Pop Culture Happy Hour

You Can See Everything

Fri, 16 Oct 2026 07:00:00 +0000

About a month before Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes went to prison for defrauding her investors, she and her partner Billy Evans invited a film crew to document their lives at home with their kids. And they didn't make a deal with a conventional filmmaking team. They connected with Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim. Fielder’s unusual nonfiction work blurs the lines between truth and artifice, so the resulting documentary, You Can See Everything, depicts Fielder's efforts to figure her out using some very unusual methods.

Check out these episodes next:

‘Primetime’ sits you down with sleaze
'The Rehearsal' is about reality... and surreality
'The Dropout' finds the voice of Elizabeth Holmes

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The Lowdown

Thu, 15 Oct 2026 07:00:00 +0000

The great FX series The Lowdown stars Ethan Hawke as a freelance investigative reporter with a knack for sticking his nose where it doesn't belong and getting that nose punched. He gets drawn into the seedy goings-on of one of Tulsa's most prominent families. Created by Sterlin Harjo (Reservation Dogs), the modern-day Western noir comedy has an excellent ensemble including Kyle MacLachlan, Keith David, Jeanne Tripplehorn and Killer Mike. The Lowdown just returned for a second season, so today we’re revisiting our conversation about the series.

If you need more comedies with great casts, check out these episodes:
‘Widow’s Bay’ is an island in the scream
Lisa Kudrow returns in 'The Comeback,' and we did need to see that
Gen Z awkwardly transitions into 'Adults'
‘The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins’ is (30) Rock-solid

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Other Mommy

Wed, 14 Oct 2026 07:00:00 +0000

The trailer for the movie Other Mommy went viral when it dropped a few months ago. It dominated the box office this weekend, but was panned by critics. But is it really one of the worst movies of the year? It’s about a 7-year-old girl who is visited by a mysterious entity who takes the form of her mother, played by Jessica Chastain. It’s a lean, intense horror film full of dark family secrets and grisly body horror.

Looking for more horror films? Check out these episodes:
‘It Ends’ is horror as hangout
'Backrooms' brings YouTube horror to the big screen
In ‘Obsession,’ love hurts. It really, really, really hurts.

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Carrie

Mon, 12 Oct 2026 07:00:00 +0000

The new series Carrie updates the Stephen King book for the digital age, and plays with what we think we know in some surprising ways. Streaming on Prime Video, it follows a young Carrie who has led a sheltered life with her overbearing mother. But as Carrie enters high school, she has a rough go of it. The signposts are familiar – the showers, the prayer closet, the prom, the pig’s blood – but showrunner Mike Flanagan (The Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass) builds out the world around those events.

Looking for more TV and movies inspired by Stephen King? Check out these episodes:
Glen Powell is ‘The Running Man’ in the latest Stephen King adaptation

A new generation is down to clown in ‘IT: Welcome to Derry’

‘The Long Walk’ is a long walk to nowhere

Dance with Tom Hiddleston through 'The Life of Chuck'

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The Social Reckoning and What’s Making Us Happy

Fri, 09 Oct 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Don’t call it a sequel: The Social Reckoning is a companion piece to The Social Network. While the first movie chronicled the invention of Facebook, this one focuses on where Facebook is now. Jeremy Allen White stars as a crusading reporter alongside Mikey Madison, a Facebook insider with damning information about the business’ practices. The film also features Jeremy Strong as Mark Zuckerberg. Written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, will it be added to the canon of great films about investigative journalism?

Looking for other potential Oscar contenders? Check out these episodes:
The movies and TV we’re most excited about this fall
‘Primetime’ sits you down with sleaze
Tom Cruise in 'Digger' is loud, divisive and intensely committed to the bit

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East of Eden

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 07:00:00 +0000

A new series on Netflix is taking a bold crack at the American classic. Maybe you read John Steinbeck’s East of Eden in school. Or maybe you’ve seen the very loosely-adapted film starring James Dean. Anchored by a fantastic Florence Pugh performance, this new adaptation follows multiple generations of the Trask family. The series is an epic retelling of their story that offers a fresh perspective for new audiences.

Looking for more adaptations of classic literature? Check out these episodes:
Little House on the Prairie
‘Lord of the Flies’ gets the Netflix treatment
Only Guillermo del Toro could've made this 'Frankenstein'

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Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother

Tue, 06 Oct 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Mahershala Ali’s new movie isn’t the Blade reboot, but it’s still worth your time. Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother follows a newly widowed hitman who wants out of the game. He's also a devout Muslim, and after his wife’s death, he is forced to adjust to being a single dad to three kids, while trying to balance his work and faith. But his boss (Laith Nakli) has other plans for him.

If you’re looking for more great movies and TV about parenthood, check out these episodes:

‘Last Seen’ is a new spin on troubled detectives

'Margo's Got Money Troubles' is a smart adaptation well worth your time

‘One Battle After Another’ is revolutionary — and revelatory

'If I Had Legs I'd Kick You' shows off Rose Byrne's dramatic chops

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Verity

Mon, 05 Oct 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Verity stars Dakota Johnson as a struggling novelist who gets an unusual assignment. She's been asked to ghostwrite the final books by a superstar writer, played by Anne Hathaway. It’s an erotic thriller about marriage, manipulators, and (of course) murder. Based on Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel, Verity is a story of deceit that wants you to keep guessing until the very end, and maybe even after that.

Looking for more books adapted for the screen? Check out these episodes:
"Wuthering Heights" is rude, moody and broody
'No Other Choice' is the perfect movie for our moment
'Little Women' Is A Dynamic Sister Act

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Digger and What’s Making Us Happy

Fri, 02 Oct 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Digger is a loud, surprising, audacious, and sure-to-be-polarizing entry in this year’s Oscars race. The film stars Tom Cruise as a powerful oil baron who’s helped unleash an existential threat on the world — but that’s only the beginning. The looming devastation attracts the attention of the president (John Goodman) and a well-intentioned scientist (Riz Ahmed). The film takes some pretty big narrative swings along the way. But will Digger work for everyone?

Want more Tom Cruise? Check out these episodes:
In 'Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning,' Tom Cruise is too controlled

'Top Gun: Maverick' puts Tom Cruise back in the cockpit, 36 years later

'Mission: Impossible' is back, but will you accept it, or will it self-destruct?

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A Different World

Wed, 30 Sep 2026 07:00:00 +0000

The TV series A Different World has loomed large in the culture since ending in the ‘90s, and now school is back in session in a new sequel series on Netflix. The show welcomes a new generation of students to the fictional HBCU Hillman College, and brings back notable alumni like Whitley Gilbert (Jasmine Guy) and Dwayne Wayne (Kadeem Hardison). And while the world is a lot different than it was 30-plus years ago, in a lot of ways, it’s also kind of the same.

If you’re looking for more nostalgia, Check out these episodes:
‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ is a comfy nostalgia trip

‘Practical Magic 2’ wants to cast a spell of '90s nostalgia

How you feel about 'Bel-Air' may depend upon how you feel about CW dramas

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Forgotten Island

Tue, 29 Sep 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Forgotten Island is a wonderful new animated feature from the team that brought you Kung Fu Panda 2 and Puss In Boots: The Last Wish. We’re introduced to childhood friends Jo (H.E.R.) and Raissa (Liza Soberano). One is a free spirit, the other an aspiring scientist, and they’re both getting ready to go their separate ways. But during their last night together, they’re transported to a magical island. The film is full of mythological creatures and fantastical settings, but it’s also rooted in friendship and memory.

If you’re looking for more animated epics, check out these episodes:
Nature needs a little help in the inventive Pixar movie ‘Hoppers’
'The Wild Robot' is grand and gorgeous, with big feelings
'The Super Mario Galaxy Movie' remembers every Nintendo moment ever

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The Love Hypothesis

Mon, 28 Sep 2026 07:00:00 +0000

The Love Hypothesis brings the beloved trope of fake dating to the world of science and academia – but does it bring a fresh take to the bestselling book by Ali Hazelwood? The new Prime Video movie follows Stanford graduate student Olive (Lili Reinhart). Her best friend Anh (Rachel Marsh) is holding back from pursuing a guy because she thinks Olive is interested in him. Olive wants Anh to follow her heart, so she lands in a fake-dating situation with a notoriously harsh post-doc Adam (Tom Bateman), who for reasons of his own agrees to be her pretend boyfriend.

If you’re looking for more romantic comedies, check out these episodes:
Olivia Wilde is a problematic dom in 'I Want Your Sex'
‘Office Romance’ stars J.Lo as a CEO with a bad case of Brett Goldstein
‘You, Me & Tuscany' has got us lost in the pasta sauce

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Primetime and What's Making Us Happy

Fri, 25 Sep 2026 07:00:00 +0000

The new docudrama Primetime is a weird and highly fictionalized account of the meteoric rise of To Catch a Predator. Robert Pattinson plays host Chris Hansen, who is struggling to get bigger ratings. Hansen and his team work with local law enforcement to drag the accused sexual abusers of minors before the camera and arrest them. But does director Lance Oppenheim’s highly stylized approach work, or leave viewers feeling empty?

If you’re looking for more dramas loosely inspired by real people, check out:
‘Tony’ is a biopic that cooks
In 'Marty Supreme,' Timothée Chalamet is good at being supremely annoying
‘Blue Moon’ will bewitch, bother and bewilder you

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Jay-Z

Thu, 24 Sep 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Jay-Z has been everywhere lately. It’s been 30 years since his acclaimed debut Reasonable Doubt, and he celebrated with a series of concerts at Yankee Stadium. And now there’s the HBO docuseries, JAŸ-Z In 8, in which Jay-Z dissects his catalog with producer Rick Rubin. The series hopes to further cement his legacy as one of the most revered lyricists of our time. But Jay-Z (or JAŸ-Z, as he’s styled it lately.) has always been a polarizing figure, both in his personal life and as a business mogul. So what does this series accomplish?

Looking for more episodes about music? Check out these:
Ariana Grande stares down the public eye in 'Petal'
It's time to talk about how y'all act at music festivals
Most overused songs in movies

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Fall Guide

Wed, 23 Sep 2026 07:00:00 +0000

This fall, there’s a lot of movies and TV on tap for you to see. And we're as excited for all of it to arrive as you are. So we’ve got a guide to what’s worth keeping on your radar, including Wicker, Wildwood, Wild Horse Nine, Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother and Avatar: Seven Havens.

Looking for more buzzy movie recommendations? Check out these episodes:
‘Resident Evil' is a grisly, funny fight to survive
‘Coyote vs. Acme’ is as looney as it needs to be
‘The End Of Oak Street’ is a prehistoric good time

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Great documentaries you don’t want to miss

Mon, 21 Sep 2026 07:00:00 +0000

We talk a lot about movies and TV shows, but new documentary films sometimes can sometimes get lost in the shuffle. So today we’re highlighting some new documentaries that are worth your time and you don’t want to miss – including Remake, The History of Concrete, Black Zombie, The Oldest Person in the World, and You Had to Be There.

Looking for more films that might have flown under your radar? Check out these episodes:

Great movies you may have missed

Fun movies you may have missed

Our favorite movies on Tubi

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Resident Evil and What's Making Us Happy

Fri, 18 Sep 2026 07:00:00 +0000

The new Resident Evil movie is wild, scary, inventive, fast-paced, and funny. That’s because the videogame-turned-film franchise got a reboot courtesy of director Zach Cregger (Weapons and Barbarian). Austin Abrams plays a medical courier tasked with transporting an important medical MacGuffin, and his journey goes haywire almost immediately as gnarly perils pile up. But does the movie’s blend of horror and comedy work for newcomers and longtime fans?

Looking for more gore? Check out these episodes:

In ‘Weapons’, the kids aren't at all right, not in the slightest, nope
'Ready or Not 2' is a satanic and manic thrill

In '28 Years Later: The Bone Temple,' the zombies aren’t the worst villains

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Last Seen

Thu, 17 Sep 2026 07:00:00 +0000

The new Apple TV series Last Seen is a compelling thriller. It stars Patrick Brammall (Colin from Accounts) as an emergency dispatcher named who gets a call one night from a girl he thinks might be his long-missing daughter. The show follows him as he becomes obsessed with finding the truth, even at the cost of his own stability and sobriety. It also tackles some thorny questions about who stands to gain and lose from solving this case.

Looking for other compelling thrillers? Check these out:

Emmy Rossum tracks down a female serial killer in 'Furious'

TV heavy-hitters get dark in 'The Beast In Me'

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Crew Girl

Wed, 16 Sep 2026 07:00:00 +0000

The Netflix TV show Crew Girl follows in the footsteps of successful coming-of-age dramas like Sterling Point and The Summer I Turned Pretty. It follows Teagan, an ambitious high school rower (Miku Martineau) trying to fit in on the boys’ crew team at a fancy prep school. The show’s got a plucky fish out of water, a love triangle with two very different boys (Kyle Clark and Sam Braun), and a dreamy sunlit setting. But does Crew Girl sink, swim, or row?

Looking for more teen coming-of-age stories? Check out these episodes:

You’ll want more time in ‘Sterling Point’

‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ has drama, romance and the music of Taylor Swift

The delightful 'My Old Ass' seeks wisdom from hindsight

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2026 Emmys recap

Tue, 15 Sep 2026 09:17:23 +0000

This year’s Emmys were a big night for shows we really love, including Widow’s Bay, The Pitt and Pluribus. Actors Jean Smart and Matthew Rhys picked up wins, and Rhys made some history. And we’ll explain why we love Mariska Hargitay, who proved to be a game yet corny host.
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Practical Magic 2 and What’s Making Us Happy

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 07:00:00 +0000

In Practical Magic 2, Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman return as witch sisters doomed by a family curse that means any man they love will die. They embark on a new chapter where the next generation is discovering the dangers of being born into this family. It’s been over 25 years since the original film. But will practical moviegoers be swept up in the magic twice?

If you are gearing up for the witchy spooky season, check out these episode:
In ‘Obsession,’ love hurts. It really, really, really hurts.
Adam Scott checks in to a haunted inn in ‘Hokum’'
Wicked: For Good' will bring you to tears
The scary movies and books that still haunt us

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Unapologetically basic TV and movies that we love

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 07:00:00 +0000

When you hear the words “pumpkin spice latte,” maybe you think of fall. But maybe you just think about the pleasures of something unapologetically basic. The same can be said for movies and TV. Today, we are revealing some of the most basic things we really love – including National Treasure, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, Dateline NBC, and The People’s Court.

Looking for more episodes like this? Check out:

We talk pop culture pumpkin spice lattes: they're basic but we love them

We debate the best movies to watch on an airplane

YouTube rabbit holes that are great distractions

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Watch this: Filipiñana

Tue, 08 Sep 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Are you tired of the same eat-the-rich narratives churned out by Hollywood? There is a great new film Filipiñana offering a new take about the inner-workings of a country club in the Philippines. It’s both beautiful to look at and an emotional gut-punch. From director Rafael Manuel, this film kind of feels like if Wes Anderson made an explicitly anti-colonialist satire.

If you want a few more stylish and biting films, check out these episodes:
‘Is God Is’ interrogates misogyny in a vivid, scathing revenge tale
'If I Had Legs I'd Kick You' shows off Rose Byrne's dramatic chops
Keke Palmer steals the (fashion) scene in 'I Love Boosters'

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The hidden money financing your favorite songs

Mon, 07 Sep 2026 07:00:00 +0000

We all need a trusted source for music discovery – a music-savvy friend or family member, a music site – or someone on social media. But are influencers taking money to promote music and not telling you? Today we’re bringing you an episode of NPR’s It's Been a Minute, where host Brittany Luse talks to NPR music reporter Isabella Gomez Sarmiento about the details and broader implications of this practice.

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Sterling Point and What’s Making Us Happy

Fri, 04 Sep 2026 07:00:00 +0000

The buzzy fantastic new TV drama Sterling Point has it all. A mysterious inheritance. A teen love triangle. Secrets and lies that echo across generations. The Prime Video series has twists, turns, and heart. You won’t want to miss it.

Want more Gen Z drama? Check out these episodes:

‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ has drama, romance and the music of Taylor Swift

Gen Z awkwardly transitions into 'Adults'

'I Love LA' reinforces our love for Rachel Sennott

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Beyond Wordle: Our favorite online games

Thu, 03 Sep 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Millions of us play little daily games on our phone. But if you’re looking to expand the horizons of your morning distractions beyond Wordle and Connections, we’re here for you. Today we’re recommending some fun daily online games, including MapTap, Catfishing, TimeGuessr, The Loop, and Clues by Sam.

Looking for more conversations about fun games? Try these episodes:

Wordle is a daily dose of delight, despair, and sometimes smugness

In 'The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom' the open world is wide open

Best Video Games of 2025

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It Ends

Tue, 01 Sep 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Have you ever been on a road trip that feels like it goes on forever and things started getting a bit existential? That’s the whole deal with the chewy new film It Ends. The horror-meets-psychological thriller follows four friends who just graduated college, as they turn onto a road through a dense forest and the road just keeps going. Directed by Alexander Ullom, It Ends is both chill and chilling, and a lot of fun to talk about.

