The Pop Break

This month Aaron and Josh Sarnecky are talking about Arrow for its 10th anniversary. Joining them as special guest is Alex Marcus, Podcast Editor for The Pop Break.

Developed by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, and Andrew Kreisberg, Arrow is a superhero show based on the DC Comics character Green Arrow. The series premiered on The CW on October 10, 2012 and ran for eight seasons, finishing at 170 episodes. The series finale aired on January 28, 2020.

Arrow tells the story of Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell), a wealthy playboy rescued from an island in the North China Sea. Queen returns to Starling City with the mission of ridding it of crime and corruption. Oliver carries out his crusade as the masked vigilante Green Arrow. The original Team Arrow consists of Oliver, his bodyguard John Diggle (David Ramsey), and tech wiz Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards).

Arrow started strong, though fans and critics agree it peaked in Season 2. The show’s reception became more mixed in the following seasons. Arrow was integral to The CW’s lineup, spawning an entire universe of DC Comics shows.

Aaron, Josh, and Alex look at the show’s pilot and discuss how the series reinvented itself over the years. They also discuss its importance in the landscape of superhero television.

You can listen to Alex talk about more superheroes on the podcast Bill vs. the MCU. As for Josh and Aaron, you can listen to them chat about the Adam West Batman series.

Arrow is streaming on Netflix.

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, and Josh talk about a show/episode/event they liked from the last month including Disney Plus’s Andor & She-Hulk; HBOMAX’s House of the Dragon; Netflix’s The Great British Baking Show & Extraordinary Attorney Woo, FX’s Atlanta, and Hulu’s Reservation Dogs & Ramy.

News Break – Alex, Bill, and Josh discuss the news that Trevor Noah is unexpectedly leaving The Daily Show after seven years. The trio discuss why he may have made the move, what might come next for him, and who could replace him.

Streaming Wars – Alex, Bill, and Josh pick a streamer they think “won the month” based on new shows airing/upcoming shows announced etc. This month, Alex, Bill, & Josh all agree that Disney Plus cleared the field and won the month with ease. While Amazon made a valiant effort thanks to the successful launch of both The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and NFL Thursday Night Football, Disney won the day on the back of She-Hulk & Andor debuting well, nailing Dancing With The Stars move to streaming, having a great Halloween content catalog, and owning entertainment news during D23, where they debuted trailers to Werewolf By Night, Secret Invasion, & Disenchanted and broke Disney Plus-specific news for Disney, Pixar, Marvel, and Lucasfilm. On top of all that Thor: Love & Thunder hit the streamer and Hocus Pocus 2 became their most watched debut weekend for a streaming exclusive.

New Series Spotlight – Alex, Bill, and Josh review Netflix’s Entergalactic, which unexpectedly became a feature length film instead of the announced animated TV series we were expecting. This series turned “special” follows street artist Jabari (Scott ‘Kid Cudi’ Mescudi), as he adjusts to life in a fancy Manhattan apartment high off the news he’ll be turning his street art signature character into a comic book for a top publication when he unexpectedly falls for his photographer neighbor Meadow (Jessica Williams). The special was produced by Mescudi and Blackish creator Kenya Barris, and also co-stars Laura Harrier, Timothee Chalamet, Vanessa Hudgens, Tyrone Griffin Jr, Jaden Smith, and Macaulay Culkin, among others.

Welcome back to another episode of our podcast all about the ABC reality series The Bachelor and it's 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 back for the Season 19 of The Bachelorette…sort of!

Michelle is back from maternity leave, but her fill in cohost and Live Laugh And Lovey host Lovey McPherson is sticking around to help her and DJ break down all the end of season drama.

Michelle, DJ, and Lovey sit down for one last time this season to discuss the finale of the Bachelorettes (finally!). They discuss the discussions with Rachel and Tino and Gabby and Erich along with the odd intro by Jesse Palmer. They finish by discussing the new Bachelor, Zach, and what hopes they have for his season.

