Gassing On About The King Of The Hill Revival

Clip: [00:00] Oh, no What are you doing in there? Oh, a lot of streaming. I finished Netflix, Hank. Yeah. Did you know that when you get to the end of Netflix you get something called a wellness check? Dave: [00:18] This is the Extra Hot Great Podcast Episode 574 for the week of August 4th, 2025. I am Detective Dog Who Knows Karate David T. Cole and I'm here with Dealey Plaza Soil Sample, Sarah D. Bunting. Sarah: [00:39] I haven't gotten any less crazy either. Dave: [00:41] And in demand propane professional Tara Ariano Can we hear that again, please? That was pretty good. Tara: [00:54] I didn't know I had a hank scream. Lorne, welcome to Extra Hot Great for another wee Unfortunate announcement up top, Pamela Ribbon was supposed to be with us today. She got dirt in her own fruit pie, her own fruit pie, when she had to deal with a family emergency. Dave: [01:13] Boy, that sounds dirty. Tara: [01:14] It's a line from the show. Sarah: [01:15] Sure does. Dave: [01:16] I know, but it sounds so dirty. I gotta listen to Sassy Brain. Tara: [01:20] We wish her the best. We're thinking of her. We will welcome her back as soon as we can. We will definitely miss her in our conversation about King of the Hills season 14. We all know the Hill family of Arlen, Texas. Propane and Propane Accessories Salesman Hank, series co-created Mike Judge, his substitute teacher wife Peggy, Kathy to Jimmy, and their artistically inclined son Bobby, Pamela Adlon. We watched them on Fox for 13 seasons, starting in 1997, or we started and then fell off, as in our household, leading to the show's cancellation in 2009 But those 13 seasons must be doing well on Hulu because the show is back for season 14. But everything is not as we left it Sometime after the season 13 finale, Hank took a high-paying job in Saudi Arabia. And as we return for season 14, Hank and Peggy are also returning after six years to retirement in Arlen Bobby, now 21, has moved to Dallas and opened a Japanese-German fusion restaurant, which former rival Chain Wasanasong, played now by Ki Hong Lee. Dale, the late Johnny Hardwick in several season 14 episodes, with Toby Huss playing the character in the rest, was briefly mayor of Arlen while they were gone. And Bill, Stephen Root, finished Netflix, as we heard Co-creators Greg Daniels and Mike Judge are back with Salingdon K. Patterson of Fraser and the Wonder Years sidequill joining them as EP. All 10 episodes of season 14 dropped on Hulu, August 4th. We may talk about events from any of them. Let's do the Chen check-in. Sarah, should our listeners watch King of the Hill? Sarah: [02:56] Yeah. Tara: [02:57] Dave. Dave: [02:58] Yeah, I thought it was a successful reboot. Perhaps they can go down the road and show Futurama what they did. Tara: [03:05] Yeah, seriously. Sarah: [03:07] Yeah. Tara: [03:07] I agree, considering apparently only one writer came back from the original run. Dave: [03:12] Oh, yeah. Speaking about falling off, the original one, there's a show like this, and I would put almost like any, really, any comedy, but since we're talking about animated stuff, Bob's Burgers, Archer, this show. Where I don't think there's a precipitous drop-off in the quality of the show as it goes on, but it just becomes so familiar that it sort of like washes over you at a certain point instead of engaging you. Tara: [03:34] Mhm. Yep. Dave: [03:36] And that is where King of the Hill OG was with me when I stopped watching, probably somewhere in the late single digits or something like that And it's not really the show falling off at all. So, if the time away from it and now getting season 14, I was like, oh, this is great. Like, I'm enjoying it in that way again. I'm laughing at Some of the situations that they put them, those characters in all the time, you know, like Texas of it all, the being embarrassed about social situations in the new world of it all. Tara: [04:05] Yeah. Dave: [04:05] You know, will I still be here three years from now in the revival? Maybe, maybe not. But that time away really helped how much I'm engaging with this show. Tara: [04:14] Yeah. Also, that it's only 10 episodes, first of all. And like, it's been so long since we had them. It's like, it's, it feels like reconnecting with your old friends. Like, oh yeah, we do still get along. Dave: [04:25] But the other thing this show does really well, and why it sort of is in a great spot for my viewing, is that it's somewhere in between that comfort viewing. And some shows exist from the get-go as that. And then on the other side, the show where it's like, we're going to tell some really good jokes and make you laugh. Like, those are the shows I gravitate more towards, like, The Simpsons in its glory years. Tara: [04:47] Yeah. Mm-hmm. Dave: [04:50] But this has both and always has had both. Tara: [04:52] Mm-hmm. Dave: [04:53] Like, there's some dark jokes in here that are really funny in these first few episodes. Tara: [04:56] Yeah. Dave: [04:58] That is sort of like why I think King of the Hill Mark II is hitting for me. Like it really is doing a good job of servicing both those type of comedies. Tara: [05:08] Sarah, surprised as always to hear you recommend a sitcom. What grabbed you about this one? Sarah: [05:13] I spent a lot of the First part of the first screener, trying to remember what channel and sort of like life Moment it was where King of the Hill came on, like in between something that I watched and something else that I watched, and it was like, This is fine. But my relationship with King of the Hill was like, I'm happy when this is on, and I don't miss it when it isn And I was spending that first episode thinking about that instead of engaging with the what's the deal with Airline rideshare services shit that they were doing in the first half of the episode because I was like, I don't, I can't be here for this, it's too exhausting. But they brought that back around. Dave: [06:00] Yeah. Sarah: [06:00] I love that their answer for why this is is like, A, we wanted to make these jokes, so B, we stuck Hank and Peggy in a Potemkin village in Saudi Arabia, or however she pronounces it, Saudi Arabia. Tara: [06:10] Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Sarah: [06:15] For the duration of when the show was off. Tara: [06:18] Yeah. Sarah: [06:18] And then it came back to Arlen and got back into that rhythm that Is that sort of wash over you thing that Dave referred to, but also occasionally, like when you are paying attention, then there's some good. Bits. Steven Root was so funny. He's like, something called a wellness check. Like the anger in that line delivery is really says a lot more than what actually happened. I was also really impressed that the show acknowledged in its own way that certain cast members were no longer available. So to speak, but didn't dwell too much on it, just like kept moving. The new credits are very funny. I do think it has that weird ability to be that hybrid show of Washes over you, which isn't usually a sitcom, isn't usually my choice for that, but I had happened to use it for that in the past. and its rhythms were very familiar, and the new team is enough of the old team that it woke to something. Also, it can be kind of sweet. Like, there's a scene in the first couple of episodes with the Girl Scout cookies where, like, well, we had to, you know, change the name of this cookie. And they're like, well, that's, that's nice. It's nice to be nice. Tara: [07:31] Mm-hmm. Sarah: [07:32] And I was like, yeah, it is. Tara: [07:34] Mm-hmm. Sarah: [07:34] Aw, okay, King of the Hill. Tara: [07:37] Yeah. I mean, as I wrote in my review, which we'll link to, like, it's nice as someone who lives in Texas now. Like, obviously, I experience the show differently than I did when it was first on. But, like, it's it's nice. For people who live here to not be entirely portrayed as redneck simpleton caricatures. Refreshing. But since you brought it up, Sarah, about all the jokes of the First episode. This season has been a huge coverage priority at Cracked, such that I'm one of five writers who got screeners for it. And one thing we all wanted to make very clear to anyone who approaches the season Is the first episode the worst one by far? And all of us who watched it agreed. Even if you hated it, you should keep watching. Dave, how concerned were you at the end of the first episode? Dave: [08:20] I didn't mind it as much as you did. I know you were like, oh, it's the twenty twenty five at all now and what's changed and let's complain about the things that are different from when we moved away I think they were aware that they had to run through that. Tara: [08:35] Mm-hmm. Dave: [08:35] And that's sort of what a bit of the first episode is. I don't know if they had to run through it, but I think they felt they had to like address all these things in rapid fire or. Tara: [08:43] Yeah. Dave: [08:44] People, they thought people expected it. Those jokes never really work. They never really land for me when they're done in mass, you know, when they're when the quantity is that great. You know, tell a couple, move on with it, get to the heart. Of your story. So, yeah, it was annoying. And yes, it is the worst episode, although worst might not be the right word because it wasn't a bad episode. It was just like not as strong as the others. So I think you're right, but it was a matter of degrees, I