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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 it... more
FAQs about Gimmicks:How many episodes does Gimmicks have?The podcast currently has 121 episodes available.
April 17, 2024THE WEST WING works lateThe West Wing: "17 People"In what's widely regarded as one of TV's all-time best bottle episodes, the staff of The White House stays late for two reasons: a tense confrontation in the Oval Office about the President's health, and a writers' room punch-up of Correspondents' Dinner jokes. Time to talk turn-of-the-century liberal politics with Aaron Sorkin's Emmy sweeping series -- including the stacked cast who do "walk and talks" and speak in meter, why Martin Sheen makes a good TV president, how young Bradley Whitford was so much less hot than he is now, and how the show does (or doesn't) hold up in a 2020s political landscape.A proud part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast CollectiveTip us on Ko-Fi | Gimmicks WebsiteEmail: [email protected] | Twitter: @gimmickspod | Instagram: @gimmickspodTheme song: "Disco Tears" by Raven | Creative Commons Attribution 3.0Sources: Aaron Sorkin Empire interview | Vulture's article defining a bottle episode | Den of Geek's list of best bottle episodes | The Ringer's list of best bottle episodes | Seventeenpeople.com | West Wing Weekly podcast | EW's catalogue of West Wing guest stars | William Ritchert's plagiarism website | Roger Ebert's North Review...more2h 17minPlay
April 03, 2024DRAGON BALL Z's heroes learn to drive (with Stik Braxton)Dragon Ball Z: "Goku's Ordeal" (aka "License Mastery? Goku's Newest Trial")Author and Podcaster Stik Braxton returns for Akira Toriyama's hugely influential anime and one of the most famous filler episodes of all time -- the one where Goku and Piccolo try to get their driver's licenses! We discuss Toriyama's legacy, the heydey of Toonami, the strange dubbing history of the Dragon Ball franchise, and of course those ultra fresh fits.More from Stik:Twitter: @stikaround54 | Instagram: @stikaround54Stik’s books: braxtonbooks.comStik's podcasts: linktr.ee/cluelesscreativeA proud part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast CollectiveTip us on Ko-Fi | Gimmicks WebsiteEmail: [email protected] | Twitter: @gimmickspod | Instagram: @gimmickspodTheme song: "Disco Tears" by Raven | Creative Commons Attribution 3.0Sources: Kotaku | Sean Schemmel on Reddit | Dubs on Reddit...more1h 36minPlay
March 20, 2024SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH gets addicted to pancakesSabrina the Teenage Witch: "Pancake Madness"The answer to the riddle is cakes on the griddle! In this parody of Very Special Episodes and Reefer Madness, Sabrina (Melissa Joan Hart) gets hooked on pancakes... and we're pretty sure it got this show a tax credit from the government! We talk about the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and ad campaigns from the Partnership for a Drug Free America, and how the government damaged public health messaging by getting TV shows to produce over-the-top, ineffective anti-drug propaganda. Luckily, Sabrina bucks the problem by making its "anti-drug" story one of the funniest, most surreal episodes of the show that lambasts the very concept.A proud part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast CollectiveTip us on Ko-Fi | Gimmicks WebsiteEmail: [email protected] | Twitter: @gimmickspod | Instagram: @gimmickspodTheme song: "Disco Tears" by Raven | Creative Commons Attribution 3.0Sources: Women Who Binge | Daniel Forbes with Salon | Howard Kutz and Sharon Waxman with The Washington Post I Sabrina pilot film | Sabrina Wiki...more1h 58minPlay
March 06, 2024AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER does a stage play (with Spencer Johnson)Avatar: The Last Airbender: "The Ember Island Players" Storyboard artist Spencer Johnson (Star Trek: Lower Decks, Scavenger's Reign) joins us for Nickelodeon's anime-inspired action series, and its famous recap episode where our heroes watch a theatrical production of their own adventures...and are forced to reflect on their own choices. We talk about the realistic stage effects and fandom references, how this funny episode veers into dark propaganda, and why Avatar is one of the most influential animated shows of all time.Find more of Spencer's awesome work:Website: artofspencerjoh.comTwitter: @artofspencerjohInstagram: @artofspencerjohA proud part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast CollectiveTip us on Ko-Fi | Gimmicks WebsiteEmail: [email protected] | Twitter: @gimmickspod | Instagram: @gimmickspodTheme song: "Disco Tears" by Raven | Creative Commons Attribution 3.0...more2h 4minPlay
February 21, 2024NEWSRADIO sinks the TitanicNewsradio: "Sinking Ship" What do you do when you're a surrealist sitcom that's been treated badly by NBC and pretty sure you're about to be cancelled? Blow all the network's budget on an effects-heavy period piece! In what was famously Phil Hartman's last appearance, Newsradio parodies the recent and hugely popular Titanic film...or the trailer for it, at least. We talk about the standout production designs, this show's influence on network comedy, and its stacked cast that includes some of the best comedic actors (Dave Foley, Maura Tierney, Stephen Root) and some of the worst people alive (Joe Rogan, Andy Dick).A proud part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast CollectiveTip us on Ko-Fi | Gimmicks WebsiteEmail: [email protected] | Twitter: @gimmickspod | Instagram: @gimmickspodTheme song: "Disco Tears" by Raven | Creative Commons Attribution 3.0Sources: Newsradio Oral History | E! News Behind the Scenes #1 | E! News Behind the Scenes #2...more1h 44minPlay