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

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, the dynamic duo are BUSY. They start out by reflecting on their recent Attack on Titan binge and reacting to some news out of Netflix’s Tudum event over the weekend including The Dragon Prince & Wednesday news. Next they stop by Streaming Corner to run down the month’s streaming releases they are most looking forward, including Apple TV Plus’ Sidney, Hulu’s Atlanta & Reboot, and Peacock’s Vampire Academy among many others. That is followed by check in’s on ongoing series like Andor, House of the Dragon, The Rings of Power, and She-Hulk, after which the team give a featured review to Netflix’s How to Build a Sex Room S1. Also, Snap Trailer reactions are back, as Courtney & Marshall get their first looks HBO’s The Last of Us, Disney Plus’ Secret Invasion, and Netflix’s Entergalactic.

Topic Time Codes:

Please vote for TheOkamiCouncil for the ChatterBox Category in this year's BIPOC Streamer Awards!

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.

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

Hello and welcome to Bill vs the MCU! Each month your hosts Pop Break Podcasts Editor Alex Marcus and Pop Break Editor in Chief Bill Bodkin take another step on their ten month journey to rewatch the ENTIRE Marvel Studios-produced Marvel Cinematic Universe, typically focusing on three or four films from the first four phases of the MCU per episode, reminiscing about their first watches, reflecting on their latest viewings, and considering the wider multiverse ahead!

The reason this podcast came into existence is that our Editor-in-Chief has never finished the Marvel Cinematic Universe. So Alex is guiding him on his journey to actually finish the MCU over the next 12 months.

After spending last month discussing the MCU’s big debut on DisneyPlus, this month we are playing catch up and rewinding the clock to cover the 2021 film releases. That includes Black Widow, Shang Chi & The Legend of the Ten Rings, Eternals, and Spider-Man: No Way Home. We discuss all of the Phase IV trauma processing, the theme of broken families reconnecting, and discuss whether the best therapy is a group session with your older, alternate earth self. You won’t want to miss it.

Black Widow, Shang Chi & The Legend of the Ten Rings, and Eternals are available to stream on Disney+. Spider-Man: No Way Home is available to buy or rent on VOD and to stream on Starz.

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.

This month, the Bat Crew takes a break from rankings as they fire up the oversized Bat Computer and look ahead to what’s in store for Batman, covering all the big news of the summer.

Daniel is joined once again by Editor-in-Chief Bill Bodkin and Podcasts Editor Alex Marcus, as they give their opinions and hot takes on all the Bat happenings, including the unprecedented cancellation of the Batgirl movie, which sent Bane sized shockwaves throughout the internet.  They also dive into the long and winding road that has been The Flash movie, Ben Affleck’s apparent return in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, and the official confirmation of a sequel to this year’s The Batman.The crew also digest the announced Joker sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux, which sees not only the return of Joaquin Phoenix, but catapults Lady Gaga into the franchise.  Also, there may, or may not be an argument or two about the first Joker movie as well.  If you want an efficient, streamlined catch up of what’s going on in the world of Batman, look no further!

Aaron and Josh Sarnecky are back for their latest TV retrospective. This month they’re looking at a deep cut, Kirby: Right Back at Ya! for the 20th anniversary of its American debut.

Kirby: Right Back at Ya! is an anime based on the Kirby video game series. First debuting in Japan, it premiered in the U.S. on FOX on September 14, 2002. The 100th and final episode aired on December 9, 2006.

The series follows a pink marshmallow-like hero named Kirby (Makiko Ohmoto, Amy Birnbaum), who defends Cappy Town from the tyrant King Dedede (Ted Lewis) and his monsters. Aiding Kirby are his friends Tiff (Kerry Williams), Tuff (Kayzie Rogers), and Meta Knight (Eric Stuart).

Aaron and Josh talk about the first episode and how faithful the anime is to the games. They also discuss the enduring appeal of Kirby and the potential of a new Kirby show.

For another video game anime, you can listen to Josh and Aaron talk about Pokémon.

Kirby: Right Back at Ya! is available on DVD on Amazon.

