The NO NOTES Podcast

'The Pitt,' which wrapped up last night, is one of the best shows of 2025, and joining the SchmearCast are two of its amazing stars, Gerran Howell (Dennis Whitaker) and Shabana Azeez (Victoria Javadi)!!

First up, Jesse Aaronson returns to break down episodes 3 and 4 of 'The Studio.' Schmear and Jesse re-engineer their expectations for the sitcom before diving into "The Note" and "The Missing Reel" and discussing the guest cameos from Anthony Mackie, Zac Efron, and Olivia Wilde.

Then Gerran Howell (Whitaker) unpacks that powerful scene with Dr. Robby in Episode 14 and how Noah Wyle served as an amazing mentor. Howell talks the importance of great sneakers on set and what Day 1 living with Trinity Santos (Isa Briones) looks like.

After that, Schmear and Shabana Azeez discuss the background of her brilliant, precocious character "Victoria Javadi" and what drives her. Azeez also answers who cracked her up most on set, the biggest differences in healthcare in the USA vs. Australia, and her favorite 'The Pitt' moment.

Host: Gabriel Frieberg

Guest: Jesse Aaronson, Gerran Howell, Shabana Azeez

Producer: Pavlo Melnyk

Music: Justin Friedman

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'White Lotus' S3 comes to an explosive, divisive close.

Schmear and Alison Sivitz (Bald Ann Dowd) reunite one last time to break down the action-packed 90-minute finale, “Amor Fati.” Schmear defends the episode overall before the two dive into the twists and turns. Alison makes a bold 180 on Saxon Ratliff, while Schmear praises the fateful, artful Lachlan scene. They unpack the climactic ending and the moments that fell short.

The episode wraps with final thoughts on the season, theory-brained fandom, and predictions for White Lotus S4—both thematic and literal.

Host: Gabriel Frieberg

Guest: Alison Sivitz

Producer: Pavlo Melnyk

Music: Justin Friedman

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In 'The White Lotus’s' penultimate episode, “Killer Instincts,” this roller coaster season barrels ahead with a sharp focus on the nature of violence.

Schmear and Alison Sivitz return to break it all down (2:05)—Rick’s cockamamie Bangkok scheme (10:39), the ladies on the warpath (14:47), and the monastery misadventure (17:50). Schmear casts a wary eye on Mook, while Alison unpacks her complicated feelings about Saxon and Chelsea (25:20). After analyzing the eventful nights for multiple characters, they wrap with bold predictions for the finale (41:10).

Host: Gabriel Frieberg

Guest: Alison Sivitz

Producer: Pavlo Melnyk

Music: Justin Friedman

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New Seth Rogen Hollywood satire series 'The Studio' is one of the best and funniest shows of the year.

Joining Schmear to help break it down is Jesse Aaronson. The two give their top-line thoughts (3:19), discuss some of the best and worst examples of the "Hollywood" subgenre on the small screen (10:17), then assess the incredibly hysterical, smart, and stylish first episode "The Promotion" (15:09) and talk about the farcical comedy of episode two, "The Oner" (34:27).

They walk through which characters they're enjoying most (38:47) before projecting what they want to see in the rest of the season for it to remain successful (42:12).

They wrap up by drafting a starting five of their favorite "Hollywood" movies against each other (46:16), where Jesse makes a bold, brilliant pick that undercuts Schmear's top-heavy strategy.

Host: Gabriel Frieberg

Guest: Jesse Aaronson

Producer: Pavlo Melnyk

Music: Justin Friedman

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Did “brotherly love” go a little too far in Thailand?

Schmear and Alison Sivitz reunite to break down 'The White Lotus' S3 E6, “Denials.” They parse an awkward “next day” (11:03) for every character and debate the episode’s dream sequences. Schmear shares his own Thai Buddhist monastery experience (22:33) before unpacking how the Ratliffs are changed by their visit. After questioning whether Laurie broke the friend code (31:06), they wrap up by sharing their excitement over the thrilling Rick-centric cliffhanger (35:28).

Host: Gabriel Frieberg

Guest: Alison Sivitz

Producer: Pavlo Melnyk

Music: Justin Friedman

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An ambitious, imaginative, cinematic finale to 'Severance' Season 2, fitting for a show and a season defined by those very qualities.

Schmear and Sean Byrne share their big-picture thoughts on the jam-packed, 76-minute episode "Cold Harbor," (2:54) covering Adam Scott’s remarkable performance (6:49), bizarre Lumon shenanigans (16:13), and the emotional journeys of each character.

