The Pop Break

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 House of the Dragon S2, Disney Plus’s The Acolyte S1, Hulu’s The Bear, and Netflix’s Ripley. 

News Break – Alex, Bill, and Josh react to breaking news that Skydance has finally completed its long awaited merger with Paramount Global.

Streaming Wars – Alex, Bill, & Josh pick a streamer they think “won the month” based on new shows airing/upcoming shows announced etc. Josh gives the nod to Netflix thanks to their conversation starting films like Hit Man, Axel F, Atlas, and Under Paris and their hit series like Bridgerton (plus news that they will be creating their own amusement experience). 

Bill passed over Netflix to give props to MAX after they debuted their trailer for The Penguin, converted some of their event series into HBO originals, announced Damon Lindeloff will be writing their Green Lantern series, and earned major ratings with the NBA Finals and House of the Dragon S2.

Meanwhile, Alex spoke up for Tubi a month after they beat Disney Plus in total viewers for second behind Netflix, and scored a ton of good press in the process.

New Series Spotlight – This month, they reviewed Presumed Innocent, Apple TV Plus’s adaptation of the 1990 Harrison Ford feature film and the 1987 best selling novel by lawyer turned novelist Scott Turow. The series was created by David E Kelley and stars Jake Gyllenhaal, as a local prosecutor accused of murdering his fellow ADA, played in flashbacks by Renate Reinsve, who he happened to be having an affair with at the time of her death. Ruth Negga, O-T Fagbenle, Peter Sarsgaard, and real life husband and wife Bill Camp and Elizabeth Marvel also star.

Grab your palisman and hop through that portal to the demon realm, because for the next four weeks, Saturday Morning Adventures is headed to Bonesborough for a retrospective on Disney’s The Owl House.

Pop Break writer and podcaster Randy Allain is joined by his Media/Lit co-host Kris Ingersoll and Pop Break television editor Avani Goswami to explore Dana Terrace’s unique and groundbreaking fantasy series about a young girl escaping her conventional life to become a witch. 

After an exploration of how each host found their way to the show, the team recaps the first season, discusses the core cast/characters, and shares some of their favorite episodes from the first season. Additionally, each host explores their favorite humorous moment and favorite emotional moment from the first season.

Please tune in again next week, when your hosts will continue working their way through the cast list and provide a deep dive into season two of this beloved series.

WWE Hall of Famer and head of NXT “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels met with the media to discuss the company’s upcoming PPV Heatwave which airs on Sunday, July 7th live from the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. On the call, Shawn Michaels discusses Mia Yim, Je’Von Evans, NXT on the Road, Kendrick vs Drake, and more!

Wakadoo! It's Daaaaad!

Saturday Morning Adventures heads back down under for the conclusion of its Bluey mini-series -- this time with the dads of Pop Break.

Pop Break's Editor-in-Chief Bill Bodkin is joined by DJ Chapman of Roses & Rejections and Bluey beat writer and the host of Media/Lit, Randy Allain, to discuss the pop culture phenomenon that is both Bluey, and her dad Bandit Heeler. 

They discuss why Bandit has become an inspiration for fathers across the world, and how he's impacted their perspectives on being a dad. They talk about their favorite deep cut episodes, other favorite dads on the shows, and predict what's to come for the series.

And if you are a fan of Owl House, get ready to hear much more from Randy, as he takes over the feed for the month of July to cover every season of the beloved modern classic!

All Elite Wrestling’s Tony Khan met with the media to discuss the company’s upcoming pay-per-view Forbidden Door which airs on Sunday, June 30th live from the UBS Arena in Long Island, New York. On the call, Tony Khan discusses Britt Baker’s Return, The Future of Forbidden Door, Four Women’s Matches, and more!

Topic Rundown:

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 throw it back to an old classic from the early 2000s with “Swimfan” starring Erika Christensen, Jesse Bradford and Shiri Appleby. Join them as they do a deep dive (pun intended) into the psychology of Madison Bell and whether she’s an apt successor to Glen Close in “Fatal Attraction” or Jessica Walter in “Play Misty For Me.” And, of course, discuss the young horny goblins they were when they first saw this movie back in the day. How would they have handled this stalker? Listen and find out. 

