Into It: A Vulture Podcast with Sam Sanders

We look back on some of the best TV shows of the year with Vulture critics Roxana Hadadi and Kathryn VanArendonk: Why did no one watch Pachinko? Why is Reservation Dogs so consistently good? Why does Sam hate The Bear? We also ask Vulture's Morgan Baila and Zoe Haylock for their bets on The White Lotus finale: Who died and who did the killing? Please God may Jennifer Coolidge and Aubrey Plaza be avenged. And we hear about the culture that's haunting us: Merry Quismois everybody!Send us your culturegeist. What specific thing in the culture has haunted you for days, weeks, or even years? And why? Email us a short voice memo at intoit@vulture.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sheryl Lee Ralph won an Emmy for her work on Abbott Elementary as Barbara Howard, a firm yet big-hearted veteran teacher. It was recognition she’d long deserved in a career that’s spanned USO tours, roles alongside Sidney Poitier and Robert De Niro, and an iconic performance in the original Dreamgirls musical. In a live conversation from this year’s Vulture Festival, Sam asks Sheryl about the lessons she’s still learning — and teaching — and the wisdom she’s gained along the way. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Laci Mosley, a podcast guest into media and satire, discusses Elon Musk's failed attempt to fund a satirical startup, while the hosts share Thanksgiving stories and express their disdain for a video of greens being washed in a bathtub. They also debate attending a virtual reality concert and express concerns about hologramming dead celebrities. The chapter ends with discussions on Tyler Perry's production style, Netflix's decision to remove Knives Out from theaters, and cultural observations like Will I Am's fear of the public catching amnesia.

This year — and every year — we are grateful for family, friends, and celebrity memoirs. On this Thanksgiving, Sam chats with comedian Chelsea Devantez of the podcast Celebrity Book Club about the most memorable memoirs of 2022 — from Jennette McCurdy to Matthew Perry — and why the good ones will change your life. We also play a special holiday edition of "Into It/Not Into It" and ask Chelsea if she is into Jane Seymour inviting exes to Thanksgiving.Send us your culturegeist. We know you have one. What specific thing in the culture has haunted you for days, weeks, or even years? And why? Email us a short voice memo at intoit@vulture.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has to do a lot of things: mourn the real and fictional loss of Chadwick Boseman, introduce a new Black Panther and other characters, move the ever-shifting Marvel Cinematic Universe forward, and — of course — be entertaining as an action-adventure movie. So why does it feel almost impossible — sacrilegious, even — to say that this sequel... doesn't quite hit? Sam talks it out with two critics who have very different takes: Vulture's Angelica Jade Bastien and The New York Times' Wesley Morris. Angelica says the movie trades on the power of representation while Wesley says its message is one of the most radical acts of mass capitalism he's ever seen.We also ask Angelica if she is into Billy McFarland of Fyre Festival fame trying to plan another event in the Bahamas. And we hear about the culture that's haunting us: Remember when Lindsay Lohan sent the Snapchat: "RIP John McCain feel better xoxo"?Send us your culturegeist. What specific thing in the culture has haunted you for days, weeks, or even years? And why? Email us a short voice memo at intoit@vulture.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As Atlanta comes to a close after four seasons, it’s still hard to characterize the series. Was it comedy, drama, horror, satire? Whatever the word, the critically-acclaimed series was always weird, often brilliant, and sometimes divisive. Sam talks with Atlanta’s executive producer Stephen Glover about helping create the show with his brother Donald, the ideas that could only have come from a Black writers’ room, and provoking viewers to think about art.We also ask journalist and podcaster Daisy Rosario if she is into Kathy Griffin's late mother telling off Elon Musk on Twitter. And we hear about the culture that's haunting us: How can we ever find peace knowing there are a million things to watch, but we will never watch them all?Send us your culturegeist. What specific thing in the culture has haunted you for days, weeks, or even years? Email us a short voice memo at intoit@vulture.com.Also, sign up for Vulture’s Movies Fantasy League by Thursday, Nov. 10, for a chance to support your favorite films, earn rewards, and pit yourself against entertainment journalists, including Vulture staffers, and (people you once considered) friends! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Black Panther is back soon, but what do you actually need to know about the Marvel Cinematic Universe to be ready? And what if you don't care about the intricacies of Thanos or Dr. Strange's multiverse at all? Vox's Alex Abad-Santos catches Sam up on the MCU and explains that even if you don't care about the plot lines, you should care about Marvel's impact on the entertainment industry: "It's kind of like if you follow politics and you don't follow the Supreme Court. That's how big Marvel has become."We also ask comedian Vinny Thomas if he is into Rihanna's new single. And we hear about the culture that's haunting us: What do the casting directors of Love is Blind know that we don't when you have a Shane/Shaina and a Cole/Colleen situation in two consecutive seasons?Send us your culturegeist. What specific thing in the culture has haunted you for days, weeks, or even years? Email us a short voice memo at intoit@vulture.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Does seeing abortion on TV and film change the way people feel about it? You could argue that another big social issue — gay marriage — was helped by shows like Will & Grace and Ellen. Or that The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Murphy Brown helped normalize the idea of women in the workplace. Ahead of the midterms, Sam is wondering why more depictions of abortion onscreen haven't moved the needle on public opinion or access to abortion itself.Sam chats with Katori Hall about writing an abortion episode for her show P-Valley, which was based on the women's health organization at the heart of the case that overturned Roe v. Wade. Then, he talks with social scientist Steph Herold about the things onscreen abortions get wrong and the limits of representation.Send us your culturegeist. What specific thing in the culture has haunted you for days, weeks, or even years? Email us a short voice memo at intoit@vulture.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What is the meaning of Taylor Swift? She's performed damsel in distress, but represents women’s empowerment. She’s a confessional artist, but is careful about how much she reveals. She's an adult, but is often still viewed as the teenager she used to be. On the eve of Midnights, Sam dives into the mythos and craft of Taylor Swift with NPR music critic Ann Powers about her place in history among the likes of Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Adele, and Beyoncé.We also hear about the culture that's haunting us: Explain to us again why Bobby Cannavale's character in The Watcher wants to replace a Carrara marble countertop with butcher block? To make red sauce?Send us your culturegeist. What specific thing in the culture has haunted you for days, weeks, or even years? Email us a short voice memo at intoit@vulture.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After five years, what happened to the #MeToo movement and Time's Up? The Hollywood advocacy group made a splash at the Golden Globes in 2018, but what's happened since? And did it really change anything? Sam chats with The Hollywood Reporter's Rebecca Keegan about the group's initial momentum from A-list actors and a barn burner of a speech from Oprah... and its eventual (inevitable?) implosion.We also ask if writer R. Eric Thomas is into Chris Pratt voicing Mario. And we hear about the culture that's haunting us: If Seth Green's neck could suddenly explode in an episode of Grey's Anatomy, what's to stop our necks from exploding at any second, too?Send us your culturegeist. What specific thing in the culture has haunted you for days, weeks, or even years? Email us a short voice memo at intoit@vulture.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices