

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

Apr 28, 2021 โข 1h 22min
352: Zooming In On The Reality Show Exposure
Jessica Liese is here to talk about a brand-new, brand-content competition reality show from Hulu -- Exposure, in which professional photographers compete in irrelevant-to-their-strengths "influencer" challenges while rookie hosts Cole Walliser and Cat Jimenez make terrible photo puns. The problem isn't so much the Samsung-fluffing; it's that the show isn't process-y enough, isn't transparent about how the challenges work, and isn't made by the same people who make Bake Off and could figure out how to turn an hour-long commercial for phone cameras into something informative with clear stakes. We were relieved to FOCUS (...sorry) on other topics in Around The Dial, including MAFS: Unmatchables, a ranking of MAFS: Mothership couples, Offspring, Top Chef, and 9-1-1: Lone Star. Listener Michaela pitched an un-Harmon-ious episode of Community for the Nonac before boats won, SNL lost, and we got bookish for Game Time. Take a break from dyeing your brows and hit play on an all-new Extra Hot Great.
GUESTS
๐ค Jessica Liese
TOPICS
Lead Topic: ๐ธ Exposure
Around The Dial: ๐ฐโโ๏ธ Married At First Sight
Around The Dial: ๐ถ Offspring
Around The Dial: ๐งโ๐ณ Top Chef
Around The Dial: ๐งโ๐ 9-1-1: Lone Star
The Nonac: โณ๏ธ Community S04.E03: Conventions of Space and Time
Winner & Loser: ๐ "...Navally"
Winner & Loser: ๐ Saturday Night Live
Game Time: ๐ง Books We've Watched
NOTES
๐ Full episode notes can be found on the episode 352 page on ExtraHotGreat.com
๐ฆ Follow Jessica Liese on Twitter
๐ง Listen to Jessica's Fear The Walking Dead podcast
๐
๐ฝ And to her Tough As Nails pod on the Rob Has A Podcast network
๐ต Tara's Unmatchables review at Primetimer
๐ฅ Tara talks Mortal Kombat on the Slashfilmcast
๐ Sarah's true-crime rec newsletter, Best Evidence
๐ท Photo: Christian / Unsplash

Apr 21, 2021 โข 1h 23min
351: Should You Enter Into Couples Therapy?
Dr. Orna Guralnik has returned to Showtime to work with a whole new crop of troubled partners in a new season of Couples Therapy, and Vulture's Kathryn VanArendonk -- one of the show's biggest boosters -- has returned to our podcast to yell about it! (Positively!) Around The Dial takes us through Younger, a new Mythic Quest special, PBS's Philly D.A., Why Did You Kill Me?, Sasquatch, and the midseason premiere of 9-1-1: Lone Star. Mlle. Caroline uses her Extra Credit topic to ask us about the 20-year-old (or older) shows we still like, and those we don't. Then after naming the week's Winner and Loser, it's on to a Game Time that challenges our knowledge of both anime and bullshit. Put on your artiest geometric necklace, put the dog in its bed, and join us!
GUESTS
๐ค Kathryn VanArendonk
TOPICS
Lead Topic: ๐ฉ๐ผโโค๏ธโ๐จ๐ป Couples Therapy
Around The Dial: ๐ฃ Younger
Around The Dial: โ๏ธ Mythic Quest
Around The Dial: ๐ Philly D.A.
Around The Dial: ๐ต Why Did You Kill Me
Around The Dial: ๐ฃ Sasquatch
Around The Dial: ๐งโ๐ 9-1-1: Lone Star
Extra Credit: โณ Passing The Test Of Time
Winner & Loser: ๐ Warrior
Winner & Loser: ๐ Morrissey
Game Time: ๐ง Anime Bullshit
NOTES
๐ Full episode notes can be found on the episode 351 page on ExtraHotGreat.com
๐ฆ Kathryn VanArendonk on Twitter
๐ฆค Kathryn's Couples Therapy review at Vulture
๐ Rich Juzwiak's interview with Orna Guralnik at Jezebel
๐บ Tara's review of Couples Therapy Season 2 at Primetimer
๐ก Tara talking about Season 1 of Couples Therapy on the Appointment Television podcast
๐ฐ Dave Chen's Patreon
๐ Kathryn's review of Philly D.A. at Vulture
โ๏ธ Kathryn's author page on Vulture
๐ง The Appointment Television podcast
๐คฉ The Specials podcast
๐ Exhibit B Books Online

