Are We High On High Potential Season 2?

Clip: [00:01] Detectives, thanks for showing up. Can I get you anything? Yeah, a quieter place to talk. Dave: [00:13] This is the Extra, Extra Hot Great Podcast, episode 373 for the September 20th, 2025 weekend. I am Mass Aura David T. Cole, and I'm here with Occam's Good Samaritan, Sarah D. Bunting, and Good Guy with Bad Habits, Tara Ariano. Sarah: [00:32] I'm the likeliest. Tara: [00:36] Yeah, don't write me off just because I buy my nails. Welcome to Extra, Extra Hot, Great for Another Weekend. Thank you so much for being here. Welcome, new club members. We're thrilled to have you. Dave: [00:54] However, especially you. Tara: [00:57] Especially you. Sarah: [00:57] Yeah. Tara: [00:58] We could not make the show without you. Sarah: [00:58] Mhm. Tara: [01:00] So we're thrilled you're here to hear us discuss High Potential Season Two. You probably remember what the show is about from when we talked about the first season last fall. But in case you don't, Morgan Gillory, Caitlin Olson, has high intellectual potential. Her huge IQ, photographic memory, and preternatural powers of observation make her a valuable consultant to the LAPD. Dave: [01:23] What's that word mean? Preternatural? Tara: [01:24] What? Better than natural, I think. Dave: [01:27] I see. Sarah: [01:27] Yeah, but without being supernatural. Dave: [01:29] Why don't they just say it real good? Tara: [01:32] Well, she probably has a lot of vocabulary words that are more fitting than that one. Dave: [01:35] Yeah. Oh, I'm sorry I'm not in your preternatural club. Tara: [01:40] However, Morgan hates cops and only accepted the job because many years ago Roman, father of her eldest daughter, disappeared and Morgan wants to find out what happened to him. At the end of the first season, the Sherlockian Morgan got her own Moriarty, known as the Game Master. Dave: [01:57] First thought, worst thought. Sarah: [01:59] Yeah. Tara: [01:59] Unfortunate. Sarah: [02:01] Game Maker, I think, which is even sadder. Dave: [02:04] Predanatural game guy is what I would have said. Tara: [02:09] In the season two premiere, Morgan and her family are still hiding out from him, but he's still out there creating chaos. In an effort to make Morgan play his game. The show was created by Drew Goddard, whose other credits include Lost, as well as movies like The Martian and The Cabin in the Woods. Only the first episode of season two has aired so far on ABC. That's all we've seen. Let's do the Chen check-in. Sarah, should our listeners watch High Potential? Sarah: [02:34] Yes, but Oh my god. Tara: [02:36] Dave. Dave: [02:36] Are you in the mood for something preternatural? Sure. Tara: [02:42] Yeah, I think so too. You know, if you, if this is your kind of thing, you're probably already watching it. And it's a fine version of this kind of thing, in my opinion. Dave: [02:50] Right. Uh, first of all, more like Maury Farti. But also, having watched just sort of the start of the first season, the start of the second season, this episode seemed darker to me. The stakes are personal, and she's taking it personally. And I don't really know if I enjoy that in this show. Tara: [03:09] Yeah. Dave: [03:10] To me, at least, the show works better when it's lighter and airier and The personality that we see at the start of the first season sort of informs the rest of the show worked better for me. Sarah: [03:23] I completely agree. This was the bulk of my notes, is that this is basically a network blue sky show. But blue sky shows often stumbled when they all of a sudden made it like dark, like PG or like TV14, or now someone's gotten killed. Dave: [03:37] Yeah. Sarah: [03:44] Monk sort of never quite figured out, like, this is clearly an extremely traumatized and ill individual, but Like everything's always gonna be whackadoodle, except when his brother shows up and they're kind of both agoraphobic. Tara: [03:51] Yeah. Right. Mm-hmm. Sarah: [04:01] Like, what tone are we looking for here? Do you not know what network you air on? But all of that aside, like I liked White Collar a lot. I liked Monk a lot. But I think this is the biggest pitfall facing high potential is that it doesn't actually have to be that Serious. Like, yes, the crimes that she consults on are serious, but once you get into, like, Maury Farty The game maker. Like, only in T V and movies is anyone this devoted to fucking with law enforcement instead of just like Living their lives, and the show doesn't succeed because of big issue plots and darkness. It succeeds because she is likable. And wears a lot of cool boots, and that puzzle solving is fun and not personal. It's a thing that she's good at, and a smart lady gets to win. Like, don't make it too complicated. Tara: [05:00] Yeah, plus they already had a personal story with the whole Roman thing. Anyway, Dave, you were going to say. Dave: [05:05] I fell off Elsbeth too, but that sort of setup where, okay, somebody's been murdered and the murder itself can be gruesome, but everything around it, all the table setting, all the placements are sort of goofy and light. Tara: [05:19] Mm-hmm. Dave: [05:19] I feel like it needed more of that, which I felt like it had in the first season. I do remember comparing it to Elsbeth in many ways, and it. Tara: [05:26] And poker face. Sarah: [05:27] Mm-hmm, yeah, yep, yep, yep. Tara: [05:28] Mm-hmm. Dave: [05:29] Yeah, but yeah, the puzzle-loving criminal who just can't wait to stick it to the police with his preternatural skills. Sarah: [05:37] Mm-hmm. Yes, there you go. Dave: [05:40] It's something that feels way more believable the further into the past you get. So when we're actually dealing with actual Mariarty versus Sherlock Holmes. And he's doing all of his Baroque puzzles, it feels okay because it's an era that is well in the past and beyond our true comprehension. So it feels like alien fiction, sort of, right? But here it didn't really work. And part of it is like, I didn't like what the game master looked like. He didn't look, you know what I mean? Like, he was too handsome. He was too. Sarah: [06:14] Mhm. Dave: [06:15] Blue skies, generic good guy, looking like there was something about that that didn't really work. Sarah: [06:17] Yes, totally. Dave: [06:20] Like, let's get Clinton Howard in here, right? Tara: [06:22] Yeah. Dave: [06:23] Why isn't he the game maker? Just because. That whole storyline was giving me what was the movie with the stupid poster and trailer: like, you had all the clues, Mr. Policeman. Tara: [06:34] The snowman. Dave: [06:35] It gave me that sort of like 10% of that energy when they were going for 100% of that energy, but it just couldn't get there. Tara: [06:42] Yeah. Sarah: [06:42] Mm-hmm. Tara: [06:44] Right. Dave: [06:44] That was like my big problem with the opener of the second series. Everything else about the show felt very familiar and comforting, but that part of it, they should have like done another take on it. Tara: [06:52] Mm-hmm. Yeah, I will say, though Writers of shows like this have my sympathy now because what what Sherlock couldn't do when Moriarty like busted out one of his puzzles was Get on the computer and arrange, like make a whole crazy wall in five minutes to be like, here is everything I found out. And part of, you know, in this case, it's So that she can be, this is too simple. It can't be the guy that all the clues are pointing to because it's too obvious. Dave: [07:22] I would have liked the scene, though, when Sherlock Holmes sends Watson down to the store to get some glue real fast because he's got some ideas for his board. Tara: [07:28] Yeah. Get me some bristle board. Yeah. But I do think like this is this probably represents the ceiling of what you can do with a show like this on network because I've seen I've watched like one episode of a bunch of shows like this That Sarah has made me for again with again with this, usually, like the mentalist or medium. Sarah: [07:34] Yeah. Sorry. I yeah, the mentalist is absolutely exhibit B of this. Tara: [07:53] Yes. Dave: [07:54] Elementary, yeah. Sarah: [07:54] Yep. Tara: [07:55] So anyway, to get to the question about the game maker's looks, he seems to me Like, first of all, it's, it's a problem that, like, part of his whole thing is he's taunting her. So he has to just, like, show up places she is looking unbothered. But when you see him, like he's just a little guy. Like he looks like Morgan could end him with the heel of one of her boots. Dave: [08:17] I go I gotta catch you with my preternatural mind All right. Tara: [08:22] So I'll ask Sarah to weigh in on this as well. What do you think of the character whose actual name in the show is David Peck? He's played by David Gentoli from Grimm. What do you think of this guy? Sarah: [08:33] He does look like USA Blue Sky Show Central casting of like boring love interest, or actually, he's like a Hallmark movie. Tara: [08:38] Hmm Yep. Sarah: [08:43] Perfectly acceptable but not thrilling Fiance, who they don't even fuck. Tara: [08:46] Yep. Sarah: [08:48] And, you know, 90 minutes later, he's out. Tara: [08:48] Mm-hmm. Yeah. Sarah: [08:51] Finds an equally