think. Tara: [09:11] Yeah. Sarah: [09:11] I think it was also like repiloty. Tara: [09:14] Mm-hmm. Sarah: [09:15] For lack of a better term, like this for this particular franchise. And, you know, like 10 minutes into it, I'm like, oh my God, like, is this going to be the whole Reboot? Like, what's the log line here? So I went googling around looking for reviews, which seemed to be uniformly positive. And I forget who it was writing for Vulture, but they just said This character, the Hank character, there was never a better character to sort of look at the progress, I guess, of modern life or 2020s life. And feel like everything is deranged. And why can't we all just stand in the alley with a beer and listen to Dale talking about sifting soil from Dealey Plaza for Oliver Stone's DNA I mean, that detail with Dale, I had completely forgotten what a lovingly fond portrayal of a complete crackpot Richard Beltzer. Tara: [09:59] Yeah. Dave: [10:09] Yeah. Yeah. Sarah: [10:11] This was, and I was really happy to be reunited with it. Dave: [10:15] I love his storyline that he was an election denier, denier, that he ran for mayor of Ireland, one, and then didn't believe that he won. Sarah: [10:20] Yeah. Dave: [10:24] So he left office like 36 minutes later or something like that. Sarah: [10:28] That was my original tagline for the top of the show: election denier, denier, like who me? Yeah. Dave: [10:34] That's what I mean when I say there's some pretty funny stuff that's funny on its own that That feels like a show that shouldn't live in that elastic reality that somehow that sometimes Simpsons or 30 rock inhabits. It does sort of push a little bit on that, which I enjoy because then, you know, it allows itself to have those. Funny fish-out of water moments or just heightened moments for a character. And then you sort of get back to what King of the Hill is known for, which is that sort of moseying down the thoroughfare heart of it, you know, that sort of That sort of feel. So, yeah, I thought they did a really good job balancing that. And I also enjoyed how they've updated some of the characters. Like, I really thought Bobby's character really worked really well from what we knew. And he. Feels like he's grown, but he doesn't feel like he is a separate character. They do such a good job, sort of like navigating where he's been in the years between. Now he is Co-running a restaurant, even though he's really running it and he's getting bullied basically into running it. But I felt that felt true to the character. Like he is the one character that has changed. And then his circle of friends, Connie and his best friend, Joseph. Thank you. Like they've changed the most because they were like little kids and now they're, you know, all college age. But I really enjoyed Bobby a lot, and I thought like Bobby was always the fun charact In the original, and he's still that, but he's different, and you know it. But he's like, they got to the essence of it. And I love the fact that he is his love is cuisine. It feels very true. Sarah: [12:03] I also like that this was true of the original, too, that the show just sort of like accepted him in the fullness of Who he was and his, like, just sort of like weird ways, occasionally being like, You sure about that, buddy? Tara: [12:05] Mm-hmm. Sarah: [12:18] But mostly just being like, Well, that's Bobby. And that has also held for the character as an adult. That everyone's like, Yeah, Japanese German fusion. Why wouldn't that be a thing that Bobby is doing? I mean, a lot of shows would just be like, Oh, this character is a punchline because of the ways that he's different. And the show never sold him out like that and still Doesn't, so that is cool. Dave: [12:40] Yeah. And the other thing they still do really well, say, with Hank Hill Is that he is not the one thing? He is not a Texan redneck, nor does he need to learn all the new lessons that you need to learn in 2025. Yes, he's sort of like he thinks about it for a second, and yes, renaming Samoas to Caramel de Lights. That's good, that's nice. But He still likes beer, that's beer, and he will not, he will not accept fruity beers or heady beers or whatever. Tara: [13:07] Fruit beer. Yes. Dave: [13:09] It has to taste like an American beer, period. Like there's an episode where he and Bobby are sort of having competing homebrew. Setups. And at the end of it, they're like, Well, I like my beer and I hate your beer. And that's the end of the episode. Tara: [13:22] Yep. Dave: [13:22] Like, yep, all right, that makes sense. That tracks. Tara: [13:24] Yeah. Dave: [13:24] And they don't feel like they're fighting. It doesn't feel like anybody really went out of character. Tara: [13:29] Mm-hmm. Dave: [13:29] And it all felt very true. So, once again, for the fourth time, really good balance with the revival. Tara: [13:34] Yeah, I kind of love that Peggy has gone through an experience that other people might find destabilizing, but has made her even more arrogant. Dave: [13:42] Yeah. Tara: [13:43] I think that's great. Dave: [13:43] Well, Peggy is that sort of character that went on one vacation one time and then relates everything back to that. You know, like, oh, they went to Italy, and now, like, when you get a pizza, they have to explain how pizza is different in Italy. Sarah: [13:57] Oh, Jesus, yeah, the bread snob. Dave: [13:58] She's that sort of traveler, right? Sarah: [13:59] Mm-hmm. Dave: [14:00] And she never would have gone on her own, except That the Hill family got this great contract in Saudi Arabia, in the kingdom village. Tara: [14:09] Uh-huh. Dave: [14:10] I thought that was very amusing. I like Piggy Hill's always been a fun character. Tara: [14:13] Yeah, I agree. The line from the premiere when they're talking about rating the driver, and Hank is like, rates him four to give him something to work towards, and then says, I think five stars should be rare, or fives should be rare in this. Society, and she says, I agree. We are. I've been told my whole life I'm a five. Sarah: [14:34] Yeah, bless her heart. Tara: [14:35] The dark humor. There's a very good joke that I wrote about too in the second episode, in the beer episode about Bill. I don't know if I should spoil it. Dave: [14:43] Yeah, I got it. Clip: [14:43] Spoilers the holy colours Got a lot of shows. Tara: [14:46] They're talking about what notes of flavor Hank should put in his beer in order to be competitive in this contest that they're and Bill says needs a bit more of that old gun flavor. And Hank's like, what's old gun flavor? And Dale says, ask Bill. He's the only one who's ever put a gun in his mouth. And Bill says, it tasted like I thought it would. She's like, and then they just move on. There's like, we don't see a reaction to it. It's just like, Yeah. Sarah: [15:10] Nope. Then it's off to like dinosaur government jokes from Dale that it's like, yeah, I mean, but there's that balance Again, that it's like, well, you know, this probably happened and is true to the character, but we're not gonna dwell on it. And what better person to deliver that kind of line without screeching the episode to a halt than Stephen Root So, yeah, well done. Dave: [15:34] Yeah, the other thing that's different from this revival is that Bobby lives nowhere near Arland anymore. I mean, in the day-to-day sort of sense, he's in Dallas, they're in Arland, which is somewhere in Texas. Tara: [15:44] It's close enough for him to bring his laundry home, we know that. Dave: [15:46] That's right. Right. So let's say he's like an hour away or something like that. Tara: [15:49] Sure. Dave: [15:50] But that is a new dynamic for the show where they are basically having two settings now, and only so often do they meet, and they're sort of like The restaurant world now, and then there's the Hill Homestead world, and they do a good job with that too. Like, I don't feel like when I'm watching, it's like, oh, I wish they would get back to the other one, the truer one, or the newer one. It all feels like it's flowing very, very well. Tara: [16:13] Yeah, but to that point, the episode where we see the parents and the gribbles come to Dallas because they're going to the George W. Bush Library. Apparently, even in the show, the most boring place on earth, although Hank loves it. But we see them arrive at the restaurant. It was like that was one of the moments of sweetness. Like Bobby has his whole staff out to greet them. It's really cute. Bobby is, I think, far and away the character that people feel tenderest toward, including Pamela Adlon, who gave an interview this week where she said he's the favorite character she's ever played. It's lovely to see him succeed. And I believe the show's already been picked up for a 15th season. It's on IMDb that it is. So I feel like season 14, 15 is going to be like a mega season, essentially, once they're both out. And I feel like. To Dave's point that you brought up earlier, that he's being bullied at the restaurant. I think they're setting up some kind of like burnout situation where he finally just cracks because they're really exploiting him. That's the darkest thing about the season, actually, other than that one joke But I mean, I said in my review this was the best sitcom revival since Party Down, and I stand by that. Like, it's they really thought through where these characters would be. After the time passed, and a lot of shows don't, Frasier. I think we can