Apr 14, 2021 โข 1h 24min
350: Should You Be Doing The Most With Phoebe Robinson?
Doing The Most With Phoebe Robinson joined the ranks of "rich people hanging out with each other" shows last week, and Here For It author R. Eric Thomas joined US to talk about the 2 Dope Queens co-host's foray into TV, including clunky animations, guest chemistry, and whether the animals in the pilot were too well-behaved. Dave was Not A Crackpot about leaving internet-based "fun" to the experts before we went Around The Dial with Kung Fu, Home Economics, Cybill, The Great Pottery Throw Down, United States Of Al, and Pennyworth. Then we studied some layouts for a first-season Ugly Betty submission before declaring a Winner and Loser and mashing up character names in Game Time. Don't be an ass; listen to an all-new Extra Hot Great.
GUESTS
๐ค R. Eric Thomas
TOPICS
Lead Topic: ๐จ Doing The Most With Phoebe Robinson
Around The Dial: ๐ฅ Kung Fu
Around The Dial: ๐ก Home Economics
Around The Dial: ๐ฑ Cybill
Around The Dial: ๐บ The Great Pottery Throw Down
Around The Dial: ๐บ๐ธ United States Of Al
Around The Dial: ๐คต๐ปโโ๏ธ Pennyworth
The Canon: ๐ Ugly Betty S01.E18: Don't Ask Don't Tell
Winner & Loser: ๐ Ancient Aliens
Winner & Loser: ๐ Don't
Game Time: ๐ง Connective Tissue
NOTES
๐ Full episode notes can be found on the episode 350 page on ExtraHotGreat.com
๐ฆ Follow Eric on Twitter
๐ฐ Eric's weekly humor newsletter
๐ธ Eric's website
๐ And check out Eric's book, Here For It
๐ Tara's Home Economics review at Primetimer
๐บ๐ธ Past guest Roxana Hadadi's United States Of Al review at RogerEbert.com
๐ง Quaid In Full's Something To Talk About episode featuring Tara
๐ท Photo: Tyler Twins

Apr 7, 2021 โข 1h 20min
349: Surveilling Law & Order: Organized Crime
Elliot Stabler has returned from his ignominious exile in...uh, a very nice-sounding job in Italy, and into an SVU spinoff that will find him Taking! His wife's murder! Personally! all over the Mob. Christina Tucker joins us to discuss this new vehicle and what a(n unpleasantly) surprising departure it actually is from the Law & Order model. Around The Dial takes us through Made For Love, Wipeout, Godzilla vs. Kong (on HBO Max! Watch it while you can! A lot!), and The Falcon And The Winter Soldier. Olivia makes the case for Doctor Who's "Silence In The Library" to be inducted into our Canon. Then after naming the week's Winner and Loser, it's on to a non-regulation Game Time that has us choosing some odd numbers. Get on the Wonder Wheel and crank us up!
GUESTS
๐ค Christina Tucker
TOPICS
Lead Topic: ๐ฎโโ๏ธ Law & Order: Organized Crime
Around The Dial: ๐ Made For Love
Around The Dial: ๐ด Wipeout
Around The Dial: ๐ฆ Godzilla vs. Kong
Around The Dial: โ๏ธ The Falcon And The Winter Soldier
The Canon: ๐ Doctor Who S04.E08: Silence In The Library
Winner & Loser: ๐ C.S.I.: Vegas
Winner & Loser: ๐ Paul Pierce
Game Time: ๐ง I'm Not Like The Others
NOTES
๐ Full episode notes can be found on the episode 349 page on ExtraHotGreat.com
๐ฆ Christina Tucker on Twitter
๐งฑ Kathryn VanArendonk's review of the Organized Crime premiere
๐ Variety's list of the best L&O intra-franchise crossovers
๐ Tara's review of FX's Hysterical
๐ฉ๐ปโ๐พ Christina's review of Martha Stewart's Very Good Things at the Boston Globe
โ๐ฝ The Unfriendly Black Hotties podcast
๐ Christina at Autostraddle

