Is Running Point A Hoops Dream?

Dave: [0:16] This is the Extra Hot Great Podcast, episode 552 for the week of March 3rd, 2025. I am poor rookie David T. Cole, and I'm here with nepo crone Sarah D. Bunting. Sarah: [0:33] Say that to my tin ear. Dave: [0:35] Crack enthusiast Tara Ariano. Tara: [0:37] Fuck, it is the best. Dave: [0:39] And definitely not a Los Angeles Laker, Krystal Farmer. Guest: [0:44] Go sports team. Tara: [0:50] Welcome to extra hot great for another week joining us she is a podcaster she's a basketball fan you've heard her with us many times before it's crystal farmer welcome back thank you. Guest: [1:04] For having me. Tara: [1:05] Crystal has had the bad luck of being a listener so she will say yes when we ask her to come on and sometimes that's fun like when we watch the company you keep and sometimes that sucks, like when we watch Franklin, but I feel like this is the best show we're talking about today is the best match of guest and topic. We're talking about running point. Jack Gordon used to be the legendary but difficult owner of the Los Angeles Waves pro basketball team in the, by the way, ABL, which I assume is American Basketball League. It's not the NBA. Now he's dead and his children are all involved in the organization. Cam, Justin Theroux, is the president. Tara: [1:48] Ex-player Ness, Scott McArthur, is GM. Sandy, Drew Tarver, is CFO. And Isla, Kate Hudson, is running the team's charitable organization because even though she is extremely knowledgeable about the game, she is also a reformed mess who never finished college. Plus, she's a woman. When something arises that requires a change of leadership, Cam surprises everyone by naming Isla to replace him. And everyone from loudmouths in sports media to the head of the team's board of directors to jerks on Reddit to Isla's own brothers have opinions about it. Will Isla prove herself and will the waves make the playoffs? The show was co-created by Elaine Coe, Ike Barinholtz, David Stassen, and Mindy Kaling. One of the executive producers is Jeannie Buss, whose real-life story this kind of is. The whole 10-episode season dropped on Netflix last Thursday, so we may talk about events from any of those. Let's do the Chen check-in, Crystal, should our listeners watch Running Point. Guest: [2:48] I say yay. Tara: [2:49] Sarah. Sarah: [2:50] I also say yay. Tara: [2:52] Dave. Dave: [2:53] I also say yay. Tara: [2:55] Me as well. Four for four. Let's get into it. Dave: [2:58] Why did we go into Franklin mode there for a second? We're all doing yays. See, it's not as bad as we thought. Tara: [3:04] Sorry. Crystal, you're probably the biggest basketball head on this call, though credit to Sarah. She is a close second. If it were up to you to design your ideal sitcom about basketball, would it have the same front office focus that this one does? Guest: [3:20] I would have liked to see more basketball, but I get that that's not what this show is about, right? The show is about the Kate Hudson character kind of coming into her own as the head of the franchise. But no, I think it's a pretty good match for subject and actual story. I am the biggest basketball weirdo probably on here It's funny because even before I knew it was kind of Jeannie Buss was like involved And I was like, oh, this is clearly like about Jeannie Buss of the Lakers And having taken over from, you know, her father when he passed And so I think that's kind of both the benefit of the show And also a little bit of a drawback Because, you know, you're drafting off of all of the history That we all kind of know about the Lakers Especially Utah, now that you're a big fan Yes, of course. Guest: [4:07] But because it's not actually the Lakers, right? You don't actually get those stars. You don't actually get the actual NBA people involved. And so there's a little bit of a, I don't want to say it feels chintzy, but there's a little bit, it's less flashy, it's less big, it's less grand than you would get if something, if it was like more of a documentary style or, you know, kind of an actually based on a true story of Jeannie Buss kind of a thing. I like those second and third episodes a lot more. I feel like it really comes into its own, both with the actual storylines and the acting. I really like the brother Ness, the one who's a former player who's kind of a fuck-up, but also knows basketball, probably the best having been in the league for even just a short time. And his characterization is just really funny. because a lot of what they do in the show is really drafting off of, if you're familiar with the NBA, there's a lot of different types of personalities and they really get them really well, particularly Ness as a former player who's kind of like, oh, my wife is from a different country and I played overseas for a long time, but also I'm kind of a little bit of a weirdo. And particularly the Chad Hanks character as well is a young star who's very overconfident but maybe not as good as they were at one point when they first came into the league, but they still have that same level of confidence and you're like, chill out a little, a little bit. Tara: [5:35] Yeah. Guest: [5:36] And one thing I did like about it is like so many of the other shows that like newer shows that I'm watching right now are like so intense, like The Pit and Severance, like these other shows that I'm really into, Yellow Jackets. Tara: [5:46] Yeah. Guest: [5:46] And so when I went back to this, I was like, oh, what a nice little warm bath of a show. You know, it's like, there's funny, there's a lot of joke. I mean, there's some serious-ish storylines, but they're not handled with any kind of reverence. Like, everything is a joke. Everything is for fun. Tara: [6:01] Yes. Guest: [6:01] And so I really like that about it. Tara: [6:03] It is nice when a sitcom comes along that it's easy to rally behind because it's like, oh, yeah, there used to be more of these. That was a time. Anyway, Sarah, same question. Is this how you would design a show like this? Because it is very much like kind of an office sitcom where basketball breaks out occasionally. So I wondered if you felt it was more for people like me and Dave than for people like you and Crystal. Sarah: [6:25] I mean, first of all, my basketball lodge is like college hoops, but like NCAA and NBA are about like the Fenn diagram is almost a circle the last couple of years. So there's that. I have also watched a bunch of like movies, docudrama about basketball scandals and the way they have to shoot around the fact that, and this is true of most sports, like they can do it with football sometimes. But baseball is like this too. like to get somebody who can hoop and act impossible practically so i understand that that was why they were doing that and i felt like there were certain like nba team and personality stereotypes like crystal was saying that they got really well and like pushed it really far like marcus's associate coming in with the giant candle and then she's like oh this is actually like a really good kid i mean like stuff like that i thought they did well enough that there was like obviously a deep knowledge of nba drama and fandom but they were smart enough not to be like i mean you know they can't really show yeah basketballing because that that way madness lies i mean i also love that brother who used to play but it's also like i don't that seems short even for like the latvian you know liga a like i don't know buddy i think you might be shorter than me but bless his heart. Tara: [7:51] Well, Chet Hanks definitely is. Good one, Chet. Sarah: [7:54] I wasn't having any issues with like realism or they're getting things wrong. And I think they cast it for like office sitcom really well. I always forget how charming she is too, that it's like, oh God. Tara: [8:10] Yeah. Sarah: [8:11] You know, with the leggings, like give me a fucking break. And then you're like, oh right, that's why you're a star. Tara: [8:16] Yeah. Sarah: [8:16] Who can fabletics at us. You have this charisma and she's great. Tara: [8:21] Yeah. She's really, this is going to sound like an insult and I do not mean it that way. Really good sitcom actor. Like she just is. You can tell she's done a lot of rom-coms. Like she knows how to do this. I mean, I guess she was on Glee before, but this is the first time she's headlined a show like this. And I thought she was great too. All right, Dave, you're like me. To explain what you liked about the show when you never watch basketball. Dave: [8:45] Well, first of all, there was some controversy on the way I was saying running point, apparently. I was saying it wrong. I was putting the emphasis on the wrong salibles. Guest: [8:53] Yes. Sarah: [8:53] You just did it again. Tara: [8:55] Yeah, it's running point, not like boiling point. Dave: [8:57] Fuck you guys. Tara: [8:58] That's what I have to say about that. Dave: [9:00] No, I appreciate that. I thank you for the note. Running point. Tara: [9:05] Yes. Like, I'm going to run point on this. Dave: [9:07] Got it. Tara: [9:08] Project. Dave: [9:08] Right, okay. Okay, so like they're a team of assassins and one has their run point. Tara: [9:12] That's right. Dave: [9:12] Okay, got it. Just have to put it in terms, I understand. Assassinations. Right. What was the question? Sarah: [9:18] Shooters. Tara: [9:19] What did you like about the show when you were not energetically connected to the material? Dave: [9:25] Well, it's light, as Crystal was saying, even when it's dealing with serious stuff like drug problems, it's done with a very pop culture-minded sensibility, which is nice. It's airy. the basketball doesn't get in the way. Not that I mind basketball like I didn't enjoy winning time as much as Tara did because no one did, but I didn't mind the basketball there. I feel like the basketball here really is like incidental. Like if there's one knock I have against this is that they show so little of the basketball and the mechanics of what is going on inside of the team that some of the storylines, especially with the coach, don't really make all of it. a lot of sense because the coach actually doesn't really get any wins in the storyline. They all are like afforded to the front office, you know, like saving player face and stuff like that. It doesn't really fall on him. So when it comes later in the season where he is sort of now like, oh no, things are happening with the coach. We have to figure it out. Like you're like, oh, why? What has he done? He hasn't done anything. They didn't show that on screen. So I thought they might've wanted to mix it a little bit more, but generally speaking, It is extremely well cast. I thought like there wasn't really somebody in the main cast. I was like, oh, I wish that was whoever. I thought that was really great. The design of the fake team was pretty bad. The font they're using for waves is like a turn of the century poster font. It's called Brothers. It's like an old timey font for a circus. Tara: [10:53] I thought it was, and I forgot to ask you. Dave: [10:55] Because the rest of it is supposed to be sort of like California vibes, but that is not a California vibes font. They have some scenes in the front office or whatever you call it, headquarters, where they show, obviously, what was like the 70s version of the Waves logo, which is like very Cooper Black-esque and that like totally tracks. But their modern logo, I think they needed to get a better team on that one. But like actual show, not stupid nitpicks like I like to do. I thought it was really funny. I thought all the siblings worked really well together, including the new one. There's a new one. Tara: [11:30] We'll get to it. Dave: [11:31] Yep. And I thought he was mixed in really great. I would say all the story beats you see coming, there's nothing new there, but it's also what makes it kind of comforting. So I'm not going to complain about it. Tara: [11:42] Yeah, but she also like there's it could be the kind of a show where like she's right about everything and she's not like she has she has some fuck ups. There's a whole thing in the I think the fourth episode where they're trying to set up a new streaming platform. Dave: [11:53] Yeah. Tara: [11:54] And she tries to do a move and it like completely backfires on her. So I appreciated that. It was not just like a girl boss fantasy. Dave: [12:01] Right, right. Tara: [12:02] This show is largely cast with people that we know from other projects. I think Scott MacArthur is probably the least known who plays Ness, although people might remember him for the first season of Righteous Gemstones, where he was Gideon's stunt performer friend, who gets involved in, like, an extortion scheme that first season. In your opinion, vibes-wise, Crystal, who is the best fit for the professional role that they're cast to do, and who is the worst? Like, just on paper, not in terms of their performance, who, when you saw them, were like, Like, was there anyone where you were like, oh, yeah, totally. And anyone where you were like, I don't know. Guest: [12:35] Speaking of the coach, I thought J. Ellis being cast as the coach was like really good casting, especially when you look at like, again, this is not the NBA. But like when you're looking at the current NBA, you have this wave of like really young-ish coaches, like dudes in their 30s who were like either former players or they have been in some front office. They were college players or something and they've kind of gotten kicked up. so I thought that was really good casting it was also really nice to see him I always like him and everything and so it was like yay, Worst, Tara I read your review and you kind of touched on this we brought it up a second ago but Chet Hanks not for any like particular, performance reasons but like when I saw him on the court I was like he's definitely not even six feet I don't know if he's even like five, eight like he looked so small and I'm just like that would never be the point guard of a championship winning team. Even the ones who are small, like Steph Curry, they're like 6'4". Or something. So I was like, come on, let's do a little bit more research. But I thought he was good in the role. Dave: [13:42] According to the internet, he's 5'10". Tara: [13:44] Well, as I also wrote in my mind, if the internet says he's 5'10", he's 5'8". He's lower. Sarah: [13:49] He's 5'8". Yep. Dave: [13:51] Yeah. You have to give back two inches to honor the Hebrew God whose game this is. Tara: [13:55] Right. Guest: [13:58] Um so that was probably the like least the person who I thought fit the least but again that's just if you like know about basketball and like yeah the game is played and who they usually get and what the stars look like I was just like kind of like oh I don't know he looks more like a football player to me like a little squat muscular you know yeah and I was like that's just not the kind of build you usually see on a basketball player yeah. Tara: [14:23] Sarah same question. Sarah: [14:24] Yeah that was my first note about that actor that i was like this isn't the mma like what are we what yeah. Guest: [14:32] Drew. Sarah: [14:32] Tarver also as a sandy i thought sandy right it's like i'm always happy to see him but he felt like kind of insufficiently bro-y to be in that role like there would be more half sips and oakley's i felt like in that. Guest: [14:49] In that role. Sarah: [14:49] But again like i don't spend that much time with the irl nba a front office. Guest: [14:55] Culture so well i will say as a warrior person like one of the things they get right about most of these franchises is like they are all like the nepo like children of like their current owners or former owners like with the warriors right now all of the owner's name is one of them his name is joe lacob and he's like the one that's kind of most front and center all of his sons work for the organization like all of them so and they look a lot like sandy like Like, when you see them, you're like, well, how did they get there? And you're like, oh, his name is Kent Lacob. You're like, okay, I get it. Sarah: [15:25] Oh, yeah. Guest: [15:26] So, yeah, there is a lot of that. I thought he fit really well when I'm like, oh, he looks like one of the Lacob children that's kind of running around in the Warriors. Sarah: [15:35] Oh, okay. Well, and also, like, after an episode and a half, I sort of stopped thinking about it. about it because it's him and his line deliveries are always pitch perfect. And I like Theroux also just sort of like blithely, you know, I'm only in this rehab because I have no choice and nobody likes the situation and did anyone bring cocaine? And I thought that was perfect casting from the jump that it was just going to be this unapologetically hedonistic person. And that was born out. It was also nice to see him again. Tara: [16:10] Well, speaking of family, the big twist of the series premiere is that there is a much younger fifth sibling named Jackie Moreno. He's played by Fabrizio Guido. He's the product of an affair between Jack and a housekeeper at one of the family's houses. And at first I thought this was like a tweak on the mystery plot that I feel like TV has to keep adding and annoys me usually. But I thought they found a lot of interesting story and this character who's like, has no other family. He's trying to be accepted into this one as well as figure out how his own shit is going to change because now he's connected to this wealth and fame. And they find interesting things to do with that as the season goes on. What did you all think? Dave, why don't you go first? Dave: [16:48] I did like that because it did mix up the dynamics of the rest of the family. So everybody was on notice. At first, they paint him as somebody that just really wanted a family because they never really had a family outside of his mom. and his mom has just passed away relatively recently in his life when we meet him. And then he like kind of turns out to like not be able to handle anything and he kind of becomes like a jerk for a little bit, which I thought was good. Like they put him through the paces pretty quick before they sort of like do the rebalancing act for his character later on in the season. So I thought it was pretty good. I really enjoyed that element of the show. Sarah: [17:26] When it became clear that that's where that was going with that character, that it's like, there is a reason that we keep seeing him in his meat juice, not a euphemism, that I was really bracing for like, oh no, is this going to be the hugging and learning magical person of color thing that we're doing? And then they pretty quickly were like, no, he's just like kind of bumbling through life trying to figure it out, same as the Richies are. And this is where I think that tone of this that we keep saying, like, it wasn't that serious like they're they're