Extra Hot Great: This Week In TV

HBO’s getting in the superhero game with Lanterns, a take on a DC Comics superhero with theories about aliens, and lore expert Kate Sánchez returns to walk us through why John Stewart is an interesting apprentice, what she’d do with glowing-ring powers, and whether we buy Coach Taylor in this role. We went Around The Dial with The Dink, Hard Knocks, and the return of The Challenge, and our esteemed colleague John Ramos hoped we’d represent an episode of Heartstoppers for the Canon. Only Murders casting won, Dylan Walsh lost, and we waded into the Simpsons–One Piece plot Venn in Game Time. While away that flight to Nebraska with an all-new Extra Hot Great!

GUESTS
👤 Kate Sánchez

TOPICS
Lead Topic: 💍 Lanterns
Around The Dial: 🏓 The Dink
Around The Dial: 🏈 Hard Knocks
Around The Dial: 🤾🏻‍♂️ The Challenge
The Canon: 💗 Heartstopper S02.E08: Perfect
Winner & Loser: 🏢 Only Murders In The Building
Winner & Loser: 🏒 Dylan Walsh
Game Time: 🏴‍☠️ One Piece Did It

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NOTES
🗒 Full episode notes can be found on this episode's page on our site
🤨 Kate Sánchez's online community, But Why Tho
🦋 Kate on Bluesky
💪 Tara explains why you should be watching Reacher S04, at GQ
🤳 More on Reacher S04 from us in EEHG 424
📚 The virtual concierge at Exhibit B. Books, Sarah's true-crime bookshop
📷 Photo: HBO

In Anna Pigeon, the USA Network’s new Canadian import, the titular character is a cop whose beat is Glacier National Park. Did it make us want to abandon our TVs for the great outdoors? Famed National Parks Omar Gallaga returns to talk about it. Around The Dial takes us through The Last House, S02 of X-Men ’97, and Game Day Murders. Omar presents the Primal episode “Plague Of Madness” for induction into the Canon. Then, after we name the week’s Winner and Loser, we get out our credit cards for a Game Time that dares us to shop (TV) ’til we drop. Put on your sunscreen and bug spray and listen!

GUESTS
👤 Omar Gallaga

TOPICS
Lead Topic: 🐦 Anna Pigeon
Around The Dial: 🏘️ The Last House
Around The Dial: 🎆 X-Men '97
Around The Dial: 🏟️ Game Day Murders
The Canon: 🦕 Primal S01.E07: Plague Of Madness
Winner & Loser: 🕳️ Stars of The Pitt
Winner & Loser: 🦶 Ego Nwodim
Game Time: 💸 Shop The Show

NOTES
🗒 Full episode notes can be found on this episode's page on our site
🦋 Omar on Bluesky
🫥 The Cold Vanish by John Billman on Bookshop
🧗‍♂️ “No Return” (about “alpine divorce”) at The New Yorker
💄 The Listen To Sassy Club
🦸🏻‍♂️ “A Wunderkind Showrunner Was Put In Charge Of Marvel’s X-Men ’97. Then Something Went Terribly Wrong” at Vanity Fair
👨🏽‍💻 Omar at CNET
🏸 Sarah’s review of Game Day Murders at Best Evidence
🧼 Info on and tickets for The Bathroom Attendant
📷 Photo: Michelle Faye / USA

CLUB-ONLY NOTES
🔥 EHG Club Perk Links & How-To
💬 Get On Our Community Discord

Extra Extra Hot Great music-on-TV correspondent Kari Race is back to discuss Sterling Point, in which Manhattan rich kids head to a wifi-free island in Canada to uncover secrets, draw love triangles, and make out with their friends’ moms. The panel was divided on whether it was charming and sweet, or unrealistic and annoying; see if we think it’ll make you smile, or just feel old. We went Around The Dial with Unacceptable, Heartstopper: Forever, and the BBC’s Jared Leto investigation, and Dave asserted that a seventh-season X-Filesepisode was ass. Task won, Wonder Man lost, and Game Time turned X-Files guest-star deaths into blind items. Grab a handful of illegally stored acorns and join us.