Mar 31, 2021 โข 1h 51min
348: Did Pooch Perfect Made Us Want To Flea?
Reality-television expert Andy is back to talk about Pooch Perfect, and why you shouldn't sit, stay in front of the show, including awkward hosting by Rebel Wilson, consent issues with dyeing dogs, and a total lack of narrative tension. Matters improved with Around The Dial, as we discussed Genius: Aretha, Superstore, Race To The Center Of The Earth, Tough As Nails, The Bridge, and Housewives in the age of COVID before generating a suite of new Survivor themes for Josh's Extra Credit. After Andy tried to find Starz's The Chair a seat in The Canon, true crime won, CBS lost, and Dan Cassino forced us to answer casting calls during Game Time. Give yourself a treat: it's an all-new Extra Hot Great.
GUESTS
๐ค Andy Dehnart
TOPICS
Lead Topic: ๐ถ Pooch Perfect
Around The Dial: ๐คฏ Genius
Around The Dial: ๐ Superstore
Around The Dial: ๐ Race To The Center Of The Earth
Around The Dial: ๐ช Tough As Nails
Around The Dial: ๐ The Bridge
Around The Dial: ๐คทโโ๏ธ The Real Housewives Of New Jersey
Extra Credit: ๐ฟ New Survivor Themes
The Canon: ๐ช The Chair S01.E09: The Test
Winner & Loser: ๐ True Crime
Winner & Loser: ๐ CBS
Game Time: ๐ง Casting Calls
NOTES
๐ Full episode notes can be found on the episode 348 page on ExtraHotGreat.com
๐ฆ Follow Andy Dehnart on Twitter
๐ฐ Subscribe to Andy's newsletter
๐ Read Andy's reviews of The Bridge, Tough As Nails, and Race To The Center Of The Earth on Reality Blurred
๐ฃ Tara's Ben Feldman interview for Vanity Fair
๐ท Photo: ABC / Robert Trachtenberg

Mar 24, 2021 โข 1h 13min
347: Muppet Thunderdome
Over New Year's, we treated our Patreon supporters to a very important thought experiment: if 27 Smurfs entered Thunderdome to compete in battles to the death, who would be the last Smurf standing? Now, we are turning our minds to the same question...but with Muppets from The Muppet Show. Naturally, we had to bring in an expert to consider the question, which is why Adam Grosswirth of the Muppeturgy podcast is here. Will Fozzie Bear emerge alive from combat with Lew Zealand and Sam the Eagle? Does Camilla the Chicken peck her way out of battle with Sweetums and Scooter? Listen as we plumb the depths of these philosophical questions and so many more!
GUESTS
๐ค Adam Grosswirth
TOPICS
Lead Topic: โ ๏ธ Muppet Thunderdome
NOTES
๐ Full episode notes can be found on the episode 347 page on ExtraHotGreat.com
๐ฆ Adam Grosswirth on Twitter
๐ธ The Muppeturgy podcast
๐ฆ Muppeturgy on Twitter
โถ๏ธ Adam's collection of relevant GIFs

