platonic S01.E05: My Wife's Boyfriend Winner & Loser: 🔷 Julio Torres Winner & Loser: 🐝 Yellowjackets Game Time: ⬇️ 30 Under 30 Part 2 SUPPORT THE SHOW 🔥 Join the EHG Club for bonus episodes, no ads, community Discord and more! 🎧 Subscribe to EHG on Apple Podcasts for bonus episodes and no ads! 🛍️ Shop our merch store! NOTES 🗒 Full episode notes can be found on this episode's page on our site ✍️ Alison Herman at Variety 💺 Alison's review of The Chair Company for Variety 📜 Sarah's review of The Alabama Solution at Best Evidence 📚 Exhibit B. Books 🍆 Tara's interview with Platonic's Luke Macfarlane 🤝 Alison's review of Platonic S01 📷 Photo: Sarah Shatz / HBO

The fourth season of Monster, Netflix's true crime anthology, concerns itself with Wisconsin serial killer (or was he? (he probably was)) Ed Gein, played by former Queer As Folk cutie Charlie Hunnam. Did it get under our skin? Richard Lawson returns to talk about it. Around The Dial takes us through Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent, Only Connect, and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Richard presents the Season 2 finale of The Traitors Australia for induction into The Canon. Then, after naming the week's Winner and Loser, it's on to a Game Time about the shows select actors did for up to but NOT more than 30 episodes. Take a break from wood chopping and join us! GUESTS 👤 Richard Lawson TOPICS Lead Topic: 🔪 Monster: The Ed Gein Story Around The Dial: ⛄️ Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent Around The Dial: 🔌 Only Connect Around The Dial: 🖖 Star Trek: Strange New Worlds The Canon: 🪃 The Traitors (AU) S02.E09 Winner & Loser: 🅱️ Ballard Winner & Loser: 🌴 Beverly Hills, 90210 Game Time: ⬇️ 30 Under 30: Part 1 SUPPORT THE SHOW 🔥 Join the EHG Club for bonus episodes, no ads, community Discord and more! 🎧 Subscribe to EHG on Apple Podcasts for bonus episodes and no ads! 🛍️ Shop our merch store! NOTES 🗒 Full episode notes can be found on this episode's page on our site 🦋 Richard Lawson on Bluesky ✍🏻 Sarah's review of Monster: The Ed Gein Story at Best Evidence 💂🏻 Richard's profile page (including his Monster: The Ed Gein Story review) at The Guardian 💄 The Listen To Sassy Club 🎹 The Mark And Sarah Talk About Songs ranking of the tracks on Billy Joel's The Stranger, with Dan Rogge 📷 Photo: Netflix

Pretend we made a witty "third and taking-too-long" pun, because that's what we -- and guest Kim "Best Thing" Reed -- thought about Glen Powell vehicle Chad Powers. It isn't bad, but between the first-drafty jokes and getting stuck between two tones, we're not sure you should watch all the way to the end zone. Okay, let's ditch the football puns to go Around The Dial with On Brand With Jimmy Fallon, Kim's recent-reality overview, and Sarah's High Maintenance rewatch; and let's see if the panel respected "Authority," Sarah's L&O: SVU Canon pitch. Nicole Beharie won, Mid-Century Modern lost, and we juggled a hot potato of HBO series "lifers" in Game Time. Pair your podcast app with your Cybertruck's sound system and join us! GUESTS 👤 Kim Reed TOPICS Announcement: 📢 Club Drive Update Lead Topic: 🏈 Chad Powers Around The Dial: 📦 On Brand With Jimmy Fallon Around The Dial: 🏃🏻‍♂️ Competitive Reality Roundup Around The Dial: 🚬 High Maintenance The Canon: 🐑 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit S09.E17: Authority Winner & Loser: 🩸 All The Sinners Bleed Winner & Loser: 🛋️ Mid-Century Modern Game Time: ↔️ Cap'n Connors's Oops! All HBO Survivors SUPPORT THE SHOW 🔥 Join the EHG Club for bonus episodes, no ads, community Discord and more! 🎧 Subscribe to EHG on Apple Podcasts for bonus episodes and no ads! 🛍️ Shop our merch store! NOTES 🗒 Full episode notes can be found on this episode's page on our site 🍏 Kim Reed's "Most Awesome Thing" segment in EEHG 374 🏟️ Tara's Chad Powers review at Cracked 💀 Tara's interview with Cassandra "Elvira" Peterson 🌴 Again With This 🪦 Sarah's essay on the passing of Robin Williams 🏀 EHG 212 with the monkey/basketball 🛋️ EHG 556 on Mid-Century Modern 📷 Photo: Disney / Daniel Delgado Jr.

