With summer nearly upon us, we're dusting off a format we haven't done in a while, looking at the premieres that are coming in the weeks and months ahead and each choosing one title we're into; one we SHOULD be into but aren't; and one NO ONE should be into. Joining us for this very important work is longtime listener, first-time guest Stacy Lambe! After we all offer our summer picks (and un-picks), we consider Dave In Chicago's Extra Credit question and answer which TV side character deserves their own Kevin Can F--- Himself-type star vehicle. We also play a notable scene from the Netflix original movie Stowaway and discuss whether it's Worse Than Jazz. Next, we debate whether Daria's "Dye! Dye! My Darling" should be inducted into the Canon. Finally, we name the week's Winner and Loser, and close out with a Game Time you might want to enjoy with a sachet of jordan almonds. Grab yourself a popsicle and join us!

GUESTS

👤 Stacy Lambe

TOPICS

Lead Topic: 👙 Summer TV Preview

Extra Credit: 🖕 Eff You Too!

Is This Worse Than Jazz?: 🎷 A scene from Netflix's Stowaway

The Canon: 🏆 Daria S04.E13: Dye! Dye! My Darling

Winner & Loser: 👍 Scripted true-crime projects

Winner & Loser: 👎 Glenn Gordon Caron

Game Time: 🧠 Just Married

NOTES

🗒 Full episode notes can be found on the episode 356 page on ExtraHotGreat.com

🐦 Stacy Lambe on Twitter

🎆 Entertainment Tonight Online

😎 "Summertime Lovin'" from Regular Show

🗣 Tara's interview with Allison Janney at VanityFair.com

Once upon a time there were two ex-Navy SEALs living in Florida. Then a whip bull-cracking Terry Funk visited riding on the hood of a monster truck. Also, here's The Queen Of England! Don't forget about Hulk Hogan's Bumblezebra beach onesie! And here's comes Truckasaurus! We haven't even seen Thunder The Boat yet! (Nov 13, 2020)

In a 1983 TV special that stayed with Buntsy for decades, pop magician David Copperfield made the Statue of Liberty disappear. He also harassed Morgan Fairchild and saddled "an old lady" with two kids, and we're going to talk about all of it -- including the ads we didn't get to see. (Feb 19, 2021)

TOPICS

Lead Topic: 🌩 Thunder In Paradise S01.E13: Queen Of Hearts

Lead Topic: 🪄 The Magic of David Copperfield

NOTES

🗒 Full episode notes can be found on the episode 355 page on ExtraHotGreat.com

Slate TV critic Willa Paskin is back to talk about Peacock's girl-group-comeback addition to the Tina Fey-verse, Girls5Eva. Did the panel's opinions on the show's quality harmonize? Is the bubblegum/TRL world of 20 years ago a familiar song? Does the thin writing of Busy Philipps's character hit a bum note? Has Sarah already started blaming that Wonder Woman piano for various clumsy incidents around her own home? You know the answer to that last one; you'll have to listen to learn the rest. We went Around The Dial with The Handmaid's Tale, The Big Shot With Bethenny Frankel, The Great Pottery Throw Down, and The Great British Sewing Bee before deciding whether Dave is NOT a crackpot for wanting to outlaw this-season-on montages. Later, we heard a dreamy Canon presentation for Bluey. Actors won, the Globes lost, and David T. Cole played us some variations on a ('90s TV) theme during a disconcerting Game Time. Park it on a memorial bench and enjoy an all-new Extra Hot Great!