GUESTS
👤 Kari Race

TOPICS
Lead Topic: 👉 Sterling Point
Around The Dial: 🫨 Unacceptable
Around The Dial: 💕 Heartstopper
Around The Dial: 😬 Jared Leto: Hollywood's Dark Secret
The Nonac: 🔫 The X-Files S07.E13: First Person Shooter
Winner & Loser: 👮🏻‍♂️ Task
Winner & Loser: 🤷‍♂️ Wonder Man
Game Time: 👽 The Ex-Files

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🛍️ Shop our merch store!

NOTES
🗒 Full episode notes can be found on this episode's page on our site
🎧 Kari Race's Hey Remember the 80s podcast
🛬 Tara's "Why Can't TV Finales Stick a Landing" piece at GQ
😬 Sarah's review of JL:HDS at Best Evidence
✉️ Mo Ryan's "Jared Leto And Hollywood's Open Secrets" essay at NYT
🧯 Mo Ryan's Burn It Down at Exhibit B. Books
📰 Last week's guest Tim Grierson's profile of Wonder Man star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II for the L.A. Times
📷 Photo: Prime Video

New Girl creator and The Dropout adapter Elizabeth Meriwether is back on TV with Furious, VERY loosely adapted from the 1987 erotic thriller Black Widow. Were we mad about watching it? Tim Grierson returns to join the discussion. Around The Dial takes us through Married At First Sight S20, The Unauthorized Bash Brothers Experience, and The Westies. Tara pitches the Documentary Now! two-parter “Soldier Of Illusion” for induction into The Canon. Then, after naming the week’s Winner and Loser, it’s on to a nomenclatural Game Time. Pour some vodka into your water bottle (we don’t judge) and join us!

GUESTS
👤 Tim Grierson

TOPICS
Announcement: 🌡️ New Club Milestones Hit
Lead Topic: 💉 Furious
Around The Dial: 💍 Married At First Sight
Around The Dial: ⚾️ The Lonely Island Presents The Unauthorized Bash Brothers Experience
Around The Dial: 🧭 The Westies
The Canon: 🏔️ Documentary Now! S04.E01 & E02: Soldier Of Illusion
Winner & Loser: 🚔 On Patrol: Live
Winner & Loser: 🗯️ Mary Beth Barone
Game Time: 👯‍♂️ Name & Name

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
🦋 Tim Grierson on Bluesky
🌴 Again With This Club
🗣️ The L.A. Times, where Tim’s Yahya Abdul-Mateen II interview will be published in August
🎞️ Richard Roeper’s review of The Westies at Roger Ebert
🔥 The EHG FAQ, including information on the Mutual Aid Vault
🤑 “July 27, 1986 commercials” on YouTube, which we’ll be discussing on EEHG this week
🎧 List of Dear Media shows
📷 Photo: Disney

Will Leitch is back for a very sportsy episode, as we contemplate Will Ferrell’s new golf sitcom, The Hawk — as well as when Ferrell got in a rut and how he could get out, why the universe thinks we need TWO golf shows right now, and what the show could have done to avoid wasting talented co-stars (“been a movie instead” is probably the answer). We went Around The Dial with The Five Star Weekend, Breaking Bad, and High Potentialbefore Sarah teed up a first-season Sports Night for Canon consideration. The New Yorker won, Big Bang Theorylost, and we waded into the ever-proliferating recap-podcast water hazard for Game Time. Crank the speakers on your golf cart and have a listen!

