

Extra Hot Great: This Week In TV
Extra Hot Great: This Week In TV
Join Tara Ariano, Sarah D. Bunting, David T. Cole and their valued guests each week for discussion of what's new on TV plus our hall of fame roundtable segment called The Canon, listen as we appoint Winners and Losers Of The Week and of course our ultra competitive TV trivia quiz: Game Time.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jul 7, 2021 โข 58min
362: America's-Birthday Forcenings!
It's a holiday week: time for a good old-fashioned Forcening, in which each of your EHG regulars makes another one watch a TV episode or movie. This time, we're acknowledging July 4th by obliging one another to watch shows with "America" in the title, and Tara's first up, forcing Sarah to watch 2000's short-lived, extremely derivative, stupidly enjoyable Young Americans, a Dawson's Creek spin-off featuring references to Stephen King, Dead Poets Society, The Skulls, and kindling. ...Wait, that last thing was actually Kate Bosworth. Next, Sarah forced Dave to watch a third-season episode of cocaine fever-dream The Greatest American Hero -- a great theme song in search of half-decent CGI, a team of writers who would stay for the whole episode, and better costume strat. Finally, Dave made Tara take The American Bible Challenge, and we all learned that there's more than one Herod, it's hard to flip a fork, and Jeff Foxworthy might be America's Host. Praise God -- it's an all-new Extra Hot Great!
TOPICS
Lead Topic: ๐ง Young Americans S01.E01: Pilot
Lead Topic: ๐ฆธ๐ปโโ๏ธ The Greatest American Hero S03.E08: Space Ranger
Lead Topic: ๐ The American Bible Challenge S03.E09: Grand Finale
NOTES
๐ Full episode notes can be found on the episode 362 page on ExtraHotGreat.com
๐ง Young Americans on Dailymotion
๐ฆธ๐ปโโ๏ธ The Greatest American Hero on Peacock
๐ And The American Bible Challenge on Netflix

Jun 30, 2021 โข 1h 26min
361: Should You Join The Mysterious Benedict Society?
Disney Plus's latest series for teens and tweens is the very puzzle-y The Mysterious Benedict Society, based on a beloved novel, and Leigh-Ann Jackson is here to talk about how well it works! Around The Dial takes us through In Treatment, The Good Fight, Jiva!, Flack, the (sort of) final season of B-B-B-B-Bosch, CSI, and Derry Girls! Craig and Courtney argue for the Canon induction of the King Of The Hill episode "The Wedding Of Bobby Hill." Then after naming the week's Winner and Loser, we kick off a new Game Time season with a contest that may be something, or may be nothing. No need to pass any test: our latest podcast is right here for you to enjoy!
GUESTS
๐ค Leigh-Ann Jackson
TOPICS
Lead Topic: ๐งโโ๏ธ The Mysterious Benedict Society
Around The Dial: ๐ถโ๐ซ๏ธ In Treatment
Around The Dial: โ The Good Fight
Around The Dial: ๐๐ฝ Jiva
Around The Dial: ๐งจ Flack
Around The Dial: ๐
ฑ๏ธ Bosch
Around The Dial: ๐ The Crime Apple
Around The Dial: ๐ฎ๐ช Derry Girls
The Canon: ๐ King Of The Hill S03.E14: The Wedding Of Bobby Hill
Winner & Loser: ๐ True-crime casting
Winner & Loser: ๐ Jared Padalecki
Game Time: ๐ง Once Again, Is This Anything?
NOTES
๐ Full episode notes can be found on the episode 361 page on ExtraHotGreat.com
๐ฆ Leigh-Ann Jackson on Twitter
๐ "New Pop Culture Tred Alert: the Black Lady Therapist" at Slate
๐ฉโ๐ Tara on the 9-1-1 franchise at Primetimer.com
๐ Leanna Lin's Wonderland