boring blonde lady and off they go. Tara: [08:54] Mm-hmm. Sarah: [08:55] And I remember looking at him and being like, What? They couldn't afford Nick Wexler? And then there's Nick Wexler. Tara: [09:00] There he was. Sarah: [09:02] As like tech bro jackass. But like, I agree. The when they push to the limits or sort of the edges of what a network version of this Can do, you really see the limitations, like the sort of Epcot eyes wide shut shit that they're trying to do. And like, there's her reflection in a Painting, like, okay, guys, just no one has this much time. Tara: [09:24] Hmm mm right. Sarah: [09:29] Like, let's move it along and let's get to the reveal about Roman. But, like, I do think that maybe this started its life. As a blue sky show somehow? And then USA is like, oh, we don't actually do that anymore. How long have you been sitting in the lobby? It's like two weeks. Dave: [09:46] Isn't it a British show? Tara: [09:48] It was French. Sarah: [09:49] Oh, yeah, it was based on a friend show. Dave: [09:49] Oh, French. Sarah: [09:51] That's right. Dave: [09:51] Yeah. Sarah: [09:51] I forgot about that. Dave: [09:52] Bleu. Tara: [09:54] Sidebar, since David Gentoli was the star of Grimm, how many episodes of Grimm do you think there were? Dave: [09:59] Oh, okay. Uh closest to the pin. Tara: [10:02] Sure. Sarah: [10:02] I'm not going to play because I looked. Dave: [10:04] Oh, hundred and thirteen. Sarah: [10:05] So, yeah. Tara: [10:05] You did? Sarah: [10:07] That I was like, I was like, how do I know that guy? I never saw a single episode. Tara: [10:12] Yeah, Dave, you're so close. Sarah: [10:12] It's like a hundred and thirty-eight, right? Tara: [10:14] 123. Dave: [10:15] Oh, I was pretty close. Tara: [10:16] Amazing. Sarah: [10:16] Yeah. Tara: [10:17] That was on until 2017. Dave: [10:19] So let me say the part of the show that I was like, oh, I wish I had a lot more of that. Tara: [10:20] Insane. Sarah: [10:20] I mean, what? Dave: [10:26] Was a funny take on the stuff they do on CSI, but they were going through reviewing the things about the scene that weren't quite right that told us about A, B, and C. One of those things. They are explaining that there is one sword in this guy's Japanese shogunate sword collection that is missing, and the way they do it is to have a whole bunch of Japanese guys in dress take the little katana out of their sheath. Except for the last guy who does it. And he's like, What the heck? Tara: [10:55] Yeah. Dave: [10:55] My sword's missing. I thought was really great. Tara: [10:57] Mm-hmm. Dave: [10:57] I was like, way more of that. Tara: [10:59] Yeah. Dave: [10:59] Way more of that. Sarah: [11:00] Mhm. Dave: [11:00] Cause that was like very USA blue skies. And the way that took the piss out of like. The whole early aughts CSI and CSI shows, I thought, was really great. So, like, I wanted a lot more of that. And there was like a little glimpse of it. Here and there. But also, when they did it, because the whole overarching mood of this case is like it's personal and it's dark, there was like a little whiplash with sort of like stole the moment each time. You're like, well, that was great, but it also didn't fit. Tara: [11:29] Yeah. Sarah: [11:31] Yeah, I do give the show credit for this. I feel like the creators and the writers are aware, like, not just because it's a remake of a French show, but also because it's coming in history after Every single other show we've referred to: Castle, The Mentalist, White Collar, whatever. I feel like the writers know that because there are a lot of moments where Like, you think something is gonna bad is gonna happen during like that pillow fight scene, and then they kind of subvert what they can, or zag when they can, instead of zigging. Just to give you, like, look, we know, but we're on ABC. What can we do? I do appreciate that. About it, and I also appreciate that I think this is a show that understands like it understands what it is, and there's something to be said. For that, it's kind of what I like. One of the things I liked about that it's like it's not trying to be the wire, it's trying to be itself. Dave: [12:32] I don't want to paint too dark of a picture of where I think this episode is on that light to dark spectrum. You know, for our network show, it is a little dark. Tara: [12:38] Uh-huh. Dave: [12:41] Compared to the rest of television right now, it is still quite airy. Tara: [12:44] Yes. Dave: [12:45] But just speaking to like it kind of knows where it is on that network prestige television spectrum and how they do stuff on the show. This is a bit of a spoiler. This is a spoiler for the very end of the first episode. So, you know, skip ahead a minute if you really want to. At the start-ish of the episode. The killer sends a clue through the mailbox. She gets the clue, and she sort of has to run around her block to one street over, where the killer has set up a message via open doors and a track from The Lion King. Tara: [13:20] Uh-huh. Dave: [13:21] Was it the it oh, okay, okay, so that song saves tonight And then at the end of the episode, Murrifarty comes into the police precinct to say, you know, oh, I heard you've been looking for me, which, by the way, Murray Arty trope. Tara: [13:21] No, this is the lion sleeps tonight. Sarah: [13:22] No, it's just yeah, it's a one-hit wonder classic. Yeah. Dave: [13:44] That whole thing. And then this happens. Clip: [13:46] The lab should have the blood test results in twenty-four hours. Excuse me. Apparently, you're looking for me. Tara: [14:00] No That can't be the song. Dave: [14:12] No. Tara: [14:12] No. Mainly, this is a proceed, a police procedural, of course. I would say we also spend more than the usual amount of time with Morgan's family. I would be fine if Morgan's son Elliot. Who is also a high intellectual potential person went away to an elite boarding school? But is everyone else okay with the proportions that we got here? Dave, you can go first. Mm-hmm, Sarah. Sarah: [14:34] I'm okay with the proportions as they are for now because of the sort of hunt for Roman. But if you're going to have Terry and Kill and be the dad slash stepdad slash babysitter who never gets anything good to do, basically. Either find a way to use him without obliging this baby set of twins actors to be on set all the time, or don't, or cut it way back. But I'm okay with the proportions. For now, if this show has one of the kids kidnapped, then I'm probably out. Like, please don't be that show. Tara: [15:10] Yeah. Uh-uh. Sarah: [15:12] Keep it light. Tara: [15:13] Agree. Well, Taryn Killem, to your point, he's on a new NBC comedy that is coming in midseason, I believe. So he's gonna be there's less of him in season two. Sarah: [15:22] Okay, well, don't kill him either. He's he's fine. Taryn, don't kill him. Tara: [15:30] Apparently the word is like, well, you'll see about as much of him in season two as you did in season one. So like, okay, I'll still be underused, but he's still getting a network paycheck. I'm fine with that, I guess. Sarah: [15:39] Right, yep, me too. Tara: [15:40] Also, the underused characters are not only at Morgan's house. Javicia Leslie was Batwoman on the CW. Now she's just like walking around with files as Daphne, the cop. Like, she must be so bored. Sarah: [15:53] And I think Judy Reyes, like, again, you're getting a network paycheck to be like, has the lab called back with those results? But You know, sometimes, like, every now and then, the lieutenant, you're like, good for you. Like, you could do this in your sleep and may, in fact. be doing it. But it's like when Mary Elizabeth Master Antonio showed up on Criminal Intent and was just like occasionally she would like almost cut her eyes to the camera, like Who wrote this? Chat GPT? But, like, seriously, Lieutenant Lines are not that exciting. Tara: [16:25] Mm-hmm. Sarah: [16:25] So I do like that's a Low effort sinecure, I guess, for actors that we love and are capable of more, but shouldn't have to do more if they don't want to. Tara: [16:35] Yeah, for sure. This was also the episode where we got our first glimpse at Roman, and he is played by Mackay Pfeiffer. They. Spent the first season quite obviously setting Karadek, who's played by Daniel Sinjata, to be Morgan's love interest. And I like him, and I also like Makai Pfeiffer. So I'm actually torn. Congratulations, because usually in a situation like this, there's one obvious choice and one other guy that you don't care about. So I approve. Sarah: [17:02] Yeah. I also think that they are trying to not have her go with Daniel Sinjadas Keradek for as long as they possibly can. Tara: [17:10] Mhm. Yes, I agree. Sarah: [17:12] Like, they are, I would rather they not do it at all, but D Currently, it does seem to be that he's starting to get some pants feelings, and she's like oblivious because of everything else that's going on. Tara: [17:15] Mhm. Yeah. Sure. Sarah: [17:25] And I'm content for it to stay that way for like all of season two and indefinitely, but it has a lot of limitations, but it's making good choices mostly within those. And I hope that that continues. Tara: [17:36] One last question for you, Sarah. David Gentoli is an alumnus of Road Rules. Do you want to see him continue to do this, or would you rather see him in the next season of the challenge? Sarah: [17:49] The challenge is getting really intense, and they have a bunch of like twenty one year old cheerful All I do is work out types from the UK who would like who will try to murder him. Like, they're dropping them into empty shipping containers that are partially underwater. He's not the best actor I've ever seen, but I think it's much safer for him to do this. And I encourage his union and his agent to protect him because he is little. Speaking of little. Dave: [18:25] No, Sarah, speaking about big and important, it's the Ask EHG theme, number one on Billboard. The dance listings, not the overall ones. Tara: [18:40] Yeah, yeah, of course. Dave: [18:49] All right, it is ask EHG time, so it is time to deal with last week's Ask, Ask EHG. The judge is me, according to the wheel I just spun silently. I got a new wheel. It's silent. I don't think I'm going to use it again, though. I don't really like that as silent. The question came from Jovial Gent. They asked, What show would you pitch to appeal to Steve Jobs or Tim Cook? based on that whole thing a few months ago where creators were basically saying you have to sell to the people at Apple, actually, a show you think they would want to watch versus a show people would want to watch. Tara: [19:21] Mm-hmm. Yes, this is what we heard from Catherine Van Ehren. Dave: [19:25] Yeah, but we did have some good ones. On nuts, made a case for Auburn University set athletic department drama with a lot of s Sports and education notes that I'm sure were great, but unfortunately, your judge this week is a Canadian nerd, so tough luck on that front. Seth had one that I thought was really good. In this space western targeted only to dads and uncles, Earth is in a steep decline and will be uninhabitable in a matter of decades. This show follows the first Mars colony living in a Deadwood-esque outpost, responsible for the terraforming to prepare for the next wave of rich Settlers. Factions include the science team led by Cherry Jones, the religious settlers led by Russell Crowe, and the billionaire industrialists who co-financed the project with the United States. Tara: [20:12] Someone didn't watch Space Show and it shows. Sarah: [20:15] Mm-hmm. Tara: [20:15] It's space shows. Dave: [20:17] Our winner this week is Laura with a U. A period drama set in the Bauhaus Art School. It is soapy, Downton Abbey-y, and Manhattan-y, but there are lots of shots of art and industrial design and geniuses and typography. Tara: [20:33] Mhm. Yep. Dave: [20:36] Does the show suffer from pacing issues as it lovingly shows off beautiful things? Probably. So you win. Hit me up on Discord. Give me your mailing address. I'll send you a sticker package, of course, featuring the very new Ask EHG exclusive, which I forgot what it is. What is it? Tara: [20:56] I do too. Dave: [20:57] What was it? Tara: [20:58] I don't know. Dave: [20:59] It's been a while since I've sent them out. Well, it's great, whatever it is. Tara: [21:01] Is it we are all domer? Dave: [21:02] Oh, yeah, it is. It's that one, and that's bullshit. Tara: [21:04] That's bullshit, right? Dave: [21:05] That's right. Sarah: [21:05] Oh, yeah, that's bullshit. Tara: [21:06] Right, right, right. Dave: [21:07] Phew. All right, let's get into your questions for us this week. First one comes from Erica, your octopus friend. Inspired by Day's Fever Ray Mercy Street recommendation, what is your favorite cover song that hews closely to the original? And if you have it, what's one that deviates wildly from the original? Tara: [21:28] I went with the latter, wildly deviates. Is this my favorite? Maybe not. It's my favorite this week, for sure. We hear it at the beginning of I know what you did last summer, the Original 1997 version. Let's hear the clip. Clip: [21:43] Summer breeze makes me feel fun blowing through the dragon below. Tara: [21:59] That was, in fact, a weird goth version of Summer Breeze. There. Sarah: [22:05] I went with Social Distortions cover of Ring of Fire. It doesn't do a whole lot to the original because the original doesn't have that much that you can. Do to it. But a punk reading kind of cleans the bones of a song, that makes any sense. And I think that that's true here. I just really have always liked it. And the original is great, but Social distortions drone is also kind of fun given the lyrics. Dave. Dave: [22:29] Well, I'll dispense with the easy answer, which is Johnny Cash is hurt. Which is like 10,000 times improving the original song, which is okay. I'm not banging on the original, but it was it felt true when he did it. Some other selections I have: Bangles, Hazy Shade of Winter. Simon Garfunkel song. Devo satisfaction is like one that's like, oh, what are we doing here? Okay, this is nuts, but somehow it works. And then one I found just jumping around a couple of weeks ago, and I bookmarked it because I thought maybe I'll use it sometime. And here we are. It is a Finnish speed or death metal band. You know how they love those in Scandinavia. And here is what they're doing. Clip: [23:12] He could preach the Bible like a preacher, Pull of Ecstasy and Fire But he also was the kind of teacher with a book in style. RARA Rest the team of the Russian queen. They want to get that we once more. Ride high, Rusty. Russia's queen is not machine. We wrestled shitting now, we carried on. Dave: [23:39] That's Turi Turiasa. Tara: [23:40] It's pretty good. Dave: [23:43] I don't know how you say that. Tara: [23:43] Uh-huh. Dave: [23:44] From Finland. Tara: [23:45] Yep. Dave: [23:45] So good on them. And then, but I'm going to say my answer is: and I don't know if humanity is ever going to improve on William Shatner's Mr. Tambourine, man. Sarah: [23:53] Probably not. Dave: [23:54] Yeah. Damon, Star Trek. Speaking about Star Trek, Star Trek, the animated series, had the entire original cast from the original series except for one. Which now defunct shows should get a similar treatment, which cast members left out, and who or what replaces them? Sarah. Sarah: [24:12] Everwood, the animated series, is rotoscoped. Treat Williams's Andy Brown is replaced. By Brian Cox, but Brian Cox is told that it is the Bond competition show and to give his lines the same gloss that he would for that. Dave. Dave: [24:29] Uh, I'm going with Deadwood. Brad Doriff as Doc Cochran is excluded, and this is a deep cut, is replaced by Peter O'Meara from the 2003 CSI in the Old West series Peacemakers. where he played America's first forensic scientist opposite Tom Beringer's US Marshal. Sarah: [24:49] Wow Mm-hmm. Tara: [24:50] Well, it's gonna be the West Wing, the animated series, but now Jed Bartlett is Peter Cullen in character as Optimus Prime. Dave: [25:01] Um, yes, please, actually, for real. Tara: [25:03] Yep, I I know. Sarah: [25:05] Yep. Would watch. Dave: [25:05] Yeah, okay. Ritten Z, what is one pop-up video style factoid about each of you? David Cole is related to the human Gordon Lightfoot and Richard Burton. Tara: [25:22] Despite being very out of shape, Tara Ariano can lean back and touch her toes to her forehead. Sarah. Sarah: [25:29] Sarah D. Bunting made out with an amazing race contestant. Dave: [25:35] And with an E, get ready for follow-up questions on that one, by the way. And with an E, my TV keeps advertising The Blind, a biopic of one of the Duck Dynasty dudes. Which reality TV show personality should have an origin story movie and who's playing them? Tara: [25:54] It's going to be Jeff from last season of the Great British Bake Off, who quit, because what is his story? I need to know. He is going to be played by a mid-90s era Ron Liebman because that's exactly who he looked like. Dave. Dave: [26:08] I'm going to go with Stephen Yan of Walk with Yan. Tara: [26:11] Mm-hmm. Dave: [26:11] Nobody knows. Maybe like Squid Eye on the forums might know what I'm talking about. This is probably for like three people out there. But if you're Canadian and you're old enough, you know exactly who I'm talking about. This was something that was on all the independent channels when you got home from school. It is a guy, Stephen Yan, and he is a chef and he just cooks a whole bunch of Chinese dishes. But the one episode is him just cooking the dish all the way through. Like, it's not like he has all the ingredients ready. He starts chopping everything up. He cooks it. So it's like takes a half hour to make these dishes, and it's sort of in real time. He is a character. He always has these stupid punny aprons with some sort of walk pun on it, like, you know, walk with me or something like that. I don't know what the biopic is exactly about, but I have the first scene. A sort of mythic retelling of his birth. His mother is struggling to give birth, and then he actually is ejected. And then he lands in the walk, and he sort of like spins around in the walk for a little bit, you know, just centrifugal force until he like Just spirals down to the bottom and has a little