There’s never a dull moment in the world of anime and Pop Break is diving right into the action! Join anime enthusiasts Amanda Rivas and Josh Sarnecky as they geek out monthly with dedicated experts and special guests on exciting anime news, trending anime in TV and/or movies, and anime recommendations spanning different genres that everyone should be watching. If you are a lifelong anime lover or taking the initial leap into the genre that has something for everyone, this is the podcast for you!

Join us as we begin the new year with power duo and fellow anime aficionados Marshall and Courtney Stevenson of Blerd Watchers talking about two of the most highly anticipated anime of the Winter 2025 season. 

Our enthusiasts take a stroll through the anime content minds to discuss favorite series they’ve been watching recently, including Marshall’s pick of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, Courtney’s picks of Yakuza Fiance: Raise wa Tanin ga li and Ajin: Demi Human, Josh’s pick of The Concierge at Hokkyoku Department Store, and Amanda’s pick of Honey Lemon Soda. All anime discussed are found on Crunchyroll with Ajin: Demi Human found on Netflix.

In Anime News, they discuss the results of ⁠a recent Crunchyroll quiz highlighting the top anime crushes of 2024⁠ and share their own personal top three anime crushes.  

In their feature review section, our enthusiasts discuss the eagerly anticipated second season of last year’s hit anime Solo Leveling and Netflix’s newest entry in its quest to compete in the anime space - Sakamoto Days. They discuss their hype level, likes and dislikes, controversies that arose prior to season premieres, and more. 

Stay tuned next month as Anime x Pop takes a romantic stroll via Season 2 of My Happy Marriage and The Apothecary Diaries.

Aaron and Josh Sarnecky are ringing in the New Year with a new podcast. This time they’re celebrating the 85th anniversary of His Girl Friday.

His Girl Friday is a screwball comedy directed by Howard Hawks. It is the second film adaptation of the play The Front Page. It opened in theaters on January 18, 1940.

In the film, Hildy Johnson (Rosalind Russell), former star reporter of The Morning Post, arrives at the paper to tell her former editor and ex-husband Walter Burns (Cary Grant) she’s engaged to marry her fiancé Bruce Baldwin (Ralph Bellamy). Walter asks Hildy to help stop the execution of a condemned man, Earl Williams (John Qualen), before she leaves. However, Walter’s motives are less than noble, and the story is more trouble than previously expected.

His Girl Friday is a seminal film in the screwball comedy genre, notable for its biting wit and rapid-fire, overlapping dialogue. In 1993, it was selected for the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry, for films that are “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” 

The film and the play it’s based on are in the public domain. The entire movie can be watched in high definition on Wikipedia.

Aaron talks about seeing His Girl Friday in college before he and Josh go over the movie’s plot, performances, humor, and legacy. Aaron also recommends more Cary Grant movies to Josh and listeners.

For more classic films, you can listen to Josh and Aaron’s podcasts on Singin’ in the Rain and A Hard Day’s Night. 

His Girl Friday is streaming on Tubi and Pluto TV

Welcome to Blerd Watchers! ThePopBreak.com's monthly podcast about TV shows with a Blerdy twist! Come hang out with Courtney & Marshall, two married Blerds, as they navigate all the dopeness on TV and share insights and opinions on the monthly show topics!

This month, our dynamic duo celebrate the New Year 2025, discuss their favorite rewatchable TV series, react to new trailers for 'The Last of Us' Season 2 and 'Reacher' Season 3, and review 'Solo Leveling' Season 2 as well as a retrospective on 'Arcane' Season 2. They dive deep into the crime drama 'The Penguin' Season 1 and share their excitement for upcoming shows in the new season of Blerd Watchers!

The Rundown:

Follow Courtney on⁠⁠⁠⁠ Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠ &⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Marshall on⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠⁠ Twitch⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠⁠ Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠ Merch⁠⁠⁠⁠ now available!

Make sure to check out their other podcast,⁠⁠⁠ Blerd Life with My Wife⁠⁠⁠ on your favorite podcasting app and on⁠⁠⁠ Twitter⁠⁠⁠ &⁠⁠⁠ Instagram⁠⁠⁠.

⁠⁠⁠Blerd Life with My Wife Archives!⁠⁠⁠

And head on over to their⁠⁠⁠ Patreon page⁠⁠⁠ for extra content.

Welcome to “Not Couple Goals” where co-hosts Allie Nelson and Tyler McCarthy do a deep dive into a different ridiculous romantic thriller from the vantage point of their long-term relationship.

Allie, a TV writer/producer and actress, has an affinity for romantic thrillers, the more salacious the better. Tyler, an entertainment reporter and critic, often finds himself drawn in despite his better judgment. Join them as they explore all the ways it’s possible to love too hard… like WAY too hard.

In this episode, Allie and Tyler sink their teeth into the 2007 satirical thriller “Teeth.” Join them as they discuss the total bummer that is the youth celibacy movement and dream of a world where every woman on the planet has the extraordinary gift of the protagonist in this movie. They also briefly touch on the 2024 off-Broadway musical adaptation of this cult-hit classic. 