Jun 23, 2021 โข 1h 29min
360: Bouncing Into Physical
The latest new series from AppleTV+ is Physical, starring Rose Byrne as an aerobics addict in 1981 San Diego; Jeb Lund joins us to discuss whether the first three episodes left us wanting more, or...wanting more of GLOW (R.I.P.). Around The Dial takes us through Cruel Summer, Holey Moley, Exterminate All The Brutes, American Barbecue Showdown, the I'll Be Gone In The Dark special, and Epstein's Shadow: Ghislaine Maxwell. Tara and Sarah share a Tiny Triumph (thanks, Slate!), and Shan takes to Extra Credit to have us gender-swap TV detectives. Jeb makes his case for the Rick & Morty episode "The Ricklantis Mixup" to be inducted into the Canon. Then after naming the week's Winner and Loser, it's on to a Non-Regulation Game Time with a lot of pomp and circumstance. Pull on your leg warmers and join us!
GUESTS
๐ค Jeb Lund
TOPICS
Lead Topic: ๐คธโโ๏ธ Physical
Around The Dial: ๐ Cruel Summer
Around The Dial: โณ๏ธ Holey Moley
Around The Dial: ๐ชฆ Exterminate All The Brutes
Around The Dial: ๐ American Barbecue Showdown
Around The Dial: ๐ I'll Be Gone In The Dark
Around The Dial: ๐ฌ Epstein's Shadow: Ghislaine Maxwell
Tiny Triumph: ๐ Again With Them in Slate
Extra Credit: ๐ต๏ธโโ๏ธ Flipping The Detectives
The Canon: ๐ Rick And Morty S03.E07: The Ricklantis Mixup
Winner & Loser: ๐ Legendary
Winner & Loser: ๐ Michael Costello
Game Time: ๐ง Dads, Grads, And Brads
NOTES
๐ Full episode notes can be found on the episode 360 page on ExtraHotGreat.com
๐ฆ Jeb Lund on Twitter
๐๏ธโโ๏ธ Vulture's roundup of Season 3's new Holey Moley holes
๐ง Tara's review of The Cube at Primetimer
๐ Jeb's Hallmark podcast It's Christmastown on Facebook
๐ Sarah's review of the I'll Be Gone In The Dark special at Primetimer
๐ง Slate's article on B-list stars' podcasts recapping their own shows

Jun 16, 2021 โข 1h 27min
359: Is Loki A Good Time?
Richard Lawson of Vanity Fair is back to talk about the latest product off the Marvel industrial complex assembly line: Disney+'s Loki. We discussed everything from Religion 101 to DB Cooper to mid-century production design to canonical gender identity -- but should you make TIME (...sorry) for the show? Then we went Around The Dial with Younger, Starstruck, Bargain Block, Crime Scene Kitchen, The Housewife and the Hustler, and a weird movie on HBO Max, and then it got REALLY weird when we all sent in the clowns for David Ellis Dickerson's Extra Credit. Richard signed our yearbooks "I hope this overlooked-classic Simpsons episode stays sweet" in his Canon presentation; Farrow won and Toobin (and pooin') lost; and a role-playing Game Time had us all wondering if we'd (IMD)be crowning a season winner. Grab your timey-wimey remote: it's an all-new Extra Hot Great!
GUESTS
๐ค Richard Lawson
TOPICS
Lead Topic: ๐ Loki
Around The Dial: ๐ฃ Younger
Around The Dial: ๐ซ Starstruck
Around The Dial: ๐ท Bargain Block
Around The Dial: โฒ Crime Scene Kitchen
Around The Dial: ๐ธ The Housewife And The Hustler
Extra Credit: ๐คก Send In The Clowns
The Canon: ๐ The Simpsons S07.E25: Summer Of 4 Ft. 2
Winner & Loser: ๐ Catch And Kill
Winner & Loser: ๐ Ultimate Slip 'N Slide
Game Time: ๐ง Role-Playing Game
NOTES
๐ Full episode notes can be found on the episode 359 page on ExtraHotGreat.com
๐ฆ Follow Richard Lawson on Twitter
๐ Richard at Vanity Fair on HGTV: โHome Truths: How HGTV, Magnolia, and Netflix Are Building a Massive Space in the Streamโ
๐จโโค๏ธโ๐โ๐จ Richard on Luca
๐ Richard's podcast Still Watching
๐ซ
Richard's other podcast Little Gold Men
โณ And Richard's book, All We Can Do Is Wait
๐ฉ Rose Matafeo: Horndog on HBO Max
๐ Tara's Kevin Can Go F*ck Himself review at Primetimer
๐ง VF's Chris Murphy on whether we can/should keep enjoying Housewives what with all the felonies
๐ท Photo: Disney+