nap. He's played by Stephen Chow. Sarah. Sarah: [27:22] Tim Gunn played by Christoph Waltz. Dave: [27:25] Jovial Gent on Watch What Happened, Seth Rogan, Rose Byrne, and Luke McFairlane reenacted an argument from Vanderpump Rules. What other television argument we'd like to see these three actors perform, Sarah? Sarah: [27:38] This is probably recency of Andy Cohen mention bias, but I really would love to see them reenact Danielle Staub. inciting Teresa Judice to shove Andy back into his chair at that notorious Real House Wives of New Jersey reunion from a few years ago. Roseburn obviously is Andy Cohen, Rogan is Danielle, and Luke McFarlane is Teresa. Don't ask. Doesn't matter. Dara. Tara: [28:03] I really had a problem. thinking of famous three-person arguments outside of Bravo reality shows. But so I went with one that's not an argument, but it's definitely confrontational. And that's Lisa and Bill from News Radio pitching Jerry Seinfeld on doing their show after randomly spotting him in a restaurant. Oh, are we casting two? I guess obviously Rose would play Lisa. Seth Rogan, I'm going to say, is Bill, and Luke McFarland is Jerry Seinfeld. Sarah: [28:31] Mhm. Love it. Dave: [28:33] Luke McFarland as Joey. This is for you, Tara. Tara: [28:36] Ah. Dave: [28:36] Seth Rogan as Chandler and Roseburn as Ross in the Could I Be Wearing Any More Clothes scene? Sarah: [28:45] Yep, love it. Dave: [28:46] EC fell after seeing a bunch of Wednesday slash Wendy's advertising. What is the weirdest TV tie-in deal you remember? So I guess they have like the meal of misfortune or something like that. Yeah. Honestly, we've lived with it so long that I think the culture has sort of forgotten how weird Flintstone chewable vitamins are. Sarah: [29:08] Hmm. Tara: [29:08] Yeah, it's true. Sarah: [29:08] Yeah, it's true. Dave: [29:10] Sarah. Sarah: [29:10] I'm not saying that it's not awesome. I'm not saying I didn't want the stickers, and I'm not saying I don't still want the stickers, but Mr. T cereal is a deranged concept that could only have existed in the 1980s. Dave: [29:23] Yeah, lives on through Pee Wee Herman's big adventure. Tara: [29:28] I felt like this was way more something that happens with movies, so I had to do some research and I found what I don't remember, but I stand by it, and that's going to be Skinny butcher's line of themed plant-based nuggets tied into stranger things? Like, were people in the 80s in Indiana doing a lot of vegan dining? Sarah: [29:43] Okay. Tara: [29:48] I feel like probably not, but any. Sarah: [29:50] Yeah, hmm. Dave: [29:50] But if you're in Indiana down on a steak every other day, it is a stranger thing to you. Tara: [29:55] Mhm. Dave: [29:56] Dan Cassino did a whole bunch of quizzes for the Great American Pop Culture quiz show that were like about tie-ins to Hollywood stuff, so TBN movies. And one of my favorite ones there was the Denny's Grand Slam Lord of the Rings meal, I think it was, which, yeah, great pairing. Tara: [30:10] Oh, sure, sure, sure. Mm-hmm. Lest we forget The Avengers and Red Baron Frozen Pizzas. Dave: [30:17] Red Baron Pizza. Tara: [30:18] Red Baron Pizza Friends, they will be that forever for me. Dave: [30:19] Yeah. Ingredients assemble. Damon's wife, Jen, asking a question through Damon. Liz Lemon had Dove Age Fighting Acne Cream. What is a fictitious product from a TV show that should exist in real life? Tara. Tara: [30:34] That Sarah. Sarah: [30:35] It feels like we need an AI free reimagining of the search space. So chum hum from the good wife first, it is Dave. Dave: [30:43] I'm gonna go with Futurama's Dr. Flynn Flam's Miracle Cream, which you can square it on yourself and rub on yourself, and then you get superpowers for. Tara: [30:50] Mm-hmm. Dave: [30:51] A day or something like that. Tara: [30:52] Yep. Dave: [30:53] I sure could use it right now. It probably does a way better job than a leave. Rube Goldberg. Hey, we got him. What does Wig Cop think of Jackie on the current season of Taskmaster New Zealand? And you have to set up what she does on the show. Tara: [31:07] Of course. So as I hope most of our listeners at least I really do. Dave: [31:11] Let me just fill you in a little backstory. Tara hates her. Okay, go ahead. Tara: [31:16] So they, you know, there's the tasks and they go and shoot them wherever. And then there's also the studio component of the sh of the show where they are talking, interacting with the taskmaster. Doing little bits. There's also a live task, a couple of live tasks, but whatever. Jackie has been in a different wig for every episode of the show. In the studio. And I think there is a certain kind of theater kid sketch performer who's always going to try to draw attention to themselves, whether it makes sense or not. See also Jackie putting on costumes for as many tasks as she possibly can, and wigs also on the pre-taped portion of the show. And that's what I think. She is exhausting. And I also am trying to, because she bugs me so much. And I know she's a good actor. I saw her in the What We Do in the Shadows movie, and that was fine. Like in my head canon, the other contestants don't like her either because they seem to tease her in what to me seems like a little bit of a meaner way than just regular teasing. Like at some point, she brought up that she takes a Community hip-hop class every week. And Alice Sneddon, my favorite character this season, or contestant, was like, Yes, you've told us that many times. She had a funnier way of putting it, but it seems like. There's a group chat that Jackie's not on, and there's a lot of shit talking happening behind her back. That's again just my head cannon. Sarah: [32:38] Yeah. Tara: [32:40] I really have no evidence for this, but I would be curious to know what other people who have been watching this season think about her popularity in the group, let's say. Dave: [32:49] All right, Jack is here for a question for me. Dave, as an Australian, I was hugely impressed with your pronunciation of Brisbane. During the game time for episode 577, I would love to hear you try to pronounce the following Australian place names. Now, maybe, Tari, you can just spell them out and then I'll do each one. Tara: [33:07] Okay, the first one is W O L L O N G O N G. Dave: [33:12] All right, so here's my theory about Australian pronunciations that are admittedly probably all over the map, as are a lot of Commonwealth Nation stuff. So, a lot of slurred bowel shifting going on here. Tara: [33:24] Hmm. Dave: [33:24] So, I'm going to go with Wollongong for this one. Tara: [33:27] I think that's right. Dave: [33:28] Okay. Tara: [33:28] Next one: L-A-U-N-C-E-S-T-O-N. Dave: [33:33] First thought was Launston, but since this is a quiz about pronunciation, I'm throwing that out as too obvious. So now I'm thinking it's like a Sir Lancelot versus Sir Launcelot sort of scenario. So I'm going Launceston. Tara: [33:44] Mm-hmm. Dave: [33:49] Yeah. Tara: [33:49] Okay. Dave: [33:49] I think that's right. Tara: [33:50] I'm not really sure how this one got on the list because I think we all know how to pronounce it, but M-E-L-B-O-U-R-N-E. Dave: [33:57] Yeah, we've also watched enough Utopia/slash Dreamland to know that's Mibbin, Mibbin. Tara: [34:01] Bilboon. Next one, G-O-O-N-D-I-W-I-N-D-I. Dave: [34:08] Well, no matter how you actually say it, this is a fun word to attempt. Tara: [34:12] Mm-hmm. Dave: [34:12] I'm going to go with Gunduwundi. Tara: [34:13] Mm-hmm. Next one, L-A-L-O-R. Dave: [34:16] Yeah, okay. This is the one that I was like, this is the one I'm really not sure about, which is ironic since it's the closest. Sarah: [34:20] Yeah, this is going to have five syllables totally. Dave: [34:24] So L-A-L-O-R, my immediate thought is La Lore. Tara: [34:28] Uh-huh. Dave: [34:29] But again, since this is an Aussie trap quiz, I'm going to go Laylore. Tara: [34:33] Okay. Dave: [34:33] Yeah. She may have put one in there just to be like, this is very normal, but I don't think she did. Okay. Tara: [34:40] Finally, a street in Toronto we know quite well, B-A-T-H-U-R-S-T. Dave: [34:43] Yeah. Yeah, this is going to be a cheat. I bet it's pronounced the same way. This is a major artery in Toronto, which we live pretty close to. Tara: [34:52] We were very close. We lived at that subway station. Dave: [34:55] So assuming they don't pronounce it a really weird way beyond the Canadian weird way, or rather English weird way, I'm going to guess. This is bathirst, like bathirst. I thirst for correct pronunciation, not bath thrust, which is sort of what it looks like. Tara: [35:10] Yeah. Also, has it been that long that we've lived there? Dave: [35:11] So, those are my answers. Tara: [35:14] We didn't live by Bathurst. What the fuck was I talking about? We lived on Bathurst at one point. We lived at Bathurst in St. Clair. Dave: [35:21] Well, in cosmic terms, we live close to Bathurst. Tara: [35:23] Yes. Dave: [35:24] I mean, Bathurst is uh is well, no, Bathurst isn't that far over. Tara: [35:27] No, you're right. Dave: [35:28] No, Bathurst is like further than Spadina, which is another word. Tara: [35:33] Yes. Dave: [35:33] But yeah. Yeah, Bathurst