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Pop Culture Happy Hour Get obsessed with us. Five days a week, Pop Culture Happy Hour serves you recommendations and commentary on the buzziest movies, TV, music, books, videogames and more. Join arts journalists Linda Holmes, Glen Weldon, Stephen Thompson, and Aisha Harris - plus a rotating cast of guest pop culture aficionados. The Happy Hour team leaves room at the table for exploring a range of reactions and opinions on every bit of the pop universe. From lowbrow to highbrow to the stuff in between, they take it all with a shot of cheer.

Make your happy hour even happier with Pop Culture Happy Hour Plus! Your subscription supports the podcast and unlocks a sponsor-free feed. Learn more at plus.npr.org/happyhour
Pop Culture Happy Hour

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PCHH 2021
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Pop Culture Happy Hour

From NPR

Get obsessed with us. Five days a week, Pop Culture Happy Hour serves you recommendations and commentary on the buzziest movies, TV, music, books, videogames and more. Join arts journalists Linda Holmes, Glen Weldon, Stephen Thompson, and Aisha Harris - plus a rotating cast of guest pop culture aficionados. The Happy Hour team leaves room at the table for exploring a range of reactions and opinions on every bit of the pop universe. From lowbrow to highbrow to the stuff in between, they take it all with a shot of cheer.

Make your happy hour even happier with Pop Culture Happy Hour Plus! Your subscription supports the podcast and unlocks a sponsor-free feed. Learn more at plus.npr.org/happyhour

Most Recent Episodes

'Better Call Saul' ends with redemption, your honor

Bob Odenkirk stars as Saul Goodman in Better Call Saul. Greg Lewis/AMC/Sony Pictures Television hide caption

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Greg Lewis/AMC/Sony Pictures Television

'Better Call Saul' ends with redemption, your honor

The sleazy lawyer Saul Goodman was meant to appear in only a handful of episodes of Breaking Bad. Instead, Saul (played by Bob Odenkirk) became an integral part of the series and eventually earned his own acclaimed spin-off, Better Call Saul. Now, after six seasons, the AMC drama has come to an end. In this tense and meticulously-paced origin story, we've witnessed his complete transformation from struggling public defender to overconfident fraudster.

'Better Call Saul' ends with redemption, your honor

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On 'Harley Quinn' love reigns, with a side of chaos

Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy in the series Harley Quinn. HBO Max hide caption

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HBO Max

On 'Harley Quinn' love reigns, with a side of chaos

The HBO Max animated series Harley Quinn is filled with characters from a version of the DC Universe where the violence is frequent, the language is explicitly salty, and the jokes come at you fast. In the show, Harley (Kaley Cuoco) has ditched the Joker and started making her own brand of mayhem alongside her best friend Poison Ivy (Lake Bell). And slowly, over the course of three seasons, she's found true, queer love.

On 'Harley Quinn' love reigns, with a side of chaos

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After 30 years, is 'A League Of Their Own' still a home run?

Lori Petty, Tom Hanks, Geena Davis star in A League Of Their Own. Alamy Stock Photo hide caption

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Alamy Stock Photo

After 30 years, is 'A League Of Their Own' still a home run?

The 1992 film A League Of Their Own is a beloved sports movie classic – thanks to a memorable all-star cast led by Geena Davis and Tom Hanks, and repeat showings on cable TV. It's a fictionalized account of The Rockford Peaches, the real-life professional women's baseball team that was formed during World War II. With a new TV series adaptation on Amazon, now seems like the perfect time to revisit the original and reflect on its enduring legacy.

After 30 years, is 'A League Of Their Own' still a home run?

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Is it a hit? 'A League Of Their Own' comes back to the plate

Melanie Field, Abbi Jacobson and D'Arcy Carden star in the Amazon Prime series A League Of Their Own. Nicola Goode/Prime Video hide caption

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Nicola Goode/Prime Video

Is it a hit? 'A League Of Their Own' comes back to the plate

The professional women's baseball team the Rockford Peaches were immortalized in the 1992 box office hit A League Of Their Own. Thirty years later, they're back in a new Amazon Prime series of the same name. Co-created by and starring Broad City alum Abbi Jacobson, the series showcases a new set of fictionalized characters, played by Chanté Adams, D'Arcy Carden, and more. While exploring queer themes and racial segregation, the show is a fresh take that both pays homage and stands on its own.