GUESTS
👤 Will Leitch

TOPICS
Announcement: 🧑‍💼 Salesperson Draft Results
Lead Topic: ⛳️ The Hawk
Around The Dial: 🗓️ The Five-Star Weekend
Around The Dial: 👨🏻‍🔬 Breaking Bad
Around The Dial: 🫆 High Potential
The Canon: 🥌 Sports Night S01.E16: Sally
Winner & Loser: 🌲 Paige Williams
Winner & Loser: 🙄 Jim Parsons
Game Time: 🎧 Leave It To The Professionals

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
📕 Get Will Leitch's book, Lloyd McNeil's Last Ride, in paperback
🏌️‍♂️ Talking about Stick in EEHG 357
🤑 The second Commercial Pitchman Draft from EHG 622
💄 Listen To Sassy Club
🧠 Our original discussion of High Potential in EHG 528
📚 Speaking of paperbacks, they're on sale at Exhibit B. Books
📷 Photo: Colleen E. Hayes / Netflix

Little House On The Prairie has been one in a series of historical memoirs and a TV series that premiered in 1974, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for more adaptations: Kim Reed, possibly the world’s biggest franchise fan (or at least the biggest in our acquaintance) returns to talk about Netflix’s new version, which has already been renewed for a second season. Around The Dial takes us through The Other Bennet Sister, Big Brother S28, House Of The Dragon, Squatters, and Human Vapor. Tara pitches the Mad About You episode “Bedfellows” for induction into the Canon. Then, after naming the week’s Winner and Loser, it’s on to a Game Time with an extensive bibliography. Grab a peppermint stick and listen!

GUESTS
👤 Kim Reed

TOPICS
Announcement: 🤷‍♀️ Non-Announcement Announcement
Lead Topic: 🌾 Little House On The Prairie (2026)
Around The Dial: 👒 The Other Bennet Sister
Around The Dial: 👁️ Big Brother
Around The Dial: 🐲 House Of The Dragon
Around The Dial: 🏚️ Squatters
Around The Dial: 🧖‍♂️ Human Vapor
The Canon: 🏥 Mad About You S02.E03: Bedfellows
Winner & Loser: 🫆 Task
Winner & Loser: ✈️ Kristin Cavallari
Game Time: 📖 Hey! It's That Author!

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
🦋 Kim Reed on Bluesky
🌴 The Again With This Club
🏚️ Sarah on Squatters
🫱🏻‍🫲🏽 Information on the EHG Mutual Aid Vault at our FAQ
📷 Photo: Eric Zachanowich / Netflix

Though it’s never been easier to avoid commercials if that’s what you prefer, some do deserve applause. That’s why we’ve assembled to choose our favorite TV commercial characters in product categories from fast food to hard drinks to drugstores and beyond. We also stay on-theme with a pitch for the Tiny Catchy Commercial Jingle With Punchable Child Canon AND a Non-Regulation Game Time all about the stars who’ve used their celebrity to promote everything from worthy non-profits to hands-free toilet cleaners. We’ll be right back after these messages!

TOPICS
Lead Topic: 🤑 Commercial Pitchman Draft II
Tiny Canon: 🥊
Game Time: 🗯️ Talk Isn't Cheap

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
📊 Vote for your favorite commercial pitch lineup
🔥 Commercial Pitchman Draft in EEHG 098
🐑 "Volkswagen Tiguan - Commercial: Sheep 'Break Free' (2022; 0:30)" on YouTube
😴 "Nathan Lane 1990 NyQuil Commercial" on YouTube
🌴 Again With Again With This
💄 The Listen To Sassy Club
🥣 "Quaker Ready To Serve Oatmeal Commercial 1987 With Timmy" on YouTube

Larra submitted a late-season DS9 about baseball — in which bunting figures heavily! — for this month’s Forcening, so we stepped up to the plate for Worf homers, MLB nepo casting, and practicing strike-three calls. Ask EHG invited us to write our own Drunk History eps and set Emily Gilmore up on dates, and Tara hung a funny hat a Simpsons Tiny Canon pitch; then we named Not Quite 11 tennis episodes and show-title dog names, just in time to go back to school with TV’s most important academic administrators. Raise the roof; raise it — for an all-new episode of EEHG!

