Culture Gabfest

By Slate Podcasts

Arts TV & Film

What's Culture Gabfest about?

New York Times critic Dwight Garner says “The Slate Culture Gabfest is one of the highlights of my week.” The award-winning Culturefest features critics Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and Julia Turner debating the week in culture, from highbrow to pop. For more of Slate’s culture podcasts, check out the Slate Culture feed.

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LAST EPISODE

A Haunting in Venice Kicks ...

09.20.2023

This week, Stephen and Dana are joined by long-time friend of the pod and co-host of Slate’s Working podcast, June Thomas. The panel begins by puzzling over the return of Kenneth Branagh’s Hercule Poirot in A Haunting in Venice, the ...

Culture Gabfest episodes:

09.20.2023 A Haunting in Venice Kicks Off Spooky Season This week, Stephen and Dana are joined by long-time friend of the pod and co-host of Slate’s Working podcast, June Thomas. The panel begins by puzzling over the return of Kenneth Branagh’s Hercule Poirot in A Haunting in Venice, the ...
09.13.2023 Is Rotten Tomatoes Certified Rotten? This week, Stephen and Dana are joined by guest host Kat Chow, journalist and author of the 2021 memoir Seeing Ghosts. The panel begins by wading through HELL, Chris Fleming’s new hour-long comedy special that’s both puzzling and delightfully goofy. ...
09.06.2023 Bottoms Queers the High School Comedy This week, the panel jumps into Bottoms, the chaotic second feature from director and co-writer Emma Seligman that satirizes… something (what that thing is, they have yet to discover). They then discuss Telemarketers, a Michael Moore-style documentary that exposes the ...
08.30.2023 Gran Turismo is Cynical and Glorious This week, Julia is joined by Slate associate culture writer Nadira Goffe and Jamelle Bouie, opinion columnist at The New York Times. The panel begins by test driving Gran Turismo, a sports movie that is essentially a Playstation commercial based ...
08.23.2023 Passages Is Not For the Prudes This week, Dana is joined by Slate’s books and culture columnist, Laura Miller, and senior editor Rebecca Onion (who are filling in for Julia and Stephen). The panel begins by unraveling Passages, the sexy but also, at times, repelling feature ...
08.16.2023 Ninja Turtle...Masterpiece? This week, the panel begins by dissecting Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, a zany piece of intellectual property that’s been taken off the shelf by Jeff Rowe, Seth Rogan, and a slew of animators and turned into a critical ...
08.09.2023 Summer Strut 2023 This week, the panel is joined by pop critic and chart analyst (and host of Slate’s Hit Parade podcast) Chris Molanphy for our annual Summer Strut episode. The four dive into the longest listener-suggested summer playlist to date (this year, ...
08.02.2023 Theater Camp Breaks a Leg This week, the panel begins by diving into Theater Camp, a mockumentary-style comedy about gloriously talented misfits. Then, they pay tribute to Sinéad O’Connor, the dearly missed Irish singer, songwriter, and activist whose 1992 performance on Saturday Night Live rocked ...
07.26.2023 Barbenheimer Blockbuster Bonanza This week, the panel begins by examining Barbie, Greta Gerwig’s hot pink, record-breaking movie about the iconic Mattel doll. Then, the trio dives into Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, which chronicles the life of the “Father of the Atomic Bomb,” and explores ...
07.19.2023 Tom Cruises Off a Cliff This week, Slate culture writer Nadira Goffe fills in for Julia. The panel begins by discussing Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One, Tom Cruise’s latest romp against rogue A.I. Then, the trio review Wham!, a bittersweet and perhaps hollow ...
07.12.2023 A Raunchy Joy Ride This week, Slate writer and editor Dan Kois fills in for Julia. The panel begins by breaking down Joy Ride, Adele Lim’s raunchy first feature about four Chinese-American friends. Then, the panel dives into the second season of the reality ...
07.05.2023 Indiana Jones and the Lady From Fleabag This week, the panel begins by examining the final Indiana Jones crusade (probably), Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny. Then, they debate Boots Riley’s daring new television show, I’m a Virgo. Finally, the trio considers Turner Classic Movies and ...
06.28.2023 The Bear's Second Course This week, the panel begins with the question: is The Bear’s second season even better than its first? Then, the trio discusses Jennifer Lawrence’s new “sex” comedy, No Hard Feelings. Finally, they examine an essay by Jonah Weiner of Blackbird ...
06.21.2023 Black Mirror Shows Netflix Its Ugly Reflection This week, Dana Stevens is joined first by Slate senior editor Sam Adams and ICYMI co-host Candice Lim to examine Wes Anderson’s latest film, Asteroid City. Then, the trio discusses why the sixth season of Black Mirror feels so disjointed. ...
06.14.2023 Closed Captions: On or Off? This week, the panel is first joined by Slate senior editor Sam Adams to review Past Lives, Celine Song’s gentle yet affecting directorial debut. Then, Dana and Stephen dive into The Ultimatum: Queer Love with Slate’s June Thomas. Finally, the ...