was on our side of Young. Tara: [35:36] Mhm. Dave: [35:37] This has been Toronto talk. Tara: [35:40] I actually was correcting myself because when I said we lived near this one, I was thinking of Osington Station and then I forgot we also lived on Bathurst for a time. Anyway, Toronto talk over. Dave: [35:51] Jack, without a K, I need a scorecard on that one, please. Diatho, you're now in charge of music of Paramount. Tara: [35:59] Yay. Dave: [36:01] You're reviving behind. This was written a while ago. You're reviving behind the music. Who is the first guest you book? Sarah. Sarah: [36:08] I mean, I don't know if you booked that show so much. Tara: [36:11] That's what I that was my note, too. Sarah: [36:12] Is is A, B. The first stories that I thought of are so dark that they're in another area of the Paramount Verse on true crime shows like Diddy, Kanye, Aaron Carter. I think we want to go a little more inspirational and fluffy. Troughs aren't quite so feloniously deep. So I am going with Kelly Clarkson. Tara: [36:37] Well, first of all, I'm probably getting fired because they did revive Behind the Music in 2021. And someone is going to notice that I didn't notice that if this is something I'm pitching, but that's ad. I guess Jenny Lewis. I couldn't think of anyone else they haven't already covered at least twice. Sarah: [36:50] Hmm. Yeah, it's a good one. Dave: [36:53] Yeah, that's the problem. All the interesting ones are done, right? Like, I love the story about David Bowie going off his fucking gourd so much, doing I forgot what album it is, but basically he was in such a cocaine haze. Tara: [36:55] Yeah. Sarah: [36:56] Yeah. Dave: [37:04] He was like, I have zero memory of writing those songs, performing those songs, recording those songs, and I believe him. Tara: [37:07] Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Dave: [37:11] So that was probably a really fun time to be around David Bowie, but I'm sure they'd done it three times already. Tara: [37:14] Yeah. Yeah. When I went to look at who they covered in the 2021 version, there was a bunch that were like so-and-so remastered. So they've like gone back and done them twice in some cases. Sarah: [37:24] Yeah. Tara: [37:25] So. Sarah: [37:25] Mhm. And now Netflix has their version, which is called Remaster. Tara: [37:29] Right. Uh-huh. Sarah: [37:30] So good luck. Dave: [37:32] There's a type of show now that is sort of just cut short because it is better as a shorter TikTok video. And this is definitely one of them where you just get to hear the juiciest part of the behind the music story as the three minute YouTube short or TikTok video or something like that. So I just don't think you make this kind of show anymore. Tara: [37:49] Yeah. Right. Dave: [37:52] Yeah. Mill snack has our last question. Feels like only a matter of time before B. B. Newworth shows up on the Gilded Age. Excellent notion. Tara: [38:00] Definitely. Mm-hmm. Dave: [38:01] Whom should she play? Remember on one of the American horror stories? It was a one set in New Orleans. Tara: [38:07] Yeah. Dave: [38:08] What was that called? Tara: [38:09] Coven? Dave: [38:10] Jazz? Okay. Sarah: [38:11] I like to call Coven. Tara: [38:12] Yes. Coven. Dave: [38:13] They did a version of the Ax-Man murderer guy, who is a real life Guy. Tara: [38:16] Yeah. Sarah: [38:16] Mm-hmm. Tara: [38:18] Uh-huh. Dave: [38:18] I'm sure Sarah can fill this in on all the details. Sarah: [38:18] Yeah. Dave: [38:20] But basically, he was a guy who was killing people, breaking into their homes, and either smacking them with a hammer or putting an axe in their back. Sarah: [38:21] Not really. Dave: [38:28] Something like that. And then, like, he got some announcement out to the press or something like that, which he basically said, I'm going to do some more killing because, guys, I fucking love killing people. Sarah: [38:29] Mm-hmm. Dave: [38:40] And then he said, But if you listen to jazz at a jazz club, you're safe. And then everybody went to a jazz club for a while so they wouldn't get murdered at night. Sarah: [38:49] He is not worse than jazz. Dave: [38:52] Yeah. So, taking that whole concept and applying it to the Gilded Age, which is like what was the new music genre of the Gilded Age, BB New Earth is going to play the rag lady. Instead of the jazz man guy, you know, ragtime, but she's murdering people left and right. Tara: [39:09] Okay. Dave: [39:09] Yeah, stern and violent. Tara: [39:11] Well, I didn't have that much backstory. I just I looked up her I looked up her Are you dead? Dave: [39:15] BB New Earth. I'm not saying I'm not turned on with that All right, here comes your question to answer, listeners. Tara: [39:23] Fucking asshole. Sarah: [39:25] Fuck it, Dave. Tara: [39:26] She's 66. Morgan Specter's 44. Therefore, she's going to be playing George Russell's mother, Sarah. Sarah: [39:33] Okay, clearly I have to catch up with this show, but I know enough about Hortonia, New York to know, A, that Edith Wharton and Mrs. Astor were cousins. And b, Ms. Newworth should play Edith Wharton's mother, Lucretia Rhinelander-Jones. Wharton's father had died in 1882. Mrs. Jones decamped permanently to Gay Paris not long after that, but she would have come back to visit, I feel, or they can just send the entire cast to do a grand tour in France. Dave: [40:07] It comes from Dixon Chance. What TV show reboot should be the first one filmed on the actual moon? Got a thought for that? Put in the Ask Ask ESG channel on our Discord. We'll review them. Be back next week with a winner getting those fabulous We Are Domer and That's Bullshit stickers. All right, it is time for the tiny canon. This week it is Musical Moments. That, of course, is from Star Trek the original series, Season 2, Episode 1, A Mock Time. It is called, I found out, I never knew the name of it, it's called Ancient Battletar. Yep, it is credited to Gerald Freed, not Fried, as I first thought in my brain. In that episode, Tapring, who we all probably know from the news series, because she was in a few episodes of that, but Tapring is a real dick. She is betrothed to Spock in this episode, but wants to marry another guy. His name is Stone or Staun. It's been 10,000 years since I've seen the episodes over. I get how you pronounce it. Let's go with Stone. So it's horny ponfar season for Spock. And if you remember your Star Trek movies, Vulcas just gets super horny every few years and just have to go fuck something. So he's compelled to travel to Vulcan, where Tapring just announces she doesn't really want to marry him, even though it's been all set up for years and years and years. And she invokes the ancient Vulcan rite of men beat each other up for l the lady. And T Pring doesn't pick Staun to fight for her, but rather chooses Kirk. As her champion. So now Kirk has to fight Spock, and there's just no way out of it. And Taprank has set up a no-lose situation for her because. If Spock kills Kirk, he's not going to want to stick around. Kirk kills Spock, he's just going to go back on the Enterprise. So no matter who wins, she's going to end up with who she wants to end up. Tara: [42:33] Very logical. Dave: [42:34] Very logical, but you know, what a dick. So that is the fight music from that. And yes, it's become sort of an iconic piece of music that has been turned into a punchline. And, you know, it's great, but it's a great iconic moment. So it's been used in The Simpsons and Futurama and the cable guy. Tara: [42:48] Cable bag. Dave: [42:50] Yes, we forget that the music itself, as the kids from five years ago would say, is a banger. It's a pretty good piece of orchestration there. So, for being a cultural touchstone, for being a good piece in music, and being just sort of a really great Part of a really stupid plotline in Star Trek. And by stupid, I mean capital S stupid, capital G, great stupid. Tara: [43:17] Yes, of course. Dave: [43:18] I present to you fight theme from Star Trek, aka Ancient Battle for your musical moment tiny cannon consideration. Tara: [43:26] Thank you, Dave. I'll go first. Gerald Reed went the fuck off when he wrote this. Like, he did not have to go so hard. If this is the only piece of music he ever wrote, great. That's a wonderful life's work that he could be proud of, and so can all of his descendants. Dave: [43:43] And it's also the disparity between the full orchestration of the piece and the fact that they're fighting in front of curtains. Tara: [43:48] Yes. Well, they're fighting in front of curtains, like in the ch the cheapest looking like studio ever. Sarah: [43:53] Mm-hmm. Using styrofoam. Tara: [44:01] Watching the the music, which is great in context of the scene, which is so crappy. It's really fun. So, yeah, it it it outclasses the moment. I mean, if you if there's one knock on it, it's that. It's that like it's too good for what it's supposed to be scoring. But it's perfect in context in that way. It's so well written. It also works out of context. Play it as a wedding processional. I'm sure someone has. If they haven't, you should if you're listening to this and are about to get married. Play it at a funeral, play it for a