not trying to teach it's not supposed to be this like breakthrough moment for anyone who's like house md-ing it up in the executive suite like they just kept it funny and i thought that was good and he is he's good i like that performance i like i forget the actor's name who plays his cousin slash attorney kayla montaroso mejia. Tara: [18:20] Who we just talked about from You're Cordially Invited. Sarah: [18:23] That's right. Her delivery of like, so I just bought this car, so can you just like remake this? With my cut, so good. So much of this could have gone wrong and was saved by the show's refusal to get too navy blue about anything that I thought it was really good. Dave: [18:40] He's got a really good story beat about halfway through the season. This is a bit of a spoiler, so it's like a joke spoiler. So skip ahead 45 seconds if you don't want to hear it. he is suggesting things for the halftime show because he thinks the halftime show is stale. So he suggests this Chinese acrobat act called Red Panda. She's this person like is on a balancing thing, throws bowls on her head and they all stack up and everybody's like, oh, geez. And then like they finally say, sure, fine, do it. And then when it comes to it, the crowd fucking goes absolutely ape insane for this act. And it was like such a sweet moment, but it was really funny. And I really enjoyed that part of it. Guest: [19:17] Red Panda, again, not to be all in the NBA, but she's literally a draw across every single halftime show. She's a real person that everyone who watches basketball is like, oh my god, they have Red Panda. It's going to be amazing. Because she is. If you've ever seen her act, just go on YouTube and whatever. Look it up. She's so impressive. It's kind of amazing that you guys were like, oh, he brings this person on and everyone's into it. I'm like, yeah, because in real life, everyone is into it. Dave: [19:46] Look. I don't watch basketball. Guest: [19:48] I know I didn't even know how to say running point running point I'm just here to be like yeah that's like true to life everyone loves Red Panda so. Dave: [19:58] In the NBA are the balls orange as well. Guest: [20:03] That was a choice you know yes in the NBA but not in the WNBA not in the WNBA different color balls yeah they're different size and like they're white and orange-ish sometimes red depends alright. Dave: [20:15] I'm going to end things off with the Dave is feeling seen clip. This is about one of the rookies. They had to call up from the farm team. And there's a team tradition where the rookie has to buy everybody a meal at one of these fancy Japanese steakhouses they go to. And the bill's like $30,000, $40,000. And this kid makes $50,000 a year in his first year. So he is freaking out. And I feel seen. Yeah. Dinner tonight. Tara: [20:41] So I was thinking we could do steaks again. But have y'all been to soup plantation? It's not just soup. Sarah: [20:47] They got this big old baked potato bar, put some bacon, chives. Guest: [20:50] Sour cream on that thing. Fire, right? No. That is close since pandemic. Dave: [21:02] All right, it's time to go around the dial. Our first stop is with Tara. Tara, what have you been watching on TV lately? Tara: [21:07] Well, first, I'd love to tell that player from, I assume, Croatia that there is the one still in Tucson. I'm talking about Grosse Pointe Garden Society. This is a show in which four people who might otherwise never cross paths become friends through their love of gardening in the titular organization. Anna Sofia Rob is Alice, a frustrated high school English teacher married to a frustrated painter whose wealthy parents are pressuring them to move into their rental property for free so they can live closer and fill the house with the children that Alice is not sure she wants. Ben Rappaport is Brett, who put his wife through law school on the understanding that when she was done, she would support him in launching a car restoration company. Sidebar, why is this the second show of 2025 about car restoration? No one cares. But instead, she cheated on him with a finance guy and broke up the family. Brett also has a very obvious crush on Alice. Aja Naomi King is Catherine, who is cheating on her distracted husband with a guy she's considering ending her marriage for until she finds out he is fucking apparently every woman he has ever met. Tara: [22:10] And Melissa Fumero is Birdie, a famously divorced real housewife type who gets sentenced to community service with the Garden Society after texting and driving her car into a fountain. Before we know any of those things about them, however, we see them in a six months later flash forward burying a corpse in the garden, but we don't know who's corpse because over the course of the series premiere we see they each have one to several nemeses that they might want to kill. And I was primed to like this show because it was co-created with Bell Crabs by Jenna Banz who previously created Good Girls, which I had loved, but that was about short to medium cons with some murder, but later. Each episode had its own little crime job, so it was more of a procedural. It was also about characters who were engaging in crime partly because they were having money problems. Here, everyone is basically doing better or at least is not in an urgently precarious situation like... Bertie lost her furniture in her latest divorce, but she got the house so she could just sell it. It's huge. In other words, this is much more Desperate Housewives than Good Girl was, which may mean it has a better chance of success overall, but makes it less interesting to me. I wanted to support Anna-Safia Robb because of the love still left over from the Carrie Diaries a decade ago. By the way, I could have mentioned that when Dan was here a couple of weeks ago, too. I've watched all of And Just Like That and all of the Carrie Diaries. Very spotty on Sex and the City. Anyway. Sarah: [23:31] Nope, you're living right. Tara: [23:33] Well, I know you're with me on half of those decisions, but. Sarah: [23:36] Yes. Yep. Tara: [23:38] I watched two Grosse Pointe Garden Societies. It's not for me. Might be for you. If you think it might be, however, the most possible extreme harm a pet can come to is a major plot line. It all happens off screen, but it's still distasteful to me. So that's your warning on that. For my plug, we already mentioned that I reviewed Running Points. We'll link that in the show notes, but I also did sort of a roundup post about basketball in TV comedy, and that includes SNL sketch that we're going to be talking about on Extra, Extra Hot Great this week. So we'll link that in the show notes as well. Dave: [24:14] Oh, that was almost a sneeze. This sneeze has been here for like 30 minutes and it just won't come out. Tara: [24:20] This is a suspense film of this season. Dave: [24:22] That was a pregnant pause if ever there was one. Sarah: [24:24] Look up at a ceiling light. Guest: [24:25] I was like, am I supposed to be doing something? I was worried. Dave: [24:29] Terrible podcast all right crystal what do you got for us. Guest: [24:32] So i wanted to talk about futurama and around the dial um i know tara and dave your big futurama heads like me it is one of my favorite shows of all time the original fox run and it's weird because it's had like so many different iterations when you say futurama you have to sort of be specific about the which version you're talking about now i loved the original futurama so much that i was really nervous to go back to this second iterate or third like broadcast generation of the show just because i feel like it's really different when you bring back um animated shows for nostalgia reasons because of the voice acting talent and how your voice can change over you know a long period of time and i feel like that's kind of a little bit what's happening here where i think the episodes are I like these Hulu episodes a lot more than I like this Comedy Central run. I feel like the Comedy Central run took place in this weird period where the show was trying to be as edgy and raunchy as shows were in 2013. Guest: [25:37] And I don't really feel like that was a good fit for Futurama. But I really like these episodes a lot more. But I feel like the voice talent is getting up there. So I feel like if we are going to, you know, do this again, maybe we should be okay with replacing some folks. But yeah, I think if you're a Futurama person and you really love the show, I would say check out the Hulu episodes. They're kind of getting back to a little bit of what the show was. There's still too many, for my liking, topical episodes. I agree. Which I never really like. I like when they're trying to focus on, if you don't know the premise of the show, a guy from the 20th century gets frozen and wakes up in the 30th century. Rather than like, oh, we're doing an NFT episode or it's an episode about their version of Amazon or something. Yeah. Which is Momazon. Although I do like Mom as a character. Dave: [26:29] Have you heard Marge on recent Simpsons episodes? Guest: [26:32] That's what I was going to compare it to. Dave: [26:34] Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's crazy how much her voice has changed. Yeah. Guest: [26:37] Harry Shearer as well like I just feel like they just can't get up there yeah Mr. Dave: [26:42] Burns sounds unrecognizable yeah you're right. Guest: [26:44] Yeah it's really rough and