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First-time (sort of) guest Stephanie Siler joins Joe to discuss the classic tv mystery show Monk. Adrian Monk, played by Tony Shalhoub, is an obsessive compulsive private investigator who struggles with all of the phobias while also solving a mystery each week. We’re discussing why the show was so successful, the strengths of the performances, and what distinguishes it from other shows in the same genre.

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Returing guest Chris “Mav” Maverick and Stephanie Siler join Joe to discuss the inverted detective story, also sometimes called the HowCatchem instead of the WhoDunIt. In these stories, the audience knows how the bad guy is (often the murderer), and the tension is in how the protagonist detective figures it out and catches them rather than in trying to work out the mystery of who the perpetrator is. We discuss the effect this change has on the audience, popular examples of the genre, and why this tweak on an established genre has proven enduring.

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Returning guest Wayne Wise joins Joe to discuss Love and Rockets, one of the iconic independent comic books from the 1980s. Created by the Hernandez Bros, we are discussing some of the first stories they produced in this long-running series. It’s hard to describe the exact tone and narrative of this eclectic series, but we enjoy talking through these stories and the comic’s longer legacy.

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Returning guest Virginia McAlister joins Joe to discuss the first novel about Jack Ryan, a character who has been adapted into many different media since his debut appearance. Written by Jack Ryan, The Hunt for Red October tells the story of a Russian submarine commander who is attempting to defect to the United States and CIA analyst who tries to convince the intelligence community that this is an actual defection and not some part of a Cold War Russian plot. 

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Returning guest Branden Ushio joins Joe for a trip down 80s-Nostalgia Lane as they discuss The Karate Kid. We’re talking about Mr. Miyagi and Daniel LaRusso, one of the iconic teacher-student pairings in pop culture. We discuss the real-world inspirations for the film, what makes this particular film work so well, and some of the differences between 1980s productions and modern productions.

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Producer Andrew and Joe are talking about a classic tv sitcom The Andy Griffith Show. We talk about the show’s legacy, the cast’s roles in the series, and why this remains an iconic piece of popular culture.

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Special Guest Gabriel McKee joins Joe to discuss the early history of UFO stories in American culture. McKee has a new book, The Saucerian, that is about Gray Barker, one of the early publishers to promote and publish UFO stories.

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Returning guest Norman Mitchell joins Joe to discuss the classic manga series Lone Wolf and Cub. An immensely influential text, Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima’s story of a wandering assassin seeking revenge while caring for his three-year-old son is considered a masterpiece of comic storytelling.

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Returning guest Branden Ushio joins Joe to talk about the Isaac Asimov short story “Runaround.” This short story is the first instance of Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics being used in any of his stories. These Laws have become a key foundation for the sci-fi genre, and Asimov points out the problems with these laws in this first instance of having them appear in a story.

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Returning guest Kestra Darowski joins Joe to discuss the Disney animated film The Emperor’s New Groove. This episode has some of the most surprising behind-the-scenes trivia discussion of any story we have ever discussed! What happened during the development of this film is absolutely wild. 

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