Decoding Westworld

In this Decoding TV bonus episode, @joyofnapping returns to discuss and spoil the fourth season of Slow Horses, which just aired its season finale.What did we think were the best and worst elements of this season? What storylines were invented for the show and how did they play out? How was Hugo Weaving as the main villain? What plot threads are we looking forward to being developed next season? Listen to hear us discuss all these questions and more!Links:Follow Joy on ThreadsEmail us at Decodingtv(AT)gmail(DOT)comFollow us on Tiktok at tiktok.com/@decodingrealitySubscribe to David’s free newsletter, Decoding Everything Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Decoding TV, David Chen and Patrick Klepek discuss the series premiere of The Franchise, chat about some TV renewals and cancellations, and assess the role of toxic fandom in our culture. Then they dig in to episode 3 of The Penguin and episode 5 of Agatha All Along.Can The Franchise rise above the inside jokes of Hollywood to become a hit? What do a series of high profile renewals and cancellations say about the state of the television industry? Can The Penguin continue strong world building while ignoring the existence of Batman? Does Agatha All Along deliver on its big twist? Listen to hear us discuss all these questions and more!Homework for next week:The Penguin Episode 4 (Max)Agatha All Along Episode 6 (Disney+)Bonus Ep: Slow Horses Season 4 (Apple TV+)Shownotes:02:13 - The FranchiseEp 1 - Scene 31A: Tecto Meets Eye14:04 - Renewals and CancellationsKaos CancelledThe Night Agent Renewed for Season 3Reacher Renewed for Season 423:21 - How Hollywood is Battling Toxic FansJodie Turner-Smi

In this episode of Decoding TV, David Chen and Patrick Klepek explore the early ratings for The Penguin, brace themselves for a new season of Sugar, discuss a surprising choice of director for Stranger Things 5, and dig into the new trailer for The Last of Us Season 2. Then, they discuss episode 2 of The Penguin and episode 4 of Agatha All Along.Will The Penguin be able to take flight in the ratings for the rest of the first season? How do we feel about the confounding news of a second season of Sugar? Does Frank Darabont’s return to the industry signal a strong return for Stranger Things? How different will The Last of Us season 2 be from its video game counterpart? Does The Penguin keep up the momentum in episode 2? Are we still enjoying the witchy formula of Agatha All Along in episode 4? Listen to hear us discuss all these questions and more!Homework for next week:The Penguin Episode 3 (Max)Agatha All Along 

In this episode of Decoding TV, David Chen and Patrick Klepek discuss the Industry renewal news, Paramount layoffs, and the new Disney+ and Hulu price hikes. Then, they dive into the season premiere of The Penguin and episode 3 of Agatha All Along.What do we think of Industry and are we excited for another season? How will Paramount’s phase 2 layoffs affect their output? Will new pricing for Disney+ and Hulu wreak havoc on their subscriber base? What do we make of the return to Gotham with The Penguin? Is Colin Farrell able to stand out as Oswald Cobb under heavy makeup and prosthetics? Is Agatha All Along stringing us along? Listen to hear us discuss all these questions and more!Homework for next week:The Penguin Episode 2 (Max)Agatha All Along Episode 4 (Disney+)Shownotes:02:13 - Industry Renewed for Season 4 + Season 1 Discussion13:27 - Paramount’s Phase 2 of Layoffs19:21 - New Disney+/Hulu Price Hikes/Password Crackdown Coming30:38 - The Penguin Ep 1 - After Hours01:13:39 - Agatha All Along Ep 3

In this episode of Decoding TV, David Chen and Patrick Klepek are joined by Myles McNutt to discuss the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. Then, they discuss the season premiere of Agatha All Along.What did we think of The Bear winning some many awards in the comedy category? Will the Television Academy ever figure out what season of The Bear they’re actually voting on? Did Shogun deserve even more awards love this year? How do we feel about Hacks taking the top prize? And are we ready to go back to the world of Westview in Agatha All Along? Listen to hear us discuss all these questions and more!Homework for next week:The Penguin season premiere (HBO/Max)Agatha All Along episode 3Shownotes:01:30 - The 2024 Emmys42:09 - Agatha All AlongEp 1 - Seekest Thou the RoadEp 2 - Circle Sewn with Fate / Unlock Thy Hidden GateLinks:Subscribe to Myles’ newsletter, Episodic MediumListen to Patrick’s videogame podcast, Remap RadioSubscribe to Patrick’s news