I feel like Billy West is he's had a good run you know in animation I think he let him like live his life let him get a sound like in there like that would be great because he's I think he's done all he can do for Fry especially considering that like if you know anything about the character he's supposed to be like a guy in his 20s you know and it's like it doesn't really play so um but yeah all. Dave: [27:10] Right crystal where can people get more of you on the internet. Guest: [27:13] Oh boy i'm too online um i guess i'm blue sky, blue sky is where you can find me i'm humble core on blue sky we used to have a podcast my friend uh caitlin and my friend toshio and i called two cents plus tax we've formally been saying on hiatus, but you know, we haven't done a new episode in like three years. So. Dave: [27:35] You just talked about Futurama for like 10 minutes. Guest: [27:38] I know, that's true. Anything can happen, everyone. You never know. We might do a new episode next week. Who knows? Dave: [27:46] Sarah D. Bunting. Sarah: [27:48] Speaking of Momazon, there is a recent half-hour police procedural on Amazon Prime created by Elliot Wolfe from Dick Wolfe Productions. Hmm, speaking of Nepocrones. I have watched a couple of episodes of this on call, and I didn't hate it, but I don't think I will continue because there is a strange, it's not exactly an uncanny valley thing happening, and it does do some things well, this show. I sort of like that each episode is short. Like 31 minutes actually is an appropriate length for a cop show. They're trying to mix together regular procedural scripted cameras and body cam footage. I mean, it's not necessarily interesting, but it's like interesting adjacent, right? Sarah: [28:33] Troyanne Bellisario and Brandon Laraquente as the leads are appealing. Unfortunately, they are restricted to extremely cliched, narrow lanes of, respectively, battle-scarred patrol vet and rookie who feels too much with a healthy dose of taking it personally for each of them, because this is a wolf product. My real issue with it is that the dialogue, I don't exactly know how to describe it, but it's like there's a Ray Don Chong challenge as conceived by the Blue Lives Matter movement in each episode. In case you're not familiar with the RDC, if you haven't been with this team for multiple decades, that was a challenge that we had for fun amongst the Television Without Pity recappers to try to fit a word or phrase into a recap that had no business in your average WB show coverage and see if you could do it without the readers busting you for it. Like, good luck getting the phrase grilled octopus into a Young Americans recap, but by God, we were going to do it. Or like, Iron Chef insists you make a dish with durian fruit and bacon bits or whatever the fuck. This is the closest analog I can think of to what On Call is maybe trying to do. It feels like the network had a checklist of badge-humper talking points that had to get into the episode every time, which is how Eric goddamn LaSalle of all goddamn people ends up saying, and I quote, And now everybody's so woke, nobody wants to put shitheads in jail. Yeah. Dave: [30:02] And then he pounds the ground. Sarah: [30:05] Well, and then he, I mean, he looked like he verped a little and I was like, well, seriously, like, was this the price of letting you direct? Verped? Dave: [30:14] Verped? Sarah: [30:15] Yeah. Vomit burp. Verp. Dave: [30:17] Oh, verp. Guest: [30:17] Okay. Yeah, yeah. Dave: [30:18] Okay. Sarah: [30:20] Anyway, I think actually the issue is that people want to put cop shitheads in jail. Eric LaSalle's character for busting heads like your character, Mrs. Doing. I mean, he really did look like he smelled a horrific fart. But like, what are we doing here? This is a cop show. Like, just have them do cop things. That's how that works. and when they do do cop things that feel behind the scenes and verite and like you're really looking at what training officers do it's like well but we had southland and we broke it and this is why we can't have nice things anymore and one more issue it is extremely disconcerting to have a shift commander played by laurie laughlin saying the word motherfucker repeatedly it's just like where I'm falling through space. What is happening? Anyway, that is on Amazon prime, but I would not suggest bothering because it is at best surreal. Sarah: [31:17] For my plug, this is a little bit long. I will try to make it short. Buckle up. We really appreciate your listening to this podcast. We literally cannot make it without your help on the Patreon. We are so grateful that we get to do that. We have a great time doing it. But great times. This current historical and economic moment is not that. There is a lot going on. We understand that in unsettled times, sometimes the extras that feel like non-subsistence fun are the first things to go. Things like subscriptions to podcasts that make you laugh. But a wonderful, generous, extra-hot great listener had a solution. They want to anonymously offer to pay for one year's gift membership for people currently on the Patreon who are worrying about whether they should keep their subscriptions. Sarah: [32:04] They want to help people continue to experience laughter and joy that they might not feel okay about prioritizing for themselves thank you so much anonymous we really appreciate that offer and we love you i've coordinated with anonymous to create what we're calling the extra hot great mutual aid vault if you got laid off recently you got furloughed eggs cost 36 dollars a half dozen, actually, you don't need a reason at all, reach out to me on the Discord. Or if you're not on the Discord, it occurred to me the other day that the people who need to hear this announcement may have let their subscriptions go already, which is why you're hearing this on the main podcast. You can reach out to me, buntingattomatonation.com. Everything is anonymous. You don't have to justify your existence. If you would like a free year, Anonymous has put together a little vault. And other listeners have offered to contribute to it as well. So we need some withdrawal candidates, and we would love to have you along. Thank you so much, Anonymous and the rest of the group. And thank you, listeners, for listening to this whole screed and also for being here. You're the goddamn best listeners in podcast land. And we really appreciate all of you. So reach out. That's bunting at tomato nation dot com. Dave: [33:21] I was trying really hard to reward everybody with that sneeze that I thought is coming and still in the chamber, but it didn't happen. and I'm crestfallen. Guest: [33:28] I'm absolutely crestfallen. Tara: [33:29] You're going to do it when I'm mid-sentence in the canon. Guest: [33:32] Probably. Dave: [33:33] Thank you, Anonymous. That is really great. What a great idea. And thank you, everybody who's gum-un-gumming it. That's fantastic. So please do take Sarah up on that offer. Dave: [33:48] It is time for the Extra Hot Great Cannon. Presenting this week, it's Tara. Tara: [33:54] Hello. In AP bio, Jack Griffin, played by Glenn Howerton, is a former Harvard philosophy professor turned disgraced academic washout who's very much not teaching the show's titular topic at a high school in his hometown of Toledo, a job he only got because the school's principal still hero worships him from when they were students there together. In the third season, it seems like Jack is starting to accept his current circumstances, thanks in part to his relationship with the salty Lynette. Lynette works in the school's accounting department, but regaining his former status is never far from Jack's mind, as we are reminded in Season 3, Episode 6, that, that, that. Here's why I think it should be inducted into the canon. Number one. Tara: [34:38] Even the table setting is carefully crafted. We open on the eve of spring break, and everyone's got big plans. Jack's teaching colleagues, Steph, Lyric Lewis, Mary, Mary Sohn, and Michelle, Jean Villepique, take turns choosing where they'll be going every year. This time, Mary has chosen a cabin in the woods, but not everyone is excited. Clip one. Tara: [35:00] I don't do fool nature. Are you kidding? We are going to have so much fun. Three. Tara: [36:17] Line. Because my skates. Poor Dave, no one cares. Principal Ralph Durbin, Patton Oswalt, is gearing up to tell his brother he loves him for the first time on his spring break. Jack barely cares about that. And then, clip two. What's my break like? No. Oh, well, every year around this time, I meet up with an old friend. Dave: [37:11] Was just a resort town. Anyhow, I got a job feeding chum to sharks at the local shark sanctuary. So one day in the sanctuary, I was a little late on. Sarah: [37:34] Refused to testify, much to the chagrin of Los Molesias Pascados. And then that toothy gal, she thanked me with a little bow, so every year now, I fly down there, and we boop noses, and I feed her a. Tara: [37:47] Bucket of chum. It's really sweet. You tricked me, Helen. Only one of these vignettes is actually part of the main story of the episode, so did we need this many jokes crammed into the episode's first third? Not for the plot, just for our delight. Number two, it lets Glenn Harrington essentially put on a one-man show. Jack's plan for spring break is to record a video of himself delivering a lecture on, as we heard, Henry David Thoreau's version of