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Gimmicks
By Glitterjaw Queer Podcast CollectiveTV & Film
Gimmicks episodes
- TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES takes a deadly trip to Mexico
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles: "Mr. Ferguson is Ill Today"
When this TV sequel to Terminator 2 has a climactic face-off with its series-long cyborg Big Bad, it does so in style -- following the disparate ensemble of heroes from their individual perspectives until they come together in Mexico. We talk about why this is one of the best installments of the Terminator franchise, Derek introducing David to yet another short-lived FOX genre show with a 90210 cast member (hi, Brian Austin Green!), how this narrative structure is owed to the 1999 film Go, and much more.
Check out the Are You My Mother episode on Sarah Connor.
A proud part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast Collective
Tip us on Ko-Fi | Gimmicks Website
Email: [email protected] | Bluesky | Instagram
Theme song: "Disco Tears" by Raven | Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
Sources:
- Fox picks up seven new series, from The Hollywood Reporter
- Josh Friedman Interview with IGN
- Friedman Departure of Foundation covered by The Hollywood Reporter
- Archived transcript of the post-episode live chat with creators and Garrett Dillahunt
- Season 2 DVD Feature: “Write the Future”
2 hr 30 min - BATMAN villains play poker (with Lan Pitts)
Batman: The Animated Series: "Almost Got 'Im"
What happens when five of Batman's rogues gallery play a game of cards together? They tell stories about their greatest foe! Comic writer Lan Pitts joins us for this series of vignettes and mini-Batman adventures from Joker, Poison Ivy, Penguin, and Two-Face (Killer Croc just threw a rock at 'im.) We get into the history of this iconic show and why this is regarded as one of its best episodes!
Look out for Lan's upcoming graphic novel with Mad Cave!
Bluesky | Instagram
A proud part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast Collective
Tip us on Ko-Fi | Gimmicks Website
Email: [email protected] | Bluesky | Instagram
Theme song: "Disco Tears" by Raven | Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
Sources:
- Blu-Ray episode Commentary
- What a Cartoon episode covering “Almost Got ‘Im”
- That master of dark deco, Eric Radomski, looks behind the mask of the animated Batman. By Bob Miller (Comics Scene #53, June 1994) - Archived here
- Golden Book Audio
- Paul Dini's photo from the cast recording
1 hr 51 min - The alternate scenes of the WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS series finale
Bonus episode! We just talked about What We Do in the Shadows last week, and we wanted to briefly talk about last year's series finale... which featured three different parody "hypnosis" scenes in the middle of the episode, depending on when and where you watched it. Listen to David learn about and watch these alternate scenes for the very first time!
A proud part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast Collective
Tip us on Ko-Fi | Gimmicks Website
Email: [email protected] | Bluesky | Instagram
Theme song: "Disco Tears" by Raven | Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
Source: Gold Derby Interview
34 min - WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS flips into a reality TV show (with Matt Bruneau-Richardson)
What We Do in the Shadows: "Go Flip Yourself"
Bad news?! Matt Bruneau-Richardson (from Tiny Siren Animation) joins to discuss the reality TV spin of of the mockumentary style show What We Do in the Shadows. We celebrate this series' queerness, alongside its horror and comedy while also talking about the history of home renovation programs, what they've become, and how watching them might be really bad for our brains.
Check out Matt's upcoming feature, Sirenetta: Part-Time Mermaid on Kickstarter.
Bluesky | Instagram
A proud part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast Collective
Tip us on Ko-Fi | Gimmicks Website
Email: [email protected] | Bluesky | Instagram
Theme song: "Disco Tears" by Raven | Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
Sources:
- Yana Gorskaya interview with Awards Radar
- Yana Gorskaya interview with Gold Derby
- Reality-TV Originals, in Drama’s Lens by Dennis Lim for the New York Times
- Grant, A., Handelman, J., (2023) Dysplacement and the Professionalization of the Home. Journal of Consumer Research. (Note: in episode, David cited Dr. Handelman being faculty at the University of the British Columbia, while he is actually at Queen's College in Ontario)
- Whatever Happened to Educational Television: The Story of 'The Learning Channel' by Audrey Watters
1 hr 58 min - ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING goes silent
Only Murders in the Building: "The Boy from 6B"
It's one of the smartest takes on a silent episode when the murder mystery dramedy takes on the perspective of its deaf character Theo (James Caverly)! We get into how a series headlined by Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez could actually exist, and how its stylized take on the genre allowed deaf creators to craft one of the show's most rich and complex episodes with almost no vocal dialogue. Plus, we talk about the nature of true crime podcasting and this show's nuanced take on the subject!
A proud part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast Collective
Tip us on Ko-Fi | Gimmicks Website
Email: [email protected] | Bluesky | Instagram
Theme song: "Disco Tears" by Raven | Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
Sources:
- Making of Featurette
- KCRW interview with Steve Martin
- Deadline Announcement
- James Caverly AMA
- Femestella interview with James Caverly
- Salon interview with James Caverly
1 hr 54 min - TV shows that grew the beard
Bonus episode! We just talked about jumping the shark last week... so we decided to chat about our favorite instances of TV shows doing the opposite! We talk about the concept of "growing the beard" -- moments when shows that started out rocky improved and became their best selves. We get into Star Trek, RuPaul's Drag Race, The X-Files, Bojack Horseman, Tru Calling, and much more!
