n this episode of the Decoding TV podcast, David and Patrick discuss what’s going on in the world of TV, then dive into the first five episodes of Smoke on Apple TV+. Was the cancellation of the Late Show financially motivated or were political considerations involved? Are the price hikes at Peacock reasonable or out of control? And what do we thin…

In this episode of the Decoding TV podcast, David and Patrick discuss what’s going on in the world of TV, then dive into the fourth season of The Bear. What is behind the President’s hatred of Rosie O’Donnell? Is Squid Game: The Challenge as abominable as it sounds? What were the biggest streaming shows in the first half of 2025? And did The Bear s…

In this bonus episode, David and Myles McNutt from the Episodic Medium newsletter discuss the 2025 Emmy nominations (you can watch our live broadcast on YouTube here). Which shows came away with some of the biggest nominations? Why do the “Guest Actor” categories continue to be a travesty? What were the biggest snubs? And was this overall a shamefu…

In this episode of the Decoding TV podcast, David and Patrick discuss what’s going on in the world of TV, then dive into the final season of Squid Game. How is Squid Game Season 3 performing on Netflix? What did we make of the fact that Neil Druckmann has left The Last of Us? What’s going on with the creators of South Park and Paramount/Skydance? A…

In this bonus episode, Dan Gvozden joins the podcast to review and discuss the final three episodes of Ironheart on Disney+: Episode 4 - Bad Magic Episode 5 - Karma’s a Glitch Episode 6 - The Past is the Past How did the show handle the arc of Riri Williams? What did we make of that big cameo at the end? And what do we think is coming next for the …

In this episode of the Decoding TV podcast, David and Patrick discuss what’s going on in the world of TV, then dive into the first three episodes of Ironheart on Disney+. Does the Showtime name still have any meaning in our current streaming environment? Did Andor season 2 get more viewers than season 1? And why did The Last of Us season 2 have few…

In this bonus episode of the Decoding TV podcast, David Chen and Sarah Marrs discuss Dept. Q's first season on Netflix. What did we think of how this show handled its central mystery? Did any of the subplots work well for us? What about the red herrings? Was Matthew Goode, well, any good as the lead? How excited are we for the prospect of a second …

In this bonus episode, David chats with director Dan Trachtenberg about how Predator: Killer of Killers (now streaming on Hulu) came together. Dan discusses why they chose the time periods they did, the challenges of putting together an anthology film based around the Predator in different time periods, and what his favorite action moments are from…

In this episode of the Decoding TV podcast, David and Patrick discuss the differences between the Invincible and Game of Thrones videogames (and why the former will probably be way more successful), muse on the plight of Warner Bros Discovery, and lament the loss of press freedom in the American media. Then, it’s time to dive into Dan Trachtenberg’…

In this episode of the Decoding TV podcast, David and Patrick discuss Succession creator Jesse Armstrong’s latest HBO original, Mountainhead. Does it do a good job of satirizing the billionaire tech class? Will Nic Pizzolatto ever write a True Detective episode again? And why do we feel sympathy for the new kids cast as the main Harry Potter charac…

In this episode of the Decoding TV podcast, David and Patrick are joined by Christian Spicer to dive into the latest episodes of The Last of Us and The Rehearsal. Why was The Last of Us season finale such a disappointment? What were some of the most memorable moments? What two narrative crimes did the episode commit? And why was The Rehearsal so ex…

In this bonus episode, David and Patrick discuss some follow-ups to their podcast series about Andor season 2. Why did Tony Gilroy feel the need to delineate the true nature of Kleya and Luthen’s relationship? What about Mon Mothma’s relationship with her husband and daughter? And what do we think of the possibility of Jyn Erso and Leia cameos in A…

In this episode of the Decoding TV podcast, David and Patrick dive into the latest episodes of The Last of Us and The Rehearsal. Is Max’s rebrand back to HBO Max one of the worst instances of corporate brand destruction ever? Are we excited about the new Alien: Earth series launching this summer? And why does David hate the marketing for James Gunn…

