Should You Tour The Residence?

Dave: [0:31] This is the Extra Hot Great Podcast, episode 555 for the week of March 24th, 2025. I am Falcon Cam, David T. Cole, and I'm here with the best detective in the world, Sarah D. Bunting. Sarah: [0:51] That's not your shirt. Dave: [0:53] Yellow-throated long-jawed Tara Ariano. Tara: [0:56] Long claw. Dave: [0:57] And Kylie Minogue as herself, Adam Grosswirth. Guest: [1:00] La la la la Lincoln bedroom. Tara: [1:07] Welcome to Extra Hot Great for another week. Joining us, he is a co-host of the podcast Muppetergy. You've heard him with us many times before. It's Adam Grosswirth. Adam. Dave: [1:18] Welcome back. Sarah: [1:19] Adam. Guest: [1:20] Hello. Always a pleasure to be here. Dave: [1:22] I just realized I made a promise to myself the next This time Adam was on, I was going to have the Kermit yay at the ready. And then I just realized I forgot. Guest: [1:29] I can send it to you if you want to drop it in later, but that feels like work. Dave: [1:32] Please do. Guest: [1:32] Okay. Tara: [1:35] We are here to talk about the residents. How do you raise the stakes on a White House state dinner? Kill someone. President Perry Morgan, Paul Fitzgerald, and his husband, Elliot, Barrett Foa, are hosting an event in honor of Australia when Chief Usher A.B. Winter, Giancarlo Esposito, is found dead in the residence, specifically on the floor of the game room next to the pool table. Both his wrists have been slashed, and not vertically like we all learned from the craft is the way to do it if you're serious. So Harry Hollinger, Ken Marino, the president's closest advisor, is shrieking at every law enforcement official with an earshot to declare it a suicide and get the corpse dealt with before anyone at the party finds out. But the D.C. Police Department has jurisdiction so no one can stop Chief Larry Doakes, Isaiah Whitlock Jr., from calling in Consulting Detective Cordelia Cupp, Uzo Aduba, to investigate, and more than 100 guests, staff, and random presidential family members have to stay in the house while she does it. Maybe it wouldn't take so long if she didn't keep stopping down for a bird-watching break, but what do I know? I'm not the best detective in the world. The show is created by former Scandal writer Paul William Davies for Shondaland, and he apparently wrote all eight episodes, which dropped March 20th. We may talk about events from any of them. Let's do the Chen check-in. Adam, sure, listeners, watch The Residence. Guest: [3:01] You can if you want to. Tara: [3:03] Okay. Sarah? Sarah: [3:05] Yeah, that's where I am with only birders in the building. Tara: [3:09] Nice. Sarah: [3:09] I mean, sure, but if you're like, that's not for me, you're probably right. Tara: [3:14] Dave? Dave: [3:15] Yeah, I don't think this is best of breed. I think you can give this one a skip. Tara: [3:18] It's a hard no for me. I hated it. Let's get into it. Wow. When you started this, you texted me to say it wasn't what you expected. What did you expect? Guest: [3:30] Well, all I knew was Shonda Rhimes' show about a murder at the White House. And so I was expecting Backstairs at the White House, High Den Casino, meets Scandal. Right. This is not that. You can tell from the clip from the top. This is only murders in the White House-ish, but it's sort of zanier than that. Sarah: [3:49] No, it thinks it is. Dave: [3:50] But not too zany. Guest: [3:51] But not too zany. And it gets less zany as it goes on, which we'll talk about, I'm sure. The first 30 seconds will tell you immediately what you're in for. And if that's something you want, then you can watch it. And they'll all have a caveat later. Yeah, comedy is maybe not Shondaland's strong suit. Tara: [4:07] Well, that's the thing. And having watched to the end, do you think the version in your mind would have been better? Guest: [4:13] No, maybe. I mean, it would have been very different. I mean, here's the thing. I really liked this. until I didn't. And then the last two episodes made me kind of retroactively hate the whole thing. But I was having a good time until then. It's pleasant. It's funny. It's not laugh out loud funny. I did read your crack review. It's true. There are not a lot of joke jokes. I paid pretty close attention to the first one because we were going to be talking about it. And then I was like, okay, I got it. And it's pretty good background TV. And I really enjoyed having it on until, as I said, I didn't anymore, but then I wanted to know what happened. So I kept going. But I think the problem for me is actually like the structure of the mystery. So whether it's a comedy or a drama, that's where it failed me. Dave: [4:55] I know this is a Netflix show, but can you watch a mystery like this, second screen it, and still get what you need to get out of a mystery like this? Don't you feel when you're not paying attention to a murder mystery show, if you're not paying attention, you're going to miss something important like skipping chapters in an Agatha Christie book or something like that? I just got such a look from Sarah D. Bunting. Guest: [5:18] Well, I mean, in this particular one, they repeat everything 12 times. Tara: [5:22] That's, yes. Guest: [5:23] Which I know Tara was going to talk about, so I didn't say it. But yeah, I mean, I did get it. And I wasn't like deeply engaged in other things, but I also wasn't watching it like a critic after the first one either. Dave: [5:32] I say that just to say, I don't know if Netflix is the best destination for a show like this, just because of their insistence of being the streaming partner that insists that you make TV for people who are not exactly watching TV. Guest: [5:46] Right. Yeah. And something, this is sort of a tangent, but it's something I wrote down while I was watching it, that I've really been enjoying this season in particular. I feel like there's been kind of a return to week-to-week TV and a cultural conversation happening. And maybe that's just because I'm on this Discord. And both good and it's Severance, it's White Lotus, it's also Paradise and The Traitors. It's highbrow and lowbrow. And I really like that. And I think that creators are structuring their shows to be watched week-to-week in kind of an old-school way where there is some resetting and there is some recapping. And I've been enjoying that. And so I think this show does that, for better or for worse. And so it's really weird that it's on Netflix, to your point. That's not the network of Week2Week at all. Tara: [6:30] Sarah, we've been getting a lot of face acting from you. What are your feelings about this? Sarah: [6:36] Adam's saying that he liked it until he didn't really resonate with me because my arriving at I don't need to watch any more of this levels of not really liking it anymore arrived at the end of the first episode where I was like, what what is this familiar quality that is like not bothersome to me, but it's just sort of like this isn't nearly as good as it thinks it is kind of bothersome. And it's similar to watching early Dawson's Creek, namely that every single character, no matter what their background or age range, talks exactly the same way. Sarah: [7:14] Shonda is better at that, or this writer, Davies? Yeah, Davies. is better at like slightly more naturalistic dialogue. But what they share is a smug, snarky tone that thinks it's funny and isn't really like there's no I mean, there's like jokes, I guess, sort of in terms of like the place and who has been cast to do certain things. And I wanted to like this because the cast is amazing. but every character it just reminded me of why I quit Scandal that everyone's just kind of a little bit too in love with their own smarts and thinks they're really funny and they're not necessarily that funny and it just was like I'm not all that interested in the mystery because I think for the show it's almost beside the point like the the workplace so to say is the point but Only Murders is also inattentive to the actual mystery in a lot of ways, but it actually loves its characters and understands what they are and is funny more. But also sometimes it's heartbreaking. There's just something sometimes about Shonda product that is like, I don't know, it's like the annoying parts of Sorkin without as much information. Tara: [8:37] And I enjoyed. Sarah: [8:39] Some of the behind the scenes like here's a cutaway of the white house floor plan stuff but one episode was enough. Tara: [8:45] Yeah i'm not as bothered by that what you're referring to because i mean sorkin obviously is like the grandfather all of all of that probably on tv sure and it's i i get that it's you know it's a style choice my my problem was more as adam alluded to the netflixiness of it where it's like Like every 10 minutes, we have to get a recap or a flashback or something where they're telling you what happened or they're reminding you what happened from when you were looking away to fold the laundry. Tara: [9:15] But this... And I sort of noticed it in Black Doves, too, which is a better show. But it did that, too, where, like, you know, a few times an episode in a six-episode season, you'd get a flashback to the Keira Knightley character with, like, her boyfriend just, like, fooling around in bed for no reason. Just to remind you, she was having an affair. Like, we got it! We've been watching the show. It all dropped at the same time. Like, we know! and like the the way this is infecting netflix shows and and from what i hear it's happening on zero day two where like a thing happens people talk about the thing happening and then they were reporting to a third person that it's happening and we get this and it really here because there's also the frame story about everyone telling their stories to a congressional committee like there's no reason for this to be eight