Jun 9, 2021 โข 1h 25min
358: Getting A Taste Of Sweet Tooth
Netflix joins Amazon in boldly dropping a soft sci-fi story about an extremely contagious disease outbreak mid-covid pandemic...but at least Sweet Tooth, unlike Utopia, also has as its lead character a very cute little deer boy? New guest Santiago Melli-Huber joins us to talk about it. Around The Dial takes us to the premiere of We Are Lady Parts on Peacock, the finale of Pose on FX; then to AMC's Kevin Can F**k Himself; to Sarah's summer TV preview pick Mike Tyson: The Knockout (and related 30 For 30 episodes about Mike Tyson that might work better); and to The Boy In The Plastic Bubble, which we recently screened, watch-along style, with our high-pledge Patreon supporters (stay tuned for more details on future hangouts!). GuyIsDelightful challenges us to create TV news-based scripted series that actually feature and are about real news shows. Santiago makes his case for the Nonac induction of RuPaul's Drag Race's Season 12 episode "World's Worst." Finally, we name the week's Winner and Loser, and wrap up with a toes-up Game Time. Grab a sweet confection of your own and join us!
GUESTS
๐ค Santiago Melli-Huber
TOPICS
Lead Topic: ๐ฆ Sweet Tooth
Around The Dial: ๐ฆต We Are Lady Parts
Around The Dial: ๐๐ฝโโ๏ธ Pose
Around The Dial: ๐ Kevin Can F**k Himself
Around The Dial: ๐ฅ Mike Tyson: The Knockout
Around The Dial: ๐พ 30 For 30
Around The Dial: ๐ซง The Boy In The Plastic Bubble
Extra Credit: ๐ญ Like Studio 60...But Entertaining
The Nonac: ๐คฎ RuPaul's Drag Race S12.E03: World's Worst
Winner & Loser: ๐ Dennis Quaid
Winner & Loser: ๐ Helen Mirren
Game Time: ๐ง Death Becomes Them
NOTES
๐ Full episode notes can be found on the episode 358 page on ExtraHotGreat.com
๐ฆ Santiago Melli-Huber on Twitter
๐ The Listen To Sassy podcast
๐ Exhibit B. Books
๐ซง The Boy In The Plastic Bubble On YouTube
๐ง The Boy In The Plastic Bubble On Amazon Prime Video

Jun 2, 2021 โข 1h 36min
357: Securing Crime Scene Kitchen, Investing In Small Fortune
Writer and co-host of The Nod Brittany Luse joins us for a double shot of summer TV fare, starting with NBC's well-hosted but incorrectly constructed Small Fortune. We like the dioramas; we're not sure about the durability of the games (or future guests). Then we ducked under the yellow tape to look at FOX's Crime Scene Kitchen, which isn't as bad as Sarah expected, but also isn't as good as it could be. Will any of us keep watching either of these? Is Curtis Stone the Joel Kinnaman of celebrity chefs? And did we actually invoke Quibi...favorably? Next we went Around The Dial with the Friends reunion, Legendary, Married At First Sight, Love After Lockup (instead of Who Killed Little Grรฉgory?, but watch 'em both!), and Bad Batch. Kimberly hoped her Derry Girls Canon submission would have the luck of the Irish before Firefly Lane won and Alec Baldwin lost (...twice), and then we transitioned between scenes with a few bars of Game Time. Pour yourself a cup of lemon chiffon pie -- it's an all-new Extra Hot Great!
GUESTS
๐ค Brittany Luse
TOPICS
Lead Topic: ๐ช Small Fortune
Lead Topic: ๐ช Crime Scene Kitchen
Around The Dial: ๐ The Friends reunion
Around The Dial: ๐๐ฝ Legendary
Around The Dial: ๐ฐโโ๏ธ Married At First Sight
Around The Dial: ๐ Love After Lockup
Around The Dial: โ ๏ธ Who Killed Little Gregory
Around The Dial: ๐คข The Bad Batch
The Canon: ๐ Derry Girls S01.E02
Winner & Loser: ๐ LaToya Ferguson
Winner & Loser: ๐ Alec Baldwin
Game Time: ๐ง Seven Days Since Our Last Incidental
NOTES
๐ Full episode notes can be found on the episode 357 page on ExtraHotGreat.com
๐ฆ Follow Brittany Luse on Twitter
๐ Why Brittany's watching MAFS instead of planning her wedding, at Harper's Bazaar
โ๏ธ The Friends creators' interview at THR
โ๏ธ The Joey Irish-uncle meme
๐ซ Alec Baldwin offered to off Tony Soprano
๐ด The Again With This podcast
๐ Best Evidence
๐ท Photos: FOX, NBC