Transcendentalism. A philosophy professor at the University of Wisconsin has died. Jack is determined to replace him, confidently telling his students when he's bragging about the opportunity that if he gets it, he won't miss them or the school at all. Once everyone has gone, Jack sets up the video equipment that Ralph uses for the morning announcements and launches in clip three. Which is why Walden concludes with the idea of that self-same butterfly. Sarah: [38:45] Along the path set forth by Justin Theroux. Oh, Justin Theroux. Justin Theroux? Tara: [38:55] Oh, God. Frustrating. Thanks a lot, Mary. But Jack tries again. Clip 4. Subscribed to the Lockean image of the mind. But Theroux thought that that interpretation…. Tara: [39:21] Is that right? Oh, boy. So now Jack is in his head. He tries to clear it by vacuuming Durbin's office, rearranging Durbin's books by color, and eating the only food available in the school, spaghetti from the biggest Ziploc bag I've ever seen. All of these will be familiar to anyone who's ever found a lot of suddenly vital tasks that need doing ahead of one that's more unpleasant. In other words, these will be familiar to everyone. When Jack does try to attack the taping again, it seems like he might be ready. Clip five. Just say it normal because it's a normal thing to say. You know, I think that that is my jacket. know that that is for grandma. Or is he ready? Clip six. Thoreau thought that... Tara: [40:35] After screaming that over the PA through the empty school, Jack collapses his vent onto the floor of the head office. That is when a visible cloud of something starts puffing under the door. It seems to take effect immediately because when Jack runs out to investigate and finds men in green hazmat suits, He asks the first if he's in a caterpillar costume, those are on his mind since they're in his lecture, and punches the other, but the descent into madness, we must note, started before the gas. Particularly when he's alone, Jack doesn't need any chemical help behaving like a lunatic, and Howerton perfectly calibrates each phase of his disintegration. Tara: [41:11] Number three, it's a dream-slash-drug episode that does not infuriate me. I'm on the record as hating this conceit in TV. This episode's writer, Charlie McCracken, probably also has strong feelings about drug slash dream episodes, given the reference to Justin Theroux, star of the International Assassin episode of The Leftovers That Everyone Loves Except Me. But when Jack starts to be affected by the rodenticide, his hallucinations don't feel like they're happening so that the show can do something wildly different than it normally does. He's seeing his colleagues and loved ones when they're not actually there, but they're just acting like barely heightened versions of themselves. For example, clip 7. Tara: [42:10] Okay, well, that's definitely peeing. Wait! No, no, no, no. I don't have time for your dumb fun games. I gotta do this video. Tara: [42:23] Play with us! Tara: [42:28] Note hallucination Michelle executing a perfectly normal the that in that scene. Hearing the voice of his student Marcus, Nick Payne, coming out of his mouth when he tries to practice his lecture, drives Jack back to Durbin's office where he has a mishap with a bag of spaghetti that doesn't really translate to the audio format, but does remind us why it's not a food that, as adults, we typically try to eat with our hands. Durbin materializes and offers to get him back on track with a clean shirt and jacket from The Lost and Found, which has also just materialized. But while Jack perceives himself smoothly delivering his lecture in his fresh new clothes, we see the reality. He's in a fur hat, a marching band uniform, jacket buttoned wrong, and boxer shorts. Racing from there to a disturbing vision of his late mother fooling around with a young Durbin, Jack ends up in his classroom where he sees that his students are gathered around himself, messing around in his cut-open torso, clip eight. Yo, JG, you got a funny-looking spleen, man. Tara: [43:53] Want to leave. Yes, I do. I think I do. The dream communicates a message to Jack from his deep subconscious. On some level, he doesn't actually want to leave Toledo, or at least he doesn't want to leave right now. But instead of revealing this to the viewer in a self-consciously spooky or uncanny way, it's with the usual high level of joke density. Number four, it doesn't really let Jack learn or grow. When he wakes up after a full week of rodenticide hallucinations, Jack is eager to tell his returned colleagues all about the epiphanies he's had. That's when Dale the janitor, Brendan Jennings, enters and tells him about the rodenticide he was tripping balls from. Jack is relieved, and it gives him a brand new opportunity to torture his students. Clip 9. All right, everybody, shut your precious, beautiful mouths. Dave: [45:15] Biggest thing that I learned is that prolonged exposure to rodent-killing gas causes hallucinations and irrational ideation. And all these things that I thought I'd learned. Tara: [45:39] Thinker back in the pink. Everything's back to normal. Jack is still himself, plus or minus a propensity to eat pasta with his hands. He doesn't have to progress for the show to be entertaining. In fact, it would be worse. if he did. AP Bio was just added on Netflix earlier this year and is, I hear, finding a new audience that missed it when it was only on Peacock. For those considering checking it out who weren't convinced by my last successful canon pitch on it with Teacher Jail years ago, I hope the spaghetti-stained lunacy of that, that, that convinces you. Dave: [46:12] All right. Thank you, Tara. Crystal, why don't you start us off? Guest: [46:15] Yeah, I picked this episode because I'm one of those people Tara just mentioned. I never watched AP Bio, even though I know people like tara and other people who whose opinions i trust about comedy shows were like it's really funny i think it kind of turned me off because i don't really like it's always sunny in philadelphia even though i've tried it a bunch of times and i'm just like it's not for me but the people that i like the most on that show are glenn howerton and caitlin olsen i think they are the best comedic performances because they are the most grounded. They seem the most like real people who are just like insane. And so I like when they pop up another thing. And so I don't know why I never tried this show, but this episode was a really, it put on display all of the things I like about the episodes of It's Always Sunny that have a lot of Glenn Howerton in them. I think he does the kind of like, I'm snooty and above it thing really well in contrast to someone like a Paula Pell or a Patton Oswalt. Although I think that this episode, it seems like a departure from what the show usually is. It's like kind of a bottle episode, kind of like you were saying, a drug trip episode. Guest: [47:32] And I feel like I would like to go back and watch some of the episodes where he has more interactions with the rest of the cast because I like his dynamic with all of them. I could do without the roller skating guy. oh poor dave he seems fine but i just remember him i think he was in community i feel like is where i remember seeing him and he had similar role in that show where everyone was really mean to him for no reason the eating the spaghetti like cut when they cut to the scene where he's about to have like a beautiful dinner he has like a plate and a candle and sitting down all nice and then you pan out and you pull out and you see like a giant bag of spaghetti like waist high I was going to say, however big you are imagining, it's so much bigger than that. Dave: [48:21] There's so much spaghetti in the bag that he puts an industrial-sized sauce on top of it, and it barely gets one-fifth into the bag. Sarah: [48:30] Yeah. Guest: [48:30] Yeah, I'm feeling very positive, and I'm interested in hearing what everyone else has to say about it. Dave: [48:35] Fantastic. Sarah? Sarah: [48:36] I think when we covered AP Bio when it premiered, I had the same reaction to it that Crystal did because I also have tried with It's Always Sunny and I also have been repelled basically by it. And then I'm always sort of pleasantly surprised, like Caitlin Olsen's like rando procedural where she's got a million jackets and is always eating lollipops. I liked that a lot. She's really good. And Glenn Howerton is also really good. Recently, we talked about the Katie Holmes Day episode of AP Bio for Again With Again With This. And I was struck by in both that episode and this one just that they stay up on this tightrope of like just surreal and wild enough. Sarah: [49:20] But they don't go too far and they don't they don't sort of like push it further than it has to go. Like they kind of keep it contained enough. And that control is really difficult. And I'm glad that Tara in her presentation was like my least favorite thing, like drug dreams. I mean, you know, some shows do it legendarily well. I can tolerate it in a good show. but you are always sort of struck when you're checking the runtime during one of these, that you're checking the runtime during one of these, and that did not happen here. So I think maybe I need to give AP Bio another chance myself. This did check that I want to keep watching Fox, but it also checked that does something that usually annoys me extremely well and sort