all be very happy about it. Clip: [17:35] It's a great time for shows. Dave: [17:39] All right, it's time to go around the dial. Only two stops today, starting with time. Tara: [17:43] I watched the Yogurt Shop murders. Just only the first episode has aired so far on HBO. And having only moved to Here to Austin in 2018. I didn't know anything about this case other than that it happened at a strip mall very close to our house that Dave is at almost every day. What I learned from the first episode of the what will be four-part documentary series is on December 6, 1991, someone entered, and I can't believe it's yogurt at Wester Anderson Lane in Brockwood. Two high school girls who worked there, Jennifer and Eliza, who are both 17, were closing the store. Jennifer's sister Sarah and her friend Amy were also there. It is presumed that the perpetrator robbed the store between bringing the girls in the back, sexually assaulting one of them, and shooting them in the head, and then set the store on fire. And between the fire and the water from the sprinklers, physical evidence was nearly non-existent and the case still has not been solved. The first episode does a few things well. It dramatizes how shocking the crime was to the community, which all looked familiar to me. Dave, I'm sorry that you didn't watch it because it would have looked familiar to you too from living in Niagara. Around this time, when it was in between the murders of Leslie Mahaffey and Kristen French by Paul Bernardo and Carla Homulka. Dave: [18:54] Oh, right. Yeah. Again, murders that happened extremely close to where I lived. Tara: [19:00] Yeah. Dave: [19:01] Yeah. Tara: [19:01] It's not exactly victim focused, but it does give space and dignity to their surviving loved ones. There's a long sequence where the mother of the two sisters describes how she was told about the murders and then how she had to tell her ex-husband and then tell his wife and how each subsequent telling was as devastating as the first. This footage is from 2009. It was taped for a student documentary about wrongful convictions, which was never finished. And leaving the description of the night unedited really makes it visceral This is something that our friend and imminent guest, Eve Beatty, wrote about for Vanity Fair, and we'll link that in the show notes too. It also highlights how quickly the cops Seized on a criminal profile created from by the FBI in the peak pseudoscience era that is clearly based on complete bullshit. They decide there were two guys. They speculate about their race based on nothing. The only physical evidence was the girls' bodies, basically, that they knew at the time that this description went out. We also meet the detectives on the case and hear about the head of the homicide division, whose name is still known in Austin. No spoilers, but not in a good way. Left the force in disgrace. Guess that's kind of a spoiler. The reviews that I have read agree this is a true crime doc that interrogates the idea of true crime. And other than ones about scams where no one gets killed, those are the kind of true crime docs I like best. So I'm going to keep watching. And Sarah, you asked yesterday if you should, and I think you should. Sarah: [20:22] Widening the definition or sort of broadening the definition of who is victimized by a crime. is something that a lot of documentaries are starting to try at least to do. I mean, not the sort of stereotypical like wives with knives or forensic files, but a lot of more prestige Projects are trying to do that, and then they're also reckoning with the effects downstream on creators in the genre. It sounds like this one is definitely doing in an explicitly meta way that's like, but it's not too like woo-woo or difficult to follow. So I'm intrigued. Tara: [20:59] Yeah, it's good. So we'll link to Eve's Peace. Like I said, there's also Sam Adams wrote about it at Slate, and I'll link that as well And for my plug, I've been on a real Kristen Johnston jag recently. I watched the first eight episodes of the new Netflix multicam sitcom Leanne, which is Supposedly a vehicle for Leanne Morgan, the stand-up comic, but to me is a vehicle for Kristen Johnston. And I had a very good time looking up clips of Kristen Johnston being incredible. And I collected them all for cracked. So you can find that in the show notes as well. Dave: [21:31] All right, Sarah, what have you been watching? Sarah: [21:32] I've been watching the new season of Project Runway, but sort of semi-related to Tara's comment and to fashion. We on our sister podcast, again with Again With This talked about a Kristen Johnson sitcom. We'll be talking about it next week. I unearthed a skirt today that I forgot I had from Anthropology that has giraffes embroidered on it. And so, yeah, angry old giraffes for the win. Johnston is really underrated, and I'm glad that Tara's current campaign to bring her back to full appreciation in her society is underway, and I support it. Okay, back to Project Runway You might be saying, oh no, I missed the Project Runway was back. And yeah, this Ballyhood, quote, refresh did kind of sneak back in. It's the 21st season. Like I said, unfortunately, you aren't really missing anything. With a couple of exceptions, the tweaks that they've made for the newest season miss the point of what made the show a must-watch to me back in the day. There's not nothing to like here. It is nice to have Teutonic Barbie back in the hosting slot. I didn't think the show absolutely needed Heidi Klum or actually a host at all. But she is still extremely pleasing to look at, and she seems very excited to be back. Christian Siriano is still the worker mentor and is still engaged and engaging in that role. Nina Garcia is still on the judging panel, and she's been joined by image architect Law Roach, who usually has something interesting to say and is not here to kid glove the contestants There is kind of a Michael Kors straining for a bitchy zinger energy in the first couple of episodes, but Roach is good at those, and I'm hoping that it settles down. But it might not. And it's symptomatic of what I don't love about the show's freeform on Hulu era, namely that it's leaning way too hard on structural gimmicks and interpersonal drama instead of just filming designers designing and making clothes. Leaving aside a certain freneticism in the edit that, for example, parks a camera off to Heidi's left and then tilts it thirty-two degrees for no reason. Season 21's flopsweaty contrivances include, number one, the casting. There's one contestant who had already appeared on a previous season and gotten owfed in the first episod Another contestant who fell just short of the top prize on Project Runway Philippines more than once, and still another who had also been on a very early season and is back now with his identical twin Number two, the competition structure, which at least in the early going is dividing the designers into teams. Dubbing them houses, a la ball culture doesn't change the fact that this shties did not work in season eleven, especially when they've also tweaked Number three, the episode structure so that each episode ends on a cliffhanger as to who's going home, and the ALF occurs at the top of the next episode All of this and episodes are now back to a standard hour, which means that with all the time spent on quote witty Chirons incorporating quotes and episode motifs And all the repetitive let's remind the audience such and so was sobbing that they wanted to go home before the last commercial. What is getting lost is the actual construction process All of the makeup and styling, a lot of Christians' walkthroughs, and any discussion amongst the judges with the designers not present. The premiere in particular felt like it jumped straight from team leaders insisting another designer share his lace to, oh hey, the runway, and a whole act was like on the cutting room floor. I'm not going to lie, I am going to keep on with it. Maybe when the herd is thinner, the show will make time for actual sewing and creative problem solving, which is what I watch for. But if you had concerns about this refresh, you were not Wrong, and you may want to just watch old seasons and keep your fond memories instead. For my plug, it is getting to be back to school time. It is even harder than usual for a lot of students to pull together the essentials, and it' Probably gotten more expensive regardless of what the classroom supply is. It's falling on teachers to try to cover the shortfall Even more. Donorschoose. org really is letting you target your donations more than ever. You can give a set of books to a classroom. You can donate towards a school's music room piano, or you can just give a single set of colored pencils to a specific teacher. There's a wide range of stuff that you can do to help. There will be a link in the show notes, or just browse around at donorschoose. org for stuff in your community and ways you can help. Dave: [26:04] All right, here's what's coming up on Extra Extra Hot Great, our supporter-only podcast Drops every Friday. We'll be talking about Platonic season two, a show that I didn't want to watch. Then I watched it. I'm like, all right, fine, this is good. And I'll watch your second season, Seth Rogan That is available to all club members. If you're not a club member, shame on you. Go to extrahotgreat. com/slash club to Find out more and to join