May 26, 2021 โข 1h 34min
356: Diving Into The 2021 Summer TV Preview
With summer nearly upon us, we're dusting off a format we haven't done in a while, looking at the premieres that are coming in the weeks and months ahead and each choosing one title we're into; one we SHOULD be into but aren't; and one NO ONE should be into. Joining us for this very important work is longtime listener, first-time guest Stacy Lambe! After we all offer our summer picks (and un-picks), we consider Dave In Chicago's Extra Credit question and answer which TV side character deserves their own Kevin Can F--- Himself-type star vehicle. We also play a notable scene from the Netflix original movie Stowaway and discuss whether it's Worse Than Jazz. Next, we debate whether Daria's "Dye! Dye! My Darling" should be inducted into the Canon. Finally, we name the week's Winner and Loser, and close out with a Game Time you might want to enjoy with a sachet of jordan almonds. Grab yourself a popsicle and join us!
GUESTS
๐ค Stacy Lambe
TOPICS
Lead Topic: ๐ Summer TV Preview
Extra Credit: ๐ Eff You Too!
Is This Worse Than Jazz?: ๐ท A scene from Netflix's Stowaway
The Canon: ๐ Daria S04.E13: Dye! Dye! My Darling
Winner & Loser: ๐ Scripted true-crime projects
Winner & Loser: ๐ Glenn Gordon Caron
Game Time: ๐ง Just Married
NOTES
๐ Full episode notes can be found on the episode 356 page on ExtraHotGreat.com
๐ฆ Stacy Lambe on Twitter
๐ Entertainment Tonight Online
๐ "Summertime Lovin'" from Regular Show
๐ฃ Tara's interview with Allison Janney at VanityFair.com

May 19, 2021 โข 44min
355: A Talking Boat, The Queen and The End Of Liberty
EEHG 090: Dave Forces Everyone To Watch Thunder In Paradise S01.E13: Queen Of Hearts
Once upon a time there were two ex-Navy SEALs living in Florida. Then a whip bull-cracking Terry Funk visited riding on the hood of a monster truck. Also, here's The Queen Of England! Don't forget about Hulk Hogan's Bumblezebra beach onesie! And here's comes Truckasaurus! We haven't even seen Thunder The Boat yet! (Nov 13, 2020)
EEHG 106: Let's Watch David Copperfield Poof Lady Liberty!
In a 1983 TV special that stayed with Buntsy for decades, pop magician David Copperfield made the Statue of Liberty disappear. He also harassed Morgan Fairchild and saddled "an old lady" with two kids, and we're going to talk about all of it -- including the ads we didn't get to see. (Feb 19, 2021)
TOPICS
Lead Topic: ๐ฉ Thunder In Paradise S01.E13: Queen Of Hearts
Lead Topic: ๐ช The Magic of David Copperfield
NOTES
๐ Full episode notes can be found on the episode 355 page on ExtraHotGreat.com

