Extra Hot Great

We are off this week due to holiday travel but present you with this EHG Club unlock. EEHG 294: Discussing A Scorching Burn Notice Susanna invited us to check out the Burn Notice episode "Bad Breaks," and we were thrilled! Find out why that was the episode Susanna picked and exactly what two BN veterans and one new arrival thought about it. Ask EHG has us pondering our hypothetical Family Feud garb, the avatars we use on our various streaming platforms, and more. Then we each name our Not Quite Winners And Losers Of The Week, and close things up with another round of Now You Know Your ABCTVs. Put down your yogurt and join us! TOPICS Lead Topic:

As August continues letting us down in the TV premiere department, we take a look back -- waaaaaaaaay back, to 1974, when Dark Shadows creator Dan Curtis slapped his name on a TV movie version of Dracula written by Richard "I Am Legend" Matheson and starring Jack "One-Armed Pushups" Palance. Since we've previously subjected Nick Rheinwald-Jones to other Dracula adaptations, it falls to him to return and discuss it with us. Around The Dial spins around to Emily In Paris, Mastermind, the comedy specials of James Acaster, We Are Lady Parts, and Everwood. Nick makes his pitch for the S03 finale of The Bear to be inducted into The Canon. Finally, after naming the week's Winner and Loser, we end on a Game Time that comes to us in triplicate. Wash your neck and join us! GUESTS

The USA Network is apparently making original shows...that should be streaming shows, like The Anonymous, which throws The Traitors, Big Brother, and a number of other alliance-based reality shows into a blender. Kari Race is back to discuss whether it's a concoction worth drinking, given all the AI dad jokes, dead air, and inappropriate cliffhangers in the first three episodes. Then we went Around The Dial with Taskmaster NZ, Guy Montgomery's Guy Mont-Spelling Bee, and Homicide: LOTS. Mr. Throwback won (a timeslot), Teresa Giudice lost (again), and Tube Tunes got stuck in our heads again during Non-Regulation Game Time. Take a break from screaming at a pizza slice and have a listen! GUESTS

Florida transplant Al Lowe Huff is back to talk about Bad Monkey, the Apple TV adaptation of Carl Hiassen's Sunshine State-noir book, and the ways it lets Vince Vaughn's...Vince Vaughn-ing find the apex of its expression. We also discussed the show's great casting, realtor shade, meta voice-overs, and unwelcome references to True Detective before we went Around The Dial with Couples Therapy, My Life Is Murder, and the fifth season of Justified. Hallie had one more thing for us to consider in a Nonac pitch for a 1990s zombie Columbo, before The Gilded Age won and a Red Sock lost. Finally, we wedged in a sequel to a Trivial Pursuit-based Game Time, so load up your battered vintage cooler with an armload of popsicles and join us! GUESTS

Autumn is nearly upon us again, but all we care about is TV. That's why we've invited back Alexandra Collins and Daniel MacEachern to look at the calendar of forthcoming premieres and make our picks in the categories of Shows We're Into; Shows We Should Be Into But Aren't; the all-new "Happy For You" category for shows we don't care about but don't begrudge others enjoying; and Shows No One Should Be Into. Tara pitches the 9-1-1-: Lone Star episode "Everyone And Their Brother" for induction into the Canon. Then, after naming the week's Winner and Loser, it's on to a Game Time that's gonna get itself, gonna get itself, gonna get itself connected. Wrap a scarf or five around your neck and join us! GUESTS

The Decameron has come to Netflix in the form of a limited series from Teenage Bounty Hunters creator Kathleen Jordan. How has the centuries-old material change in the adaptation? Kathryn VanArendonk returns to talk about it. Around The Dial takes us to Futurama's latest season, My Lady Jane, and Shōgun. Kathryn makes the case for inducting the Bluey episode "Camping" into the Canon. Then, after naming the week's Winner and Loser, it's on to a Game Time that's "sticks of TNT"! Put down the onion you're using to dissipate pestilence miasma and listen! GUESTS