up. Also, you can join up on Apple Podcast instead of through Patreon. It is the audio only. And then come back here on EHG Prime. We'll be talking to Andrew Cunningham again to talk about alien colon Earth, where the aliens, I assume, come to Earth for some sort of colonic treatment. Tara: [26:51] Sounds right. Dave: [26:55] Tara couldn't stand the pregnant pause. It is time for the Eleventh Hour Changed Canon presenting this week is Tari Ariano. Tara: [27:09] Hello. I don't remember when I put close enough season two, episode sixty, entitled Secret Horse on the list of options available for our guests To choose when they don't want to make their own canon pitches. It was probably not long after I first saw it, which was back in February 2021, and it has remained on the list ever since because most people never knew Close Enough was a show that existed. J. G. Quintelle's previous show, regular show, had been a cult hit because it was more aimed for kids and aired all the time on the Cartoon Network. Close enough, his follow-up was for adults. Premiered on HBO Max in the summer of 2020. Perfect time. Got its whole seasons dumped at once. got no promotion, got canceled, got yanked off the platform, and now is not available to stream even for pay. So if you want to watch it, you need to know how to fly to the past to track it down. And I hope that after they hear it, our listeners will want to do exactly that. Here is why I think Secret Horse belongs in the canon. Number one, it's a love letter to Los Angeles, or rather, since the episode is under 12 minutes long, a love note. It takes place during the Santa Ana wins Well known to fans of Los Angeles set shows like Beverly Hills 90210, which brought them up, I feel like, several times a year, and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, which had a song about them. We see the winds blowing all over real locations, the downtown skyline, Man's Chinese Theater, House of Pies. Later in the episode, we also see the Santa Anita racetrack and a highly Instagrammed roller rink. The only things that would make all these locations more beautiful and more fun, I'll let the Never in Any Other Episode, to my recollection, narrator say Clip One. Clip: [28:50] Well, looks like them old Santa winds are blowing once again. They sure do bust her. But sometimes, when trouble's got you down, them winds can stir up exactly what you need. Now, maybe you didn't grow up a horse girl, but I did. And it taught me something. Not something you'd learn at a four-year college. It's more of a life lesson type deal. If you got troubles, ain't nothing can fix them like a horse. Tara: [29:41] So what you couldn't hear is what I'm going to describe in point number two. This episode has the cutest horse ever at the formerly real Griffith Park Stables. They closed in 2018. The doors of a barn blow open. A horse runs out Soon, the wind picks him up and deposits him exactly where he's supposed to be outside our character's house, just as they're all inside feeling out of sorts because of the Santa Ana winds Listeners don't have to trust me that this horse is cute. You can run down this episode yourself and see. Fine, we'll put a picture in the show notes. He has a gloriously lush golden mane and tail, eyes just slightly pointed away from each other durpily, and a friendly, welcoming smile. His body is not unlike a barrel balanced on short little legs. You know how someone at Sanrio has figured out the facial proportions to make all their characters cute? Imagine if there was a horse like that, but who was also looked like a dope. That's Secret Horse. Everything he does is adorable, and we're about to see him do a lot. Number three, it has the wisest horse ever. The first to meet Secret Horse is Candice, the preschool aged resident of the Central Househ After Secret Horse has hoovered an apple from her hand, causing her pupils to dilate with adoration, the two play Hungry, Hungry Hippos, jump rope with a fox and a rabbit turning the rope. Goof around at the playground. Of course, Secret Horse gets stuck in the tube slide. Candace somehow knows instinctively that she can't share the fact of Secret Horse. So she parks him in the garage. That's where her father, Josh, finds him just as his work van dies. No problem. Secret Horace can trans Transport Josh and pull a trailer to his job installing a TV and appear at the client's door in a uniform shirt and baseball cap. He helps Josh hang the TV. Literally, we see his little hooves. They each get a tip Secret horse gets a handful of sugar cubes. Josh gets cash, which he eats off the client's palm, and they both celebrate a not bad from Josh's boss with an inspiring Western-style graphic that Sticker. One by one, Secret Horse gives the residents of the house exactly what they need: a day of unplugging for phone-addicted Bridget. Secret Horse gives Alex horse racing tips so he can make enough money to replace his leather elbow pads, which cost more than you think. Clip 2 Pearl, their landlord, gets to revisit her days as a mounted police officer. Clip: [32:00] Are you kidding me? Thirty bucks? I can't afford that. Tara: [32:08] Her son Randy gets help landing a difficult roller skating jump. And yes, you better believe you see Secret Horse and four skates out on the rig skate dancing with Randy. One by one, each beneficiary of Secret Horse's inspiration hides him before anyone they know can see him, so each person thinks their encounter is the first. Finally, it is time for Candace's mother Emily to come upon Secret Horse Clip 3. Clip: [32:39] Hi, is this animal control? Yeah, I got a friggin' horse in my backyard, and I do not need this to day. Yes, he's chubby, brown. Big, beautiful eyes. He's obviously an angel. I love him. You know what? I'll call you back. Tara: [32:54] So then Secret Horace takes Emily to Pandora. Maybe really, maybe imaginarily. Quick sidebar. I think King of the Hill is a great show. We just finished talking about it. I'm glad it's back. But I recently read an interview with Jennifer Flackett, who's one of the co-creators of Big Mou who said that when she watches an animated show, she always wants to feel that there's a reason that it's animated. King of the Hill is very grounded. I have a hard time thinking of anything in the new season that Couldn't have been live action, which is not the case here. A hypothetical live action or even realistically CGI'd version of Secret Horrors would be an abomination. I think we can all agree. Thank God this is animated, and I know a lot of this isn't reading in the audio format, but I just, again, encourage everyone to seek out this episode and watch After Emily's fantasy trip to Pandora, or is it? She gives Secret Horse a kiss and thanks him, which is when everyone else converges and Emily is very aware she is fully nude in the living room for some reason. When they all try to claim Secret Horse, Alex demands that Secret Horse choose one of them, and after a moment of heartbreaking indecision, Secret Horse runs out the door. The house's residents all pile into Josh's car and chase Secret Horse down the street. over a train crossing and to the Griffith Park pony rides where a secret horse is standing in front of the open doors of the barn, Clip Four So what you can't see is when Bridget says, Wait, was he imaginary the whole time? Clip: [34:10] Though their time with him was brief, Pickles had changed all their lives forever. Wait, did we all imagine him? Even if Pickles wasn't real, we all have a little horse inside of us. Oh, no, wait, he's real, everybody. Well, of course he was real. If you thought pickles was just a metaphor, well, you're dumber than some kind of asshole. That betrayal, Scout folks. Tara: [34:57] A cloud of dust blows by and then Secret Horse disappears. Reappears, and when Alex spots him, Secret Horse, aka Pickles, which was Candace's name for him, is standing on top of Josh's car and taking a huge piss. A piss that continues. Into the closing credits, and is in fact the piss that puts a button on season two. Secret Horse is so wise, he knows things could very easily go maudlin, so he is personally going to wash that possibility away. Close enough was never appreciated in its time. Let's appreciate it now. Don't make me send Secret Horse to you to change your mind and your heart. Dave: [35:33] Mm-hmm. Thank you, Tara. Sarah, you want to go first or last here? Sarah: [35:37] I'll go first since I was horse girl. Dave: [35:38] Okay. Sarah: [35:40] This was delightful. That's such a good point about why does this have to be animated. And I think it has a really good balance. It's really well paced, but there's also a really good balance between Things that could happen, and then things that are like completely surreal and unmoored from any reality, animated or otherwise, that it will quickly cycle through each person's contact with pickles. And by the way, Candace's like, well, he's definitely not a Liam killed me. Like, I had to pause because I was laughing so hard. This is a really good episode that made me want to watch more of the show. And it had a fondness for Los Angeles, for Horse girls of all shapes and sizes, that names of the horses at the racetrack were really funny. It was joke dense, but also occasionally would give you time to reset. Like, it wasn't sort of like Peak Simpsons, where you're like, I can't write fast enough to get all the good lines. Like, it