Vulture's Kathryn VanArendonk is back to talk about Apple TV+'s Murderbot, and whether the books do a better job of exploring questions of gender and essential humanity without Alexander Skarsgard's Ken-doll crotch confusing matters. Should YOU give it a watch? We went Around The Dial with Overcompensating, Secret Lives Of Mormon Wives, and Leverage: Redemption's third season before Anne offered another variation on the Utahn theme with a Real Housewives Of Salt Lake City Canon Presentation. Kelli Giddish won, Tom Hardy lost, and we all tried to survive the process of Venn-diagramming premiere and finale casting in Game Time. Hack into your governor modules and join us!

GUESTS
👤 Kathryn VanArendonk

TOPICS
Lead Topic: 🤖 Murderbot
Around The Dial: 🏋️‍♀️ Overcompensating
Around The Dial: ⏳ Kids Right Now Shows
Around The Dial: 🎭 The Rehearsal
Around The Dial: 🤫 The Secret Lives Of Mormon Wives
Around The Dial: 🥷 Leverage: Redemption
The Canon: 🧂 The Real Housewives Of Salt Lake City S04.E16: Mysteries, Revealed?
Winner & Loser: ⚖️ Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Winner & Loser: 🦴 Tom Hardy
Game Time: 🛟 Survivor Round II

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NOTES
🗒 Full episode notes can be found on this episode's page on our site
🦤 Kathryn VanArendonk at Vulture
🦋 Kathryn on Bluesky
🌮 The ATX Festival
🤖 Kathryn's Murderbot review at Vulture
🏋️‍♀️ Tara's Overcompensating review at Cracked
🏦 Contact Buntsy about the EHG Mutual Aid Vault
📷 Photo: Apple

CLUB-ONLY NOTES
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After more than two years, Rian Johnson's Poker Face -- aka "What if Columbo, but a lady named Charlie who's a human lie detector" -- is back for its second season on Peacock. Does it still deliver a pleasing throwback mystery vibe? David J. Roth returns to discuss. Around The Dial takes us through the second season of Conan O'Brien Must Go and Netflix's special Conan O'Brien: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize For American Humor; Killing It; and Untold: Shooting Guards. Mike presents the episode "A Mercy" from The Terror for induction into The Canon. Then, after naming the week's Winner and Loser, we kick off a new season of Game Time with a very long drive between fictional TV cities in America -- hey, kind of like Charlie! Gas up and join us!

GUESTS
👤 David J. Roth

TOPICS
Announcement: 🍹 Club Campaign Update
Lead Topic: 🃏 Poker Face
Around The Dial: ✈️ Conan O'Brien Must Go
Around The Dial: 🤣 Conan O'Brien: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize For American Humor
Around The Dial: 🐊 Killing It
Around The Dial: 🏀 Untold: Shooting Guards
The Canon: ⚓️ The Terror S01.E06: A Mercy
Winner & Loser: 🥊 Mike "The Miz" Mizanin
Winner & Loser: 🏈 Tom Brady
Game Time: 🚘 The Great American Fictional TV Road Trip

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NOTES
🗒 Full episode notes can be found on this episode's page on our site
🦋 David J. Roth on Bluesky
♠️ Tara's review of Poker Face S02
🤩 "John Mulaney Is One Of The Best TV Comedy Guest Stars Ever" by Tara at Cracked
📍 Tara's review of Conan O'Brien Must Go S02 at Cracked
🤗 Tara's review of Friendship at Cracked
🏆 Dave Roth's write-up on Killing It in "The Best Things We Saw In 2024" at Defector
💥 The Distraction podcast
🎄 The It's Christmastown! podcast
🔫 Sarah's review of Whack Job at Best Evidence
🗺️ The Road Trip Game Time Map
📷 Photo: Peacock

Did Alan Alda vehicle The Four Seasons need an eight-part dramedy reboot? The panel -- joined by Alyson Lewis of Cracked -- doesn't think so, although one of us enjoyed returning to a version of a property that aired constantly on HBO in the mid-eighties. But did the story need this many episodes, or this downbeat a tone? Do we enjoy this iteration of a Tina Fey character? And why is a certain actor almost certain to get killed in prestige programs like this? Later, we went Around The Dial with Taskmaster's 19th season, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and The Clubhouse, and Tara hoped Mary (and "That Woman") would make it into the Canon. Kali Reis won, Disney lost, and we synchronized our schedules for a timely Non-Regulation Game Time. Boot up your favorite second-screen farm game and have a listen!