GUESTS

👤 Willa Paskin

TOPICS

Lead Topic: 👩‍🎤 Girls5Eva

Around The Dial: 👁 The Handmaid's Tale

Around The Dial: 🎯 The Big Shot With Bethenny Frankel

Around The Dial: 🍯 The Great Pottery Throw Down

Around The Dial: 🪡 The Great British Sewing Bee

I Am Not A Crackpot: 🤪 Season-on Montages

The Canon: 🐶 Bluey S01.E08: Fruitbat

Winner & Loser: 👍 Gabrielle Carteris

Winner & Loser: 👎 The Hollywood Foreign Press Association

Game Time: 🧠 '90s Slow-Coms

NOTES

🗒 Full episode notes can be found on the episode 354 page on ExtraHotGreat.com

🐦 Follow Willa Paskin on Twitter

🎧 Listen to Willa's podcast, Decoder Ring

💿 Look forward to the Girls5Eva soundtrack album

🍩 The Guardian on the Bake Off formula and its discontents

👩‍👧 Tara's list of "12 Essential Mom Episodes" for Vulture

🐕 Sarah's review of The Sons Of Sam for Primetimer

📷 Photo: Peacock

A while back, we put out a call for six-word pitches to program a whole episode of this podcast, and our listener Heather was the victor with "Nice British People Doing Nice Things." As a result, she has slotted in (virtually) every show you will hear us talk about in this episode, for which we are joined by returning guest Alex Collins! First, we all tuck in on the pop history series Back In Time For Dinner. Then Around The Dial takes us to France for Escape To The Chateau, Newfoundland and Kenya for Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond The Lobby, Wales for Escape To The Country, and a British mail route for Postman Pat. As required by Heather, Tara presents the Corner Gas episode "Happy Campers" for induction into The Canon. Then after naming the Winner and Loser of the year 1992, we go knocking on Game Time's door. Make yourself a lovely cup of tea and join us!

GUESTS

👤 Alex Collins

TOPICS

Lead Topic: 🥘 Back In Time For Dinner

Around The Dial: 🏰 Escape To The Chateau

Around The Dial: 🏨 Amazing Hotels

Around The Dial: 🚵 Escape To The Country

Around The Dial: 📮 Postman Pat

The Canon: ⛽️ Corner Gas S04.E18: Happy Campers

Winner & Loser: 👍 New York City

Winner & Loser: 👎 Vatican City

Game Time: 🧠 You've Got Mail

NOTES

🗒 Full episode notes can be found on the episode 353 page on ExtraHotGreat.com

🐦 Alex Collins on Twitter

🫔 Back In Time For Dinner on DailyMotion

🦟 Tara's review of AppleTV+'s The Mosquito Coast at Primetimer

🗽 The Great American Pop Culture Quiz Show podcast

🚵 Escape To The Country on DailyMotion

🎶 The Mark And Sarah Talk About Songs podcast

Jessica Liese is here to talk about a brand-new, brand-content competition reality show from Hulu -- Exposure, in which professional photographers compete in irrelevant-to-their-strengths "influencer" challenges while rookie hosts Cole Walliser and Cat Jimenez make terrible photo puns. The problem isn't so much the Samsung-fluffing; it's that the show isn't process-y enough, isn't transparent about how the challenges work, and isn't made by the same people who make Bake Off and could figure out how to turn an hour-long commercial for phone cameras into something informative with clear stakes. We were relieved to FOCUS (...sorry) on other topics in Around The Dial, including MAFS: Unmatchables, a ranking of MAFS: Mothership couples, Offspring, Top Chef, and 9-1-1: Lone Star. Listener Michaela pitched an un-Harmon-ious episode of Community for the Nonac before boats won, SNL lost, and we got bookish for Game Time. Take a break from dyeing your brows and hit play on an all-new Extra Hot Great.

GUESTS

👤 Jessica Liese

TOPICS

Lead Topic: 📸 Exposure

Around The Dial: 👰‍♀️ Married At First Sight

Around The Dial: 👶 Offspring

Around The Dial: 🧑‍🍳 Top Chef

Around The Dial: 🧑‍🚒 9-1-1: Lone Star

The Nonac: ✳️ Community S04.E03: Conventions of Space and Time

Winner & Loser: 👍 "...Navally"

Winner & Loser: 👎 Saturday Night Live

Game Time: 🧠 Books We've Watched

NOTES

🗒 Full episode notes can be found on the episode 352 page on ExtraHotGreat.com

🐦 Follow Jessica Liese on Twitter

🧟 Listen to Jessica's Fear The Walking Dead podcast

💅🏽 And to her Tough As Nails pod on the Rob Has A Podcast network

🍵 Tara's Unmatchables review at Primetimer

🥋 Tara talks Mortal Kombat on the Slashfilmcast

🔎 Sarah's true-crime rec newsletter, Best Evidence

📷 Photo: Christian / Unsplash

Dr. Orna Guralnik has returned to Showtime to work with a whole new crop of troubled partners in a new season of Couples Therapy, and Vulture's Kathryn VanArendonk -- one of the show's biggest boosters -- has returned to our podcast to yell about it! (Positively!) Around The Dial takes us through Younger, a new Mythic Quest special, PBS's Philly D.A., Why Did You Kill Me?, Sasquatch, and the midseason premiere of 9-1-1: Lone Star. Mlle. Caroline uses her Extra Credit topic to ask us about the 20-year-old (or older) shows we still like, and those we don't. Then after naming the week's Winner and Loser, it's on to a Game Time that challenges our knowledge of both anime and bullshit. Put on your artiest geometric necklace, put the dog in its bed, and join us!

