The podcast’s year-ending Best Of extravaganza begins this week with Simon and Kate’s picks for the Best TV Series of 2014, focusing on their Top 10 shows, but expanding to cover 22 different highlights of the year in television. Simon and Kate go show by show, talking about what prompted them to include, or exclude, each series from their lists. Please share your Top 20 in the comments!
Series are heading to their midseason finales, giving us fewer shows to discuss this week on the podcast. First we look at some of the comedies, including another holiday Bob’s Burgers and the return of Jane the Virgin. Then Kate talks some genre, including the much-hyped The Flash/Arrow crossover, and we round out the week with the dramas, including the pilot of Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce and the controversial penultimate episode of The Newsroom. Afterward, Dennis Perkins of The A.V. Club joins us for our first of two discussions about the groundbreaking and critically acclaimed The Wire.
Thanks to Thanksgiving, it’s a (comparatively) light week of TV on the podcast. First we kick things off with a little reality talk and a look at the comedies, including a marathon of Adventure Time, and then we talk genre and drama, including the aptly-titled episode of The Newsroom, “Contempt”. Afterward, Dr. Paul Booth joins us to discuss representations of fans and fandom on TV, as well as the ever-evolving relationship between fans and creators.
The fall finales have begun, giving us plenty to discuss this week on the podcast. First we look at the week’s comedies, including another eventful Bob’s Burgers Thanksgiving episode as well as a double dose of Jane the Virgin. Next we talk a little reality and genre, including Simon’s catchups with Penny Dreadful and Attack on Titan and a Nerd Rage-inducing The Legend of Korra. Last up are the dramas, including another entertaining The Newsroom and the midseason finale of The Good Wife. Afterward, Noel Kirkpatrick from TV.com returns to the DVD Shelf to sing the praises of the lovely 2014 animated miniseries, Over the Garden Wall.
San Diego Comic-Con International 2014 has come and gone, giving us plenty to discuss this week on the podcast. First we look at a fairly full week in TV, starting with some reality and comedy (including SYTYCD and Adventure Time), then moving on to genre (including The Strain), and wrapping up with the dramas (including the pilot for Manhattan, Rectify, and this week’s fantastic Masters of Sex). Afterward, we’re excited to share Kate’s interview with Hannibal composer Brian Reitzell at SDCC; two-volume albums for both season one and two of Hannibal are being released this fall by Lakeshore Records, starting with the digital version of the season one soundtrack on August 5th, and fans of Hannibal and scoring in general will want to check them out. Finally, we finish up this week’s podcast with our SDCC 2014 wrapup, as Kate and her sister Maggie break down their Comic-Con experience.
After a week off, the pilots and premieres are back, as more summer TV starts up. First we take a look at the week’s reality and comedy offerings, including previews of Married and You’re the Worst. Then we talk genre, including the pilots of Extant and The Strain, and we round out the week’s TV with the dramas, including the premieres of The Bridge and Masters of Sex. Afterward, we welcome on a very special guest to help Kate break down the TV panel offerings at this year’s San Diego Comic Con. If you’ll be attending, or live nearby, make sure to come to the Battleship Pretension, Warner Archive, and CriterionCast meet-up on Thursday, July 24th at 8pm. Sean and Kate will be hanging out with representatives of these and other podcasts at the Dublin Square Pub on 4th Street and we’d love to meet y’all!
It’s Simon’s last week on the podcast, for the immediate future, and TV did not disappoint this week, giving us plenty of fantastic comedy and drama to discuss in this extra-long episode. First we take a look at the comedies, including the Community finale, the Adventure Time premiere, the Archer Vice finale, and excellent episodes of Inside Amy Schumer and Veep. Then we talk genre, including this week’s controversial installment of Game of Thrones and the long-awaited return of Orphan Black, and we round up our week in TV with the dramas: the pilot of Fargo, the finale of Parenthood, and more great episodes of The Americans, The Good Wife, and Mad Men. Afterward, Steve Prokopy from AICN returns for the fourth installment of Steve Prokopy’s Horror Picks, this time taking a look at Lars von Trier’s Danish horror miniseries Riget (The Kingdom) and Riget II (The Kingdom II).