The Televerse (mp3)

With the series finale of Adventure Time looming, Noel and Kate take extra time this week to dive deep with the show’s penultimate batch of episodes, spotlighting “Blenanas”, “Jake the Starchild”, “Temple of Mars”, and “Gumbaldia” and speculating about what the final arc may bring (and how very not ready we are to say goodbye to Ooo). Before that, however, there’s plenty of TV to discuss. First up, we look at the week’s reality and comedies, including the season 10 premiere of RuPaul’s Drag Race, the finales of Fresh Off the Boat and Speechless, and another terrific Atlanta. Then we move over to the drama and genre offerings, including another fun The Good Fight, the finale of The X-Files, and strong installments of Legends of Tomorrow, Black Lightning, and iZombie. What are you hoping to see in the final episodes of Adventure Time? Has iZombie run into new trouble with its brain balance? Reach out and let us know what you think.Spotlight: Adventure Time: “Blenanas”, “Jake the Starchild”, “Temple of Mars”, an

The wave of post-Olympic premieres continues this week, giving us plenty of TV to discuss. First up, Noel and Kate talk through their week in reality and comedy, including the controversial season finale of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars, the latest half-season of Terrace House: Opening New Doors, Anna Deavere Smith’s remarkable Notes from the Field, and the returns of black-ish and Speechless. Next we move over to the drama and genre offerings, including the premieres of For the People, Rise, and Timeless, the 100th episode of Agents of SHIELD, an Iris-centric The Flash, and a revelatory Black Lightning. Then we round out the discussion with a spoiler-tastic deep dive on Jessica Jones season two. Season Spotlight: Jessica Jones Season 2 (1:09:11)Our Week in Reality and Comedy RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars finale (2:46) Terrace House: Opening New Doors Part 1 (13:31) Notes from the Field (19:25) black-ish (23:30) Speechless (35:32)Our Week in Drama and Genre For the People premiere (40:24) Rise premiere (44:09)

March is well underway, which means we’re nearly a quarter of the way through 2018- time for our first 2018 TV Resolution check-in! Noel and Kate report on their progress on their TV resolutions this year for Noel to keep up with local news and for Kate to explore prominent TV from the ‘00s and earlier that she overlooked because it wasn’t directly geared to her demo. Before this, however, we have a full week of TV to discuss. We kick things off with the reality and comedies, including the finale of Top Chef: Colorado, Atlanta, Drunk History, and Superstore. Then we move over to the drama and genre offerings, including the premiere of The Good Fight, UnREAL, the beginning of Jessica Jones season 2, The X-Files, Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash, and Arrow. Which show are we breaking up with, which shows have our shipper hearts going pitter-pat, and which show can we not wait to dive into next week? All of this and more on the latest episode of The Televerse.2018 TV Resolutions Check-in #1 (1:14:59)Our Week in Re

With the end of the Winter Olympics comes the latest flood of premieres, kicking off the 2018 midseason in earnest and giving us lots of TV to discuss. First up, Noel and Kate talk through the week’s comedy and reality, including the premieres of Final Space and Atlanta, the finale of Two Dope Queens, the first season of Ugly Delicious, and the dramatic Ruvenge episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars. Then we move on to the drama and genre offerings, including the premieres of Good Girls, UnREAL, and iZombie, Black Lightning, The Flash, and The X-Files. Afterward, it’s time for another season spotlight, as we dive in with the second half of The Tick’s first season. Season Spotlight: The Tick Season 1.5 (1:39:30)Our Week in Comedy and Reality Final Space premiere (13:45) Atlanta premiere (22:17) Two Dope Queens finale (26:02) Ugly Delicious Season 1 (28:52) RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars (37:05)Our Week in Drama and Genre Good Girls premiere (51:23) UnREAL premiere (57:36) iZombie premiere (1:01:39) Black Lightn

With the Olympics still underway, it’s another light week in TV, a final calm before the storm of post-Olympics premieres headed our way next week. First, Noel and Kate talk through the week’s TV, including Top Chef: Colorado, RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars, Star Wars Rebels, and the finales of The Amazing Race and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Then we head over to the season spotlight to discuss season one of Netflix’s animated tween comedy Big Mouth. Season Spotlight: Big Mouth Season 1 (1:09:52)Our Week in TV Top Chef: Colorado (8:52) RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars (17:14) Star Wars Rebels (31:53) The Amazing Race finale (39:54) Crazy Ex-Girlfriend finale (51:53)Music Featured: “The Miracle of Birth” from Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

