Extra Hot Great

Peacock counter-programmed the Super Bowl with a series adaptation of the 1989 horror comedy The 'Burbs. Horror expert Matt Monagle makes his EHG début to discuss whether it made a convincing case for its existence in its new format. Around The Dial stops at Shrinking S03 and the first two seasons of AMC's Interview With The Vampire. Tara explains why front-facing vertical video commercials in the style of social media ads have no business airing on TV. Sean pitches the series finale of Star Trek: The Next Generation for induction into The Canon. Then, after naming the week's Winner and Loser, we end on a non-regulation game time that's bathed in blood. Quit spying on your neighbors and listen!GUESTS

The Muppet Show returns with a one-off episode starring Sabrina Carpenter; Muppetry expert Adam Grosswirth returns to discuss it, including whether the new version nailed the original's vibe, what makes a good Muppet guest (and whether Sabrina's got the right stuff), and how we can't believe Dolly Parton never guested on the show (...so far). Later, we went Around The Dial with The Pete Davidson Show, Ugliest House In America, and Conspiracy Theories, and Adam hoped nobody would object to his first-season L.A. Law Canon brief. Impractical Jokers won, Grant Show lost, and we dropped Muppets into primetime shows for a mash-up Game Time. It's time to get things started on an all-new Extra Hot Great!GUESTS

Fox's new drama Memory Of A Killer, about a hitman in denial about his serious memory loss, stars Patrick Dempsey, so naturally we had to invite Dan Cassino, one of our most dedicated Grey's Anatomy fans, to discuss whether you should add a reminder to your calendar to watch it, or immediately forget it exists. Around The Dial takes us through The Beauty, a roundup of cozy British and international mysteries including Midsomer Murders and Agatha Christie's Seven Dials (among others), and Wrestlers. Emilymae makes the case for inducting Crash Landing On You's 12th episode into The Canon. Then, after naming the week's Winner and Loser, it's on to a Non-Regulation Game Time from Dr. Cassino himself: send your mash notes to him directly, and don't forget to listen!TOPICSLead Topic:

The Star Trek universe goes teen drama -- and, for once, does it in the/a future instead of the pre-TOS "past." Since it's a Trek property, Andrew returned to talk about Paul Giamatti feasting on his anachronistic lines, whether the show works better as sci-fi or Space High, and where it ranks in Paramount-era Trek shows. We went Around The Dial with Ponies, Andrew's middlebrow-TV catch-up, and Shining Vale before Tara used up her djinn wishes on a What We Do In The Shadows Canon entry. Profilers won, McConaughey lost, and we prayed for guidance in a religious-network Game Time. Escape from your hidden prison planet and join us!GUESTS

The Pitt returns to take viewers through another remarkably busy day in the ER at Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center. What is there to celebrate in the show's fictional Fourth of July? Heather Cocks, our S01 guest, returns to talk about it. Around The Dial takes us through a passel of recent comedy specials from George Civeris, Kumail Nanjiani, Frankie Quiñones, and Sarah Squirm (aka Sarah Sherman); Heated Rivalry creator Jacob Tierney's previous hockey show, Shoresy; and Bookish, old to Brits but new to PBS. Seth pitches a Guy Montgomery's Guy Mont-Spelling Bee for induction into The Canon. Then, after naming the week's Winner and Loser, it's on to a Non-Regulation Game Time that's beating down our door. Find a comfortable seat in chairs (ideally away from Mr. Digby and his compelling odors) and join us!GUESTS

For our latest game of Would You Rather?, we asked past guests, friends, and listeners to challenge us with brand-new TV-related scenarios. They came through with some of the craziest conundrums we've ever contemplated. Listen to find out how sick they, and we, actually are!TOPICSLead Topic:

For this special episode, we're returning to the bracket format, but slimmed down for just your three co-hosts: we made up an Elite Eight of TV superheroes -- no one from the DC or Marvel universes allowed -- and argued through which deserved to go all the way. Which hero stands atop the rest of our selected comers? Listen and learn! TOPICS Lead Topic:

