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Peter Fenzel and Matthew Wrather overthink an article about “the bit.” They discuss what constitutes a “bit,” and why it’s probably a bad idea to make it the basis of your whole social presentation.

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Episode 810: Sincerity is My Bit originally appeared on Overthinking It, the site subjecting the popular culture to a level of scrutiny it probably doesn't deserve. [Latest Posts | Podcast (iTunes Link)]

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Peter Fenzel, Mark Lee, and Matthew Wrather tie a bow on 2023 by revisiting a couple of movies and TV shows they haven’t been able to devote a full podcast to. For Mark, it’s the Barbenheimer phenomenon, a marketing miracle whose like we shall not soon see again; for Pete, the Korean reality competition Physical 100, which is the real Squid Game game show, and not just because it’s streaming on Netflix; and for Matt, Poker Face, an anthology of lovingly-crafted mini-movies featuring the creative talents of Rian Johnson and Natasha Lyonne.

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Episode 809: It’s Tough to End a Squid Game originally appeared on Overthinking It, the site subjecting the popular culture to a level of scrutiny it probably doesn't deserve. [Latest Posts | Podcast (iTunes Link)]

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Peter Fenzel, Mark Lee, and Matthew Wrather are joined by Jordan Stokes to overthink Maestro, Bradley Cooper’s impressionistic biopic of Leonard Bernstein and his complicated life, career, and marriage. They discuss the proper pronunciation of Bernstein, the man’s idiosyncratic place in classical music as a conductor and a composer, the film’s episodic style and narrative technique, and the film’s ambivalent message about art, creativity, and family.

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Episode 808: Bradley Cooper’s WandaVision originally appeared on Overthinking It, the site subjecting the popular culture to a level of scrutiny it probably doesn't deserve. [Latest Posts | Podcast (iTunes Link)]

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Peter Fenzel, Mark Lee, and Matthew Wrather partake in our Christmas tradition of overthinking a literary work. This year it’s O. Henry’s short story The Gift of the Magi. The story is great fun (as long as you don’t get the version published by the U.S. State Department), and they discuss themes of gift giving, connections to the biblical magi, and the ultimate question: isn’t it ironic? Don’t you think?

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Episode 807: A Wise Man, Eh? originally appeared on Overthinking It, the site subjecting the popular culture to a level of scrutiny it probably doesn't deserve. [Latest Posts | Podcast (iTunes Link)]

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Peter Fenzel, Mark Lee, and Matthew Wrather explore the legacy of Norman Lear (1922–2023) by considering the episode “Two’s A Crowd” from Season 8 of All in the Family and “The Big Move,” the 2-part Season 4 opener of Good Times. They discuss the stylistic, (sit)comic, and thematic aspects of both shows, and try to grapple with which file drawer to sick Norman Lear’s legacy in.

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Episode 806: We’re All Stuck in the Storeroom Together originally appeared on Overthinking It, the site subjecting the popular culture to a level of scrutiny it probably doesn't deserve. [Latest Posts | Podcast (iTunes Link)]

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Peter Fenzel has seen Elmo Saves Christmas and overthinks it along with Mark Lee and Matthew Wrather. It turns out that Elmo unleashes a festive hellscape which wreaks havoc on his friends, on the Easter Buny, and on time itself.

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Episode 805: Go for the Roller Blades originally appeared on Overthinking It, the site subjecting the popular culture to a level of scrutiny it probably doesn't deserve. [Latest Posts | Podcast (iTunes Link)]

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Peter Fenzel, Mark Lee, and Matthew Wrather overthink the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular, which Mark has recently seeen, and Pete and Matt have scene in the past. They discuss the strangeness of the Rockettes as a “precision dance troupe” speculate (wildly inaccurately, as it turns out) about their history, and then turn to the religious aspects of the spectacle (famously featuring live animals).

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Episode 804: It Gets Really Religious and There’s Camels originally appeared on Overthinking It, the site subjecting the popular culture to a level of scrutiny it probably doesn't deserve. [Latest Posts | Podcast (iTunes Link)]

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Matthew Belinkie joins Peter Fenzel, Mark Lee, and Matthew Wrather to discuss advances in AI-generated music. They overthink recent developments in the field, and Belinkie plays DJ, spinning a couple samples of famous songs he’s tried to recreate with AI. But then he has a surprise for the crew.

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Episode 803: It Is Kind Of Amazing. It Is Also Crap. originally appeared on Overthinking It, the site subjecting the popular culture to a level of scrutiny it probably doesn't deserve. [Latest Posts | Podcast (iTunes Link)]

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Peter Fenzel, Mark Lee, and Matthew Wrather overthink Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, focusing on the exuberant visual style(s) and its relation to the material conditions of each universe, the question of Canon and whether Miguel is a good guy or a villain, and what even is up with The Spot.

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Episode 802: Can we Self-Illustrate? originally appeared on Overthinking It, the site subjecting the popular culture to a level of scrutiny it probably doesn't deserve. [Latest Posts | Podcast (iTunes Link)]

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Peter Fenzel and Matthew Wrather dig into a storied two-hander, overthinking Chris Rock’s Netflix special Selective Outrage. They are both relieved that it isn’t just the same tired “anti-woke” nonsense, and is a tightly constructed hour: They break down the 4-part structure which Chris Rock lays out at the beginning and cashes out over the course of the bizarre second act and culminating routine addressing “The Slap.”

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Episode 801: Everybody Hates Chris originally appeared on Overthinking It, the site subjecting the popular culture to a level of scrutiny it probably doesn't deserve. [Latest Posts | Podcast (iTunes Link)]