Chasing down your next horror fix? Check out these episodes:

'Backrooms' brings YouTube horror to the big screen

In ‘Weapons’, the kids aren't at all right, not in the slightest, nope

Should you give 'Presence' the ghost of a chance?

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The Dog Stars

Mon, 31 Aug 2026 07:00:00 +0000

In the new post-apocalyptic film The Dog Stars, a virus has wiped out most of humanity and the survivors eke out a meager existence trying to stay alive. Sound like an oh-too-familiar tale? What if it featured stars like Jacob Elordi, Margaret Qualley, and Allison Janney? And was directed by Ridley Scott and based on a best-selling novel? Would it be enough to pull you in? Should it be?

Want more action from Hollywood’s biggest directors? Check out these episodes:

Spielberg revisits aliens and alienation in ‘Disclosure Day’

'Gladiator II': Are you not entertained? Still? Again? Some more?

‘The Odyssey’ is an ancient tale on a modern budget

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Coyote vs. Acme and Dolly Parton

Fri, 28 Aug 2026 07:00:00 +0000

The movie Coyote vs. Acme comes with some buzzy lore: it was famously shelved, and almost didn’t see the light of day. But it’s here now, and it’s good and looney! It follows Wile E. Coyote when he decides to sue the Acme Corporation for manufacturing crappy, ineffective products. The cast includes Will Forte, John Cena and Lana Condor. We also talk about our favorite Dolly Parton musical performances.

If you want more animated capers, check out these episodes:
'Minions & Monsters' is, oddly enough, a love letter to Old Hollywood
In 'Toy Story 5,' playtime's over and screentime's in

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Adults

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Every generation gets its own version of a “20-somethings hang out and make mistakes” sitcom. And Gen Z’s got Adults, a silly series about a group of friends cohabitating in Queens, New York – and it makes for fun and all-too-relatable TV fodder. Adults is back for its second season on Hulu, so today we’re revisiting our episode about the series.

If you want more bingeable comedies, check out these episodes:

‘The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins’ is (30) Rock-solid

Meg Stalter shines in the rom-com 'Too Much'

‘Widow’s Bay’ is an island in the scream

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Fictional teachers we wish we had

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 07:00:00 +0000

It’s back to school season, which has us thinking about our favorite teachers. The ones who really saw us, changed our points of view, or set us on new paths. But of all the teachers we've seen in TV and movies, which of them do we wish we'd had to educate us in real life? Today we’re talking about fictional on-screen teachers from My Girl, My So-Called Life, Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit and Dune: Part One.

If you like want more episodes like this one, check out:
The reality TV show I'd like to judge
The TV show I'd like to live in
The American dream according to ‘The Wire,’ ‘Apollo 13’ and more

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Lanterns

Mon, 24 Aug 2026 07:00:00 +0000

HBO’s new DC superhero show Lanterns is not the show you think it is. It’s about a couple of space cops: Kyle Chandler plays Earth’s Green Lantern, Hal Jordan, a grizzled, impulsive old-timer reluctantly training up his backup, John Stewart (Aaron Pierre). Yet the story avoids cosmic sweep and spectacle in favor of a character-driven mystery and a grounded setting. Does this series thread the needle to appeal to comics nerds and newcomers alike?

If you need more superhero stories, check out these episodes:
'Supergirl' has a solid hero but could use a better villain
Marvel’s ‘Wonder Man’ is a low-key, low-stakes buddy comedy

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Tony and What’s Making Us Happy

Fri, 21 Aug 2026 07:00:00 +0000

In the new film Tony, we meet chef and author Anthony Bourdain before he was in the public eye. He was a wayward, overconfident young guy, and, as played by Dominic Sessa, kind of a piece of work. The movie focuses on a pivotal summer in 1975, when Tony worked in his first kitchen, a tiny hole-in-the-wall in Provincetown. But does the film break out of the familiar biopic formula to tell a compelling story?

Do you like biopics about complicated artists? Check out:
‘Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere’ is better than your average biopic
In 'A Complete Unknown,' Timothée Chalamet captures the idea of Bob Dylan

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What's Making Us Happy (1970s Version)

Thu, 20 Aug 2026 07:00:00 +0000

We're traveling way back in time to 1971 -- when Richard Nixon was president, the Beatles were newly broken up, and Fiddler on the Roof was one of the biggest movies at the box office. Today in this encore episode, we’re revisiting a special edition of What's Making Us Happy, recommending pop culture from the 1970s – including Isaac Hayes’ Shaft soundtrack, Carol King’s Tapestry, Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On, and The Monster at the End of This Book.

Looking for more pop culture from the past? Check out these episodes:

The American dream according to ‘The Wire,’ ‘Apollo 13’ and more

‘Jaws’ is still stuck in our teeth, 50 years later

'Shrek' – a weird, flatulent and beloved franchise – turns 25

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Phoebe Bridgers’ album Lost Weekend

Wed, 19 Aug 2026 07:03:00 +0000

Phoebe Bridgers is your favorite pop star’s favorite pop star. And she’s just released a gorgeous new solo album, Lost Weekend. It’s packed with guest stars including her boygenius bandmates, pop superproducer Jack Antonoff and her partner, Bo Burnham. The record’s 16 songs are full of lore, lush sonic ideas, and quotable insights about love, sex, and death. But does Bridgers’ long-awaited return make up for lost time?

If you need more multifaceted pop music, check out these episodes:
Ariana Grande stares down the public eye in 'Petal'
Olivia Rodrigo seems pretty sad, but does she still generate bangers?

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Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma

Mon, 17 Aug 2026 07:00:00 +0000

The new movie Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma is a bloody and bewildering queer slasher film. Directed by Jane Schoenbrun (I Saw the TV Glow), it stars Hannah Einbinder as a queer young filmmaker tapped to reboot a defunct slasher franchise, and Gillian Anderson as a reclusive actress. The movie is a meditation on slashers and film itself, sexuality and identity – and it’s also gore-filled fun you won’t want to miss.

Want more queer indie horror? Check out these episodes:

'I Saw the TV Glow' is weird and transfixing

'Love Lies Bleeding' is the queer erotic thriller Kristen Stewart fans have wanted

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The End of Oak Street and What’s Making Us Happy

Fri, 14 Aug 2026 07:00:00 +0000

In the fun, entertaining new film, The End of Oak Street, Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor star as a married couple in the early 1980s. One night, their entire suburban neighborhood is transported to a time filled with a variety of large and dangerous dinosaurs. Written and directed by David Robert Mitchell (It Follows), it’s part action-adventure, part monster movie, part dark comedy. But after so many dino-packed blockbusters, does this movie offer a fresh take to the prehistoric creature feature?

If you need a few more creature features, check out these episodes:
'Minions & Monsters' is, oddly enough, a love letter to Old Hollywood
Only Guillermo del Toro could've made this 'Frankenstein'
‘Jaws’ is still stuck in our teeth, 50 years later

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Summer blockbusters we somehow missed

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Summer blockbusters are hugely popular and as a result, financially successful, and seen by lots of people. So with summer blockbuster season coming to a close, we decided to revisit our conversation about our own personal blockbuster gaps, and finally watch a movie that absolutely everyone saw – except for us — including Armageddon, Beverly Hills Cop II, Ghost, The Fast and the Furious.

If you need a bit more summer magic, check out these episodes:

What’s the best summer snack? The votes are in

‘Jaws’ is still stuck in our teeth, 50 years later

We debate the sweatiest movie of all time

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Ted Lasso

Tue, 11 Aug 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Ted Lasso is finally back. But is this new fourth season worth the wait, and does it have anything fresh to say? Ted (Jason Sudeikis) has returned to the U.K., only this time, he’s coaching a brand new women’s soccer team. The hit Apple TV series features familiar faces including Hannah Waddingham, Juno Temple, and Brett Goldstein, as well as newcomers Tanya Reynolds and Abbie Hern.

Want more laughs from Apple TV? Check out these episodes:
Getting therapeutic with 'Shrinking'
Seth Rogen and a fabulous cast highlight the satire 'The Studio'

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Our dream TV workplaces

Mon, 10 Aug 2026 07:00:00 +0000

We spend the majority of our adult lives at work. We also see so many depictions of working life on TV. So where’s the fictional place we’d like to work? We’ll talk about Ted Lasso, Game of Thrones, The Muppet Show and The West Wing.

If you want more workplace shenanigans, check out these episodes:

‘Widow’s Bay’ is an island in the scream

The final course at ‘The Bear’ was both sweet and savory

‘The Paper’ is an ‘Office’ spinoff where journalism takes the lede

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One Night Only and What’s Making Us Happy

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 07:00:00 +0000

One Night Only is set in an alternate universe where premarital sex has been outlawed, except for one 12-hour window a year. The film stars Monica Barbaro and Callum Turner as two beautiful New Yorkers looking to have sex when the mandate is temporarily lifted. But does the film deliver on its sexy premise, or is it more chaste than it seems?

Looking for other conversations about rom-coms? Try these episodes:

‘Office Romance’ stars J.Lo as a CEO with a bad case of Brett Goldstein

‘You, Me & Tuscany' has got us lost in the pasta sauce

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Ariana Grande’s album Petal

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Ariana Grande has been omnipresent the last few years. Discussions of her relationships and her weight have made Grande an internet fixture in recent years. She’s coming off a long run promoting and starring in the two Wicked films, and her hit song “Hate That I Made You Love Me” has been everywhere this summer. She’s also announced she’s taking a step back from public life after her current tour. So with the release of her new album, Petal, what do we make of Grande’s latest batch of songs, and do they successfully capture this moment in her life?

Looking for more buzzy pop music conversations? Check out:

Olivia Rodrigo seems pretty sad, but does she still generate bangers?

On 'Arirang,' BTS nods to K-pop's past, present and future

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We debate the sweatiest movie of all time

Tue, 04 Aug 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Whether they're lightly perspiring, gently glowing, or soaked through from sweltering, people in the movies sweat a lot. But what movie has had people sweat the very most? With another summer underway, we are revisiting our debate about what is the sweatiest movie of all time — including Do the Right Thing, Dog Day Afternoon, Y tu mamá también, and Body Heat.

If you like need more summery suggestions, check out these episodes:

The summer blockbusters we finally watched

‘Jaws’ is still stuck in our teeth, 50 years later

‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ has drama, romance and the music of Taylor Swift

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I Want Your Sex

Mon, 03 Aug 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Sex is back, baby! In the fun new movie I Want Your Sex, Olivia Wilde plays Erika, a mixed-media artist who enters into a very consensual, very kinky, but very unprofessional sub/dom relationship with her assistant Elliot (Cooper Hoffman). Elliot’s having the time of his life, but Erika is a lot, and soon his life starts to fall apart. I Want Your Sex is directed by Gregg Araki and the film doubles down on his brand of fun, in-your-face sexuality he’s known for.

If you want more great films about sex, check out:

‘The Invite’ is a marriage comedy with sex and heart

In ‘Pillion,’ submission is the mission

What makes a good sex scene?

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Spider-Man: Brand New Day and What’s Making Us Happy

Fri, 31 Jul 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Zendaya and Tom Holland are back in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and the movie has a more grounded tone than we’ve seen from the franchise. But does it strike the right balance of fun and darkness? Directed by Daniel Destin Cretton, the film also features Jacob Batalon, Jon Bernthal, Tramell Tillman, and Sadie Sink.

Looking for more spectacular Spider-episodes? Check out:

'Spider-Man: No Way Home' mixes fun and fan service

'Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse' thrills in every dimension

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The Dink

Wed, 29 Jul 2026 07:00:00 +0000

The Dink is pickleball’s very funny new entry into the classic genre of sports comedies. In the new film, Jake Johnson stars as a washed-up tennis underachiever whose loyalties become divided after befriending a pickleball player played by Mary Steenburgen. It’s got a contest with huge stakes and a surprising dose of heart, and the jokes make it over the net.

If you want more breezy fun flicks, check out these episodes:

In 'Power Ballad,' Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas hit all the right notes

Fun movies you may have missed

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Furious

Tue, 28 Jul 2026 07:00:00 +0000

The new Hulu show Furious is a twisty serial killer drama with a sense of humor, but does it hit its mark? Emmy Rossum stars as Alice, a low-level FBI agent on the hunt for a young woman (Lola Petticrew) who’s been targeting prominent men across New York City. Furious will keep you guessing as both women carve their own paths to justice.

Need more deep dark thrillers? Check out these episodes:

TV heavy-hitters get dark in ‘The Beast In Me’

In ‘Task’, Mark Ruffalo pursues his quarry

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The best summer snacks (according to you)

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 07:00:00 +0000

There’s plenty to love about summer: Summer music, summer road trips, summer movies. But to enjoy all those things, you have to sustain yourself with summer snacks. But what are the best summer treats of all? We asked our listeners, and we are revealing the results in a game all about summer snacks. (Today’s episode originally ran as a bonus episode for NPR Plus supporters.)
For other episodes where we unpack your votes, check out:
Top 5 Pixar movies, ranked by listeners
Top 10 Muppets, as voted by listeners

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Hadestown and What’s Making Us Happy

Fri, 24 Jul 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Can’t make it to Broadway? Hadestown: The Musical has you covered. The film adaptation of the Tony-winning hit captures the musical retelling of the Greek tragedy of Orpheus and Eurydice. Fans can see the principal original Broadway cast including Reeve Carney, Eva Noblezada, and André De Shields reunite on the big screen for five nights only.

Need more musicals? Check out these episodes:

'Wicked: For Good' will bring you to tears

We debate the best movie musical numbers

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Hot Ones

Thu, 23 Jul 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Hot Ones is the YouTube show where famous people answer questions while eating increasingly hot chicken wings. Now host Sean Evans is bringing his wings to Netflix with a series of specials called Hot Ones: Extra Heat. What exactly makes a good Hot Ones guest? On this encore episode, we discuss the show and specifically about possibly the best guest ever, Conan O’Brien.

If you want hot questions answered (hold the wings), check out these episode:
We debate the best live TV moments in pop culture
What makes for a good book to film adaptation?
We debate the best fictional bands

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Our rules for music festivals

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Have some people forgotten how to behave at music festivals? Summer is peak music festival season, and that means many of us are braving huge crowds and sweltering heat to see a bunch of artists we love in one place. But is there a decline in social decorum in these concert settings? From using phones to being in the front row to navigating crowds, today we’re sharing personal and passionate takes about music festival etiquette.

If you are looking for more episodes like this one, check out:
The pop culture hill I'll die on
How we handle spoilers

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The Hawk

Mon, 20 Jul 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Will Ferrell stars as a past-his-prime golfer in the new Netflix series, The Hawk. If you loved watching him play self-absorbed athletes in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby and Blades of Glory, you might be into this too. He reunited with some funny former collaborators like Molly Shannon, Luke Wilson, and Chris Parnell. The Frat Pack vibes are high, but does this old school sports comedy feel fresh or stuck in the past?

If you want more big goofy gags, check out these episodes:
‘Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass’ is a fun dumb time at the movies
'Stop! That! Train!' goes off the rails in a good way

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The Odyssey and What's Making Us Happy

Fri, 17 Jul 2026 07:00:00 +0000

The Odyssey is director Christopher Nolan’s spectacular take on Homer’s epic work – full of gods, monsters, love and very bloody revenge. Matt Damon plays Odysseus, who is trying to get home to his wife and son, played by Anne Hathaway and Tom Holland. But the journey home is not easy, as Odyssey and his crew are confronted with sea monsters, nymphs, whirlpools and cannibals.

If you’re looking for more great epic blockbusters, check out these recommendations:
'Oppenheimer' looks at the building of the bomb, and its lingering fallout
Ryan Gosling gets serious (and very funny) about saving the planet in ‘Project Hail Mary’

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Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass

Wed, 15 Jul 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass is a comedy, but it’s mostly a very funny hang. Zoey Deutch plays a small town hairdresser whose fiancee has just had sex with the celebrity on his sex pass list. She's determined to do the same – with Jon Hamm. She sets off to Hollywood to find him and gathers a motley crew along the way. The film was directed by David Wain, also is known for Wet Hot American Summer.

For other goofy comedies, check out these episodes:

'Jackass: Best and Last' looks back, misty-eyed, at a legacy of mayhem

‘Stop! That! Train!’ goes off the rails in a good way

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Little House on the Prairie

Tue, 14 Jul 2026 07:00:00 +0000

You may be familiar with the world of Little House on the Prairie, either through Laura Ingalls Wilder’s beloved books, or the 1970s TV adaptation. Now, Netflix is once again bringing the Ingalls family to life with a new series. It focuses on earlier in Laura's life in Kansas, where the promise of available land for the family comes at the expense of a local Osage population that's being pushed out. During this time, the Ingalls family must make friends in their local community and deal with the harsh realities of pioneer life.

Here are some recommendations both kids and adults will enjoy:
‘Zootopia 2’ brings back your favorite fun animals — and some pointed commentary
In 'Toy Story 5,' playtime's over and screentime's in

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The Invite

Mon, 13 Jul 2026 07:00:00 +0000

What happens when a simple dinner party goes off the rails? That’s the premise of The Invite, a very good new comedy directed by Olivia Wilde. Wilde also stars alongside Seth Rogen as a couple who invite their neighbors over for a meal, played by Penelope Cruz and Edward Norton. And it’s a heck of a dinner party, full of frank talk about sex and its complications.