Monty Ashley returned not just to EHG but to the distant past, as the panel contemplated Peacock's ancient-Succession drama, Those About To Die. The CGI is pretty ancient too, but did any of the storylines make us want to keep watching? Did Sarah D. "Horse Girl" Bunting care about the stables subplot? And how much chariot-racing is too much? Then we neck-acted our way Around The Dial with Cobra Kai, The Boys, and the soothing Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories before clambering into a Dumpster for Monty's The Chris Gethard Show Canon submission. And finally, it was time to swear at-- er, IN a TV-president Game Time from Dan Cassino. Oscar-winners, grenades, and avant-garde casting choices around RFK Sr. in this all-new Extra Hot Great. GUESTS

Terror At London Bridge is a 1985 TV movie in which David Hasselhoff plays Don, a detective arrived in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, just in time for Jack The Ripper to come back to life and start killing people there, and since July 17 is his birthday, there's no better time to talk about it! Sadly, a last-minute scheduling change forced Sarah to excuse herself, but our guest Eve Batey is here to speak on behalf of everyone who can, like Don, truthfully say that true crime is one of their passions. Around The Dial takes us to a detailed discussion of Prime Video's Sausage Party: Foodtopia and the final season of Evil. Our friend Dan Cassino makes the case for X-Men '97's "Remember It" to be inducted into the Canon. Then, after naming the week's Winner(s) and Loser, it's on to a Game Time that doesn't have much to say for itself. Grab your cape and scalpel-- Actually, don't do that; just listen! GUESTS

We are off this week but bring you a recent episode from our Club spinoff podcast Extra Extra Hot Great. From EEHG 292: Should You Shield Yourself From Fallout? Even big Walt Goggins fans might not enjoy a series that takes his nose and overuses midcentury needle drops -- but most of the panel thinks you should stick with Fallout, the new post-nuclear-bomb dystopia from Prime based on a videogame. It's different from Silo in good ways, and wit plus world-building plus thoughtful casting goes a long way. Your Ask EHG questions led us to contemplate a live-action Muppet Show, a Sports Night reboot, Warriors gangs, and crossover pairs of TV friends; we named our Not Quite Winners and Losers; and the calendar's cruelest month saw US cruelly pitting characters named April against each other in a micro-Thunderdome. Radiation poisoning and Garthe Knight...just another day in the vault at Extra Extra Hot Great! TOPICS Lead Topic: ☢️ Fallout Ask EHG:

Another Canada Day is on the books, but before you pack away your miniature Canadian flags, there's one more celebration we all need to get through: Canadian Thunderdome! We've each chosen 9 Canadian people or characters from TV, and we're tossing them into the Thunderdome to see which of these traditionally mild-mannered, polite figures has what it takes to win multiple fights to the death! Grab a few butter tarts and join us! TOPICS Lead Topic:

The Orphan Black franchise returns to TV with Orphan Black: Echoes, and our own Joe Reid returns to talk about the sequel starring Krysten Ritter, Reed Diamond, and a whole assload of strawberry Jell-O. Is the new iteration a pale (pink) imitation of the original? Might it benefit from streaming the whole thing at once? And do its connections to the parent show only point up its weaknesses? Later, we went Around The Dial with (often justly) forgotten sitcoms of the '90s plus The Morning Show and a minor-league 30 For 30, before Hannah schemed to win the lion's share of a place in the Canon for a first-season The Traitors (US). Trebek won, arranged marriage lost, and we pulled some strings to play a nepo-forward Game Time. Get comfy on a living-room soundstage and listen! GUESTS

The Boys has returned for its fourth (and, as we just learned last week, penultimate) season; Andrew Cunningham joins us to discuss whether it's hammering too hard with its takes on current events and political personages. Around The Dial takes us through RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, the series finale of Star Trek: Discovery, The Simpsons, Brats, and Hotel Cocaine. Sarah pitches the ER episode "Love's Labor Lost" for induction into The Canon. Then, after naming the week's Winner and Loser, it's on to a Game Time that takes us around the world in a day. Find us on Voughtify and listen! GUESTS

We're thrilled comedian Josh Gondelman could come back to talk about Fantasmas, the latest show from Los Espookys's Julio Torres, which is as hard to describe as it was for us to resist. We talked about everything from fully realized re-imaginings of Alf, to comedy that doesn't have to prove it's smarter than you, to begging the universe to let Torres make American Vandal Seasons 3 through 85. Maybe the show's not for everyone, but it's okay with that, which is part of its charm. Later, we went Around The Dial with 9-1-1, Rachel Feinstein's stand-up special Big Guy, and Sarah and Dan's Justified marathon, and Josh hoped his Killing It Canon presentation would pay off (before 9 PM, of course. Timothy Olyphant won a second time, The Morning Show found a way to lose twice, and Dave was a poet who DID know it in a rhyming edition of Game Time. Put that clear-crayon project aside and have a listen. GUESTS

