Extra Hot Great: This Week In TV

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!

GUESTS
👤 Katey Rich

TOPICS
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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NOTES
🗒 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

CLUB-ONLY NOTES
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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!

GUESTS
👤 Joe Reid

TOPICS
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

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NOTES
🗒 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!

GUESTS
👤 Adam Grosswirth

TOPICS
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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NOTES
🗒 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

CLUB-ONLY NOTES
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💬 Get On Our Community Discord

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!

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

We all love the series regulars on our favorite shows. But the magic of episodic television is that someone can pop into your life for just an hour, or 22 minutes, or maybe even just one scene, and make an impression that lasts a lifetime. Your co-hosts invited Jeff Drake to join us for a special episode in which we winnowed down our Sweet 16 of one-off TV characters to the one that, in this particular bracket, towers above them all. Listen to find out who the ONE one-off champion turned out to be!

GUESTS
👤 Jeff Drake

TOPICS
Lead Topic: ☝️ The One-Off Character Bracket

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NOTES
🗒 Full episode notes can be found on this episode's page on our site
🧀 Jerem from 30 Rock
🛶 Lord Flashheart from Blackadder II
🎹 New Joe from I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson
🔫 Agent Miller from Justified
🪖 Hans Schmidt from Band Of Brothers
😏 Dan Moody from I'm Alan Partridge
🗣️ More Dan
🍭 Sweet from Buffy The Vampire Slayer
😇 Reverend Chatfield from The Mary Tyler Moore Show
🛌 Emily Hartley from Newhart
🤟 Laura from Seinfeld
👩‍⚖️ Katrina Ludlow from Law & Order
📻 80s Guy from Futurama
📉 More 80s Guy
🍼 Mr. Peters from The Dick Van Dyke Show
🐎 Anne Berrisford from Beverly Hills, 90210
👟 Hank Scorpio from The Simpsons
👏 Roger from Friends

Obviously, we couldn't have anyone else come discuss Running Point but Krystal Farmer -- so thank God she agreed, and we went deep on everything from the charms of Kate Hudson to how much of a sport a sports-com should show, plus dumb pro-team fonts and believable sibling energy. Later, we went Around The Dial with Grosse Pointe Garden Society, Futurama on Hulu, and On Call, and Tara schooled us with her A.P. Bio Canon pitch. Éanna Hardwicke won, the Oscars' "In Memoriam" segment lost, and we celebrated the leading ladies of TV in Game Time. It's that that that time again: time to listen to an all-new Extra Hot Great.

GUESTS
👤 Krystal Farmer

TOPICS
Lead Topic: 🏀 Running Point
Around The Dial: 🌷 Grosse Pointe Garden Society
Around The Dial: 🤖 Futurama
Around The Dial: 👮🏻‍♂️ On Call
Announcement: 📢 The EHG Mutual Aid Vault
The Canon: 🧫 A.P. Bio S03.E06: That That That
Winner & Loser: 🙋‍♂️ Éanna Hardwicke
Winner & Loser: 🪦 The Oscars In Memoriam segment
Game Time: 🏋️‍♀️ Strong Female Lead

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NOTES
🗒 Full episode notes can be found on this episode's page on our site
🦋 Krystal Farmer on Bluesky
🪙 The Two Cents Plus Tax podcast
🏀 Tara's Running Point review for Cracked
🧺 Tara on TV basketball comedies, also for Cracked
🔥 The Extra Hot Great Club page
📷 Photo: Katrina Marcinowski / Netflix

CLUB-ONLY NOTES
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💬 Get On Our Community Discord

After Suits became a surprise streaming hit a couple of years back, of course NBCUniversal couldn't resist going back to the well, and that's how we got the spinoff Suits LA. Is it facing contempt charges? Kari Race returns to talk about it. Around The Dial takes us through The Baldwins, Ladies & Gentlemen...50 Years Of SNL Music, Dear Child, America Undercover and A Thousand Blows. Kari makes the case for inducting an episode of Kroll Show into The Canon. Then, after naming the week's Winner and Loser, it's on to a Game Time that could spell doom for some. Take your suit off -- or put another one on -- and listen!

GUESTS
👤 Kari Race

TOPICS
Lead Topic: 👔 Suits LA
Around The Dial: 🇪🇸 The Baldwins
Around The Dial: 🎸 Ladies & Gentlemen...50 Years Of SNL Music
Around The Dial: 👧🏻 Dear Child
Around The Dial: 🇺🇸 America Undercover
Around The Dial: 🥊 A Thousand Blows (AKB)
The Canon: 🚽 Kroll Show S03.E05: The In Addition Tos
Winner & Loser: 🏆 Martin Short
Winner & Loser: 🌃 Saturday Night Live
Game Time: 👤 Guess Who?

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NOTES
🗒 Full episode notes can be found on this episode's page on our site
🦋 Kari Race on Bluesky
👋 "Alec Baldwin: Good-bye, Public Life" at New York magazine
😬 Richard Lawson's review of The Baldwins at Vanity Fair
😥 Kathryn VanArendonk's review of The Baldwins at Vulture
🎙️ Tara's interview with Anthony Michael Hall at Cracked
🏠 Charlie's 80s Attic
🤔 Hey, Remember The 80s?
🥶 "The Ice Man: Kuklinski, Soprano, and an unjustly forgotten doc series" at Best Evidence
📷 Photo: David Astorga / NBC

The White Lotus is finally back, and so is novelist and Variety columnist Dan D'Addario to talk about a new locale for familiar hateful-richies storylines. We also talked about who we think gets killed, the most and least successful guest storylines, David Lynch, and what happens when a pandemic lark breaks big for premium cable, before going Around The Dial with Cobra Kai, Yellowjackets, and Lorne Michaels. Dan couldn't help but wonder if his And Just Like That... Canon pitch would succeed; Queens won and Ray Romano lost (guess everybody DIDN'T love him back in the day); and a familiar Game Time had us flipping through the PICI-to-English dictionary. Before you pass out at the dinner table, have a listen!

GUESTS
👤 Daniel D’Addario

TOPICS
Lead Topic: 🪷 The White Lotus
Around The Dial: 🥋 Cobra Kai
Around The Dial: 🌃 Lorne (A BOOK!)
Around The Dial: 🐝 Yellowjackets
The Canon: 💅 And Just Like That S02.E03: Chapter Three
Winner & Loser: 🕵🏻‍♂️ Jamaica Bay, NY
Winner & Loser: 👨🏻 Ray Romano
Is This Worse Than Jazz?: 📺 Netflix + Apple
Game Time: 🗣️ Lost In Translation 2025

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NOTES
🗒 Full episode notes can be found on this episode's page on our site
📕 All things Dan D'addario
🏆 Read Dan D'Addario's forthcoming novel, The Talent, available at Bookshop!
📺 Variety's 100 Best TV Performances of the 21st century
✍🏻 The New Yorker's recent Mike White profile
🥋 Tara's Cobra Kai review at Cracked
🦅 Tara's Jacob Bertrand interview
📚 True-crime reading recs at Best Evidence
📷 Photo: HBO