Beyond the Lens (with Eric, Rico and PJ)

Blu-rays, and lost scenes, and leaks.  Oh my!  At long last, we’re returning to the series on “updates” to topics covered last season.  Both Eric AND PJ may be MIA for this episode, but Rico is not alone here.  Zoey Wyeld (Wild Zoey Appears) joins this podcast as a special guest for the first of … Continue reading Season 2, Episode 9: The Magic (Railroad) is Restored! Part 1 (ft. Zoey Wyeld) →

After an unexpected holiday hiatus, Beyond the Lens is back!  And this time, you get the best of both worlds, as Rico and PJ take a look at the hit Disney Channel Original Series Hannah Montana.  PJ explains what desire she shares with Miley Stewart, while Rico (the co-host) laments at how dissimilar he is … Continue reading Season 2, Episode 8: Hannah Montana →

“You’re late!  2 weeks late,” yelled the grumpy caretaker known as Victor.  In our second and belated Halloween episode, Rico and PJ uncover what lies beneath a very underrated Nickelodeon show: House of Anubis.  From its Dutch roots to how season 3 felt rushed, the duo explores what this show has to offer.  Rico offers … Continue reading Season 2, Episode 7: House of Belated / House of Halloween →

It’s that wonderful time of the year when children all around the globe write letters to the magical being that gifts toys to all the good boys and girls… The Great Pumpkin!?!?  Due to unforeseen circumstances, the second installment in the update series is delayed indefinitely to make room for more Beyond the Lens episodes.  … Continue reading Season 2, Episode 6: It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! →

Okay, Beyond the Lens team.  Let’s rewind once again.  As a new mini-series kicks off, dedicated to following up on topics talked about last season, Rico and PJ have “come together” to discuss the Ghostwriter reboot that has materialized on Apple TV+.  Produced by Sinking Ship Entertainment and Sesame Workshop, this new version of Ghostwriter … Continue reading Season 2, Episode 5: Ghostwriter… Word! (Part 2) →

In a Beyond the Lens first, Rico and PJ BOTH pick a show that took the internet by storm: iCarly!  PJ (who hosts the episode) discusses how the show influenced her childhood, the real (but now defunct) iCarly.com website, as well as the woes of yet another show set in her hometown (Seattle) that wasn’t … Continue reading Season 2, Episode 4: iCarly →

In this episode, PJ and Rico go to the Tri-State Area to explore the world of two step-brothers making the most of their 104 days of summer vacation. The duo discusses the difficulties creators faced getting the show off the ground. PJ mentions how the show’s format and running gags helped her relate and connect … Continue reading Season 2, Episode 3: Phineas and Ferb →

What if 7 kids singing a zipcode turned into 6 kids on a game show hosted by an animated dog?  Beyond the Lens returns to the realm of WGBH Boston to discuss FETCH! with Ruff Ruffman, part-spinoff of Zoom (subject of our very first episode), part-spoof of mid-2000s Reality TV trends.  Rico talks about the … Continue reading Season 2, Episode 2: FETCH! with Ruff Ruffman →

Welcome back, neighbors!  No, this isn’t make-believe.  After a long, unexpected, and unplanned hiatus, we return with a new season (with Eric being MIA this go around) and a new episode about all things Fred Rogers: From his show Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood to the recent spinoff in his memory, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood.  PJ and Rico recall the moments they found out … Continue reading Season 2, Episode 1: A Beautiful Day (to Return to) the Neighborhood →

Can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street? Pre-empting the Mr. Rogers’ episode to next time, we move on to PJ’s pick of Sesame Street. As the show celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, PJ and Rico discuss the iconic children’s show featuring both live-action actors and Muppets like Big Bird, Elmo, Grover, Oscar, and more recently, Julia, the first autistic muppet on Sesame Street. As both Rico and PJ are autistic, they discuss their thoughts on autism representation on the show through Julia, as well as many other points, such as various movies, the recent move to HBO, and even the episode from the 70s after the death of Mr. Hooper. This special episode of Beyond the Lens is brought to you by the letter P (for Podcast) and the number 15! (Please note the intro is from an outtake of an earlier Christmas episode, which is why Eric is heard. Eric was unavailable for this episode due to scheduling difficulties.)