If you like slightly absurd relationship comedies, check out these episodes:

'Mr. & Mrs. Smith' is a stylish take on spy marriage
In Tina Fey’s ‘The Four Seasons,’ marriage is far from a vacation

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Moana and What’s Making Us Happy

Fri, 10 Jul 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Moana is back in Disney’s new sort-of-live-action remake, but how far does it go from the original? Dwayne Johnson returns as Maui, appearing in the flesh this time around. Catherine Laga'aia plays Moana, who sets out to save her island, along with her chicken. The film features a new song from Lin-Manuel Miranda, who also wrote songs for the original animated film.

Craving more live action Disney remakes? Check out these episodes:

'Lilo & Stitch' brings its fuzzy agent of chaos to the real world

'The Little Mermaid' takes the uncanny valley under the sea

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2026 Emmy Nominations

Wed, 08 Jul 2026 21:39:57 +0000

The 2026 Emmy nominations are here. We’re unpacking the record-breaking nominations for Hacks, plus a big day for Widow’s Bay, The Pitt, and The Bear. We’ll also talk about the snubs and make some early predictions of who will win.

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Gen Z and the movies

Tue, 07 Jul 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Two big horror films, Obsession and Backrooms, just smashed all box office expectations. So much of their success has been driven by Gen Z, which is now the biggest moviegoing demographic. But what makes a movie a Gen Z movie? Today we’re bringing you an episode of NPR’s It’s Been a Minute. Host Brittany Luse talks about this trend with Sam Adams and Reanna Cruz.

If you want to hear more about these movies, check out these episodes:
In ‘Obsession,’ love hurts. It really, really, really hurts.
'Backrooms' brings YouTube horror to the big screen
Zendaya brings 'The Drama,' we bring the spoilers

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A wacky merchandise quiz

Mon, 06 Jul 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Everywhere you look, movies and TV shows are teaming up with all kinds of companies to make odd product tie-ins. Green Shrek ketchup. The Handmaid’s Tale wine. Grogu serving boards. Today on the show, we’re playing a game about some very strange brand collaborations.

If you like want more episodes like this one, check out:

We fantasy cast 'The Traitors'

Our 15th Anniversary Time Capsule

A Cameo Quiz

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Minions & Monsters and What’s Making Us Happy

Fri, 03 Jul 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Minions & Monsters is the newest addition to the Despicable Me franchise, but this prequel set the minions loose in 1920s Hollywood. They naturally become superstars in the age of silent film. But, as talkies take over, they struggle to stay relevant — until one of them ends up conjuring some cute but deadly monsters using a dead wizard’s old spell book. After many films featuring the hijinks of the yellow pill-shaped oddballs, does this minions feature give off any old Hollywood charm?

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In 'Toy Story 5,' playtime's over and screentime's in
'The Wild Robot' is grand and gorgeous, with big feelings
Is 'Kung Fu Panda 4' a worthy entry in the fun and thoughtful franchise?

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The Bear

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Did the final season of FX’s The Bear serve up the perfect last bite or are diners and viewers alike left wishing for more? Carmy (Jeremy Allen White), Syd (Ayo Edebiri), and the rest of the kitchen staff are back in action as they face down their final day of service. It’s now streaming on Hulu.

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‘Widow’s Bay’ is an island in the scream

We are united in our love of ‘Pluribus’

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The best depictions of the American dream

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 07:00:00 +0000

America turns 250 this year. So for this special birthday, we discuss our picks for what pieces of pop culture best depict the American dream, including The Wire, Apollo 13, Grey Gardens, and the spiritual successor to Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car.”

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How we handle spoilers
Our 15th anniversary time capsule
We rewatch the movies we loved as teens
Pop culture that changed our minds

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Jackass: Best and Last

Mon, 29 Jun 2026 07:00:00 +0000

In Jackass: Best and Last, Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, and the rest of the crew are back for a final round of stunts, pranks, and laughs. The film features new laugh-out-loud bits as well as footage from the franchise’s best clips over its long history. But did Jackass: Best and Last stick the landing or fall just short of a big bang?

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‘Stop! That! Train!’ goes off the rails in a good way
In 'Dicks: The Musical', broad jokes, narrow audience

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Supergirl and What’s Making Us Happy

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Hollywood’s newest Supergirl is kind of a dirtbag — in the good way. Fearless and grumpy, Supergirl (Milly Alcock) sets out on a quest to support a new pal’s revenge journey and to make a point that should be clear by now: Never mess with a lady’s dog. Also featuring David Corenswet and Jason Momoa, is Supergirl a worthy follow up to Superman?

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'Superman' takes off and nails the landing
'The Batman' puts the emo in emote

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Great movies we missed

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 07:00:00 +0000

There have been some fantastic movies released this year, and we know you can’t see them all. So we’re recommending four recent movies we missed that you should add to your watchlist: The Furious, Tuner, She’s The He, and Heresy.

If you need a few more fun film recommendations, check out these episodes:

Fun movies you may have missed
Our favorite movies on Tubi
We debate the best movies to watch on an airplane

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Leviticus

Tue, 23 Jun 2026 07:00:00 +0000

You should see the new horror movie Leviticus. Set in a small Australian religious community, it’s about two queer teens that start having feelings for each other. Their relationship touches off a chain of increasingly violent events. It’s both a queer coming-of-age romance and a blistering indictment of gay conversion therapy. Mostly, though, it’s a seriously creepy movie about a demonic entity that knows exactly how to get to you.

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'I Saw the TV Glow' is weird and transfixing
'Love Lies Bleeding' is the queer erotic thriller Kristen Stewart fans have wanted

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Best Pixar Movies, Ranked

Mon, 22 Jun 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Toy Story 5 just hit theaters, so it seemed like a good time to revisit our episode from last summer where we discussed YOUR picks for the greatest Pixar films of all time. Thousands of you voted, and we've got the results.

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Nature needs a little help in the inventive Pixar movie ‘Hoppers’

'Turning Red' paints teenage feelings in rich, vibrant colors

'Inside Out 2' is a Pixar sequel worth celebrating

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Toy Story 5 and What's Making Us Happy

Fri, 19 Jun 2026 07:00:00 +0000

In Disney’s Toy Story 5, Jessie, Woody, and Buzz are back to confront a new threat – screen time. When their kid Bonnie gets a new tablet called Lilypad, she forgets about the rest of her toys. But Jessie is determined to win Bonnie back, even after a series of events separates them. Toy Story 5 features a familiar and beloved voice cast with Tom Hanks, Tim Allen and Joan Cusack reprising their roles.

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Top 5 Pixar movies, ranked by listeners

Nature needs a little help in the inventive Pixar movie ‘Hoppers’

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Olivia Rodrigo you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love

Wed, 17 Jun 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Olivia Rodrigo is back blending spikey rock with tender ballads. How do we feel about her evolving sound? Her third album you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love is a collection of fizzy, sometimes jagged pop songs about a love that goes amazingly well until it doesn’t.

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Taylor Swift re-enters her banger era in ‘The Life of a Showgirl’
Sabrina Carpenter returns with the short and saucy 'Man's Best Friend'
Harry Styles' new album has vibes all the time. Bangers, occasionally.

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Widow’s Bay

Tue, 16 Jun 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Widow’s Bay is a spine-tingling blend of horror and comedy you won't want to miss. The buzzy Apple TV series follows a mayor (Matthew Rhys) who is desperately trying to bring tourism to a small island town that might be cursed. The cast includes Stephen Root, Kate O’Flynn, and Betty Gilpin.

If you’re looking for other eerie island escapes, check out these episodes

A bratty boss gets a dose of his own medicine in ‘Send Help’

‘Lord of the Flies’ gets the Netflix treatment

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Stop! That! Train!

Mon, 15 Jun 2026 07:00:00 +0000

The ridiculously fun new film Stop! That! Train! brings the gags-a-minute silliness of Airplane! to the bawdy world of RuPaul’s Drag Race. But does it chug along smoothly or does it veer off the rails? RuPaul stars as the president of the United States who must help save a train from a massive stormaganza. Drag queens Jujubee and Ginger Minj are train attendants aboard the runaway train filled with Drag Race alumni and comedy heavy-hitters who are here to serve looks and bring the shade.

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'The Naked Gun' packs jokes on jokes on jokes
Our favorite movies on Tubi

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Disclosure Day and What’s Making Us Happy

Fri, 12 Jun 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Stephen Spielberg brings aliens back to the big screen in Disclosure Day. But how does his new blockbuster compare to his alien classics like E.T. and Close Encounters of The Third Kind? Our heroes Emily Blunt and Josh O’Connor are compelled by something they don’t understand, and there are authority figures trying to keep a huge secret from the public.

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‘Jaws’ is still stuck in our teeth, 50 years later
The summer blockbusters we finally watched

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Summer House

Thu, 11 Jun 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Have you been keeping up with all the drama of Summer House? The cast of the Bravo reality series is currently embroiled in a scandal involving Kyle Cooke, Amanda Batula, West Wilson and Ciara Miller. We’re unpacking why people in and outside the Bravo fandom can’t stop talking about Summer House, what drives the drama of Bravo, and where the franchise might go from here.

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We're taking a chaotic trip to 'Love Island,' babe

'Vanderpump Rules,' 'Scandoval' and a fight that never ends

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Office Romance

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 07:00:00 +0000

The new Netflix film Office Romance pairs rom-com veteran Jennifer Lopez with Brett Goldstein in a story about the hazards of falling for your boss. But is the on-screen chemistry there? And how does it fit into J.Lo’s rom-com history? Directed by Ol Parker (Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again), the film was written by Goldstein and Joe Kelly, one of the writers he worked with on Ted Lasso.

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Can Jennifer Lopez's 'This Is Me... Now' say anything new?
A silly 'Shotgun Wedding' sends J.Lo on an adventure

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Scary Movie

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 07:00:00 +0000

The horror comedy franchise Scary Movie is back in theaters with a new movie. But does this legacy sequel that parodies other legacy sequels have anything new to say? Helmed by the Wayans Brothers, it lampoons horror tropes new and old amid a flurry of jokes and references, and brings back familiar faces like Anna Faris and Regina Hall. It also introduces a new generation to face the dreaded Ghostface.

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‘Scream 7’ takes a weak stab at continuing the franchise

'I Know What You Did Last Summer' gets hooked on nostalgia

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Masters of the Universe and What’s Making Us Happy

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 07:00:00 +0000

The new Masters of the Universe movie is packed with Easter eggs for fans of the old 80s cartoon and toys, but does this wannabe summer blockbuster have anything to offer for everybody else? It features big names playing the signature characters, like He-Man (Nicholas Galitzine), Evil-Lyn (Alison Brie), Man at Arms (Idris Elba), and Skeletor (Jared Leto). But the movie also adds a contemporary and comedic comic riff on the story.

If you like nostalgic adaptations for superfans, check out these episodes:

In 'Mortal Kombat II,' fatality meets fan service

'Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves' has high charisma

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Power Ballad

Thu, 04 Jun 2026 07:00:00 +0000

In the wonderful new film Power Ballad, Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas play two musicians whose careers haven’t exactly gone to plan – but one song may change that. Rick (Rudd) is a wedding band singer in Ireland and Danny (Jonas) is a former boy band member. They collaborate on a song that Rick wrote a few years ago, but Rick later finds out that Danny is trying to pass off the song as his own. Power Ballad was directed by John Carney, who also made Sing Street and Once.

If you like movies with great songs, check out these episodes:

'KPop Demon Hunters' is a viral smash that crushes the songs

We debate the best movie musical numbers

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Spider-Noir

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Does Spider-Noir get its blend of noir and superheroes right? In the 2018 film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Nicolas Cage gave us a taste of a black and white, film-noir Spider-Man who talked in Dashiell Hammett dialogue. That cameo has spun into a full series that’s streaming on Prime Video.

If you like off-the-wall superhero adaptations, check out these episodes:

Marvel’s ‘Wonder Man’ is a low-key, low-stakes buddy comedy

In 'The Penguin' a C-list villain gets an A-list series

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Backrooms

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 07:00:00 +0000

The new horror movie Backrooms is about some of the creepiest places imaginable: the nondescript, beige-carpeted rooms that populate countless office spaces and discount furniture warehouses. The film stars Chiwetel Ejiofor as the manager of a pirate-themed furniture store, who, as he discusses with his therapist (Renate Reinsve), discovers a secret labyrinth of backrooms – each with a strange and unsettling design. Directed by Kane Parsons, based on his “creepypasta”-inspired web series, the movie doesn’t have a plot so much as a deeply unnerving sense of place.

If you’re looking for more moody horror, check out these episodes:
In ‘Obsession,’ love hurts. It really, really, really hurts.
Adam Scott checks in to a haunted inn in ‘Hokum’

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Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed and What’s Making Us Happy

Fri, 29 May 2026 07:00:00 +0000

The Apple TV series Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed pulls you in almost immediately. Tatiana Maslany plays a newly divorced woman who finds comfort in an online relationship with a camboy, but that comfort is cut short by a frightening incident. As things escalate, every aspect of her life comes under threat. The show also has a colorful cast that features Jake Johnson and Murray Bartlett, with a sharp script that lives up to its hook.

If you like fast-paced, mysterious thrillers, be sure to check out these episodes:

Hilariously caustic 'Big Mistakes' drags Dan Levy into organized crime

‘The Boroughs’ lets a veteran cast shine in a sci-fi monster mystery

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The Four Seasons

Thu, 28 May 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Netflix’s charming comedy The Four Seasons follows a group of couples whose friendship dynamic is rocked by their mid-life crises. The impressive cast includes Steve Carell, Tina Fey, Colman Domingo, and Will Forte. And while the jokes may not fly quite as fast as they did on 30 Rock, Fey’s comedic sensibilities are written all over it. The Four Seasons just returned for a second season, so we’re revisiting our conversation about the series.

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I Love Boosters

Tue, 26 May 2026 07:00:00 +0000

In the new film I Love Boosters, Keke Palmer is the ringleader of a shoplifting crew that squares off with an unethical fashion CEO played by Demi Moore. It's from the bizarro visionary director Boots Riley (Sorry to Bother You) and it may be his most delightfully unhinged project yet.

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The Boroughs

Mon, 25 May 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Something is definitely up in the fantastic new Netflix series The Boroughs. Monsters, or maybe aliens? It’s set in a seemingly idyllic mid-century modern retirement community in the middle of the desert, and focuses on a septuagenarian Scooby Gang formed by Geena Davis, Alfred Molina, Alfre Woodard, Denis O’Hare and Clarke Peters.

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Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu and What’s Making Us Happy

Fri, 22 May 2026 07:00:00 +0000

The Mandalorian has made the jetpack-assisted leap to the big screen with the new movie Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu. The laconic bounty hunter (Pedro Pascal) and his cute sidekick Grogu are hired by the good guys to do a job for some bad guys. You know what you’re gonna get – creatures, droids, easter eggs, and lots of fights. But, after three seasons on Disney+, will folks go out to the theaters to watch something they’ve gotten to know on their couches?

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Stephen Colbert and late night

Thu, 21 May 2026 07:00:00 +0000

The Late Show With Stephen Colbert comes to an end this week amid a lot of changes in the business and the country. Some of the sources of tension include the economics of late night, the approaching merger of Paramount and Warner Brothers, and President Donald Trump's constant criticism of late-night hosts. But for Colbert's fans, it's the end of a friendly, funny, candid show. So we’re talking about the legacy of Stephen Colbert in late night.

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Is God Is

Wed, 20 May 2026 07:00:00 +0000

You should make sure to check out the new film Is God Is. It’s a kinetic movie about twin sisters (Kara Young and Mallori Johnson) who set out to kill their abusive dad (Sterling K. Brown). It’s an exciting road trip movie akin to Thelma & Louise mashed up with the affecting themes of sisterhood in The Color Purple. The promising feature debut from acclaimed playwright Alesha Harris also features Janelle Monáe, Vivica A. Fox and Erika Alexander.

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Nemesis

Mon, 18 May 2026 07:00:00 +0000

If you’re a fan of the movie Heat, then you might be into Netflix’s new action-packed heist series Nemesis. Co-created by Courtney A. Kemp (Power), it’s about the blurry lines between criminality and the law, and follows an LAPD detective (Matthew Law) chasing an elusive crew of robbers and its ringleader (Y’lan Noel). The show has a lot going on – stylized set pieces, double-crosses, relationship issues, daddy issues – but it all goes down smoothly enough.

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Obsession and What’s Making Us Happy

Fri, 15 May 2026 07:00:00 +0000

The new film Obsession has a familiar setup: A guy makes a wish, wish comes true, and things go bad. But what sets this twisted little movie apart is how bad things go, and the astonishing, terrifying performance of its lead actress, Inde Navarrette. Written and directed by Curry Barker, the film follows a schlubby music store employee (Michael Johnston) who’s in love with his coworker (Navarrette) and makes a wish on a cheap magic gag gift for her to love him. That love soon proves to be the kind that’s jealous, all-consuming and comes with a body count.