A proud part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast Collective
Tip us on Ko-Fi | Gimmicks Website
Email: [email protected] | Bluesky | Instagram
Theme song: "Disco Tears" by Raven | Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
48 min - HAPPY DAYS jumps the shark
Happy Days: "Hollywood, Part 3"
You've heard the phrase "jump the shark." But what about the episode that created it? We're talking the hugely popular 1970s sitcom about the 1950s -- Happy Days, and the Hollywood beach vacation three-parter and pseudo-Jaws riff that led to Henry Winkler's Fonzie waterskiing over a shark... and defining "TV shows going downhill" for the ages. Does the episode deserve the infamy? How much evil has Ron Howard inflicted on the world? And should you, in fact, sit on it?
A proud part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast Collective
Tip us on Ko-Fi | Gimmicks Website
Email: [email protected] | Bluesky | Instagram
Theme song: "Disco Tears" by Raven | Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
Sources:
First Person: In defense of “Happy Days” Jump the Shark episode by Fred Fox Jr. for the LA Times (2010)
Hein Interview in Michigan Today: “He’s a Maniac” by Alan Glenn (2016)
“Happy Days became one of the biggest hits on TV by selling its soul” by Emily St. James for The AV Club (2012)
Interview with Tom Bosley on his career
Interview with Pat Morita who played ARNOLD, a requirement to be seen for season 3 to be picked up
1 hr 38 min - Reairing: ROSEANNE does Roseanne without Roseanne (with Kevin)
Roseanne: "An Officer and a Gentleman"
We're revisiting this early episode of Gimmicks from 2022 with new commentary! To start, David shares some personal lore related to this very Gimmicks episode, and Derek talks a little about the controversy of the ending of The Conners.
Then, we present the original episode where Kevin from May the Power Protect You Podcast joins for this prescient episode that puts Laurie Metcalf and John Goodman in the spotlight. Nearly 30 years before Roseanne Barr was notoriously removed from her own sitcom, an early episode posited that question: could the show Roseanne exist without its titular star?
Find more from Kevin:
May the Power Protect You Podcast | Kevin on Bluesky: @BridgeMT
A proud part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast Collective
Tip us on Ko-Fi | Gimmicks Website
Email: [email protected] | Bluesky | Instagram
Theme song: "Disco Tears" by Raven | Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
Season 1 Theme song: "Swift Electric" by Cyberbear | Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
Sources CBR TV Legends | Roseanne Wiki
1 hr 21 min - Reairing: KING OF THE HILL does a disturbing psychological thriller (with Tommy Proffitt)
King of the Hill: "Pigmalion"
We're revisiting this early episode of Gimmicks from 2022 with new commentary! First, David shares his love for Peggy Hill, while Derek talks about the transition from caution to unambiguous excitement over the impending revival of King of the Hill.
Then, we present the original episode where Tommy Proffitt (Distant Echoes, Lee Carvallo's Podding Challenge) joins to talk about this dark and infamous Halloween episode that puts Luanne in the clutches of a twisted pork mogul played by Michael Keaton, complete with every troubling mental health trope you could think of.
Find more from Tommy:
Distant Echoes: A Star Wars Podcast | Lee Carvallo's Podding Challenge | Tommy on Bluesky: @awkwardcomma
A proud part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast Collective
Tip us on Ko-Fi | Gimmicks Website
Email: [email protected] | Bluesky | Instagram
Theme song: "Disco Tears" by Raven | Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
Season 1 Theme song: "Swift Electric" by Cyberbear | Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
Episode Sources: King of the Hill Kronology | King of the Hill Alt.TV forum | Archived King of the Hill fansite | King of the Hill Wiki
2 hr 1 min - Reairing: DEAD END does a climactic rock opera (with Doug Fink)
Dead End: Paranormal Park: "Phantom of the Theme Park"
We're revisiting this early episode of Gimmicks from 2022 with new commentary! To start, David remembers the "nightmares" that led him to Dead End: Paranormal Park, and Derek laments the cancelation of this groundbreaking series.
Then, we present the original episode where Doug Fink sings his own "I Want" song for one of the best television musicals in years! The very queer animated adaptation of Hamish Steele's DeadEndia comics presents its penultimate episode as an inspired rock opera, with music by Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump and influences from Little Shop of Horrors, Phantom of the Opera, and renaissance Disney.
Find more from Doug:
Walloping Websnappers | Novel Gaming | Falling with Style | Skreeonk! | Doug on Bluesky: @ickybooley | www.dougfink.com
Pre-order GO-MAN: CHAMPION OF EARTH! Release date: August 26, 2025
A proud part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast Collective
Tip us on Ko-Fi | Gimmicks Website
Email: [email protected] | Bluesky | Instagram
Theme song: "Disco Tears" by Raven | Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
Season 1 Theme song: "Swift Electric" by Cyberbear | Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
Episode Sources:
Digital Spy | Awards Watch | Pink News | Dead End Wiki
2 hr 33 min
About Gimmicks
From the publisher's feed
A podcast about the high-concept, experimental, structure-breaking gimmick episodes of TV! From musicals, to noirs, to bottle episodes and more -- we look at any television episode that breaks from its own formula in some way.
Derek B. Gayle and David Arnold (and occasionally guests!) dig into a different episode of a different show across the entire TV landscape every other Monday!
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