The Pop Break

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!

This month they welcome back one half of the reality TV dream team hosting the Roses and Rejections podcast, Michelle Chapman, because when this feature review was chosen, they knew they had to call her ASAP!

Our enthusiasts take a stroll through the anime content minds to discuss favorite series they've been watching recently, including Josh's recommendation of Metallic Rouge, Michelle's recommendation of Delicious in Dungeon, and Amanda's continued attempt to get everyone humanly possible to watch One Piece  - the latest arc in Egghead Island.

In Anime News this month, they discuss the latest update in the neverending saga of the long awaited four new Naruto 20th anniversary episodes (Naruto's TV Animation Getting a Major Update Still Isn't Enough for Fans to be Confident About the Upcoming Anime (fandomwire.com) and their excitement regarding highly anticipated updates from the upcoming Anime Expo from Crunchyroll, Netflix, Toho Animation, and many others (Anime Expo | Los Angeles Anime Convention (anime-expo.org).  

In their feature review section, our enthusiasts discuss the Demon Slayer Hashira Training Arc streaming on Crunchyroll (previous seasons available on Netflix and Hulu).They talk about their hype level for this season, whether this arc truly is filler, character development, their favorite Hashira, and more. 

Stay tuned next month for the next episode covering the highly anticipated Suicide Squad Isekai. 

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.

Allie and Tyler return once again to tackle the super steamy new movie “Hit Man” starring Glen Powell and Adria Arjona and directed by Richard Linklater. Listen along as they unpack whether this is a star-making role for Powell, dive into how sexy Arjona is in her role and definitely don’t advocate for murder-for-hire. In the Trivia section, they also get deep into the real-life Gary Johnson who inspired the movie (who did not actually kill anyone). 

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!

Michelle and DJ are back! After their long journey into parts unknown, Michelle and DJ return to cover the first 6 episodes of Netflix's Perfect Match Season 2. They go over all of the various couples that have (and haven't) worked and what to look forward to for the second half of the season. They then do a quick review of the Traitors Season 3 cast 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!

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 season, they are journeying into Fox’s X-Verse with their X-Treme X-Watch as they prepare for Deadpool & Wolverine this July.

In their finale X-Treme episode before Deadpool & Wolverine releases, they are finally give the Merc with the Mouth himself, Wade “Deadpool” Wilson, his time to shine. That’s right, they will be discuss 2016’s Deadpool and 2018’s Deadpool 2. Before that, they also shine some light on the upcoming 2025 and 2026 MCU film and television slate, in light of Disney’s recent Upfront Presentation for advertisers. 

Watch along with us! Next month's titles are Deadpool & Wolverine (in theaters), and The Punisher S1 (available to stream on⁠ ⁠Disney+⁠⁠).

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 delve into Gen V's handling of Chance Perdomo's character, Andre, and anticipate what lies ahead for House of the Dragon Season 2. In their End of The Year Awards Retrospective, they analyze the streaming wars' power dynamics, express disappointment over The Last of Us' snub, and champion Apple TV's underrated gems like Foundation, Silo, and Severance.

Then, in their Ongoing Series Check-In, they explore the latest episodes of My Hero Academia, Kaiju No. 8, Windbreakers, Demon Slayer, and the debut of The Acolyte on Disney Plus, before concluding with thorough season reviews of The 3 Body Problem on Netflix, Ranking of Kings on Crunchyroll, and the nostalgic return of X-Men '97 on Disney Plus. Join us for all this and more!

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.

Hello and welcome to The Pop Break's brand new sometimes podcast: Saturday Morning Adventures, where contributors to ThePopBreak.com and their friends kick back, tune in, and zone out to the kids cartoons that defined their childhoods and the ones that are still giving them life today.

This week's podcast was led by Amanda Rivas, co-host of The Socially Distanced and Anime x Pop podcasts. Pop Break Podcasting Director Alex Marcus and Jeffrey Fountain of the United States Department of Nerds (USDN) Podcast joined her to talk about the final season of The Bad Batch. They talk about their hype level for this season, themes/concepts woven into the Star Wars franchise, likes and dislikes of the season, Asajii Ventress making an appearance, Omega's future, and more. 

Show Rundown:

04:21 The Bad Batch: Season Overview

04:56 Personal Reflections on The Bad Batch

14:16 Project Necromancer and Cloning Controversy

21:21 Speculations on Future Star Wars Content

43:53 Character Arcs and Development

51:07 The Shadow Trooper Mystery

57:13 Ventress' Return and Impact

01:08:04 Omega's Future in Star Wars

01:16:08 The Legacy of The Bad Batch

01:28:24 Closing Thoughts and Future Plans

Aaron and Josh Sarnecky are here to celebrate the 45th anniversary of Alien, which was recently in theaters again for said anniversary.

Alien is a science fiction horror film directed by Ridley Scott. It was written by Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett. The movie opened to a limited release on May 25, 1979, with a wide release on June 22. 