06.07.2023 The Spider-Verse Proliferates This week, the panel begins by unraveling Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Then, the three discuss Platonic, a new Apple TV+ show starring Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen. Finally, they are joined by Slate staff writer Luke Winkie to examine the ...
05.31.2023 Did the Succession Finale Succeed? This week, the panel begins by dissecting (and spoiling) the Succession finale. Then, the three discuss You Hurt My Feelings, a great new comedy by writer/director Nicole Holofcener starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Finally, they examine the Obama’s Netflix docuseries Working: What ...
05.24.2023 Sanctuary Is No Fifty Shades of Grey This week, Slate’s senior editor Rebecca Onion fills in for Julia. The panel begins by examining Sanctuary, a claustrophobic BDSM thriller starring Margaret Qualley and Christopher Abbott. Then, they debate Freevee’s hard-to-define “reality” series Jury Duty. Finally, Dana and Stephen ...
05.17.2023 How the BlackBerry Got Squashed This week, Dana, Julia, and Stephen start by talking about the movie BlackBerry. Then they discuss the new Peacock series Bupkis. Finally, Slate’s Isaac Butler sits in to talk about the questions around Shakespeare’s identity that refuse to die. In ...
05.10.2023 Dead Ringers' Gynecological Horror This week, Dana, Julia, and Stephen begin by talking about the new Amazon series, Dead Ringers. Then the L.A. Times’ Anousha Sakoui joins to discuss the WGA strike. Finally, Slate’s Dan Kois sits in to talk about the writing and ...
05.03.2023 Judy Blume Blooms Again This week, Dana, Julia, and Stephen begin by talking about the new Netflix series “The Diplomat.” Then Slate’s Heather Schwedel joins them to discuss the adaptation of Judy Blume’s Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. Finally, they chat about ...
04.26.2023 The Mario Movie's Star Power This week, host Julia Tuner is joined by guest-hosts Jamelle Bouie and Nadira Goffe. In the first segment, they discuss The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which currently tops the box office and stars Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, and numerous other ...
04.19.2023 Beau is Afraid and Ari Aster is Unwell This week, Slate’s Sam Adams joins Dana and Stephen to talk about auteur Ari Aster’s newest film, Beau is Afraid. Then they discuss the new Hulu limited series, Tiny Beautiful Things. Finally, they chat about the state of the music ...
04.12.2023 Nike Gets Its Biopic This week, Slate’s Rebecca Onion joins Julia and Stephen to talk about the Nike shoe story, Air. Then they discuss the new Netflix series Beef. Finally, Slate’s Carl Wilson joins to chat about the first full album by supergroup Boygenius. ...
04.05.2023 Dungeons, Dragons, and Depressed College Professors This week, Slate’s own Nadira Goffe and Working co-host Isaac Butler join Dana to talk about Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. Then they discuss the new AMC series starring Bob Odenkirk, Lucky Hank. Finally, Slate’s Dan Kois joins to ...
03.29.2023 John Wick Whacks the Box Office This week, Slate’s own Nadira Goffe joins Dana and Stephen as they begin by talking about John Wick 4. Then they discuss a new streaming series about fandom gone too far called Swarm. Finally, they chat about why classical music ...
03.22.2023 Daisy Jones and the Fictional Fleetwood Mac This week, Dana, Julia, and Stephen begin by talking about Daisy Jones & the Six. Then they discuss the new film Palm Trees and Power Lines. Finally, writer Dan Charnas joins to chat about why it is time to finally ...
03.15.2023 The Oscars Are Back, Baby! This week, Dana, Julia, and Stephen start by discussing the wins and losses of Oscar night. Then, they’re joined by Slate’s Sam Adams to talk about his recent piece, “Peak TV Is Over. Welcome to Trough TV,” and the current ...
03.08.2023 Creed III Delivers a Box Office Haymaker This week, Dana, Julia, and Stephen begin by talking about Creed III. Then they chat about the Oscar-nominated animated short My Year of Dicks. Finally, a conversation about the history of the Oscars and their relevancy. In Slate Plus, the ...
03.01.2023 Party Down Parties Again This week, Dana, Julia, and Stephen begin by talking about the return of the Starz comedy Party Down. Then they discuss Andrea Riseborough’s Oscar-nominated performance in To Leslie. Finally, NPR’s Aisha Harris joins to chat about the newest entries to ...
02.22.2023 Marc Maron's Grouchy Grief This week, Dana and Stephen are joined by Jamelle Bouie, and they start by discussing Marc Maron’s new HBO comedy special From Bleak to Dark. Then they review the Oscar-nominated Polish film EO. Then, Slate writer Dan Kois joins to ...
02.15.2023 Rihanna's Big Super Bowl Surprise This week, Dana, Julia, and Stephen start by talking about Rihanna’s Super Bowl Halftime performance with Slate’s Nadira Goffe. Then they discuss the new mockumentary series Cunk on Earth. Finally, they chat about Oscar-nominated documentary All That Breathes. In Slate ...