It’s Olympics season once again, which means there’s also a bit of a respite in what is typically a busy TV midseason. This week, Noel and Kate talk through a truncated week in TV, looking at the finale of Star Trek: Discovery, the midseason premiere of Legends of Tomorrow, a powers-centric Black Lighting, the latest RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Snatch Game, a dizzying Top Chef: Colorado, and the penultimate Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Then we head over to Netflix and spotlight the first season of the Queer Eye reboot. How do we feel about the new Fab Five? Did Star Trek: Discovery live up to its potential? How much Trent is too much Trent on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend? (Spoiler alert: there is never too much Trent.) Listen to our thoughts, then reach out with your own takes on these pressing TV questions. Season Spotlight: Queer Eye Season 1 (1:00:44)Our Week in TV Star Trek: Discovery finale (11:27) Legends of Tomorrow midseason premiere (22:55) Black Lightning (31:22) RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars (38:24) Top Chef: Color

After several reasonably long episodes, we’re back with another marathon podcast this week, as Noel and Kate play catch-up on recent TV. First we look at the week’s reality and comedy, with a deep dive on The Amazing Race, plenty of Top Chef: Colorado and RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars discussion, a midseason check-in on grown-ish, and strong new episodes of Fresh Off the Boat and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Then we move over to the drama and genre offerings, including Kate’s catch up with The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, some pre-finale Star Trek: Discovery talk, and catch-ups with Agents of SHIELD, Supergirl, The Flash, and Arrow. Afterward, it’s time to spotlight the stellar second season of One Day at a Time, as Noel and Kate pick their favorite episodes, ponder the show’s season-to-season growth, and sidestep spoilers to discuss the series’ specific and universal charms.Season Spotlight: One Day at a Time Season 2 (1:59:29)Our Week in Reality and Comedy The Amazing Race (9:39) Top C

With Kate still on location, it’s another truncated podcast this week, but there’s still plenty of TV talk to go around. First up, Noel and Kate dive in with the week’s TV, focusing on reality and comedy. We kick things off with a catch-up with Top Chef: Colorado, break down an underwhelming RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars, talk through strong returns and new episodes from Jane the Virgin, The Detour, and Fresh Off the Boat, ponder repetition on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and then bask in another strong finale for The Good Place. Afterwards, we discuss Steven Soderbergh’s latest storytelling experiment, the joint miniseries and app Mosaic. Spotlight: Mosaic (1:04:40)Our Week in TV Top Chef: Colorado (6:16) RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars (23:28) Jane the Virgin midseason premiere (29:48) The Detour (38:31) Fresh Off the Boat (41:14) Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (44:58) The Good Place finale (50:08)Music Featured: “He’s the New Guy” from Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

Few series make it more than a handful of years; even fewer make it into double digits. This week, the WWE celebrated 25 years of Monday Night RAW, and that is a milestone worth reflecting upon. We may not be regular wrestling viewers here at The Televerse, but thankfully friend of the show Cory Barker of TVGuide.com is, and he came back on the podcast this week to talk WWE RAW and wrestling on TV with us for an extended spotlight.Before that, however, Noel and Kate talk through some of the week’s more memorable episodes. First we look at the week in comedy and reality, including the premieres of The Detour and Drunk History, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee’s Apology Race, a double episode of The Amazing Race, and the premiere of RuPaul’s Drag Race All-Stars. Then we move over to the genre offerings, including the premiere of Counterpart, Star Trek: Discovery, The Flash, Supergirl, and the latest Darin Morgan offering of The X-Files. How did trying to keep up with Trump work for the Full Frontal crew? Has Star

Midseason premiere season has begun, bringing with it plenty of new and returning TV to discuss. Noel and Kate kick things off by talking through a handful of the week’s standouts, starting with the week in reality and comedy, including Top Chef: Colorado, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, black-ish, and a much-anticipated The Good Place. Next up are the week’s drama and genre offerings, including the premieres of The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story and Black Lightning, as well as the midseason premieres of Supernatural and The Flash. Then Noel and Kate welcome back The A.V. Club, Consequence of Sound, and RogerEbert.com contributor Allison Shoemaker to dive in with under-rated and under-discussed con and heist series Good Behavior, spotlighting the first two seasons of this entertaining and compelling gem.Errata: In the opening section of the podcast, Kate references the trial of Larry Nassar and calls him a coach of the USA Gymnastics team. He was the doctor for the USA Gymnastics team,

