601: Did The 'Burbs Make Us Stir-Crazy?

The latest true-life story from the Ryan Murphy factory is Love Story, all about John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette. Was our 90s nostalgia powerful enough to get us past its taste issues? Jessica Morgan returns to talk about it. Around The Dial stops at Going Dutch Season 2 (NOT Tara's favorite show, but she does like it!) and Summer House. Dave wonders if a certain recent piece of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is Worse Than Jazz. Tara pitches "The Modernization Of Emily" from The Bob Newhart Show for induction into The Canon. Then, after naming the week's Winner and Loser, we end on a Non-Regulation Game Time that might be a tough sell. Put down your vintage copy of People's Sexiest Man Alive (1988) and listen!GUESTS👤 Jessica MorganTOPICSLead Topic: 💙 Love StoryAround The Dial: 🇳🇱 Going DutchAround The Dial: 🩳 Summer HouseIs This Worse Than Jazz?: 💦 A specific line delivered by Paul Giamatti in Star Trek: Starfleet AcademyThe Canon: 🛋️ The Bob Newhart Show S02.E17: The Modernization Of EmilyWinner & Loser: 🦍 Saturday Night LiveWinner & Loser: 🍝 Jimmy FallonGame Time: 💰 Promotional Considerations IISUPPORT 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🦋 Jessica Morgan on Bluesky✍️ Tara's Decider author page (where you can find her recaps of Love Story and James Van Der Beek tribute)👗 Go Fug Yourself🍸 The Drinks With Broads newsletter🦷 Peter Bonerz wearing the Tommy Tooth shirt📷 Photo: FX

Peacock counter-programmed the Super Bowl with a series adaptation of the 1989 horror comedy The 'Burbs. Horror expert Matt Monagle makes his EHG début to discuss whether it made a convincing case for its existence in its new format. Around The Dial stops at Shrinking S03 and the first two seasons of AMC's Interview With The Vampire. Tara explains why front-facing vertical video commercials in the style of social media ads have no business airing on TV. Sean pitches the series finale of Star Trek: The Next Generation for induction into The Canon. Then, after naming the week's Winner and Loser, we end on a non-regulation game time that's bathed in blood. Quit spying on your neighbors and listen!GUESTS👤 Matt MonagleTOPICSAnnouncement: 👚 Sarah, Subs & ShirtsLead Topic: 🏘️ The 'BurbsAround The Dial: 😶‍🌫️ ShrinkingAround The Dial: 🧛🏻 Interview With The VampireI Am Not A Crackpot: 🤳 TikTok-Style Ads Have No Place On TelevisionThe Canon: 🚀 Star Trek: The Next Generation S07.E25: All Good Things...Winner & Loser: ⚔️ Baldur's GateWinner & Loser: 🥔 Tate McRaeGame Time: 🔪 19 Questions: TV Horror EditionSUPPORT 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🦋 Matt Monagle on Bluesky📜 Resources for Haitian residents in Springfield, OH at Ohio Immigrant🧟‍♂️ Certified Forgotten📷 Photo: Elizabeth Morris / Peacock

The Muppet Show returns with a one-off episode starring Sabrina Carpenter; Muppetry expert Adam Grosswirth returns to discuss it, including whether the new version nailed the original's vibe, what makes a good Muppet guest (and whether Sabrina's got the right stuff), and how we can't believe Dolly Parton never guested on the show (...so far). Later, we went Around The Dial with The Pete Davidson Show, Ugliest House In America, and Conspiracy Theories, and Adam hoped nobody would object to his first-season L.A. Law Canon brief. Impractical Jokers won, Grant Show lost, and we dropped Muppets into primetime shows for a mash-up Game Time. It's time to get things started on an all-new Extra Hot Great!GUESTS👤 Adam GrosswirthTOPICSLead Topic: 🐸 The Muppet Show (2026)Around The Dial: 🗑️ The Pete Davidson ShowAround The Dial: 🏚️ The Ugliest House In AmericaAround The Dial: 🕵 Conspiracy TheoriesThe Canon: 🐂 L.A. Law S01.E17: Beef JerkyWinner & Loser: 🃏 Impractical JokersWinner & Loser: ❤️‍🔥 Grant ShowGame Time: 🐷 The Muppet ShowsSUPPORT 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🎙️ Hear more Muppet analysis from Adam Grosswirth on the Muppeturgy podcast🦋 Adam on Bluesky🐀 Listen to Muppet Show writer Albertina Rizzo talk about the special on the Bananas Podcast💄 Listen To Sassy Club🛖 EHG 417 on The Ugliest House In America🤪 Sarah's review of Conspiracy Theories at Best Evidence📷 Photo: Disney+