In this bonus episode, David and Patrick discuss Chimp Crazy, a 4-part docuseries on HBO/Max from the director who brought you Tiger King.Is Chimp Crazy a more worthy recommendation than Tiger King? And what exactly does this show about people who try to keep and sell primates have to teach us about being a parent? Listen to hear us discuss these questions and more.Links:Listen to Patrick’s videogame podcast, Remap RadioSubscribe to Patrick’s newsletter, CrossplaySubscribe to this podcast on YouTubeFollow this podcast on InstagramFollow this podcast on TiktokSubscribe to David’s free newsletter, Decoding EverythingFollow David on InstagramFollow David on Tiktok Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Decoding TV, David Chen and Patrick Klepek run down what’s going on in the world of TV. Then, @joyofnapping joins the podcast to discuss what they thought of the season 4 premiere of Slow Horses.Was HBO’s statement about George R R Martin’s blog post a big deal or not? Why are fans having so much difficulty drawing boundaries between artists and the characters they play? And what did we make of the first presidential debate between Kamala Harris? Listen to hear us discuss all these questions and more!Homework for next week:Agatha All Along season premiere (Disney+)Bonus Ep: Chimp Crazy (Max)Shownotes:04:45 - TV NewsFollowing up on our George R. R. Martin ConversationValorie Curry tries to draw boundaries with fansNBC pulls back Tonight Show to four nights per weekReacting to the Presidential Debate49:30 - Slow Horses season 2Ep 1 - Identity TheftEp 2 - A Stranger Comes to TownLinks:Listen to Patrick’s videogame podcast, Remap RadioSubscribe to Patrick’s newsletter, CrossplaySubscribe to thi

In this episode of Decoding TV, David Chen and Patrick Klepek run down what’s going on in the world of TV and discuss what they thought of the season 2 premiere of The Rings of Power.Why is George R. R. Martin so intent on criticizing House of the Dragon? How do kids even think about movies these days? And does Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power change course from season 1? Listen to hear us discuss all these questions and more!Homework for next week:Slow Horses season 4 (Apple TV+)Shownotes:05:30 - George R. R. Martin’s Blog Post about House of the Dragon37:39 - Winona Ryder doesn’t think younger folks watch enough movies49:30 - Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2Ep 1 - Elven Kings Under the SkyEp 2 - Where the Stars are StrangeEp 3 - The Eagle and the SceptreLinks:Listen to Patrick’s videogame podcast, Remap RadioSubscribe to Patrick’s newsletter, CrossplaySubscribe to this podcast on YouTubeFollow this podcast on InstagramFollow this podcast o

In this episode of Decoding TV, David Chen and Patrick Klepek run down what’s going on in the world of TV and discuss what they thought of season 1 of The Gentlemen on Netflix.This week brought more details about The Acolyte cancellation and the promise of additional seasons of Ted Lasso. What do David and Patrick make of these developments? And are we excited for a Vision-focused TV series to finish the unofficial WandaVision trilogy? Listen to hear us discuss all these questions and more!Homework for next week:Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 premiere (Netflix)Shownotes:02:30 - Inside the decision to cancel The Acolyte28:36 - Ted Lasso season 4 becomes realer41:00 - James Spader joins Vision TV series53:30 - The Gentlemen season 1Links:Listen to Patrick’s videogame podcast, Remap RadioSubscribe to Patrick’s newsletter, CrossplaySubscribe to this podcast on YouTubeFollow this podcast on InstagramFollow this podcast on TiktokSubscribe to David’s free newsletter, Decoding EverythingFollow David o

In this episode of Decoding TV, David Chen and Patrick Klepek run down what’s going on in the world of TV and discuss what they thought of the first few episodes of Bad Monkey on Apple TV+.Are we going to watch any of the dozen plus shows from AMC+ that are now on Netflix? Do we think there’s any hope for Venu, the Fubo competitor? Are we still excited for the next season of True Detective? Which Secret Level are we looking forward to the most? And what do we make of the cancellation of The Acolyte? Listen to hear us discuss all these questions and more!Homework for next week:The Gentlemen Season 1 (Netflix)Shownotes:01:30 - A bunch of AMC+ shows just dropped on Netflix08:00 - Dark Matter renewed for season 211:30 - Judge blocks Venu sports bundle21:55 - The Acolyte is cancelled44:45 - Prime Video’s Secret Level gets trailer51:15 - Issa Lopez reacts to Nic Pizzolatto59:30 - Bad MonkeyEpisode 1 - The Floating-Human-Body-Parts

In this episode of Decoding TV, David Chen and Patrick Klepek run down what’s going on in the world of TV and discuss what they thought of the final five episodes of Batman: Caped Crusader on Prime Video.What are some of the announcements at D23 that caught our eye? Are we excited for the newest Star Wars series, Skeleton Crew? Why should you never trust a short YouTube video from D23 to give you actual footage from the show? And should we expect to ever see more episodes of Ted Lasso? Listen to hear us discuss all these questions and more!Homework for next week:Bad Monkey Eps 1-2 (Apple TV+)Shownotes:01:30- Paramount Television Studios shuts down09:00 - D23 NewsInside Out Spinoff SeriesDaredevil: Born Again reveals first footage with March premiereStar Wars: Skeleton Crew trailer23:45 - Gentleman renewed for season 2 and Traitors renewed for 2 more seasons26:08 - Jason Sudeikis has to make a decision about Ted Lasso 33:20 - Not getting invited to the Emmys39:30 - Batman: Caped Crusader Eps 6-10Episode 6 - Ni