just. Had a little story to tell in 12 minutes, and it did that. But so many clever bits: like, what is this tenured professor magazine? Like, Throws it on the ground and then the wind blows it away, but also really sweet. And then you get to the end, and he's like, literally pissing all over everything, which, like, you know. Early in one's horse girl career, you realize that horsies do a lot of things that are not, you know, romantic and Vaseline-lensed. Dave: [37:08] But the But the thing about that piss scene right at the end is that, of course, you got this giant barrel of a horse with tiny legs. He's pissing, but he's got those eyes that don't quite match up. And he's got that stupid, forever, like half-agape mouth grin he always has, and he's pissing. Tara: [37:23] Mm-hmm. Dave: [37:25] All of that together is just like such a perfect visual scene. Tara: [37:30] Mm-hmm. Dave: [37:30] And the piss just goes on forever. Tara: [37:32] Yeah. Dave: [37:32] It's just not like a little piss. It's like a fire hose of piss. Tara: [37:35] Oh, it's a t it's a torrent, yes. Dave: [37:37] Yeah. It's the stream is wide. Sarah: [37:38] Yeah. Dave: [37:40] The stream is wide. Sarah: [37:42] Yeah, I also will give them credit. Like sometimes, even in an animated property, if it's like a Like animal-centric plot in an animated show that's mostly about people. There is absolutely no suggestion that the horse is ever gonna run into any physical danger or be killed at any time. So it's like very easy to. Love it and follow along and enjoy the passing lines, like roller skating guy being like, They're cheering for you too. And then the wonky eye is like, Blink. I mean, very sweet, but not too sweet. Dave: [38:17] Yeah, you know, the horse is not going to get in trouble because he can somehow climb a tree. Sarah: [38:22] Yeah, durable horse, yeah. Dave: [38:22] Secret horse is also somewhat magical horse, I suppose. Yeah. Let me just go through some of the things that Oeza mentioned that made me laugh. Tara, you did mention that his first act when he meets Candace is to hoover an apple from her hand feet away into his mouth. And then you get the go-to credits weird horse grin that he does, the Mr. Ed style, but also a little like Predator Mouse style, which was weird and fun. Tara: [38:44] Mm-hmm. Sarah: [38:48] Uh-huh. Tara: [38:49] Mm-hmm. Dave: [38:49] The second person he meets is Candace's dad, Josh, and he has a job as basically the geek squad from Best Buys called Plugger Inners. Tara: [38:56] Yes. Blogger inners, yeah. I love that. Dave: [39:00] Which that cadence, the is something my dad used to do all the time before it was like I saw it anywhere else. Tara: [39:04] Yeah. Dave: [39:07] So I always associate it with my dad. His boss texts him, says you late, and then he says, Oh no, me late. Which is really dumb. And then they do a call back to it even later. The not bad Western title card absolutely could be a sticker. Tara: [39:22] Yeah. Dave: [39:22] It's fantastic. I could look into that And then we move to Bridget. Sarah: [39:24] So good. Love it. Dave: [39:27] She is sort of the social media obsessed Bane house mate in there. Tara: [39:31] Mm-hmm. Dave: [39:34] Actually, Josh hides the horse under a pile of couch. Cushions. And he's like, Well, I got to leave this empty room now. And he leaves. And then one of the cushions falls. She sees horse, horse couch. And then she immediately wants to take a picture of it. But then the horse like puts a Well, not a paw, but it has that cadence to it, you know, like the cat paw coming out. Tara: [39:54] Yeah. Dave: [39:56] Stephana Sahoo, and she's like, Yes, you're right. I have to live in the moment. And then there's like this tranquility scene where. She becomes dust, she floats around, and then it spells hashtag tranquility over the skyline of Los Angeles. Really weird stuff like that. Move to Alex, which is a great character. If you recognize the voice, that's Jason Manzoukis. He is a Viking history professor, which is like right out of the Dave Cole playbook of characters I would have created. Tara: [40:18] Yes. Mm-hmm. Yes, he's Bridget's ex-husband, but they still live together. Dave: [40:25] The setup to the punchline that Sarah said, what is this tenured magazine, is that he walks out, he's reading Modern Professor. And then he sees that patches cost $30. He's like, What is this? Tenured magazine? And then later, when he actually gets the money from winning at the race track, he goes to tenure outfitters to get his patches and uh That's right. Tara: [40:44] Gets to be on the front page of tenure of Professor Lifestyle section of the LA Times. Dave: [40:50] Some of the horses that Sarah alluded to are My Cousin Winnie and Call Me By Your Mane. Sarah: [40:55] Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Dave: [40:59] And then the Emily one absolutely killed me. She goes through this whole avatar world thing. And when she comes back, you know, because she was one of the Navy and they don't wear clothes. Tara: [41:10] Mm-hmm. Dave: [41:11] In her imagination, somehow, role-playing all this, she has taken off all her clothes, and then the light switches on, and everybody's like watching, and she is completely nude. Really funny stuff. And because we're explaining all this, and this is all crammed into 11 or 12 minutes, so it doesn't stop, and it goes through every single major character. And their interactions with Secret Horse. If you enjoyed regular show, you'll probably like this one even more just because it is more adult fair, even though we're talking about a horse that misses on a car for 10 seconds at the end. Tara: [41:41] Yeah, I don't know. I think if you watched regular show and were like, this is too weird, then like close enough might be more your speech Like if you were okay with regular show. Dave: [41:50] Either way, you know, I think you'll like this one more than regular show, is what I was getting at. If you are our age, that's all. Tara: [41:54] Yeah. Yes. Dave: [41:56] The part where they are chasing Secret Horse back to Griffith Park in their car There's a train coming, and Josh just says, No train, no game. It's like he's such a dope sometimes. I love it. All right, let's put this to the official vote. Sarah D. Bunting, first time out with close enough secret horse. Canon whether you're not. Sarah: [42:17] Uh, it's no secret. I thought this was great. Tara: [42:20] Woo! Sarah: [42:21] It's a yes or me. Dave: [42:22] Yeah, me too. No nays here. Delicious horse bun. Sarah: [42:25] Oh It is. Dave: [42:29] I'd like to apologize for that. Tara: [42:31] No, you wouldn't. Dave: [42:31] Close enough, season two, episode sixteen: Secret Horse. You are hereby inducted into the extra Hawkery Cannon. Tara: [42:43] As Dave said, this was a last minute replacement. This is the first time I've ever written a Canon presentation off zero notes because we watched it while I was eating a hot dog for dinner and my hands were full. So I just watched it and went straight to write it, and I'm glad it worked. Clip: [42:59] Americans love a winner. Yup! And will not tolerate a loser. Nope! Dave: [43:04] It's winner and loser of the week time. This week's winner is brought to you by Sarah. Sarah: [43:10] There's a Tennessee high school forensics club that solves cold cases, and that is getting adapted to a scripted series at ABC. I am not totally sure that that's going to work out on a broadcast network, but I also feel like If you're going to take that story to a broadcast network, that ABC has the right vibes, that it's going to be like not mystery girls. What was the one with Joan from Mad Men where they became thieves? Tara: [43:37] Oh, good girls. That was on NBC. Sarah: [43:38] Yes. Or the one with Milo and his, you know, and he was also a thief. Like, I don't, there's not going to be thieves involved in this, I don't think. Tara: [43:47] Yes. Sarah: [43:48] But they have a like charming crime lane. It's never really that much better than a B, but a B is pretty good. So I believe in them and it should be interesting. I'll watch it. Dave: [44:00] What was the name of that show? We're the family who steals together. What the hell was that? Tara: [44:04] The company you keep. Dave: [44:05] The company you keep. Sarah: [44:05] Oh, yeah. Dave: [44:06] Thank you. Tara: [44:06] It was so good. Dave: [44:06] Jeez. It was pretty good for a network show. Yeah. Sarah: [44:10] Yeah, despite not remembering the name, I did watch some of the Oh God, thank God. Dave: [44:13] It was no whiskey cavalier. Tara: [44:15] I was thinking of that too. Dave: [44:19] Yeah. And loser of the week, I've got it. It is Book of Boba Fett star Tamura Morrison. Dude, you get steady work. We've just been watching in Chief of War. You do not need to ask fans at a Star Wars convention to pester your local studio through letters, faxes, faxes, emails. Tara: [44:37] Faxes. Sarah: [44:38] Facts is. When are we, buddy? Tara: [44:41] What are you what are they, a doctor's office? Dave: [44:43] To get your terrible Star Wars series back for season two. Like, I don't know what was worse. Book of Boba Fett or Obi-Wan Kenobi, but they were both terrible. They're both in Thai for last. I do not need to see any more of either of them. Just Forget about it. Just send your past, buddy. Maybe you'll be in the Grogu movie or something like that. You know, you'll be in the corner, you'll wave it. Yeah, it's