Pop Culture Happy Hour

Episodes

• 
  Cupertino 12.11.2026 21m

  The new fun CBS show Cupertino is reminiscent of old-school legal dramas, and that’s a good thing. From the creators of The Good Wife, it follows two lawyers in Silicon Valley (Mike Colter and Rachel Keller) whose new firm represents the underdog, takes on big tech and grapples with the complexities of artificial intelligence. The cast has some other familiar faces, including Busy Philipps and Renée Elise Goldsberry. If you enjoy good, chewy television, check out these episodes:'War' is a little trashy, and very delicious We're high up on 'The Lowdown' 'Industry' paid out its investments handsomely Connect with Pop Culture Happy Hour:Letterboxd / FacebookOur weekly newsletterSupport public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy
• 
  Possible Love 11.11.2026 19m

  The film Possible Love recently hit Netflix, and it’s worth your time. It’s the latest from director Lee Chang-dong, whose previous film Burning was a critical hit. In the Korean film, two couples living very different lives come together – wealth and privilege meets working class struggle, as the film dissects how much a basic sense of self-worth is bound up with having a job. And the toxic, pernicious effect that losing a job has on pretty much everything. Want to stay immersed in Korean culture? Check out these episodes:'No Other Choice' is the perfect movie for our moment 'Return To Seoul' might break you, in the best way On 'Arirang,' BTS nods to K-pop's past, present and future Connect with Pop Culture Happy Hour:Letterboxd / FacebookOur weekly newsletterSupport public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy
• 
  Godzilla Minus Zero 09.11.2026 20m

  Godzilla Minus Zero is the sequel to Godzilla Minus One, the global word-of-mouth hit that just happened to be the first Godzilla movie ever to win an Oscar. In the movie, our heroes battle Godzilla and…a new nemesis. The Japanese film includes stunning visual effects, while also digging into themes of regret, shame, and the devastating aftermath of World War II. Need a few more disaster movies? Check out these episodes:In 'A Quiet Place: Day One', Lupita Nyong'o makes silence golden 'Twisters' has us spiraling 'Godzilla x Kong' and 'Godzilla Minus One' revamp the classic monster story Connect with Pop Culture Happy Hour:Letterboxd / FacebookOur weekly newsletterSupport public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy
• 
  Wild Horse Nine and What’s Making Us Happy 06.11.2026 23m

  Wild Horse Nine is a terrific new movie that stars John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell as two CIA agents who head to Easter Island for an unusual and mysterious mission in the early 1970s. They bicker and banter constantly, but the film is more than just a hangout movie: It also reflects heavily on memory and regret. Written and directed by Martin McDonagh (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), it promises to be a major player in this year’s Oscars race. Are you looking for another good hang? Check out these episodes:'One of Them Days' turns Keke Palmer and SZA looseJesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin tap into 'A Real Pain'Connect with Pop Culture Happy Hour:Letterboxd / FacebookOur weekly newsletterSupport public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy
• 
  Cozy fall recommendations 05.11.2026 21m

  Fall is in the air and you need stuff to watch and listen to and read as you curl up under the blanket and settle in. We’ve got you covered with some under the radar picks that are, as the kids say, giving autumn. We talk about: Over the Garden Wall, The Guest, books by Josephine Tey and Helene Hanff, and the music of Connie Converse and The Weakerthans. Looking for more cozy recommendations? Check out these episodes:Little House on the PrairieIn Tina Fey’s ‘The Four Seasons,’ marriage is far from a vacationConnect with Pop Culture Happy Hour:Letterboxd / FacebookOur weekly newsletterSupport public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy
• 
  The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins 03.11.2026 15m

  The comedy series The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins stars Tracy Morgan as a disgraced former football star and Daniel Radcliffe as a documentary filmmaker who team up to make a movie. The NBC/Peacock mockumentary sitcom also stars Erika Alexander and Bobby Moynihan, with creators who come from shows like 30 Rock, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Girls5eva – and the joke density bears that out. The show is back for a second season, so today we’re revisiting our conversation about the series.If you need more great ensemble comedies, check out these episodes: ‘Widow’s Bay’ is an island in the screamLisa Kudrow returns in 'The Comeback,' and we did need to see thatGen Z awkwardly transitions into 'Adults'Connect with Pop Culture Happy Hour:Letterboxd / FacebookOur weekly newsletterSupport public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy
• 
  VisionQuest 02.11.2026 18m