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Listen to our episode about Margo’s Got Money Troubles

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Shrek

Thu, 14 May 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Shrek launched a Dreamworks franchise, won an Oscar, spawned a stage musical, and greatly extended the cultural life of the band Smash Mouth. And it all started with the story of a crabby green ogre, voiced by Mike Myers, who just wants a bunch of fairy-tale characters to stay out of his swamp. The film turns 25 this month, so we are revisiting our conversation about its legacy.

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Fun movies we missed

Tue, 12 May 2026 07:00:00 +0000

One basic truth of the streaming era is that streaming movies come at you fast. So we’re recommending three fun movies that we haven't covered on the show that you can stream at home: Apex, Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice, and Thrash.

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The Sheep Detectives

Mon, 11 May 2026 07:00:00 +0000

In the charming new movie The Sheep Detectives, a shepherd (Hugh Jackman) is murdered and the sheep who adored him are determined to solve the crime. The sheep are voiced by an impressive cast including Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Patrick Stewart, and Bryan Cranston. It’s sweet and funny, and quite emotional. It might change the whole way you see sheep and murrrrrrder.

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Mortal Kombat II and What’s Making Us Happy

Fri, 08 May 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Mortal Kombat II brings back more of the unforgettable characters you might have grown up eviscerating. Based on the ultra-violent video game franchise, it centers the story on warrior princess Kitana (Adeline Rudolph) and washed-up action star Johnny Cage (Karl Urban). And of course, there’s fighting. Lots and lots of fighting.

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Lord of the Flies

Thu, 07 May 2026 07:00:00 +0000

You probably read the Lord of the Flies in high school — and now you can watch it on Netflix. It follows a bunch of British schoolboys who get stranded on a deserted island and descend into violent tribalism. Lord of the Flies is made by one of the creators of the Emmy-winning Adolescence, another grim meditation on youth and violence and masculinity.

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The best Survivor seasons, ranked

Wed, 06 May 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Survivor changed the landscape of reality television. Over 50 seasons, the competition has riveted audiences with its complex social strategy, ever-shifting alliances, and many twists. The show has evolved, and fans have debated changes to the game for years. So what’s the best Survivor season of all time?

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Hokum

Mon, 04 May 2026 07:00:00 +0000

In the satisfying new horror movie Hokum, Adam Scott plays a misanthropic writer who takes his parents' ashes to the lonely Irish inn where they honeymooned many years ago. There’s just a few things dampening his stay: surly staff, a local eccentric and a witch haunting the hotel. Hokum was directed by Damian McCarthy, known for making similarly spooky films like Caveat and Oddity.

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The Devil Wears Prada 2 and What’s Making Us Happy

Fri, 01 May 2026 07:00:00 +0000

The Devil Wears Prada 2 reunites Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci 20 years after the beloved original film. The sequel finds Andy as a mid-career reporter who gets an unexpected opportunity to lead the features department at Runway and working for Miranda Priestly, the worst boss she ever had. But does the sequel capture the magic of the original film?

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Summer Guide

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 07:00:00 +0000

It’s getting warm outside and the sun is shining, which means it’s time to look ahead to what you should be watching and listening to this summer. We've got a guide to the movies, TV and music we're most excited to check out, including Olivia Rodrigo’s new album, and movies like Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Disclosure Day and I Love Boosters.

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Margo's Got Money Troubles

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 07:00:00 +0000

The great new Apple TV series Margo's Got Money Troubles boasts an impressive cast: Elle Fanning, Michelle Pfeiffer, Nick Offerman, Nicole Kidman--there's no shortage of star power. Fanning plays a college student whose life gets very complicated when she becomes a mother at 19 and joins OnlyFans. It was created by David E. Kelley (Big Little Lies), and is based on a novel by Rufi Thorpe.

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Mother Mary

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 07:00:00 +0000

The surreal movie Mother Mary stars Anne Hathaway as a Gaga-esque pop star facing an existential crisis. She turns to her former costume designer and estranged friend, played by Michaela Coel, to find herself again. The reunion resurfaces old wounds, and then things get spooky and weird. The film features a few grandiose concert numbers with songs penned by Charli xcx, Jack Antonoff, and FKA twigs.

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Michael and What's Making Us Happy

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Michael Jackson was one of the biggest pop stars on the planet, so it’s only natural that he’s the subject of a glossy, big-budget biopic. In Michael, the singer’s real-life nephew Jaafar Jackson portrays him in his rise to fame. The film leans heavily on the depiction of live performances, but steers entirely clear of the controversies that dogged the singer. Follow Pop Culture Happy Hour on Letterboxd at letterboxd.com/nprpopculture

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The many narratives of Michael Jackson

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Michael Jackson remains one of the most influential and celebrated musicians in modern history, yet his legacy continues to inspire both intense criticism and fascination. The new film, Michael, is set for release this week, raising the question of whether an estate-approved biopic can truly redefine an artist's legacy. Aisha Harris explores the various music videos and biopics related to this generational talent, whose narrative was crafted throughout his lifetime and long after his death, especially in the wake of sexual abuse allegations.

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Watch This: The Christophers

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 07:00:00 +0000

In the terrific new film The Christophers, an art restorer with a background in forgery (Michaela Coel) takes a job as an assistant to a once-famous artist who's faded from public life (Ian McKellen). And her motives are… complicated. It might seem like a quiet story, but as directed by Steven Soderbergh, the movie packs a serious punch of talent.

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Beef

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 07:00:00 +0000

The Netflix Beef returns for season two with an all new cast. This time the beef involves two couples: Carey Mulligan and Oscar Isaac face off against Charles Melton and Cailee Spaeny. Just like in the first season, their feud reveals way bigger underlying issues for each of the parties involved. Everyone’s a mess and it’s a surreal journey to behold.

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Normal and What’s Making Us Happy

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Bob Odenkirk has pivoted from sketch comedy to dramatic acting and, most recently, to late-middle-aged action star. In the new film Normal, he plays a small-town sheriff who finds out his small town isn’t so normal after all, which will of course require some sexagenarian butt-kicking. The cast includes Henry Winkler and Lena Headey, and was written by Derek Kolstad, the mind behind the John Wick franchise.

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We Watch Classic Movies For The First Time

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 07:00:00 +0000

We've all been there. A major movie is mentioned, you shrug, sheepishly, and someone says, "I can't believe you've never seen that!" Today, in this encore episode, we make a dent in our own lists of classic films we somehow had not yet gotten to, including Erin Brockovich, Enter the Dragon, Raging Bull, and Flower Drum Song.

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Great TV We Missed

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 07:00:00 +0000

There’s a lot of TV worth recommending out there. So today we’re spotlighting some television we didn’t have time to talk about earlier this year, including Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat, Ponies, Blossoms Shanghai, and Deadloch.

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Big Mistakes

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Dan Levy co-created and starred in the beloved Schitt’s Creek. And now he’s back with a new comedy on Netflix that’s got a very different vibe. In Big Mistakes, Levy and Taylor Ortega play dysfunctional siblings who get drawn deeper and deeper into the world of organized crime, even as their mom – the great Laurie Metcalf – runs for public office.

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You, Me & Tuscany and What’s Making Us Happy

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 07:00:00 +0000

“She came for the pasta, and got lost in the sauce.” That’s the brilliant tagline for the zesty new rom-com You, Me, & Tuscany. Halle Bailey stars as a broke twenty-something who decides to fulfill a dream and fly to Tuscany on a whim. There she meets a hot winemaker played by Regé-Jean Page. But this is an old-school movie with classic rom-com machinations, so it’ll take at least a three-course meal and a few vinos to get these two beautiful people together.

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How We Handle Spoilers

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 07:00:00 +0000

We’ve all been there: Maybe somebody tells you too much about the twist ending of a movie, or they tell you who dies at the end. In other words, you’ve run into a spoiler. The discourse around The Drama has us thinking: how should you handle spoilers, and what even counts as a spoiler? We talk about Star Wars, The Sixth Sense, and even the American Idol finale.

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The Pitt

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 07:00:00 +0000

In HBO Max's The Pitt, an ER full of doctors, nurses and staff are put through tense, high-stakes shifts. The first season was a critical success and won the show a raft of Emmy Awards. Now the second season is close to an end, and while this shift has been less catastrophic in some ways, it's clear that everyone, including attending physician Dr. Robby (Noah Wyle) is stretched very, very thin.

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The Drama: Spoiler Episode

Mon, 06 Apr 2026 07:00:00 +0000

The Drama is a dark and twisty comedy starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson as a storybook couple preparing for their upcoming wedding. But just days before the big day, she reveals a horrifying truth about her past self that threatens to undo their nuptials, and their bond. In this spoiler-packed episode, we’re getting into that reveal, and all the surprising drama of the movie.

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The Drama and What’s Making Us Happy

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 07:00:00 +0000

In the dark comedy The Drama, Zendaya and Robert Pattinson are getting married, but maybe they shouldn’t? The stars play a couple in full-on prep mode for their upcoming wedding, though when a shocking secret is revealed, suddenly their love for one another doesn’t seem all that secure.

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The Super Mario Galaxy Movie

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 07:00:00 +0000

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is the ultimate piece of Nintendo fan service. Mario (Chris Pratt), Luigi (Charlie Day), Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) are on an outer space adventure to save Princess Rosalina (Brie Larson). The film features other beloved Nintendo characters like Bowser (Jack Black) and Yoshi (Donald Glover) – and a few surprises. It’s a sequel to The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which made more than a billion dollars worldwide.

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The Comeback

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Lisa Kudrow is back in HBO’s beloved comedy The Comeback. It’s been more than a decade since we last saw sitcom star Valerie Cherish, and her present situation is bleak. The new show she’s starring in is being written by AI. But if we know anything about Val, it’s that she’ll always seize an opportunity, setbacks be damned.

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Hannah Montana

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 07:00:00 +0000

This year marks 20 years since Hannah Montana premiered on the Disney Channel. The show made a global phenomenon of star Miley Cyrus and her pop-star alter ego. It's been streamed millions of hours since going off the air, and influenced the next generation of pop stars like Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter. With the new Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special on Disney Plus, we figured it’s a good time to look back at the legacy of the show, and where it fits into Miley’s career.

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Bait and What’s Making Us Happy

Fri, 27 Mar 2026 07:00:00 +0000

In the whimsical Prime Video comedy series Bait, the great Riz Ahmed plays Shah, an actor in the middle of a career downturn who lands an audition to be the next James Bond. But when this leaks to the public, the social media reactions to the possibility of a brown 007 are unhinged. And one particularly disturbing response shakes Shah’s confidence and sends his personal life into a tailspin.

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BTS Arirang

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 07:00:00 +0000

BTS, one of the biggest groups in K-pop, is back. Arirang is the group’s first full-length album following a hiatus in which the members released solo projects and served in South Korea’s military. It’s a brash, catchy comeback, with a mix of hip-hop, pop, and R&B. And like their previous hits, Arirang is bound to make a mark on the Billboard charts.

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The Reality TV Show We’d Actually Win

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Part of the fun of reality TV is putting yourself in the shoes of the people you're watching. Maybe you'd make a great Real Housewife. Maybe you could win The Amazing Race. In this encore episode, we're not here to make friends. But we are here to pick the reality shows that we think could thrive on.

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Ready or Not 2: Here I Come

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 07:00:00 +0000

The cheeky horror comedy Ready Or Not starred Samara Weaving as a bride who’s forced to partake in her new family’s game of hide and seek, which turns quite deadly. Ready or Not 2: Here I Come picks up right where the previous story left off, but this time with more lore, more gore, and more stars like Elijah Wood, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Kathryn Newton.

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Project Hail Mary and What’s Making Us Happy

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Ryan Gosling has teamed up with Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (The Lego Movie and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse) for the new sci-fi movie Project Hail Mary. It’s based on a novel by Andy Weir (The Martian), and tells the story of a molecular biologist who winds up on a one-way mission into space to save Earth’s population. If that all sounds incredibly bleak, fear not: you can expect quirk, charm, and a cutesy alien creature.

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Rooster

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Steve Carell is a writer of pulpy crime novels and a hapless new writing teacher at a small college in the HBO comedy series Rooster. His daughter (Charly Clive) is also a teacher, and she’s the subject of campus gossip because her husband just dumped her for a student. The show’s got a great cast, including Danielle Deadwyler and John C. McGinley, and one of its creators is Bill Lawrence of Scrubs, Shrinking and Ted Lasso.

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Scarpetta

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 07:00:00 +0000

In the Prime Video series Scarpetta, Nicole Kidman plays a tough, smart medical examiner whose latest murder case is entangled with a much earlier one. The show's got a big cast including Jamie Lee Curtis, Bobby Cannavale and Ariana DeBose. Scarpetta is based on a series of successful crime novels by Patricia Cornwell.

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Our 2026 Oscars Recap

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 09:27:27 +0000

At the Oscars, One Battle After Another took home six awards including best picture, Michael B. Jordan won for lead actor in Sinners, and the telecast had plenty of jokes at Timothée Chalamet’s expense. We’re recapping the highs and lows of the 2026 Oscars.

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2026 Oscars Guide and What's Making Us Happy

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 07:00:00 +0000

We've watched all the nominees in the major categories for the Oscars including Sinners, One Battle After Another, Hamnet, and Marty Supreme. So we’ve got opinions about what will win and what should win. (And yes, we’ll talk about Timothée Chalamet.)

For a list of our favorite Oscar nominated films, check out our list at Letterboxd — at letterboxd.com/nprpopculture .

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What Makes A Great Cast?

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 07:00:00 +0000

This year, there's finally an Oscar being awarded for casting. The nominees are the casting directors for Sinners, Hamnet, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, and The Secret Agent. That got us thinking - what makes a great cast, anyway? Today, we spent some time talking about some of the nominees and casting generally.

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Harry Styles Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally.

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Harry Styles just released his new album Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally. It’s his fourth solo album since leaving the boy band One Direction, and the follow-up to Harry’s House, which won album of the year at the Grammys. The new album is a fairly radical departure, inspired by dance floors and post-punk music. But it still swoons, as any Harry Styles record must.

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Hoppers

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 07:00:00 +0000

In Disney and Pixar’s delightful new film Hoppers, a young woman (Piper Curda) learns a beloved glade is under threat from the town’s slimy mayor (Jon Hamm). But luckily, she discovers that her college professor has developed technology that can let her live as one of the critters she loves – by allowing her mind to “hop” into an animatronic beaver. And it just might just allow her to help save the glade from serious risk of destruction.

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The Bride! and What's Making Us Happy

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 08:00:00 +0000

The Bride! goes way beyond a simple tale of literature’s most famous reanimated corpses. Directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal and starring Jessie Buckley and Christian Bale, the film is a wild take on the bride of Frankenstein’s monster. It follows her origin story, her relationship with the big lug himself, and her pursuit of her own distinct identity.

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Love Story

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 08:00:00 +0000

John F. Kennedy Jr. was an object of public fixation his entire life, and he’s now the subject of the FX series Love Story. It focuses on Kennedy’s (Paul Anthony Kelly) relationship with his wife, Carolyn Bessette (Sarah Pidgeon). The show follows their courtship, their marriage, and the great strain that she experienced as part of what was, for a time, one of the most closely watched couples in the world.

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The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins

Tue, 03 Mar 2026 08:00:00 +0000

The new comedy series The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins stars Tracy Morgan as a disgraced former football star and Daniel Radcliffe as a documentary filmmaker who team up to make a movie. I know what you’re saying - another mockumentary sitcom? What if I told you that the creators come from shows like 30 Rock, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Girls5eva? And that the joke density bears that out? The NBC/Peacock series also stars Erika Alexander, Bobby Moynihan and Craig Robinson.

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Industry

Mon, 02 Mar 2026 08:00:00 +0000

HBO’s addictive drama Industry has never been afraid to wade in the muck, and the fourth season and finale was especially messy. The paths of frenemies Harper (Myha’la) and Yasmin (Marisa Abela) erratically converged and diverged, Sir Henry Muck (Kit Harington) lands at a fintech startup, and the parallels to real-life headlines became impossible not to notice. So after that harrowing season finale, we’re wondering what just happened, and where might the show go from here?

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Scream 7 and What's Making Us Happy

Fri, 27 Feb 2026 21:07:09 +0000

The OG Scream Queen Neve Campbell returns. Scream 7 re-centers the franchise back on Sidney Prescott. She has a new life, a family, and lots of baggage. You know the drill: Someone dressing up as the masked slasher Ghostface comes for her, her family and friends. There’s lots of stabbing and murder and so many red herrings it’s practically a smorgasbord.

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Our Favorite Movies On Tubi

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 08:00:00 +0000

The streaming service Tubi has become a repository for a wild assortment of movies, TV shows, and original properties. They’re all free to watch, provided you’re willing to sit through some ads. So we asked some Tubi-philes to recommend some great movies that you can find on the service: Hundreds of Beavers, Color Out of Space, Petey Wheatstraw, and Mambo Italiano.

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The Traitors

Wed, 25 Feb 2026 08:00:00 +0000

The Peacock reality show The Traitors has become weekly appointment television, as the always impeccably dressed Alan Cumming presides over an unfriendly game full of alliances, secrets, treachery and murder. This season has been rich with drama. Players like Love Island contestant Rob Rausch and former Real Housewife Lisa Rinna have created some truly memorable moments in Traitors history. Ahead of the finale, we convene in the turret to debrief on it all.