Reservation Dogs creator Sterlin Harjo has reunited with his S03 guest star Ethan Hawke for The Lowdown, a shaggy Tulsa neo-noir. Should you put it high on your list of priorities? We discuss. (Spoiler: yes.) Around The Dial takes us to Caleb Hearon: Model Comedian, The Great Pottery Throw Down, and Lynley. Tara pitches the Regular Show episode "Sleep Cycle" for induction into The Canon. Then, after naming the week's Winner and Loser, we finish up with a Game Time on various TV actors' personal and professional histories. Give yourself some rudimentary first aid and join us! GUESTS 👤 Patrick Monahan TOPICS Lead Topic: 📚 The Lowdown Around The Dial: 🤣 Caleb Hearon: Model Comedian Around The Dial: 🏺 The Great Pottery Throw Down Around The Dial: 👮🏻‍♀️ Lynley The Canon: 🦝 Regular Show S07.E11: Sleep Cycle Winner & Loser: 🫆 Pete Earley and Gerald Shur Winner & Loser: 🧑‍🦯 Love Is Blind Game Time: 🙅🏽‍♀️ Never Have I Ever SUPPORT THE SHOW 🔥 Join the EHG Club for bonus episodes, no ads, community Discord and more! 🎧 Subscribe to EHG on Apple Podcasts for bonus episodes and no ads! 🛍️ Shop our merch store! NOTES 🗒 Full episode notes can be found on this episode's page on our site 🦋 Patrick Monahan on Bluesky 🥃 Tara's review of The Lowdown at Cracked 📰 “Why ‘Rez Dogs’ creator Sterlin Harjo made a love letter to Tulsa and its contradictions” at the Los Angeles Times 🤣 Tara's review of Caleb Hearon: Model Comedian at Cracked 👀 Alan Sepinwall's newsletter, What's Alan Watching? ⏳ The What A Time To Be Alive podcast 🏦 The Extra Hot Great Mutual Aid Vault 🛂 PBS Passport 📷 Photo: Shane Brown / FX

The Morning Show is back to bring us its version of 2024. Can any of us possibly be ready to go back there? Maybe not, but we don't have the strength to resist gorging on The Morning Show's baloney, either. Morning Show-ologist Christina Tucker returns to talk about it. Around The Dial clicks through Futurama S13, Rivals, and Celebrity Weakest Link, then takes a trip to the cinema for Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale. Margaret pitches The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air episode "The Big Four-Oh" -- yes, the one where Aunt Viv slays a dance audition in a clip you've probably watched at least once if not 20 times -- for induction into the Canon. Then, after naming the week's Winner and Loser, we close on a Game Time everyone should swipe right on. Get yourself the strongest coffee commercially available and join us! GUESTS 👤 Christina Tucker TOPICS Lead Topic: ☀️ The Morning Show Around The Dial: 🚀 Futurama Around The Dial: 💷 Rivals Around The Dial: 🔗 The Weakest Link Around The Dial: 🏰 Downton Abbey The Canon: 💃 The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air S02.E07: The Big Four-Oh Winner & Loser: 👨🏻‍⚖️ Presumed Innocent Winner & Loser: 👊 The guy who sucker-punched James McAvoy in Toronto Game Time: 👩🏻‍🦳 Silver Vixens SUPPORT THE SHOW 🔥 Join the EHG Club for bonus episodes, no ads, community Discord and more! 🎧 Subscribe to EHG on Apple Podcasts for bonus episodes and no ads! 🛍️ Shop our merch store! NOTES 🗒 Full episode notes can be found on this episode's page on our site 🦋 Christina Tucker on Bluesky 🚀 Tara's review of Futurama S13 🤦🏻‍♂️ Tara's essay on aka Charlie Sheen 📰 Christina's newsletter, Chaos! It's The New Cocaine! 💿 The hip-hop episode of Celebrity Weakest Link on YouTube 👑 1999: The Podcast on The Thomas Crown Affair, guest-starring Sarah 📷 Photo: Apple

