Critic and podcaster Mark Blankenship returns to The Blankenship Chair to discuss Hitmakers, a reality show about songwriters that needs less contrived drama and more process -- but did appeal to a couple of our panelists as eye candy. Should you give it a try, or wait until one of its pop creations comes on in an elevator? We went Around The Dial with Happy Gilmore 2, Million Dollar Secret, The Challenge 41, and The Gilded Age spoilers before tapping our toes to a Canon pitch for Buffy's musical episode. A nepo Beatty won, Resident Alien lost, and Non-Regulation Game Time struck a chord with another round of Tube Tunes. We don't want to call it "fire," but it IS an all-new episode of Extra Hot Great!

GUESTS
👤 Mark Blankenship

TOPICS
Announcement: ❤️‍🔥 EHG Club Update
Lead Topic: 🤩 Hitmakers
Around The Dial: 🏒 Happy Gilmore 2
Around The Dial: 🤑 Million Dollar Secret
Around The Dial: 🏂 The Challenge
Around The Dial: 🐎 The Gilded Age
The Canon: 👩🏻‍🎤 Buffy The Vampire Slayer S06.E07: Once More With Feeling
Winner & Loser: 🪓 Ella Beatty
Winner & Loser: 👽 Resident Alien
Game Time: 🎶 Tube Tunes XVI

SUPPORT THE SHOW
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🎧 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
💿 Mark Blankenship's Lost Songs Project
⛳️ The one Happy Gilmore 2 joke that made Tara laugh
👍 Tara's appreciation of Christopher McDonald
😳 A ranking of all the HG2 non-sports cameos
🔪 The latest true-crime reviews at Best Evidence
📷 Photo: Netflix

Well, we all have a face that we hide away forever, and we take them out and show ourselves when everyone has gone -- even Billy Joel, who has decided to take his out for Billy Joel: And So It Goes, a two-part HBO docu-series about his life and work. Should he have kept it to himself (it's his life)? Daniel Blau Rogge returns to talk about it. Around The Dial takes us through S02 of Digman!, The Comeback, and Billionaire Boys' Club. Dan presents the Hacks episode "The Roast Of Deborah Vance" for induction into The Canon. Then, after naming the week's Winner and Loser, it's on to Game Time, in which we're listening…to celebrity Frasier callers. Say Goodbye To Hollywood and hello to a new episode!

GUESTS
👤 Dan Blau Rogge

TOPICS
Announcement: 🍎 EHG Apple Podcast Subscription
Lead Topic: 🎹 Billy Joel: And So It Goes
Around The Dial: 🪏 Digman!
Around The Dial: 🥊 The Comeback
Around The Dial: 💰 Billionaire Boys' Club
The Canon: 🎤 Hacks S03.E03: The Roast Of Deborah Vance
Winner & Loser: 👩🏼‍❤️‍👨🏻 High-Concept Dating Shows
Winner & Loser: 🙂 Happy Face
Game Time: 📻 Notable Residents of Seattle

SUPPORT THE SHOW
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🎧 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
🦋 Daniel Blau Rogge on Bluesky
🪏 Tara's Digman! S02 review at Cracked
🛍️ EHG 336, including our discussion of Shangri-La Plaza
🪨 Dan on the Glass Houses ranking episode of Mark And Sarah Talk About Songs
💁🏻‍♂️ Listen To Sassy 141, featuring Dan
🤦🏻‍♂️ Listen To Sassy 142, also featuring Dan
👨🏻‍💻 Dan's website
🍪 Adopt A (PBS) Station
📷 Photo: Courtesy of Art Maillett / Sony Music Archives / HBO

Lena Dunham is back with Netflix romcom Too Much -- and so is Maris Kreizman, to discuss Dunham's return to the discourse, whether we can separate the creator from the show, and what the panelists who didn't care for it still think it did really well. We went Around The Dial with American Horror Stories's third season, Veronica Mars's FIRST season, and Ballard, and Tara hoped we'd come to praise AND bury "the Giamatti episode" of Black Mirror for the Canon. Richard Gadd won, Today's Craig Melvin lost (while letting Rick Springfield also win), and getting "home free" proved a challenge in a tagline-based Game Time. Throw a nightie on your favorite pet and join us!

