This week Andrew watches the first episode of Netflix's Kantaro: The Sweet Tooth Salaryman, a deeply weird Japanese show about a dude who gets horny for traditional Japanese sweets. Then we get serious and talk about the ongoing situation between the WGA and Hollywood agents, agents who may or may not be profiting too much off of the efforts of writers.

SHOW NOTES: Kantaro: The Sweet Tooth Salaryman: https://www.netflix.com/title/80175348

The WGA's fight with Hollywood Agencies, Explained: https://www.vulture.com/2019/03/wga-hollywood-agents-packaging-explained.html

How Hollywood Writers Feel About Leaving Their Agents: https://www.vulture.com/2019/04/wga-writers-on-leaving-their-agents-8-weigh-in.html

Margaret updates us on some new offerings in the Cozy Mystery category, including a review of the new spin-off of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries and a brand-new Acorn series about mystery writers who, naturally, solve mysteries.

Then, we attempt to break down what is going on with the new Apple TV streaming service, including such important questions as: what does it cost? When will it be available? What will be on it? Will it be any good? (Spoiler: We have answers to almost none of those questions.)

This week we hit all the HOT news about the long-canceled TV show Bones, and then we wrap up our TV Book Club about the first season of HBO's Deadwood (a show that we will, in all probability, revisit).

SHOW NOTES:

Bones! https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/fox-rocked-by-179-million-bones-ruling-lying-cheating-reprehensible-studio-fraud-1190346

Deadwood! https://www.hbo.com/deadwood

There is also a second segment to this episode, in which Andrew, Margaret and Kathryn all pitch imaginary TV shows about good journalism, and as per usual Margaret has an eerie number of truly fantastic TV ideas. But the main event here is that a patron forced Andrew to watch a truly awful TV show called Do No Harm aka Dr Facehands, and it was magnificent.

It's all Deadwood again this week, as we continue our latest TV Book Club. And stay tuned til the end of the show for a Very Special Announcement.

SHOW NOTES:

Deadwood: https://www.hbo.com/deadwood

Kathryn Loves Deadwood And Has Thought Pretty Hard About It: https://twitter.com/kvanaren/status/1097342752524767234

Malcolm In The Middle for some reason?: https://www.hulu.com/series/malcolm-in-the-middle-ca1ac46e-9883-4125-a6e8-97efce9a2bf5?dl=false

Is a picture of Natasha Lyonne holding a raw chicken the best way to sell you on watching Russian Doll? Netflix thought that's what would get Kathryn! We discuss the way Netflix personalizes its menus in order to hack your brain, and how creepy it is when brands act like people. Then we turn to a bigger discussion of Russian Doll, and how much we love it, and how it bears a resemblance to several other recent shows.

This week it's all-Deadwood all the time. The show really starts coming into its own in these episodes, murdering its best-known historical figure and building out characters and just cussing until there are no more cusses to cuss.

SHOW NOTES:

Watch Deadwood dangit!! https://www.hbo.com/deadwood

In this week's episode we SAY that we're going to keep Kathryn from simply reciting every episode of Deadwood in its entirety, but we don't do a very good job. Kathryn also makes some more recommendations for loyal listeners.

SHOW NOTES

CBS's new… Frankenstein show???? https://ew.com/tv/2019/01/31/cbs-frankenstein-pilot/ Durrells in Corfu: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/shows/the-durrells-in-corfu/ Schitt's Creek: https://www.netflix.com/title/80036165 Younger: https://www.paramountnetwork.com/shows/younger Acorn TV: https://acorn.tv/ Catastrope: https://www.amazon.com/Catastrophe-Season-1/dp/B00X8UKOUK Deadwood: https://www.hbo.com/deadwood Seth Bullock, Real Boy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seth_Bullock Sol Star, Real Boy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sol_Star Al Swearengen, Real Boy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Swearengen

We chat about some recommendations for friendly life-affirming reality shows, courtesy of our patron Kirk. But then we turn to an even *more* life-affirming reality show - something called Forged in Fire: Knife or Death. Everyone giggles an almost unbearable amount. (On the podcast, that is. People on Forged in Fire are very, very serious.) You would not believe how hard it is to cut through a giant hanging fish.

This week, Andrew gets to a request from one of our patrons and watches the pilot of Netflix's Travelers. Then, we chat about some listener-submitted ideas for Bandersnatch-style narrative adventures, and then Andrew is pleasantly surprised by Star Trek Discovery Season 2.

SHOW NOTES

McKenzie & Co, from the golden age of CD-ROM games: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McKenzie_%26_Co Netflix's Travelers: https://www.netflix.com/title/80105699 Choose Your Own Adventure books, mapped: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/cyoa-choose-your-own-adventure-maps Bootyspank was hard to make: https://www.vulture.com/2019/01/how-black-mirror-bandersnatch-was-made.html Extra Hot Great: http://previously.tv/shows/extra-hot-great/ Anson Mount is Hot Mitt Romney: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anson_Mount Discovery S2: https://www.cbs.com/shows/star-trek-discovery/