episodes long and the and to the to your points there about, like, it forgets the mystery. I don't think that a mystery is what this guy wanted to write really at all. Like, knowing that the basis for this or an inspiration, enough of an inspiration that it's credited to the writer is a nonfiction book from 2015 about just, like, facts about what it's like to work in the White House. If what he wanted to do was what it says on the cover of that book, which is, like, it's like Downton Abbey at the White House. Tara: [10:34] Like, I don't care about this mystery. And your lead detective character is kind of like the most annoying person on the show. Like, this is, all of this adds up to, like, it's not for me. This is why I hated it. But anyway. Dave: [10:48] To, to, to. Too many characters were a collection of quips and quirks. Guest: [10:51] Uh-huh. Sarah: [10:52] Mm-hmm. Dave: [10:53] They don't really land as characters, as people inside the confines of this show. Like, it really does feel like somebody saying, you know, the Aaron Sorkin pacing of it really comes through when they're just dealing little bonbons at each other as they interview or they're at their congressional hearing or whatever. Tara: [11:10] Mm-hmm. Dave: [11:10] And it just sort of makes the whole thing feel much more superficial than it needed to. Because this is a place where you would have a lot of people from a lot of different backgrounds and a lot of different opinions doing a lot of different things all at once. Tara: [11:24] Yeah. Dave: [11:24] And it should be, I would say, quick and dynamic like this is, but also feel like these are people doing all these things. And it didn't feel that. It felt like they all had Star Wars planet syndrome. They were one thing and one thing only, each one of them. Tara: [11:40] Yeah, totally. Sarah: [11:41] Yeah. I mean, maybe they should have just gone full dick, I guess, and really made it completely – these are recognizable actual people who existed in history, but then just have this completely bonkers sort of side quest happening in the White House. But I think that this production house takes itself too seriously for that. But then at the same time, you also have the Netflix cessation of either they're sort of giving into the fact that people aren't paying close attention or they're trying to get people not to pay close attention. But you watch enough true crime three-parters that should have just been an hour and 22 minutes, and you almost don't even notice the constant, like, the screen goes black, then we're back. It's another drone shot while someone's voicing over about the person whose name is in the title getting killed. Like, there was a murder? Yeah, that is very annoying, but I... given what else I do for a living, kind of don't even notice that shit anymore, which is sad. Dave: [12:49] What was the last long-form murder mystery or true crime-adjacent fictionalization thing that had a run this long that you were satisfied that the mystery was well handled? Because I was thinking about all these kind of things that I liked, and the only one that I really snapped to was The Bridge. Tara: [13:09] Yes, that's what I was going to say. Dave: [13:10] Only because the ramp up to finding out exactly what happened was just full of bonkers shit. And it's all red herrings for the first two thirds of the series. You can set your watch to like these things as far as I'm concerned. Like you just get like, okay, obviously, you know, we're going to get the first person who's under suspicion. It's not them, but it looked like it was them, blah, blah, blah. And when I get to a show that's like six or eight or 12 episodes long, that is like, who did it? It's just like, well, you can tune in for the last three and probably get as much out of it as you could tune in for the whole run. And that's sort of like part of the problem with a show like this. It's just like, it's so much filler. And if the characters aren't compelling, then it's hard to really like get into it. And that was my problem with this. And I would say like the bridge has the same problem, but the ride was so stupid and bonkers along the way that I kind of loved it for it. Tara: [14:05] Yeah. I feel like that's the that writers have learned the wrong lessons from all of those sort of overseas mystery law single mystery season shows where it's like something that formerly would have been one episode of Law and Order or CSI or whatever just like stretched and padded to be a season long because like, oh, OK, that's what audiences want now. It's like, no, sometimes there's only enough mystery for one episode, and those shows are fine, too. And we also like them. Sarah: [14:37] Yeah. Or just have a better balance of it. Like, High Potential, I think, actually does this really well and doesn't take itself too seriously or try to be anything sort of like verite blue filter that it... isn't. It's like people want this procedural and then there's sort of like a season-long thing also happening that you hear about for 45 seconds an episode and then you just move on. I think that's exactly right. If you want to be a procedural, just be an episode or a feature. But otherwise, you're a character study with a mystery that you should game it out and make sure it holds up. Like Mare of Easttown, I would argue. That wasn't everybody's thing. Tonally, it was a lot, but I also think that they understood that in order for us to care for eight to 10 episodes about whodunit, you have to care about the who solved it also. Tara: [15:31] Yeah. Guest: [15:32] To be a little positive before I then get really negative. So the structure of the show, for listeners who haven't watched it, it's everything happening in real time. And then also the detective played by Uzo Adubato, who I thought was great in an overridden, weird role, interviewing people, and then also these congressional hearings happening at some point in the future. And all those things are intercut in a completely unrealistic way, right? It doesn't make sense that anybody in the present would respond to a question asked in the congressional hearing. But all of that and actually a lot of the flashback stuff too, because they're doing kind of a Rashomon thing, I thought that worked really well for the first six episodes. It made a rhythm that I just really enjoyed and got into and found sort of humorous and enjoyable. It's really all in the editing, and I thought they did a great job with that. Except for the congressional hearings to exist, the murder can't be solved. Clearly somebody was like, wouldn't it be amazing if we cast Al Franken as a fictional senator? Sarah: [16:29] Yeah. And then they reverse-engineered. Guest: [16:31] Right. So that means that, spoiler, I guess, she can't solve the murder in those first six episodes, or there's no reason for the congressional hearings to happen. And where it lost me is in the last two episodes where she comes back, and I won't spoil it, but the finale is 90 minutes long. It's a movie, and it takes most of that time to do the overly complicated denouement. So I wasn't trying to solve it while I watched, but if you care at all, it made sense. They did make it make sense, but not in a realistic way, and in a way that took 45 minutes for her to explain in a very impressive monologue, but she acts very well. But I don't know. That was the point when I was like, oh, but so now you've colored the entire thing that I was enjoying by making it stupid and overlong. Tara: [17:17] Yes. Guest: [17:17] And most of the episodes are like 45 minutes, right? 45, 50 minutes? Sarah: [17:20] Yeah, 50 minutes. And yeah, I did wonder in my notes, if this is the greatest detective in the world, A, why did this take her eight episodes to? that are long. It's not like they're 22 minutes. Why did it take her this long? Shouldn't she have been able to solve it at feature length if she's the best detective in the world? And why did she need an assist from a congressional hearing committee whose function is not this, like Adam said? Guest: [17:47] Right. Tara: [17:47] And when you get to it, the police chief tells her, I'll give you more time if you need it. And she's basically like, I give up. I'm going to go to Ecuador and look at birds. It's like, this is your greatest detective? Because she sounds like kind of a wimp. That's part of the problem, too. It undercuts her story that she doesn't care more about actually solving the crime. So, you know, this has a lot of problems, I would say. Guest: [18:12] Yeah. Dave: [18:12] But Jane Curtin, not dead like I thought she was. I thought she was up there in heaven with Joey Pants. She's still alive. Good for her. Guest: [18:19] Yeah. And she's great. I mean, I would have liked more of her, but it's a super one-note character. So we actually got exactly the right amount of her. It was one of the few places where they showed the right level of restraint. It made me miss, not for the first time, Shonda Rhimes as a writer as opposed to a producer. Like, I don't know what her version might have looked like, but I'm still watching Grey's Anatomy. She's not writing it anymore, but you can still sort of feel her in there. Tara: [18:41] Yeah. Guest: [18:41] Versus something like Station 19, which was spun off from Grey's Anatomy and was like really bad. Yeah. I watched it, all of it, but it was really bad. This is not Station 19 bad for me, but I would love her to just write something again because while it's not for everybody, her voice is really distinctive and having this sort of producing house where people try to copy her voice, I don't think is the way to go. Tara: [19:01] Yeah, I mean, you said it. Dave: [19:09] It is time to go around the dial where we talk about what we've been watching on TV lately. Our first stop, as always, Tara. Tara: [19:19] Hi, we