Mar 17, 2021 โข 1h 16min
346: Is Waffles + Mochi The Cream Of The Crop?
We're thrilled the third time was the charm for our guest Alison Herman, as we all dug into the pro-cooking kids' show from the Obama-tainment industrial complex, Waffles + Mochi. We talked about "variety" shows for children, whether Mrs. Obama is as stiff as Mochi is adorable, and supplemental tomato facts before going Around The Dial with Step Up: High Water, kid 90, Allen vs. Farrow, Greek, Last Chance U: Basketball, and famous original 9-1-1. Dave hoped a first-season episode of Warrior had a fighting chance to get into the Canon. British divorces won, American engagements lost, and we all struggled to see the answers in Tara's non-regulation Game Time. Put a potato in some formalwear and join us for an all-new Extra Hot Great.
GUESTS
๐ค Alison Herman
TOPICS
Lead Topic: ๐ง Waffles + Mochi
Around The Dial: ๐๐ฝ Step Up: High Water
Around The Dial: ๐ง๐ผ Kid 90
Around The Dial: ๐ฅ Allen Vs. Farrow
Around The Dial: ๐บ Greek
Around The Dial: ๐ Last Chance U: Basketball
Around The Dial: ๐จโ๐ 9-1-1
The Canon: ๐ Warrior S01.E05: The Blood and the Shit
Winner & Loser: ๐ Paul Bettany and Claire Foy
Winner & Loser: ๐ Chris Harrison
Game Time: ๐ง Camera-Shy
NOTES
๐ Full episode notes can be found on the episode 346 page on ExtraHotGreat.com
๐ง Waffles + Mochi review by Alison's colleague Justin Charity at The Ringer
๐ก Sonia Saraiya's review for Vanity Fair
๐ Alison's anniversary piece on Greek
๐ฆ Alison on Twitter
๐ Listen To Sassy
๐น "I Am Your Bachelor, and I Am Also Running to Be Your Governor" by Stephanie Early Green
๐ท Photo: Adam Rose / Netflix

Mar 10, 2021 โข 1h 44min
345: Moving Back Into The Loft For The Real World Homecoming: New York
As part of the relaunch of CBS All Access as Paramount Plus, the original Season 1 cast of The Real World has reunited in their old Soho loft for a limited series, so we got back together with our former Real World recapper Kim Reed to discuss the series premiere! Also on the Paramount Plus tip, Tara also has to stress that she is not a crackpot for being irate that Oprah's interview with Harry and Meghan is somehow not on it. Around The Dial takes us through Good Girls, an update on Married At First Sight, the WandaVision finale, a Cop Rock tie-in on Last Week Tonight, and the midseason finale of 9-1-1: Lone Star. Lauren uses her Extra Credit to make us assemble a group of TV friends we would want to hang out with -- and who we think would enjoy hanging out with each other; then Sean makes the case for the Nonac induction of ER's Season 4 travelogue "Fathers And Sons." Finally, we crown the week's Winner and Loser, and close up with a Game Time as sticky as it is speedy. After you're done taking Gouda for a quick walk around the block, join us for our latest episode!
GUESTS
๐ค Kim Reed
TOPICS
Lead Topic: ๐ The Real World Homecoming: New York
I Am Not A Crackpot: ๐คช Not having Oprah's Harry and Meghan interview on Paramount Plus is a gigantic failure
Around The Dial: ๐ Good Girls
Around The Dial: ๐ฐโโ๏ธ Married At First Sight
Around The Dial: ๐ง๐ปโโ๏ธ Wandavision
Around The Dial: ๐ Cop Rock
Around The Dial: ๐ฉโ๐ 9-1-1: Lone Star
Extra Credit: ๐ฏโโ๏ธ Make New Friends
The Nonac: ๐ฉป ER S04.E07: Fathers And Sons
Winner & Loser: ๐ Bosch
Winner & Loser: ๐ HBO Max
Game Time: ๐ง The Wide Stick That Gives You The Edge
NOTES
๐ Full episode notes can be found on the episode 345 page on ExtraHotGreat.com
๐ฆ Kim on Twitter
๐ Andy Dehnart's The Real World Homecoming: New York premiere review
๐ฆค Jen Chaney's review at Vulture
๐ James Poniewozik's review at The New York Times
๐ฅ Tara's review at Variety
๐คด๐ป "Why Isn't Oprah's Bombshell Interview With Meghan and Harry on Paramount Plus?" at Variety
๐ฐโโ๏ธ The Married At First Sight scene where two women shut Chris down HARD
๐ Tara on Slashfilmcast
๐ Alan Sepinwall's podcast, Too Long Didn't Watch
๐ Last Week Tonight's "Raids" segment on YouTube
๐ถ March MASTAS 2021: Ultimate Teen Idols