Is it a hit? 'A League Of Their Own' comes back to the plate

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Make a second date with 'Indian Matchmaking'

Sima Taparia in the Netflix series Indian Matchmaking. Netflix hide caption

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Netflix

Make a second date with 'Indian Matchmaking'

There's marriage, and then there's love marriage. That's the philosophy of Sima, the matchmaker at the center of the Netflix reality series Indian Matchmaking. The show has gotten a lot of attention, but also some critiques. It recently returned for a second season, so in this encore episode, we thought we'd revisit our conversation about the show's first season.

Make a second date with 'Indian Matchmaking'

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Horror and comedy collide in a pileup of 'Bodies Bodies Bodies'

Amandla Stenberg, Maria Bakalova, Chase Sui Wonders, and Rachel Sennott in a scene from Bodies Bodies Bodies, directed by Halina Reijn. A24 hide caption

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A24

Horror and comedy collide in a pileup of 'Bodies Bodies Bodies'

Bodies Bodies Bodies starts with a fairly standard horror-movie premise: A group of wealthy and attractive pleasure-seekers gather at a mansion to party and ride out an oncoming hurricane. But things get quickly messy when one of them turns up dead. With a cast that includes Amandla Stenberg, Maria Bakalova, Chase Sui Wonders, Myha'la Herrold, Rachel Sennott, Pete Davidson, and Lee Pace, the movie mixes horror, comedy, Gen-Z satire, and a whodunit-style mystery that will keep you guessing.

Horror and comedy collide in a pileup of 'Bodies Bodies Bodies'

Listen · 20:31
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'Prey' is set in the past, but takes the 'Predator' franchise forward

Amber Midthunder as Naru in Prey. David Bukach/20th Century Studios hide caption

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David Bukach/20th Century Studios

'Prey' is set in the past, but takes the 'Predator' franchise forward

The new film Prey isn't just another installment of the Predator franchise. For one thing, it's a prequel to the original 1987 movie — set more than 300 years ago. More important is who's telling the story this time: Amber Midthunder plays Naru, a tough, smart, young Comanche woman determined to prove herself, as well as to protect her people — and her dog — from a seemingly undefeatable enemy.

'Prey' is set in the past, but takes the 'Predator' franchise forward

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Our five favorite moments from Desus and Mero

Desus Nice, Denzel Washington and The Kid Mero on Showtime's Desus & Mero. Greg Endries/Showtime hide caption

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Greg Endries/Showtime

Our five favorite moments from Desus and Mero

For nearly a decade, Desus and Mero cultivated a unique space in media. With popular podcasts and late night talk shows, the comedy duo earned a devoted fanbase and became the destination for any celebrity looking to earn some cultural cache. But, alas, the brand is gone. Recently the pair announced they've parted ways. Today, we offer five favorite Desus and Mero moments, and look back on their legacy and influence.

Our five favorite moments from Desus and Mero

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Don't sleep on 'The Sandman'

Tom Sturridge as Dream in Netflix's The Sandman. Liam Daniel/Netflix hide caption

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Liam Daniel/Netflix

Don't sleep on 'The Sandman'

The new Netflix series The Sandman is based on Neil Gaiman's much-beloved comic book series about an immortal and powerful being known as the Master of Dreams. The series introduces us to a world of fantastic adventure where dreams and nightmares come to life. But beneath all its imaginative trappings is a story of a man who loses everything, and has to fight to get it all back, even if that means facing down Hell itself.

Don't sleep on 'The Sandman'

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20 years later, 'The Wire' still enthralls

Wendell Pierce and Dominic West in the HBO series The Wire. Pictorial Press Ltd/Alamy hide caption

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Pictorial Press Ltd/Alamy

20 years later, 'The Wire' still enthralls

This year marks the 20th anniversary of HBO's crime drama The Wire. Creators David Simon and Ed Burns spent five seasons dissecting various institutions in Baltimore, producing what is now considered one of the best television series of all time. The large cast included many then-unknown actors who've gone on to become stars, like Idris Elba, Michael B. Jordan, Dominic West and the late Michael K. Williams.

20 years later, 'The Wire' still enthralls

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