Special thanks to Mallory Johns for the introduction music.

To see more of our hosts, check out Tyler’s writing at USA Insider, SYFY and NBC Insider. Find Allie’s work at Parade and Business Insider!

And don't forget to follow us on social media —

Allie: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and TikTok

Tyler: Twitter

Not Couple Goals: Instagram and Twitter

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 taking a tour through the wider world of reality tv while waiting for the latest season of The Bachelorette, coming this summer!

This week Michelle and DJ cover the finale of Perfect Match Season 2. They check in with where all the couples are now and give their thoughts on how this season went. They then wrap up with a preview of the upcoming season of the Bachelorette and give their thoughts on all of the men in Jen's season.

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!

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 host Daniel Cohen, Pop Break’s former Film Editor and Resident Bat-Maven, as he brings on several guests every month to share his 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.

Thirty-five years ago, a little movie called BATMAN opened in theaters, known commonly today as Batman 1989.  On this month’s podcast, Daniel is joined once again by podcasting director of the pop break, Alex Marcus, and making his return to the pod, Editor-in-Chief of the pop break, Bill Bodkin, as they celebrate 35 years of one of the most important superhero movies ever made.The panel discuss not only the movie itself, but all the hype and BAT MANIA at the time of the film’s release, and all recall their first time viewing this iconic motion picture.  The Batman cereal is even discussed.  Yes, Batman had a cereal.Aside from all the hoopla, the crew get into specifics on how they feel about this movie today, not only from when they first saw it, but also from how they felt about it since the three sat down for the very first episode of Batman by the Numbers.  One panelist still loves it, one puts it firmly in the ‘meh’ category, and the other is right in the middle.

The three discuss everything, flaws and all.  Keaton’s performance is revisited, Batman’s characterization, Joker’s plot in the film, Vicki Vale, Prince, that big twist all these years later, and an unexpected HEATED debate on…Alexander Knox?  Yup, that happened.Whether you love, detest, or fall somewhere in between Tim Burton’s first Batman film, this is a discussion every Batman fan must hear.  It’s full nostalgia this month.

ALSO…the crew tease a BIG EPISODE for next month as we celebrate the two-year anniversary of the Batman by the Numbers podcast.  You don’t want to miss it!

This week on Saturday Morning Adventures, Pop Break goes down under to explore the worldwide phenomenon known as Bluey!

In the first of this two-part run, Pop Break's editor-in-chief Bill Bodkin sits down with some of the moms of Pop Break -- former music editor Lisa Giampapa and Michelle Chapman, co-host of the Roses & Rejection Podcast.

In the episode, Michelle and Lisa discuss their love for the series, how they relate to Chili Heeler, their other favorite moms in the series, how the depiction of Chili has impacted their roles as moms and how Chili has made them feel seen as moms. They also discuss their favorite episodes, how they got into the series, Michelle goes in-depth on what episodes brought tears to her eyes and how Lisa uses the "Curry Quest" episode as a teaching tool for her 7th grade class. 

They also talk about the series flash forwards and flashbacks and throw out some pretty bold predictions for the series' future.

Stay tuned next week for another exciting episode about Bluey, this time just for the dads, and don’t forget to check back in next month when we book our summer vacation at Owl House!

Aaron and Josh Sarnecky are here to talk about Good Eats for its 25th anniversary.

Good Eats is a cooking show created by and starring Alton Brown. The series premiered on July 7, 1999 on Food Network. The show is best known for its unique blend of cooking, science, and humor, described as a cross between Julia Child, Mr. Wizard, and Monty Python.

After a long hiatus, the series came back as Good Eats: Reloaded, a revision of old episodes on Cooking Channel. A proper revival entitled Good Eats: The Return debuted on Food Network. As of 2021, both have ended.

Good Eats is one of Food Network’s most popular and longest running shows. It won a Peabody Award in 2007.

Aaron and Josh talk about their histories with Good Eats and cooking shows. They go into the show’s first episode, discussing the series’ presentation, humor, and science, as well the value of cooking from scratching. They also touch on the current state of Food Network and cooking shows.

For similar podcasts, you can listen to The Anniversary Brothers retrospectives on Bill Nye the Science Guy and The Joy of Painting.

Good Eats is streaming on Max