graduation ceremony. Probably don't play it as a lullaby, but maybe do. I don't know. Dave: [44:37] Played over two cats fighting video. Tara: [44:38] Play it on. Sarah: [44:39] Mhm. Tara: [44:40] I'm sure tons of people have done that. Sarah: [44:42] Oh, my God, yeah. Tara: [44:43] I'm going to start singing it now when we hear our dogs going the fuck off in our house, which happens once a day minimum. Dave: [44:49] I think this is a piece of music that you should have on your phone at the ready. So, when people start like having a couples fight in a restaurant, you could just like start it off low in the background, just gets louder and louder. Tara: [44:54] Yes Just real. Yep. Totally. So, yeah, this is an excellent choice. Sarah: [45:05] Yeah. Tara: [45:06] Fantastic. Sarah. Sarah: [45:07] Yeah, I have definitely seen this on like reels a gazillion times. My go-to for that when the cat was like sideways up to a leaf. Was Flight of the Bumblebee, but this is obviously better. Dave: [45:20] Yeah. Sarah: [45:21] I'm sure it was iconic immediately, but the fact that, like, I wasn't actually 100% aware that this was the origin of this piece, which I have heard hundreds of times. Sometimes just being ripped off with minor cosmetic changes, other times openly at homage, winky or not. But the fact that it became this much of a go-to long enough ago that I didn't remember the origin. And that I could sing all of the parts and do all of the like tympano and everything in it without even looking at what was going on. Iconic in the good way and not in the Sugarman way. And then there's the fact that it is such a disparity. with the quality of the scene as mentioned and like the curtains and the dirt they got from whatever, Home Depot, and just threw on the floor and these Giant swords or cuirasses, I guess, cutlasses. I don't even know what they are that are just very clearly made out of styrofoam. It's not as bad as that one penis rock. From the other episode, which like was my avatar on every social medium for like two years. Dave: [46:38] Really? Sarah: [46:41] When I discovered it, I think I put it in a lunch and a show on Previously. tv and then was like, and I'm just going to get this tattoo to my face. Dave: [46:48] Well, you speaking about the quality of the scene itself, there's one moment where Spock actually slices Kirk with this giant American gladiators looking Pommel thing, except one size sharp. Sarah: [46:59] Yeah, dude, they just dropped the camera and it's like clearly already. Tara: [47:00] Yeah. Dave: [47:04] And he he cuts them, but just enough to cut his shirt open, but no blood. Tara: [47:09] Yeah. Dave: [47:09] I was like, that's okay. Sarah: [47:09] Mm-hmm. Tara: [47:10] He's got like a scrape underneath. Sarah: [47:11] Yeah. Dave: [47:12] Yeah. Tara: [47:12] Like, it's not even a shaving cut. Sarah: [47:12] Mm-hmm. Dave: [47:13] And it's not a show that couldn't show blood because I've seen stills of other stuff where they do it, but somehow that was a choice. Tara: [47:15] Right. Yeah, uh-huh. Sarah: [47:18] Yeah. Dave: [47:18] The makeup artist just wasn't on set that day, I guess. The effects artist. Sarah: [47:21] No, it's like, yeah, you're uh that shirt is extremely tight in every single scene of the show. Dave: [47:23] Yeah. This shirt's chafing me, says William Shatner. Sarah: [47:29] Mm-hmm. Dave: [47:31] All right, shall we put this to the boat then? Sarah: [47:32] Hmm. Yeah, let's. Dave: [47:34] Okay, Tara Ariana, what say you for the tiny musical moment canon? Tara: [47:39] Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. Dave: [47:41] Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. All right, very good. Serity punting. Sarah: [47:45] But yes. Dave: [47:46] All right, so Ancient Battle from Star Trek. You are hereby inducted into the extra hot, great, tiny musical moments canon. Clip: [47:59] Americans love a winner. Yep. And will not tolerate a loser. Nope. Dave: [48:05] It is time to discover who is the not quite winner and not quite loser of the week times three. I will go first with our first not quite winner. It is my favorite actor ever, Joel Kinneman, the ultimate charisma vacuum for your project. Sarah: [48:21] Speaking of space show. Dave: [48:22] Although I do give him a patch for Space Show because I cannot imagine anybody else playing fucking Ed in that. Sarah: [48:27] No. Dave: [48:30] So he has a new show coming to Prime Video. It is called Bishop. Joel Kinneman could never replace Terry Jones as the Bishop. I don't even know why they're trying. We were too late. But here's the actual show: describe homicide detective. Guess is what his first name is? Tara: [48:49] The uh Peter Oh no. Dave: [48:50] Nope. Sarah: [48:51] The Priest Walter Oh, fuck off. Dave: [48:51] Nope. One more guess. Very close, guys. It's Bishop. Homicide detective Bishop. Now you gotta wait for his last name. Bishop Graves. Brilliant, battle-scarred, will put all of his skills to the test in the hunt for an elusive killer targeting San Francisco's moneyed class. Oh no, I hope he catches them. Sarah: [49:15] Yeah. Dave: [49:16] As this increasingly audacious killer develops a devoted following among the city's powerless, Bishop becomes convinced these murders connect back to San Francisco's most powerful man, his own father. Tara: [49:30] No Um, Rupert Shallow Hal, middle initial O, Graves. Dave: [49:31] Now we know his last name's Grave. What do you think his first name is? Sarah: [49:34] Empty early. Dave: [49:36] Close. It's just Lincoln, but I really was hoping that it was going to be like empty, yeah, or like Deadman, Deadman Graves. Sarah: [49:43] There you go. Dave: [49:44] Hallow Hallow, somehow is his name. Sarah: [49:45] Mhm. Mhm. Tara: [49:51] Yeah. Mm-hmm. Dave: [49:51] Yep. Tara: [49:51] Yep. Dave: [49:52] Uh, sounds terrible. Tara: [49:53] Yeah. Dave: [49:54] Sounds absolutely terrible. Tara: [49:55] Although, unfortunately, if this is a show about rich assholes San Francisco's getting killed, I'm going to have to watch at least one. Dave: [50:02] Yeah, I don't know if this is based on anything or if somebody's just like, we got to Luigi up a show quick. Tara: [50:06] Yeah. Sarah: [50:07] I was just gonna say it's the sons of Luigi. Tara: [50:08] Mm. Dave: [50:09] Yeah. Tara: [50:10] Luigiify it by twenty percent. Dave: [50:13] My not quite loser of the week is NBC, according to Rain Wilson. They missed out on billions of dollars by axing the office spin-off. That was about Dwight's Beet Farm. Tara: [50:25] Uh-huh. Dave: [50:26] Billions of dollars from one TV show. Tara: [50:28] Yeah. Dave: [50:30] They could have made billions of dollars with just one half hour of television a week for like three or four years. Tara: [50:35] Which by the way was going to be launching in like the twenty teens or something. So it's like no one was making net no network was making billions by then on any get one show. Dave: [50:43] Furthermore That episode of The Office was terrible. Tara: [50:48] Yeah, it sucks. Dave: [50:48] That backdoor pilot they did with Moses, his brother, it was just so tone deaf. Tara: [50:52] Mm-mm. It's his cousin, I think. Just Mose, not Mose's. Dave: [50:57] Mo. Okay. Tara: [50:57] Mm-hmm. Dave: [50:58] Really bad. Tara: [50:59] Yeah. Dave: [50:59] So I think they dodged a bullet there, but I mean, maybe NBC is like, ah, I wish we had that billion dollars now. Tara: [51:04] Mhm. Dave: [51:05] Darn. Tara: [51:06] Yeah. Dave: [51:06] Why stop at billions? Rain Wilson, why not say trillions? Sarah, what do you got? Sarah: [51:13] My not quite winner is Killian Murphy, who shut down rumors that he would be playing Voldemort in the Harry Potter TV show. Good. Nobody should be playing anything in that show. But he is also kind of a loser at the same time for saying that it's because he doesn't want to try to step into the shoes of Ray Fiennes. That's fine, but make your reason the fact that the IP comes from a vicious transphobe, and let's be real, a shitty writer. Tara: [51:39] Mm-hmm. Sarah: [51:40] Fuck her. Tara: [51:41] Not to mention he also has like some Sins to expiate still from playing a trans woman in Breakfast on Pluto before people were really getting mad about that kind of thing, but still, not cool. Dave: [51:53] Here's how we can turn around this Harry Potter TV show. They got to throw all the casting, right? Tara: [51:58] Uh-huh. Dave: [51:58] Like everybody that has agreed to it, we're just going to be saying, like, we're giving your break. We're firing you. Tara: [52:04] Mhm. Dave: [52:04] Just say you quit. Tara: [52:06] Yeah. Dave: [52:06] And now the whole thing is going to be cast with like people like Selma Blair, Christian Chenowitz. They all have to be in this now. So it's just like a total right-wing fuckfest of a terrible TV show. Tara: [52:19] Oh, no. Is Selma Blair right wing? Dave: [52:22] Yeah, she was like one of those Charlie Kirk, like, oh, you know, he was such a good family man who just wanted to kill everybody. Tara: [52:24] Oh, God. Well. Sarah: [52:28] Yeah. Tara: [52:29] Sure, not Jack. Sarah: [52:30] Yeah. Both the quads. Sure, I can film