02.11.2023 Sponsored: How Can Taking Risks Help Us Become Better Leaders? In this episode of The Relentless, host Kristen Meinzer is joined by, not one, but two fearless Michelles who know that to be a successful leader, you need to take risks and have a strong support system. First, she speaks ...
02.08.2023 Is Shrinking the Next Ted Lasso? This week, Dana, Julia, and Stephen start by talking about the new AppleTV+ series Shrinking. Then they discuss the Oscar-nominated film Triangle of Sadness. Finally, they chat about modern etiquette, inspired by The Cut’s piece on the topic. In Slate ...
02.01.2023 Natasha Lyonne's Poker Face This week, Dana, Julia, and Stephen start by talking about Natasha Lyonne’s modern take on Columbo, aka the new Peacock series Poker Face. Then they discuss Netflix’s Oscar-nominated All Quiet On The Western Front. Finally, the chat about the changed ...
01.25.2023 Women Are Talking, But Is the Academy Listening? This week, Dana, Julia, and Stephen start by discussing the film, Women Talking. Then they chat about the new U.K. import Traitors with Slate’s own Carl Wilson. Finally, they finish by talking ChatGPT and the coming of AI chatbots. In ...
01.18.2023 Can a Video Game Really Be Turned Into a TV Show? This week, Dana and Julia are joined by Slate writer Dan Kois. They start by discussing HBO’s new series, The Last of Us, a video game adaptation with culture editor and writer at The New Yorker, Alex Barasch. Then they ...
01.11.2023 M3GAN Goes to Camp This week, Dana, Julia, and Stephen begin by reviewing the very buzzy horror comedy M3GAN. Then the panel dives into Slate’s annual movie club. Finally, L.A. Times columnist Carolina A. Miranda joins to talk about her article on how TikTok ...
01.04.2023 New Year's Call-In Show This week, Dana, Julia, and Stephen bring you their yearly call-in episode where they answer questions from Culture Gabfest listeners. In Slate Plus, the panel answers one final question from a listener named James. Email us at [email protected]. Podcast production ...
12.28.2022 Inside the Making of Fleishman is in Trouble This week, we're taking a break from our usual programming to bring you a great episode of Slate's "Working" podcast. In it, host June Thomas talks to author Taffy Brodesser-Akner, who recently adapted her novel Fleishman is in Trouble into ...
12.21.2022 Avatar: Glorious or Racist Schlock? This week, Dana, Julia, and Stephen get started by discussing Avatar: The Way of Water. Then they discuss the new Netflix documentary series Harry & Meghan. Finally, they finish by talking about the new Lensa AI art app and all ...
12.14.2022 Addams Family Outcast This week, Isaac Butler and Dan Kois fill in for Stephen and Dana, joining to chat about Netflix’s new series, Wednesday. Then, they talk about the documentary, All the Beauty and the Bloodshed. Finally, they discuss what our Spotify Wrapped ...
12.07.2022 Is Spirited a Holiday Triumph or a Tap-Dancing Disaster? This week, the Gabfest team starts by discussing Spirited, the new AppleTV+ musical comedy starring Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell. Then, they talk about comedian Matt Rogers’ new Showtime special, Have You Heard of Christmas?. Finally, a chat about the ...
11.30.2022 Raiders of the Lost Childhood This week, Sam Adam sits in for Julia as the panel begins by reviewing Steven Spielberg’s new semi-autobiographical film, The Fablemans. Then, a discussion about the Hulu limited series Welcome to Chippendales. Finally, a chat about Ticketmaster. In Slate Plus, ...
11.23.2022 She Said, He Said This week, Jamelle Bouie sits in for Dana as the panel begins by reviewing She Said, the new film about investigating the Harvey Weinstein story. Then, a discussion about the Hulu limited series Fleishman is in Trouble. Finally, they chat ...
11.16.2022 Is Wakanda Forever? This week, Nadira Goffe sits in for Julia as the panel begins by reviewing the Black Panther sequel, Wakanda Forever. Then, a discussion about the Selena Gomez documentary, My Mind & Me. Finally, they chat about Gen Z’s impact on ...
11.12.2022 Sponsored: How Can We Build a Support System That Helps Us Push Past Fear and Find Success? In this episode of The Relentless, we look at how the people we surround ourselves with can help us move fearlessly on the road to success. Host Kristen Meinzer is joined by two inspiring guests who know that turning visions ...
11.09.2022 Explain Crypto to Me Like I'm a Golden Retriever This week, the panel begins by reviewing the Weird Al biopic, Weird. Then, a discussion about the entire run of Derry Girls. Finally, Matt Levine joins to explain crypto. In Slate Plus, the panel takes on a listener question and ...
11.02.2022 Will Elon Musk Ruin Twitter? This week, the panel begins by talking about Elon Musk taking over Twitter. Then, a discussion about the new film Aftersun. Finally, Angelica Jade Bastién joins to talk about her recent article about Brangelina. In Slate Plus, the panel takes ...
10.26.2022 Two Severed Thumbs Up This week, the panel begins by discussing the new Martin McDonagh dramedy, The Banshees of Inisherin. Then, they look at composer Michael Giacchino's foray into directing with Werewolf by Night on Disney+. Finally, they reflect on the generational divide over ...