GUESTS
👤 Alyson Lewis

TOPICS
Lead Topic: 🍂 The Four Seasons
Around The Dial: 💌 Taskmaster
Around The Dial: 😺 The Mary Tyler Moore Show S05.E04: Lou And That Woman
Around The Dial: 🧦 The Clubhouse: A Year With The Boston Red Sox
Around The Dial: 🚀 Andor
Winner & Loser: 🏦 12 12 12
Winner & Loser: 🏹 Disney
Game Time: 📆 Let Me Check My Calendar

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NOTES
🗒 Full episode notes can be found on this episode's page on our site
😵‍💫 More from Alyson Lewis at Yes I Was High When I Wrote This
🌷 Tara's review of The Four Seasons at Cracked
🔪 Tara's Jason Mantzoukas interview at Cracked
🐈 Cookie the foster cat needs a forever home
📷 Photo: Jon Pack / Netflix

Heather wanted us to watch a 29-year-old Sam Elliott playing a cowboy in a Season 2 episode of The Streets Of San Francisco, and who were we to resist? We tell you whether the episode's worth ripping off your pearl snap shirt over. Our latest Ask EHG takes us through questions about, among others, our most out-of-character favorite shows and the strangest places we've ever run into someone we knew. Sarah pitches "Smizing" for the TV coinage Tiny Canon. Then, after sharing a new batch of Not Quite Top 11 lists, we close up by recasting famous original CSI. Find yourself a comfortable bunk and listen!

TOPICS
Forcening Pool: 🌉 The Streets Of San Francisco S02.E21: The Hard Breed
Ask EHG: 😩 Coping With Everything
Tiny Canon: 👁️ America's Next Top Model S13.E03: Fortress Of Fierceness
Not Quite Top 11: 😵 Defunct TV Networks
Not Quite Top 11: 🌨️ Significant TV Snow
Not Quite Top 11: ⚠️ Cleopatra 2525 Character Names
Extra Credit: 🔬 Recast This: C.S.I.
Mini: 🎸 Mark's TV Forcening (Jan 2014)

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NOTES
🗒 Full episode notes can be found on this episode's page on our site
🐮 The Streets Of San Francisco S02.E21: The Hard Breed on DailyMotion
🙏 Volunteer Match
👄 "'America's Next Top Model' recap: Private smeyes, watching you" at Entertainment Weekly
🤢 Our Nonac discussion of "Amends" in EHG 024

Most weeks, we confront our guests with a Thought Experiment to compile for an end-of-year special. But this time, we're the ones in the hot seat. We asked our friends -- past podcast guests all -- to challenge us with TV-themed Would You Rather? They came through in a big way with hypothetical choices that really set us to some soul-searching. Listen to hear what decisions we're being forced to make!

TOPICS
Lead Topic: 🤔 Would You Rather

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NOTES
🗒 Full episode notes can be found on this episode's page on our site
📚 Pre-order Will Leitch's latest novel Lloyd McNeil's Last Ride on Bookshop
🛋️ The original credits sequence for what was then called Friends Like Us
😳 "Seinfeld In Oz" on Dailymotion
📺 The Decoding TV podcast

Black Mirror is back with a seventh season packed with miso jam, thronglings, classic film, Christian counseling services, a whole artists' commune, and more; Brandi Brown joins us to discuss what goes down (sometimes...way down). Around The Dial takes us through Hacks, The Syd + TP Show, and Top Chef. Tara attempts to get yet another game night sitcom episode into The Canon with Will & Grace's "Alley Cats." Then, after naming the week's Winner and Loser, we're trying to get closest to the pin with Return Of The Return Of The Steep Incline Climber. Put that nubbin on your temple and listen!

GUESTS
👤 Brandi Brown

TOPICS
Lead Topic: 🪞 Black Mirror
Around The Dial: 😂 Hacks
Around The Dial: 🏀 The Syd + TP Show
Around The Dial: 🧑‍🍳 Top Chef
Around The Dial: 🪒 Peaky Blinders
Announcement: 🏦 The EHG Mutual Aid Vault
The Canon: 🎳 Will & Grace S01.E21: Alley Cats
Winner & Loser: 👴🏻 The Bold And The Beautiful
Winner & Loser: 💩 Mickey Rourke
Game Time: 🧗‍♂️ Return Of The Return Of The Steep Incline Climber

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NOTES
🗒 Full episode notes can be found on this episode's page on our site
🔗 Brandi Brown on Linktree
🪞 Tara's review of Black Mirror S07 at Cracked
🥚 "Every Black Mirror Easter Egg In Season 7" at Vulture
🌃 Tara's review of Hacks S04 at Cracked
⛹🏽‍♀️ The Syd + TP Show on YouTube
🎟️ Tickets for Brandi's May 7 show at Turf Club in Saint Paul
🎙️ Tickets to see Brandi among the performers at Rifftrax & Friends at Minneapolis's Parkway Theater
👁️ The Crime Seen podcast
📷 Photo: Nick Wall / Netflix

The Ankler's awards editor, Katey Rich, thinks Hulu/FX's new dramedy Dying For Sex -- about dying, kink exploration, and friendship love stories -- might be in line for some awards love. Did the panel agree? Listen for our discussion, plus Holofcener vibes, useless men, and rooting for Dawson's alums. We went Around The Dial with The Amazing Race, St. Denis Medical, and Andy Kaufman doc Thank You Very Much, and Katey lured us onto the corporate jet of a third-season 30 Rock episode. Olivia Munn won, legendary TAR teams lost, and we found out which TV set elements are bigger than breadboxes in a special Katey Edition of Game Time. Invite Neighbor Guy over and listen now!