Fox's new drama Memory Of A Killer, about a hitman in denial about his serious memory loss, stars Patrick Dempsey, so naturally we had to invite Dan Cassino, one of our most dedicated Grey's Anatomy fans, to discuss whether you should add a reminder to your calendar to watch it, or immediately forget it exists. Around The Dial takes us through The Beauty, a roundup of cozy British and international mysteries including Midsomer Murders and Agatha Christie's Seven Dials (among others), and Wrestlers. Emilymae makes the case for inducting Crash Landing On You's 12th episode into The Canon. Then, after naming the week's Winner and Loser, it's on to a Non-Regulation Game Time from Dr. Cassino himself: send your mash notes to him directly, and don't forget to listen!TOPICSLead Topic: 🫥 Memory Of A KillerAround The Dial: 🧴 The BeautyAround The Dial: 🔪 Midsomer MurdersAround The Dial: 🐴 ShetlandAround The Dial: 🎛️ Agatha Christie's Seven DialsAround The Dial: 🐀 La PesteAround The Dial: 🤼 WrestlersThe Canon: 🪂 Crash Landing On You S01.E12Winner & Loser: 🐺 Jordan BelfortWinner & Loser: 🏰 Michael RapaportGame Time: 🌭 Some Bangers, All MashSUPPORT 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🦋 Dan Cassino on Bluesky🫂 Community Aid Network MN🪙 Dan's new book, Bitcoin Bros: Masculinity, Cryptocurrency, And The Future Of Men📚 "Discover Your Inner Bookworm At These Local Minneapolis Bookstores" at the official Minneapolis website🚨 Exhibit B.'s winter compendia and crimoir sale📷 Photo: Jan Thijs / FOXCLUB-ONLY NOTES🔥 EHG Club Perk Links & How-To💬 Get On Our Community Discord

The Star Trek universe goes teen drama -- and, for once, does it in the/a future instead of the pre-TOS "past." Since it's a Trek property, Andrew returned to talk about Paul Giamatti feasting on his anachronistic lines, whether the show works better as sci-fi or Space High, and where it ranks in Paramount-era Trek shows. We went Around The Dial with Ponies, Andrew's middlebrow-TV catch-up, and Shining Vale before Tara used up her djinn wishes on a What We Do In The Shadows Canon entry. Profilers won, McConaughey lost, and we prayed for guidance in a religious-network Game Time. Escape from your hidden prison planet and join us!GUESTS👤 Andrew CunninghamTOPICSLead Topic: 🧑🏽‍🏫 Star Trek: Starfleet AcademyAround The Dial: 🕵🏻‍♀️ PoniesAround The Dial: 🫱🏻‍🫲🏽 The DiplomatAround The Dial: 💪 InvincibleAround The Dial: 🧠 High PotentialAround The Dial: 👻 Shining ValeThe Canon: ⚰️ What We Do In The Shadows S04.E06: The WeddingWinner & Loser: 🔎 Ann BurgessWinner & Loser: 🍺 Matthew McConaugheyGame Time: 🙏 Thou Shalt Guess The TitleSUPPORT 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-discussion podcast, Overdue🖖 Alan Sepinwall's review of Starfleet Academy👔 Tara's Justin Theroux piece for GQ✊ Minneapolis-St. Paul mutual-aid resources🦋 Norm Charlatan on Bluesky💄 Listen To Sassy📷 Photo: Brooke Palmer / Paramount+

The Pitt returns to take viewers through another remarkably busy day in the ER at Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center. What is there to celebrate in the show's fictional Fourth of July? Heather Cocks, our S01 guest, returns to talk about it. Around The Dial takes us through a passel of recent comedy specials from George Civeris, Kumail Nanjiani, Frankie Quiñones, and Sarah Squirm (aka Sarah Sherman); Heated Rivalry creator Jacob Tierney's previous hockey show, Shoresy; and Bookish, old to Brits but new to PBS. Seth pitches a Guy Montgomery's Guy Mont-Spelling Bee for induction into The Canon. Then, after naming the week's Winner and Loser, it's on to a Non-Regulation Game Time that's beating down our door. Find a comfortable seat in chairs (ideally away from Mr. Digby and his compelling odors) and join us!GUESTS👤 Heather CocksTOPICSAnnouncement: 🫥 Sarah Is AwayLead Topic: 🏥 The PittAround The Dial: 🤪 Frankie Quiñones: Damn That's CrazyAround The Dial: 💭 Kumail Nanjiani: Night ThoughtsAround The Dial: 💨 George Civeris: A Sense Of UrgencyAround The Dial: 🤮 Sarah Squirm: Live + In The FleshAround The Dial: 🥅 ShoresyAround The Dial: 📚 BookishThe Canon: 🐝 Guy Montgomery's Guy Mont-Spelling Bee S01.E06: The Patriarchy Hasn't Let Me DownWinner & Loser: 🤠 The LowdownWinner & Loser: 🧙‍♀️ Executives at CharmedGame Time: 🚪 Knock Three TimesSUPPORT 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🕳️ Tara's review of The Pitt's S02 premiere, at GQ🏍️ “So You Noticed Dr. Robby Wasn’t Wearing A Motorcycle Helmet” at Vulture🤢 "Sarah Sherman Is Grosser Than You Think" at The New Yorker✍️ Tara's author page at GQ (new pieces coming this week!)💃 Go Fug Yourself📚 Links to buy Heather and Jessica's books🍸 Drinks With Broads👩‍💻 Guy Montgomery's Guy Mont-Spelling Bee Zoom Watch Party with Lolly Adefope, Aaron Chen, Rose Matafeo, and Paul F. Tompkins🧑‍💻 Guy Montgomery's Guy Mont-Spelling Bee Zoom Episode 4 with Ayo Edebiri, Rose Matafeo, Blair Socci, and Paul F. Tompkins📷 Photo: Warrick Page / HBO Max