TOPICS
Forcening Pool: ⚾️ Star Trek: Deep Space Nine S07.E04 Take Me Out To The Holosuite
Ask EHG: 😤 TV families on Family Feud
Tiny Canon: 👒 The Simpsons S04.E07: Marge Gets A Job
Not Quite Top 11: 🐕 Show Titles You Can Use As Dog Names With Dave's Permission
Not Quite Top 11: 🎾 Tennis Episodes To Send You Into The US Open Finals This Weekend
Not Quite Top 11: 🧢 Other Baseball Episodes
Extra Credit: 🧑🏽‍🏫 Important TV Principals
Mini: 🏈 The Most Electrifying Quiz In Sports Entertainment

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
🥎 Buddy coaching a lesbian softball team on Kids In The Hall
🕊️ How Curb saved a guy from prison
🍎 EEHG 065 on bad TV teachers
📷 Photo: Paramount Television

Who better than EEHG’s Green Screen correspondent Stephanie Early Green to discuss Freeform’s new reality show about the super-rich Snugli set — Million Dollar Nannies. Sarah actually didn’t hate the show in theory, but in practice, we found the premise non-credible, the nannies suspect skills-wise, and the richie clients were the Forbes 400 equivalent of Vrbo text art. We left the mysteries of Daddy Moke behind to go Around The Dial with Sugar‘s second season, Ludwig, and a From marathon update before Stephanie climbed into the Canon-pitch cockpit with an episode of Nathan Fielder’s The Rehearsal. Simon Says won, Project Runway lost, and Monty hoped we’d score Alfred E. Neuman points in Game Time. Shred those NDAs and hop in the designer pram for an all-new Extra Hot Great!

GUESTS
👤 Stephanie Green

TOPICS
Lead Topic: 🍾 Million Dollar Nannies
Around The Dial: 🍭 Sugar
Around The Dial: 🧩 Ludwig
Around The Dial: 🚧 From
The Canon: ✈️ The Rehearsal S02.E03: Pilot's Code
Winner & Loser: 💬 Simon Says
Winner & Loser: 👗 Project Runway
Game Time: 😜 What, Me Query?

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
💚 More from Stephanie Early Green at her website
🍬 EEHG 291 on Sugar's first season
⛴️ Tara's burning questions about Widow's Bay S02 for GQ
🛣️ EEHG 415 on From's series premiere
🛹 Sarah's Stoked: The Rise and Fall of Gator review at Best Evidence
📷 Photo: Disney

CLUB-ONLY NOTES
🔥 EHG Club Perk Links & How-To
💬 Get On Our Community Discord

A whole passel of alt-comedy superstars got together to make a comedy feature for Hulu about the class of 2008 having to redo the last two weeks of their senior year. Should they…maybe not have bothered? Brandi Brown returns to discuss it (and we hope will return again after we made her endure this). Around The Dial takes us through Miss You, Love You; Office Romance; a viral video of the cast of The Gilded Age pausing a shoot to celebrate the Knicks winning the NBA championship; Carl The Collector; and Mad Men. Sarah pitches the Law & Order episode “Everybody’s Favorite Bagman” for induction into The Canon. Then, after naming the week’s Winner and Loser, we close on a Sorkin-ass Game Time. Put your senior high school yearbook away and listen!

GUESTS
👤 Brandi Brown

TOPICS
Lead Topic: 🎓 Never Change!
Around The Dial: 💖 Miss You, Love You
Around The Dial: 📌 Office Romance
Around The Dial: 🏀 The Gilded Age
Around The Dial: 🦝 Carl The Collector
Around The Dial: 🥃 Mad Men
The Canon: ⚖️ Law & Order S01.E06: Everybody's Favorite Bagman
Winner & Loser: 🔫 Stephen Falk
Winner & Loser: 🍷 Milania Giudice
Game Time: 🍄‍🟫 Sorkin-Ass Names

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!
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NOTES
🗒 Full episode notes can be found on this episode's page on our site
🦋 Brandi Brown on Bluesky
💥 "Widow’s Bay Creator Tells All After Explosive Finale" by Tara at Daily Beast
🏀 The cast of The Gilded Age reacts to the news of the Knicks winning the NBA championship
📆 Brandi's imminent standup dates
📚 The #majorcase sale at Exhibit B. Books
📷 Disney / Brett Roedel