The Pop Break

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!

In this episode, Marshall and Courtney celebrate Courtney's birthday while diving into a plethora of TV and movie content. They kick things off with some exciting snap trailer reactions, including Kaiju No. 8 returning on July 19th, GenV Season 2 on Prime Video coming September 17th, The Old Guard 2 on Netflix dropping July 2nd, and Foundation Season 3 premiering on Apple TV on July 11th. 

After a brief commercial break, they discuss impressions of the final season of Big Mouth on Netflix and Love, Death & Robots Volume 4. The hosts then review seasons 1 and 2 of Shoresy on Hulu, the charm of Nobody Wants This on Netflix, the Hollywood drama in The Studio on Apple TV, the British crime thriller Department Q on Netflix, and the second season of The Last of Us on HBO Max. 

• (02:32) Anime Season Preview: Kaiju No. 8 and More

• (05:29) Snap Trailer Reactions: GenV Season 2

• (11:51) Snap Trailer Reactions: The Old Guard 2

• (17:55) Snap Trailer Reactions: Foundation Season 3

• (27:43) Snap Trailer Reactions: Big Mouth Final Season

• (29:59) First Impressions:Love, Death & Robots Season 4

• (43:28) Season Review: Shoresy S1+2

• (55:11) Season Review:  Nobody Wants This Season 1

• (01:09:52) Season Review:  The Studio Season 1

• (01:32:41) Season Review: Department Q

• (01:40:09) The Last of Us Season 2 Finale Deep Dive

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, they tackle a movie you may be surprised you’ve never heard of given its all-star cast including Hugh Jackman, Ewan McGregor and Michelle Williams. These talented celebrities may have tried to hide this blemish on their career but Allie and Tyler dug up “Deception.” Join them as they walk through all the ways this movies “twist” is needlessly complicated yet wholly unsophisticated. You can also hear Allie lament the lack of any sex appeal despite the casting of Hugh Jackman.

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 HBO’s The Last of Us, Disney Plus’s Andor, Max’s Hacks, and Apple TV Plus’s The Studio.

Newsbreak – This month, they breakdown a busy month of news out of TV’s Upfronts, with a special focus on the decline of scripted TV and the rising prominence of sports in this year’s presentations.

Streaming Wars – Alex, Bill, & Josh pick a streamer they think “won the month” based on new shows airing/upcoming shows announced etc. Josh and Bill both went with Netflix thanks all the news they dropped out of this month’s TUDUM event, along with the news they swapped out Cocomelon for Sesame Street.

Meanwhile, Alex capes up for the newly rebranded HBO Max, thanks to the high quality and virality of their big series The Last of Us, Hacks, and The Rehearsal, the NBA playoffs, the Superman film library, and their recent decision to cull much of Discovery’s library from their service.

New Series Spotlight – This month we are shining the spotlight on Netflix’s Sirens. This series stars The White Lotus’ Meghann Fahy and House of the Dragon’s Milly Alcock as estranged sisters unexpectedly reunited on the eve of Alcock’s boss’s big Labor Day Weekend Gala. Julianne Moore, Kevin Bacon, Josh Segarra, Glenn Howerton, and Bill Camp also star. The series was created by Molly Smith Metzler, and is an adaptation of her 2011 play Elemeno Pea.

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.

As this year marks the theatrical introduction of James Gunn’s new DC shared Universe, we take a look back at another DC universe, that of the CW, and their five-part series that aired in 2019-2020; Crisis on Infinite Earths.  Spanning five shows, and an endless roll call of DC characters, we got a lot to cover!

As this was the ultimate CW endeavor, we couldn’t do this month’s episode without Podcasting Director of the Pop Break, Alex Marcus, as the CW expert shares his knowledge and wisdom on what worked, didn’t work, and everything in between.

While old hat to Alex, this was Daniel’s first viewing of the full event.  Did he like it??  Well, you’ll have to listen to find out.

The duo also discuss the cameos, who their MVPs of the series were, and does Daniel re-evaluate his take on Brandon Routh’s Superman after this Crisis performance?  

If you’re a diehard CW fan who followed these series as closely as Alex did, this is a must listen episode!

Aaron and Josh Sarnecky are here to celebrate Shanghai Noon for its 25th anniversary.

Shanghai Noon is a martial arts western film directed by Tom Dey. It was written by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. It opened in theaters on May 26, 2000.

Set in 1881, the film follows Chon Wang (Jackie Chan), a Chinese Imperial Guard who travels to America to rescue Princess Pei Pei (Lucy Liu) from the traitorous Lo Fong (Roger Yuan). Chon begrudgingly teams up with outlaw Roy O’Bannon (Owen Wilson). 

Other characters include Chon’s Sioux wife, Falling Leaves (Brandon Merrill), backstabbing outlaw Wallace (Walton Goggins), and the villainous Marshal Van Cleef (Xander Berkeley).

Shanghai Noon is a highly regarded entry in Jackie Chan’s Hollywood filmography. It grossed $99.3 million on a $55 million budget and spawned one sequel, Shanghai Knights. A third movie was in the works but never materialized.