GUESTS
👤 Maris Kreizman

TOPICS
Lead Topic: 💂🏻 Too Much
Around The Dial: 😱 American Horror Stories
Around The Dial: 🕵🏻‍♀️ Veronica Mars
Around The Dial: 🅱️ Ballard
The Canon: 🪞 Black Mirror S07.E05: Eulogy
Winner & Loser: 🦌 Richard Gadd
Winner & Loser: 🥱 Craig Melvin
Game Time: 👉 Tag, You're It

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
📇 Maris Kreizman's website
🧨 An excerpt from Maris's new book, I Want To Burn This Place Down, at Rolling Stone
🦋 Maris on Bluesky
🪞 Extra Hot Great 558 on Black Mirror S07
🇬🇧 Tara's review of Too Much
👐 Kerr County Flood Relief Fund
✍🏻 ProPublica's local reporting network
📷 Photo: Ana Blumenkron / Netflix

In the grand tradition of our drafts for Law & Order and the Star Trek franchise, we're using this special episode to draft teams of staff, patients, loved ones, and inanimate shows from ER -- and who better to join us than Laura Hampton, a PA known to us from our Discord as an ER superfan who recently completed a full rewatch of the entire series? No one, which is why she's here picking a team AND organized the draft with the correct number of each category of character for us to choose from. Now we're going to need YOU to vote for which team reigns supreme! Laura also presents Doug saving Ben from a flooding storm drain in "Hell And High Water" for induction into the Hero category of the Tiny Canon. Finally, we close with an on-theme game about body parts in the names of TV shows and actors. Get listening, STAT!

GUESTS
👤 Laura Hampton

TOPICS
Lead Topic: 🏥 ER Draft
Tiny Canon: 🌊 ER S02.E07: Hell and High Water
Game Time: 🫁 The Body Keeps The Score

SUPPORT THE SHOW
🔥 Join the EHG Club for bonus episodes, no ads, community Discord and more!
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NOTES
🗒 Full episode notes can be found on this episode's page on our site
🩻 Final ER draft picks from Laura, Tara and Sarah
📊 Poll: Best ER Lineup
📊 Poll: Hospital You'd Most Want To Be A Patient At
💵 Donate to the National Network of Abortion Funds
💉 Your Local Epidemiologist on Substack
📚 LibraryFinder

We are off this week but present you with this EHG Club unlock of EEHG 343: Should You Sign On To With Love, Meghan?

It's clear the former Meghan Markle wants to do something significant with her British-royal influence; it's also clear her new Netflix homekeeping show, With Love, Meghan, isn't that. Stephanie Early Green is back to talk about why it's so dull, what might have helped, and how Martha Stewart succeeded where Meghan Sussex fails. Ask EHG wondered who would replace Noel Fielding on GBBO and which characters we'd want on our bar-trivia teams, and then Tara pitched a lyrical SNL sketch for the Tiny Canon. And after we listed our Not Quite Winners and Losers of the week, Sarah's Extra Credit polled the panel on important princesses of television. Throw on a $300 linen apron and join us!

GUESTS
👤 Stephanie Green

TOPICS
15s Of Fame: 🤬 The Good Swear
Lead Topic: 🕯️ With Love, Meghan
Ask EHG: 🎂 Replacing Noel Fielding
Tiny Canon: 🏀 Saturday Night Live S38.E18: Vince Vaughn
Winner & Loser: 🃏 Poker Face
Winner & Loser: 🏈 Tracy Morgan
Winner & Loser: 🍄 The Last Of Us
Winner & Loser: 🏢 Keegan-Michael Key
Winner & Loser: 💜 Prince's estate
Winner & Loser: ⛹️‍♂️ Running Point
Winner & Loser: 📉 The Recruit
Winner & Loser: 🎥 Arrested Development
Winner & Loser: 🥀 Bachelor co-EPs Michael Margolis and Keely Booth
Extra Credit: 🫅 Important TV Princesses
Mini: 👑 The Royal Them

SUPPORT THE SHOW
🔥 Join the EHG Club for bonus episodes, no ads, community Discord and more!
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NOTES
🗒 Full episode notes can be found on this episode's page on our site
💚 More from Stephanie Early Green at her website
📖 Vanity Fair's Harry 'n' Meghan cover story
🤨 “Meghan Markle Pioneers New Frontiers in Unrelatability” by Kathryn VanArendonk at Vulture
🗣️ “The Meghan Interview” at People
📷 Photo: Netflix

Like a lot of family-owned businesses, Havenport, North Carolina's Buckley Fishery is having a rough go of it lately. If they can't make their nut and pay all their employees on fish alone, maybe...smuggling cocaine will make up the shortfall? What could go wrong?! Jessica Morgan returns to talk about the ways Kevin Williamson's new show crosses over with the one we know him for best (Dawson's Creek), and the ways it doesn't but that we WISH it would. Around The Dial takes us through Season 3 of The Gilded Age, The Valley, and Trainwreck: The Astroworld Tragedy. Sarah pitches the Law & Order episode "Empire" -- aka "The Julia Roberts One" -- for induction into The Canon. Then, after identifying the week's Winner and Loser, it's on to a game that's naming names -- lots of them. Grab a serving of fresh oysters and join us!