In this bonus episode of Decoding TV, David and Patrick Willems discuss the final three episodes of Andor Season 2: Ep 10 - Make It Stop Ep 11 - Who Else Knows? Ep 12 - Jedha, Kyber, Erso What did we think of how this show connected to the events of Rogue One? Were we happy with how the show wrapped up the stories of characters like Bix and Luthen?…

In this episode of the Decoding TV podcast, David and Patrick dive into the latest episodes of The Last of Us and The Rehearsal. It feels like there’s not gonna be enough time to tell a complete story in this season of The Last of Us. Where does episode 5 leave our characters? Is there any possibility the Harry Potter PR tour is going to turn aroun…

In this bonus episode of Decoding TV, David and Patrick Willems discuss the next three episodes of Andor Season 2: Ep 7 - Messenger Ep 8 - Who Are You? Ep 9 - Welcome to the Rebellion? This batch probably has some of the most intense action in Star Wars ever put to film. We also got some actual Star Wars references to things like the Force and othe…

In this episode of the Decoding TV podcast, David and Patrick dive into the latest episodes of The Last of Us and The Rehearsal. What do we think of The Last of Us’s depiction of Seattle? How did we feel about how this week’s episode moved Ellie and Dina’s relationship along? And was Nathan Fielder’s The Rehearsal this week an act of insanity of ge…

In this bonus episode of Decoding TV, David and Patrick Willems discuss the next three episodes of Andor Season 2: Ep 4 - Ever Been to Ghorman? Ep 5 - I Have Friends Everywhere Ep 6 - What a Festive Evening We’ll be doing a podcast episode for each of the four Andor drops. This batch introduces us to the world of Ghorman. What parallels is the show…

In this episode of the Decoding TV podcast, David and Patrick discuss what’s happening in the world of television, then dive into the latest episodes of The Last of Us and The Rehearsal. Is Max a streaming service that is impossible to cancel? Why is Netflix so opposed to theatrical filmgoing? And what responsibility do actors have in accepting rol…

In this Decoding TV bonus episode, David and Patrick discuss what they thought of The Pitt’s debut season, what their favorite subplots were, and what they’d like to see in a second season of the show (which has already been renewed). Links: Listen to Patrick’s videogame podcast, Remap Radio Subscribe to Patrick’s newsletter, Crossplay Subscribe to…

In this bonus episode of Decoding TV, Patrick Willems returns to the podcast to discuss the first three episodes of Andor Season 2. We’ll be doing an episode for each of the four Andor drops. This season has a much different feel than the first season. What are our thoughts on the structure of the show so far? What did we think of each of the separ…

Stay tuned for a spoiler-filled bonus episode later this week where we compare The Last of Us videogame with the show. David and Patrick discuss what’s happening in the world of television, then dive into the latest episodes of The Last of Us and The Rehearsal. Does a Pacific Rim TV show sound like a good idea?Do we think Ryan Coogler will do a goo…

In this bonus episode, David is joined by Jessie Earl to discuss the latest season of Black Mirror on Netflix. Did we think this season was a solid one? What were our favorite episodes? What were our least favorite? And does Black Mirror still have something new to say given how society’s views on technology have evolved? Listen to hear us discuss …

NOTE: This episode contains massive SPOILERS for The Last of Us Part II videogame, which you should assume will also spoil the TV show. Listener beware. In this bonus episode, David, Patrick, and Christian Spicer discuss how the season 2 premiere of The Last of Us compares with The Last of Us Part II videogame. What were some of the biggest changes…

Stay tuned for a spoiler-filled bonus episode later this week where we compare The Last of Us videogame with the show. David and Patrick discuss what’s happening in the world of television, then Christian Spicer joins us for a dive into The Last of Us season 2 premiere. Are we excited about the possibility of another season of Adolescence? What do …