We are off this week for EHG Prime but present you with this EHG Club unlock of EEHG 330: Gone Fishing With John We aren't sure about J M Buffy's reasons for forcening us to watch early-nineties cult show Fishing With John, but we mostly liked the surrealist slow-TV vibes we got from musician/actor John Lurie's rando travelogue. Ask EHG went deep on Ken Marino's Emmy reel, snacking cereals, and a Sean Bean reboot of Mr. Bean before Dave pitched a CSI cold open for the Tiny Canon. We made Not Quite Top 11 Lists about TV fish, cartoons, and holiday title puns, and wrapped (geddit??) things up with an Extra Credit Game Time from Sarah Claus. Dry off your mittens and have a listen! TOPICS 15s Of Fame:

For this special episode, we ponder three Canon pitches from listeners like you. Did we give The West Wing's "Evidence Of Things Not Seen" a standing ovation like a trip of eggs on the vernal equinox? Were we forced to tell Would I Lie To You?'s S06.E06 some hard truths? Will we all soon be putting out our shoes to receive blueberry muffins thanks to A.P. Bio's "Katie Holmes Day"? Listen to find out. TOPICS The Canon:

In what has become one of our most diabolical annual traditions, we're playing Mullendash again. This year, our guest contestants are: Stephen Falk, with whom the game was initially developed back in the 2000s, and Mullendash newcomers David J. Roth and Jeff Drake. Who can most craft the most convincing Mullenian punchlines? Who can divine the true Mullen from the counterfeits? All is revealed in our latest episode. GUESTS

Once again again, we made some of our Valued Guests stick around after their tapings and muse about TV in our version of a What If? Find out where their imaginations took them in this very special yearly EHG tradition! GUESTS

We are off this week for EHG Prime but present you with this EHG Club unlock of EEHG 360: Did Our Latest Meal At The Bear Give Us Gas? The Bear is back for its fourth season on (sigh) FX on Hulu. Was it a fully satisfying banquet, or did it repeat? We'll tell you everything. Ask EHG requires us to consider such matters as the post-Quibi shows that should have been Quibis, and the best food to eat in your car. Tara pitches Pace Picante's early 90s "New York City?!" spot for the Commercial division of the Tiny Canon. Then we crown the Not Quite Winners and Losers of the week before closing out on an Extra Credit power-ranking the hosts of Family Feud. Grab a napkin and tuck in! TOPICS Lead Topic:

A Manhattan real estate scion is believed to have killed his first wife in The Beast In Me, the new entirely fictional Netflix thriller series that is NOT about Robert Durst. Durst you watch it? Stephanie Early Green returns to talk about it. Around The Dial takes us through How Are You? It's Alan (Partridge), the latest from Steve Coogan; S19 of Married At First Sight; and JFK: What The Doctors Saw. Stephanie pitches the "Dinner Party" episode of The Office for induction into The Canon. Then, after naming the week's Winner and Loser, we close on a Beastly Game Time. Quit plotting out the jogging path you want to build and listen! TOPICS Lead Topic:

Vince Gilligan returns to the prestige airwaves with Pluribus, an apocalyptic Rhea Seehorn vehicle that's getting uniformly great reviews -- and Jeff Drake returns to the podcast to talk about why WE aren't all on the same page with its world-building, self-consciously beautiful shot compositions, and more (though we all DO agree that Seehorn is the President of Acting). We went Around The Dial with Stumble, The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling, and Who Hired The Hitman? before Jeff went nuts with a Canon pitch from The Dick Van Dyke Show. All's Fair won, Kim Kardashian's bar-exam support team lost, and we reeled in the years with a historical-TV Game Time. Polish off that rosé and join us! GUESTS

