With the 2023 Emmy season now closed, new series are starting to roll out, although being first out of the gate isn’t necessarily a big vote of confidence. Enter HBO’s The Idol, Sam Levinson’s (Euphoria) new pop music drama that stirred strong reactions at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Starring Lily-Rose Depp and Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye, the series offers a brutal, frank, and often overtly sexual look at a young pop icon (Depp) struggling to recover from the death of her mother and the growing expectations on her paused music career. Will club owner Tedros (Tesfaye) uplift her career and give her a new purpose? Or is he really a wolf in sheep’s clothing?

On this week’s podcast, Joey, Megan, and Clarence review the drama series. Did Cannes critics have it right? Or is this a misunderstood masterpiece?

As always, we close with the Flash Forward to the media we’re most anticipating in the upcoming week.

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Music from https://filmmusic.io

“Cheery Monday” by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)

License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Spoiler Alert! As the 2023 Emmy eligibility window closes, several high-profile series wrap either their season or their whole series. On this week’s Water Cooler Podcast, Joey, Megan, and Clarence review the season or series finale for Barry, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Yellowjackets, and of course Succession. Do these series close out on a high-quality note? Or do they leave a sour taste in our, and potentially the Television Academy, mouths? We group on these titles and update our Emmy projections based on this final look.

As always, we close with the Flash Forward to the media we’re most anticipating in the upcoming week.

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Music from https://filmmusic.io

“Cheery Monday” by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)

License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

This week, Joey leads the Water Cooler in a conversation about the Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series 2023 Emmy race. The list of contenders may not be extraordinarily deep, but those in contention give raw, varied, and truly accomplished performances in a less high-profile limited series race that in previous years. Who do we think are the front runners? Who are the potential spoilers? Have a listen as we break it down for you!

But first, it’s Succession Watch! We briefly chat about last weekend’s episode nine, “Church and State,” and foolishly try to predict what will shake down in the hugely anticipated series finale.

As always, we close with the Flash Forward to the media we’re most anticipating in the upcoming week.

Thanks for listening and thank you, in advance, for subscribing and rating us on Apple Podcasts!

 

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Music from https://filmmusic.io

“Cheery Monday” by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)

License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

This week, Joey, Megan, and Clarence gather ’round the Water Cooler to reveal their most anticipated films of the 2023 Summer movie season! What are some of yours? Have a listen and leave yours in the comments below!

As always, we close with the Flash Forward to the media we’re most anticipating in the upcoming week.

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Music from https://filmmusic.io

“Cheery Monday” by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)

License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Love is in the air at the Water Cooler this week. No, it’s not the decades-spanning platonic love between Megan and Joey. It’s the Elizabeth Olsen take on the infamous Candy Montgomery Texas murder in Love & Death. Written by David E. Kelley and directed by Lesli Linka Glotter, the Max limited series features a strong ensemble and expands the story over last year’s Hulu limited series Candy. But is bigger necessarily better? We each give our take on the series, its strengths, its weaknesses, and its potential Emmy story.

But first, we of course have to talk about Succession.

As always, we close with the Flash Forward to the media we’re most anticipating in the upcoming week.

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Music from https://filmmusic.io

“Cheery Monday” by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)

License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

This week, we look at two new streaming series and their critical reactions. First up, the fantastic Betty Gilpin (Glow) stars in Damon Lindelof and Tara Hernandez’s new Peacock series Mrs. Davis. The series features Gilpin as a nun tasked by an artificial intelligence entity named Mrs. Davis to find the Holy Grail. There’s a lot going on here, so we parse through what we understand, what we’re confused about, and whether or not Mrs. Davis works beyond the power of Gilpin’s fully committed performance. Then, speaking of fully committed, we talk about Academy Award-winner Rachel Weisz in Amazon’s Dead Ringers. Weisz plays twin gynecologists looking to build their own women’s health center / top-secret research center. Weisz is, of course, outstanding in the role, but how does the remainder of the series work for the Water Cooler Gang?

But first, a brief check-in on the Emmy campaign for HBO’s Succession.

As always, we close with the Flash Forward to the media we’re most anticipating in the upcoming week.

Thanks for listening and thank you, in advance, for subscribing and rating us on Apple Podcasts!

 

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Music from https://filmmusic.io

“Cheery Monday” by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)

License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Last week, Clarence weighed in on the latest shift in the 2023 Emmy race when Netflix moved Beef into the limited or anthology series category. Here, in this week’s Water Cooler Podcast, he leads a conversation with Megan, Joey, and guest Jalal Haddad to get their take on the limited series Emmy race. What are the real contenders at play? Will Netflix successfully campaign Beef in its new category or will it be sidelined by a hot controversy? What about the upcoming now-screening limited series? Is there a can’t-miss winner premiering within the next several weeks before the Emmy window closes? And is there any way HBO tries to shift The White Lotus back to the limited or anthology categories?

But first, Megan and Joey quickly give their impressions of the final season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. And we answer a burning Succession question from this week’s episode.

As always, we close with the Flash Forward to the media we’re most anticipating in the upcoming week.

Thanks for listening and thank you, in advance, for subscribing and rating us on Apple Podcasts!

 

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Music from https://filmmusic.io

“Cheery Monday” by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)

License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Last podcast, we covered the final season premiere of HBO’s celebrated Succession. Yet, we had no idea what was to come. Well, sort of… We get into that a bit, but this weekend’s Episode 3 rocked the television world, delivering series-best writing, direction, and performances. We talk about the episode, our reactions to it, and how it changes the Emmy race moving forward. Or does it change it? Does it really just solidify what was already established?

Then, we dive into Netflix’s Beef, starring Ali Wong and Steven Yeun. Does the road-rage dramedy have what it takes? Or is this an online-only flash in the pan?

As always, we close with the Flash Forward to the media we’re most anticipating in the upcoming week.

Thanks for listening and thank you, in advance, for subscribing and rating us on Apple Podcasts!

 

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Music from https://filmmusic.io

“Cheery Monday” by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)

License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

HBO’s Emmy-winning Succession returned this weekend to kick off its final season. The debut episode of season four received record ratings and unanimous acclaim for its performances, direction, and storytelling. We dive into the episode, what it says about the characters, and hypothesize on where the series could end. Plus, we spitball a scenario where HBO could maneuver Succession to four acting wins in the main performance categories.

But first, we catch up on Clarence’s recent trip to the Pixar headquarters. As always, we close with the Flash Forward to the media we’re most anticipating in the upcoming week.

Thanks for listening and thank you, in advance, for subscribing and rating us on Apple Podcasts!

 

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Music from https://filmmusic.io

“Cheery Monday” by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)

License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

We’re back after a week off following the Academy Awards, and we’re diving into one of our most feverishly anticipated 2023 premieres. Showtime’s Yellowjackets dropped in the fall of 2021, eventually receiving a 2022 Emmy nomination for Drama Series. We held our breath for season two. Would it surpass the dizzying heights of the first season? Or would it fall prey to the dreaded sophomore slump? You’ve already heard from Megan, but how do Joey and Clarence weigh in on Yellowjackets season 2?

But first, we catch up on a few random topics both film and television related. As always, we close with the Flash Forward to the media we’re most anticipating in the upcoming week.

Thanks for listening and thank you, in advance, for subscribing and rating us on Apple Podcasts!

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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Music from https://filmmusic.io

“Cheery Monday” by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)

License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)