February 07, 2024ALIAS blows up its premise after the Super BowlAlias: "Phase One" Just in time for the Big Game, we're covering when the classic J.J. Abrams spy thriller Alias scored the treasured Super Bowl lead out slot... and aired its wildest episode that not only demolishes its original premise and radically retools the series, but also attempts to function as a self-contained entry point for new viewers. We talk about the history and importance of Super Bowl lead out programs, Alias's battle for narrative accessibility, Jennifer Garner's sexy outfits and incredibly emotive performances, all the daddies, and why this is secretly one of the most gimmicky episodes we've covered.A proud part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast CollectiveTip us on Ko-Fi | Gimmicks WebsiteEmail: [email protected] | Twitter: @gimmickspod | Instagram: @gimmickspodTheme song: "Disco Tears" by Raven | Creative Commons Attribution 3.0...more2h 11minPlay
January 24, 202430 ROCK becomes a Real Housewives show (with Nick Coffman)30 Rock: "Queen of Jordan" HAM! Nick Coffman from Hard Drive and Smashing Game Time joins us for an iconic episode from the Tina Fey comedy that spotlights Angie Jordan (Sherri Shepard) and her Real Housewives-esque in-universe show, which includes lots of wine throwing, Alec Baldwin doing pratfalls and being mistaken for gay, Titus Burgess in his breakout role, and an uncomfortable subplot with Susan Sarandon.Find More from Nick:Smashing Game TimeNick's hilarious Hard Drive article about NetflixNick on Twitter: @thatCoffmanA proud part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast CollectiveTip us on Ko-Fi | Gimmicks WebsiteEmail: [email protected] | Twitter: @gimmickspod | Instagram: @gimmickspodTheme song: "Disco Tears" by Raven | Creative Commons Attribution 3.0Closing Song: "Run the World (Ham) - Beyonce feat. Angie Jordan 30 Rock" by ThriftyAF...more1h 30minPlay
January 10, 2024SUPERMAN investigates the death of Clark KentSuperman: The Animated Series: "The Late Mr. Kent" The Big Blue Boy Scout finds himself tangled in a noir-style murder mystery when his alter-ego of Clark Kent appears to be killed! With private eye-style flashback narration, a grounded crime story with death row and a dirty cop, and a dark ironic ending worthy of Batman, this episode explores why Clark Kent the reporter is just as important as Superman (even if everyone hates reporters).A proud part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast CollectiveTip us on Ko-Fi | Gimmicks WebsiteEmail: [email protected] | Twitter: @gimmickspod | Instagram: @gimmickspodTheme song: "Disco Tears" by Raven | Creative Commons Attribution 3.0...more1h 22minPlay
December 20, 2023FRINGE goes on a musical noir fairy tale drug trip (with Merrilee O'Neil)Fringe: "Brown Betty" Merrilee O'Neil joins us for one of the strangest genre mash-ups of all time from this cult sci-fi show, where a grief-stricken mad scientist tells a fairy tale about glass hearts, singing corpses, and quantum laser knives to a child while being stoned out of his gourd. We explore this episode's surprising ties to the success of Glee, the noir gender-swapping with Anna Torv as a hardboiled detective and Joshua Jackson as a femme fatale, animated Leonard Nimoy, and John Noble singing a crooner version of Tears for Fears! Plus, an extended tangent about Kingdom Hearts for some reason.Find Merrilee (@papillonvoleur) on Bluesky and Instagram!A proud part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast CollectiveTip us on Ko-Fi | Gimmicks WebsiteEmail: [email protected] | Twitter: @gimmickspod | Instagram: @gimmickspodTheme song: "Disco Tears" by Raven | Creative Commons Attribution 3.0Sources include:LA Times BTS interview | TV Line on Jasika Nicole and Racism | Ars Technica on the Cipher...more2h 7minPlay
December 13, 2023DOCTOR WHO takes a trip to Midnight (with Hamish Steele)Doctor Who: "Midnight" Hamish Steele (creator of Dead End: Paranormal Park and DeadEndia) joins us for one of Doctor Who's best and scariest episodes, which uses knocking, repetition, and a tourist bus to expose the darkness of humanity. On the heels of David Tennant, Catherine Tate, and Russell T. Davies returning for the 60th anniversary, we discuss the show as inspiration, its parallels to tokusatsu, and why its childlike wonder still persists.Pre-order DeadEndia: The Divine OrderWatch Dead End: Paranormal Park on NetflixFind Hamish and all the great things he's working on!------A proud part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast CollectiveTip us on Ko-Fi | Gimmicks WebsiteEmail: [email protected] | Twitter: @gimmickspod | Instagram: @gimmickspodTheme song: "Disco Tears" by Raven | Creative Commons Attribution 3.0Sources include:SlashFilm | TARDIS Wiki...more2h 6minPlay
FAQs about Gimmicks:How many episodes does Gimmicks have?The podcast currently has 121 episodes available.