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Paradise

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 08:00:00 +0000

In Hulu's twisty drama series Paradise, Sterling K. Brown plays a Secret Service agent caught up in a web of intrigue after the president of the United States (James Marsden) is assassinated, with no suspect in sight. But at the end of the first episode, we learn this show is about way more than the murder of the head of state. From Dan Fogelman (This is Us), the series is back for a second season, so we’re revisiting our conversation about the show.

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Winter Olympics and What’s Making Us Happy

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 08:00:00 +0000

The Winter Olympics are well underway, and we’ve got thoughts from an avid Olympics watcher and a reporter who’s covering the games in Italy. Whether it’s butt on the couch or feet on the ground – we’ve got you covered.

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America’s Next Top Model

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 08:00:00 +0000

America’s Next Top Model has been rewatched in the years since its 2003 premiere, and its handling of race, body image, and other issues has been loudly and heavily criticized. A new Netflix docuseries Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model interviews the major players including Tyra Banks, J. Alexander, Jay Manuel and Nigel Barker. And it doesn’t let Tyra off easy.

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How To Get To Heaven From Belfast

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 08:00:00 +0000

Netflix’s How To Get To Heaven From Belfast is the new series from the creator of the beloved show Derry Girls. It follows three very messy longtime friends working together to solve a mystery from their youth. Part mystery and part comedy, it’s a darkly funny adventure through Ireland and elsewhere, as they elude various pursuers, reopen old wounds, and try to find answers about what has happened to a friend they lost along the way.

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Pillion

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 08:00:00 +0000

In Pillion, a.k.a. the “gay BDSM biker movie,” a meek young man named Colin (Harry Melling) meets a handsome, broody biker played by Alexander Skarsgård who brings out his submissive side. They enter into a sub/dom relationship, but the biker remains so mysterious and withholding that Colin starts to want more – endangering the bond the two men share.

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“Wuthering Heights” and What’s Making Us Happy

Fri, 13 Feb 2026 08:00:00 +0000

In the new film “Wuthering Heights,” Margot Robbie stars as headstrong and horny Cathy, and Jacob Elordi as brooding and horny Heathcliff. Their love on the wild windswept moors is passionate, doomed and pretty bonkers. From writer and director Emerald Fennell, the film has love, lust, hatred, revenge, and lots of lusty looks in the soaking rain.

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Best Book to Movie Adaptations

Thu, 12 Feb 2026 08:00:00 +0000

What’s your favorite movie that started life as a book? And what makes for a great book to film adaptation, anyway? We’ve got some examples of beloved books that made the transition to the big screen, and we’re prepared to discuss and debate why each of them works – and why we believe they’re the best of all time. We talk about: Blade Runner, Little Women, Nickel Boys, and Starship Troopers.

For even more of our favorite book to film adaptations, check out our list at Letterboxd — at letterboxd.com/nprpopculture .

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The Pop Culture Hill I’ll Die On

Tue, 10 Feb 2026 08:00:00 +0000

We've all got that one argument we're always making: that non-negotiable stance, that immutable truth we're sticking to no matter what. Today, we're revisiting our conversation about the pop culture hills we'll die on. We discuss: Jacob Elordi, Timothée Chalamet, boss battles in video games, Bryan Adams, and attending concerts.

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Bad Bunny Super Bowl Halftime Show

Mon, 09 Feb 2026 08:58:47 +0000

At the Super Bowl halftime show, Bad Bunny put on an endlessly rewatchable performance. It featured Lady Gaga, Ricky Martin, and a real wedding. But it didn’t shy away from this political moment, and Bad Bunny’s place in the culture wars.

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Charli xcx, The Moment and What’s Making Us Happy

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 08:00:00 +0000

Remember Brat Summer? Charli xcx has turned the aftermath of her mainstream success into a movie called The Moment. It’s a hyperpop faux documentary commenting upon the intense response to her album, Brat, and Charli’s fickle relationship with stardom. Can Charli keep the Brat momentum going? Does she even want to? The film also features Alexander Skarsgård, Hailey Benton Gates, and Kylie Jenner.

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Wonder Man

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 08:00:00 +0000

Marvel’s new Disney+ series Wonder Man is a sensible buddy comedy where Yahya Abdul-Mateen II plays a down-on-his-luck actor (with incredible superpowers) trying to make it in Hollywood, and Ben Kingsley plays his new friend with a dark past. Safe to say it’s not what most Marvel fans are expecting – and that’s a good thing.

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2026 Sundance Film Festival: Best Movies

Tue, 03 Feb 2026 08:00:00 +0000

We watched a ton of movies and we’re recommending some of the best things we saw at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. This includes a thrilling adventure starring Ethan Hawke, a quiet romance with Chris Pine, and quite possibly the best documentary we’ll see all year.
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2026 Grammys Recap

Mon, 02 Feb 2026 13:48:14 +0000

This year’s Grammy Awards featured historic wins for Bad Bunny and Kendrick Lamar, performances from Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber, and occasional chaos. And it was a night of speeches that reflected this moment in America.

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Send Help and What’s Making Us Happy

Fri, 30 Jan 2026 08:00:00 +0000

In the new comic horror film Send Help, Rachel McAdams finds out the answer to the age-old hypothetical, “what if you were stranded on a desert island?” — except she’s stuck there with her terrible boss (Dylan O’Brien). The dynamic between them shifts and shifts again as they try to survive long enough to be rescued.

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Star Trek: Starfleet Academy

Thu, 29 Jan 2026 08:00:00 +0000

Star Trek fans are finally getting something they’ve wanted for a long time, and it doesn’t disappoint. The new series Star Trek: Starfleet Academy takes place at the college attended by kids who want to become officers in Starfleet. It stars Holly Hunter as the school’s chancellor, Paul Giamatti as a recurring bad guy, and a roster of hot young cadets who have classes to attend and lessons to learn.

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The Beauty

Tue, 27 Jan 2026 08:00:00 +0000

The Beauty stars familiar faces from the Ryan Murphy universe, including Evan Peters, as well as new collaborators like Ashton Kutcher. In the show, a genetic biotech serum has been engineered to transform people into ridiculously good-looking supermodels. But there’s at least one problem: Eventually, those supermodels are dying suddenly, horrifically and spectacularly. Is it astute commentary, crass exploitation, or maybe a bit of both? Well, it’s definitely a Ryan Murphy production, through and through.

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A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

Mon, 26 Jan 2026 08:00:00 +0000

The HBO series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms may be set in the same fantasy world as Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, but it’s a small, grounded story – a kind of medieval buddy comedy. It follows a sweet but dim knight (Peter Claffey) and his wise-beyond-his-years young squire (Dexter Sol Ansell) trying to make their way in a tough world. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is based on a series of novellas by George R.R. Martin.

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One Battle After Another and What’s Making Us Happy

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 08:00:00 +0000

One Battle After Another earned 13 Oscar nominations - including best picture, best director and a lead actor nomination for Leonardo DiCaprio. In the action-thriller, DiCaprio plays a washed up ex-revolutionary searching for his missing daughter while raging against the machine. In this case, the machine is unabashedly racist, xenophobic, and corrupt. Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, the ensemble also includes Sean Penn, Teyana Taylor and Benicio del Toro. Today, we’re revisiting our episode about the film that originally aired in September 2025.
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2026 Oscar Nominations

Thu, 22 Jan 2026 18:43:00 +0000

This year’s Oscars nominations are here, and we’re unpacking record-breaking nominations for Sinners, plus nominations for One Battle After Another and Hamnet. And as always, there’s an eclectic mix of heavy favorites, left-field surprises, and the dreaded snubs. We give a broad sense of this year’s major storylines, while also lamenting a few decisions we found baffling.

By the way, you can check out our episodes on the nominees here:

Bugonia

F1

Frankenstein

Hamnet

Marty Supreme

One Battle After Another

The Secret Agent

Sentimental Value

Sinners

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Watch This: It Was Just An Accident

Wed, 21 Jan 2026 08:00:00 +0000

The Iranian film It Was Just an Accident enters Oscars season with the wind at its back. It won the top prize at Cannes, a raft of other awards and has landed on a lot of top ten lists. The movie bears out those accolades. Directed by Jafar Panahi, it’s a tense, volatile, often darkly funny movie about what happens when a former political prisoner runs into a man he’s almost convinced is the one who tortured him and other prisoners.

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The Rip

Tue, 20 Jan 2026 08:00:00 +0000

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck share the screen again in new Netflix film, The Rip. Similar to the pulpy, mid-budget cop movies we used to get, The Rip is about a team of cops who are trying to take a huge stash of money from a drug cartel. But that work is not only dangerous, but also complicated as they encounter more money than they expected. The cast also includes Steven Yeun, Teyana Taylor, and Kyle Chandler.

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28 Years Later: The Bone Temple and What’s Making Us Happy

Fri, 16 Jan 2026 08:00:00 +0000

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple picks up where 28 Years Later left off – in a world of zombie-like infecteds and vigilantes that turn out to be a murderous cult. Ralph Fiennes returns as Dr. Kelson, who makes an unlikely friend in his medical refuge slash memorial site slash bone temple.

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Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 08:00:00 +0000

The new Netflix series Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials centers on lesser known mystery solving protagonist Lady Eileen Brent (Mia McKenna-Bruce). It’s got all the familiar cozy mystery trappings like a manor house, snobby suspects, stiff upper lips and lots of secrets. Based on an early Christie novel, the show also features Martin Freeman and Helena Bonham-Carter.

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Hijack

Wed, 14 Jan 2026 08:00:00 +0000

Idris Elba is in full action hero mode in the Apple TV series Hijack. He stars as a corporate business negotiator onboard an airplane that is taken hostage by an eclectic bunch of assailants with mysterious motives. The series is very fun and very silly. Hijack just came back for a second season, so we thought it was the perfect time to revisit our conversation about the series.

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Our Dream TV Crossovers

Tue, 13 Jan 2026 08:00:00 +0000

There have been many TV crossovers over the years, but it’s a tricky balance to get right — for every mashup that feels organic, there are plenty more that amount to little other than weird stunts. So we decided to dream up the ultimate TV crossovers: Gilmore Girls and Nashville, Abbott Elementary and The Leftovers, Only Murders in the Building and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and The Bear and Happy Endings.

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People We Meet On Vacation and What's Making Us Happy

Fri, 09 Jan 2026 08:00:00 +0000

The new Netflix rom-com People We Meet On Vacation is about best friends Poppy (Emily Bader) and Alex (Tom Blyth) who have gone on annual trips together since meeting in college. But there's always been something between them that's not quite platonic, and reconnecting at a wedding just might bring it to the surface. Based on the beloved Emily Henry novel, the movie’s got travel, banter, and even kissing in the rain. But does it capture the charm of the book?

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Sabrina Carpenter and the Embarrassing Truth of Dating Men

Thu, 08 Jan 2026 08:00:00 +0000

What's it like to date a man? Ask Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Dean, or your friends, and you might hear it's a struggle. Today we’re bringing you an episode of NPR’s It’s Been a Minute. Host Brittany Luse and NPR Music Editor Hazel Cills break down a phenomenon called “heteropessimism.”

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No Other Choice

Wed, 07 Jan 2026 08:00:00 +0000

No Other Choice is a new bleak comedy about a man (Lee Byung-hun) at a crossroads. After losing his job at a paper company, he resorts to desperate, unhinged measures to get a new job. He tracks down the other candidates and eliminates the competition, one by one. Directed by Park Chan-wook (Oldboy, The Handmaiden), it’s filled with great performances and truly masterful action set pieces.

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Stranger Things

Tue, 06 Jan 2026 08:00:00 +0000

After five seasons and almost ten years, the saga of Netflix’s Stranger Things has reached its end. In a two-hour finale, we found out what happened to our heroes (including Millie Bobby Brown and Finn Wolfhard) when they set out to battle the forces of evil. The final season had new faces and new revelations, along with moments of friendship and conflict among the folks we've known and loved since the night Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) first disappeared. But did it stick the landing?

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2026 Resolutions and What’s Making Us Happy

Fri, 02 Jan 2026 08:00:00 +0000

Hope springs eternal, and that is nowhere more true than in the realm of New Year’s Resolutions. Today, we give ourselves goals for 2026. And because we believe in accountability, we’ll tell you how well we stuck to our resolutions for 2025.

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2026 Pop Culture Predictions

Wed, 31 Dec 2025 08:00:00 +0000

What does 2026 have in store for pop culture? Today, we’re back for another year of pop culture predictions. We’ll touch on A.I., the future of RuPaul’s Drag Race, and what’s to come for the Law & Order Universe. Plus, we check in on our prognosticating for 2025 and see how things worked out.

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2025 Best Video Games

Tue, 30 Dec 2025 08:00:00 +0000

If you’re anything like us, you spend a fair amount of your screen time playing video games. Whether you like combat, horror, or peacefully going over archival research, NPR’s roundup of best games of 2025 is a helpful guide to find something that’s just right for you. Today we’re talking about some of the best video games featured including Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Hades II, Silent Hill f, Butcher’s Creek and The Roottrees Are Dead.

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2025 Books We Love

Mon, 29 Dec 2025 08:00:00 +0000

NPR’s Books We Love is a roundup of the best books from the past year, sorted and tagged to help you find exactly what you’re looking for. This year we’ve got hundreds of book recommendations, so today, we’re highlighting some of our favorites – including Actress of a Certain Age by Jeff Hiller, The Ten Year Affair by Erin Somers, and Cannon by Lee Lai.

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Anaconda

Fri, 26 Dec 2025 08:00:00 +0000

The new Anaconda movie is a meta reimagining in which Jack Black and Paul Rudd play aspiring filmmakers who attempt to make… a meta reimagining of Anaconda. It’s not quite a reboot, it’s not quite a sequel, and it’s played for laughs.

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Marty Supreme and What’s Making Us Happy

Wed, 24 Dec 2025 08:00:00 +0000

The new movie Marty Supreme asks, can Timothée Chalamet play a supremely annoying character and still keep us interested from beginning to end? He stars as a working-class heel aiming to become a table tennis champion in the 1950s and features an eclectic supporting cast that includes Gwyneth Paltrow and Tyler, the Creator.

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Best Christmas Gift I Ever Received

Tue, 23 Dec 2025 08:00:08 +0000

What's the best Christmas gift you ever received? You probably didn't have to think about it; you knew it in your bones. Today, in this encore episode, we're talking about the actual, tangible gift you found waiting for you under the tree and still think about it from time to time.

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The Housemaid

Mon, 22 Dec 2025 08:00:00 +0000

The twisty thriller The Housemaid stars Sydney Sweeney as a newly hired live-in housekeeper to Amanda Seyfried’s wealthy housewife. Both women have dark secrets, and their dynamic goes downhill real fast. It’s directed by Paul Feig of Bridesmaids and A Simple Favor, so you know it’s going to be a bizarre, fun ride.

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Avatar: Fire And Ash and What’s Making Us Happy

Fri, 19 Dec 2025 08:00:00 +0000

In Avatar: Fire and Ash, James Cameron’s saga continues in a visually stunning movie full of epic battles, uneasy alliances, human assimilation, and debates with whales. The film follows the Na’vi (aka blue guys) as they’re chased by a human military that seeks both resources and revenge. The cast includes Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldaña, and Sam Worthington.

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Heated Rivalry

Thu, 18 Dec 2025 08:00:00 +0000

The new show Heated Rivalry is a very sexy and very queer hockey romance streaming on HBO Max–and it’s a phenomenon. It follows archrival players Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) as they carry on a clandestine affair off the ice. And since it’s based on a whole series of interconnected romance novels by Rachel Reid, it may be with us for a very long time.

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Fallout

Wed, 17 Dec 2025 08:00:00 +0000

Fallout is based on a hugely successful video game series known for blending a sardonic, very dark comedic sensibility, and violence. The series is set in the game's post-apocalyptic world – an America divided into factions wrestling for control of an irradiated wasteland. When the hopeful Lucy (Ella Purnell) steps out of the comfortable life she's known in an underground vault, the world she's confronted with is harsh, brutal, merciless – and kinda funny. Fallout just returned for a second season on Prime Video, so today we’re revisiting our conversation about the show.

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Great Movies We Missed

Tue, 16 Dec 2025 08:00:00 +0000

Every year, we like to take a moment to look back and spotlight a few favorite films we didn’t have time to talk about. Today, we're making recommendations for great movies we missed in 2025 including The Secret Agent, Come See Me In the Good Light, Cactus Pears, and 100 Nights of Hero.

Mailbag: The Movies We Walked Out Of

Sun, 14 Dec 2025 08:00:01 +0000

Aisha and Stephen answer a mailbag question! Send in your own questions at pcch@npr.org, and we may answer it in a future bonus episode.

This usually would be a bonus episode just for Pop Culture Happy Hour+ supporters, but this being the season of giving, we're sharing this one with everyone! To hear more bonus content like this every month and to support NPR and public radio, sign up for Pop Culture Happy Hour+ at plus.npr.org/happy

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Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery and What’s Making Us Happy

Fri, 12 Dec 2025 08:00:00 +0000

Netflix’s Wake Up Dead Man is the third installment in the Knives Out franchise. Daniel Craig returns as detective Benoit Blanc -- with a cast of suspects that includes Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Jeremy Renner, Andrew Scott, Kerry Washington and Thomas Haden Church. This time out, the mystery gets ecclesiastical in nature, involving the murder of Josh Brolin’s fire-and-brimstone priest at a small church.