Another year, another pair of TV goals. With 2018 underway and several series starting back up, it’s time for Noel and Kate to refresh their TV resolutions. How did we do with our 2017 resolutions to watch more anime and streaming series, and what impact, if any, has that made on the way we interact with TV? Noel and Kate discuss this and more in our special segment this episode, then unveil our resolutions for the new year. Before that, however, we have a full week of TV to break down. First up are the week’s comedy and reality offerings, including the Golden Globes, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, black-ish, Top Chef: Colorado, and The Amazing Race. Then we move over to the week’s drama and genre installments, including the premiere of The Chi, the midseason premiere of Star Trek: Discovery, the finale of Marvel’s Runaways, and new episodes of The X-Files and Steven Universe. How did Seth Meyers fare at the Golden Globes? Should the inclusion of contestants who are in recovery affect how Top Chef and other competition

2018 is here, so it’s time once again for our yearly winter TV preview! Noel and Kate talk through the upcoming series premieres and returns, looking at which new shows are worth tuning in for and which are better left for midseason catch-ups. Before that, though, there’s plenty of TV to discuss from this week. We kick things off with our week in comedy and reality, including the premieres of LA to Vegas, grown-ish, The Amazing Race, the midseason premiere of The Good Place, and the dramatic return of the victor from Last Chance Kitchen to Top Chef: Colorado. Then we move on to the week’s genre entries, including the premiere of The X-Files, the Doctor Who Christmas special, and oodles of Steven Universe and Adventure Time. What TV are you looking forward to in 2018? Listen to hear our most anticipated, then reach out with your picks, and any upcoming TV we missed in our preview.2018 Winter TV Preview (1:21:05)Our Week in Comedy and Reality LA to Vegas premiere (6:10) grown-ish premiere (13:30) The Good Place

The end of 2017 is finally here, so it’s time for Noel and Kate to celebrate the highlights and lowlights of the year in TV and send it on its way. As always, the Best Of Smorgasborgy is a wide-ranging and lengthy affair, with topics ranging from Best Performance to Best Theme Song to Best WTF Moment, and everything in between. Enjoy our look back at 2017 TV, then reach out with your favorite moments.Thank you to the lovely people who’ve guested on the podcast this year, those who’ve reached out and commented either at the site or through social media, and everyone else out there listening. It’s been a pleasure! Performance Awards (4:31)Production Awards (31:11)Sequence Awards (48:47)Emma Fraser’s Costume Awards (59:56)Character Awards (1:04:28)Writing Awards (1:26:13)Music Awards (1:49:00)Moment Awards (2:00:33)Season and Series Awards (2:30:24)Misc. Awards (2:52:37)Music Featured First break: "I Do Not Like This Man" from Curb Your Enthusiasm, featuring Lin-Manuel Miranda and F. Murray Abraham; "Let Me Your

The end of 2017 is right around the corner (already? And also somehow, finally!), which means it’s time for The List-ening, starting with The Televerse’s picks for the Top 20 TV Series of 2017. Noel and Kate run down their picks, 20 through 11, and have a quick chat about the year in TV, then dive in deeper with their top 10 series of the year. Which series made the list, which just missed the cut, and which are we surprised to see turning up elsewhere? All of this as more as Noel and Kate reflect on an interesting, at times challenging, and compelling year in TV.Noel and Kate’s Top 20–11 Noel’s picks (9:08) Kate’s picks (9:58) General discussion (10:44)Noel and Kate’s Top 10 (17:35) Lady Dynamite The Vietnam War Sense8 Brooklyn Nine-Nine Queen Sugar Steven Universe The Keepers One Mississippi Descending Stories: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju One Day at a Time Danger and Eggs The Good Place Halt and Catch Fire The Leftovers Crazy Ex-GirlfriendMusic Featured: “Ring of Keys” as performed by Tig Notaro and Stephan

As 2017 starts to wind down, we take a moment this week to reflect on holiday episodes of yore, looking back at holiday episodes of M*A*S*H, Seinfeld, Futurama, and Veronica Mars in our latest installment of our Holiday Omnibus segment. Before that, though, we have plenty of TV to discuss, as series head into the holiday season with fall finales galore. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Jane the Virgin bowed out for 2017 with strong episodes, Bob’s Burgers celebrates the season in traditionally entertaining fashion, Outlander closes its third season and begins a new chapter in a new continent, The Exorcist heads towards its second season finale, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine gives Rosa her due and brings Gina back into the fold.Do our Holiday Omnibus selections live up to our memories of them? Which are better left off the Christmas (and Festivus, and X-Mas) viewing schedules? And will we ever tire of Bob’s Burgers holiday episodes? All of this and more as The Televerse closes out its weekly coverage for 2017, and heads into

