The most played episodes among Podcast App listeners.

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   Number 1: A STRANGER IN THE MIRROR with Jim Rash

   ***Editors Note: This episode contains topics of sexual assault. Please be advised*** This week on Sam Pancake Presents the Monday Afternoon Movie, Sam welcomes actor, comedian, writer, director, Oscar winner, and Greendale Community College's most fashion-forward administrator, Jim Rash, for a watch-along of the deliciously unhinged 1993 TV movie A Stranger in the Mirror. You probably know Jim best as the gloriously inappropriate Dean Craig Pelton on Community, but he's also an Academy Award-winning screenwriter, having won Best Adapted Screenplay for The Descendants alongside Nat Faxon and Alexander Payne. Jim and Nat also wrote and directed The Way, Way Back, starring Sam Rockwell, Toni Collette, Allison Janney and Steve Carell. So yes, an actual Oscar-winning screenwriter has agreed to spend his afternoon watching THIS with Sam. We couldn't be happier. A STRANGER IN THE MIRROR (1993) Originally aired: October 24, 1993 (ABC) Directed by Charles Jarrott Based on the novel by Sidney Sheldon Starring Perry King, Lori Loughlin, Christopher Plummer, Juliet Mills and Geordie Johnson Perry King stars as Toby Temple, an ambitious comedian who claws his way to superstardom and develops an ego roughly the size of Southern California. Lori Loughlin is Jill Castle, an aspiring actress whose own pursuit of Hollywood fame puts her directly into Toby's orbit. Add Christopher Plummer, showbiz scheming, sex, betrayal, revenge and enough melodrama to power several weeks of daytime television, and we've got ourselves a classic recipe for an ABC Movie of the Week. Love what you hear? Want to show your support for Sam Pancake & The Monday Afternoon Movie? Make sure to follow the official Patreon page and pledge a few bucks if you are able! You'll get access to a new bonus episode every month, four behind-the-scenes exclusive videos, as well as all past episodes and content for hours upon hours of Pancake action. Sam's Patreon Page SHOW LINKS: Sam Pancake's Instagram Sam Pancake's Linktree Jim Rash's IMDb This episode was engineered & produced by Meika Grimm.

   September 01, 2026·1h 51min
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   Number 2: FRESNO with Solomon Georgio

   Welcome back to Monday Afternoon Movie! This week, Sam is joined by comedian, writer, and actor Solomon Georgio for a trip to the sun-baked, scandal-soaked raisin capital of the world: FRESNO! Originally airing on CBS over five nights in 1986, Fresno is a gloriously ridiculous send-up of prime-time soaps like Dallas, Dynasty, and Falcon Crest. Carol Burnett stars as Charlotte Kensington, the grand dame of a struggling raisin empire locked in a bitter battle with rival raisin tycoon Tyler Cane, played by Dabney Coleman. And because this is Fresno, control of the raisin business naturally involves blackmail, murder, forbidden romance, family secrets, water rights, courtroom drama, enormous Bob Mackie gowns, and Gregory Harrison wandering around as a mysterious ranch hand named Torch who seems deeply opposed to wearing shirts. The cast is kind of insane: Carol Burnett, Dabney Coleman, Teri Garr, Charles Grodin, Gregory Harrison, Valerie Mahaffey, Anthony Heald, Bill Paxton, Jerry Van Dyke, Michael Richards and more. It's six hours of people treating raisins with the gravity normally reserved for oil empires and international espionage. Sam and Solomon head into the vineyards to talk about the Kensingtons, the Canes, the costumes, the melodrama, the surprisingly complicated politics of raisin production, and a miniseries that somehow asks the question: What if Dynasty… but dried fruit? Pour yourself something strong, grab a tiny red box of Sun-Maid, and join us in Fresno. Follow Solomon Georgio: Instagram | IMDb Follow Sam Pancake: Instagram Want even more Monday Afternoon Movie? Join Sam on Patreon for bonus episodes, watch-alongs, and more! Your support there helps keep this show going and is truly appreciated. This episode was engineered & produced by Meika Grimm.

   September 29, 2026·1h 23min
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   Number 3: KATE'S SECRET with Margee Magee