They break down the note-perfect final act (27:57), debate that shocking last moment (43:40), and class is in session for Schmear’s cinema studies (51:20) as they unpack the inspirations behind that bold ending freeze frame.

They wrap with overall impressions of the season (56:31), how “Cold Harbor” could function as a series finale, and a discussion of Season 3 prospects (1:03:38).

Host: Gabriel Frieberg

Guests: Sean Byrne

Producer: Pavlo Melnyk

Music: Justin Friedman

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We were promised fireworks in “Full-Moon Party,” but did the latest ‘White Lotus’ episode deliver?

Schmear and Alison Sivitz fiercely debate the success (or lack thereof) of ‘The White Lotus’ S3 E5 (2:01). Schmear explains why he thinks the season feels “tired,” while Alison argues there's still some juice left. They break down the episode’s biggest moments, vent about Gaitok and Tim (16:24), unpack that HUGE guest star cameo (25:20), and discuss what needs to happen next for the season to feel satisfying (37:44).

Host: Gabriel Frieberg

Guests: Alison Sivitz

Producer: Pavlo Melnyk

Music: Justin Friedman

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Schmear and Sean Byrne break down ‘Severance’ S2 E9, "The After Hours" (2:16), discussing how it serves as a ramp-up to what should be a thrilling finale. They debate what worked and what didn’t within the episode, including tracking Milchick’s emotional journey, saying goodbye to Irving (22:49), and the brewing Innie vs. Outtie battle (37:46).

Later, Isaac Feldberg, critic at RogerEbert.com, joins to discuss Steven Soderbergh’s sleek new espionage thriller ‘Black Bag’ (42:57). Schmear and Isaac break down Soderbergh’s restless and impressive recent work ethic and the themes he's been exploring before diving into the film itself—highlighting Michael Fassbender’s magnetic performance (52:56), how ‘Black Bag’ tackles surveillance, and why it's exactly the movie audiences need right now (1:05:27).

Host: Gabriel Frieberg

Guests: Sean Byrne, Isaac Feldberg

Producer: Pavlo Melnyk

Music: Justin Friedman

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Bong Joon Ho’s hotly anticipated follow-up to the Best Picture-winning ‘Parasite’ - ‘Mickey 17’ — is finally here.

So how’s the movie?

Schmear and Sena Adjei dig into the film landscape ‘Mickey 17’ arrives in (1:56), debate their favorite Bong Joon Ho movies (7:55), and talk about the allure of Robert Pattinson (13:26) before diving into the film’s merits and drawbacks (21:15). They break down Pattinson’s performance, the cartoonish villains, and the political satire, before debating whether the film will age well (43:50) and what it augurs for auteurs working at a blockbuster scale (46:10) .

Then, Schmear and Alison Sivitz return to ‘The White Lotus’ to talk S3E4, “Hide or Seek,” (56:44) arguably the season’s weakest episode so far—though not without its charms. They discuss the great setup but lack of payoff for the boat party and the ladies going off-hotel, Schmear rants about Rick’s stasis (1:20:12), and they consider how awful Gaitok is at his job before wrapping talking about what’s ahead next week (1:32:12).

Host: Gabriel Frieberg

Guests: Sena Adjei, Alison Sivitz

Producer: Pavlo Melnyk

Music: Justin Friedman

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Revisiting conversations with three Oscar winners on this bonus episode of The SchmearCast.

Lol Crawley, DP of ‘The Brutalist’ and winner of the Best Cinematography Oscar, discusses pulling off some of the film’s standout scenes, his working relationship with Brady Corbet, and what he thinks Laszlo Toth’s favorite movies might have been (3:42).

Gints Zilbalodis, director, writer, animator, and composer of the Best Animated Film winner ‘Flow,’ joins the show for an in-depth chat about his stirring film, his thoughts on Miyazaki comparisons, and his favorite animated films of all time (31:36).

Lastly, Alex Coco, who picked up the Best Picture award for producing ‘Anora,’ shares what it’s like working with Sean Baker, when he knew star Mikey Madison had the it factor, and what it means for ‘Anora’ to be called “American New Wave.” (51:04)

Host: Gabriel Frieberg

Guests: Lol Crawley, Gints Zilbalodis, Alex Coco

Producer: Pavlo Melnyk

Music: Justin Friedman

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