In episode 14, season one of The Sopranos is over and season 2 begins!
"Season Two opens with the aftermath of the federal crackdown: Junior's in jail, Melfi refuses to see Tony, Christopher's expanding into new business ventures, Pussy is still missing...and Tony's adjusting to life as the new boss. To complicate matters even more, Tony's free-spirited sister Janice arrives to take care of Livia."
In "Guy Walks Into A Psychiatrist's Office," which originally premiered January 16th, 2000, sees Tony making nice with Big Pussy, Christopher running a pump and dump scheme while getting deeper into heroin, and the first appearance of Aida Turturro as Tony's sister Janice, one of the all-time great TV characters and very triggering according to Matt. I think we all know at least one Janice.

It's also the first time we meet Matt Bevilaqua, played by Lillo Brancato Jr., previously of A Bronx Tale, who would go on to do eight years in prison for his part in a botched burglary during which an off-duty police officer was killed. That's pretty dark, but the important thing to remember is that this episode is full of important trivia, some of which we remember. Give it a listen or va fongool.

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201: Guy Walks Into A Psychiatrist’s Office

Comedians Matt Lieb and Vince Mancini watch every episode of The Sopranos, The Wire (and other future shows) and talk about it with friends, fans, actors, writers, TV critics, and anyone who loves TV as much as them.

TV & Film

TV Reviews

After Shows

“It feels like the moment when David Simon’s twitter persona finally gained the upperhand on David Simon the TV writer.” -David J. Roth Well, we did it. We podded ourselves the whole Wire. The closer, Defector.com founder, and natural po-dcaster David J. Roth joins Matt & Vince to talk (at great length!) about The Wire’s finale, season five episode ten “-30-” Was it the best season of The Wire? Universally from guests and hosts alike, no, it was not the best season. Was it a good season? Sort of depends on who you ask. Matt & Vince are noted season five defenders. They love reporting, shoe leather, shoe leather reporting, and corpse penis shots, and this season delivers on all those fronts, so that’s not surprising. David has a higher opinion than episode eight guest Dave from Dopey, but agrees with many past guests that it can’t live up to the heights of seasons three and four.  The finale has some satisfying moments. Scott Templeton’s weaselry is finally called out by Gus and Jimmy, though he is rewarded for his fabrications with what we think is a Pulitzer. Do any of our listeners know what a Pulitzer looks like? Lol of course not. Our listeners are more likely to know what delinquent child support summons looks like than a Pulitzer (no offense).  We also get Jimmy’s funeral. Don’t worry, you didn’t miss anything, he doesn’t die, but Officer McNulty sort of does, and he gets a proper copper funeral scene that, according to Dominic West, the actors were all legitimately drunk to film. So method. Really committed to the craft. Stick around to find out what show we do next (Alf). We haven’t decided yet (it’s going to be Alf or I stg I will b*mb a federal building – just kidding please don’t call the cops), so tell us what show we should do next in a five-star review on Apple Podcasts.  Email us at frotcast@gmail.com; leave us a voicemail at 415-275-0030 Support the Pod: become a patron at patreon.com/Frotcast and get more bonus content than you could ever want. Sign up for the Pod Yourself a Shoutout tier to hear Vince give you a corner nickname on the podcast, like this week’s newest members: Shay’s Nutz, Titanic, Chevy, The Shock Jock, Gross, Double O, & Old Mall Drink.  -Description by Brent Flyberg  

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[The Wire] 510: -30- with David J Roth

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Did you guys know that there's an entire shadow sperm market that exists outside of regular sperm banks, largely connecting donors and recipients on an ad-hoc basis through a series of Facebook groups? This is the world chronicled in Spermworld, Lance Oppenheim's latest documentary, currently out on FX/Hulu. It's a fascinating, sometimes excruciatingly awkward portrait largely centered on three sperm donors: Ari, a Jewish guy with upwards of 130 children and a disapproving mother who views his life like a screwball comedy. Tyree, a mechanic and ex-con who has immersed himself in the sperm-donating game even as he and his partner, Atasha, are themselves having trouble conceiving. And Steve, a fit, 60-year-old divorcee from Tennessee who has struck up an unlikely... friendship? with Rachel, a 27-year-old lung-transplant recipient with cystic fibrosis. One question hovers above all the donors. What's driving them?