Bottoms star and co-writer Rachel Sennott has created a new sitcom star vehicle, I Love L.A., for HBO, all about the world of Zoomer influencers. How much could we take? L.A.'s own Nick Rheinwald-Jones joins us to talk about it. Around The Dial takes us through Nobody Wants This S02, Wayward, Aileen: Queen Of The Serial Killers, and Down Cemetery Road. Dave pitched "Those Old Scientists" from Star Trek: Strange New Worlds for induction into The Canon. Then, after naming the week's Winner and Loser, it's on to a new season of Game Time, kicking off with a Cassino special. Grab your limited-edition Chipotle bowl and listen! GUESTS

TV returns to the King-verse with HBO's It: Welcome To Derry, a prequel (or side...show?) of sorts for various characters from Stephen King's It -- and Josh Gondelman also returns to accept our apologies before talking about doing gory bits, using your best actors wisely, and the different kinds of tension. We're going Around The Dial with the nineteenth seasons of Married At First Sight and Taskmaster, plus Nightmares & Dreamscapes and The Lowdown, and Tara hopes we have Great News about her Canon pitch. The Pitt wins, various Nobody Wants This actors lose, and we're filling our pillowcases with points in a candy-based Non-Regulation Game Time. Grab a jar of pickles and join us! GUESTS

Blue Bloods is dead, but its spirit lives on (along with however many actors don't have anything better to do) in Boston Blue, CBS's new Beantown-set spinoff. How authentic is it to the Boston a Bostonian would know? Boston's own Margaret H. Willison returns to talk about it. Around The Dial takes us through Downey Wrote That, The Good Wife, The Good Fight, Love Is Blind, and Task. Never Not Mike pitches the Mad Men episode "The Suitcase" for induction into The Canon -- because no, it wasn't in there already, and we were surprised about that too. Then, after naming the week's Winner and Loser, it's on to a Game Time that only has a little bit to say. Park yourself at the Green Monster and join us! GUESTS

Tim Robinson is back with The Chair Company, a cringe-com with a mystery (or is it??) at its center, and Variety's Alison Herman is also back to talk about it: the little self-flagellating moments the show gets right, whether it's the Tim Robinson property for people who usually don't enjoy Tim Robinson, and why Robinson is like David Lynch. We went Around The Dial with 9-1-1s old and new, Devil In Disguise: John Wayne Gacy, and The Alabama Solution, and Tara busted out her see! cret! skill! at Canon pitching for a first-season episode of Platonic. Julio Torres won, Yellowjackets lost, and the panel tried to hit IMDb episode-count bulls-eyes in the second half of the 30 Under 30 Game Time. Leave that deviled-egg remnant right where it is and come join us! GUESTS

The fourth season of Monster, Netflix's true crime anthology, concerns itself with Wisconsin serial killer (or was he? (he probably was)) Ed Gein, played by former Queer As Folk cutie Charlie Hunnam. Did it get under our skin? Richard Lawson returns to talk about it. Around The Dial takes us through Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent, Only Connect, and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Richard presents the Season 2 finale of The Traitors Australia for induction into The Canon. Then, after naming the week's Winner and Loser, it's on to a Game Time about the shows select actors did for up to but NOT more than 30 episodes. Take a break from wood chopping and join us! GUESTS

Pretend we made a witty "third and taking-too-long" pun, because that's what we -- and guest Kim "Best Thing" Reed -- thought about Glen Powell vehicle Chad Powers. It isn't bad, but between the first-drafty jokes and getting stuck between two tones, we're not sure you should watch all the way to the end zone. Okay, let's ditch the football puns to go Around The Dial with On Brand With Jimmy Fallon, Kim's recent-reality overview, and Sarah's High Maintenance rewatch; and let's see if the panel respected "Authority," Sarah's L&O: SVU Canon pitch. Nicole Beharie won, Mid-Century Modern lost, and we juggled a hot potato of HBO series "lifers" in Game Time. Pair your podcast app with your Cybertruck's sound system and join us! GUESTS