Primetimer's Mark Blankenship returns to his eponymous chair to talk about Dear Edward, an adaptation of a 2020 book that most of the panel found manipulative and stilted -- but others thought was moving and sweet. Does the show's success depend on what mood you're in when you sit down to watch? Why can't writers' rooms get middle-grade children's dialogue right? And how's Connie Britton's hair? After addressing these critical questions, we went Around The Dial with Not Dead Yet, Ghosts, and Buntsy's Cheers and Frasierrewatches. We took a quick break from the extended Crane-verse to hear Tomke out on why Bake Off hosts have lost their authority; then Sarah hoped to send the eighth season of Cheers out on a high note with her Canon presentation of the finale. Triplets won, TV news lost, and a Non-Regulation Game Time. Return your eye tables to the up-rolled position: it's an all-new Extra Hot Great!

GUESTS

👤 Mark Blankenship

TOPICS

Lead Topic: ✈️ Dear Edward

Around The Dial: 🪦 Not Dead Yet

Around The Dial: 👻 Ghosts (2021)

Around The Dial: 🍻 Cheers

Around The Dial: 🛋️ Frasier

I Am Not A Crackpot: 🥮 GBBO Judges

The Canon: 🍻 Cheers S08.E26 + E27: Cry Hard + Cry Harder

Winner & Loser: 👍 Three Identical Strangers

Winner & Loser: 👎 Network News Creeps

Game Time: 🎶 Tube Tunes XII

NOTES

🗒 Full episode notes can be found on the episode 445 page on ExtraHotGreat.com

🐦 Mark Blankenship on Twitter

🎵 Mark at The Lost Songs Project

🛩️ Linda Holmes's review of Dear Edward at NPR

🍆 Tara's Pamela Ribon interview at GQ.com

🎶 Mark And Sarah Talk About Songs on Patreon

📷 Photo: Apple TV+

Peacock's latest original series is a Rian Johnson-created Columbo-esque "case of the week" procedural starring a fugitive cocktail waitress/human lie detector played by Natasha Lyonne; Rolling Stone Chief TV Critic Alan Sepinwall returns to discuss it (and bring with him all his coverage from the magazine)! Around The Dial takes us through the start of a new season of Married At First Sight (yes, already), plus Shrinking, Russian Doll, Lockwood & Co., and a new season of 9-1-1: Lone Star. Jeff argues that he is NOT a crackpot for thinking so-called "bottle episodes" are wildly overpraised. Laura presents the Better Call Saul episode "Something Stupid" for induction into The Canon. Then, after naming the week's Winner and Loser, we've got a lot of questions in Game Time. Sync the Bluetooth in your classic Barracuda and listen!

GUESTS

👤 Alan Sepinwall

TOPICS

Lead Topic: 🃏 Poker Face

Around The Dial: 👰‍♀️ Married At First Sight

Around The Dial: 🧠 Shrinking

Around The Dial: 🪆 Russian Doll

Around The Dial: 👻 Lockwood & Co.

Around The Dial: 👨‍🚒 9-1-1: Lone Star

I Am Not A Crackpot: 🍾 Bottle episodes

The Canon: ⚖️ Better Call Saul S04.E07: Something Stupid

Winner & Loser: 👍 Carol Burnett

Winner & Loser: 👎 Judy Greer

Game Time: 🤷‍♀️ 19 Questions

NOTES

🗒 Full episode notes can be found on the episode 444 page on ExtraHotGreat.com

🐦 Alan Sepinwall on Twitter

🪨 Alan's Poker Face feature at RollingStone.com

🔪 Alan's Rian Johnson Q&A

🕶️ Alan's Natasha Lyonne Q&A

⭐️ Alan's Poker Face review

🛋️ Tara on pop culture therapists at VanityFair.com

🐘 Alan on Mastodon

✍️ Alan's author page at RollingStone.com

📰 Alan's free newsletter

🛣️ Elizabeth Ashley's Actress: Postcards From The Road on GoodReads.com

🎶 The Record Of The Year showdown at Mark And Sarah Talk About Songs

🍾 "It's Time For A Departure From 'Bottle Episode'" by Kathryn VanArendonk at Vulture

📷 Photo: Peacock

Nine Extra Hot Great listeners who do know how to tell time, unlike some people, compete in a special all-Game Time episode! We test their knowledge of TV MacGuffins, TV vampires, and TV weddings; then the winner of each game progresses on to the finals, in which they show off how much they know about shows that changed their theme songs. Find out which Valued Guest is the most Valued in this very special episode!

TOPICS

Game Time: 🏺 MacGuffins

Game Time: 🧛🏻‍♂️ Blah!