👤 Jessica Morgan

Announcement: 🏦 EHG Mutual Aid Vault

Lead Topic: 🌊 The Waterfront

Around The Dial: 👒 The Gilded Age

Around The Dial: 😎 The Valley

Around The Dial: 🏟️ Trainwreck: The Astroworld Tragedy

The Canon: ⚖️ Law & Order S09.E20: Empire

Winner & Loser: ⭐️ Five-Star Weekend

Winner & Loser: 😱 Ryan Murphy

Game Time: 🪞 Same Name Game

🔥 Join the EHG Club for bonus episodes, no ads, community Discord and more!

🛍️ Shop our merch store!

🗒 Full episode notes can be found on this episode's page on our site

🦋 Jessica Morgan on Bluesky

🔥 Extra Hot Great Club

🏦 Contact Sarah about making a deposit to or withdrawal from the Extra Hot Great Mutual Aid Vault at [email protected]

🔫 "Kevin Williamson Reveals How His Dad's Sordid Past Inspired New Crime Drama 'The Waterfront': 'He Paid The Price'" at the New York Post

🤰🏻 "'Adults' Takes A Strong Stance On Abortion: Everyone Deserves Access, Including Jerks" at Cracked

🌴 Again With This's Membership Campaign

👗 Go Fug Yourself

🍹 The Drinks With Broads Newsletter

📚 Save On True-Crime Paperbacks at Exhibit B. Books

📷 Photo: Dana Hawley / Netflix

And that truth is: none of us thinks you should bother, including returning guest Will Leitch, who agrees that We Were Liars moves too slowly; shows AND tells too fart-sniffily; wastes the talents of an impressive cast, including Mamie Gummer and David Morse; and is based on a property whose author sounds fake. We went Around The Dial with the very real The Chicken Sisters, Untold, and The Mortician before Tara's Canon pitch reunited us with Party Down's third-season premiere. General Hospital won, Doctor Odyssey (maybe??) lost, and Dan Cassino got us all a volume discount on long-running shows in Game Time. Cannonball verrrrrry sloooowwwly into our all-new episode now!

👤 Will Leitch

Lead Topic: 🤥 We Were Liars

Around The Dial: 🐔 The Chicken Sisters

Around The Dial: 🏟️ Untold

Around The Dial: 🪦 The Mortician

Around The Dial: 👺 The Devil's Plan

The Canon: 🎉 Party Down S03.E01: Kyle Bradway Is Nitromancer

Winner & Loser: 🏥 General Hospital

Winner & Loser: 🚢 Doctor Odyssey

Game Time: 📺 Intermittent FASTing

🔥 Join the EHG Club for bonus episodes, no ads, community Discord and more!

🛍️ Shop our merch store!

🗒 Full episode notes can be found on this episode's page on our site

🎶 Will Leitch on the Rick Astley/popularity conundrum

🏙️ Will at NYMag

📰 Will at WaPo

📚 Buy Will's books

🎉 EHG 448 on the return of Party Down

😝 Tara runs down the best non-Daily Show comedic performances by TDS cast on Cracked

💀 Sarah reviews The Mortician

📖 Exhibit B.'s paperback sale

📷 Photo: Amazon Content Services LLC

Summer is upon us, but what are we going to watch? Robert Krut joins us to help make our traditional lists of what we're into; what we should be into but aren't; what NO ONE should be into; and what's fine for others but not for us. Dave pitches the South Side episode "Treat Yourself" for induction into The Canon. Then, after naming the week's Winner and Loser, we close out with a Game Time that's pure poetry. Find a spot directly in front of a fan and join us!