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Jay Kelly

Wed, 10 Dec 2025 08:00:00 +0000

In Netflix’s Jay Kelly, George Clooney plays the aging movie star Jay Kelly. His longtime manager (Adam Sander) and publicist (Laura Dern) struggle to manage Jay on a trip through Europe as he deals with the difficult relationship he has with his two grown daughters. From director and co-writer Noah Baumbach, the film is an exploration of regret and missed opportunities.

The Worst Christmas Movies

Tue, 09 Dec 2025 08:00:03 +0000

‘Tis the season you’ll find plenty of good holiday movies – films that can be counted upon to deliver warmth and cheer. And bad holiday movies? They can be fun in their own way. So we’re debating: what’s the worst Christmas movie of all time? We’ll talk about Love Actually, Jingle All The Way, I Believe In Santa, and Scrooge & Marley.

The Abandons

Mon, 08 Dec 2025 08:00:00 +0000

In Netflix’s The Abandons, Gillian Anderson and Lena Headey play two steely matriarchs that face off on the American frontier. But don’t let the spurs and cowboy hats fool you. At its heart, the new Western series is a sudsy nighttime soap. But is that a good thing?

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Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 and What’s Making Us Happy

Fri, 05 Dec 2025 08:00:00 +0000

In the new film Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, Josh Hutcherson returns as the protagonist trying to survive in a haunted children’s restaurant called Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. The creepy animatronic robots remain, and the sequel adds fresh lore and extends the action beyond the original abandoned restaurant.

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2025 Pop Culture Favorites

Thu, 04 Dec 2025 08:05:04 +0000

It’s been a great year for TV, movies, and music. And we are highlighting some of the best, including KPop Demon Hunters, Sinners, and Severance. We’ll also talk about some things you might have missed.

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Rereading Pride & Prejudice

Tue, 02 Dec 2025 08:00:01 +0000

This year, readers around the world are celebrating Jane Austen’s 250th birthday. Today we’ve got an episode of NPR’s Books We’ve Loved where Linda Holmes, Andrew Limbong and B.A. Parker discuss Austen’s seminal novel Pride & Prejudice. The trio weighs in on how the romance genre continues to reference the book’s “enemies to lovers” story – and why the tale’s leads Lizzie Bennet and Mr. Darcy still make us and laugh and swoon even today.

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Hamnet

Mon, 01 Dec 2025 08:00:00 +0000

Hamnet tells the fictionalized account of the lives of William Shakespeare and his wife, played by Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley. They fall in love, have children, suffer an unspeakable tragedy. When their only son dies, it creates a rift in their marriage and inspires Will to write one of his greatest works–Hamlet. Directed by Chloé Zhao (Nomadland), it does everything it can to make you cry a whole lot.

All’s Fair And What’s Making Us Happy

Fri, 28 Nov 2025 08:00:00 +0000

Ryan Murphy’s latest show All’s Fair centers on an all-female law firm led by Kim Kardashian, Naomi Watts, and Niecy Nash-Betts. The high-powered law firm specializes in obtaining hefty divorce settlements for wealthy women. The show is barbed, nasty, over-the-top and maybe too much. It’s got us wondering: Is it fair that Murphy’s unleashed this utter silliness upon the world?

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Zootopia 2

Wed, 26 Nov 2025 08:00:00 +0000

Disney’s Zootopia grossed over a billion dollars worldwide. Now our heroes return in the sequel Zootopia 2. Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) are now partners in the Zootopia police force. And there's a new problem: a snake has appeared in a reptile-free zone, and he brings to light a mystery from Zootopia's complicated past. The cast also includes Ke Huy Quan, Andy Samberg and Fortune Feimster, who add something new to what has already been a winning formula.

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Sentimental Value

Tue, 25 Nov 2025 08:00:00 +0000

The new movie Sentimental Value is one of the great films about absentee dads who reappear in their kids’ lives. Stellan Skarsgård plays a renowned filmmaker preparing his next feature and attempting to reconnect with his estranged daughters (played by Renate Reinsve and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas). And it proves that at the very least, the tension between art and parenthood is complicated. The film is directed by Joachim Trier (The Worst Person in the World) and also stars Elle Fanning.

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All Her Fault

Mon, 24 Nov 2025 08:00:00 +0000

The entertaining Peacock series All Her Fault begins with a cute kid, an Emmy winner, and a mystery. Sarah Snook plays a mother who goes to pick up her young son from a playdate and learns there is no child to pick up. There are a lot of twists and turns—a lot of them—particularly as she gets to know another mom at the school, played by Dakota Fanning. While the agony of a missing child is bad enough, the show ultimately interrogates marriage, and the way women are forced to accommodate the behavior and misbehavior of men in their lives.

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Wicked: For Good And What’s Making Us Happy

Fri, 21 Nov 2025 08:00:00 +0000

Wicked was a smash hit that earned Oscar nominations for Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo–but that was only the first half of the story. Wicked: For Good has more songs, more magic, more extravagant production design, and more belting. But can it match the impact and live up to the hype of the first film?

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A Man On The Inside

Thu, 20 Nov 2025 08:00:00 +0000

The charming Netflix sitcom A Man on the Inside stars Ted Danson as a lonely widower who’s hired by a private investigator to live undercover in a senior living facility. His mission is to find out who stole a precious item from one of the residents. Created by Michael Schur (The Good Place), the series is also a tender and poignant depiction of loss, aging, and finding community. A Man on the Inside just returned for a second season, so today we’re revisiting our conversation about the show.

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The Beast In Me

Tue, 18 Nov 2025 08:00:00 +0000

In the new Netflix series The Beast In Me, a writer played by Claire Danes struggles to find the topic of her next book – until a nefarious real estate tycoon played by Matthew Rhys moves in next door. He’s widely suspected of having murdered his first wife, even though her death has been officially treated as a suicide. The two cautiously get acquainted, as she tries to figure out the truth.

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Now You See Me: Now You Don't

Mon, 17 Nov 2025 08:00:00 +0000

In Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, the magical Four Horsemen – played by Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco and Isla Fisher – reunite after almost 10 years to fight a cruel diamond heiress played by Rosamund Pike. You’ve got twists and turns, tricks galore, mysterious benefactors… and, just like in the Fast & Furious movies, a fair bit of talk about family.

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The Running Man And What's Making Us Happy

Fri, 14 Nov 2025 08:00:00 +0000

The Running Man is a new dystopian thriller starring Glen Powell as a man so desperate for money to care for his family that he volunteers to run for his life. As a contestant on a TV game show, he must survive for 30 days while being hunted by a group of highly skilled assassins and by his fellow citizens. Based on a Stephen King novel, director Edgar Wright brings in an all-star cast including Lee Pace, Colman Domingo, William H. Macy and Michael Cera.

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Death By Lightning

Thu, 13 Nov 2025 08:00:00 +0000

Netflix’s Death by Lightning pits President James Garfield (Michael Shannon) against Charles Guiteau (Matthew McFadyen), the disgruntled would-be political operative who shot him. But it’s not quite the stuffy, stately historical drama that you – and your dad – are probably expecting. Toss in a brace of white middle-aged actors in great big bushy beards and sideburns – Shea Whigham, Nick Offerman, Bradley Whitford – and you’ve got yourself a show.

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Pluribus

Tue, 11 Nov 2025 08:00:00 +0000

The new and highly anticipated Apple TV series Pluribus, from Vince Gilligan (Breaking Bad), asks a simple question: What if a proud misanthrope suddenly found herself truly alone? Pluribus stars Rhea Seehorn (Better Call Saul) in a tour de force performance as a miserable romantasy author who escapes an event that swallows practically everyone on Earth. The show is a creepy, lonely, darkly funny look at loss and what makes us human.

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Predator: Badlands

Mon, 10 Nov 2025 15:00:00 +0000

Predator: Badlands is the latest film about an alien race that hunts things using all sorts of space-gadgets. It’s told from the Predator’s perspective. He’s an outcast sent to a hostile planet to hunt down a deadly monster to prove his worth to his people – with Elle Fanning joining as an unlikely ally. It’s from the same team that made Prey. And both Predator movies are much better than they had any right to be.

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Frankenstein And What's Making Us Happy

Fri, 07 Nov 2025 08:00:00 +0000

Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein is a new reimagining of Mary Shelly’s classic gothic horror tale about a misunderstood monster who’s abandoned by his creator and shunned by society. Oscar Isaac is the narcissistic doctor Victor Frankenstein, and Jacob Elordi has a gargantuan yet humanizing turn as The Creature. Now streaming on Netflix, Frankenstein is dark, epic, and preoccupied with the existential dread of life and death.

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I Love LA

Thu, 06 Nov 2025 08:00:00 +0000

Rachel Sennott’s next project, the HBO series I Love LA, has finally arrived. And like plenty of shows before it, it’s about young people trying to work and socialize in a big city while screwing up in every conceivable way. Sennott stars as an ascendant employee at a boutique talent management firm with a very online crew played by Josh Hutcherson, Jordan Firstman, Odessa A’zion and True Whitaker.

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Hedda

Tue, 04 Nov 2025 08:00:00 +0000

In the new film Hedda, Tessa Thompson plays a woman bored with her dull husband, and who devilishly manipulates the affections of everyone in her orbit. Writer/director Nia DaCosta makes some bold changes in this adaptation of the classic Henrik Ibsen play Hedda Gabler, and sets almost all of the action during a lavish party gone awry. But this is not your grandmother’s Hedda. It’s sexy, chaotic, and, above all, messy as hell. It’s streaming on Prime Video.

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IT: Welcome To Derry

Mon, 03 Nov 2025 08:00:00 +0000

In new HBO prequel series IT: Welcome to Derry, we return to the clown who keeps on giving. Based on the Stephen King novel and a prequel to the films It (2017) and It Chapter Two (2019), the show finds a whole new crop of kids being terrorized by whatever lives underneath their little town in Maine. And at the nearby military base, some of the local adults are acting pretty sketchy, too. There is a lot going on and a lot of it is very bloody. Bill Skarsgård returns as Pennywise, but be patient since it takes a while to lay eyes on him.

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Bugonia And What’s Making Us Happy

Fri, 31 Oct 2025 07:00:00 +0000

Bugonia stars Emma Stone as a high-powered CEO who’s kidnapped by conspiracy theorists, one of whom is played by Jesse Plemons. The conflict grows more and more complex and intense — and, given that this is a Yorgos Lanthimos movie, it gets 1) very dark; and 2) very weird.

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If I Had Legs I'd Kick You

Wed, 29 Oct 2025 07:00:00 +0000

Rose Byrne shows off her dramatic chops in the new movie If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, where she plays a therapist shouldering all the responsibility of caring for her ill daughter while her emotionally absent husband is away for work. Her patients have their own issues, and sometimes they don't grasp the meaning of "boundaries." And her relationship with her own therapist/co-worker, who’s played by Conan O’Brien, is… messy. And that’s only the beginning.

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Halloween Songs

Tue, 28 Oct 2025 07:00:00 +0000

Who's the Mariah Carey of Halloween? Every year we hear many familiar Halloween songs – from the Ghostbusters theme to “Thriller” to “Monster Mash.” But beyond those Halloween staples, what’s next? Today we've got an episode of NPR’s All Songs Considered that offers up a new canon spooky season songs – from the truly terrifying to autumnal and nostalgic.

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Blue Moon

Mon, 27 Oct 2025 07:00:00 +0000

In the new movie Blue Moon, Ethan Hawke plays songwriter Lorenz Hart, who is having maybe the worst night of his life. His long term collaborator Richard Rodgers (Andrew Scott) has forged a new partnership with Oscar Hammerstein II, and tonight is the opening of Oklahoma!, their first show. And it's safe to say Hart is miserable. Blue Moon is directed by Richard Linklater (Before Sunrise, Boyhood), and co-stars Margaret Qualley.

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Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere And What’s Making Us Happy

Fri, 24 Oct 2025 07:00:00 +0000

In the new film Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere, the currently red-hot actor Jeremy Allen White plays the eternally red-hot rock star, Bruce Springsteen. And yes, White does his own singing. The film tells the story of the 1982 album Nebraska. It came at a time of personal and career uncertainty for Springsteen, and ended up being recorded in a bedroom, without a band. It’s largely a film about fighting to preserve the integrity of your art, which Springsteen does alongside his manager, played by Jeremy Strong.

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Nobody Wants This

Thu, 23 Oct 2025 07:00:00 +0000

In the Netflix series Nobody Wants This, Kristen Bell plays an agnostic podcaster, who meets a rabbi, played by Adam Brody. They like each other immediately, but there are some hurdles for them when it comes to being together. The show offers plenty of romantic comedy banter and good chemistry, as well as some pretty deep questions about faith and compatibility. Nobody Wants This just returned for a second season, so today we are revisiting our conversation about the series.

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The Reality TV Show I'd Like To Judge

Wed, 22 Oct 2025 07:00:00 +0000

When you watch a competitive reality show, you might think about how you'd win. But maybe you think about a much more powerful role for yourself: the judge. We discuss which reality tv show we’d like to judge - including Top Chef, American Idol, RuPaul’s Drag Race, and Rhythm + Flow.

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Good Fortune

Tue, 21 Oct 2025 07:00:03 +0000

In Good Fortune, Keanu Reeves plays a doofy, well-meaning guardian angel named Gabriel who gets a little too involved in the life of a gig worker named Arj (Aziz Ansari). In trying to teach Arj a life lesson, Gabriel grants him the opportunity to swap places with a finance mogul (Seth Rogen). This mostly buddy comedy is Ansari’s feature directorial debut and has a bit to say about wealth inequality and even some musings on what makes life meaningful.

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Black Phone 2 And What’s Making Us Happy

Fri, 17 Oct 2025 07:00:00 +0000

Grabbers gonna grab, even from beyond the grave. In Black Phone 2, Ethan Hawke returns from the dead as the serial killer who hides behind a demonic mask. It’s four years later, and the siblings (Mason Thames and Madeleine McGraw) who survived the Grabber’s killing spree are having a hard time with things. They head off to camp to investigate Gwen's psychic nightmares of the Grabber's early victims.

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Roofman

Wed, 15 Oct 2025 07:00:01 +0000

In the new movie Roofman, Channing Tatum and Kirsten Dunst ooze with their signature charm and chemistry. Tatum plays an exceptionally savvy military veteran who robs fast food joints by entering through the rooftops. Eventually he gets caught and sent to prison, but he’s able to escape and hides out in a Toys “R” Us for several months undetected. Obviously, he can only survive on M&Ms and keep up the ruse for so long before the roof comes crashing down on him. Consequences!

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After the Hunt

Tue, 14 Oct 2025 07:00:02 +0000

In the new movie After The Hunt, Julia Roberts plays a Yale professor who finds herself in a hard place when one of her star students (Ayo Edebiri) makes an allegation against another faculty member (Andrew Garfield). Who’s telling the truth? Who’s the victim? Is there a victim? Directed by Luca Guadagnino (Challengers, Call Me by Your Name) the film poses a lot of questions. But are any of them answered?

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Kiss of the Spider Woman

Mon, 13 Oct 2025 07:00:00 +0000

Jennifer Lopez stars in the new film adaptation of Kiss of the Spider Woman. Set in an Argentine prison, one man (Tonatiuh) tells his cellmate (Diego Luna) the story of his favorite old Hollywood musical, starring the silver screen goddess he worships – that’s J. Lo. The musical is packed with glitz, glamour and songs written by Kander and Ebb, the minds behind Cabaret and Chicago.

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TRON: Ares And What's Making Us Happy

Fri, 10 Oct 2025 07:00:00 +0000

TRON: Ares is the third film in the franchise, and this time flips the script: Instead of humans entering the digital world, this movie sees human-shaped artificial intelligence programs entering our world. Starring Jared Leto, Greta Lee and Evan Peters, is TRON: Ares an upgrade from the previous movies?

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Most Overused Songs In Movies

Thu, 09 Oct 2025 07:05:03 +0000

Some great songs are so overused in movies, they’ve become cliches. Everyone’s mileage is bound to vary, but we’re rounding up a few songs we love that need to be retired and suggesting a few worthy replacements.

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The Lost Bus

Tue, 07 Oct 2025 07:00:00 +0000

In the new movie The Lost Bus, Matthew McConaughey and America Ferrera play a bus driver and a teacher who have to transport more than 20 kids to safety when evacuation orders roll in from a wildfire. Based on the 2018 Camp Fire in California, the movie is a harrowing drama, a climate warning, and a disaster film all in one. It’s streaming on Apple TV+.

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Taylor Swift The Life Of A Showgirl

Mon, 06 Oct 2025 07:00:00 +0000

Taylor Swift just dropped her new album The Life Of A Showgirl. It touches on her relationship with fiancé Travis Kelce while reflecting on fame, normalcy, the Internet, and a simmering beef with a fellow pop star. We’re unpacking the songs, including “Actually Romantic,” “Eldest Daughter,” “CANCELLED!”, and “Ruin The Friendship.”