👤 Katey Rich

Announcement: 🏦 EHG Mutual Aid Vault

Lead Topic: ⚰️ Dying For Sex

Around The Dial: 🏃🏻‍♂️ The Amazing Race

Around The Dial: 🚑 St. Denis Medical

Around The Dial: 🎙️ Thank You Very Much

The Canon: 🏫 30 Rock S03.E05 Reunion

Winner & Loser: 👩‍🚀 Olivia Munn

Winner & Loser: 🌍 Will Forte and Val Kilmer's agents

Game Time: 🙋🏼‍♀️ 19 Questions: Katey Edition

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🛍️ Shop our merch store!

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

🦋 Follow Katey Rich on Bluesky

🏆 The Prestige Junkie podcast

🎧 The Fighting In The War Room podcast

🥀 Tara's Dying For Sex review at Cracked

⛰️ Vanity Fair's Twin Peaks feature

📚 20% off "plus-ones" at Exhibit B. Books

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Will & Grace co-creators David Kohan and Max Mutchnick are back with a throwback multi-cam sitcom that isn't Gay Golden Girls, but isn't NOT Gay Golden Girls. Would we travel down the road and back again for more? Joe Reid joins us to talk about it. Around The Dial takes us through Last One Laughing UK, Shrinking, Adolescence, The Pitt, and Gone Girls. Joe pitches the Simpsons episode "Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious" for induction into the Nonac. Then, after naming the week's Winner and Loser, it's on to a Game Time that's more hard work than usual. Put down the cottage cheese and listen!

👤 Joe Reid

Lead Topic: 🛋️ Mid-Century Modern

Around The Dial: 💂🏻 Last One Laughing UK

Around The Dial: 🧠 Shrinking

Around The Dial: 👦🏻 Adolescence

Around The Dial: 🏥 The Pitt

Around The Dial: 🫥 Gone Girls

Announcement: 🏦 The EHG Mutual Aid Vault

The Nonac: ☂️ The Simpsons Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious

Winner & Loser: 🔪 Scripted true crime

Winner & Loser: 🏰 Citadel

Game Time: 🥩 Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Maker

🔥 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

🦋 Joe Reid on Bluesky

🪞 Tara's Mid-Century Modern review at Cracked

🪦 "Linda Lavin's Husband Reveals Her Touching Final Words" at ExtraTV.com

⚔️ Tara's Side Quest review at Cracked

🏆 This Had Oscar Buzz

🎬 Demi, Myself & I

🦤 Joe at Vulture

📷 Photo: Disney / Chris Haston

Muppeturgy's Adam Grosswirth returns to talk about Shondaland's latest show for Netflix, The Residence, which takes us behind the scenes at the White House via a murder mystery -- but could the stellar cast make up for a too-long runtime and not-funny-enough writing? Do we have an Only Murders In The West Wing copycat problem? And should you bother watching? We went Around The Dial with The Righteous Gemstones, Smash on Broadway, and B-B-B-B-Bosch: Legacy's swan-song season, and Adam hoped he could train the panel to vote a first-season Murder, She Wrote into the Canon. Project Runway won, Netflix lost, and it came down to the wire in a very (equalizer) challenging Game Time. Grab that Audubon off the windowsill and have a listen!

👤 Adam Grosswirth

Lead Topic: 🏛️ The Residence

Around The Dial: 💎 The Righteous Gemstones

Around The Dial: 🎼 Smash

Around The Dial: 🅱️ Bosch: Legacy

Around The Dial: 👹 Daredevil: Born Again

Around The Dial: 🍄‍🟫 Scavengers Reign

The Canon: 🐶 Murder, She Wrote S01.E06: It's A Dog's Life

Winner & Loser: 👠 Project Runway

Winner & Loser: 🎙️ Netflix

Game Time: ⚖️ Cap’n Grosswirth’s Oops! All Equalizers

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

🦋 Adam Grosswirth on Bluesky

🐸 The Muppeturgy podcast

🔪 Tara's review of The Residence at Cracked

🔚 Not watching to the end? Here's Decider's recap of the finale

✝️ Tara's review of The Righteous Gemstones at Cracked

🙂 Sarah's review of Happy Face at Best Evidence

📷 Photo: Jessica Brooks / Netflix

🔥 EHG Club Perk Links & How-To

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Patreon supporters earn the right to "forcen" us to watch TV episodes of their choosing, and while we usually never know what we're going to get, this time we each made a selection from the list of submissions. Was Dave worshipful of The Chosen's "The Rock On Which It Is Built"? Did Tara want to take The Young Ones episode "Bambi" out back and shoot its mom? Did Sarah thrill to the artistry of Hustle's series premiere, "The Con Is On"? Listen, find out, and then (if you haven't already) join us on Patreon to tell us what we should watch next!

Forcening Pool: 🐟 The Chosen S01.E04: The Rock On Which It Is Built

Forcening Pool: 🧷 The Young Ones S02.E01: Bambi

Forcening Pool: 💷 Hustle S01.E01: The Con Is On

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