Hello and welcome to Bill vs the MCU! Each month your hosts Pop Break Podcasts Editor Alex Marcus and Pop Break Editor in Chief Bill Bodkin take another step on their ten month journey to rewatch the ENTIRE Marvel Studios-produced Marvel Cinematic Universe, typically focusing on three or four films from the first four phases of the MCU per episode, reminiscing about their first watches, reflecting on their latest viewings, and considering the wider multiverse ahead!

The reason this podcast came into existence is that our Editor-in-Chief has never finished the Marvel Cinematic Universe. So Alex is guiding him on his journey to actually finish the MCU over the next 12 months.

This week, however, we are taking a break from our look back in order to look forward to the future of the franchise in a very special bonus episode where we give you our immediate reactions to all the MCU news that came out of the 2022 D23 Marvel Studios event. Below check out the outline of everything we covered from Saturday’s panels on Phase IV & Phase V of Marvel!

What We Did Get at D23

-Wakanda Forever (released November 11th, 2022)

-Ironheart (Fall 2023)

-Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania (February 17th, 2023)

-Werewolf by Night (October 7th, 2022)

-Secret Invasion (Spring 2023)

-Loki S2 (Summer 2023)

-Fantastic Four (November 8, 2024)

-Echo (Summer 2023)

-Daredevil: Born Again (Summer 2024)

-Captain America: New World Order (May 3rd, 2024)

-Thunderbolts (July 26, 2024)

-The Marvels (July 28th, 2023)

What We Did NOT Get at D23

-Rumors that didn’t Pan Out

-Projects that received SDCC announcements but were missing at D23

-Projects we know are in production but remain unannounced

-Hold Over Rumors from SDCC

Welcome back to another episode of our podcast all about the ABC reality series The Bachelor and it's 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 back for the Season 19 of The Bachelorette…sort of!

Michelle is back from maternity leave, but her fill in cohost and Live Laugh And Lovey host Lovey McPherson is sticking around to help her and DJ break down all the end of season drama.

This week, Michelle, DJ, and Lovey discuss the two-part fantasy suite episode. They cover all the dates and drama that happens in between. Then they give their picks for the finale, and discuss the odd ending this week's episode left the viewers with.

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

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, and Josh talk about a show/episode/event they liked from the last month with special guest Matt Taylor including Disney Plus’s She-Hulk; Paramount Plus’s Evil; Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power & Paper Girls, AppleTV Plus’s Bad Sisters, and Hulu’s Reservation Dogs.

News Break – Alex, Bill, and Josh preview the 2022 Emmy Awards by speaking with Matt Taylor about all the exciting races to keep an eye out for this year.

New Series Spotlight – Alex, Bill, Josh, and Matt watched HBO’s much hyped Game of Thrones prequel series House of the Dragon, created by Ryan J. Condal and George RR Martin, directed by, among other people, Miguel Sapachnik, who was responsible for most of the notable battle heavy GoT episodes. The series is led by a cast of hundreds but most notably, at least for now, Matt Smith, Paddy Considine, Rhys Ifans, Steve Toussaint, and Milly Alcock, and  is expected to focus on the Targaryen Civil War, which took place nearly 200 years prior to the events of Game of Thrones.

Program of the Year: Streaming Wars will be back next month, but today we are excited to bring you our third annual Program of The Year discussion. We do this every year because, while the Emmys love to spread their awards across a variety of different types of tv programs, they opt not to answer the simple question of what program was the very best of tv overall, so we’ve decided to answer the call.

This year, the largest best series categories have eight nominees, so we will each be constructing a list of eight of the best series across all ten “best series” categories before picking a winner. Below are each of our hosts’ categories, with the winner in bold.

Josh -

Abbot Elementary

Barry

Better Call Saul

Hacks

Severance

Squid Game

White Lotus

Yellowjackets

Bill -

100 Foot Wave

Abbot Elementary

Better Call Saul

Severance

Squid Game

Stranger Things

Succession

Ted Lasso

Matt -

Abbot Elementary

The Dropout

Euphoria

Hacks

Only Murders in the Building

Severance

Succession

Yellowjackets

Alex -

Abbot Elementary

Barry

Better Call Saul

The Dropout

Hacks

Severance

Succession

Yellowjackets