GUESTS

👤 Kathryn VanArendonk

TOPICS

Lead Topic: 👩🏼‍❤️‍👨🏻 Couples Therapy

Around The Dial: 🐣 Younger

Around The Dial: ⚔️ Mythic Quest

Around The Dial: 🔔 Philly D.A.

Around The Dial: 😵 Why Did You Kill Me

Around The Dial: 👣 Sasquatch

Around The Dial: 🧑‍🚒 9-1-1: Lone Star

Extra Credit: ⏳ Passing The Test Of Time

Winner & Loser: 👍 Warrior

Winner & Loser: 👎 Morrissey

Game Time: 🧠 Anime Bullshit

NOTES

🗒 Full episode notes can be found on the episode 351 page on ExtraHotGreat.com

🐦 Kathryn VanArendonk on Twitter

🦤 Kathryn's Couples Therapy review at Vulture

🛋 Rich Juzwiak's interview with Orna Guralnik at Jezebel

📺 Tara's review of Couples Therapy Season 2 at Primetimer

📡 Tara talking about Season 1 of Couples Therapy on the Appointment Television podcast

💰 Dave Chen's Patreon

🔔 Kathryn's review of Philly D.A. at Vulture

✍️ Kathryn's author page on Vulture

🎧 The Appointment Television podcast

🤩 The Specials podcast

📚 Exhibit B Books Online

Doing The Most With Phoebe Robinson joined the ranks of "rich people hanging out with each other" shows last week, and Here For It author R. Eric Thomas joined US to talk about the 2 Dope Queens co-host's foray into TV, including clunky animations, guest chemistry, and whether the animals in the pilot were too well-behaved. Dave was Not A Crackpot about leaving internet-based "fun" to the experts before we went Around The Dial with Kung Fu, Home Economics, Cybill, The Great Pottery Throw Down, United States Of Al, and Pennyworth. Then we studied some layouts for a first-season Ugly Betty submission before declaring a Winner and Loser and mashing up character names in Game Time. Don't be an ass; listen to an all-new Extra Hot Great.

GUESTS

👤 R. Eric Thomas

TOPICS

Lead Topic: 💨 Doing The Most With Phoebe Robinson

Around The Dial: 🥋 Kung Fu

Around The Dial: 🏡 Home Economics

Around The Dial: 👱 Cybill

Around The Dial: 🏺 The Great Pottery Throw Down

Around The Dial: 🇺🇸 United States Of Al

Around The Dial: 🤵🏻‍♂️ Pennyworth

The Canon: 🏆 Ugly Betty S01.E18: Don't Ask Don't Tell

Winner & Loser: 👍 Ancient Aliens

Winner & Loser: 👎 Don't

Game Time: 🧠 Connective Tissue

NOTES

🗒 Full episode notes can be found on the episode 350 page on ExtraHotGreat.com

🐦 Follow Eric on Twitter

📰 Eric's weekly humor newsletter

🕸 Eric's website

📍 And check out Eric's book, Here For It

🏠 Tara's Home Economics review at Primetimer

🇺🇸 Past guest Roxana Hadadi's United States Of Al review at RogerEbert.com

🎧 Quaid In Full's Something To Talk About episode featuring Tara

📷 Photo: Tyler Twins

Elliot Stabler has returned from his ignominious exile in...uh, a very nice-sounding job in Italy, and into an SVU spinoff that will find him Taking! His wife's murder! Personally! all over the Mob. Christina Tucker joins us to discuss this new vehicle and what a(n unpleasantly) surprising departure it actually is from the Law & Order model. Around The Dial takes us through Made For Love, Wipeout, Godzilla vs. Kong (on HBO Max! Watch it while you can! A lot!), and The Falcon And The Winter Soldier. Olivia makes the case for Doctor Who's "Silence In The Library" to be inducted into our Canon. Then after naming the week's Winner and Loser, it's on to a non-regulation Game Time that has us choosing some odd numbers. Get on the Wonder Wheel and crank us up!