it in Texas. Dave: [52:34] Front load that whole thing with white right wingers, and that gives you permission on the fence, Harry Potter super fans, to not watch, hopefully. Tara: [52:39] Mhm. Yes. Dave: [52:45] And who's your loser of the week? Sarah: [52:46] Yeah, I actually do have a not quite loser, and that is the Netflix true crime subject known as the Tinder Swindler, arrested after After allegedly stealing fifty grand from a woman who was like, he still was finding people to scam. Dave: [52:54] Still funny. Sarah: [53:03] Years after this documentary came out. But it was kind of nice of him to help a past victim with some marketing, like no such thing as bad news. Headlines about the first documentary so that she can promote her series, which is a spin-off of the documentary. It's called Lovecon Revenge, and I'm sure that she doesn't mind. Him being back in the news, so that people will go to Netflix and look for them both. Dave: [53:31] That was also a bad episode of the paper. Tara: [53:34] Right. My not quite winner is our lead topic from Wednesday's episode, The Morning Show, which got renewed for season five just ahead of its Season 4 premiere like a couple of hours before it dropped. I think this is not really a surprise. It's one of the only Apple TV Plus shows that, like, Other than Severance really gets any award play, despite being fucking terrible and stupid, it is extremely watchable, and all of that means, yeah, let's keep making it. What are we stupid? And they're not. So. Yay for this bad show continuing. By the way, we're recording this on Thursday, and Christina's recap just landed in my inbox. I am saving it to saver later in the day because I'm so glad to have her back. Sarah: [54:16] I can't wait. Tara: [54:19] Not quite loser of the week is Saturday Night Live, which is among the many cast departures this season. Losing Eggo Nuodem, which leaves it with Zero black women in the cast, and they hired four people, which were three guys, one of them black, and one woman who is white. So cool. They're back to the exact same problem that everyone was mad at them about like 10 years ago before they actually tried to remedy their cast issues. Bad sign of things to come for, let's face it, a bad show. And we welcome in grandpas for our extra credit segment. We implore you to consider kicking up your pledge so that you can get every single benefit that is available to you, including the full Fat, meaty, dripping with content. This metaphor got away from me. Friday episode. Dave: [55:19] I was really glad that word was content because I thought we were going somewhere. Tara: [55:24] No. Dave: [55:25] Oh, the podcast turned into a part of podcast so slowly, nobody noticed. Sarah: [55:26] Yeah. Mm-hmm. Tara: [55:28] Sorry, extraheartgate. com slash club Listen, I didn't say that. Dave: [55:31] All right, great. What a pitch! Sarah: [55:33] Food sex and death dot edu Oh not any more Jesus. Dave: [55:35] Yeah. Would you like the spooge edition of extra extra hot grade? Yeah, he kinda did. Tara: [55:42] No, I didn't. Dave: [55:43] Big throbbing meaty countenance Anyways Do you think Buck would be the first one to die? Tara: [55:44] Meaty? That could be a turkey leg of content. Anyway, today's extra credit topic comes to us from Nick Reinwald Jones. It is called Galaxy It is called Galaxy QuestQuest. Nick writes, Pick a TV show and Galaxy Questize it. That is, the actors themselves must perform the rules of the characters they play. Explain why this scenario would work out spectacularly well or be an utter catastrophe. Who's the behind the scenes asshole who finds redemption doing the thing they've been pretending to do? Who's the put-upon schmuck who discovers hidden meaning amid the triteness? And by the way, you get to be the Justin Long fanboy character with an encyclopedic knowledge of the show who's forced to guide and motivate these Hollywood snobs to victory. Thank you, Nick. I'll go first. I considered a 911, but I guess I don't want anyone to die, which is what would happen if actors tried to do any of the stunts that they do on that show. Dave: [56:42] I mean, the actor playing Buck, or would he be like really great at it? Tara: [56:45] The first to die? Oh boy. I'm trying to think of the Yeah, probably. Sarah: [56:50] Nine one one snuff film. Tara: [56:54] I mean, I do think Rob Lowe probably thinks he is qualified as an EMT at this point from being on the show. Sarah: [57:01] Yeah, probably. Tara: [57:01] So he would probably kill someone. Dave: [57:03] Right. Oh, right. I see. Sarah: [57:04] Mhm. Dave: [57:04] He would be the cause of death. Tara: [57:06] Yes. Dave: [57:06] What if somehow it's Jennifer Love Hewitt and she dies somehow answering phone calls? Tara: [57:12] Very possible. I also ruled out glow, even though I think it would be funny, and real wrestling fans might actually get into actors showing up whatever level of skills they had, no choice but to learn on that show. Dave: [57:22] Right. Yeah. I think deaths would come quicker in glow. You get untrained people doing that kind of wrestling. Tara: [57:30] Perhaps. Dave: [57:30] You got some snap necks and backs real quick. Sarah: [57:32] Yeah. Tara: [57:33] But I think the actors are probably good at improvising and like Someone who is less skilled would find a way to like avoid actual injury and just right. Dave: [57:41] Right. Because wrestling is not real, but your inexperience can make it too real. Tara: [57:46] Correct. Dave: [57:47] Right. Sarah: [57:47] Mm-hmm. Tara: [57:47] I mean, wrestling is not spontaneous. Sarah: [57:48] Yep. Tara: [57:50] It's real, but it's choreographed. And you know, they probably know enough to get by and someone who is not skilled at the wrestling part would be able to like grab a mic and just yell a lot probably. Probably. Anyway, it didn't pick that either. I'm going with Tulsa King. I think Garrett Hedland, who plays Mitch, is probably going to have the easiest time as a Bartender who can sing. I believe those are both things you can see him doing at a party after about three hours of him being there. The Tatiana Zapardino plays Dwight's estrange daughter Tina. I'm sure she can be convincing as an annoying and resentful millennial, which is what she does on the show. I also believe Annabella Sciora, she plays Dwight's sister Joanne. Can bake pastries with weed in them. That's the last thing I remember her doing when we watched that show. All the mob guys back in New York look enough the part. To me, to get by, also, and I believe Jay Will plays Tyson can drive and be charming, but everyone else is going to have a hard time. Martin Starr. Who plays the weed entrepreneur Bodhi? Doesn't strike me as someone who can hang with figures from organized crime or even from like the gray market. I think we would see him revert to Bill Haverchuk mode. Run away real weird, possibly poop his pants. Sarah: [58:59] Yeah. Dave: [59:01] If Tulsa King had one scene per season. Where he's watching David Lenman eating a grilled cheese sandwich. Tara: [59:08] Yes. Dave: [59:08] I'd probably still watch just to figure out when that's going to be. Tara: [59:12] Max Casella plays Armand True Easy. He works with horses on a ranch. He's going to get kicked in the chest and probably die. Dana Delaney. Plays Dwight's love interest. Margaret, I think she would have a difficult time expressing physical love for Sylvester Stallone in a situation where there is no intimacy coordinator present. Dave: [59:29] Hey, w where'd the chemistry go? Tara: [59:32] But obviously, Sylvester Stallone is going to be the worst off. I can only speculate about the foundation garments they have him like strapped into under his jackets. Dave: [59:43] Yeah, this thing's pretty tight. Tara: [59:46] I do think they impede whatever range of motion he has left. So he can't like swing a baseball bat at a bad guy or punch anyone. Basically, anything that requires him to lift his forearms past his belt. Dave: [59:57] Yeah, I just punched this one guy, no is gonna swivel over slowly to the other side and punch this other guy. Tara: [1:00:02] Exactly. Exactly. Could he compensate for his physical limitations by cultivating an even tougher, tough guy persona? Maybe. But I think his natural inclinations toward celebrity fanciness are going to shine through. Dwight can be flummoxed by a tiny espresso, but Stallone has been drinking those since the seventies at least. He's not going to want to get into any mayhem that happens after about 7:30 at night, which is going to affect his crime empire. Dave: [1:00:31] Somebody go get me a cigar. Tara: [1:00:34] So I'm going to be observing all this as Grace, the sarcastic girl who works at the weed store and can't really act, so it's perfect for me, except I have no poker face and Stallone is definitely going to clock me looking at him with disgust and or pity. So that is my answer. Dave: [1:00:48] Very good. Tara: [1:00:49] Sarah. Sarah: [1:00:50] Okay, first thought, best thought time. The cast of Mad Ben is dropped into an IRL Madison Avenue advertising firm in, let's say, 1964. It actually goes Okay for most of them