Will Leitch, sportswriter and newspaper journalist, is back to talk about The Office-verse sitcom The Paper -- and whether you should bother with the season that just dropped in its entirety on Peacock. Has the world moved on from the TV mockumentary? Does this show understand what it is to love reporting? And does any of that matter if the show's not quite funny enough? Later, we went Around The Dial with Only Murders In The Building's fifth season, 30 Rock's YouTube channel, and Love Con Revenge before Will tried to find room in the Canon budget for Dept. Q's premiere episode. Going Dutch won, Selena Gomez lost, and we found out who skips the closing credits in Game Time. Take a break from lining that birdcage and have a listen! GUESTS 👤 Will Leitch TOPICS Announcement: 🥴 Drunk Dave Cometh Lead Topic: 📰 The Paper Around The Dial: 🏢 Only Murders In The Building Around The Dial: 🪨 30 Rock Around The Dial: 🖤 Love Con Revenge The Canon: 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Dept. Q S01.E01: Episode 1 Winner & Loser: 🪖 Going Dutch Winner & Loser: 🍪 Selena Gomez Game Time: 🎶 Outré Outros SUPPORT THE SHOW 🔥 Join the EHG Club for bonus episodes, no ads, community Discord and more! 🎧 Subscribe to EHG on Apple Podcasts for bonus episodes and no ads! 🛍️ Shop our merch store! NOTES 🗒 Full episode notes can be found on this episode's page on our site 📚 Keep up with all things Will Leitch 🧻 Tara's review of The Paper at Cracked 🏢 Tara's Only Murders S05 review 🪨 30 Rock's YouTube channel 👠 Step On Me Giganta 🖤 Sarah's review of Love Con Revenge at Best Evidence 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Our discussion of Dept. Q in EHG 565 🏝 The Lonely Island And Seth Meyers Podcast "Listener Q&A Episode 5" 📷 Photo: Aaron Epstein / Peacock

We are off this week but present you with this EHG Club unlock of EEHG 324: This Week In Historical TV: September 4-10, 1991. Earlier this year, our Patreon supporters unlocked a new milestone, and with it a new annual BONUS bonus episode: This Week In Historical TV! Since we've gone with September 4-10, 1991 and chosen as our lead topic Cast A Deadly Spell, an HBO TV movie that combines classic hard-boiled detective fiction with the works of H.P. Lovecraft, we had to invite Dan Cassino, a fan of both, to talk about it. Around The Dial takes us through some highlights of our week in programming: the series premiere of Herman's Head; an all-timer Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode on Gamera vs. Guiron; Parker Lewis Can't Lose; and the Merlin Olsen-hosted Fantastic Facts. Tara pitches the S09 Cheers episode "Days Of Wine And Neuroses" for induction into The Canon. Then, after plucking a winner and loser out of the September 6, 1991 issue of Entertainment Weekly, it's on to a Game Time that has us asking many MORE than 19 Questions about the characters, places, and things of the 1991-92 TV season. Send your zombie henchman outside and join us! GUESTS Dan Cassino TOPICS Lead Topic → Cast A Deadly Spell Will Dave Hate This? → The Gambler Returns: The Luck Of The Draw Around The Dial → Herman's Head Around The Dial → Mystery Science Theatre 3000 Around The Dial → Parker Lewis Can't Lose Around The Dial → Fantastic Facts The Canon → Cheers S09.E16: Days Of Wine And Neuroses Winner & Loser → Jack Wagner Winner & Loser → Ramy Zada Game Time → 19 Questions: 1991-92 TV Season Edition SUPPORT THE SHOW Join the EHG Club Shop our store EPISODE NOTES Full episode notes Dan Cassino on Bluesky The Herman's Head pilot on YouTube Mystery Science Theater 3000's episode on Gamera vs. Guiron on YouTube Parker Lewis Can't Lose S02.E04 on YouTube Dark Justice on Wikipedia Dark Justice on the Internet Archive Photo: HBO

We haven't heard much from creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg since BoJack Horseman ended in early 2020, but he's back with a new animated family dramedy, Long Story Short, which has already been picked up for a second season. Are we excited to lengthen our time with it? New guest Eli Yudin joins us to talk about it. Around The Dial clicks through Peacemaker S02, Zach Galifianakis: Live At The Purple Onion, and Smoke. Mlle. Caroline pitches the Andor episode "Who Are You?" for induction into The Canon. Then, after naming the week's Winner and Loser, we close up with a particularly fraternal Game Time. Grab some kugel and join us! GUESTS 👤 Eli Yudin TOPICS Announcement: 🤏 Patreon Update Lead Topic: 🕍 Long Story Short Around The Dial: 🕊️ Peacemaker Around The Dial: 🧅 Zach Galifianakis: Live At The Purple Onion Around The Dial: 🚒 Smoke The Canon: ⁉️ Andor S02.E08: Who Are You? Winner & Loser: 🌃 Saturday Night Live Winner & Loser: 📜 Lifetime's non-scripted team Game Time: 👯‍♂️ All In The Family SUPPORT THE SHOW 🔥 Join the EHG Club for bonus episodes, no ads, community Discord and more! 🎧 Subscribe to EHG on Apple Podcasts for bonus episodes and no ads! 🛍️ Shop our merch store! NOTES 🗒 Full episode notes can be found on this episode's page on our site 👨🏻‍💻 Eli Yudin's website 🗣️ Tara's Paul Reiser interview at Cracked ✌️ Tara's Peacemaker S02 review at Cracked 🎤 Eli's standup special Humble Offering on YouTube 📚 "The Dog-Eared Days Of Summer" sale at Exhibit B. Books 📷 Photo: Netflix

