Sweet Christmas! After months of teasers, trailers, and WIRED cover stories, Marvel’s new Netflix series, Luke Cage, finally comes out today. And if you need to break up your binge-watching, we’ve got a special edition of The Monitor just for the occasion. 
In honor of our favorite bulletproof superhero, we caught up with Cheo Hodari Coker, Luke’s showrunner, who conceived of and led the transition from pulpy blaxploitation comic book to streaming-TV star. 
In this special edition of the WIRED Culture podcast, we talk with Coker about how he got the gig, what it’s like to work with Marvel, how superhero movies are different from superhero TV shows, and how he shaped his hero’s journey. 
“I said [to Marvel], ‘Look, I want to take a hip hop approach, but at the same time have a hero that is very conscious of who he is, knowing that because he’s black and he’s not wearing a mask, he’s going to have to do this hero thing a little differently,’” Coker says. “And they dug that.”   
Listen to more of Coker’s thoughts in the new Monitor podcast here.

The Secrets of Luke Cage, Straight From Its Showrunner

Tune in each week to hear the WIRED Entertainment squad discuss (and sometimes bicker over) the biggest news in movies, music, TV, and Internet culture. Want to know what we think of the latest superhero flick, prestige TV show, or Twitter beef? It's all right here—you just have to turn off all your other screens first.

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Game of Thrones

It’s that time of year again—the time when we all look back at the past 12 months and try to figure out what the hell just happened. Here on The Monitor, things are no different. In fact, that’s what this week’s entire episode is about. 
Yes, this week the WIRED Culture team started talking about 2016 and realized: Hey, you know what? This was a pretty good year for pop culture. We got some great new TV shows from Issa Rae (HBO’s Insecure) and Donald Glover (FX’s Atlanta), some great new music from Chance the Rapper and Beyoncé, and a lot of awesome new podcasts. There were also quite a few good movies and some wonderful comics too. 
Want to know why this year was so good for pop culture? Then tune in. We’ve got editors and writers Peter Rubin, Charley Locke, and Angela Watercutter on the mic and they’re ready to get nostalgic for 2016 before it’s even over. 
A few helpful links for things we talk about in the podcast:
-Charley Locke’s piece on the first time she watched Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope
-WIRED’s feature on Rogue One: A Star Wars Story VFX supervisor John Knoll
-Jason Kehe’s piece on Alan Tudyk, who plays Rogue One’s K-2SO

You Know What? 2016 Was a Pretty Great Year for Pop Culture

Aside from turkey-eating, the biggest Thanksgiving tradition amongst your faithful WIRED Culture crew is sitting in front of the television not watching football. (OK, some of us watch football.) Our other tradition, of course, is fighting about what’s the best thing to watch while staring at that TV. 
For some of us, Community is always a crowd-pleaser. Others are Grey’s Anatomy die hards. And some of us just really love Die Hard. No, Die Hard isn’t a TV show. But it often plays on cable, so that counts, right? We also love to watch Friends, Simpsons, and scads of other shows during this time of food comas. 
But what’s the best? Well, that’s what your Monitor crew is here to fight out. We’ve got editors and writers Peter Rubin, K.M. McFarland, and Angela Watercutter in the booth and they’re ready to rumble. 
A few helpful links for things we talk about in the podcast:
-K.M. McFarland’s piece on the world-building of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
-WIRED’s guide to binge-watching The Simpsons
-WIRED Book Club’s discussion of Bitch Planet

It’s Time for a Big Ol’ Holiday TV Smackdown!

Alright, where to begin? Since we last stepped into the WIRED podcast booth, America elected a new president, Dave Chappelle took over hosting duties at Saturday Night Live for the first time, and A Tribe Called Quest released their first album in more than a decade. Yeah, it’s been a busy week.  
So busy, in fact, that we have a lot more to chat about on The Monitor than usual. We start by talking about the interesting political allegories to be found in the alien flick Arrival. From there we pivot into the stellar Chappelle-lead SNL that aired on Saturday night. And finally, we settle in to discuss all of our feelings about ATCQ’s We Got It from Here… Thank You 4 Your Service. 
Settle in. Editors and writers Peter Rubin, K.M. McFarland, and Angela Watercutter are here, and they’re ready to remember the week that was. 
A few helpful links for things we talk about in the podcast:
-K.M. McFarland’s review of Arrival
-WIRED’s roundup of November’s best albums
-Chris Kohler’s story on the high demand for the NES Classic Edition
-Brian Raftery’s piece on Dave Chappelle’s SNL opening monologue

A Tribe Called Quest’s New Record Is Awesome. National Politics? Not So Much

Last night, Donald Trump won the US presidency. Last weekend, Doctor Strange won big at the box office. What do these two things have in common? Well, for one, they’re both surprising outcomes. And, for another, we’re talking about both of them in this week’s WIRED Culture podcast. 
First up, we’re discussing how Strange was received—both at the US box office, where it made $85 million this weekend, and with critics, who gave it a 90 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes. Marvel’s Sorcerer Supreme isn’t one of the studio’s big names, but his movie has everyone entranced, including your Monitor hosts, who loved the movie’s quirky tone and trippy 3-D visuals. 
As for the election, we decided to take a few minutes to talk about the impact pop culture—specifically late-night talk shows—had on the outcome. (Note: Trump had not yet won the presidency when we recorded this week’s episode.) So please do tune in. We have writers and editors Peter Rubin, K.M. McFarland, and Angela Watercutter in the booth and they’ve got a lot to gab about.  
A few helpful links for things we talk about in the podcast:
-K.M. McFarland’s piece on the best late-night TV moments of the presidential race
-WIRED’s review of Doctor Strange
-Angela Watercutter’s essay on why this election wasn’t funny
-WIRED’s piece on what Doctor Strange’s success means for the future of Marvel

The Secrets of Luke Cage, Straight From Its Showrunner

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