of not changed my mind about drug sequences and dream sequences, but the exception doesn't disprove the rule. Everyone should usually avoid these things, but it was so good. Also, someone is wearing a turtleneck with jumping elk on it that I need. This has nothing to do with anything. I'm just saying in terms of wanting to shop the episode, this is also canon-worthy, I felt. And A-plus organizing your books by color. I know it's basic, but it's always nice to see it happening on TV because same. Dave. Dave. Dave: [50:44] We have said before that AP bio as it goes along and, you know, barely survived getting canceled and, you know, eked out a season three and season four that those seasons, season three and season four got more insane. And this is definitely emblematic of that insanity that we see in the second half of the show's run. I don't think it's atypical. I think this is actually pretty typical of the show. Like, it's not that all the episodes are like this is that it goes in this mode every once in a while. There's like a janitor's magical thinking, bringing creatures to life in one episode. Like it happens in this show as they got into that phase where I think they realized that their time was nigh. The fuck it meter goes to 11 a lot. And this is one of those episodes. So I think if you like this episode, you will find other ones in its run that sort of compete with this madness. But there's also a lot of episodes that are much more grounded in what's happening in the school and the contrast of the two. They play well off each other over the show's run. But this is one of my favorite weird episodes of the show. I don't think, Tara, you mentioned it, but like early on, there's a dialogue between the lead and his girlfriend, Lynette, about she wants him to wear Daisy Dukes. And he's like, is this a thing I should be doing? And she just like looks at him like just nods with these eyes. Dave: [52:06] Slightly Grinch-esque smile going up on her lips. That was just like perfectly done. And that was a great, great thing for Dan. We almost got fish police in Spanish. I think that's The Fisherman Police, technically. Tara: [52:18] Policius de Pescato. Dave: [52:19] Yes. We're almost there. Sarah: [52:22] We're like the Seafood Police. Dave: [52:23] Yeah. There is one of the that, that renditions that is like Glenn doing a Southern criminal lawyer. That, that! It just comes out. It was just like, it must have been so much fun to film this one, you know, on set and just like going absolutely mad with it. I don't think it was in one of the clips, but the other great moment he had was when he just kind of realizes he's been eating spaghetti like crazy. It looks down on him, stained self, and I got Skeddy on my shirt. The four-year-old rendition of Skeddy was absolutely great comedy. So yes, really funny episode. Definitely canon-worthy for me. I will say, if you're worried that the rest of the show is like this, it's not all like this, but there's definitely more like this. So I feel like you get to have your cake Yeah. Tara: [53:16] It stays for me on the right side of like, I'll call it the community line where like every episode has to be a spoof of something. I mean, this is a departure for sure, like Crystal said, but it's, you know, only in the sense of like, it's single minded, single plot focus. Like that's the, and there are, as Dave said, many other episodes that are just about normal things happening in a school with weird people that teach there. Dave: [53:41] I'm constantly amazed at the AP bio class full of 27-year-olds that they actually did that, but it works in its own way. All right, let's make this the official vote. Crystal, what say you for this episode? Canon-worthy or not? Guest: [53:57] Yes, Canon-worthy. Dave: [53:59] All right. Sarah D. Bunting. Sarah: [54:00] Absolutely. Dave: [54:01] Yeah, me too. So... That means AP Bio Season 3, Episode 6, that, that, that, you are hereby inducted into the Extra Hot Great Cannon. Dave: [54:22] love a winner. Yep. And will not tolerate a loser. Nope. It is time to discover who is the winner and loser of the week. Tara has this week's winner. Tara: [54:32] I do. It is Anna Hardwick, who played Rob in Normal People. He was Rob as one of Connell's friends. Gave an interview last week where he said he doesn't think that there should be a sequel to Normal People and he is right and he should say so. And he did enough with the sequels and the revivals and the blah, blah, blah. Do things that are new. Thank you. Dave: [54:53] All right, Sarah, who is our loser? Sarah: [54:55] The Oscars in Memoriam researcher who left off some of our TV faves who also made movies. I will forgive them for Michelle Trachtenberg because that happened very close to the broadcast. But there is no excuse for leaving off either Shannon Doherty or Tony Todd, who played David Silver's psychiatrist and it was an extremely important role. He was more than Candyman, people. Show some respect. Tara: [55:22] I mean, yes, it happened right before the broadcast, but so did Gene Hackman's death, and they had plenty of time to put something together for him. Tara: [55:29] He was, like, clearly the winner of the In Memoriam montage this year. Sarah: [55:35] The winner of dying. Well, speaking of the winner of dying. Guest: [55:41] Thank you. Dave: [55:41] Do you know what time it is? Sarah: [55:43] It's gotta be game time. Dave: [55:44] It's game time. Sarah: [55:46] No, no, no, no. I don't have time for your dumb fun games. Bye. Dave: [56:00] Welcome back, everybody, to Game Time. This is the eighth of the season. Our scores are Tara pulled into the lead last week. She has three. Sarah has two. Value guests have two. Very tight season. Today, we are playing strong female lead from Amy Allen Spock, who earns himself an extra credit. Topic of their choosing plus something free from the EHG store at throughmethods.com. We are celebrating International Women's Day here at Extra Hot. Great. Quick quiz. When was International Women's Day? Tara: [56:32] It's the seventh, isn't it? Dave: [56:33] Oh, very close. It's the eighth. Thought I could get you with that one. Anyways, we're celebrating it. Happy birthday, women. Is that how it works? with a game time all about strong female leads. In this game time, you will get a quote a female character said on a scripted show, the year the show premiered, and some genre information. You need to guess which character said that line. If you need a hint, I will give you the show title after which the answer goes from two points to one point. And Sarah D. Bunting, you can guess at each level. So two guesses in total. All right, let's find out the steel meal situation. Tara: [57:16] Thank you, Dave. Sarah has two. I have three. Valued guests have Eric's meal. So you have one. Dave: [57:22] All right, let's throw it to Piggy to see who is going first. We will start with Sarah. All right, Sarah, Tara, Crystal is our order. We have 27 questions. We're going to do one growth source equalizer challenge zone right in the middle. Are we ready to play a strong female lead? Tara: [57:40] Yes. Sarah: [57:41] Yes. Dave: [57:42] All right, here we go. In a show that started in 1984, it is a crime drama mystery show. A strong female lead said this. There are three things you can never have enough of in life, Lieutenant. Chocolate, friends, and the theater. Sarah: [58:00] Oh, my. Um, this sounds like Jessica Fletcher. Dave: [58:06] You earned yourself two points, Murder, She Wrote's Jessica Fletcher is correct. Tara? Tara: [58:12] Yes. Dave: [58:12] In a TV show that debuted in 2009, a political drama thriller, a strong female lead said, People aren't mean, they're just polite liars. Tara: [58:25] 2009-er. Dave: [58:27] Yeah, political drama thriller. Tara: [58:29] The character is Alicia Florek. Dave: [58:33] Yes, Alicia Florek from The Good Wife is the answer for two. All right, Crystal, your show debuted in 2015. It is a comedy. The strong female lead quoted, And I just turned 30. I know the exact minute I was born because it was in my mom's lawsuit against the roller coaster. You get a free crack at it here. If you don't get it right, we will give you the show name. But who's that character that said that? Guest: [59:01] I don't think the Righteous Gemstones started that late, but I'll just guess the Righteous Gemstones. Dave: [59:07] What was the character? Guest: [59:09] Oh, gosh, what's her name? The sister. Dave: [59:12] Open your head in misery. It's not that. Guest: [59:13] Thank you. Dave: [59:14] The show is Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Who is the lead character that said that quote from that show, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt? Guest: [59:22] Is it Kimmy Schmidt? Dave: [59:23] You are correct for one point. Guest: [59:24] Oh, boy. Sarah: [59:25] Hey. Dave: [59:26] Sarah D. Bunting, your show debuted in 2021. It is a workplace comedy slash drama in which a strong female lead said, you know, crying gives you wrinkles. Sarah: [59:39] Jeez. Crying gives you wrinkles. I don't know the answer. Can I have a hint, please? Dave: [59:45] The show is Hacks. Sarah: [59:48] Mrs. Hack. I don't care if your name's up, sorry. I've watched that show. So would you steal it? Guest: [59:54] Can I use my steel mill? Dave: [59:55] You sure can. Guest: [59:57] Okay, it's Deborah Vance. Dave: [59:59] Deborah Vance is good for a one point steal, yes. Tara, your show