are three episodes into the fourth and final season of The Righteous Gemstones, which started out doing something very different. An episode set in Virginia, not South Carolina, where the show normally takes place. And the premiere was set entirely during the Civil War, featured Bradley Cooper as another Eli gemstone, and I won't spoil it, except to say that even though I know quite well, this is a show that is not for everyone. That episode is enough of a departure that even people who typically aren't into it might get something out of it if they check it out. It's really beautifully constructed and shot, and it also encapsulates something that you might not expect from the show if you mostly know it from how it's marketed, which is, it does take Faith seriously in its way, in its way, which is usually, you know, very snarky. But, you know, there's something earnest at the heart of the show and especially in the season's main storyline. Tara: [20:12] Which revolves around retired megachurch head Eli, played by John Goodman, reconnecting with an old family friend. Megan Mullally plays Lori Millsap, who used to write songs with Eli's late wife, Amy Lee, played by Jennifer Nettles in flashbacks. She and her son, Corey, played by Sean William Scott, have had some tough years since then. Spending time with the most decent member of the Gemstone family could be just what Lori needs, which is why it's too bad. the other members of the Gemstone family are immature idiots who cannot handle their father moving on from their mother even many years after her death. That said, their stress about keeping things the way they were is strangely sweet. Generally, the only way things can be sweet on this show, and it makes for a nice break from more boring stories for all of the three kids this season, honestly. Tara: [20:59] Uncle Baby Billy forever. I won't say where things go with him, But Walton Goggins is a genius, and much as I loved him on Justified, this feels like the part he was actually born to play. Getting a double dose of him on Sundays now between this and The White Lotus is a joy to the Gogheads, honestly. Dave: [21:17] The scene where he is in the dressing room and just takes off his pants and just has a big discussion with all the kids. I'm like, what? All right. Tara: [21:25] As I wrote in my review, which we'll link in the show notes, there are levels of nudity I could not have fathomed before this season. and that's not even it. So there's really funny stuff still to come. Back to Megan Mullally, though, who's the main guest star of the season. She's so good. She and Goodman are an incredible pairing. I wish I could see more of them together, but the show has a perfect ending and I can't respect the producers for stopping where they did. I have not been into any of Danny McBride's previous HBO shows at all or his movies, honestly, but this one has made me very excited to see what he and his collaborators do next. It's a really good season. of a very good show that, again, as I realized, not for everyone, and if you watch the first few of season one are like, nope, then you can stop. It's fine. But if this is your shit, then this is your shit. And like I said, we'll link my review in the show notes. Dave: [22:19] Adam, what have you been watching recently? Guest: [22:21] Well, it's March 2025, and America will never be the same. Smash is on Broadway. Smash, of course, was the 2012-2013 television drama, mostly, beloved by at least two people on this call, about the making of a Broadway musical. And there's been talk basically since it started about bringing it to the stage in some way. There have been concert performances of both of the shows within the show over the last decade. But what has finally arrived as a full production on Broadway is very, very loosely based on the TV show, which I personally think was the right way to go. Broadway Smash is an old-fashioned musical comedy about the making of a musical about Marilyn Monroe, and Marilyn Monroe is played by a character named Ivy Lin. It's got most of the songs by Mark Shaman and Scott Whitman that were written for the TV show for Bombshell, the Marilyn Monroe musical in the TV show. There's a lot of nods to the original. Yes, there are scarves, but it also gets to be its own thing, and it works in two and a half hours instead of spread out over two seasons. Guest: [23:20] There's an Ivy, there's a Karen, there's a bombshell. That's kind of it as far as plot goes. I should say that I went to the very first performance and the show is still in previews, which is when they try things out in front of an audience and make changes for a while before critics come. So I'm sure it's actually changed in the two weeks since I saw it. And this is not a review, but I had a good time and I will definitely go see it again. And just also to add, intense fan culture can make me really uncomfortable even when I am participating in it. But there was something really lovely about being in a theater with 2,000 other people who love this mess of a TV show enough to shell out Broadway money to go to the first preview. I can't wait to see how it plays to normies when I go back. And it opens officially April 10th. So they're still working on it. And that's when the reviews will come out. And I'll go back after that sometime. Dave: [24:05] So Tara, you're a big smash person as well. Tara: [24:08] Yeah. Dave: [24:08] Do you want to go see this? Would you make a trip to New York to see this? Sarah: [24:12] I'll go. Tara: [24:13] I would think about it. I really did love the show. So, well, there we go. It sounds like I have to. So this may occur. Dave: [24:21] Very good. All right, Adam, what do you have to plug? Where can people find more of you? Guest: [24:27] I have a podcast with three other nerds called Muppetergy. It is a recap of The Muppet Show. We're almost finished with The Muppet Show. We do have some plans to keep going on a slightly later schedule once we get there. But if you're listening to this the day it drops, we have a new episode coming out tomorrow. It's the Paul Simon episode. And our last episode featured very special guest star Tara Arellano. So that's exciting. And that was a fun time. And I'm on Blue Sky Instagram, Letterboxd, all the things at Adam807. And Muppetergy is on all those things. Not Letterboxd. At Muppetergy. Dave: [25:02] Sarah, what do you got? Sarah: [25:04] Ladies and gentlemen, to entertain you for the very last time, B-B-B-B-Bosh! It's the beginning of the end of Bosh Colon Legacy. It has begun its fourth season, or no, excuse me, as you were listening to this, it begins its fourth season tomorrow, Thursday, March 27th. I got screeners of the first four, all of which hit tomorrow with a weekly drop schedule after that. I think they did this last season as well. I would have to go back and check the episode when I bored everyone with it the last time. Whenever it started, I don't care for it. Sarah: [25:40] Adam's previous comments about that sort of cultural return to a weekly drop schedule, I think, generally speaking, I don't think that's a bad thing. But some shows are really just like streamy, generous and should be left that way. The show's preeminent quality is and always has been that it literally is a book that is reading itself to you with the help of Titus Welliver and a bunch of other people. So this type of episode, quote, burst, is the equivalent of tearing the front third of the book off and handing it to fans all good luck by the rest later. Like, it's annoying. Give us the whole season at once, you cowards. I earned it. It's not like the first four of this were bad. It's not like there was any particular cliffhanger at the end of the fourth episode. The show's other preeminent quality, as you know, is that it knows how to build a noir procedural over 8-10 episodes. It casts perfectly and believably. The result is a predictable, but not tedious, perfectly cromulent B+. So there is no reason to drag the shit out. I had saved all these screeners for my birthday last weekend to find that they were only four. I was like, oh, no. Sarah: [26:57] But I enjoyed the four. It's doing what it does. Paul Calderon and Chang are back. Crate and Beryl get a scene, which made me smile. Got Dale Dickey and Juliet Landau. Mimi Rogers as Honey Chandler is running for DA this season. There's a scene where she's reading the LA Times editorial board for filth that I think was probably a little more satisfying to write than it was to watch, but okay, go off. Here's the thing. I am just impatient for the rest of the episodes because then I'm going to have to wait like a month and a half for all of them to air and get racked up so that I could just watch them all. At once, Amazon Prime, if you're within the sound of my voice, just drop the whole season at once. Like I said, I've ruined it. For my plug, I reviewed Happy Face, which is Dennis Quaid doing all the serial killer acting for three episodes and then finally settling down. And the Last Take documentary, which was on the death of Helena Hutchins. I reviewed both of those things last week at Best Evidence. Plus, our esteemed colleague Susan Howard is reviewing all of the Edgar Award nominees for Best Fact Crime. And the link to all of those pieces and many more is in the show notes, but it's bestevidence.fyi if you want to have a look right now. Dave: [28:16] All right. Two shows to talk about. One quickly. Has anybody else on the panel besides Tara watched Daredevil Born Again? Guest: [28:23] Nope. Sarah: [28:25] Okay. Dave: [28:26] I bailed after two episodes. Tara: [28:29] Three. Dave: [28:29] If you are still watching and you are in a kingpin scene that you can enjoy, what is definitely the way that he is bringing his acting chops to the table. All right. It's got to get in character. I'm