May 12, 2021 โข 1h 23min
354: Girls5Eva Passes The Audition
Slate TV critic Willa Paskin is back to talk about Peacock's girl-group-comeback addition to the Tina Fey-verse, Girls5Eva. Did the panel's opinions on the show's quality harmonize? Is the bubblegum/TRL world of 20 years ago a familiar song? Does the thin writing of Busy Philipps's character hit a bum note? Has Sarah already started blaming that Wonder Woman piano for various clumsy incidents around her own home? You know the answer to that last one; you'll have to listen to learn the rest. We went Around The Dial with The Handmaid's Tale, The Big Shot With Bethenny Frankel, The Great Pottery Throw Down, and The Great British Sewing Bee before deciding whether Dave is NOT a crackpot for wanting to outlaw this-season-on montages. Later, we heard a dreamy Canon presentation for Bluey. Actors won, the Globes lost, and David T. Cole played us some variations on a ('90s TV) theme during a disconcerting Game Time. Park it on a memorial bench and enjoy an all-new Extra Hot Great!
GUESTS
๐ค Willa Paskin
TOPICS
Lead Topic: ๐ฉโ๐ค Girls5Eva
Around The Dial: ๐ The Handmaid's Tale
Around The Dial: ๐ฏ The Big Shot With Bethenny Frankel
Around The Dial: ๐ฏ The Great Pottery Throw Down
Around The Dial: ๐ชก The Great British Sewing Bee
I Am Not A Crackpot: ๐คช Season-on Montages
The Canon: ๐ถ Bluey S01.E08: Fruitbat
Winner & Loser: ๐ Gabrielle Carteris
Winner & Loser: ๐ The Hollywood Foreign Press Association
Game Time: ๐ง '90s Slow-Coms
NOTES
๐ Full episode notes can be found on the episode 354 page on ExtraHotGreat.com
๐ฆ Follow Willa Paskin on Twitter
๐ง Listen to Willa's podcast, Decoder Ring
๐ฟ Look forward to the Girls5Eva soundtrack album
๐ฉ The Guardian on the Bake Off formula and its discontents
๐ฉโ๐ง Tara's list of "12 Essential Mom Episodes" for Vulture
๐ Sarah's review of The Sons Of Sam for Primetimer
๐ท Photo: Peacock

May 5, 2021 โข 1h 32min
353: Nice British People Doing Nice Things
A while back, we put out a call for six-word pitches to program a whole episode of this podcast, and our listener Heather was the victor with "Nice British People Doing Nice Things." As a result, she has slotted in (virtually) every show you will hear us talk about in this episode, for which we are joined by returning guest Alex Collins! First, we all tuck in on the pop history series Back In Time For Dinner. Then Around The Dial takes us to France for Escape To The Chateau, Newfoundland and Kenya for Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond The Lobby, Wales for Escape To The Country, and a British mail route for Postman Pat. As required by Heather, Tara presents the Corner Gas episode "Happy Campers" for induction into The Canon. Then after naming the Winner and Loser of the year 1992, we go knocking on Game Time's door. Make yourself a lovely cup of tea and join us!
GUESTS
๐ค Alex Collins
TOPICS
Lead Topic: ๐ฅ Back In Time For Dinner
Around The Dial: ๐ฐ Escape To The Chateau
Around The Dial: ๐จ Amazing Hotels
Around The Dial: ๐ต Escape To The Country
Around The Dial: ๐ฎ Postman Pat
The Canon: โฝ๏ธ Corner Gas S04.E18: Happy Campers
Winner & Loser: ๐ New York City
Winner & Loser: ๐ Vatican City
Game Time: ๐ง You've Got Mail
NOTES
๐ Full episode notes can be found on the episode 353 page on ExtraHotGreat.com
๐ฆ Alex Collins on Twitter
๐ซ Back In Time For Dinner on DailyMotion
๐ฆ Tara's review of AppleTV+'s The Mosquito Coast at Primetimer
๐ฝ The Great American Pop Culture Quiz Show podcast
๐ต Escape To The Country on DailyMotion
๐ถ The Mark And Sarah Talk About Songs podcast