Special thanks to Mallory Johns for the introduction music.

Please don’t forget to follow our hosts on Twitter @ANelRetentive & @TylerMcCarthy and Instagram @ANelRetentive and to check out Tyler’s writing at USA Insider and Allie’s at Parade and Business Insider!

Welcome to TV Break, where Pop Break’s Podcasts Editor Alex Marcus is joined by editor-in-chief Bill Bodkin, and TV Columnist Josh Sarnecky to talk about the happenings in television.

Here’s the format of the show:

The Best Thing I Saw on TV Last Month – Alex, Bill, & Josh talk about a show/episode/event they liked from the last month including Max’s Creature Commandos, Disney Plus’s Skeleton Crew & What If, and Netflix’s No Good Deed. 

Streaming Wars – Alex, Bill, & Josh pick a streamer they think “won the month” based on new shows airing/upcoming shows announced etc. All three hosts had to hand it to Netflix for thoroughly dominating the holidays with record breaking NFL games, music performances by Beyonce, Sabrina Carpenter, & Chapelle Roan, comedy specials from Jaimie Fox and Nate Bargatze, hit TV shows like Squid Game and Black Doves, and hit movies like Carry On, The Six Triple Eight, and Emilia Perez, which has also become an awards season juggernaut.

New Series Spotlight – This month, we are reviewing Netflix’s Black Doves. The series was created by British TV vet Joe Barton, and follows Helen Webb, a politician's wife by day and covert spy by night, who attempts to unwind the mysterious conspiracy surrounding her lover's death without blowing her cover. The series stars Academy Award nominee Kiera Knightly as Helen, alongside her best friend and trigger man Sam, played by Ben Whishaw, and her shadowy handler Mrs. Reade, played by UK TV legend Sarah Lancashire.

Most Anticipated Series of 2025 – Alex, Bill, and Josh break down their five most anticipated series of the year, along with some runners-up as they kick off 2025.Josh 

Stranger Things S5

Severance S2

Daredevil: Born Again

Andor S2

Wednesday S2

Bill 

Daredevil: Born Again

Stranger Things S5

Andor S2

The Last of Us S2

Wednesday S2

Alex 

The Studio

White Lotus S3

Severance S2

Daredevil: Born Again

The Bear S4

Hello and welcome to Bill vs the MCU! Each month your hosts⁠⁠⁠ Pop Break Podcasting Director Alex Marcus⁠⁠⁠ and⁠⁠⁠ Pop Break Editor in Chief Bill Bodkin⁠⁠⁠ are taking another step into the wider Marvel Multiverse as the MCU dives deeper into their Multiverse Saga.

Bill & Alex spent all of 2022 rewatching the first four phases of the MCU, and they just spent 2023 covering the first phase of Netflix’s The Defenders Saga and the first four seasons of ABC’s Agents of SHIELD. This year, they journeyed into Fox’s X-Verse with their X-Treme X-Watch.

Now they are back with their Defenders Disassembled miniseries, where they take a tour through all the final seasons of every Marvel Netflix series as they get ready for the triumphant return of Matt, Karen, Foggy, and Frank in Daredevil: Born Again this spring. 

First, Bill & Alex were inspired by the recent news that Chris Evans and Hayley Atwell will be returning to the MCU for Avengers: Doomsday to give their Top 5 dead or retired Avengers that they most want to see return for the Avengers sequel coming in 2026.

After that, stick around for an in depth discussion of the third and final season of Marvel’s Jessica Jones. They catch you up on what you may have missed from season two of the series, before diving into whether Jessica Jones vs a Serial Killer felt like a fresh take on Jones’ neo-noir roots or a last ditch effort to recapture the magic of season one. 

Watch along with us! Next episode’s titles are Echo and Agatha All Along (available to stream on⁠⁠ ⁠Disney+⁠⁠⁠), which will be covered in our episode this January.

There’s arguably no superhero in existence that has been reimagined, redefined, or reinterpreted more than Batman.  No matter how many times he’s been rebooted, audiences are always willing to come back to Gotham City’s greatest defender.  With so much Bat content out there, there’s plenty to dissect, analyze, and of course, rank!  This podcast is dedicated to a surgical evaluation of Batman’s history, with a focus on ranking several topics in the world of Batman, among other classic Bat themes and characters.

Join hosts Daniel Cohen, Pop Break’s former Film Editor, and Kris Ingersoll, co-host of the Media/Lit podcast, as they bring on several guests every month to share their passion for the one and only Dark Knight.  From Adam West to Robert Pattinson, no bat stone will be left unturned.  Bottom-line: If you’re a Batman fan, this is required listening.