me. But You know, let's move on from Book of Boba Fed. I beg you. Let's move on from Book of Boba Fed. Tara: [45:14] Speaking of being in the Grogu movie, just kidding. Dave: [45:17] Do you know what time it is? Tara: [45:18] It's gay time. Dave: [45:19] It's good time. Sarah: [45:20] Cape Time How is this being scored, and what do we win? Dave: [45:32] Well, speaking about last minute changes, game time. The game time I had ready. Seth, if you're listening, it's back in the hopper was one of the few games I thought Pam could actually genuinely compete in. So I'm just going to save it for next time Pam's in because I don't want to burn it. So today we're going to play Oops, Alt Equalizer Challenge Zones. It will be a non-regulation game. It just works like this. I'm going to have one of our contestants here pick one of the boxes. They will play from it, and then the other person will play from it. And then that other person gets to choose what is going to be the box in round two We'll go until we don't want to play anymore. Somebody's going to say, I got to get out of here, and then we'll just stop. That's how it's going to work. Tara: [46:13] We're going so fast, though. It's only been an hour. Dave: [46:15] Yeah. So let's throw it to Piggy to see who is going to go first and pick the first box. Clip: [46:21] We will start with Terra. Dave: [46:23] All right, so Tara, your first task is to choose from the boxes that I have put on my desk. They are DVD Pop Culture 1, DVD Pop Culture 2 The 90s edition, the 80s edition, the original TV box set from the 80s, the purple one that Sarah weirdly likes, and then the mini pack boob tube set. Tara: [46:41] Yep. Dave: [46:45] Which doesn't have categories, but it has colors, but they don't in those categories. Tara: [46:50] Okay, the Ugh, I tell you what I'm not picking that. Dave: [46:51] Oh, wait, and off-brand television trivia game cards. Tara: [46:58] I'm going to pick uh let's let's ease in. Let's start with the nineties box. Dave: [47:07] Oh, yeah. Okay. Do you want to play one point apiece or do you want to play equalizer style where you have to get three and then you can double it? I think it's all equalizer challenge zones. We should play it like an equalizer challenge and score it thusly. Sarah: [47:21] Fine with that. Tara: [47:21] Okay, great. Dave: [47:22] Okay. So to remind you, the 90s box has the additional information that whatever question I read you also has a year attached in which the events of that Question took place. Tara: [47:28] Mm-hmm. Sarah also asked what we're playing for, which I would like to know as well. Dave: [47:34] Oh, what is the usual dollar limit? Tara: [47:36] Uh, I think we stay twenty five. Dave: [47:38] $25, something that has to do with either equalizing something, right? Tara: [47:39] Mm-hmm. Uh-huh. Yep. Dave: [47:45] So, like making something balanced or scaled or whatever, or something that has The sense of a challenge. Tara: [47:47] Mhm. Right. Sure. Okay. Dave: [47:53] So it could be a game, could be a little fidget thing where you have to move the tiles around. Tara: [47:57] Mm-hmm. Dave: [47:58] So it all says one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, and one space left open. Tara: [48:01] Uh-huh. Yeah. Okay. Dave: [48:05] That's a game I had as a kid and I hated it. Tara: [48:07] Are you buying it, or is the loser buying it for the winner? Dave: [48:09] Yeah, losers buying it. I'm not spending my own money on this. Tara: [48:11] All right, very good. It might be your own money. Dave: [48:13] All right, this is T V. This is for Tara. This is your first question from nineteen ninety four. Clip: [48:19] Cause I'm making it Can you bring all that? Dave: [48:19] And I'm sorry, Sarah D. Bunting, Picky screwed you. What sports tuned was recorded two hundred fifty different ways for a Ken Burns documentary? Tara: [48:28] Take me out to the ball game. Dave: [48:30] You are correct. I think this is technically TV. We'll allow it. Clip: [48:33] I'm not gonna walk. Dave: [48:33] 1993, future megastar shook her booty. There are words. As a backup dancer in Janet Jackson's That's the Way Love Goes video. Clip: [48:41] Is a big up to the bar. Tara: [48:43] Jennifer Lopez Johnny Depp? Dave: [48:45] Two for two. Oh, gross. Okay, this isn't a question because it's not TV. Clip: [48:49] Cause I may come to the bar. Dave: [48:49] 1993. What star of What's Eating Gilbert Grape answers to the nickname Mr. Clip: [48:54] Like I want to go back and make a little bit of a little bit of a little bit of a little bit of a little bit of a little bit of a little bit of a little bit of a little bit of a little bit of a little bit of a little bit of a little bit of a ro Come to the boat, bring all that to the boy, and ball There's a man coming to the boat. Dave: [48:55] Stench? Yeah. All right. That wasn't that wasn't for points. Tara: [49:00] God, he still hasn't done a TV show since 21 Jump Street, huh? Dave: [49:04] Yeah. Tara: [49:04] Seems like he should be groveling onto some stars show or something. Sarah: [49:09] Why doesn't he do the Harry Potter thing? We already hate him. Tara: [49:12] Yes. Dave: [49:13] 1991, what TV family resided at 10 Stigwood Avenue in Brooklyn. Tara: [49:18] The Huxtables. Dave: [49:18] The Huxables is correct. That's three points. Tara: [49:22] For one point, okay. Dave: [49:22] You have to get the next three to double it. 1991. What animated. I'm leaving that in. What animated cable classic debuted with the celebration of Yak Shaving Day? Ren Stimpy is correct. Two to go. What T V personality was estimated to clap seven hundred twenty times per show? Clip: [49:48] There's a man coming to the boat. Dave: [49:53] 1992? Tara: [49:56] Bob Barker Oh, Van White, fuck Still in the news. Dave: [49:58] You're close, it is a game show personality. Vanna White was the answer. Sarah: [50:01] Fanna, yeah. Dave: [50:03] All right, so you got three points. Sarah, we're also going to give you the 1990s questions. Same rules, same points. Sarah: [50:08] All right. Dave: [50:09] 1992. What teenage vixen did Alyssa Milano, Drew Barrymore, and Nicole Parker all portray in TV movies? Sarah: [50:18] Amy Fisher South Park Yeah, we got a bootleg of it when we were doing our public access show. Dave: [50:19] First point What Comedy Central animated series began as a T V exec's video Christmas card to eighty of his pals South Park years later. Clip: [50:27] Cut them up, and the bar is a woman. Dave: [50:31] Remember when we went to that animated show to see or the animated film festival just to see that pilot or that Christmas video? Tara: [50:37] I do. Dave: [50:41] Yeah. Tara: [50:42] Mhm. Sarah: [50:42] I liked it way better than I ever liked the series. The voices weren't so crazy, but anyway. Dave: [50:46] Yeah. That was a famous undergroundy thing, too. What was it called? It was like Mitch and Mike's animated festival. Tara: [50:52] Spike in mics animation something like that, yeah. Clip: [50:52] I won't go back and make a whole month. Sarah: [50:52] Uh yeah, no, Spike and Mike's twisted animation. Dave: [50:55] Yeah, something like that. Yeah, before the internet was a thing, kids ask your parents. 1995, Sarah. You're two for two What never seen Fraser character grew up wealthy thanks to the sale of urinal cakes. Sarah: [51:11] Maris. Dave: [51:12] Maris is correct, you got your three points. Tara: [51:13] Woo! Dave: [51:14] Three more and we'll double it 1994, Sarah. Tara: [51:16] It was Spike and Mike's Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation. Sarah: [51:19] Sick and twisted, sure. Tara: [51:21] Later shortened to just Festival of Animation. Dave: [51:25] What MTV show offered a glimpse into the life of HIV positive Pedro Zamora Who died the day after the final show was aired. Sarah: [51:33] Oh, Real World season three. Dave: [51:35] Real World is correct. Nineteen ninety four again. What Sitcom debuted with an episode called The One Where Monica Gets a New Roommate. Sarah: [51:45] Who did Picky screw again? Tara: [51:46] Pecky. Sarah: [51:47] JK friends. Dave: [51:49] All right, this is to double it, and we'll get you six points after your first card. 1994 again What epic drama did Ted Turner pick to launch his Turner Classic Movies Network? Sarah: [52:03] Gone with the wind? Clip: [52:04] Come on, come on, come on, let me go. Dave: [52:05] You are correct. Tara: [52:06] Whoa, good job, Sarah. Dave: [52:08] That is six points to Tara's three. Sarah: [52:08] Thanks. Dave: [52:11] All right, Sarah, you get to pick our next box once again. Clip: [52:14] I'm on the light to make a monster, like I'm a dark to make Like I want to rack up a rock and make Cause I make all the way out of it. Dave: [52:14] DVD Poplister 1, 2, The 90s Set, The Generic Set, 80s Original TV Purple Box, or The Mini Boobtube Pack. Tara: [52:23] Are you repeating boxes? Dave: [52:24] Yeah, but you can't pick it two in a row. Okay. Sarah: [52:27] Let's try generic. Dave: [52:29] Okay. All right, to remind you, this set only has five questions, so we do three and then pick up two for the six. Tara: [52:36] But you start from the most recent. Dave: [52:37] But I start with the most recent and go back to the 50s. So it goes 90s or older, 80s, 70s, 60s, 50s in that order. Sarah: [52:40] Gotcha. Okay. Dave: [52:46] 1990s plus. In what city did Full House take place? Sarah: [52:53] San Francisco Herb tarlic. Dave: [52:54] Was not a