GUESTS
👤 Robert Krut

TOPICS
Announcement: 🏦 EHG Mutual Aid Vault
Lead Topic: 🏖️ 2025 Summer TV Preview
The Canon: 🦝 South Side S02.E01: Treat Yourself
Winner & Loser: 👨‍🍳 Jon Bernthal and Ebon Moss-Bachrach
Winner & Loser: 🩰 Étoile
Game Time: ☘️ There Once Was A Man From TV

SUPPORT THE SHOW
🔥 Join the EHG Club for bonus episodes, no ads, community Discord and more!
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NOTES
🗒 Full episode notes can be found on this episode's page on our site
🪶 Robert Krut's website
🌴 The Again With This Club campaign
✊ CHIRLA / Coalition For Humane Immigrant Rights
🙊 Sarah's review of Ask Not at Best Evidence
🏦 How to reach Sarah for Mutual Aid Vault withdrawals
🥮 EEHG 323, including Dave's "Treat Yourself" pitch for the Anger Tiny Canon
🎙️ Tara's interview with Bashir Salahuddin at Cracked

David T.'s beautiful son Taylor S. Cole is back to discuss Dept. Q, a Scottish take on a Nordic-noir book series that has the good sense not to mess with star Matthew Goode's face. Chemistry in trope-y scenes, why Scandi crime stories often have a submarine, whether the mystery needed so many episodes to solve -- we're talking about all of that AND recommending actually Nordic Nordic-noir TV if you liked Dept. Q. Then we're going Around The Dial with Mountainhead, The Rehearsal, and The Last Of Us S01 before seeing whether Taylor can do his entire The Studio Canon pitch before we lose the light. True-crime actors won, late night lost some more, and three was the magic number for one of us in Game Time. Throw on a nubbly sweater and join us!

GUESTS
👤 Taylor Cole

TOPICS
Announcement: 📈 Club Campaign
Announcement: 🎧 Incoming Apple Podcast Changes
Lead Topic: 🛗 Dept. Q
Around The Dial: 🏔️ Mountainhead
Around The Dial: 👨‍✈️ The Rehearsal
Around The Dial: 🍄 The Last Of Us
The Canon: 🎥 The Studio S01.E02: The Oner
Winner & Loser: 🪙 Anthony Boyle and Julia Garner
Winner & Loser: 🌙 Late-night prestige
Game Time: 3️⃣

SUPPORT THE SHOW
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NOTES
🗒 Full episode notes can be found on this episode's page on our site
🎞️ Hear more Taylor S. Cole at the G&T Podcast
🐝 Taylor's also headed to the This Had Oscar Buzz podcast
🪞 And the Demi Myself and I podcast
🐸 AND the Muppeturgy podcast
⛰️ Tara's Mountainhead review and ATX Festival coverage at Cracked
😻 Support Bookstore Cats
🔥 The Extra Hot Great Patreon
📷 Photo: Netflix

Matt Wolf (The Stroll) got unprecedented access to Paul Reubens, generally better known as his alter ego, Pee-wee Herman; Will Hines joins us to talk about what resulted from their 40 hours of interviews. Around The Dial takes us through Big Mouth's eighth and final season; The Comeback: 2004 Boston Red Sox, and Magic & Bird: A Courtship Of Rivals. Sean makes his pitch for the "Long, Long Time" episode of The Last Of Us to be inducted into The Canon. Then, after naming the week's Winner and Loser, it's on to a Game Time that really knows the score. Put on your reddest bow tie and join us!

GUESTS
👤 Will Hines

TOPICS
Lead Topic: 🚲 Pee-wee As Himself
Around The Dial: 👄 Big Mouth
Around The Dial: ⚾️ The Comeback: 2004 Boston Red Sox
Around The Dial: 🏀 Magic & Bird: A Courtship Of Rivals
The Canon: 🍄 The Last Of Us S01.E03: Long, Long Time
Winner & Loser: 📣 Taran Killam
Winner & Loser: 🤬 Charles Barkley
Game Time: 🎶 Stay Tuned

SUPPORT THE SHOW
🔥 Join the EHG Club for bonus episodes, no ads, community Discord and more!
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NOTES
🗒 Full episode notes can be found on this episode's page on our site
📸 Will Hines on Instagram
🫦 Tara's review of Big Mouth S08 at Cracked
🗣️ Tara's interview with Big Mouth co-creators Jennifer Flackett, Andrew Goldberg, and Mark Levin, at Cracked
🪲 The Screw It, We're Just Gonna Talk About The Beatles podcast
👤 Will Hines's website
🔎 Best Evidence
📷 Photo: Dennis Keeley/HBO