Older episodes

Culture Gabfest

What's Culture Gabfest about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Culture Gabfest episodes:

A Haunting in Venice Kicks Off Spooky Season

Is Rotten Tomatoes Certified Rotten?

Bottoms Queers the High School Comedy

Gran Turismo is Cynical and Glorious

Passages Is Not For the Prudes

Ninja Turtle...Masterpiece?

Summer Strut 2023

Theater Camp Breaks a Leg

Barbenheimer Blockbuster Bonanza

Tom Cruises Off a Cliff

A Raunchy Joy Ride

Indiana Jones and the Lady From Fleabag

The Bear's Second Course

Black Mirror Shows Netflix Its Ugly Reflection

Closed Captions: On or Off?

The Spider-Verse Proliferates

Did the Succession Finale Succeed?

Sanctuary Is No Fifty Shades of Grey

How the BlackBerry Got Squashed

Dead Ringers' Gynecological Horror

Judy Blume Blooms Again

The Mario Movie's Star Power

Beau is Afraid and Ari Aster is Unwell

Nike Gets Its Biopic

Dungeons, Dragons, and Depressed College Professors

John Wick Whacks the Box Office

Daisy Jones and the Fictional Fleetwood Mac

The Oscars Are Back, Baby!

Creed III Delivers a Box Office Haymaker

Party Down Parties Again

Marc Maron's Grouchy Grief

Rihanna's Big Super Bowl Surprise

Sponsored: How Can Taking Risks Help Us Become Better Leaders?

Is Shrinking the Next Ted Lasso?

Natasha Lyonne's Poker Face

Women Are Talking, But Is the Academy Listening?

Can a Video Game Really Be Turned Into a TV Show?

M3GAN Goes to Camp

New Year's Call-In Show

Inside the Making of Fleishman is in Trouble

Avatar: Glorious or Racist Schlock?

Addams Family Outcast

Is Spirited a Holiday Triumph or a Tap-Dancing Disaster?

Raiders of the Lost Childhood

She Said, He Said

Is Wakanda Forever?

Sponsored: How Can We Build a Support System That Helps Us Push Past Fear and Find Success?

Explain Crypto to Me Like I'm a Golden Retriever

Will Elon Musk Ruin Twitter?

Two Severed Thumbs Up