Amanda Knox's arrest for murder in Italy became a sensational true crime story...so of course it is now the subject of a scripted true crime series. Did we find it sensational? Eve Batey joins us to discuss it. Around The Dial lands on North Of North, The Yogurt Shop Murders, Back To The Frontier, and The Fixer. Tara pitches the Friends episode "The One With Russ" for induction into The Nonac. Then, after naming the week's Winner and Loser, it's on to a Game Time that knows: triples is best. Put down your old cell phone and your platter of pasta and join us! GUESTS 👤 Eve Batey TOPICS Lead Topic: 🍝 The Twisted Tale Of Amanda Knox Around The Dial: 🧭 North Of North Around The Dial: 🍦 The Yogurt Shop Murders Around The Dial: 🪵 Back To The Frontier Around The Dial: 🛠️ The Fixer The Nonac: 🍷 Friends S02.E10: The One With Russ Winner & Loser: 📞 Wendell Pierce Winner & Loser: 🚨 MS Now Game Time: 3️⃣ Three For All SUPPORT THE SHOW 🔥 Join the EHG Club for bonus episodes, no ads, community Discord and more! 🎧 Subscribe to EHG on Apple Podcasts for bonus episodes and no ads! 🛍️ Shop our merch store! NOTES 🗒 Full episode notes can be found on this episode's page on our site 🦋 Eve Batey on Bluesky ❄️ North Of North Outfits at Victoria Jacket 💩 "And Just Like That Goes Out With A 'Bah'" at Cracked 🍦 "The Yogurt Shop Murders Unpacks 'The Craziest Crime In Texas'" at Vanity Fair 📰 The Pleat ⚒️ "The Fixer: Marcus Lemonis's New Show Is Very Similar To The Profit" at Reality Blurred 🔎 Best Evidence 👯‍♂️ "Friends: Why Russ Is Played By 'Snaro' (When It's Really David Schwimmer)" at ScreenRant 😉 "'Diner Wink' Full Sketch - I Think You Should Leave Season 2" [origin of "triples is best"] on YouTube 📷 Photo: Hulu

The Alien-verse has landed on TV with Noah Hawley's re-imagining (or pre-imagining) of the xenomorphic worlds of the film series -- and Andrew Cunningham has landed back in the guest chair to talk about telepathic blackmail, when hearing is scarier than seeing, and acting choices that don't make sense. Is this essential viewing, or should you jump in a shuttle and bail? Later, we went Around The Dial with War Of The Worlds 2025, The Gilded Age, It's Always Sunny, and American Prince: JFK Jr. before the panel stared into the abyss of Sarah's Sopranos Canon pitch. The Yellowstone-verse won, the Sussexes lost, and we kicked off a new Game Time season with a real facehugger. Skip that cryo-nap and listen to an all-new Extra Hot Great instead! GUESTS 👤 Andrew Cunningham TOPICS Lead Topic: 👽 Alien: Earth Around The Dial: 🌎 War Of The Worlds Around The Dial: 🚂 The Gilded Age Around The Dial: 😎 It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia Around The Dial: 🤴 American Prince: JFK Jr. The Canon: 👠 The Sopranos S02.E07: D-Girl Winner & Loser: 🐮 Y: Marshals Winner & Loser: 👑 Harry and Meghan Game Time: 🫦 They Mostly Come At Night SUPPORT THE SHOW 🔥 Join the EHG Club for bonus episodes, no ads, community Discord and more! 🎧 Subscribe to EHG on Apple Podcasts for bonus episodes and no ads! 🛍️ Shop our merch store! NOTES 🗒 Full episode notes can be found on this episode's page on our site 🦋 Andrew Cunningham on Bluesky 📚 Andrew's book pod with Craig Getting, Overdue 👨🏻‍💻 Andrew at Ars Technica 🌍 Tara's War Of The Worlds review at Cracked 👵🏻 "Oldies but goodies" on sale at Exhibit B. Books 📷 Photo: Patrick Brown / FX