because they're actors. So a lot of the bullshitty parts of a pitch meeting are second nature. John Hamm does start to run into problems when the executives from Widget Corp sign off on the cross-platform campaign because he's not a writer. Elizabeth Moss and Aaron Staton aren't writers. J. R. Ferguson can't even draw a stick figure. Plus, everyone's freaking the fuck out because they're stuck in the Johnson administration with no Internet. Except Elizabeth Moss, who's kind of the Tony Shaloub in Galaxy Quest, because she's a Scientologist, and this kind of WTF timeline situation is like the foundation of that religion. Allegedly, don't sue me. John Slattery and Talia Balsam are wigging out less than some because they're married in real life, so at least they have each other, but Christina Hendricks has no interest in corralling these Idiots, if it's not her actual job to do so, none of Kieran and Shipka's costumes fit anymore. She's holding the phone book upside down. It's a fucking fiasco, but All is not lost. Allison Bree is an old hand at cult properties that are circling the drain, and she convinces the 1964 universe somehow that, like Joan Didion and John Gregory Dunn, she and Pete work as a team. The two of them, plus Rich Summer, who we know is the polar opposite in real life of the smug skid marks he tends to play on T V, all buckle down and start project managing the campaign. Rich Summer starts rehabilitating his image as Harry among his colleagues. Meanwhile, Jared Harris, having realized Bob Ross is still on an Army base in Alaska in this timeline. And can't help them, is in the middle of cold calling all of his parents' contacts in Britain to see if anyone knows Lord Kenneth Clark personally when I, as Mrs. Blankenship, interrupt to remind him that He played Andy Warhol, so maybe some method muscle memory stuck with him. Can these crazy kids pull it off? We will not know until next season. This six-episode limited series, Mod Ben. We're ending on a cliffhanger as everyone waits outside the conference room, fussing nervously with their brooches and trying not to inhale too much secondhand smoke for the presentation to begin. That's it. Dave: [1:03:19] Is this anything? John Hamm as Don Draper as Winnie the Pooh, yelling at Elizabeth Moss as Piglet. That's what the honey's for. Sarah: [1:03:34] Yeah, keep going. Dave: [1:03:36] So up top we were talking about how high potential is sort of like a ABC version of a USA blue sky show, but kind of changing a bit with the darker storylines. So I think I figured out why in my answer. So when a panicked USA vice president discovers that the president of USA Network is missing in Miami. They hire the cast of Burn Notice to find him in real life. This is how that rolled. Sarah: [1:04:05] Haha, love it. Dave: [1:04:06] Jeffrey Donovan, who played Michael Weston, the lead. Has a lot of trouble performing in this scenario because he's always shitting himself senseless from eating a half gallon of yogurt a day. Gabriella Anwar is detained early on at a border crossing due to her forgetting what accent she's supposed to be using at the moment. Sharon Gless repeatedly pretends to blow herself up to take out bad guys, like in the finale of the show, until she accidentally blows herself up, R. Tara: [1:04:32] Mm-hmm. Dave: [1:04:35] I. P. Cagney or Lacey. But the real secret sauce here is Bruce Campbell. He completes all his directives because he's Bruce Campbell, and now you know him as Bruce Campbell in this scenario. And everyone kind of loves Bruce Campbell, and you want to help him. You want to be his friend in real life to the point where he'll just ask, like The bank security officer, like, can I go look in some safe deposit boxes that are totally not mine? And the officer is like, You betcha, Bruce Campbell, I loved you in Bubba Hotep. So, Bruce Campbell's on the phone with the kidnappers. Can I have the president back? And they're like, absolutely sure. And they get a few photos, selfies of them with Bruce Campbell. The end. Situation solved. Tara: [1:05:24] Amazing. Mm-hmm. Dave: [1:05:28] Well, that is it for this episode of Extra, Extra Hot Great. We discovered a lot. Oh, I see. Okay. I don't know what I wrote here, but I was like, we discovered a lot about our continuing high potential before answering your burning-ass ESG questions like: what fake TV product do you covet? And what show is getting the Star Trek animated series treatment? Speaking of Star Trek, Dave's ancient battle for its famous fight theme ended in triumph in the tiny musical moments canon. We celebrated those who weren't quite the best and worst of the week. and wrap it all up with three Galaxy Quested T V shows. Next up, it's the lowdown. Remember. Clip: [1:06:08] We're listening. Dave: [1:06:10] I am David T. Cole, and on behalf of Tara Ariano and Sarah Debunting. Tara: [1:06:14] I just realized we're following high potential with the low down. We didn't even plan it. Sarah: [1:06:21] More like Ponfart, am I right? Dave: [1:06:25] Thanks for listening. Sarah: [1:06:25] Apparently, I am. Dave: [1:06:26] What if Ponfar was just every seven years? Volcan's just like fart like crazy. Thanks, everybody. We'll see you next time right here on extra, extra hot grade. Turn six, Sarah. Clip: [1:07:18] This is Extra Hot Grave Minis. Today's topic is Exclamation Point. This is an extra great. Credit from Claire on the at EHG assist team who asks after I ask one minute topic Upper grabs four exclamation points, go six exclamation points, exclamation points, and then 12 exclamation points, and then brackets four exclamation point She suggested what show's title would be improved by adding a lot of exclamation points That's a good one. I'll go first. Mine is Antiques Road Show, which translates into the same show, but nobody can sit. There's never-ending strobes and lasers, and everybody has to yell all the time about all their discoveries and the prices of those discoveries. Tara, mine is Luther. It's basically the same show, but uh He gets to go shopping and buy more than one overcoat and look just a little bit more fabulous. Joe! I have a few. So, first off, I did. Mom, which is basically just mom. Like, I feel like you wouldn't really have to change too much about that. Same thing with HALT. And catch fire. You just really, it's a lot more about like disrupting things when you're putting a stop to things. Of course, I put like six exclamation points at the end of Outlander so that it will sound exactly like Dave sounds when And he says, Ootlander. Thank you. Throw an exclamation point at the end of Louie. So it's Louie, and it's like a whole different show. That's more along the lines of what I'm going to. But what I settled on was humans, which is a when the uh when the robots have taken over and Humans are scattered to the winds or and/or servants. And so it's a more comedic take on when, you know, humans just screw up everything and they, you know, don't get your electrolyte order right. And it's, it's really bad. Nice. That's fine. Who's next? Nick! Okay, well, I'm glad Joe did a bunch because I had one, and then as we started recording, I thought of another one. So the first one I had was. Making a murderer. And it is a game show where you have to genetically design someone. Who will eventually turn out to be a murderer? And the contestants would be scientists, I guess. But then the other one I just thought of. Six feet under. As you might expect, it is a Japanese style game show where the person who does not get enough right answers gets killed. Love it, Sarah. Well, that goes really well with uh mine. I had one that I sort of tried to make it work that instead of iRo robot, it would be I. Robot. And they just moved the whole thing to Coney Island, but that high-rise, it's also a senior center. But then my the one that I settled on really goes well with Nick's entries, which is uh Homicide hunter Joe Kenda! I think you have to have seen Joe Kenda's face, and if you go back in our archives to mid-December, see the Christmas ornament with him and the little Santa hat. Like, the idea of him doing anything with an exclamation point on it is ridiculous. He is like the most. like the evenest keel in the TVC, truly, and then for there to be any exclamation points, it would just be like Pink Lady and Jeff. Like, but that all of that would be happening around him, and then he'd just be sitting there, like, in a wing chair, solving crimes. Oh, I just thought of a really good one, too. Damn it. Go. Go ahead. Still recording. So it would be Vanderpump Rules, except it's like Lisa Vanderpump in college, like the college years, where she's a sorority girl who is trying to make things happen for herself and she's very excitable. And it's Vanderpump Rules. There's also the nightly news exclamation point, which would be like that Ken Brockman, you know, the action news. Oh, yeah. Death Storm and all that. And the other thing about all our entries is because we've added exclamations at the end of it. All of these shows can also be fantastic musicals. Luther! Look out this door, gonna break it down. I'm Luther, Luther.