For our latest game of Would You Rather?, we asked past guests, friends, and listeners to challenge us with brand-new TV-related scenarios. They came through with some of the craziest conundrums we've ever contemplated. Listen to find out how sick they, and we, actually are!TOPICSLead Topic: 🤔 Would You Rather?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

For this special episode, we're returning to the bracket format, but slimmed down for just your three co-hosts: we made up an Elite Eight of TV superheroes -- no one from the DC or Marvel universes allowed -- and argued through which deserved to go all the way. Which hero stands atop the rest of our selected comers? Listen and learn!TOPICSLead Topic: 🦸🏻 The TV Superhero BracketSUPPORT 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🦅 Jonathan Chase from Manimal🐆 Manimal's opening credits⏳ Dan Vasser from Journeyman🕰️ Journeyman on Wikipedia📏 Cootie from I'm A Virgo👨‍🚀 Steve Austin from The Six Million Dollar Man🃏 Charlie Cale from Poker Face🚗 Brett Matthews from Turbo Teen🤺 Samurai Jack📠 Awesome-X from Frisky Dingo

We are off this week for EHG Prime but present you with this EHG Club unlock of EEHG 330: Gone Fishing With JohnWe aren't sure about J M Buffy's reasons for forcening us to watch early-nineties cult show Fishing With John, but we mostly liked the surrealist slow-TV vibes we got from musician/actor John Lurie's rando travelogue. Ask EHG went deep on Ken Marino's Emmy reel, snacking cereals, and a Sean Bean reboot of Mr. Bean before Dave pitched a CSI cold open for the Tiny Canon. We made Not Quite Top 11 Lists about TV fish, cartoons, and holiday title puns, and wrapped (geddit??) things up with an Extra Credit Game Time from Sarah Claus. Dry off your mittens and have a listen!TOPICS15s Of Fame: 😮 Do Doo Do Doo DoForcening Pool: 🎣 Fishing With John S01.E04: Willem DafoeAsk EHG: 💉 TV TattoosTiny Canon: 🐀 C.S.I. S02.E23: The Hunger ArtistNot Quite Top 11: 🌺 Inappropriate Movies You Most Want To See Made Into A Mortal Kombat/Toxic Avenger/Beetlejuice Style 90s Saturday Morning CartoonNot Quite Top 11: 🎄 Shows We're Relieved Never One-Off Changed Their Titles For Christmas EpisodesNot Quite Top 11: 🐟 TV FishGame Time: 🎅🏻 Merry QuizmasMini: ❄️ Making Our Hallmark (Dec 2016)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🎣 Fishing With John S01.E04: Willem Dafoe🔥 "To Build A Fire" by Jack London🐀 CSI S02.E23: The Hunger Artist on Hulu📷 Photo: HBO

For this special episode, we ponder three Canon pitches from listeners like you. Did we give The West Wing's "Evidence Of Things Not Seen" a standing ovation like a trip of eggs on the vernal equinox? Were we forced to tell Would I Lie To You?'s S06.E06 some hard truths? Will we all soon be putting out our shoes to receive blueberry muffins thanks to A.P. Bio's "Katie Holmes Day"? Listen to find out. TOPICS The Canon: 🥚 The West Wing S04.E20: Evidence Of Things Not Seen The Canon: 🍎 Would I Lie To You S06.E06 The Canon: 🫐 A.P. Bio S04.E08: Katie Holmes Day 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 😎 Again With Again With This 179: Let's Watch The A.P. Bio Episode "Katie Holmes Day"! [membership required] 🪜 "'A.P. Bio's Glenn Howerton And Mike O'Brien Discuss The Brilliant Absurdity Of Season 3's 'Katie Holmes Day'" at Decider