debuted in 1986. It is a workplace comedy in which a strong female lead said, I'm sorry, but I can't go out with every man that asks me. If I did, there'd be a backed up waiting list from about 1972. Tara: [1:00:20] Christine Sullivan. Dave: [1:00:23] The show is Designing Women. Tara: [1:00:28] Suzanne Sugarbaker. Dave: [1:00:29] Is the correct answer, and that is good for one. Back to Crystal. This show debuted in 2012. It is a political thriller drama. I am very good at what I do. I am better at it than anyone else. And that is not arrogance. That is a fact. And now for the quote. Guest: [1:00:51] Ha ha! Dave: [1:00:52] Comedy. Guest: [1:00:53] Oh gosh. Dave: [1:00:55] Who said that? What character said that quote? Guest: [1:00:57] Oh, I feel like I know that, or I have a sense of the show. Dave: [1:01:02] 2012 political thriller slash drama. Guest: [1:01:05] Got some politics. I can only think of the man's name, which is classic. This is a terrible International Women's Day. I know, I'm horrible. Gotta interrogate that. Sarah: [1:01:18] Want a hint? Guest: [1:01:19] Yes, please. Dave: [1:01:20] The show is Scandal. Guest: [1:01:23] Okay. That was not the show that I thought it was. Okay. Her character's name is Olivia. Olivia Scandal. Dave: [1:01:35] I'll give you that. Olivia's fine. Olivia Pope. Sarah: [1:01:37] Olivia S. Scandal. Correct. Dave: [1:01:40] We'll give you that one point there. No problem. I will be generous with how much of the character names you can provide. Sarah. Sarah: [1:01:47] Yeah. Dave: [1:01:48] 2007, period drama, in which a strong female lead said, am I the only one who can work and drink at the same time? Sarah: [1:01:59] Period drama. Am I the only one who can work and drink at the same time? Lady Mary from Downton Abbey. Dave: [1:02:13] The show is Mad Men. Sarah: [1:02:17] I'm the only one who can work and drink at the same time. Uh, Joan? Is it Joan who said that? No. Peggy. No. Dave: [1:02:25] Tara. Tara: [1:02:26] Yep. Dave: [1:02:26] This show debuted in 1999. It is a drama crime procedural in which a strong female lead said, there are two things that you need to know about me. First, I like an open and free exchange of ideas. Second, I'm usually right. Tara: [1:02:42] What was the genre again? Dave: [1:02:45] Drama crime procedural. Tara: [1:02:48] Olivia Benson? Dave: [1:02:49] Is correct. Two points from Law & Order SVU. Sports, utility, vehicle. Remember when we just fucked that up all the time? When's the last time you fucked up SVU versus SUV and typing it out? Sarah: [1:03:02] Last week. Dave: [1:03:03] Wow. All right. Great. Happy International Women's Day. Sarah: [1:03:06] Everybody. I'm the only one who still pays attention to it, so there's that. Dave: [1:03:09] Crystal. 2019. is when this superhero drama action show started in which a strong female lead said, I got a nose for white supremacy and he smells like bleach. Guest: [1:03:22] What? Dave: [1:03:24] I got a nose for white supremacy and he smells like bleach. Guest: [1:03:28] Superhero. Superhero. What was the genre? Dave: [1:03:32] Superhero drama. Tara: [1:03:33] Yeah, 2019. Dave: [1:03:35] I'll give you a hint here. This is a little extra information. Two possible answers for the character name. Guest: [1:03:43] Everyone knows it but me okay great um i. Dave: [1:03:46] Mean that's pretty typical of a superhero no i just assume it's name. Tara: [1:03:49] And alter ego. Dave: [1:03:50] That's right sorry. Guest: [1:03:51] Yeah i'm just gonna guess is it jessica jones the show is watchmen oh it's um gosh what was her character's name uh night Night. Dave: [1:04:06] You got the last part right. Guest: [1:04:08] I'm so close. Something Night. Lady Night. Dave: [1:04:12] Not Moon Night. Oh, very close. Sister Night is the superhero name. Guest: [1:04:17] Sister Night. Dave: [1:04:17] Angela Barr also would have been acceptable. Guest: [1:04:20] Oh, boy. Okay. Dave: [1:04:21] Close one. Sarah. Also 2019, it is a supernatural mockumentary in which a strong female lead said, Pablo Picasso, more like Pablo pick asshole. Sarah: [1:04:34] Nice, what was the premiere year 2019. Dave: [1:04:40] 2019 I actually need the hint what we do in the shadows is your show. Sarah: [1:04:48] Is there a Nadia. Dave: [1:04:50] That's close enough I think we'll give you one point no second end in that but we'll give you that for Nadia Tara. Tara: [1:05:01] Yeah. Dave: [1:05:02] 2014. It is a crime drama legal affair in which a strong female lead said, whatever you say to the police can and will be misconstrued to support the prosecution. So when in doubt, shut your mouth. Who said that? Tara: [1:05:18] 2019, you say. Dave: [1:05:20] 2014. Tara: [1:05:21] Oh, 14. Dave: [1:05:22] 2014. Crime drama legal thing. Hint This show is How to Get Away with Murder Um Yep. Tara: [1:05:35] Annalise Keating. Dave: [1:05:37] That is correct. Sarah: [1:05:38] Nicely done. Nice pull. Dave: [1:05:40] Back to Crystal with this 2016 comedy fantasy mystery. Guest: [1:05:46] Oh, great. Dave: [1:05:47] Just concentrate on the comedy part, I'm going to say. Guest: [1:05:49] Okay, okay. Dave: [1:05:50] In which a strong female lead said, This is how I always got out of escape rooms. If you break enough stuff, they open the door and kick you out. Guest: [1:06:00] Okay. 2016 comedy. Dave: [1:06:03] It's got fantastical elements to it, but I wouldn't say it's like fantasy show. I would say more supernatural if I'm going to borrow something that's already been in the mix. But more comedy than anything. Guest: [1:06:16] Oh, man. Can I get a hint? Dave: [1:06:19] The show is The Good Place. Guest: [1:06:21] Oh, it's Eleanor Shellstrip? Dave: [1:06:24] You are correct. That is worth one point. Everybody's last question before we hit a score break coming at you. Sarah, 2021. This is a comedy mystery crime drama in which a strong female lead says, women who knock rarely make history. Sarah: [1:06:43] Mabel Mora? Dave: [1:06:44] You are correct. Two points from Only Murders in the Building. Guest: [1:06:47] I was like, I just heard that's a workplace. Dave: [1:06:51] Tara. Tara: [1:06:51] Yep. Dave: [1:06:52] This show debuted in 2006. It is a workplace comedy. If you're ordering me an edible arrangement meant to say thanks, I prefer a meat one. Tara: [1:07:03] Better off Ted. Dave: [1:07:05] Is a show? Yep. Tara: [1:07:07] Oh, Veronica? Shit. Dave: [1:07:11] The show is 30 Rock. Tara: [1:07:13] Oh, Liz Lemon. Dave: [1:07:15] Liz Lemon is your strong female lead. All right, this will take us into our score break. It is for Crystal 2009. It is also workplace comedy, but it's also a mockumentary. In which the strong female lead says, We have to remember what's important in life. Friends, waffles, and work. Or waffles, friends work. But work has to come third. Guest: [1:07:37] It's Leslie Knope. Dave: [1:07:38] It's Leslie Knope from Parks and Rec. Strong two-point answer to bring us into the score break. Tara: [1:07:45] It's so close. I have seven. Crystal has six. Sarah barely behind with five. But that means she's in the challenge. Dave: [1:07:53] That is correct, get ready. All right, Sarah, number between one and seven, please. Sarah: [1:08:06] Two. Dave: [1:08:08] Excellent. All right. Sarah D. Bunting, you have chosen the off-brand Goodwill Find TV trivia game. Oh, God. In which each question is from a different decade of television. It's that one. So there's only five questions. Sarah: [1:08:23] Okay. Dave: [1:08:23] So you need three to get two and then sweep it to get four. All right. Sarah: [1:08:29] Got it. Dave: [1:08:29] I believe we were starting with the oldest or the newest first and then working back to the oldest was how we decided to do these. Tara: [1:08:36] I think that is what we did. Yes. Good luck. Dave: [1:08:38] So we're starting with 1990s plus. How old was Doogie when he went to Princeton University on Doogie Howser M.D. when he started? Sarah: [1:08:51] I don't actually know because I didn't watch that show. I'm going to guess that he was 14. Dave: [1:08:56] 14 is when he graduated. He started when he was 10. 1980s. What do the initials J.R. stand for on Dallas? Tara: [1:09:09] I don't know if I've ever known that. Dave: [1:09:11] I didn't know. I'll give you a hint. They're both the same amount of letters. Both names in J and R. They're both the same amount of letters. Sarah: [1:09:18] Oh, yeah. No, that doesn't. Jock Rock? I don't know. Dave: [1:09:24] That's kind of close. John Ross John Ross 1970s so you need all three of these to get your two points I think you got a good chance 1970s, where did the Brady Bunch go on holiday in the fourth series the. Sarah: [1:09:42] Fourth series yeah, wait in the fourth series. Dave: [1:09:48] Yeah Hawaii I assume correct, 1960s what was Rob Petri's wife's name in the Dick Van Dyke show? Sarah: [1:09:59] Laura. Dave: [1:10:00] All right. 