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The Smashing Machine And What's Making Us Happy

Fri, 03 Oct 2025 07:00:00 +0000

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Emily Blunt star in the new sports biopic The Smashing Machine. Johnson plays Mark Kerr, a UFC champion who is reeling from his first major loss in the ring and confronting an addiction to painkillers. Directed by Benny Safdie (Uncut Gems), the wrestling drama pulls out all the classic moves in the awards season playbook. We can smell what The Rock is cooking – but is it a hearty meal?

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Brokeback Mountain

Thu, 02 Oct 2025 07:00:00 +0000

This year marks 20 years since Brokeback Mountain hit theaters. The film starred Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal as two sheep herders who fall in love in a place and time that keeps them apart. Before its release, Hollywood considered it a huge risk. It went on to be a critical and box office success, but it also made a lot of folks so uncomfortable they made cheap jokes about it for years. Today, its legacy is a tough one to untangle.

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The Lowdown

Tue, 30 Sep 2025 07:00:00 +0000

The Lowdown is a great new FX series starring Ethan Hawke as a freelance investigative reporter with a knack for sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong and getting that nose punched. He gets drawn into the seedy goings-on of one of Tulsa’s most prominent families. Created by Sterlin Harjo (Reservation Dogs), the modern-day Western noir comedy has an excellent ensemble including Kyle MacLachlan, Keith David, Jeanne Tripplehorn and Killer Mike.

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Wayward

Mon, 29 Sep 2025 07:00:00 +0000

In the new Netflix series Wayward, Toni Collette plays a deeply creepy woman who runs a facility that promises to fix troubled teens. A cop (Mae Martin) moves to town with his wife, who's a graduate of the facility and an acolyte of its leader. And he starts to think something is very, very wrong. Things are not all they seem in the picturesque town of Tall Pines, but you’ll have to watch to find out why.

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One Battle After Another And What's Making Us Happy

Fri, 26 Sep 2025 07:00:00 +0000

One Battle After Another is an action-thriller starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Teyana Taylor and Sean Penn. DiCaprio plays a washed up ex-revolutionary searching for his missing daughter while raging against the machine. In this case, the machine is unabashedly racist, xenophobic, and corrupt. Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, the ensemble also includes Regina Hall and Benicio del Toro.

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Showgirls

Thu, 25 Sep 2025 07:00:00 +0000

Showgirls stars Elizabeth Berkley as a Vegas dancer trying to move up from a seedy club to a glamorous hotel show. Paul Verhoeven’s NC-17 movie was a notorious flop, but it is now considered a camp classic and a window into a moment of moral panic. Showgirls turns 30 this year, so today we’re revisiting our conversation about the film.

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Task

Wed, 24 Sep 2025 07:00:00 +0000

The new HBO series Task stars Mark Ruffalo and Tom Pelphrey in a grim, but stealthily hopeful drama. From the creator of Mare of Easttown, the show is a cat-and-mouse crime thriller about an FBI agent reluctantly dragged back into the field to investigate a series of drug related crimes. The show offers drugs, stolen money, family drama, kidnapping, shootouts, grief, and forgiveness.

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Haunted Hotel

Mon, 22 Sep 2025 12:36:18 +0000

From one of the minds behind Rick and Morty, Netflix’s new animated comedy Haunted Hotel is the perfect mix of fun and creepy to kick off spooky season. Will Forte voices a ghost who previously ran the Undervale, a very, very haunted old hotel. The show follows his attempts to show his family the ropes, vis a vis ghosts, demons, bleeding mirrors, and possession.

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Him And What’s Making Us Happy

Fri, 19 Sep 2025 07:00:03 +0000

In the new horror film HIM, Tyriq Withers stars as a young football player who has a chance to be trained by his idol, played by Marlon Wayans. As they train at a mysterious facility in the desert, it becomes clear early on that greatness might not be worth the price. From director Justin Tipping and produced by Jordan Peele, the film takes some big swings you may not fully see coming.

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Fall Guide

Thu, 18 Sep 2025 07:00:00 +0000

The fall of 2025 is shaping up to have something for everyone with a fresh Knives Out mystery, Guillermo del Toro’s take on Frankenstein, and a new Emma Stone movie. We’ve got a guide of the TV and films we are most excited to see, including Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, Bugonia, Park Chan-wook’s No Other Choice and The Lowdown.

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The Summer I Turned Pretty

Tue, 16 Sep 2025 07:00:00 +0000

The TV series The Summer I Turned Pretty features a messy love triangle, plenty of drama, and a LOT of Taylor Swift songs. The show has become a word-of-mouth sensation, with fans obsessing over whether they’re Team Conrad or Team Jeremiah. Now in its final season, the Prime Video series is based on a series of books by Jenny Han (To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, XO Kitty).

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2025 Emmys Recap

Mon, 15 Sep 2025 11:12:13 +0000

This year’s Emmy Awards saw big wins for Adolescence, The Studio, and The Pitt. The telecast was also packed with a couple of surprise wins, a show of undeniable goodwill toward Stephen Colbert, and a tedious recurring bit led by host Nate Bargatze.

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The Long Walk And What's Making Us Happy

Fri, 12 Sep 2025 07:00:00 +0000

The new film The Long Walk is Stephen King meets The Hunger Games. It takes place in a dystopian America in which one young man from each state competes in a televised event in which they must walk at a steady pace … until they can’t. And when they can’t, they’re killed. It stars Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson and Mark Hamill. (This episode was recorded on September 4, 2025.)

Great Movies With Silly Plots

Thu, 11 Sep 2025 07:05:00 +0000

Have you ever found yourself completely caught up in a film only to find, after the lights come up, that the story didn’t make any sense, yet you loved it anyway? Today, we’re talking about great movies with silly plots – including The Martian, The Incredible Mr. Limpet, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

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Watch This: Twinless

Tue, 09 Sep 2025 07:00:00 +0000

Dylan O’Brien and James Sweeney star as unlikely friends in the new movie Twinless. They meet in a support group for people who have lost their twin and form an interesting bond, but there’s a lot they don’t know about each other. Directed and written by Sweeney, the film has a wry sensibility, great chemistry, and dares to take some dark turns you probably won’t see coming.

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The Paper

Mon, 08 Sep 2025 07:00:00 +0000

The Paper is a spinoff of The Office, and like its predecessor, it’s a mockumentary about a workplace that's facing financial and cultural headwinds. The Peacock series focuses on a local newspaper in Toledo, Ohio, and stars Domhnall Gleeson, Sabrina Impacciatore, and Chelsea Frei – and brings back a familiar face from The Office, Oscar Nuñez.

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The Conjuring: Last Rites And What's Making Us Happy

Fri, 05 Sep 2025 07:00:00 +0000

The Conjuring: Last Rites winds down the story of the demon-hunting couple loosely based on Ed and Lorraine Warren, played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga. They battle one last threat: a house in Pennsylvania that contains a haunted mirror and a terrified family. The Conjuring franchise has generated billions of dollars across many films and spinoffs full of hauntings, demonic possession, and creepy dolls. But does this film have a new story to tell?

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Sabrina Carpenter Man’s Best Friend

Thu, 04 Sep 2025 07:00:00 +0000

Sabrina Carpenter is following her breakout album Short n’ Sweet with a new collection of cheeky earworms called Man’s Best Friend, which includes the breakout singles “Manchild” and “Tears.” Carpenter explores many of the same lyrical themes as she has in the past — winking innuendo and wry commentary on being a woman in the dating scene. But she kicks it up several notches while playing around with more retro-heavy sounds.

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The Thursday Murder Club

Wed, 03 Sep 2025 07:00:00 +0000

Netflix’s The Thursday Murder Club is a cozy British mystery set at a posh retirement community. The movie stars Pierce Brosnan, Helen Mirren, and Ben Kingsley as retirees who have formed a club that researches cold cases to pass the time – until a real murder, and a plucky new member, show up on their incredibly bucolic doorstep.

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Caught Stealing

Tue, 02 Sep 2025 07:00:00 +0000

Austin Butler, Zoë Kravitz and Bad Bunny star in Caught Stealing, the new grungy, throwback film from Darren Aronofsky. Butler plays Hank, a sad sack bartender at a sticky East Village dive bar in the 1990s. When his British punk neighbor Russ, played by Matt Smith, asks him to cat sit, Hank finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. His life comes apart as the criminal underworld becomes convinced he knows where a huge cache of stolen cash can be found. Will Hank fight back? Can he?

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The Roses And What's Making Us Happy

Fri, 29 Aug 2025 07:00:00 +0000

First a novel and a 1989 hit film, the story of The Roses has been told before. This time around, Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman play a couple whose love curdles into resentment and then hatred. The film features Andy Samberg and Kate McKinnon, and is directed by Jay Roach (Meet the Parents, Austin Powers) and written by Tony McNamara (Poor Things, The Favourite).

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Jaws

Thu, 28 Aug 2025 07:00:00 +0000

Steven Spielberg's Jaws turns 50 this year. It’s been called the perfect movie, the first blockbuster, and the film that changed why we go to the movies. As it returns to theaters, we head back into the water to revisit the classic creature feature with fresh eyes – lifeless eyes, black eyes, like a doll’s eyes.

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Songs For When Your Flight Is Delayed

Wed, 27 Aug 2025 07:00:00 +0000

If you travel by plane with any regularity, you've been there: stuck in an airport because your flight is delayed. So we thought it best to give your most stressful travel moments a soundtrack. Today, we're recommending three songs for when your flight is delayed.

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Watch This: Long Story Short

Tue, 26 Aug 2025 07:00:00 +0000

Long Story Short is a very funny and surprisingly moving new Netflix animated comedy series from the folks behind BoJack Horseman and Tuca & Bertie. The show follows members of one Jewish family by hopping around in time. We see the three siblings (voiced by Ben Feldman, Abbi Jacobson and Max Greenfield) as kids, young adults and in middle-age, as they start having kids of their own. They deal with all the things families deal with – the ups and downs of romantic relationships, parenting, work and, ultimately, loss – but it’s also very funny.
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Lurker And What's Making Us Happy

Fri, 22 Aug 2025 07:00:00 +0000

Fame does strange things to people. In the new film Lurker, Théodore Pellerin plays a young retail clerk making his way into the inner circle of a popular rising musician (Archie Madekwe). This friendship is not really built to last and things between them become uncomfortable. Who is manipulating who, and who holds the power, become complicated and painful questions.

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Best John Grisham Adaptations, Ranked

Thu, 21 Aug 2025 07:00:00 +0000

There’s a new TV version of The Rainmaker out, so today, we’re ranking the five best John Grisham adaptations – including The Firm, The Pelican Brief, and A Time To Kill. But which one is the very best?

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Our 15th Anniversary Time Capsule

Tue, 19 Aug 2025 09:26:49 +0000

We launched Pop Culture Happy Hour 15 years ago this summer, and we had a lot of pent-up hot takes. To celebrate this milestone, today we’re breaking open a time capsule to revisit some of our memorable early moments and see how they’ve held up.

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Highest 2 Lowest

Mon, 18 Aug 2025 10:32:37 +0000

Spike Lee's new crime thriller Highest 2 Lowest reunites him with his favorite leading man, Denzel Washington. The film is based on Akira Kurosawa’s classic High and Low, and it’s a tense story about a very rich man with a very big problem. Part morality play and part action movie, Washington plays a music mogul who confronts questions of responsibility and power when he believes his son has been kidnapped.

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Alien: Earth And What's Making Us Happy

Fri, 15 Aug 2025 07:00:00 +0000

Alien: Earth is a new TV spinoff of the Alien movie franchise, and as one might expect, it has plenty of Facehuggers, chestbursters, and dark metal corridors. The show brings the infamous Xenomorph to our planet – along with a host of other creepy crawly off-world species – and has them tangle with humans, cyborgs, synthetics and something new. The series comes from the idiosyncratic mind of Noah Hawley (Legion, Fargo) and is airing on FX and streaming on Hulu.

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Bring It On

Thu, 14 Aug 2025 07:00:00 +0000

The cheerleading film Bring It On spawned direct-to-video sequels and a Broadway musical. And with an all-star cast of Kirsten Dunst, Eliza Dushku, and Gabrielle Union, the movie remains a quotable classic. But a lot has happened since that might make it feel very timely, or very dated. Bring It On turns 25 this month so today we’re revisiting our conversation about the movie.

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Platonic

Tue, 12 Aug 2025 07:00:00 +0000

In the breezy comedy series Platonic, Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne play former best friends who reconnect years after a falling out. The Apple TV+ show follows their misadventures as they try to navigate their respective midlife crises and become friends again. Platonic is back for a second season, so today we are revisiting our conversation about the series.

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Weapons

Mon, 11 Aug 2025 07:00:00 +0000

The intriguing and seriously creepy new film Weapons follows what happens after 17 third-graders get out of their beds on the same night, at the same time, and disappear. The community points fingers at the students’ teacher, played by Julia Garner. The latest film from Zach Cregger (Barbarian), Weapons explores why one student was spared that fateful night. There’s a clear answer – but we guarantee it’s not one you’ll see coming.

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Freakier Friday And What's Making Us Happy

Fri, 08 Aug 2025 07:00:00 +0000

Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis first switched bodies over 20 years ago in the beloved Disney body swap movie, Freaky Friday. They return in the long-awaited sequel, Freakier Friday, which offers twice as many body swaps, fights galore, and a whole lot of jokes about being old and kids these days. Follow Pop Culture Happy Hour on Letterboxd at letterboxd.com/nprpopculture To access bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening for Pop Culture Happy Hour, subscribe to Pop Culture Happy Hour+ at plus.npr.org/happy.

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Y2K Pop Culture

Thu, 07 Aug 2025 07:00:00 +0000

We are 25 years into the 2000s, so we wanted to debate: what’s the most definitive piece of Y2K pop culture? We try to pinpoint the essence of that period when teens ruled the culture, viral internet memes first became a thing, and everyone was freaking out about stocking up on duct tape. We talk about Spice World, Get Over It, Britney Spears’ “Oops… I Did It Again” music video, and Janet Jackson’s “Empty.”

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Together

Wed, 06 Aug 2025 07:00:00 +0000

Every couple goes through certain rites of passage. You date, maybe you move in together, maybe you get married. And maybe a visit to a mysterious cave makes your bodies start to fuse together. That's what happens in the new horror film Together, starring real-life married couple Alison Brie and Dave Franco.

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Wednesday

Tue, 05 Aug 2025 11:50:11 +0000

Wednesday is one of the most popular Netflix shows of all time, and it helped make Jenna Ortega a star. It takes the breakout Addams Family character Wednesday Addams and breaks her out of her home environment. Gomez (Luis Guzmán) and Morticia (Catherine Zeta-Jones) pack her off to their alma mater, the gloomy, gothy Nevermore Academy, and she’s soon drawn into the investigation of a series of grisly murders. Wednesday is about to return for a second season, so today we are revisiting our conversation about the show.

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The Naked Gun And What's Making Us Happy

Fri, 01 Aug 2025 07:00:59 +0000

The Naked Gun franchise has always been a rapid-fire delivery system for gags, delivered straight-faced by a cop who doesn't know that anything is funny. In the new Naked Gun movie, that role is handled by the very straight-faced Liam Neeson. With Pamela Anderson as his femme fatale, Neeson tries to save the world from, quite literally, a plot device. And like the original franchise, this Naked Gun is all about a joke pileup.

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The Hunting Wives

Thu, 31 Jul 2025 07:00:59 +0000

The Netflix series The Hunting Wives is a soapy murder mystery full of nudity and intrigue, about a group of Texas women who are up to no good. It stars Brittany Snow as a woman who follows her husband from the East Coast to Texas for a job working for a rich businessman and budding politician (Dermot Mulroney). Sophie is immediately enchanted by his sultry wife, played by Malin Åkerman. If you always thought Desperate Housewives would be better if more of the housewives were having sex with each other, this might just be the show for you.

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Happy Gilmore 2

Wed, 30 Jul 2025 07:00:59 +0000

It's been almost 30 years since Happy Gilmore gave Adam Sandler one of his best-loved movie roles. The rowdy golf comedy gets a belated sequel on Netflix — full of callbacks, flashbacks, fan service, and so many cameos from the golf world and beyond. But how does Happy Gilmore 2 compare to the original?

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Song Of The Summer

Mon, 28 Jul 2025 07:00:59 +0000

Last year was Brat summer and saw the rise of Chappell Roan, Shaboozey, and Sabrina Carpenter. But is there a song of the summer for 2025? Today we're talking about the competing songs of this summer from Justin Bieber, Morgan Wallen, KPop Demon Hunters, PinkPantheress, and more.

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The Fantastic Four: First Steps And What's Making Us Happy

Fri, 25 Jul 2025 07:00:59 +0000

The Fantastic Four are back again in a new movie--and it's an eye-popping good time. The Fantastic Four: First Steps stars Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn as the famously fractious family with amazing powers who tangle with a godlike being who wants to eat the Earth. We've seen this story before, but the vibe is different this time. It's a brighter, boldly colored retro-future with flying cars, semi-helpful household robots and lots of talk about the importance of family.

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Our Favorite YouTube Channels

Thu, 24 Jul 2025 07:00:59 +0000

Today we're recommending a few of our favorite YouTube channels. These are the ones we find ourselves returning to again and again on subjects including board games, culinary history, silly tasks, celebrity interviews, urbanism — and ear gunk.