the mayor of New York City. New York, New York City. And he talks in measured steps too, right? Okay, here we go. All right. Vincent D'Onofrio's acting in Daredevil Born Again is him at Baskin-Robbins discovering all the flavors of ice cream at Baskin-Robbins. Guest: [28:54] Yeah. Dave: [28:55] So, now you're telling me I could point at any of these flavors and you would give me a small spoon of Rocky Road or Raspberry Twirl. And that's for the whole show. Dave: [29:12] An actual show that I enjoyed that we scarfed down after watching Common Side Effects, and we're almost at the end of that, and that's been airing. We talked about that about a month ago on the show. We went back and watched the creator's earlier show called Scavenger's Rain. It is on Max. It's a really hard show to nutshell. It's a show you actually have to watch with your eyeballs rather than hear somebody to describe it, but I will do my best. It is definitely a singular TV show experience. It's definitely something I've said, well, I haven't seen that before. I enjoyed that. It's kind of like the spirit of Omni magazine or 70s sci-fi novel cover illustrations as world-building DNA. So they take that vibe and then they add it to a survival story like Chackleton or something like that, but on another world instead of at the pole. The imagination that goes into the ecosystem stuff, like the ecosystem and the food chain, is incredibly satisfying. It's very, very alien-looking, but it still feels plausible, even though it is super fantastical. Tara: [30:24] There's no part of anything you see that hasn't clearly been thought through yet. every possible way. And it's not like on Star Trek where sometimes like it's a humanoid, but then they have antennas on their forehead. It's like levels of complexity beyond that that are truly very hard to describe. Dave: [30:42] Yeah. I won't spoil some examples because they're all from the very small and whimsical to the very big and nasty. Some of the stuff they come up with is kind of great. And there's not like a ton of story in this. You know, we're just talking about the residents and how it was like, well, three pounds a show in a 10-pound bag. There's not a lot of story here. It does go someplace with some of the characters, but it really is an exercise in world building as the main attraction for this series. It's not the only thing going on, but it's definitely the marquee element, I would say. There is some 2001 S stuff that happens towards the end of the run that maybe they're setting up if they do more of this show. Frankly, I'm really happy with the part of the show that we saw and I think it's a perfectly cromulent way to end it and I think you don't need to have everything spelled out and explained to you that some things just are the way they are and we could just end it there. There's also a character, a creature on this planet that they land on or marooned on that is so weirdly designed but is such a great villain for the whole show. Like, it makes me mad every time I see it. You know, it's just like really just an animal with like, it's like animal plus. Tara: [31:58] Yeah. Dave: [31:58] But I just like, I fucking hate it so much. And I haven't really had that reaction to a character on a show before. Tara: [32:04] Mm-hmm. Dave: [32:06] Talking around a lot of stuff about the show, but if just having the vibe of something from the 60s and 70s and just like a show that is like, the show Bible is like the world building Bible as well. If that at all interests you, definitely check it out. I know we're late to the party. on this one for a lot of people and you probably know a lot of you are like but, If you haven't, give it a shot. It is really something that I thought I hadn't seen before on television. I really enjoyed it. Tara: [32:33] Yeah, it's really, it's very special. It truly is unique in the literal sense of that word. And it's on max. It's 12 episodes. Dave: [32:43] And the art style, like it really emphasizes certain things. Like it's very simple overall, especially with the humans. The humans are drawn in a certain way that is mostly about the emotional lines on their face. it is not like super detailed I think they made a lot of right choices and I was just very impressed at the end of it didn't let me down yeah it's beautiful, alright so that's my recommendation here's some stuff we'll be talking about soon on this Friday's Extra Extra Hot Great we're going to be talking about the studio that's Seth Rogen's Apple TV Plus series that is available to club members go to extrahotgreat.com slash club for more info and to join and then come back here on EHG Prime next week. We'll be welcoming back Mr. Joe Reed to talk about mid-century modern, a.k.a. Golden Guys? Is that what you're calling it? Tara: [33:36] Yeah, basically. Dave: [33:37] Basically Golden Guys. All right. Tune in for that. Dave: [33:46] It's time for the extra hot Great Cannon presenting this week. It is our good friend Adam. Take it away. Right. Guest: [33:53] Murder, She Wrote, which ran on CBS from 1984 to 1996 for a whopping 264 episodes, follows the life of Jessica Fletcher, played by Angela Lansbury, a retired English teacher turned improbably successful mystery novelist who lives in the small town of Cabot Cove, Maine. Wherever she goes, Jessica encounters a murder and uses her skills coming up with fictional plots to solve the real one. And I should say, I chose this before I had any idea what our main topic was this week. Guest: [34:21] I originally watched this episode, season one, episode six or four, depending on where you look, which aired on November 4th, 1984, when preparing for guest star Lynn Redgrave's episode of The Muppet Show on Muppetergy, and it made me want to keep watching a project that will take me years. So here is why. Number one, Angela Lansbury. I am not a cozy mysteries guy generally, but who is cozier than Angela Lansbury? I just find her so calming, even though my first and primary association with her is Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd. I always feel like characters on the show are in good hands with Jessica, and we're in good hands with Lansbury as a star. But she's not all Mrs. Potts, she has an edge, and Lansbury can slay a cunty line delivery, especially when she is exposing a murderer as she does every week. Number two, the rest of the cast. Lansbury is the only cast member who's in every episode, so each week we get a cavalcade of guest stars. This week we get the aforementioned Lynn Redgrave, Dean Jones, Roger Miller, and hey, it's that guys and gals, Catherine Damon from Soap and Webster, Dan O'Herlihy from RoboCop, and Sherry Curry, lead singer of The Runaways. Guest: [35:24] Number three, the setting. It's a common and understandable misconception that Cabot Cove is the murder capital of the world. In fact, most episodes don't take place there, as right from the pilot, Jessica is often on book tour, taking a meeting in person because it's the past, on vacation, or visiting one of her nine nieces, three nephews, six cousins, or eight other relatives. Yes, I looked it up. The best episodes, in my opinion, are the ones in the very specific, though all clearly shot in the Los Angeles metro area, locations like theaters, theme parks, or tennis tournaments. This week, we're at the Langley Estate, where Jessica's cousin Abigail works as an animal trainer. And we kick off with some sort of organized group horse riding event that isn't really explained, but also doesn't matter, which brings us to number four, nonsense. You might think of Murder, She Wrote as a stuffy show, but every week they needed a reason for there to be a murder with multiple possible suspects, which means in the very first scene, we get dialogue like clip one. Dave: [36:53] At least today. Guest: [36:55] I just love that someone named her Morgana when she was a baby, and that's how she turned out. That's a very tidy introduction to the family at the center of this story. We still have to meet the doomed patriarch, clip two. Now there's a painter who knew his horse flesh. Look at those withers. Not. Dave: [37:20] Love and dice. set of withers. The way that he's saying withers here is worthy of Sideshow Bob saying, capital knockers. Tara: [37:31] It's perfect. Guest: [37:32] There is an undercurrent of people being horny for Jessica in these early episodes, which I also, you know, I appreciate that. Get it, Jessica. So yeah, it is only the sixth episode of the series, and they're already going like this far over the top, and they will continue to do so, and I love it. Reason number five that I love it, the murders, the titular murders that she wrote. So the inciting incident of the episode happens during the horse riding situation, when Denton's horse, who has been drugged, runs the wild and throws Denton, killing him. In his will, he leaves everything to his dog, a very good beagle named Teddy. Drama, of course, ensues. Clip three. You're not my employer, either of you. Teddy is. Only Marcus Boswell can. Guest: [38:14] Serious accusations, Miss Freestone. If I were you, I'd be careful. Very careful. But that's not the murder that matters. A couple of nights later, alcoholic daughter Trish gets out of her car to open the gate and apparently passes out drunk. The guard runs out to help her, but as he approaches, the gate closes, killing her. We don't see exactly what happens, but it seems surprisingly gruesome for this show, and also very convoluted. But wait, there's more. Clip four. In audio only, I can't not picture the rooster from Robin Hood delivering all of Roger Miller's lines. Tara: [39:23] Completely, yes. Guest: [39:24] Kind of works. On a lighter note, number six. I love the 80s-ness of all of this. I mean, obviously, this was made in 1984, but most episodes having different settings