  The new Disney+ show VisionQuest is the latest Marvel television series, and it’s one of the good ones. It’s the conclusion of the trilogy that began with WandaVision and continued through Agatha All Along, reuniting actors Paul Bettany, who plays the synthezoid Avenger named Vision, and James Spader, who returns as Ultron. The show is a timely parable about artificial intelligence, and it’s yet another superhero story that grapples with daddy issues, big time.Looking to dive more into the world of the MCU? Check out these episodes:Marvel's 'Ironheart' suits upMarvel’s ‘Wonder Man’ is a low-key, low-stakes buddy comedy‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ is a dark night of the spider-soulConnect with Pop Culture Happy Hour:Letterboxd / FacebookOur weekly newsletterSupport public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy
• 
  War and What’s Making Us Happy 30.10.2026 24m

  Nothing’s fair in love and war — and it's especially true in the very watchable HBO series War. Dominic West and Sienna Miller play a high-profile British couple duking it out in a high-stakes divorce. And the cutthroat litigation between the law firms representing them threatens to rival any of the marriage drama they’ve got going on. War was created by George Kay, who is also behind shows like Lupin and Highjack.If you enjoy high stakes, bingeable dramas, check out these episodes:'Nemesis' brings strong 'Heat' vibes, and we're not mad at it‘The Pitt’ approaches the end of a very long shiftConnect with Pop Culture Happy Hour:Letterboxd / FacebookOur weekly newsletterSupport public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy
• 
  The scariest movie I’ve ever seen 29.10.2026 26m

  Do you like scary movies? It's spooky season, so what better way to get into the Halloween spirit than plopping down in front of a film engineered to scare your pants off. Today, in this encore episode, we’re revisiting our conversation about the scariest movie we've ever seen – including The Babadook, Event Horizon, The Night of the Hunter, and… Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.Looking for more spooky season scares? Try these episodes:In ‘Obsession,’ love hurts. It really, really, really hurts.'The Conjuring: Last Rites' caps off a big summer for demon huntersIn ‘Weapons’, the kids aren't at all right, not in the slightest, nopeIs '28 Years Later' worth the wait?Connect with Pop Culture Happy Hour:Letterboxd / FacebookOur weekly newsletterSupport public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy
• 
  Wildwood 27.10.2026 15m

  Wildwood is one of the best movies of the year. It’s an epic stop-motion animated saga about a young girl trying to rescue her brother, and it’s filled with raging battles, fantastical animals and a voice cast featuring Carey Mulligan, Mahershala Ali, Angela Bassett, and Tom Waits. Wildwood was made by Laika, the studio behind Coraline and Kubo and the Two Strings. If you’re looking for other great animated films, check out these episodes:In 'Toy Story 5,' playtime's over and screentime's in'Forgotten Island' is a cluttered feast for the sensesConnect with Pop Culture Happy Hour:Letterboxd / FacebookOur weekly newsletterSupport public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy
• 
  Clayface 26.10.2026 15m

  Clayface brings R-rated body horror to this origin story of a Batman villain. The film stars Tom Rhys Harries as an actor whose dream life crumbles after an encounter with a mob boss leaves him disfigured. Desperate for a solution, he receives a revolutionary procedure involving nanotechnology powered by AI. What could go wrong? Director James Watkins goes hard on the horror elements, but is the DC Universe big enough to go beyond superhero fare, and take a walk on the creepy, crawly side?For more Batman villains on screen, check out these episodes: In 'The Penguin' a C-list villain gets an A-list series'Joker: Folie à Deux' is much a deux about nothingConnect with Pop Culture Happy Hour:Letterboxd / FacebookOur weekly newsletterSupport public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy
• 
  Wicker and What’s Making Us Happy 23.10.2026 30m

  Wicker is somehow the coziest and horniest movie of the fall. Olivia Coleman and Alexander Skarsgård star as the unlikely couple: She’s a fisherwoman who commissions a husband literally made of wicker. The newly-kindled romance upends their small medieval town, where the men are the worst and the women are — surprise surprise — bored and unsatisfied with their own husbands.Are you looking for more Alexander Skarsgård? Check out these episodes:In ‘Pillion,’ submission is the mission 'Murderbot' envisions a caustically funny futureConnect with Pop Culture Happy Hour:Letterboxd / FacebookOur weekly newsletterSupport public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy
• 
  Youth 21.10.2026 16m