In 2024, we brought you the year of villains.  We ranked the animated series villains, all the Joker actors, and most recently, Batman villains who’ve yet to make their live action film debut.  All these episodes are proof that more than any other superhero, Batman has the deepest roster of great villains.  We talked about Professor Pyg for crying out loud.

In our last episode of 2024, it’s time bring this theme home in style.

We’re drafting again, and this time, it’s all VILLAIN THEMED.

While villains were a category in last summer’s Definitive Batman Draft, this draft takes the concept of a Batman villain even further, as we now draft specific iterations of villains spanning multiple movies, TV shows, comic arcs, and much more.  To mimic one of the great Jokers, “wait till they get a load of these categories.”

Trust us when we tell you, we’ve come up with the definitive list of Batman villain categories.

Returning to draft with Daniel and Kris are Alex Marcus, Podcasting Director of the Pop Break, and Randy Allain, co-host of the Pop Break’s Pod of Doom, as well as Kris’s co-host of the Media/Lit Podcast.  Also making his return to the podcast, it’s co-host of the Anniversary Brothers podcast, and Pop Break’s Anime podcast, Anime x Pop, Josh Sarnecky.

Without spoiling too much, we’ll just tell you the first two rounds of this draft are completely chaotic.  We can’t stress this enough; you will be surprised early at some of these picks.  

We present to you the DEFINITIVE BATMAN VILLAINS DRAFT!

Welcome back to another episode of our podcast all about the ABC reality series The Bachelor and its many spin-offs.

ThePopBreak.com's Michelle Coraci, who has been recapping all things Bachelor for The Pop Break for years, and co-host DJ Chapman, of Mostly Nitpicking, are in off season mode, as The Bachelor and its many spinoffs take the next few weeks off!

This week Michelle and DJ recap the finale and reunion episodes of Netflix's The Ultimatum Season 3. They discuss who actually came off looking good this season, and how the show can change moving forward. They also have a brief discussion of Gerry Turner's recent announcement.

If you have thoughts or suggestions for what you’d like Michelle and DJ to cover during the offseason or opinion about all things Bachelor & Bachelorette, be sure to reach out via twitter @Roses&Rejections!

This is Pod of Doom, a podcast dedicated to the British band Black Sabbath! The hosts of Every Pod You Cast return to discuss all things Sabbath: Justin Mancini of TheCineMaverick.com & Cinema Joes, Chris Mancini, and Randy Allain of Media/Lit will be covering the Ozzy Osbourne and Ronnie James Dio eras of the metal pioneers.

In the fourth official episode of the season, Chris, Justin, and Randy tackle Sabbath’s underrated (but aptly named) fourth volume. They relish Geezer Butler’s anti-jingoism, contemplate the band’s increasing use of acoustic instrumentation, and debate the merits of stiff piano ballads. And of course, they recommend other artists they’ve been enjoying for your listening pleasure.

Host Picks:

We Know That It Is Good (A Song We Think Is Underrated or Just Really Like)

Chris – Supernaut

Justin – St. Vitus Dance

Randy – Changes

Nobody Wants Him (A Song We Don’t Like So Much)

Chris – Changes

Justin – FX

Randy – Tomorrow’s Dream

Words That Glow (A Favorite Lyric)

Chris – Cornucopia

Justin – Cornucopia

Randy – Cornucopia

Occupy My Brain (A Favorite Musical Moment)

Chris – Under the Sun

Justin – Tomorrow’s Dream

Randy – Laguna Sunrise

Other Artists We’ve Been Listening To:

Chris – Score from Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth

Justin – Godspeed You! Black Emperor

Randy – Saul Williams

Aaron and Josh Sarnecky are here for a bonus podcast to discuss Bicentennial Man for its 25th anniversary.

Bicentennial Man is a science fiction comedy-drama directed by Chris Columbus and written by Nicholas Kazan. It is based on a novelette by Isaac Asimov, as well as a novel by Asimov and Robert Silverberg. It opened in theaters on December 17, 1999.

The film follows Andrew, an immortal robot (Robin Williams) who first serves the Martin family in a futuristic 2005. Mr. Martin (Sam Neill), who determines that Andrew has human emotions and interests, guides his development. Later, Andrew decides to take on more human attributes, including synthetic skin and organs, with the aid of inventor Rupert Burns (Oliver Platt).

Other characters include Mrs. Martin (Wendy Crewson), the Martins’ daughter Amanda (Hallie Kate Eisenberg, Embeth Davidtz), and Amanda’s granddaughter (also Davidtz).

Bicentennial Man garnered mixed-to-negative reviews, and it bombed at the box office. Robin Williams was nominated for Worst Actor at the Razzies, though the movie was nominated for Best Makeup at the Oscars.

Aaron and Josh talk about the first time they saw Bicentennial Man, its plot, characters, and themes. They also mention its deceptive marketing campaign and how the film stands out in today’s movie landscape.

For more science fiction, you can listen to Aaron and Josh’s Twilight Zone podcast with guest Randy Allain.

Bicentennial Man is available on Prime Video