and different casts of characters means we get to see a wide array of clothes, hairstyles, and furnishings. In this one, we start out with the formal writing outfits before setting into pretty normal stuff, and it's much more of a time capsule than something that was trying to be more high fashion, like moonlighting, or something commenting on the era nostalgically. In this episode alone, we get Jessica, the rich Langley family, and a bunch of regular townsfolk. In his will, Denton refers to his granddaughter's haircut as unique, but I kind of barely noticed it, which really speaks to how CBS this all was. But also, if they were doing a remake now, they would have given her a mohawk or a blue streak or something. Speaking of that will, clip five. What's that, a movie? No, Trish, this is. Guest: [40:24] If you immediately identify the sound at the beginning of that clip as a VHS tape being pulled out of its sleeve, you are Gen X. Number seven, the reveal. As I mentioned about The residents, I am not someone who watches these shows to solve them, but watching this one again to prepare for this, I noticed how all of the clues are there if you're looking for them, including the surviving sister claiming to have seen a ghost, which at first seems like just a kooky character beat. Here, slightly edited, is Jessica's theory of the supposed accident that killed Trish, clip six. Now someone got out of the car. Tara: [40:55] And pushed the intercom buzzer. Bob. Guest: [42:08] Okay, that was long, but the equivalent of that speech in The Residence takes a full 90 minutes, just saying. Anyway, so that is the how done it, but obviously Abigail can't be the murderer, she's Jessica's cousin, and that is not how this show works. So long story short, Jessica figures out that Boswell, the lawyer, framed the dog for murder, knowing that if anyone figured out the accident was staged, Abby would be blamed, and either way, he would get control of the money. Because he is the guardian of the dog? Sure. The whole thing comes to a head in a very Southern California coroner's inquest, in which Jessica uses Teddy's training against Boswell to prove he was the murderer. Clip 7. Why don't you feed him his treat? Just like you. Tara: [42:45] Did when you trained him to help you to murder Trish. Sarah: [42:51] So Guest: [42:52] That's my case i hope you'll give it's a dog dog's life its treat and induct it into the canon. Tara: [42:57] Thank you adam sarah why don't you start us off. Sarah: [43:00] I would love to i of course was very happy to see this as the canon entry this week but also curious about how this particular murder she wrote would set itself apart from the rest, because as I said about Bosch and Bosch colon legacy, not the only appeal, but a big part of the appeal is sort of consistency of product over time. So how was this one going to be set apart? And then when I was like, oh, no, there's a trained dog involved. And also we're in the Lynn Redgrave is somewhere on your television at every moment era of the culture. I think this is a good argument that canon fodder, it's just as important for it to be typical of its show as it is for it to be like the best of an already good show. And I think that's where this one really shines. Not to mention that the particular alchemy of Murder, She Wrote, like I think that Adam's explication of it was really good, but there is a particular alchemy of it that when you sort of list everything. Sarah: [44:13] It's like when you add it all together, like the whole is so much greater than the sum of the parts. and I still don't quite have it knocked. But thinking about it in the same week that I was thinking about Bosch, and something that I've said about Bosch many times is that I appreciate that it not only acknowledges that people over the age of 55 exist, but that they're often better at their jobs than a poor list 27-year-old because they've been doing them for a longer time. So let's get these actors in here and let them do their thing in the meta sense and the literal sense that I always appreciated that about Murder, She Wrote, having done a rewatch late last year that it's like, oh, right. Like there's a lot of different people in the world of a lot of different ages and people should think that Jessica Fletcher is hot. She is. She's really smart. She always solves this shit she could type really fast too so i it's weird to have those parallels between murder she wrote and bosh but um you know that you have like 12 seasons of both of them is also. Sarah: [45:24] Pretty great this does seem like a slam dunk but i'm interested to see what everyone else thought about this particular episode and how that sort of folds into the um perfect egg, presentation of this show that when you list everything out about what's good about it and what makes it canon-worthy, it's like, huh, okay. But then the larger experience, I feel, is greater than that. So I'm interested to hear from others. Tara? Tara: [45:51] Yeah. I mean, you didn't mention this, but it's worth remembering that two of the three co-creators of this show also co-created Columbo. And there's a lot of similarity and vibe here and there. I mean, I know every Murder, She Wrote episode isn't about a rich jerk getting their comeuppance, but I have to think a lot of them are. Guest: [46:09] A lot of them are. Tara: [46:09] And certainly that's the raison d'etre of Columbo for sure. So this felt like it was like a shrunk down Columbo to me in all of the best ways. A whole bunch of rich jerks, a completely preposterous turn of the story. I mean, when did Marcus Boswell, the lawyer, have time to and access to Teddy to train him to do this? Don't know. Don't care. Let's move on to the next. Like, this is, again, not to keep negatively comparing this to the residents, but like we don't what people get out of these shows is not like a perfectly airtight case. it's nice when that happens but it's not necessary like a lot of it is just the joy of seeing this particular group of guest stars like being bitches to each other like we heard in the, perfectly chosen clips by the way this was a joy um the sherry curry haircut that's just the hair that my mother and all of her sisters had in the 80s like this time like that's just normal hair dentin also so sloppy to have a dentin and a benton in this episode as well which. Tara: [47:15] Come on but lynn redgrave absolutely the mvp i won't say in a different show like she knew what she was doing but she's doing so much more than she even needed to to make this character three dimensional and every time she was on screen i just loved to watch her dean jones sinking all of his teeth into this accent yeah he's so good so good yeah his weird old style like it's you You know, 1984 is still the 70s suit when we have to see it with the, you know, the incriminating grease on the hem. Like, all of that is, it's just, it's gorgeous. Dave: [47:53] Who's the guy that plays bad guys and he's in all the Ryan Murphy American Horror Story seasons? Sort of looks like this guy as well. Guest: [48:03] Oh, Dennis O'Hare? Dave: [48:04] Dennis O'Hare. It kind of reminds me of Dennis O'Hare in both like physicality, but also sort of like you're here to be larger than people think you would be. It gave me similar vibes. Tara: [48:16] Oh, 100%. If they remade this episode today, he would be that. So, yeah, this was great. And the best part was that Teddy survives and protect Teddy at all costs was clearly the watchword. And I agree. I'm glad the blood on his collar wasn't his. I don't really care what else happened to anyone else in this episode. Teddy for president. We love you, Teddy. You're doing everything right. Dave. Dave: [48:44] So I guess my biggest knock against this episode is I wish the mechanism by which the dog was trained to do what needed to be done in order to make the murder happen was like even more involved. Like I felt like it needed to be almost like approaching Roadrunner. What was the guy's name? Rue Goldberg-esque mechanics. I would have loved something like that. Sarah: [49:05] Just like go through a tunnel and then tap a thing and then some ball bearings fall down. Yeah. Dave: [49:11] Yeah. Like the dog would have to do like three things in order to make this all happen. You know, like there was a, there was a rope on the gate and the rope had a bone on it. So like the dog is pulling the bone, like, like lots of stuff like that. I would have liked to even be more stupid than it was. And it was delightfully stupid. Make no mistake about it. I mean, the other problem is I wish like if you watched episodes three, four, and five of leading up to this, there was like a dog in it for no reason that when you watch this episode, you're like, what the fuck is with this show and having a dog in every episode? And then the dog is a murderer because as soon as you saw the dog, you're like, well, this is something to do with the dog, right? But maybe, you know, back in the 80s, we weren't that sophisticated with our TV watching. This whole episode, the vibe of all the rich people is very much, pardon me, can you spare some gray poop on? Tara: [50:02] Yes. Dave: [50:03] I looked it up it's three years before this episode and it sounds like too long before this episode but this is the 80s that ad had legs so I really think the spirit of Great Boupon lives in this episode for sure especially that first clip we played where everybody's being like a total bitch to each other like oh yeah you need to like slow down Auntie whatever like you know the village bike everybody has a ride stuff I know, Jesus So good Also. Guest: [50:33] Just Trish and Morgana, I will never get over the idea that those characters are sisters. Tara: [50:37] Yep. Guest: [50:37] Who named you? Sorry, go ahead. Dave: [50:39] No, it's great. Tara, there