Aaron and Josh talk about the movie’s plot, characters, humor, use of western tropes, and action.

For more Jackie Chan, you can listen to Aaron and Josh’s podcast on the finale of Jackie Chan Adventures.

Shanghai Noon is available on Prime Video

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 ninth official episode of the season, Chris, Justin, Randy, and special guest Kris of Media/Lit and Batman by the Numbers tackle the first Sabbath album with Ronnie James Dio. They extol the virtues of “hobbit rock,” ponder whom the victor would be in a fight between the Neon Knights and Johnny Blade, and even find a way to bring the Backstreet Boys into the discussion. 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 – Heaven and Hell

Justin – Die Young

Kris – Children of the Sea

Randy – Lonely Is the Word

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

Chris – Walk Away

Justin – Lady Evil

Kris – Lady Evil

Randy – Walk Away

Words That Glow (A Favorite Lyric)

Chris – Children of the Sea

Justin – Lonely Is the Word

Kris – Children of the Sea

Randy – Die Young

Occupy My Brain (A Favorite Musical Moment)

Chris – Lonely Is the Word

Justin – Children of the Sea

Kris – Lonely Is the Word

Randy – Wishing Well

Other Artists We’ve Been Listening To:

Chris – Steven Wilson

Justin – Rhiannon Giddens

Kris – The Longest Johns/Greta Van Fleet

Randy – Soundtrack from Bluey

In the inaugural episode of the 'It's Tom-plicated: Tom Holland Film Podcast,' hosts ⁠Alex Marcus⁠ and ⁠Manish Mathur⁠ introduce their ambitious plan to cover every movie featuring Tom Holland. They explore his journey from 'Billy Elliot' understudy to Hollywood superstar, discuss his unique persona and career choices, and outline their approach for future episodes. With a special focus on his transition from Peter Parker to diversified roles, the podcast promises in-depth analysis, fun segments, and insights into Tom Holland's evolution as an actor. Future episodes will delve into his films, TV appearances, stage performances, and viral moments, beginning with his debut film 'The Impossible.'

Don't forget to subscribe to It's Tom-plicated: A Tom Holland Podcast on Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts, so you don't miss future episodes of the show!

The Rundown:

(00:30) Welcome to the Tom Holland Film Podcast

(00:59) Why We Love Tom Holland

(02:13) Tom Holland's Unique Public Persona

(04:43) Tom Holland's Career Journey

(06:59) Exploring Tom Holland's Filmography

(11:39) Segments and Special Features

(15:24) Final Thoughts and Upcoming Episodes

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, in the years since, they have covered all of Netflix’s The Defenders Saga, the first four seasons of ABC’s Agents of SHIELD, and all 14 films in Fox’s X-Verse.

Now they are diving into their Marvel Zombies Era, where they run down some of Marvel Entertainment’s most notable and notorious films featuring characters the MCU would later reclaim! 

This month, it’s all about Blade as they discuss 1998’s Blade, 2002’s Blade II and 2004’s Blade: Trinity. Alex & Bill tackles the high highs and low lows of Marvel’s most fearsome daywalker, including why Wesley Snipes still owns the mantle nearly 30 years after his debut, how the franchise balances 90s cheese with Snipes’ effortlessly cool take on the character, and why Alex thinks Trinity is one of the worst films they’ve ever covered on the show.

They also discuss whether Mahershalia Ali’s Blade will ever happen and what they’d like to see from the project if it ever sees the light of day. Plus, they give their first thoughts on Thunderbolts* and that New Avengers reveal!

Come back next month for their installment of their Marvel’s Zombie Era, featuring reviews of 2005’s Fantastic Four, 2007’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, and 2015’s Fantastic Four (all available on Disney+)!

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 tackle the 2025 thriller “Companion” starring Sophie Thatcher and Jack Quaid. Join them as they finally tackle the question “what is love?” They also get in the weeds on the appeal of Quaid and how horrible both Alex and AI are for society. Will the audience appreciate Tyler’s heel turn? Listen and find out! 

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!

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 break out of prison for the 10th time out of boredom and try to figure out the mystery of spontaneous human combustion this month with everyone’s favorite wild card, The Elder Emo Branden Vice, and the debuting Tommy of Countdown City Geeks!

Our enthusiasts take a stroll through the anime content minds to discuss favorite series they’ve been watching recently, including Amanda’s pick of My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, Branden’s pick of Demon Lord 2099, and Tommy’s picks of tried and true favorites Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, and Solo Leveling. Josh surprised all panelists by praising the One Piece manga and becoming a full-fledged Straw Hat. All anime discussed are found on Crunchyroll. Cowboy Bebop is also available on Netflix and, along with Samurai Champloo, is also available on Hulu.

In Anime News, they discuss the trailer for Star Wars Visions: Season 3 and what they are most excited to see in October. 

In their feature review section, our enthusiasts discuss the third season of Fire Force and Lazarus to include their thoughts on the main plot lines, Shinra and Axel as protagonists, and theories on where the remainder of each season would go.   

Stay tuned next month as we review breakout hits Witch Watch and To Be Hero X.