GUESTS

👤 Christina Tucker

TOPICS

Lead Topic: 👮‍♂️ Law & Order: Organized Crime

Around The Dial: 😍 Made For Love

Around The Dial: 🔴 Wipeout

Around The Dial: 🦍 Godzilla vs. Kong

Around The Dial: ⛄️ The Falcon And The Winter Soldier

The Canon: 🏆 Doctor Who S04.E08: Silence In The Library

Winner & Loser: 👍 C.S.I.: Vegas

Winner & Loser: 👎 Paul Pierce

Game Time: 🧠 I'm Not Like The Others

NOTES

🗒 Full episode notes can be found on the episode 349 page on ExtraHotGreat.com

🐦 Christina Tucker on Twitter

🧱 Kathryn VanArendonk's review of the Organized Crime premiere

🔀 Variety's list of the best L&O intra-franchise crossovers

😖 Tara's review of FX's Hysterical

👩🏻‍🌾 Christina's review of Martha Stewart's Very Good Things at the Boston Globe

✋🏽 The Unfriendly Black Hotties podcast

🌈 Christina at Autostraddle

Reality-television expert Andy is back to talk about Pooch Perfect, and why you shouldn't sit, stay in front of the show, including awkward hosting by Rebel Wilson, consent issues with dyeing dogs, and a total lack of narrative tension. Matters improved with Around The Dial, as we discussed Genius: Aretha, Superstore, Race To The Center Of The Earth, Tough As Nails, The Bridge, and Housewives in the age of COVID before generating a suite of new Survivor themes for Josh's Extra Credit. After Andy tried to find Starz's The Chair a seat in The Canon, true crime won, CBS lost, and Dan Cassino forced us to answer casting calls during Game Time. Give yourself a treat: it's an all-new Extra Hot Great.

GUESTS

👤 Andy Dehnart

TOPICS

Lead Topic: 🐶 Pooch Perfect

Around The Dial: 🤯 Genius

Around The Dial: 🛒 Superstore

Around The Dial: 🌎 Race To The Center Of The Earth

Around The Dial: 💪 Tough As Nails

Around The Dial: 🌉 The Bridge

Around The Dial: 🤷‍♀️ The Real Housewives Of New Jersey

Extra Credit: 🗿 New Survivor Themes

The Canon: 🪑 The Chair S01.E09: The Test

Winner & Loser: 👍 True Crime

Winner & Loser: 👎 CBS

Game Time: 🧠 Casting Calls

NOTES

🗒 Full episode notes can be found on the episode 348 page on ExtraHotGreat.com

🐦 Follow Andy Dehnart on Twitter

📰 Subscribe to Andy's newsletter

👓 Read Andy's reviews of The Bridge, Tough As Nails, and Race To The Center Of The Earth on Reality Blurred

🗣 Tara's Ben Feldman interview for Vanity Fair

📷 Photo: ABC / Robert Trachtenberg

Over New Year's, we treated our Patreon supporters to a very important thought experiment: if 27 Smurfs entered Thunderdome to compete in battles to the death, who would be the last Smurf standing? Now, we are turning our minds to the same question...but with Muppets from The Muppet Show. Naturally, we had to bring in an expert to consider the question, which is why Adam Grosswirth of the Muppeturgy podcast is here. Will Fozzie Bear emerge alive from combat with Lew Zealand and Sam the Eagle? Does Camilla the Chicken peck her way out of battle with Sweetums and Scooter? Listen as we plumb the depths of these philosophical questions and so many more!

GUESTS

👤 Adam Grosswirth

TOPICS

Lead Topic: ☠️ Muppet Thunderdome

NOTES

🗒 Full episode notes can be found on the episode 347 page on ExtraHotGreat.com

🐦 Adam Grosswirth on Twitter

🐸 The Muppeturgy podcast

🐦 Muppeturgy on Twitter

▶️ Adam's collection of relevant GIFs