Mar 3, 2021 โข 1h 34min
344: Brutal Bridesmaids Isn't Brutal Enough
Brandon is back to talk about last weekend's Brutal Bridesmaids and its strange lack of bloodshed, plus ugly bridal fashion, an emergency male-stripper substitution, and realistic wedding-party cliques. We went Around The Dial with Close Enough, Punky Brewster's reboot, Search Party, Murder Among The Mormons, and Dave's 911 Lone Star report before re-imagining legendary episodes of TV as Lifetime movies in an Extra Credit from David Ellis Dickerson. We dug into a classic episode of The Mole for Canon Consideration, then declared the GLOW team winners and Joss Whedon a huge loser before heading to the DC-verse for Game Time. Chug that Booty Blaster; it's time for an all-new Extra Hot Great.
GUESTS
๐ค Brandon
TOPICS
Lead Topic: ๐ฐโโ๏ธ Brutal Bridesmaids
Around The Dial: ๐ Close Enough
Around The Dial: ๐งโ๐ค Punky Brewster
Around The Dial: ๐ฆ Search Party
Around The Dial: โ ๏ธ Murder Among The Mormons
Around The Dial: ๐งโ๐ 9-1-1: Lone Star
Extra Credit: ๐ผ Mother, May I Sleep With Angel?
The Canon: ๐ The Mole S02.E11: The Eleventh Betrayal
Winner & Loser: ๐ GLOW creators Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch
Winner & Loser: ๐ Joss Whedon
Game Time: ๐ง It Happened in DC
NOTES
๐ Full episode notes can be found on the episode 344 page on ExtraHotGreat.com
๐งโ๐ค Tara's review of the new Punky Brewster for Primetimer
๐ฆ Find Brandon on Twitter
๐ง Listen to Brandon's podcast, The Discourse
๐ท Photo: LMN

Feb 24, 2021 โข 1h 42min
343: Taking Off Our Glasses For Superman & Lois
After illness prevented her from making her earlier booking, LaToya Ferguson has returned to talk about another show she feels passionate about: The CW's Superman & Lois! Is she all in on this latest iteration of the Man of Steel and his family? Listen and find out! Around The Dial takes us through It's A Sin, Cherries Wild, In & Of Itself, the full-throated endorsement of Firefly Lane that circumstances ROBBED LaToya of the chance to deliver earlier this month, and a report on a particularly bonkers episode of 9-1-1: Lone Star. Francoise uses her Extra Credit to ask us to share any TV-related resolutions we've made for 2021 (look, we're close to the Lunar New Year); then it's on to Tara's Canon presentation on Saved By The Bell (2020) S01.E07: "House Party." Finally, we crown the week's Winner and Loser, and close up with a game that requires us to determine, once again: is this anything? Put on your tights and cape -- or take them off; whichever feels right -- and join us!
GUESTS
๐ค LaToya Ferguson
TOPICS
Lead Topic: ๐ฆธ๐ปโโ๏ธ Superman & Lois
Around The Dial: ๐ It's A Sin
Around The Dial: ๐ Cherries Wild
Around The Dial: ๐ In & Of Itself
Around The Dial: ๐ชฐ Firefly Lane
Around The Dial: ๐จโ๐ 9-1-1: Lone Star
Extra Credit: ๐บ TV Resolutions
The Canon: ๐ Saved By The Bell (2020) S01.E07: House Party
Winner & Loser: ๐ Bosch
Winner & Loser: ๐ HBO Max
Game Time: ๐ง Again, Is This Anything?
NOTES
๐ Full episode notes can be found on the episode 343 page on ExtraHotGreat.com
๐ฆ LaToya Ferguson on Twitter
๐ฐ Explaining the Cherries Wild slot machine disclaimer
๐ Tara's Cherries Wild review at Primetimer
๐ Tara's For All Mankind Season 2 review at VanityFair.com
๐ง๐ปโโ๏ธ LaToya's Vampire Diaries podcast The AMPire Diaries on Twitter
๐ LaToya's Angel podcast Angel On Top on Twitter
๐ณ Linda Holmes's review of In & Of Itself at NPR.org
๐ "Monkey Christ"
๐ธ The Muppeturgy podcast