We’re heading into the end of the calendar year, and with The 2017 List-ening looming, it’s the perfect time to revisit one of the year’s most fascinating and puzzling entries, the return of Twin Peaks. Joining Kate to break down the alternately confusing and compelling season is friend of the show Emily L. Stephens of The A.V. Club. Before we dive into the strange world of Frost and Lynch, however, there’s a very full week of TV to discuss.First Noel and Kate look at the comedies, including the holiday returns of Psych and Superstore, the finale of Broad City, and the epic 99th episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine. After a brief dip into reality to discuss the premiere of Top Chef, it’s time for the week’s genre episodes. Noel only lasted about 10 minutes into the Happy! premiere, and we chat about why. Then there’s the premiere of Agents of SHIELD, a dramatic return on Outlander, and the fall finales of Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash, and Arrow. Which series are getting their silliness quotient right an

Despite the holiday last week and the looming holiday season ahead, it’s this week that gives us our lightest TV load in quite a while. We kick things off with our week in TV, including the first season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Drunk History’s Christmas Special, a check-in on The Rundown with Robin Thede, and fun episodes of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Broad City, Outlander, and Marvel’s Runaways. Afterwards, we head over to the spotlight section and welcome back friend of the show Dr. Elizabeth Bridges, co-author and editor of Nazisploitation!: The Nazi Image in Low-Brow Cinema and Culture, to break down the four-part CW crossover extravaganza, Crisis on Earth-X.Spotlight: Crisis on Earth-X with Dr. Elizabeth Bridges (54:59)Our Week in TVThe Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Season 1 (13:19)Drunk History Christmas Special (25:47)The Rundown with Robin Thede (29:06)Brooklyn Nine-Nine (32:09)Broad City (36:29)Outlander (39:19) Marvel’s Runaways (42:58)Music Featured: “I Enjoy Being a Girl” by Sutton Foster and Vince Giordano

With (American) Thanksgiving on the early side this year, TV opted to celebrate with viewers instead of taking the week off. First up this episode, Noel and Kate dive in with the comedies, including Thanksgiving-themed episodes of Bob’s Burgers and Brooklyn Nine-Nine and shake-up-filled episodes of Jane the Virgin and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Then we move on to the drama and genre offerings, including the premieres of She’s Gotta Have It, Godless, The Punisher, and Marvel’s Runaways, a Billy Joel-tastic Arrow, and the long awaited (or dreaded) return of Mon-El to Supergirl. Afterward, it’s time for one more check-in on our 2017 TV resolutions to watch more streaming series (Kate) and anime (Noel). How are our latest explorations of these mediums panning out? Listen in, then reach out with your thoughts on the week’s TV and our latest resolution viewing, Danny the Manny and The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo, and Recovery of an MMO Junkie and TWOCAR!.2017 TV Resolution Check-in #5 (1:13:06) Danny the Manny T

It’s a week of highs and lows this episode, with interesting finales and memorably powerful episodes alongside truly ridiculous ones. First up, Noel and Kate talk through the week’s comedy: a revealing Jane the Virgin, the first of hopefully many wedding-themed Brooklyn Nine-Nines, a classic issue-oriented black-ish, and the intense culmination of Rebecca’s journey so far on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Then we look at the week’s genre and drama offerings: the finales of Star Trek: Discovery and Queen Sugar, another intense The Exorcist and emotional Supergirl, and some of the season’s least thrilling installments of Arrow, The Flash, and Legends of Tomorrow.Afterward, we head to the DVD Shelf to dive in with the second season of Lady Dynamite. How does Maria fare in her latest round of adventures? Are season two’s time jumps as engaging and effective as season one’s? And what will happen when Maria is presented the Most Sacred Lady Blazer? All of this and more as Noel and Kate break down the colorful, at times confu

With several weighty episodes to break down, we keep the show list manageable this week. First up are the comedies, with looks at a sobriety-focused Mom, Fresh Off the Boat’s charming, Melissa Etheridge-fueled coming out episode, another Adam-heavy Jane the Virgin, and a Swimfan-inspired Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Next up are the drama and genre entries, including the premiere of USA’s Damnation, the penultimate Queen Sugar, the post-baseball return of The Exorcist, and the dreaded Sanvers breakup episode of Supergirl. Afterward, we head over to Netflix and dive in with the latest Margaret Atwood adaptation, the miniseries Alias Grace.What’s the right amount of ‘90s for a ‘90s-set sitcom? Is there anything Jane can do to get us off the dock and aboard the Goode Shippe Jadam? When will Rose wise up and call in the priests, and is there any way for Supergirl to avoid SuperCorp as endgame without betraying the only-just-barely-sub-text? Tune in for Noel and Kate’s takes on the week’s TV, then reach out with your own.D