is some terrible, terrible wigs that we see on the very bad stunt people that are doing some of the horse things. Tara: [50:48] Oh, truly not trying at all. Sarah: [50:50] No, not trying at all. Dave: [50:52] Angela Lansbury is not old here. Like, she's not super old here. She is on the older end of what people were casting then. but she had blonde hair in this show. Her stunt double has gray hair and doesn't even match the style. They just grabbed the first thing they could from the wig box. But Tara, you're the wig cop here. Tara: [51:13] Oh yeah, no, that was one of my favorite parts is when the obvious stunt double gets off. Like truly no attempt to like cheat her face away from the camera either. This is just like clearly another person, possibly Barbara Billingsley, like just not even the same. very recognizably not her and yeah the wig is a problem it uh, looks like it could be a man's wig also could looks like they might have used it on the the uh the next door neighbor farmer who holds them at gunpoint and. Guest: [51:45] Then like easily. Tara: [51:46] Gets just talked out of it being like you're not a killer he's like yeah you're right like this is very implausible but love that as well. Guest: [51:54] My favorite was the the shot of denton as the horse is going wild um which i don't think it's a blue screen i think they just they shot him from below yeah so the sky's in the background and he's just like bouncing up and down and making scared faces and there's no horse anywhere to be seen and the angle makes no sense and the height makes no sense and it didn't matter because it was 1984 yeah. Dave: [52:16] So that's the charm of watching something that is quite old is that you lose all that baggage because if you watch the residents and they had a scene where somebody like Like, you know, some mall cop comes up on horseback to do whatever. And it was that scene in The Residence. You'd be like, what the fuck, people? Come on, get it in gear. But then when you watch it on 1984 show, you're like, yes, more of that, please. More dumb. And this was great. It's like a nice, stupid show that's frozen in time. And this episode with the dog murder just kind of puts it over the top. So well presented. Let's make this official. Sarah DeBunting, what say you? Kenan Worthy or not? Sarah: [52:53] Before I vote, another quick note. There is often the implication, decades before this was a thing, that all cops, if not bastards, are just incompetent. Like, she's always like, do you mind if I look around at whatever local deputy's like, Bates working? And so she just solves it for them. Tara: [53:10] Totally. Sarah: [53:11] So for that reason, as well as all the ones wonderfully enumerated by our guest, it is a yes for me. Dave: [53:17] Ta. Tara: [53:18] Yes for me as well. Great job, Adam. Dave: [53:20] Yeah, I'll say yes as well. So... That means that Murder, She Wrote, Season 1, we're going with Episode 6, It's a Dog's Life. You are hereby inducted into the Extra Hot Great Camp. Dave: [53:41] Americans love a winner. Yep. And will not tolerate a loser. Nope. It's time to discover who is the winner and loser of the week. But before we get into that, Adam Grosworth has an exciting Lynn Redgrave update. Guest: [53:55] I just wanted to add that if you enjoy Lynn Redgrave in this, her Muppet Show episode is great. It's on Disney+. And her Love Vote episode, which, to Sarah's point, I think aired the same week that this did or thereabouts, is real bad. Don't watch it. It made me sad for all involved. Dave: [54:10] Is she still with us? Is that the one that's still with us? Tara: [54:12] I think she has passed. Dave: [54:13] I think no. Guest: [54:15] Yeah. Dave: [54:15] Bad for her. I was going to say we can get her on Dr. Odyssey or something. Guest: [54:19] Yeah. Dave: [54:21] All right. Let's discover who is the winner of the week. Sarah, what do we got? Sarah: [54:25] Whoever has a Ouija board on the set of Dr. Fuckboat. No, not really. It's actually Project Runway, which has gotten Nina Garcia back as a judge alongside Heidi Klum and new addition Law Roach, who is the one I'm the most excited about. And Christian Siriano is remaining as mentor. Or this is also sort of a loser entry because apparently Tim Gunn found out about all of this from texts he got from Heidi. Also, have you read the contracts? And he's like, what contracts? So yeah, that's kind of interesting. But yeah, the new Project Runway, the new class. At least they're getting some old heads back to ease the transition. Hopefully it'll turn out okay. I will be watching. Dave: [55:10] And top. Oh, excuse me. Tara, who is our loser of the week? Tara: [55:17] Not me. Dave: [55:18] That was great. Tara: [55:21] Our loser is Netflix. As John Mulaney says in an interview that executives were apoplectic when they saw the lineup of guests he had booked for Everybody's Live, which is the live talk show that is the semi-sequel to Everybody's in L.A. from last year, I think, from the Netflix's Joke Festival. This show is not my cup of tea. I watched the first episode of Everybody's in L.A., and I admired how shaggy it was. This is going to either be your thing or it's not. But while Netflix is the loser, he is the winner because that's exactly what you should be doing. If you get this opportunity, if Netflix comes to you and throws a bunch of money at you and is like, make us a talk show, you should be doing exactly this. the kind of show that you want and that isn't like chasing trends or pleasing executives. So good for him. Netflix, as usual, eat a dick. Dave: [56:16] But it's also him calling them on it because, you know, during the bargaining slash selling to each other phase of the relationship, Netflix is like, yeah, we'll be hands off. We just want you to do your thing. And he's like, all right, I will. And then they're like, no, not like that. Tara: [56:32] Right. I'm going to have Joan Baez on the first episode, and they're like, wait, who? Dave: [56:38] Yeah. I mean, I like a stand-up. I didn't really grok that. I mean, I like parts of what he did. Tara: [56:43] Well, you liked Richard Kind being a sidekick. Dave: [56:44] I liked Richard Kind, to be honest with you. If you are, Netflix is coming to you, like, make this show. Tara: [56:51] Yeah. Dave: [56:51] Your show. Tara: [56:52] Yes. Dave: [56:52] Make your show, and if they don't like it, fuck it. Tara: [56:54] Yep. Dave: [56:55] You don't have to make another one. Tara: [56:56] 100%. Dave: [56:56] Good for him. Well, speaking about fuck it, do you know what time it is? Guest: [57:00] Game time. Sarah: [57:01] Game time. Dave: [57:01] It is indeed game time. Welcome back to game time. I really have to pee, but instead of going pee, I'm going to use this pee dance energy for an exciting game time. This is the ninth of the season. This course are Tara with three, Sarah with two, Value Guests with three. Very tight season so far. Today, we are playing Captain Grossworth's Oops! All Equalizers. Tara: [57:38] What? Dave: [57:39] In Captain Grossworth's Oops! All Equalizers, each player will play a card from our usual Grosworth Equalizer Challenge Zone selection. After each player does one round, the rest of the rounds are played as equalizers. So who's ever in last place, therefore gets to play the next round. Or share if there's two people in last place. All the usual boxes are in play. And I'm pleased to say there are two new boxes in play today. Although no guarantees because we have more boxes now than we will do rounds of today, I am sure. So no Steel Meals, but a lot of Grossworth Equalizer Challenge Zones to play today. Let's throw it at Picky to C's going first. We will start with Valued Guest. All right, that makes sense. This is Adam's zone. Adam will go first. Then we will go to Sarah and Tara. That really only matters for the order of our first three rounds. Are we ready to play Captain Grossworth Oops! All Equalizers. Tara: [58:39] Yes. Sarah: [58:39] Yep. Guest: [58:40] Under protest. Yes. Dave: [58:41] Adam Grossworth, I have 11 options. Please pick a number from 1 to 11, and you will have to play that card. Guest: [58:49] Oh, let's just go with 11. Dave: [58:51] 11. Oh, dear. You have picked the Bargain Basement Goodwill Bot television trivia game. The one nobody wants. To remind you, there are five questions on this card. one TV question per decade starting at the 50s going to 90s plus because everything else in the game has six cards we are giving you two points for the 50s question all right and so we're just going to go points on the card we're not doing three then six for this first round we're just going to go one point for each question you get right so we're going to start you off with the 90s plus on what occasion did dharma and greg get married on what occasion did dharma and greg get buried their wedding day well i mean technically you're correct but that's not the answer we're looking for though it was close you're close give you another crack at it you're close with wedding day the. Guest: [59:53] Anniversary of their first date. Dave: [59:54] Very close their first date was oh sure i'm Oh. Sarah: [59:59] Yeah. Dave: [1:00:00] 80s. What was BJ's occupation on BJ and the Bear? Sarah: [1:00:06] Yeah. Guest: [1:00:08] Is he a cop? Dave: [1:00:11] No, he gave blowjobs to monkeys. Can you believe it? Guest: [1:00:18] Nope. Dave: [1:00:18] Anybody know this one? Remember the credits? Yeah, he's a trucker. Guest: [1:00:21] It's a show I know only as a title. Dave: [1:00:24] 1970s, Adam. What role did Ann B. Davis play on the Brady Bunch? Guest: [1:00:30] Alice. That's correct. Dave: [1:00:31] That's one point. 