Lance has a knack for shooting desperate oddballs, as he previously showed in Some Kind of Heaven, a hilarious, sometimes tragic documentary about the Villages retirement community which premiered at Sundance in 2020 and went on to make my own best-of list (in which I only very rarely include docs, even though I love them). That one was produced by Darren Aronofsky.

Later this year, Lance has “Ren Faire,” produced by Elara Pictures and HBO, a three-part docuseries about the epic succession battle at America’s largest renaissance festival. That one is produced by the Safdie Brothers and recently debuted at SXSW. Nathan Fielder hosted a recent screening. Of course, Lance is also just a fun hang, and more than game to be grilled about his work. Which also provided Matt ample opportunity to talk about his favorite subject, cum. We all had thick ropes of fun, at least 10 to 15 milliliters worth.

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Frotcast 584: As the World Sperms, w Spermworld director Lance Oppenheim

“I never cracked the clock code.” -Brent Flyberg 
 The gang’s all here for the penultimate edition of Pod Yourself The Wire. Comedian, producer of the pod, writer of these descriptions, and world-class-stud, Brent Flyberg joins Matt and Vince to talk about The Wire season five episode nine, “Late Editions.” 
 If you have learned nothing else from this podcast, I trust that you have learned that we like when the guys on the show are friends. Right up to the end, Michael and Snoop are friends. He reassures her that her hair looks good right before he blows her brains out, because the game is the game, but friends are forever. It would have been funny if she had asked “does my hair look good?” and Michael responded with a Snoop-style “yerrrr!” and then shot her in the face, but I guess Pelecanos wasn’t going for a laugh in that scene. 
 This episode also features the famous Marlo “My name is my name” scene, which you might remember hearing sampled all over Pusha T’s Wrath of Caine mixtape. That’s right, I’m a middle-aged white guy who loves rap music. It’s embarrassing to admit because we are this generation’s white guys who love jazz and those guys suck. I’m going to steer into the skid. Any day now you’ll see me in a Kangol hat calling people cats.  
 Tell us your favorite rap song that samples a clip from The Wire in a five-star review on  Apple Podcasts.  
 Email us at frotcast@gmail.com; leave us a voicemail at 415-275-0030 
 Support the Pod: become a patron at patreon.com/Frotcast and get more bonus content than you could ever want. Sign up for the Pod Yourself a Shoutout tier to hear Vince give you a corner nickname on the podcast, like this week’s newest members: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, The Detective, Analingus, Breadpie, Gritty, & Delaware. 
 -Description by Brent Flyberg  

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[The Wire] 509: Late Editions, with Brent Flyberg

Listen to the full episode by joining the Patreon.com/frotcast

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[TEASER] Friendspionage

“10-year-old Kennard would have bullied 25-year-old me.” -Dave  
 Dave from the Dopey Podcast returns to talk to Matt & Vince about The Wire season five episode eight, “Clarifications.” 
 Dave hates season five. If you, like Vince, are a season five defender who loves the newsroom stuff, you might find yourself yelling at your phone during this one. He hates Gus. GUS – the last beacon of integrity at the fictionalized Baltimore Sun. He even hates Kennard, the pint-sized, foul-mouthed giant slayer. 
 Regardless of how you feel about season five, you probably love Omar, and this is a tough episode. We say goodbye to one of TV's most memorable characters in unceremonious fashion. He’s gunned down at the corner store picking up a soft pack of Newports by a literal child, and while he was a legend on the streets, his death doesn’t even make the paper. RIP Omar. We’ll pour out some Honey Nut Cheerios in your honor.  
 Share your favorite Omar memory in a five-star review on Apple Podcasts.  Email us at frotcast@gmail.com; leave us a voicemail at 415-275-0030 Support the Pod: become a patron at patreon.com/Frotcast and get more bonus content than you could ever want. Sign up for the Pod Yourself a Shoutout tier to hear Vince give you a corner nickname on the podcast, like this week’s newest members: Oz, Pooh, Season, Toto, Allister, Maestro P, Coats, & Rumble. -Description by Brent Flyberg  

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201: Guy Walks Into A Psychiatrist’s Office

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