trick question. Nineteen eighties. Who played the part of Herb Tarlick, the high pressure salesman on WKRP in Cincinnati? Tara: [53:05] What was that fucker's name? Clip: [53:06] I don't want to go out to make them out. Dave: [53:06] I will step last name only. Sarah: [53:10] It wasn't Gordon Jump. It was. Clip: [53:14] I want to get a record. Sarah: [53:15] I don't remember that fucker's name, so I will say Gordon Jump. Dave: [53:20] No, Frank Bonner. Tara: [53:22] Frank Bonner Nope. Sarah: [53:23] Wouldn't not in a million years. Clip: [53:23] I want to get a record. It's a makeup to the book, oh and the moon. Sarah: [53:25] All right. Well, good for you, Frank. Dave: [53:27] Three questions you need to. Who played Murray Slaughter on the Mary Tyler Moore Show? Sarah: [53:29] Fuck you, Frank. Tara: [53:32] A just had a can of pitch. Clip: [53:32] It's a makeup to the book. Sarah: [53:33] God. Captain Stooping. Dave: [53:35] Try to remember who else he's played. That might get to the name. Clip: [53:37] Like I would like a rock and make a move. Sarah: [53:38] Yeah, no, I'm I mean, I'm just like, I see him in a life preserver animation. Dave: [53:40] It's just out of your brain. Right, yeah, he was also the captain on Love Boat. Sarah: [53:48] And his name is Gavin McLeod. Tara: [53:51] Yay Sure. Dave: [53:51] All right, all right, that was 70s, I forgot to say that, but obviously. Sarah: [53:52] Thank you, Dave. I was like, Garrett Slan? No, that's not it. Dave: [53:58] All right, sixties. Sarah: [53:58] Jesus. Yeah. Dave: [54:01] Who were Kate Bradley's three daughters on Petticoat Junction? Sarah: [54:05] Tom, Dick, and Harry. No fucking clue. Dave: [54:08] Billy Joe, Bobby Joe, and Betty Joe. All right, you need the 50s. You gotta get it to get three points Yes, I think you can get this. Sarah: [54:13] Do I? Dave: [54:16] What was the Beaver's real first name on Leave It to Beaver? Sarah: [54:21] What was the beaver's real first name? Dave: [54:21] It wasn't Beaver. It wasn't his Christian name. Sarah: [54:23] No, no, that's the brother. Clip: [54:24] It's a week of the book and my gold is a moment. Sarah: [54:27] His real first name was. Tara: [54:31] Pickled I don't cane either. Clip: [54:32] It's a big gun to the mark. Sarah: [54:32] Benson, I can I can't pull it. I can't pull it. Tara: [54:36] What is it? Dave: [54:37] Theodore. Clip: [54:37] Like a mouth, is a big rocket. Dave: [54:38] Theodore. Tara: [54:38] Nope. Dave: [54:39] Oh, heartbreaker. All right. That means, Tara, you also have to do the generic five-question card. Tara: [54:45] Uh-huh. Sarah: [54:45] Good luck. Dave: [54:45] Oh my god. All right, nineties plus. Who did Matthew Perry play on Friends? Tara: [54:52] Marcel, just kidding, Chandler. Dave: [54:52] She's thinking. Chandler Bang, 1980s. I'll just read it as is. What Elise Keaton do for living on family ties? Tara: [55:02] Oh, boss is texting me again. You late. She was an architect. Dave: [55:06] Yes, correct. Sarah: [55:08] She architect. Dave: [55:08] All right. One more, you get three points. Clip: [55:10] Couldn't bow after this. Dave: [55:11] Who ran the general store in Little House on the Prairie? Tara: [55:15] Uh, the Olsons. Dave: [55:16] The old who? Which one? Tara: [55:18] Har well, it was either Nells or Harriet. I thought I think they did it together. Dave: [55:22] Yeah, but come on. Tara: [55:24] Okay, Nells. Dave: [55:24] Who's really running? Yeah, all right, there we go. Women can't run businesses. Tara: [55:28] That's true. She was too busy being a bitch full time. Dave: [55:30] Bitch, yeah. Sarah: [55:30] Yeah. Dave: [55:32] Shout out, Kim Reed. 1960s on Petticoat Junction, okay, Uncle Joe was always found doing this. Tara: [55:39] God. Oh, no. Dave: [55:44] Yeah, you know what it is. Tara: [55:45] Um, too bad we're not a video podcast. Sarah: [55:45] Ew. Clip: [55:47] It'll be done to the moment. Sarah: [55:48] I was gonna I was gonna say fap, but yeah. Tara: [55:50] Um Drinking. Clip: [55:54] It's a week of Is a big up to the book. Dave: [55:54] Uh wrong. Napping. Sarah: [55:57] That's what I would have said. Dave: [55:58] Napping. Tara: [55:58] That was my going to be my second choice. Sarah: [55:58] Oh, good job, dude. Dave: [56:00] All right. All right. Let's quickly get the scores, please. Tara: [56:03] We're tied six six. Dave: [56:04] Fantastic. All right, so we're back to Tara. You can pick from anything but the generic set. Tara: [56:09] Okay. Um I'm gonna pick. Dave: [56:11] Eighties. Tara: [56:14] Yeah, I'll pick 80s, not the real one. Dave: [56:16] Yeah, okay. Clip: [56:16] It's a big up to the boat. Dave: [56:17] The Totally Tubular Eighties Edition, that one. Tara: [56:19] Exactly. Dave: [56:20] Okay. Tara: [56:20] Yes. Thank you. Dave: [56:22] What high priced Atlanta lawyer drove a Crown Victoria and largely survived on hot dogs? Tara: [56:29] Matlock? Dave: [56:30] Bad luck Who built the time machine crucial to the plot of the T V movie The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones? Tara: [56:30] Excuse me, Matlock Uh Elroy. Dave: [56:44] Yes Two for two What beloved CBS Newsman logged fifty thousand miles a year in a motorhome he lovingly called The Bus Guesses, sir? Tara: [56:44] Whoa. Sarah: [56:45] Wow, nice pull. Tara: [56:56] Dan Rather No Walter oh, of course, duh. Dave: [57:01] Yeah, corraled. Clip: [57:01] Cause I make a whole bunch of mag Cut the book and the ball. Dave: [57:02] All right, so you need one more. You got three to get it. Tara: [57:05] Okay. Dave: [57:05] What warning did Sergeant Esterhaas issue at the end of each roll call on Hill Street Blues? Tara: [57:11] Let's be careful out there. Dave: [57:13] Let's be careful out there, is correct. Sarah: [57:15] There you go. Dave: [57:16] All right, so you got three points. Sarah, you also have to play the 80s cards. Sarah: [57:20] Sure, do. Dave: [57:21] What long running sitcom debuted in 1982 with the line, How about a beer, chief? Sarah: [57:29] Uh beers, just kidding, it's cheers. Dave: [57:34] Who nabbed an Emmy for his role as Crockett and Tubbs' crusty boss, Lieutenant Castillo? Sarah: [57:40] Edward James Almose Go get out. Tara: [57:43] And he almost won a couple of other times. Yay! Clip: [57:46] Cause I make up to the board of my baby. Dave: [57:47] Little dad will do you. What drama bumped off his popular Gary Shepard character in a tragic bicycling accident? Clip: [57:53] Cause I make up to the board, I'm a bit Don't give it to what they don't care about. Tara: [57:55] It was tragic. Sarah: [57:57] I'm still mad. Thirty something. Dave: [57:59] Three for three, three more, and you double it. What ABC Stunt Show featured host John Davidson's warning, Do not try this yourself. It's not a stunt show. It's like a, I would say it's a, yeah, it's one of two. Tara: [58:12] Uh, okay. Sarah: [58:15] It's one of two. Dave: [58:18] Okay, so you know the category. Yeah. Sarah: [58:19] Yeah. Dave: [58:20] I don't know quite how to explain it. Tara: [58:21] Mhm. Dave: [58:22] Four quadrant magazine show? Tara: [58:24] Yeah, if it's the one I'm thinking of. Dave: [58:24] I don't know. Sarah: [58:25] Yeah, kind of. I'm gonna I mean, coin flip, so let's go with that's incredible. Dave: [58:30] You are correct. Tara: [58:31] Hey That's the other that's the other one. Dave: [58:31] It's not real people, that's incredible. Sarah: [58:34] Oh no, I my other choice was Ripley's. Dave: [58:36] Oh, Ripleys. Sarah: [58:36] Yeah. Dave: [58:37] Oh, okay. Tara: [58:37] Mhm. Dave: [58:38] Yeah, I don't know how you describe that. It's like pre what we called reality shows, but it really is a reality show. Tara: [58:42] Yeah. Mhm. Dave: [58:44] Candid reality show, I guess, but segmented. Tara: [58:45] I guess. Sarah: [58:45] In search of, but with less aliens and corpses and bell bottoms and shit. Clip: [58:46] Cause I make them to the book. Dave: [58:50] So that's four for four. What Purnell Roberts series featured characters nicknamed Starch and Ripples. Clip: [58:53] Cause I make them to the book. I'm on like a rock. Dave: [58:58] Starch is a great nickname. Ripples is a good song off the Phil Collins' debut Genesis album A Trick of the Tale. Sarah: [59:07] Yeah. Dave: [59:07] Probably not related. Clip: [59:08] It's a week up to the weekend. Sarah: [59:08] No, probably not. I was just talking about that album today. That show is um Veggie Tales. Dave: [59:18] Close Trapper John MD. Sarah: [59:19] No, okay. Clip: [59:21] Like I said, I'm not gonna make a lot of money It's a big old table. Tara: [59:21] Ah, yes. Dave: [59:21] Trapper John MD. So we're still tied, yes? Tara: [59:25] Yep. Dave: [59:25] All right. Sarah: [59:25] Yeah, I think so. Tara: [59:26] Did you guys know that Frank Bonner directed 105 episodes of the teen sitcom City Guys? It was a time slot neighbor of Save by the Bell. Sarah: [59:35] No, all right. Dave: [59:38] All right, Sarah, you can pick any box except for the 80s totally tubular box. Sarah: [59:43] DVD 2. Dave: [59:44] Ooh, D V D Two An exciting choice. What boxing figure have Paul Winfield and Ving Rhames portrayed in T V movies? Sarah: [59:56] Muhammad Ali Oh fuck Don King shit I'm sorry. Dave: [59:59] Dung, yes. All right, so you need three out of the next five to get three points. What Cable Offering was the highest ranked drama on T V Guy's fiftieth anniversary list of the fifty greatest T V shows of all time. What cable show was at the top of