1960s. Who played secret agent John Steed in The Avengers? Guest: [1:00:40] Some British dude. Dave: [1:00:41] Some British dude is correct. Not the answer we're looking for. Sarah: [1:00:45] Sir dude. Dave: [1:00:47] Sir some British dude, a.k.a. Patrick McNeil. Guest: [1:00:51] Oh, Patrick McNeil. Dave: [1:00:52] All right, this is worth two. No, not Patrick McGoohan. Tara: [1:00:54] McGoohan was the prisoner. Dave: [1:00:56] Yeah. Guest: [1:00:56] Oh, we'll see. I thought they were the same person until just now. Dave: [1:00:58] They both played secret agents, but different shows. All right, 1950s, two points for this one. Paladin handed out calling cards that read what? Paladin. gave you a card. It said what on it? It's not his name. Sarah: [1:01:12] Something is a phrase. Guest: [1:01:13] Have a gun, we'll travel. Dave: [1:01:14] Have a gun, we'll travel. Tara: [1:01:15] Two points on. Sarah: [1:01:16] Stand by me. Tara: [1:01:19] All right. Dave: [1:01:20] Three points for Adam in his round. We now move on to Sarah D. Bunting. Is that right? Did I say Sarah? Sarah: [1:01:27] Yes. Dave: [1:01:28] We now move on to Sarah. One to ten. Sarah: [1:01:33] This doesn't affect my answer, but do you reshuffle the box numbers? Dave: [1:01:36] I sure do. Sarah: [1:01:38] I love that about you. I'm going to go with two. Dave: [1:01:42] Oh, you're fucked. All right. Two is one of our new cards. Sarah: [1:01:46] Oh, no. Dave: [1:01:47] You will be playing six questions from the Trivial Pursuit Friends the TV series. Tara: [1:01:53] Well, at least you're taking it off the board. Dave: [1:01:57] The way this works is each question is from a different season. So I'll let you know what seasons we're talking about as well. All right. Oh, good luck. Sarah: [1:02:05] Sweet. Tara: [1:02:05] Not to brag, it's not a brag, but Dave tested it on me and I swept the guard. Dave: [1:02:11] Yep. All right. Seasons one and two, Sarah. Sarah: [1:02:15] Yep. Dave: [1:02:15] To which zoo is Marcel finally accepted? Sarah: [1:02:20] The Bronx Zoo. Dave: [1:02:22] Tara? Tara: [1:02:24] San Diego Zoo. Dave: [1:02:26] Seasons three and four. How does Channel react to the stress of Ross and Rachel breaking up for the first time? Sarah: [1:02:36] I'm sorry, read it again. Dave: [1:02:37] How does Chandler react to the stress of Ross and Rachel breaking up for the first time? Sarah: [1:02:44] Hives. Dave: [1:02:46] Tara? Tara: [1:02:48] Start smoking again. Dave: [1:02:50] Seasons four and five, Sarah. What is the name of the song that Ross and Chandler write whilst in a college band together? Sarah: [1:03:03] Whilst in a college band together. The Aristocrats. Dave: [1:03:09] Tara? Tara: [1:03:11] Is it Emotional Backpack? Dave: [1:03:13] Very close, but we won't accept it because it's you. Emotional knapsack. Tara: [1:03:18] Knapsack. Sarah: [1:03:19] Oh. Dave: [1:03:21] Season six and seven. Name one of the nicknames that Ross gives to the two boys that sat either side of Elizabeth in class. Sarah: [1:03:30] Tweedle Dee. Dave: [1:03:33] All right. So you have to name one of the two, Tara. Tara: [1:03:37] Oh, it's like, yeah, I can't remember. I can't remember. Dave: [1:03:42] Okay, one of them follows the famous something... Tara: [1:03:45] Oh, something McSomething something, yeah. Dave: [1:03:48] It's called Sleepy Sleeperson and Smelly Von Brownshirt. Tara: [1:03:52] That's right. Dave: [1:03:53] All right. Two more left, Sarah, and then you're out of it. You're out of it. Sarah: [1:03:57] Thank God. Dave: [1:03:58] Yeah. Eight and nine, or the seasons we're talking about with this question. What belonging of Ross's does Mona try to keep to remember him by? Sarah: [1:04:09] Oh, Jesus. I don't know. Shirt. Dave: [1:04:12] I go to accept shirt. Tara: [1:04:14] Give her that. Yes. Dave: [1:04:15] The salmon shirt. The salmon shirt. So one point for Sarah. Was that an inkling that, or you just picked something at random? Was there something scratching in your brain? Sarah: [1:04:23] Yeah, just picked it. I was like, what would someone keep? Tara: [1:04:26] Yeah, it's not a memorable episode. Good job, Sarah. Dave: [1:04:28] The friend spider that lives in your brain. Sarah: [1:04:29] Plus I'm looking at Tara and thinking, it's a shirt. Dave: [1:04:33] Last question is for season 10. What element of Thanksgiving dinner did Monica cook in Joey and Rachel's oven the year everyone was late? What element of Thanksgiving dinner did Monica cook in Joey and Rachel's oven the year everyone was late? Sarah: [1:04:50] I don't know. The turkey. Dave: [1:04:53] Incorrect. Tara? Tara: [1:04:54] Don't remember. Dave: [1:04:55] Ooh, two questions Tara when I've gotten this one. Brussels sprouts. Tara: [1:04:58] Oh. Dave: [1:04:59] Brussels sprouts. All right, so you got one. Sarah: [1:05:01] One point there. One more than I expected. Pretty good. Yay! Dave: [1:05:05] All right, Tara, we've got one and then two to ten. Oh, sorry, three to ten. Tara: [1:05:11] Three. Dave: [1:05:12] Three is 90s Trivial Pursuit questions. I will read you six TV-related questions from six different cards. Of course, as we all remember the 90s, you also get the year in which the question is about. Tara: [1:05:24] Okay. Dave: [1:05:25] 1993. What underwater TV series featured Darwin, a dolphin who could converse in English with the help of a ship's computer? Tara: [1:05:34] Sequest DSV. Dave: [1:05:35] Are correct. 1992. What type of oil filled the prosthetic breasts that Saturday Night Live's Kevin Nealon suggested naming implanters? Tara: [1:05:48] Olive oil? Dave: [1:05:50] Implanters. Peanut oil. Tara: [1:05:52] Oh, peanut oil. Dave: [1:05:54] 1996. What dime lady earned a lot more than 10 cents a minute for her sprint ads? Tara: [1:06:01] Oh, no. Oh, no. Annie Potts. Nope. Dave: [1:06:10] Anybody know? Candace Bergen. Tara: [1:06:12] Of course. Fuck. Sarah: [1:06:14] Oh, yeah. Dave: [1:06:16] 1994. What bicycle messenger arrived late for his first day on the real world San Francisco after being jailed on a bench warrant? Tara: [1:06:24] Puck, puck, puck. Dave: [1:06:25] Puck, puck, puck. Correct. 1996. What TV judge never starts a trial without donning her dad's reading glasses? Tara: [1:06:34] Judge Judy? Dave: [1:06:36] 1994 What one time Barker's Beauty On The Price is Right Claims to be The world's most downloaded woman Oh. Tara: [1:06:50] Cindy Margolis Wow nice. Dave: [1:06:53] Sarah D. Bunting It's time to ask Tara for the scores Wait Sarah has to ask you for the scores Okay sorry Tara. Sarah: [1:07:04] Can we have the scores, please? Tara: [1:07:05] Yeah, of course. I have four. Adam has three. Sarah has one. Dave: [1:07:10] All right. So, Sarah, you are in the gross earth. Equalize your challenge. All right. One to eight. I've squished all the numbers together. One to eight, Sarah. Sarah: [1:07:28] Two again. Can't get worse. Dave: [1:07:31] All right. Number two. You have chosen Teen Trivia Plus, a Trivial Pursuit-esque game from Canada from the mid-80s. I have taken six TV-related questions from them. Are you ready? Sarah: [1:07:48] No. Let's do it. Dave: [1:07:50] In Silver Spoons, what business is Ricky's father in? He's in the what business? Sarah: [1:07:58] It's not in the model train business. I'm going to say he's in the Stocks Stock market business. Dave: [1:08:06] You were pretty close with your He's definitely not in the train business He's in the toy business Oh yeah How does Mork Say hello. Sarah: [1:08:19] Nanu Nanu? Dave: [1:08:20] Yes. On what daytime soap opera did Tom Selleck appear? Sarah: [1:08:27] I know which one he didn't appear on. As the world turns? Dave: [1:08:34] The Young and the Restless. He's young. He's restless. He's trying to grow that mustache. Sarah: [1:08:41] Mm-hmm. Dave: [1:08:43] What TV lawyer was created by Erie Stanley Gardner? Sarah: [1:08:48] Earl Stanley Gardner? Dave: [1:08:50] Is that what that says? It is. Sarah: [1:08:52] Yes, it is. Dave: [1:08:53] That makes more sense. Sarah: [1:08:55] What TV lawyer was created by Earl Stanley Gardner? That's Perry Mason. Dave: [1:09:02] That's correct. Wow, I really have to read these cards at a more distance than I thought. That really looks like Eerie up close. Where do Moki, Red, Boober, and Lobo live? Sarah: [1:09:17] Down in Fraggle Rock? Guest: [1:09:19] Yes. Dave: [1:09:22] Lastly, what TV series invites you to come and knock on our door? Sarah: [1:09:28] Three's Company. Dave: [1:09:29] Yes, you are correct. So that is a total of four points in that round. Tara: [1:09:35] Nicely done. Sarah: [1:09:37] All right. Dave: [1:09:38] Can I please get a score update, please? Tara: [1:09:40] You surely can. Now, Sarah has five. I have four. Adam has three. Dave: [1:09:46] All right, Adam Grosworth, you're in the U Equalizer Talent Zone. Seven cards on the table. Please pick one. Guest: [1:10:01] Two. Dave: [1:10:02] Two is, oh, the boob tube card. The boob tube card. It is a travel set made in the 80s. Here we go. There's no categories. Guest: [1:10:15] Okay. Dave: [1:10:16] What are the three sweep months on television? Sweep months. When do they occur? What three months are the sweep months? Guest: [1:10:25] May, November. Dave: [1:10:27] I'm going to let you know you're correct so far. Guest: [1:10:29] Third one. Dave: [1:10:30] Yeah, there's a third one. Guest: [1:10:31] February? Dave: [1:10:31] Yes! Nicely done. Sarah: [1:10:33] Nice. Dave: [1:10:35] Who's aided in his flight from the law by his sister, Donna? Guest: [1:10:40] The Fugitive? Dave: [1:10:42] I'll give you that. Do you know his name? Guest: [1:10:44] I don't. Dave: [1:10:45] Richard Kimball. Guest: [1:10:46] Richard Kimball. Thank you. Kitty. Dave: [1:10:48] How many Westerns remained on primetime network TV when gun smoke left the air in 1975. Guest: [1:10:56] Zero. Dave: [1:10:57] Gunsmoke's gone and there are zero on TV. What movie monster has appeared in ads for Dr. Pepper, Hallmark cards, and Scope mouthwash? Guest: [1:11:11] Godzilla? Dave: [1:11:13] Godzilla is correct, yes. Sarah: [1:11:15] Nice. Guest: [1:11:16] Figured that or Kong. Dave: [1:11:17] Whose musical variety show had the theme champagne fanfare? Guest: [1:11:24] Oh, Lawrence Welk. Dave: [1:11:25] Lawrence Welk is correct. Get this and you get a sweep. What model is the Ford that Starsky and Hutch race around in? The Ford what? Guest: [1:11:35] Mustang? Dave: [1:11:37] Almost a sweep. The Ford, anybody know? Sarah: [1:11:40] Fairlane? Dave: [1:11:41] Torino. Five points, so nicely done. Let's get the score update, please. Tara: [1:11:48] Okay, Adam has eight. Sarah has five. I have four. Dave: [1:11:52] All right. That means Tara, you're in the Ghostsword to Kill Hunter Town Zone. Six. One to six, please. Tara: [1:12:07] Five. Dave: [1:12:08] Five. This is the Pop Culture DVD Trivial Pursuit set. I'm going to read you six TV questions. Here we go. What role does Zorak play on Space Ghosts talk show? Tara: [1:12:21] Band leader. Dave: [1:12:22] Band leader is correct. Who sang the Moonlighting theme song? Tara: [1:12:28] Al Jarreau. Dave: [1:12:29] Correct. What show marked David Caruso's return to TV after his NYPD Blue departure? Tara: [1:12:37] Michael Hayes. Sarah: [1:12:39] Michael Hayes. Dave: [1:12:40] What TV series were fans trying to save when they sent bottles of Tabasco to executives at the WB? Tara: [1:12:48] Roswell. Dave: [1:12:49] Why was it Tabasco? Tara: [1:12:50] Because they like hot sauce. Dave: [1:12:52] The aliens do? Tara: [1:12:53] Yeah. They need... Sarah: [1:12:54] Yeah, it's like the only thing they can taste. Tara: [1:12:56] Earth food is bland. Dave: [1:12:57] Okay. Guest: [1:12:58] Sure. Dave: [1:13:00] What did CBS dub its late night lineup of sexy adventure shows that included Silk Stockings? Tara: [1:13:09] CBS Crime Time. Dave: [1:13:11] Oh, you're close. Tara: [1:13:12] Oh, no. Dave: [1:13:14] Crime Time after Prime Time. Tara: [1:13:17] Of course. Guest: [1:13:18] Oh. Dave: [1:13:20] Lastly, who was the last original Law & Order character to leave the show? Tara: [1:13:32] Oh, no. Mike Logan. Fuck. Dave: [1:13:36] It's New York City, Tara. Tara: [1:13:39] Who is it? Dave: [1:13:41] Sarah? Sarah: [1:13:42] Was it Briscoe? Tara: [1:13:44] He wasn't original. Dave: [1:13:46] D.A. Adam Schiff. Tara: [1:13:47] Oh, of course. Sarah: [1:13:48] Oh, right. Of course. Dave: [1:13:50] All right. Still got lots of points there, though. What do you get here? You got one. You got two. You got three. You got four. You got four points. Tara: [1:13:58] Yes, I did. Dave: [1:13:58] Four points there. All right, Tara. All right, I need them scores, please. Tara: [1:14:00] Okay. Adam and I are now tied with eight each. Sarah has five. Dave: [1:14:05] All right, Sarah, here you go. You are in the closer ecological town zone. All right, you got two seconds to pick a number between one and five. Sarah: [1:14:17] Two. Dave: [1:14:18] All right, very good. There's a lot of twos going on here. You have picked the Trivial Pursuit DVD Pop Culture 2 box. TV questions coming your way. What legal drama drew hundreds of letters asking for the secret to the Venus Butterfly sex technique? Sarah: [1:14:36] Oh, Jesus. L.A. Law. Tara: [1:14:40] Nice. Dave: [1:14:41] Did we ever find out? I think it was just be your true authentic self. Sarah: [1:14:48] Fall down an elevator shaft? I'm not sure. Dave: [1:14:50] Who does the evil genius Mandark have a crush on in Dexter's laboratory? Sarah: [1:14:57] Dexter. Dave: [1:14:59] Dexter's sister, Dee Dee. Sarah: [1:15:01] The lab? Dave: [1:15:04] Who voiced the role of Lumiere in Disney's Beauty and the Beast before playing a Law and Order cop? Sarah: [1:15:11] Oh, hey, buddy. Jerry Orbach. Dave: [1:15:13] There's your Jerry Orbach answer. What does Elmo lift? Oh my God. What does Elmo lift to reveal Mr. Noodle? Guest: [1:15:26] You know, for kids. Sarah: [1:15:29] A still work environment lawsuit. His shirt. Dave: [1:15:36] No. Is that to be actually no? Guest: [1:15:39] No idea. Dave: [1:15:40] His window shade. Tara: [1:15:42] Oh, sure. Sarah: [1:15:44] That's not better. Dave: [1:15:45] What Chuck Barris game show employed a young David Letterman as a panelist? Sarah: [1:15:51] Gong show? Dave: [1:15:52] Gong show. And lastly, what faux talk show host is ably backed up by harpist Adrian Van Voorhees and his band? Faux talk show host. Sarah: [1:16:03] What? Dave: [1:16:04] What? Faux talk show host. Sarah: [1:16:06] Faux talk show host. Dave: [1:16:07] Is ably backed up by harpist Adrian Van Voorhees and his band. Sarah: [1:16:12] Oh, jeez. I don't know. Yeah. Larry Sanders? Dave: [1:16:18] Incorrect. Anybody know that one? Tara: [1:16:19] Is it Jiminy Glick? Dave: [1:16:20] It is Jiminy Glick. Sarah: [1:16:21] Oh, yeah. Oh, shit. Dave: [1:16:23] All right. You got three points there. Sarah: [1:16:26] Yeah. Well. Tara: [1:16:27] This is interesting. Dave: [1:16:28] Let's get the scores. Sarah: [1:16:29] Please. Tara: [1:16:30] We're all tied. Sarah: [1:16:31] What's this accounted for? I guess we'll see. Tara: [1:16:34] We're all tied with eight points each. Dave: [1:16:37] All right, Sarah, pick another number, one to four. This might be our last round. Sarah: [1:16:43] One. Dave: [1:16:44] One. This is from the original TV expansion set that Adam Grossworth gave me, which is why we played the Adam Grossworth Equal Address Challenge song. Tara: [1:16:53] Beautiful. Guest: [1:16:54] $1 well spent. Dave: [1:16:55] I'm going to give you each two. We're going to give you each two questions. We'll see where the scores are after this. All right. Tara: [1:17:00] Yep. Dave: [1:17:01] There's no categories here. Even though there's categories on the card, they're meaningless. They're only for what they mean to the original game. Why they put them there, I don't know. Sarah: [1:17:10] Are we going in original order? Dave: [1:17:13] Let's start with you, Sarah. Sarah: [1:17:14] Sure. Dave: [1:17:14] What popular actor portrayed Uncle Ned on Family Ties? Sarah: [1:17:19] Tom Hanks. Dave: [1:17:20] Tom Hanks is correct. Sarah, what instrument did Kathy Lane take with her when she left Scotland for the U.S.? I don't know what any of that means. Yeah. Sarah: [1:17:33] Yeah, I really don't. That's an excellent question. Dave: [1:17:37] Let me read that question again for you before you answer. What instrument did Kathy Lane take with her when she left Scotland for the US? Sarah: [1:17:48] Oh, thank you. That might have helped if it's a bagpipe. Dave: [1:17:52] You're correct. That's two for two. Moving on to Tara. Tara: [1:17:55] Yep. Dave: [1:17:55] What troubled quiz show's cameraman was once stabbed during a live broadcast? Tara: [1:18:01] Quiz show. Dave: [1:18:02] The quiz show. Tara: [1:18:03] Troubled quiz show. Dave: [1:18:04] Yeah, troubled quiz show. Tara: [1:18:08] What quiz show was troubled? Press your luck? Dave: [1:18:13] Incorrect. Anybody know? Sarah: [1:18:14] That's what I would have guessed. Dave: [1:18:15] That is the $64,000 question. Tara: [1:18:19] Oh, okay. Sarah: [1:18:20] That was troubled? Dave: [1:18:21] Was it a scandal with the payouts or something like that? Tara: [1:18:24] Maybe. Dave: [1:18:25] Isn't that what quiz show is based off? Tara: [1:18:26] No, that's about 21. Sarah: [1:18:28] No, that's 21. Dave: [1:18:29] Well, they did something bad. Tara: [1:18:31] I'm sure. Those crumbles. He's a dabby guy. Dave: [1:18:35] What city does One Day at a Time's Anne Romano hunt for a husband in? Tara: [1:18:40] Indianapolis. Dave: [1:18:40] Indianapolis is correct. Are you got one of two? Tara: [1:18:42] Very reductive about what that shows the best. Guest: [1:18:44] By the way. Sarah: [1:18:45] Yeah, what? Dave: [1:18:45] That's pretty much it. She's man crazy. She's taking it one day at a time. Tara: [1:18:49] Yeah. Dave: [1:18:50] The pills help. Adam. Guest: [1:18:53] Yeah. Can't wait. Dave: [1:18:56] She's taking man pills. She's taking centrum for men. What are the Bradley girls doing as the train appears during the opening credits of Petticoat Junction? Guest: [1:19:09] Waving. Dave: [1:19:12] Bathing. Guest: [1:19:13] Why is there a train? You know what? I don't care. Dave: [1:19:15] Oh my God. This is kind of funny. Last question for Adam. What sitcom sees the family home cleaned by Alice Nelson? Guest: [1:19:24] The Brady Bunch? Dave: [1:19:25] The Brady Bunch is the correct answer. Whoops. Is the correct answer. Guest: [1:19:30] I didn't know she had a last name. Tara: [1:19:32] No, I didn't either. Guest: [1:19:33] Who else could it be? Sarah: [1:19:33] I did know that, actually. Guest: [1:19:35] Of course, she. Dave: [1:19:35] Related to the Admiral. All right, that is it. Let's get the end of regulation scores. Tara: [1:19:40] Okay, Adam and I are once again tied now with nine points each. Sarah D. Bunting with 10. Dave: [1:19:46] All right, so at the end of the Growsworth Equalizer chain, Sarah D. Bunting is our winner. Dave: [1:19:54] Sarah! Sarah. Nicely done. That ties up the season. three, three, three. And that is it for this episode of Extra Hot Great. We talked about the communal value of finding an old man dead in the White House before going around the dial with stops at The Righteous Gemstones, Smash the Musical, The Series, The Musical, B-b-b-b-b-bosh, and Scavenger's Reign. Cannon, he wrote. Who? Adam, the cannon, the murdering dog episode from Murder, she wrote. We crowned winners and losers of the week, and Sarah was the winner of this week's Game Time. Next up, it is Seth Rogen in the studio on Extra Extra Hot Great. Remember, we're listening. I am David T. Cole, and on behalf of Tara Ariano. Tara: [1:20:47] This dog is no pussycat. Dave: [1:20:49] Sarah D. Bunting. Sarah: [1:20:51] Bye. Dave: [1:20:54] And Adam Grosswirth. Guest: [1:20:56] Teddy was framed. Dave: [1:20:57] Thanks for listening. We'll see you next time right here on Extra Hot Great.