1950s. What game show was the first to introduce a huge cash prize after a 1954 Supreme Court ruling exempted jackpot quizzes from illegal gambling charges? What was that show? Sarah: [1:10:16] 21? Dave: [1:10:17] That is the question. That is the $64,000 question. Sarah: [1:10:22] Oh. Oh, Lord. Dave: [1:10:25] So no points. Guest: [1:10:25] How many of that show is that old? Dave: [1:10:26] You did get a couple right there. Sarah: [1:10:28] All right. Dave: [1:10:29] All right, let's get back to it with your next question. Sarah, it is a TV show from 2021. It is a musical comedy satire affair in which a strong female lead says, music was never my bag anyways. Bags are my bag because I'm launching a bag line. They're bat leather and they're tiny like bats. Sarah: [1:10:54] Oh okay i just got it um they're bat leather and they're tiny like bats uh can you repeat the multi-genre discipline for me it. Dave: [1:11:06] Is a comedy it is a musical it is a satire musical as in it has music in it not a musical like broadway. Sarah: [1:11:15] Oh god yeah got it oh bat leather um it's uh Oh, help me. I don't remember her character's name. You can give me the show if you want. Dave: [1:11:27] The show is Girls 5 Eva. Sarah: [1:11:29] Yeah, I know. I don't remember the character's name. Someone should steal it. Dave: [1:11:32] Maybe you should consult the wiki. Wiki Roy is the answer. Guest: [1:11:42] I tried. Sarah: [1:11:43] Okay. Dave: [1:11:44] All right. This is question 17. Tara: [1:11:45] It's pretty good. Dave: [1:11:46] It is for Tara. The show is from 2018. It is a period drama in which a strong female lead says, you think I just woke up one day and poof, I look like this? No, it takes work, drive, and sacrifice to be a woman. Tara: [1:12:02] Gwen Verdon. Sarah: [1:12:06] Love that answer. Dave: [1:12:07] Your show is Pose. Tara: [1:12:10] Oh, no. Oh, God. What's her name? Elektra? Dave: [1:12:14] Elektra Abundance is the correct answer. To Crystal, this show 2022 it is a supernatural comedy drama lots of stuff going on in this show in which a strong female lead says i find social media to be a soul-sucking void of meaningless affirmation. Guest: [1:12:36] Uh can i get the hint. Dave: [1:12:37] The show is and it's going to be very hard to figure out the answer from the show's name. So think about it for a while. The show is Wednesday. Guest: [1:12:47] Oh, is it? Oh, gosh. What day of the week? Is it Wednesday? Dave: [1:12:51] It is Wednesday, Adams. Yes. Correct for a point. This is for Sarah. Question. This show debuted in 2004. It is a mystery. It is a crime show. It is a teen drama in which a strong female lead says, Tragedy blows through your life like a tornado, uprooting everything, creating chaos. You wait for the dust to settle and then you choose. Sarah: [1:13:18] Veronica Mars. Dave: [1:13:20] You are correct. That was Veronica Mars from Veronica Mars. Tara: [1:13:24] Yes. Dave: [1:13:25] 2017. This is a comedy. It is a drama. It is a social issues show. Please stop touching my hair. Does this look like a petting zoo to you? Tara: [1:13:38] I thought it was The Handmaid's Tale for a second, but that's definitely not that hint. Dave: [1:13:42] The character is from the show Dear White People. Tara: [1:13:47] I only remember the actor's name. I don't remember. Sorry. Dave: [1:13:53] That is Samantha White. Tara: [1:13:56] Samantha. the Logan Browning. I had that part. Dave: [1:14:01] Crystal, your show is from the year 1993. It is a science fiction drama in which a strong female lead said, baby me one more time and you'll be peeing through a catheter. Guest: [1:14:15] Just based on the information you've already given me, I'm going to take a guess. Is it Dana Scully? Tara: [1:14:21] Two point answer. Dave: [1:14:23] The X-Files, Dana Scully. Nicely done. in the year 2000 this show debuted it is a comedy family romance genre mix in which a strong female lead says you can use your mother's old golf clubs they're upstairs gathering dust with the rest of her potential. Sarah: [1:14:45] You can use your mother's golf clubs? Dave: [1:14:48] You can use your mother's old golf clubs. They're upstairs gathering dust with the rest of her potential. Meow. Happy International Women's Day. With that, meow. Sarah: [1:15:03] This won't really help stalling-wise, but let's hear the name of the show. Why not? Dave: [1:15:07] The show is Gilmore Girls. I'm saying it like Turning Point. Or Running Point. I didn't even get the name of the show right. Sarah: [1:15:14] Gilmore Girls? Dave: [1:15:15] Gilmore Girls. These Gilmore Girls are making me thirsty. Sarah: [1:15:20] So was that, I hope it was, Emily Gilmore? Dave: [1:15:24] You are correct. One point. Tara. Tara: [1:15:27] Yep. Dave: [1:15:27] This is a 2006 romantic comedy melodrama. There is no one here who cares about changing the inside. They only care about fixing the outside. 2006 romantic comedy slash melodrama. Tara: [1:15:45] Yeah, the romantic part is tripping me up. Hint. Dave: [1:15:49] The show is Ugly Betty. Tara: [1:15:52] Oh, Betty Suarez. Dave: [1:15:54] You are correct. Good for one. All right, Crystal, 1997. This show is a supernatural show. It is a drama in which a strong female lead says, OK, I'm cookie dough. I'm not done baking. I'm not finished becoming whoever the hell it is I'm going to turn out to be. Buffy Summers It is Buffy Summers Another two point answer Nice work Alright this is everybody's last question So let's get the scores please Okay. Tara: [1:16:25] Less close than before Sarah has 8, I have 9, Crystal in the lead With 11. Dave: [1:16:31] Alright well this mathematically a tie Is still possible We'll see how it plays out Sarah D. Bunting Your show is from 2023 It is a mystery drama crime thriller, in which a strong female lead says, Luck is something we created to make sense of the things we can't change. 2023 mystery drama crime thriller. Sarah: [1:16:59] Anna! From Yellow Jackets? Dave: [1:17:04] The show is Poker Face. Who's that character from Poker Face? I will accept first name. I will accept last name first. I will not accept Poker Face. That is not her name. Guest: [1:17:16] This is being it. No, sorry. Dave: [1:17:18] It's not Ransom. It's not Poker Face. Sarah: [1:17:21] Poker Face. Dave: [1:17:22] Ah, Poker Face. Sarah: [1:17:24] She's a very nice and good. Dave: [1:17:25] She's got the ESP. Sarah: [1:17:30] Rebecca. Dave: [1:17:31] I don't remember her name. Sarah: [1:17:33] No, it's Charlie. Dave: [1:17:33] Charlie, what's the matter with you? Sarah: [1:17:35] Oh, fuck, yes. Guest: [1:17:36] Sorry, Charlie. Dave: [1:17:38] That was a fun. We make it a fun of the Italians. They know I kind of fight back. Sarah: [1:17:43] Booker Facci. Tara: [1:17:44] Yeah. Dave: [1:17:46] 2015. This is a workplace drama, TV satire, and a romance. Got all of those in one show, apparently. Tara: [1:17:55] Cripes. Dave: [1:17:56] In which a strong female lead says, you can produce a sad, boring little NPR morality play, or you can let this be the great piece of television that you know that it is. Tara: [1:18:08] Oh, no. It's about TV. Hint. Dave: [1:18:14] All right. I hope I say this right. Tara: [1:18:16] Okay. Dave: [1:18:17] It's unreal. Tara: [1:18:22] Her name was... Dave: [1:18:24] The following. Tara: [1:18:25] Yeah, she was played by Constance Simmer. And her name. Dave: [1:18:29] She's always around. Tara: [1:18:34] Quinn. Quinn. Dave: [1:18:36] Quinn King is the answer for one point. All right. Tara: [1:18:41] She's already won, so it doesn't matter. Dave: [1:18:42] Feeling good about your chances to actually go out another two-pointer here. Guest: [1:18:46] Thanks for cursing me, Dave. I'm definitely not going to get it right. Dave: [1:18:49] Absolutely. We'll get this right. If you don't, there's something wrong here with International Women's Day. Here we go. The show debuted in 2012. It is a political satire in which a strong female lead said, why don't you put on your running shoes and get to the fucking point? Guest: [1:19:07] Is it Selena Meyer? Dave: [1:19:09] It is from Deep and it's another two point get. And that is regulation. I would like to hear the scores, please. Tara: [1:19:16] Sarah finished with eight. I had 10. Crystal finished so strong with that last two point answer. 13. Guest: [1:19:23] All right. Dave: [1:19:24] Nicely done, Crystal. Guest: [1:19:26] Thank you. Dave: [1:19:26] All right, we got one tiebreaker here that will now play for a future Steel Meal. So let's shout out the answer when you think you know it. This is a 2005 medical drama slash romance in which a strong female lead said, Oh, screw beautiful. I'm brilliant. If you want to appease me, compliment my brain. Tara: [1:19:48] Meredith Gray? Dave: [1:19:49] Is incorrect. You're on the right track. Sarah: [1:19:55] Christina? Dave: [1:19:55] Christina Yang from Grey's Anatomy. Sarah picks up the steam mill, but today goes to Valued Gas. Guest: [1:20:07] Valued guest. Sarah: [1:20:08] Nicely done, Crystal. Guest: [1:20:10] Thank you. Dave: [1:20:11] This season is tight. Tight. Sarah: [1:20:13] Yeah. Dave: [1:20:14] Well, that is it for another episode of Extra Hot Great. We that discussed whether Running Point was a slam dunk or the basketball term for doing something bad. Before going around the dial with stops at Gross Point Garden Society, Futurama, and On Call. Tara got AP Biles, that, that, that, into the canon. We crown winners and losers of the week. And Crystal was the winner of this week's Game Time from Amy. Next up on Extra Extra Hot Gray, we're talking about With Love, Megan. Remember! We're listening. I am David T. Cole. And on behalf of Tara Ariano. Tara: [1:20:58] I got Skeddy on the shirt. Dave: [1:21:00] Sarah D. Bunting. Sarah: [1:21:01] I love them, but they're gross. Dave: [1:21:04] And Crystal Farmer. Guest: [1:21:05] Girl, that's a bladder. Dave: [1:21:08] Thanks for listening. And we'll see you next time right here on Extra Hot Great. Clip: [1:21:27] To doubt myself. 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