FX/Hulu has taken the scandal surrounding L.A. Clippers owner Donald Sterling after his assistant, V. Stiviano, recorded him being racist out loud (a recording that then leaked to TMZ) and turned it into a scripted true-life drama; former L.A. resident and current basketball (not Clippers) fan David Wiebe returns to talk about it. Around The Dial takes us through some early critique of Taskmaster Australia S02, and some soul-searching about what makes Below Deck Mediterranean so addictive. Tara makes the case for the Seinfeld episode "The Strongbox" to be inducted into the Nonac. Then, after naming the week's Winner and Loser, it's on to a Non-Regulation Game Time we all hoped we'd never have to endure. Sarah has had to sit this one out, but there's still plenty of hot action to get you to join us courtside! GUESTS

Grab a fruity cocktail; we're back to let you know which new and returning summer shows you should stay inside for (plus a few you can skip), plus a very special "We're Happy For You" list from Dave. Later, we take a dip at Rutherford Falls with a listener Canon submission; declare a Winner (casting) and Loser (cancellation) for the week, and time-machine it back to 2001 for a 19 Questions Game Time. Take the plunge and listen now! TOPICS Lead Topic:

We reached out once again to our Patreon supporters, asking whomst among them had the nerve and pop culture knowledge to participate in a Listener Game Time special. Brian, Lea, and Philip were chosen from our respondents, and face each other in Meredith's game My God, It's Full Of Guest Stars, and Mike's submission, TV CVs. Who vanquishes their foes? Listen and find out! TOPICS Game Time:

For this special episode, we're contemplating three TV episodes our listeners believe are among TV's very best. Mlle. Caroline has us watching the Poirot episode "Five Little Pigs," featuring way more future Game Of Thrones stars (and offspring of future Game Of Thrones stars) than any of us might expect. Then, Larra sends us to Dropout.tv for the second-ever episode of Game Changer -- which is also the first-ever "Make Some Noise." Finally, Elenore gets dialectical in her pitch on "START," the series finale of The Americans. Pull over for some McNuggets and join us! TOPICS The Canon:

Dr. Dan Cassino is back to discuss Netflix's Sandman spinoff (of sorts), Dead Boy Detectives, a ghosty witchy horny procedural. We talked about its Gaiman (and Buffy) DNA, if it's better at being scary or horny, and which tools from the historical "magic on TV" kit it uses best. Later, we went Around The Dial with Hacks, This Old House, and Baby Reindeer before turning our attention to the UN-dead for a The Walking Dead Canon submission. Jason Ritter won, Peacock lost, and Game Time took us on a Roman holiday of sorts. No need to open a portal, just hit play on an all-new Extra Hot Great. GUESTS

As a TV host, Conan O'Brien has moved on from a nightly interview and variety show on TBS to a comedy travel show on Max; as the whole season drops, Will Hines joins us to discuss how well it fits into the genre, and what it was like doing sketches during Conan's run of Late Night. Around The Dial takes us through Dinner With The Parents, X-Men '97, and The Jinx II. Kari pitches the "Heat Stroke" episode of Taskmaster NZ for induction into the Canon. Then, after naming the week's Winner and Loser, it's on to an extraordinarily resourceful Game Time. No passport needed to listen! GUESTS

It's yet another expensive-looking and ambitious limited series from Apple TV+ -- this time, Franklin, starring Michael "Gordon Gekko" Douglas as the flatulence-forward inventor of electricity. Is this limited series focused on the wrong thing? Is Franklin as a colonial weirdo better in smaller doses? And why isn't there more farting? Later, we went Around The Dial with Loot's second season, Top Chef's Wisconsin season, and Carol & The End of the World, and then we took cover for an incoming Canon pitch about the Justified S01 finale. Cold Case won, Billy Joel fans lost, and Tara ran the numbers with us in a non-regulation Game Time. Pin a scale-model tall ship to your head and get ready for an all-new Extra Hot Great! GUESTS