that list? Clip: [1:00:15] It's a big old Can you Come on, come on. Tara: [1:00:19] I'm going to say probably don't overthink it. Sarah: [1:00:19] Cable show oh okay um yeah I guess I forgot when this was when this was out sopranos I don't remember, Cherry. Dave: [1:00:20] You probably don't ever think it. You are correct. What resident of Pee Wee's Playhouse informed Pee Wee what the secret word of the day was? Ooh, conky, conky the robot. Sarah: [1:00:40] Right. Dave: [1:00:40] Alright, you got three left, you need two. What signful characters buttocks were deemed sublime by a Calvin Klein executive in an episode called The Pick. Sarah: [1:00:51] I hope it's Kramer. Dave: [1:00:52] You're correct. All right, eating one of these last two. What classic show taught kids right from wrong via the exploits of Mr Do Be and Mr Don't Be? Oh, I watched that show and I do not remember that. Sarah: [1:01:08] Doobie and Doobie. I don't I am torn between two, so I'm going to say Captain Kangaroo. Dave: [1:01:18] What's your other guess? Sarah: [1:01:19] Davy and Goliath. Dave: [1:01:21] No, romper room. Tara: [1:01:23] Romper Room. Sarah: [1:01:24] Oh, Jesus. Tara: [1:01:24] I couldn't remember the name of it. I knew it was the one my mom never wanted me to watch because she hated it. Sarah: [1:01:26] Did not remember that at all. I yeah, there was something happening at some frequency. It was an annoying show. Dave: [1:01:35] Yeah, Romperum and Polka Dot Door sort of blend together for me. I forget which one had the really sickly sweet songs. I think it was Romperum. Tara: [1:01:42] Yeah. Sarah: [1:01:42] Magic Garden, maybe? Dave: [1:01:43] Yeah. Sarah: [1:01:44] Did you have that in Canadian? Dave: [1:01:44] Feeling good about this one, Sarah. What eccentric home improvement character's face was usually obscured from the nose down? Sarah: [1:01:51] Oh, fucking fishing hat guy, what was his name? Wilson? Dave: [1:01:54] Correct, three points, you got it. Tara: [1:01:57] Good job. Sarah: [1:01:57] Embarrassed to know that. Dave: [1:01:58] Tar What real life sports mogul was often voiced by Larry David on Seinfeld episodes. Tara: [1:02:05] George Steinbrenner. Dave: [1:02:07] What Eighty Sitcom found Arnold being terrorized by a bully named The Gooch? Clip: [1:02:08] Can't book it in the window. Tara: [1:02:13] Uh, if it's Arnold, I guess it's probably different strokes. Clip: [1:02:15] Cause I'm made up. Dave: [1:02:17] Different strokes. Correct. Two for two. What Cheers character, when asked what's shaken, replied, All four cheeks and a couple of chins. Clip: [1:02:22] Cause I'm made on the cook. I'm all out of the way. Tara: [1:02:26] The norm Uh-huh Joe Lewis Oh, yeah. Sarah: [1:02:28] Norman. Clip: [1:02:28] I'm a cut. Dave: [1:02:29] Great. Clip: [1:02:29] Cause I'm made on the cover. Dave: [1:02:30] That's three points. Clip: [1:02:32] I'm all Like I would rack up a rock Is a big computer. Dave: [1:02:33] What boxer got the Ken Burns treatment in the four-hour documentary Unforgivable Blackness? Do you know, sir? Sarah: [1:02:45] No, Muhammad Ali. Dave: [1:02:46] It's Jack Johnson or his presidential opponent, John Jackson. Tara: [1:02:51] John Jackson. Yep. Dave: [1:02:55] All right, so that's it. That's it for that one. Tara: [1:02:57] Correct. Dave: [1:02:57] You're up. Okay. Tara: [1:02:58] Guess what? Sarah: [1:02:59] My God, still tied. Tara: [1:03:00] We're tied. Dave: [1:03:00] Still tied. All right. Are we just going to play until the tie is broken? Tara: [1:03:03] Sure. Dave: [1:03:03] Okay. All right. So it's up to Tara to choose the next box. Tara: [1:03:08] Right. Um, sure. Dave: [1:03:09] Do you want me to hear the ones we haven't played from? DVD1, Boobtube mini pack, classic purple box, and that's it. Tara: [1:03:13] Yep. Clip: [1:03:14] Is it going to come Like I want to rock it, Iraq Is a makeup to the book. Tara: [1:03:16] Yeah, I'll leave classic purple box for that sick O'Sarah to pick, so I'll do poop tube. Dave: [1:03:24] Boobtube. All right, boobtube mini-pack for playing in the car so you can get nice and car sick while you're thinking of TV shows. Tara: [1:03:28] Right. Sure. Dave: [1:03:31] There's no categories here. Tara: [1:03:32] Mhm. Dave: [1:03:33] So you get one card. Here you go, Tara. Tara: [1:03:35] Yep. Dave: [1:03:36] What game show features the clock game and the showcase showdown? Clip: [1:03:41] I want to make a walk. Tara: [1:03:41] The price is right. Dave: [1:03:43] What letter graces the coffee cup that Mayberry's Aunt B keeps for Barney Fife? Clip: [1:03:47] I'm going to go to the bathroom. Cause I'm a good one, I'm a little bit more. Tara: [1:03:52] B oh good. Dave: [1:03:53] Yeah. What variety show gave Rodney Dangerfield his first national exposure? Clip: [1:03:59] Cause I'm a It's a makeup to go. Tara: [1:04:01] The Ed Sullivan Show. Dave: [1:04:02] Yes, three points. Who celebrated his ninth anniversary on guiding light by falling to his death from a cliff in the Dominican Republic? Tara: [1:04:13] Wow. I don't know anyone from Guiding Light. Um, Jeff. What if that was right? Dave: [1:04:21] What if that was right? It is incorrect. Sarah: [1:04:24] The Hulk Okay. Dave: [1:04:25] Roger Thorpe. Tara: [1:04:26] Nope. Dave: [1:04:27] Three is a number to match, Sarah. What's Ralph Cramden's pool night? I got doing the math. You got about one to seven chance here. Clip: [1:04:36] It's a makeup to go. Sarah: [1:04:38] What is Ralph Cramden's Pool Night? Clip: [1:04:40] I want to do that. Dave: [1:04:41] Yes. What day of the week? Clip: [1:04:42] I want to get a record. Sarah: [1:04:42] Oh, which day of the week? Friday. Dave: [1:04:46] Saturday. Sarah: [1:04:47] Saturday, that bitch. Dave: [1:04:49] What do the letters ME stand for in the title of Quincy ME? Clip: [1:04:51] It's a me coming to the boat. Sarah: [1:04:54] Medical Examiner Wow, what the fuck is it called? Dave: [1:04:56] All right, good. What amazing show was ABC's answer to NBC's Real People? Clip: [1:04:59] It's a me coming to the boat. Sarah: [1:05:08] Amazing Stories? Dave: [1:05:09] No Oh my God. Tara: [1:05:09] No, we just had it. Sarah: [1:05:10] No. Dave: [1:05:22] Oh, my heart just broken too. Oh, that's incredible. Oh boy. Sarah: [1:05:28] No. Clip: [1:05:29] Is a big company. Tara: [1:05:29] It's a heartbreaker. Sarah: [1:05:29] I thought it was like a mi you read it with quotes around Amazing, so it was like, what was the name of that thing? Dave: [1:05:34] Oh boy. Tara: [1:05:34] Hmm. Sarah: [1:05:35] I'm thinking of the Spielberg Twilight Zone thing. Clip: [1:05:36] Is a big company I'm on, I want to get a rock. Dave: [1:05:37] I just read the next three questions, and I think we're at the end of our game. Tara: [1:05:38] Yeah. Dave: [1:05:41] I think you're fucked. Tara: [1:05:41] Oh, no. Sarah: [1:05:43] Oh no. Dave: [1:05:43] You need to. Sarah: [1:05:45] Okay. Dave: [1:05:45] What color flower did Santa Barbara's carnation killer leave behind? Clip: [1:05:47] I'm on the line, I want to get a rock. Cause I make a mistake. Tara: [1:05:53] Got a one in seven chance. Just kidding. Dave: [1:05:54] What is it? There's only seven colors, and that's it. Sarah: [1:06:00] Um red. Dave: [1:06:01] Ah, white. Tara: [1:06:02] That's what I would have said. Dave: [1:06:03] Yeah, it's white. Sarah: [1:06:04] God damn it, killer. Dave: [1:06:06] Who lost, we're out, but who lost 100 million when double-crossed on a China Sea Oil lease deal with Rashid Ahmed, soap opera, primetime soap opera character? Tara: [1:06:18] It's tough because there's two that were about oil. Sarah: [1:06:18] Oh JR Oh, fuck. Dave: [1:06:20] Yeah. Mm, Blake Carrington. Tara: [1:06:24] Ah, the other one. Dave: [1:06:25] Yeah. Tara: [1:06:26] Fuck. Dave: [1:06:27] What fraternal comedy duo starred in the short-lived sitcom Fitz and Bones? Sarah: [1:06:33] Fits and bones. Dave: [1:06:35] Yeah. F I T Z Yeah, you're in the right area. Sarah: [1:06:36] Ah, Martin and Lewis. I don't know. Tara: [1:06:39] Mother's brothers God, it was so close. Dave: [1:06:41] Smother Brothers. Sarah: [1:06:42] Uh thank God Well played. Dave: [1:06:42] Smother Brothers. All right, we are finally at the end. Let's get the scores. Tara: [1:06:48] It really was a very tough fought battle. Sarah finished with 12. I had 15. Dave: [1:06:53] All right, nice of them, Tara. Sarah: [1:06:58] That was fun. Tara: [1:06:58] By both of us. Clip: [1:06:59] Tara Tara. Sarah: [1:07:01] Enjoy your new level from Home Depot. Tara: [1:07:05] I will. Dave: [1:07:07] That is it for this episode of Extra Hot Gray. We checked in with the revival to see if Hank was still King of the Hill before going around the dial with stops at the Yogurt Shop Murders and Project Runway. Famous horse girl Tara Ariano made the successful case for Close Enough's Secret Horse for the Cannon. We crowned winners and losers of the week, and Tara was the winner of this week's Oops All Equalizer Challenge Zone Game Time. Next up, we're talking about Platonic 2 on extra, extra hot grate. Remember! Clip: [1:07:43] We're listening by You want a beer you can feel in your nutsack, you know? Dave: [1:07:45] I am David T. Cole, and on behalf of Tara Ariano and Sarah Debunting. Tara: [1:07:49] That man ain't right. Sarah: [1:07:53] They're cheering for you, too. Dave: [1:07:55] Thanks for listening. We'll see you next time right here on Extra Hot Grit. Clip: [1:08:13] This is gold, Bobby. Write it down. Nut sack.