Pop Culture

“Time to Pretend” is the rock star Iliad and Odyssey, nestled in a four-minute pop song. Say yes to models, Paris, and heroin; no to jobs with offices and morning commutes. After its major-label release in 2007, the song oozed out of teenage bedrooms and across college quads, a kaleidoscopic escape from encroaching adulthood and

The fight scenes in the latest live-action adaptation of ‘Avatar’ can’t rival the original’s, but the new show shines in its focus on character Netflix/Ringer illustration Netflix’s live-action remake of Avatar: The Last Airbender deserves credit for this: It’s much better than the movie adaptation. Much, much better. M. Night Shyamalan’s derided interpretation of the

Chris and Andy also talk about two Apple shows they have been watching, ‘Masters of the Air’ and ‘The New Look’ Photo by Hector Vivas/Getty Images Chris and Andy talk about the news that True Detective has been renewed for Season 5 with Issa Lopez at the helm, and some of show creator Nic Pizzolatto’s

The Midnight Boys discuss the new live-action adaptation of this beloved cartoon gets right and mostly wrong, what could make a good adaptation, and the struggles of bad adaptations Netflix Yip yip! Time to dive into the hotly anticipated first season of Netflix’s Avatar the Last Airbender (09:57). The Midnight Boys discuss what the newest

Rachel, Callie, and Jodi dissect the idiotic comments made by Sandoval in his recent ‘NYT’ interview Photo by River Callaway/Variety via Getty Images Rachel Lindsay and Jodi Walker begin this week’s Morally Corrupt by dissecting the idiotic comments made by Sandoval in his interview with The New York Times magazine (1:10). Then they launch into

Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay discuss the Alabama Supreme Court ruling that’s resulted in the halting of IVF treatments Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay discuss the Alabama Supreme Court ruling that’s resulted in the halting of IVF treatments (5:18), before reacting to Tiffany Haddish’s trip to Israel (20:41). Then they break down a viral TikTok

Adam Nayman joins to discuss ‘Drive-Away Dolls,’ the latest solo Coen movie, and Sean and Amanda dig into the first entry in The Big Picture Book Club Universal Pictures Sean and Amanda are joined by Ringer contributor and beloved “Mean Pod Guy” Adam Nayman to discuss Drive-Away Dolls, the latest solo Coen movie—this time directed

Bakari and Tamron dig into into Tamron’s latest novel, ‘Watch Where They Hide’ Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Blue Jacket Fashion Show Bakari Sellers is joined by journalist, host and author Tamron Hall to discuss her ability to maintain a successful and evolving career (5:12), before digging into her latest novel, Watch Where They

Plus, Joanna reveals her thoughts on Netflix’s new show, ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender,’ and how it adapts the original animated series Netflix This week, Dave, Neil, and Joanna are debating the worst live-action adaptation of a cartoon! But first, Joanna starts by revealing her thoughts on Netflix’s new show, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and how

The streamer has delivered neither a masterpiece nor a colossal failure; instead, ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ gets a passing grade—but there is reason to believe the show can improve Netflix/Getty Images/Ringer illustration No streaming service can pull off a perfect batting average with its original programming, but when it comes to Netflix’s live-action anime adaptations,

Andy and Mina Kimes talk about the final episode’s tone, Justin Theroux’s and Carrie Coon’s Hall of Fame performances, and why in the end ‘The Leftovers’ is a story about love HBO Andy Greenwald is joined by Mina Kimes to discuss “The Book of Nora,” the series finale of The Leftovers. They explain what attracted

Tyson and Riley preview the upcoming season of ‘Survivor’ CBS Tyson and Riley are back with the last offseason episode to prepare us for the upcoming season of Survivor! They are joined by Survivor journalist Gordon Holmes to analyze the new cast of Season 46. They give their first impressions of the cast, highlight the

Dana shares how Heidi influenced her to start her account, why she thinks celebrities lie about their procedures, and her reasoning for taking semaglutide compounds Dana Omari Harrell Heidi and Spencer welcome Dana Omari-Harrell to the show to talk about all things plastic surgery! Dana shares how Heidi influenced her to start her account (03:20),

Mala Muñoz and Lissete Lanuza Sáenz join to talk about Sofia Vergara’s new Netflix show and its portrayal of female friendships Netflix Erika is joined this week by podcaster, writer, and comedian Mala Muñoz to talk about Sofia Vergara’s new Netflix series Griselda, which chronicles the godmother of the Miami drug trade, and how her

Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay dig into the Fani Willis hearings and testimony before reacting to Ruffles forcing the NBA to cancel on Chris Brown for All-Star Weekend. Plus, a discussion about apathy leading up to the 2024 election. Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay dig into the Fani Willis hearings and testimony (14:17), before reacting

Plus, Matt gives a prediction about ‘Last Week Tonight With John Oliver’ Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss Peacock’s strong start to 2024 and the prospect of a possible joint venture or “commercial partnership” with Paramount+, as reported by The Wall Street Journal late last week. They

Jo and Rob return to break down the season finale of ‘True Detective: Night Country’ HBO Jo and Rob return to break down the season finale of True Detective: Night Country. They discuss their thoughts on both the final episode and the season as a whole, why Pete’s story feels unfinished, and how the big

Charles Duhigg joins Derek to talk about the topic of his new book, ‘Supercommunicators’: the art of having difficult discussions Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images Life is a series of conversations. Our relationships, friendships, marriages, breakups, makeups, hirings, promotions, and firings are mostly the story of two people talking. And many of these conversations are

The sixth and final episode of ‘Night Country’ reveals the truth behind Annie Kowtok’s and the Tsalal scientists’ killings. Depending on, well, your definition of “truth.” HBO/Ringer illustration After four years away, True Detective returned for a new season with a sinistrous subtitle. We’re in Night Country now, and we’ve followed along each week to

The sun is up, the murders have been solved, and Qavvik has his SpongeBob toothbrush back. It’s time to dig into the ‘Night Country’ finale. HBO/Getty Images/Ringer illustration After six whole episodes, True Detective: Night Country has come to an end. We learned the truth behind Annie Kowtok’s and the Tsalal researchers’ deaths, watched Liz