In this episode of Decoding TV, David Chen and Patrick Klepek run down what’s going on in the world of TV and discuss what they thought of the first five episodes of Batman: Caped Crusader on Prime Video.How did House of the Dragon do in the ratings this season? What is our first take on the footage from Welcome to Derry and The Last of Us Season 2? Are we excited for a new TV show in the world of John Wick? How about the second and third season of Squid Game? And should Baby Reindeer have been branded as a true story? Listen to hear us discuss all these questions and more!Homework for next week:Batman: Caped Crusader Eps 6-10 (Prime Video)Shownotes:00:08:55 - House of the Dragon newsHOTD season finale viewershipHOTD will end with season 412:05 - HBO shows reveal early footage23:30 - John Wick Series28:40 - Squid game season 2 and 3 details37:40 - The real-life Martha in Baby Reindeer45:40 - Batman: Caped Crusa

In this episode of Decoding TV, David Chen and Patrick Klepek run down what’s going on in the world of TV and discuss what they thought of Presumed Innocent season 1 on Apple TV+.What exactly was going on during the opening ceremonies of the Olympics? Should Warner be suing the NBA to get some of its games back onto TNT? Are we excited for a world full of Boys spinoffs from Amazon? And is Sausage Party actually a deep meditation on the nature of religion and atheism? Listen to hear us discuss all these questions and more!Homework for next week:Batman: The Caped Crusader (Prime Video)Shownotes:00:08:55 - Our Olympics viewing experiences00:24:30 - Warner sues the NBA00:33:21 - Amazon’s The Boys spinoffsInvincible, Hazbin Hotel, Sausage Party: Foodtopia renewed00:47:45 - Presumed Innocent Season 101:16:00 - Comparing Presumed Innocent (1990) with Presumed Innocent (2024)Links:Listen to Patrick’s videogame podcast, Remap RadioSubscribe to Patrick’s newsletter, CrossplaySubscribe to this podcast on YouTubeFollow t

In this episode of Decoding TV, David Chen and Patrick Klepek run down what’s going on in the world of TV and discuss what they thought of The Boys season 4.Is Euphoria season 3 actually going to happen?(!) Where can you expect to stream Homicide: Life on the Street? Why aren’t people watching Apple TV+ shows? And is the Apple TV+ gravy train for creators really over? Listen to hear us discuss all these questions and more!Homework for next week:Presumed Innocent season 1 (Apple TV+)Shownotes:00:14:20 - Homicide: Life on the Street will stream on Peacock00:17:08 - Euphoria season 3 sets production dateBehind the tumultuous scenes at Euphoria00:22:30 - Apple tries to reign in spending00:29:00 - The Boys Season 401:20:15 - Acolyte feedback and Patrick’s reactionsLinks:Listen to Patrick’s videogame podcast, Remap RadioSubscribe to Patrick’s newsletter, CrossplaySubscribe to this podcast on YouTubeFollow this podcast on InstagramFollow this podc

In this episode of Decoding TV, David Chen and Myles McNutt discuss this year’s Emmy nominations. Then Dan Gvozden joins to discuss the season finale of The Acolyte.What were some things the Emmys got right? And what nominations made us raise an eyebrow or two? Did The Acolyte stick the landing? And are we excited for a possible season 2 of the show? Listen to hear us discuss all these questions and more!Homework for next week:The Boys Season 4 (Prime Video)Shownotes:00:01:30 - The 2024 Emmy Nominations00:29:00 - The AcolyteEpisode 8 - The AcolyteLinks:Subscribe to the Episodic Medium newsletterSubscribe to Dan Gvozden’s show The Amazing Spider-TalkSubscribe to this podcast on YouTubeFollow this podcast on InstagramFollow this podcast on TiktokSubscribe to David’s free newsletter, Decoding EverythingFollow David on InstagramFollow David on Tiktok Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Decoding TV, David Chen and Patrick Klepek run down what’s going on in the world of TV, discuss the seventh episode of The Acolyte, and finish up their conversation about The Bear season 3.What are the implications of a Skydance/Paramount merger? Are we excited after seeing the new trailer for Agatha All Along? And should David Duchovny have been one of the main male leads in Full House? Listen to hear us discuss all these questions and more!Homework for next week:The Acolyte Ep 8 (Disney+)Homework for upcoming weeks:The Boys season 4 (Prime Video)Presumed Innocent season 1 (Apple TV+)Shownotes:00:02:30 - Severance Season 2 announces release date00:06:30 - X-Men ‘97 season 3 gets a writer00:09:50 - Agatha All Along trailer00:18:30 - Skydance and Paramount merge00:29:30 - David Duchovny lost out on all 3 male leads for Full House00:35:30 - The AcolyteEpisode 7 - Choice01:07:30 - The Bear Season 3Links:Listen to P

In this episode of Decoding TV, David Chen and Patrick Klepek discuss the first three episodes of The Bear season 3. Then, Dan Gvozden joins us from The Amazing Spider-Talk podcast to discuss the latest episode of The Acolyte.Is The Bear a show that’s become too enamored of its own success and character dynamics to move forward? Does anything interesting happen on The Acolyte this week? Will Sol finally get to explain WTF happened on Brendok all those years ago? Listen to hear us discuss all these questions and more!Homework for next week:The Acolyte Ep 7 (Disney+)Shownotes:00:01:00 - The BearEpisode 1 - TomorrowEpisode 2 - NextEpisode 3 - Doors00:47:20 - The AcolyteEpisode 6 - Teach/CorruptLinks:Check out Dan’s podcast, The Amazing Spider-TalkListen to Patrick’s videogame podcast, Remap RadioSubscribe to Patrick’s newsletter, CrossplaySubscribe to this podcast on YouTubeFollow this podcast on InstagramFollow this podcast on TiktokSubscribe to David’s free newslett

In this episode of Decoding TV, David Chen and Patrick Klepek run down what’s going on in the world of TV and discuss the fifth episode of The Acolyte and the fourth episode of The Boys’ fourth season.Do we really care whether a show is branded as an HBO or Max original? (Unfortunately yes). Why is Presumed Innocent such an effective TV drama? And what’s going on with the audience reviews for The Acolyte? Listen to hear us discuss all these questions and more!Homework for next week:The Acolyte Ep 6 (Disney+)The Bear season premiere (Hulu)Shownotes:00:01:30 - Presumed Innocent on Apple TV+00:10:28 - The Acolyte Is Getting Review Bombed00:22:45 - Max is rebranding some shows to HBO00:33:45 - Harry Potter gets a showrunner00:38:30 - The AcolyteEpisode 5 - Night01:08:00 - The BoysEpisode 4 - We’ll Keep The Red Flag Flying HereLinks:Listen to Patrick’s videogame podcast, Remap RadioSubscribe to Patrick’s newsletter, CrossplaySubscribe to th

In this episode of Decoding TV, David Chen and Patrick Klepek run down what’s going on in the world of TV and discuss the fourth episode of The Acolyte and the first three episodes of The Boys fourth season.Are fewer people watching House of the Dragon this year? Why did Jon Stewart leave Apple TV+ anyway? Are we excited about a film adaptation of Three-Body Problem? And has The Boys gotten too woke recently? Listen to hear us discuss all these questions and more!Homework for next week:The Acolyte Ep 5 (Disney+)The Boys Season 4 Ep 4 (Prime Video)Shownotes:00:02:30 - The Curse ending behind-the-scenes00:05:15 - House of the Dragon ratings00:15:50 - Jon Stewart’s exit from Apple TV+00:24:17 - Zhang Yimou’s Three-Body Problem movie00:30:00 - The AcolyteEpisode 4 - Day01:00:05 - The BoysEpisode 1 - Department of Dirty TricksEpisode 2 - Life Among the SepticsEpisode 3 - We’ll Keep the Red Flag Flying HereLinks:Listen to Patrick’s videogame

In this episode of Decoding TV, David Chen and Patrick Klepek run down what’s going on in the world of TV and discuss the third episode of The Acolyte.Why does everyone keep suing Netflix? How has Jon Stewart’s return to late night gone so far? Are we excited about The Boys season 5 being its last? And is there going to be a Euphoria season 3 after all? Listen to hear us discuss all these questions and more!Homework for next week:The Acolyte Ep 4 (Disney+)The Boys Season 4 premiere Eps 1-3 (Prime Video)Shownotes:00:07:00 - Man on Fire and Starfleet Academy casting news00:16:00 - Jon Stewart will host live shows after debates00:19:20 - Fi0na Harv3y is suing Netflix00:31:40 - Casey Bloys teases upcoming WB slate00:39:30 - The Boys season 5 will be its last00:51:55 - The AcolyteEpisode 3 - DestinyDave’s Nitpick CornerLinks:Listen to Patrick’s videogame podcast, Remap RadioSubscribe to Patrick’s newsletter, CrossplayFollow this podcast on Insta