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I Know What You Did Last Summer

Tue, 22 Jul 2025 07:00:59 +0000

In the original I Know What You Did Last Summer, some very '90s teenagers are targeted by a killer clad in fisherman's garb and armed with a hook. Nearly 30 years later, a new sequel fires up a very similar plot. The movie includes a new group of young people — including Chase Sui Wonders and Madelyn Cline — and a few key survivors from the first go-'round (Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr.) But does it live up to the legacy of the original?

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Watch This: Sorry, Baby

Mon, 21 Jul 2025 07:00:59 +0000

Sorry, Baby is a refreshingly disarming movie. The film was written and directed by Eva Victor, who also stars a newly minted professor at the liberal arts college where she received her graduate degree. The school is also where she was once sexually assaulted. The movie takes on a traumatic experience with wry humor and vulnerability — and it announces Victor as a filmmaker and performer to watch.

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Congress has voted to eliminate government funding for public media

Sun, 20 Jul 2025 12:52:48 +0000

Act now to ensure public media remains free and accessible to all. Your donation will help this essential American service survive and thrive. Visit donate.npr.org now.

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Eddington And What's Making Us Happy

Fri, 18 Jul 2025 07:00:59 +0000

Eddington plunges us back into that familiarly distressing time of the early days of the pandemic. Directed by Ari Aster (Hereditary and Midsommar) Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal star as political rivals in a small southwest town. Their conflict collides with the news of George Floyd's murder, which brings tensions to a full-on boil for the whole community.

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KPop Demon Hunters

Thu, 17 Jul 2025 07:00:59 +0000

The Netflix animated movie KPop Demon Hunters is a phenomenon, with a soundtrack that's climbing the Billboard charts, and a fandom rivaling that of just about any K-pop idol. The film is loads of fun, it's packed with some of the catchiest bangers you'll hear all summer. It's about a superstar girl group called HUNTR/X, who also keeps busy protecting humanity against an army of demons.

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2025 Emmy Nominations

Wed, 16 Jul 2025 00:11:54 +0000

This year's Emmy nominations are out, and it was a good year for familiar favorites like Hacks, The Bear, Abbott Elementary, The Last of Us and The White Lotus. There were also some newcomers that got some love as well including The Pitt, Adolescence, The Studio, The Penguin, and Paradise. We'll unpack this year's the notable nominees and make some predictions in the major categories.

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Too Much

Mon, 14 Jul 2025 07:00:59 +0000

When your long-term boyfriend leaves you for an Instagram influencer, what can you do? In the new Netflix romantic comedy series Too Much, the answer is to go to London for work, and meet a struggling musician who happens to be very, very handsome with a life almost as messy as yours. Starring Meg Stalter and Will Sharpe, and co-created by Lena Dunham, it features a cast full of comedy MVPs, a meet-cute, and a very unusual dog.

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Superman And What's Making Us Happy

Fri, 11 Jul 2025 07:00:59 +0000

After much anticipation, there is a pretty great new Superman movie. And he's bringing exactly what we look to him for: hope. Writer and director James Gunn and new Man of Steel, David Corenswet, team up for a new tale of the eternal struggle between evil billionaire megalomaniac Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) and some people in colorful costumes who combine all their powers to stop him. And this time, there's a dog.

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We Rewatch The Movies We Loved As Teens

Thu, 10 Jul 2025 12:32:32 +0000

This summer marks Pop Culture Happy Hour's 15th birthday. We decided to re-watch the movies we loved at 15 with fresh eyes, and of course, some of them have aged better than others. Today on the show, we revisit the movies we loved as teens — including Chicago, Back to the Future, The Breakfast Club, and The Hunger.

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Love Island

Tue, 08 Jul 2025 20:49:40 +0000

Love Island USA is pure chaos, and admittedly: we love it. It's one of many spinoffs of the long-running British hit series, Love Island — and it might be the closest thing we've got to a watercooler event. The latest season of Peacock's knowingly trashy reality dating show has fired up the group chats thanks to this messy batch of conventionally sexy singles. Sometimes, for better or worse, fans even get to stir the pot and decide who stays or goes.

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Great Songs For Your Next Road Trip

Mon, 07 Jul 2025 07:00:59 +0000

If you're thinking about taking a road trip, you're going to need some road trip music. You might need a pick-me-up, a distraction, or something for when you need a break from podcasts. But if you're headed out on the road, we're here to help with three songs to blast on your next road trip.

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Jurassic World Rebirth And What's Making Us Happy

Thu, 03 Jul 2025 07:00:21 +0000

Jurassic World Rebirth is the latest reboot of the beloved franchise. This time around Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, and Jonathan Bailey head to a fresh island of mutant dinosaurs, where they experience a familiar mix of splashy kills and not-so-subtle morality tales. But can the film live up to the magic of the original Jurassic Park?

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Squid Game

Wed, 02 Jul 2025 07:00:59 +0000

Netflix's Korean drama Squid Game became a worldwide phenomenon, winning six Emmys and inspiring countless Halloween costumes. The series has now reached its bloody finale. As the current game concludes, more people die and we find out whether Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) and others can finally end the games for good.

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The Bear

Tue, 01 Jul 2025 07:00:01 +0000

The Bear is back for a new season. The FX on Hulu series sees Carmy and Sydney (Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edebiri) trying to get the restaurant they opened together on its feet before they run out of money. Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) is thrown by his ex-wife's approaching wedding and what it's going to mean for him. Plus there's scallop drama, secret negotiations, and guest stars both new and old.

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M3GAN 2.0

Mon, 30 Jun 2025 07:00:59 +0000

The horror comedy M3GAN spawned memes, made a fortune, and even taught us a lesson about the dangers of outsourcing our humanity to AI. The sequel, M3GAN 2.0, pans out to tell a bigger story about an even deadlier AI killing machine — and brings back the original M3GAN for some hi-tech robot-on-robot violence. Though M3GAN was defeated at the end of the original film, her tech remains — and it's found its way into a rogue AI assassin named Amelia.

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F1 And What's Making Us Happy

Fri, 27 Jun 2025 07:00:59 +0000

If you like cars that go fast, you'll be glad to know they go very fast in F1 The Movie. The film stars Brad Pitt as a veteran Formula 1 driver and Damson Idris as the young hotshot, who's very talented but a little too cocky. With nine races left in the season, they have to win one, or the whole team could crash and burn.

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Ironheart

Thu, 26 Jun 2025 07:00:59 +0000

Ironheart is a fun new Marvel series following Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne), a brilliant young woman we first met in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. To fund her inventions – including a suit a lot like the one Iron Man used to wear – she falls in with a gang of criminals who rob from the rich led by The Hood (Anthony Ramos). But when her ambitions place the people she loves in danger, she's forced to reckon with her past and her grief. Ironheart is streaming now on Disney+.

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Best Pixar Movies, Ranked

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 07:00:59 +0000

It's been nearly 30 years since Toy Story kicked off a historic run of animated films. So now seemed like a good time to discuss the best of the best — YOUR picks for the greatest Pixar films of all time. Thousands of you voted, and we've got the results.

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Elio

Mon, 23 Jun 2025 07:00:59 +0000

In the new Pixar film Elio, a lonely kid dreams of being abducted by aliens. And then one day, it happens. Eager to find a place to belong, Elio (voiced by Yonas Kibreab) volunteers to save the aliens from a dangerous enemy. Along the way, he makes a friend and starts to think about Earth a little differently. The film was directed by Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi (Turning Red) and Adrian Molina (Coco).

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28 Years Later And What's Making Us Happy

Fri, 20 Jun 2025 07:00:59 +0000

The new apocalyptic horror film 28 Years Later takes place in the same world as 28 Days Later, where a deadly virus transformed the citizens of the U.K. into rabid blood-spewing creatures. The new film brings back the original's director and screenwriter, Danny Boyle and Alex Garland. It's set on a small island where a group of survivors (including Jodie Comer and Aaron Taylor-Johnson) eke out a modest existence. A desperate expedition reveals new allies and new horrors – because the infected have evolved.

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Watch This: Pee-Wee As Himself

Wed, 18 Jun 2025 07:00:59 +0000

The new HBO documentary Pee-Wee As Himself isn't the boilerplate Hollywood profile you think it is. You get the biographical details you expect – how young avant-garde artist Paul Ruebens created the persona of Pee-Wee Herman, and the meteoric rise and fall that followed. But you also get a sense of what it cost Reubens to insist that Pee-Wee wasn't simply a persona, but in fact a real person. It's streaming now on Max.

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The Life of Chuck

Tue, 17 Jun 2025 07:00:59 +0000

Stephen King's work has often contemplated the inevitability of death. But his latest adaptation, The Life of Chuck is a life-affirming film that challenges the cynic in everyone. It has a big cast including Tom Hiddleston, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Jacob Tremblay, Mark Hamill, and Nick Offerman. The film was directed and written for the screen by Mike Flanagan (The Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass).

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Materialists

Mon, 16 Jun 2025 07:00:59 +0000

Should you date for love or financial security? That's the central premise of the new movie Materialists. It stars Dakota Johnson at the center of a love triangle with Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans, and is directed by Celine Song (Past Lives).

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How to Train Your Dragon

Fri, 13 Jun 2025 11:33:22 +0000

Disney has been remaking its animated classics for years to great financial success – Lilo & Stitch has been dominating the box office for weeks now. So it's no surprise that DreamWorks is now getting in on the action with a remake of How to Train Your Dragon. It's full of epic battles, majestic countrysides and, of course, dragons galore.

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Almost Famous

Thu, 12 Jun 2025 07:00:59 +0000

In Almost Famous, writer and director Cameron Crowe looks at the ecosystem surrounding a rising rock band in the early '70s. Starring Patrick Fugit, Kate Hudson, Frances McDormand, and many more, the movie is a coming-of-age story that touches on journalism, sex, rock 'n' roll, parenthood, and the perils of trying to be cool. Almost Famous turns 25 this year, so today we are revisiting our conversation about the movie.

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Summer Blockbusters

Tue, 10 Jun 2025 07:00:59 +0000

Fifty years ago Steven Spielberg's Jaws was released in theaters, kicking off the summer blockbuster phenomenon. And you know a summer blockbuster when you see one: It's a film that's hugely popular and as a result, financially successful, and seen by lots of people. But not everyone has seen every last one of them. Today, we fill in some personal blockbuster gaps, and finally see a movie that absolutely everyone saw, except for us — including Armageddon, Beverly Hills Cop II, Ghost, The Fast and the Furious.

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The Phoenician Scheme

Mon, 09 Jun 2025 07:00:59 +0000

Wes Anderson's new film The Phoenician Scheme is classic Wes Anderson, complete with a great cast delivering heightened dialogue and stylized cinematography. It stars Benicio del Toro as one of Europe's richest men, an amoral industrialist, who, along with his daughter (Mia Threapleton) and a tutor (Michael Cera), travels to convince his business partners to fund his latest venture. But where does the film rank among Anderson's past movies?

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From The World Of John Wick: Ballerina And What's Making Us Happy

Fri, 06 Jun 2025 07:00:59 +0000

John Wick's back in a spinoff new film, Ballerina, starring Ana de Armas. She plays a ballerina-turned-assassin making her way through the international criminal underworld, and crossing paths with some new and familiar faces — including the one and only Keanu Reeves.

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Adults

Wed, 04 Jun 2025 07:00:33 +0000

Every generation gets its versions of a "20-somethings hang out and make mistakes" sitcom, such as Living Single, Friends, New Girl and Broad City. Now Gen Z's got Adults. The silly new series is about a group of friends cohabitating in Queens, New York and it makes for fun and possibly all-too-relatable TV fodder.

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Watch This: Mountainhead

Tue, 03 Jun 2025 07:00:59 +0000

Succession creator Jesse Armstrong is back with Mountainhead, a new movie with characters who are just as wealthy, powerful, and insecure as the Roy family. Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman, Ramy Youssef and Cory Michael Smith star as four tech moguls gathering for a low-key guys' weekend of poker. But business and unchecked, overinflated egos quickly lead them all down a very dark path.

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Bring Her Back

Mon, 02 Jun 2025 07:00:59 +0000

The hit Australian horror movie Talk To Me was both very good and deeply unsettling. Now its directors (Danny and Michael Philippou) have returned with Bring Her Back, which ups the ante when it comes to disturbing, nightmarish storytelling. The film stars Sally Hawkins as a woman whose grief manifests in terrifying, ugly ways.

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Karate Kid: Legends And What's Making Us Happy

Fri, 30 May 2025 07:00:59 +0000

The Karate Kid has been sequelized, serialized, spun off and rebooted, and now it's back, as Karate Kid: Legends. The new film stars Ben Wang as a kid who's mentored by Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio, reprising their roles from the franchise. But at its heart, the movie is about a kid who must train hard, learn life lessons, and kick a bully hard in the face.

In honor of Toy Story's 30th anniversary, we're ranking the Pixar movies. What do you think is the best Pixar feature? Vote now! We'll talk about the results in an upcoming episode.

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Are We In A Media Literacy Crisis?

Thu, 29 May 2025 07:00:59 +0000

Online discourse has become a fun part of enjoying and dissecting big pop culture events. But after seeing all the commentary around Ryan Coogler's Sinners, our pal Brittany Luse has one question: are we in a media literacy crisis? Difference of opinion is one thing, but it feels like some viewers are missing important clues or misreading the film entirely - and it doesn't stop with Sinners. Today we've got an episode of the podcast It's Been A Minute that explores what this could mean for the way we engage with the world at large.

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Lilo & Stitch

Tue, 27 May 2025 07:00:59 +0000

The new Lilo & Stitch is mostly live-action and retells the original Disney animated film's story of two orphaned Hawaiian sisters and the chaotic alien who upends their lives. The movie deviates from the original in many ways, but the central story is a tale of sisterhood and found family with lots of rowdy chaos along the way. The cast includes Maia Kealoha, Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Zach Galifianakis, and Chris Sanders returns as the voice of Stitch.

In honor of Toy Story's 30th anniversary, we're ranking the Pixar movies. What do you think is the best Pixar feature? Vote now! We'll talk about the results in an upcoming episode.

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The Last Of Us

Mon, 26 May 2025 02:01:59 +0000

Season two of The Last of Us just ended, and to say the story has gone in some new directions is an understatement. The HBO series starring Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal continues to push forward with its complex story while still and always putting the "ick" in "post-apocalyptic."

In honor of Toy Story's 30th anniversary, we're ranking the Pixar movies. What do you think is the best Pixar feature? Vote now! We'll talk about the results in an upcoming episode.

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Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning And What's Making Us Happy

Fri, 23 May 2025 07:00:59 +0000

In Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, Tom Cruise has to save the world (again). But this time, as the movie stresses repeatedly, the stakes are really, really high. Higher than the buildings Tom sprints across or the planes he fights bad guys on. There's an AI that wants to destroy humanity, and Tom and his allies try to pull off the feat of all our lifetimes. Will he? Does it even matter? It's Tom Cruise doing Tom Cruise things in London, the Bering Sea, and beyond.

In honor of Toy Story's 30th anniversary, we're ranking the Pixar movies. What do you think is the best Pixar feature? Vote now! We'll talk about the results in an upcoming episode.

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Post-Credits Scenes

Wed, 21 May 2025 07:00:59 +0000

The movie ends, and the credits roll. That used to be your cue to start heading to the parking lot to debrief with your friends. That was before the era of the post-credits scene, which often teases the next installment, or offers one last joke or thrill that you'll miss if you don't stick around. But is it really worth it to stick around? Today we're talking about the state of the post-credits scene, including Sinners, Pixar and Marvel movies, and more.

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Watch This: Murderbot

Tue, 20 May 2025 07:00:59 +0000

Murderbot is a very smart, very funny new sci-fi comedy series on Apple TV+. The show stars Alexander Skarsgård as a cyborg who works security for a team of hapless, bumbling scientists exploring a dangerous planet. Murderbot hacked its own system and gained free will – a fact it tries to hide from the team, even as it sardonically judges their naïve and foolhardy actions, and craves nothing more than to be left alone to watch soap operas.

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Friendship

Mon, 19 May 2025 07:00:59 +0000

In the cringe comedy Friendship, a deeply strange and intense guy forges a troubled friendship with his new neighbor, a TV weatherman, played by Paul Rudd. The film stars Tim Robinson, an SNL veteran who's best known for his work in TV shows like Netflix's I Think You Should Leave.

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Final Destination Bloodlines

Fri, 16 May 2025 20:57:17 +0000

You can't beat death. That's the message of the Final Destination film franchise. Almost 15 years after the last new installment, we're back with Final Destination Bloodlines, a movie all about the fact that you really, really, really can't beat death. It will come for you, and in fact, it may come for your whole family — in the most convoluted, bloody, gnarly ways it possibly can.

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The Star Wars Prequels

Thu, 15 May 2025 07:00:59 +0000

When the Star Wars prequels came out, they were polarizing for fans of George Lucas' beloved space opera. The three films - The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith – followed Anakin Skywalker's transformation into Darth Vader. It's been 20 years since the final prequel hit theaters, so it seems like a fitting time to reevaluate the movies.

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