Game Time: 💍 I Do, I Do, I Do, I Don't

Game Time: 🎶 Change That Tune

NOTES

🗒 Full episode notes can be found on the episode 443 page on ExtraHotGreat.com

Chernobyl's Craig Mazin has teamed with Neil Druckman, creator of the video game The Last Of Us, to adapt said game as a post-apocalyptic drama series; Omar Gallaga is here to discuss the series premiere! Around The Dial takes us through MILF Manor (a real show, not a 30 Rock gag); Alice In Borderland, a whole pile of Nordic crime dramas, and the British true crime period piece Stonehouse. Omar pitches South Side's S01.E03: Turner Buys A Building, for induction into the Canon. Then after naming the week's Winner and Loser, it's on to a Non-Regulation Game Time that stays too long at the party. Put your car battery somewhere safe and join us!

GUESTS

👤 Omar Gallaga

TOPICS

Lead Topic: 🧟‍♂️ The Last Of Us

Around The Dial: 👩 MILF Manor

Around The Dial: 🎩 Alice In Borderland

Around The Dial: ❄️ Nordic Noirs

Around The Dial: 💷 Stonehouse

The Canon: 💨 South Side S01.E03: Turner Buys A Building

Winner & Loser: 👍 Morgan Freeman

Winner & Loser: 👎 Chelsea Handler

Game Time: 👋 The Last Of Them

NOTES

🗒 Full episode notes can be found on the episode 442 page on ExtraHotGreat.com

🐦 Omar Gallaga on Twitter

🧟‍♂️ Omar's The Last Of Us premiere review at BookAndFilmGlobe.com

🌹 Tara's spring 2023 TV preview at GQ.com

📷 Photo: Liane Hentscher / HBO

Anne Rice source material is back on TV, and Best Evidence's Eve Batey is back to talk about Mayfair Witches, the latest Rice IP to hit the small screen. Listen and find out whether anyone on the panel is going to keep watching, how realistic an Alexandra D'Addario neurosurgeon is, why Interview With The Vampire works better than this one, and when to stop reading Rice. We also went Around The Dial with Harry & Meghan, Slow Horses, The Circle, and "randomized" show Kaleidoscope, before Mlle. Caroline urged us to bet on Supernatural for the Nonac. Abbott Elementary won, various Housewives lost, and Rob Hartmann scrambled our brains with Game Time. Grab your thickest blue gel: it's an all-new Extra Hot Great.

GUESTS

👤 Eve Batey

TOPICS

Lead Topic: 🧹 Mayfair Witches

Around The Dial: 👑 Harry & Meghan

Around The Dial: 🐴 Slow Horses

Around The Dial: ⭕️ The Circle

Around The Dial: 🌈 Kaleidoscope

The Nonac: 🎱 Supernatural S15.E11: The Gamblers

Winner & Loser: 👍 Abbott Elementary

Winner & Loser: 👎 Buncha Housewives

Game Time: 🐣 Chicken Or Egg?

NOTES

🗒 Full episode notes can be found on the episode 441 page on ExtraHotGreat.com

👕 The EHG store is at ThroughMethods.com

🏢 Stay with Eve Batey in Indianapolis

🛍️ Visit Eve's store, Avenues Dry Goods

📚 Salon digs into Anne Rice's journals

📉 Prince Harry's crap ratings on 60 Minutes

🤣 Tara's list of 2022's funniest shows at Cracked

👴🏻 Gary Oldman's "dark past"

🔀 “What’s The Best Way To Watch Randomized Heist Series Kaleidoscope?” at Vulture

🌈 Eve on Kaleidoscope's "true story" clickbait strat

🎶 Mark And Sarah Talk About Songs

👩‍🏫 The Abbott Elementary / Donors Choose crossover event

📷 Photo: AMC

It's a mini Television Without Pity reunion as the gang and former recappers Dan Rogge (DJB), John Ramos (Couch Baron), Kim Reed (Kim), and Joe Reid (Joe R) play Mullendash -- a game invented and played at the TWoP annual summits of yore. Take the game Balderdash and replace the cards with items from Jim Mullen's Hot Sheet from the pages of Entertainment Weekly. The set up to a Hot Sheet "joke" is read and players must create their own punchline in that particularly confounding Mullen style in an attempt to fool the others that they are The Mullen. It's a game full of WTF, shame and pretzeltine mental gymnastics!

To ring in 2023, Tara has crafted a very special non-regulation game time. Refill your champagne and find someone to kiss! Or just listen in the normal way.

EEHG 156: The 12 Shows Of ChristmasWe’ll all getting our asses ready for some serious not-moving-off-the-couch action over the holidays. So here are 12 shows from each of us that we think are worth your time.

EEHG 158: What Made Your Christmas Crappy?If you’re a TV character approaching a holiday, one thing is certain: something is going to happen that will make it SUCK. But how well do Dave and Sarah remember what things sucked on which shows? Tara tests their knowledge in this festive Non-Regulation Game Time episode!