   *This week's show contains topics regarding eating disorders. Please be advised.* Our movie of the week for this episode is Kate's Secret, orignally released in 1986. Joining Sam in studio today is Margee Magee. She has been a TV writer since 2010, working in all formats (multi-cam, single cam, animation, hybrid,… even muppets!) on all platforms (network, cable, and streaming). She has been staffed on numerous series, and has also sold, developed, and produced original projects, as well as series adapted from I.P. Prior to her TV writing career, Margee received her BFA in Musical Theater from The University of Michigan and went on to brief stints as a Radio City Rockette, an End-of-Life Doula, and proprietor of a bakery called hello cupcake! Continuing along that super linear career path, Margee became a member of The Groundlings, where she still teaches and performs. Kate's Secret (1986) is a made-for-TV drama that tackled eating disorders long before they were widely discussed. Directed by Arthur Allan Seidelman, produced by Stephanie Austin and Robert A. Papazian, written by Susan Seeger and Denise DeGarmo, with music by J. Peter Robinson, the film stars Meredith Baxter, Ben Masters, Edward Asner, Tracy Nelson, Shari Belafonte, Georgann Johnson, Leslie Bevis, and Mackenzie Phillips. Kate appears to have the perfect suburban life, but she's secretly struggling with bulimia. As hiding her illness becomes harder, the cracks in her carefully crafted image begin to show, forcing her family to face a problem they've never seen coming. The film focuses on the emotional toll of the disorder and Kate's difficult journey toward recovery. Filmed in Southern California, the movie used its suburban locations to reinforce the illusion of a picture-perfect family. Meredith Baxter's performance was widely praised, and the film was considered unusually honest for network television in the 1980s, helping bring attention to eating disorders years before they became common subjects in film and TV. Love what you hear? Want to show your support for Sam Pancake & The Monday Afternoon Movie? Make sure to follow on the official Patreon page and pledge a few bucks if you are able, and get access to a new bonus episode every month, 4 behind-the-scenes exclusive videos, as well as all past episodes and content for hours upon hours of Pancake action. Sam's Patreon Page Show Links: Sam Pancake's Instagram Sam Pancake's Linktree Margee Magee's Instagram Margee Magee's dog's TikTok This episode was engineered & produced by Meika Grimm.

   July 29, 2026·1h 37min
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   Number 4: ARE YOU IN THE HOUSE ALONE? with Katie O'Brien

   Note to isteners: this episode covers topics of sexual assualt and abuse. Discretion is advised. Joining Sam Pancake today is Katie O'Brien, an actress, writer, producer, and showrunner. With her comedy group, The Katydids, she co-created, wrote, executive-produced, and starred in TV Land's hit comedy Teachers, which ran for three seasons and fifty episodes. She went on to write and co-executive produce Disney+'s The Santa Clauses, starring Tim Allen. Most recently, she was the creator and showrunner of Tubi's first original scripted series, The Z-Suite, starring Lauren Graham and Nico Santos. Based on the award-winning novel by Richard Peck, Are You in the House Alone? is a 1978 made-for-television thriller directed by Walter Grauman and adapted for the screen by writer Judith Parker. The film centers on Gail Osborne, played by Kathleen Beller, a bright and artistic high school student whose ordinary suburban life spirals into terror after she begins receiving anonymous threats from a mysterious stalker. What begins as unsettling notes in her locker and disturbing phone calls soon escalates into psychological torment, leaving Gail isolated and increasingly fearful that no place — not even her own home — is truly safe. Her parents, portrayed by Blythe Danner and Tony Bill, struggle to understand the growing horror surrounding their daughter as suspicion falls on several young men in her life, including a volatile character played by a young Dennis Quaid. Unlike many sensationalized thrillers of the era, the film approaches its subject matter from a very grounded place, focusing less on graphic violence and more on the emotional devastation caused by fear and victimization. Director Walter Grauman, known for his work in television suspense dramas, gives the movie a stark realism that makes its moments of terror feel disturbingly plausible. The haunting score by composer Charles Bernstein — who would later score A Nightmare on Elm Street — heightens the atmosphere with an uneasy orchestra that underlines Gail's growing paranoia and helplessness. Produced for CBS during the height of late-1970s psychological thrillers, Are You in the House Alone? was filmed in several California locations, including the historic Ahmanson Mansion in Hancock Park, Los Angeles, scenes around Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, and John Burroughs Middle School in Los Angeles, which doubled as the movie's high school campus. Love what you hear? Want to show your support for Sam Pancake & The Monday Afternoon Movie? Make sure to follow on the official Patreon page and pledge a few bucks if you are able, and get access to a new bonus episode every month, 4 behind-the-scenes exclusive videos, as well as all past episodes and content for hours upon hours of Pancake action. Sam's Patreon Page Show Links: Sam Pancake's Instagram Sam Pancake's Linktree Katie O'Brien's Instagram Teachers on Paramount+ This episode was engineered & produced by Meika Grimm.

   May 26, 2026·1h 30min
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   Number 5: ALL THE KIND STRANGERS with Melanie Hutsell

   Today's Monday Afternoon movie involves overalls, Stacy Keach, backwoods Tennessee children, willow switches, and rattlers! ALL THE KIND STRANGERS is a 1974 ABC Move of the Week starring Stacy Keach and Samantha Eggar. When photojournalist Jimmy sees a young boy carrying a heavy load back to his house, Jimmy offers to take him home. What he finds when gets there is a family of children with no clear adults present but always the promise of one to arrive. What strange direction will this Lord of the Flies vibe take us? Sam's has asked friend, colleague, and SNL alum Melanie Hutsell back to the show for another round of wacky made for TV goodness. Follow her Instagram to keep up with her latest shenanigans, or also check out the link below to check out her previous episode with Sam. Love what you hear? Want to show your support for Sam Pancake & The Monday Afternoon Movie? Make sure to follow on the official Patreon page and pledge a few bucks if you are able, and get access to a new bonus episode every month, 4 behind-the-scenes exclusive videos, as well as all past episodes and content for hours upon hours of Pancake action. Sam's Patreon Page Show Links: Sam Pancake's Instagram Sam Pancake's Linktree Melanie Hutsell's Instagram Melanie's previous episode: Daughter of the Mind Link to Mother's Little Helpers This episode was engineered & produced by Meika Grimm.

   September 30, 2025·1h 55min
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