In the film, the crew of the commercial vessel Nostromo face a deadly extraterrestrial (Bolaji Badejo) aboard their spaceship. The crew consists of Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), Dallas (Tom Skerritt), Kane (John Hurt), Lambert (Veronica Cartwright), Parker (Yaphet Kotto), Brett (Harry Dean Stanton), and Ash (Ian Holm).

Alien finished fifth at the 1979 domestic box office, grossing $78.9 million. The film garnered mixed reviews upon release but won an Academy Award for Visual Effects and received a nomination for Set Decoration. 

Alien is now considered one of greatest and most influential films of the sci-fi and horror genres. It has spawned numerous sequels, prequels, and spinoffs, including a film releasing this summer and a TV show next year.

Aaron and Josh talk about their histories with the film before going into its plot, performances, effects, and legacy. They also touch upon their feelings about Ridley Scott.

For another classic horror film (also starring Veronica Cartwright), you can listen to Aaron and Josh’s podcast on The Birds.

Alien is streaming on Hulu.

It’s Every Pod You Cast, a podcast dedicated to the British rock band The Police! Justin Mancini of TheCineMaverick.com & Cinema Joes is joined by Chris Mancini and Randy Allain of Media/Lit as they delve into the discography of the postpunk power trio, from 1978 to 1983.

In the fifth official episode of the season, Justin, Chris, Randy, and special guest Patrick Lavery discuss The Police’s final album from 1983. You’ll hear which song tailor-made for Randy’s indie taste failed to move the distinguished host, learn about what Rice Krispies have to do with the Loch Ness Monster, and find out which song special guest Patrick elegantly described as “ominously sensual.” And of course, the hosts find time to discuss other artists they’ve been listening to apart from The Police.

Host Picks:

Loved You Since I Knew You (A Song We Think Is Underrated or Just Really Like)

Chris – King of Pain

Justin – Synchronicity II

Patrick – Synchronicity II

Randy – Synchronicity II

King of Pain (A Song We Don’t Like So Much)

Chris – Mother

Justin – Mother

Patrick – Walking in Your Footsteps

Randy – Miss Gradenko

De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da (A Favorite Lyric)

Chris – Synchronicity II

Justin – Wrapped Around Your Finger

Patrick – Wrapped Around Your Finger

Randy – King of Pain

A Little Thing They Did Was Magic (A Favorite Musical Moment)

Chris – Miss Gradenko

Justin – Tea in the Sahara

Patrick – King of Pain

Randy – Mother

Other Artists We’ve Been Listening To:

Chris – Steven Wilson

Justin – Soundtrack from Steven Universe

Patrick – Howard Jones/Paul Young

Randy – Thao Nguyen

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 Hacks S3 & My Adventures with Superman S2, and Netflix’s Bodkin. 

News Break – Alex, Bill, and Josh react to the news from this years Upfronts presentations including news from Amazon, Disney, and Netflix.

Streaming Wars – Alex, Bill, & Josh pick a streamer they think “won the month” based on new shows airing/upcoming shows announced etc. Bill & Alex both gave the month to Netflix, after their big NFL Christmas Day announcement, plus the success of Bridgerton S3, Atlas, and John Mulaney’s Everyone’s In LA.

Meanwhile, Josh gave it to Disney Plus, as they broke into the WNBA space, launched the new season of Doctor Who and The Acolyte, and landed the plane with a successfully received X-Men ‘97 finale.

Hello and welcome to Pop Break TV’s brand new sometimes podcast: Saturday Morning Adventures, where contributors to⁠ ⁠ThePopBreak.com⁠⁠ and their friends kick back, tune in, and zone out to the kids cartoons that defined their childhoods and the ones that are still giving them life today.

For the next ten weeks, this podcast will be led by Pop Break Podcasting Director⁠ ⁠Alex Marcus⁠⁠ and⁠ ⁠K Anderson⁠⁠, the host of the wonderful interview podcast⁠ ⁠Lost Spaces⁠⁠, as they give you instant reactions to every episode of X-Men ‘97, the Disney Plus revival of the beloved 1992 classic X-Men: The Animated Series. 

This week, Alex & K explore their favorite moments and characters from the first season of 'X-Men 97,' discussing the Disney+ 'Making Of' special, action scenes, supporting characters, and toxic romances. They share their hopes for season two and reflect on their recapping journey. The episode concludes with teasers for future podcast content on 'Star Wars: The Bad Batch' and 'Bluey,' and updates on their other projects including 'Lost Spaces,' 'TV Break,' and 'Bill vs MCU.'

Show Rundown:

00:00 Introduction and Welcome

01:07 Reflecting on the Season

04:58 The Making Of: Marvel Animation Assembled

25:06 Favorite Moments and Characters

40:00 Least Favorite Episode

47:35 Favorite Toxic Romance

53:33 Best Monologue

57:44 Favorite Episode

01:02:50 Hopes for Season Two