  We all love actor/writer Sharon Horgan, and she’s got a new show on HBO called Youth. Horgan stars as Alex, a 50-year-old divorcée who finds herself at several simultaneous personal and professional crossroads. But where does this new show fall in the Horgan canon? Is it essential, or is it more of a vestigial Horgan?Looking for more TV and movies about navigating mid-life?  Check out these episodes:‘The Invite’ is a marriage comedy with sex and heartA twisty scam goes haywire in the fun 'Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed'In Tina Fey’s ‘The Four Seasons,’ marriage is far from a vacationIn ‘Rooster,’ Steve Carell makes some college admissionsConnect with Pop Culture Happy Hour:Letterboxd / FacebookOur weekly newsletterSupport public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy
• 
  Sense and Sensibility 20.10.2026 20m

  A new Jane Austen adaptation is going to give you love, family and honor, repressed emotions and probably financial peril that can only be resolved through marriage. A new film version of Austen's Sense and Sensibility touches on those familiar themes with the Dashwood family, which include the two oldest sisters Elinor (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and Marianne (Esmé Creed-Miles). They are, in true Austen fashion, at the mercy of laws that deny widows and daughters financial security. But is this new film a sensible addition to Austen’s film canon?Looking for more buzzy adaptations? Check out these episodes:Truth is elusive in the erotic thriller ‘Verity’'East of Eden' brings a light modern touch to an epic literary classicShould you test out ‘The Love Hypothesis’?Connect with Pop Culture Happy Hour:Letterboxd / FacebookOur weekly newsletterSupport public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy
• 
  Whalefall and What's Making Us Happy 19.10.2026 16m

  Guy meets whale; complications ensue. That's basically the plot of the new survival thriller Whalefall. It stars Austin Abrams as Jay, who goes diving in search of his deceased father (Josh Brolin) – and is swallowed by a whale. Based on the book by Daniel Kraus, the movie also has a lot to say about fathers and sons, as well as the lessons they have to teach each other.If you’re looking for more with Austin Abrams, check out these episodes:‘Resident Evil' is a grisly, funny fight to surviveIn 'Weapons', the kids aren't at all right, not in the slightest, nopeHigh school is hazardous in the stylish 'Do Revenge'Connect with Pop Culture Happy Hour:Letterboxd / FacebookOur weekly newsletterSupport public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy
• 
  You Can See Everything 16.10.2026 25m

  About a month before Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes went to prison for defrauding her investors, she and her partner Billy Evans invited a film crew to document their lives at home with their kids. And they didn't make a deal with a conventional filmmaking team. They connected with Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim. Fielder’s unusual nonfiction work blurs the lines between truth and artifice, so the resulting documentary, You Can See Everything, depicts Fielder's efforts to figure her out using some very unusual methods. Check out these episodes next:‘Primetime’ sits you down with sleaze'The Rehearsal' is about reality... and surreality'The Dropout' finds the voice of Elizabeth HolmesConnect with Pop Culture Happy Hour:Letterboxd / FacebookOur weekly newsletterSupport public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy
• 
  The Lowdown 15.10.2026 18m

  The great FX series The Lowdown stars Ethan Hawke as a freelance investigative reporter with a knack for sticking his nose where it doesn't belong and getting that nose punched. He gets drawn into the seedy goings-on of one of Tulsa's most prominent families. Created by Sterlin Harjo (Reservation Dogs), the modern-day Western noir comedy has an excellent ensemble including Kyle MacLachlan, Keith David, Jeanne Tripplehorn and Killer Mike. The Lowdown just returned for a second season, so today we’re revisiting our conversation about the series.If you need more comedies with great casts, check out these episodes: ‘Widow’s Bay’ is an island in the screamLisa Kudrow returns in 'The Comeback,' and we did need to see thatGen Z awkwardly transitions into 'Adults'‘The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins’ is (30) Rock-solidConnect with Pop Culture Happy Hour:Letterboxd / FacebookOur weekly newsletterSupport public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy
• 
  Other Mommy 14.10.2026 14m

  The trailer for the movie Other Mommy went viral when it dropped a few months ago. It dominated the box office this weekend, but was panned by critics. But is it really one of the worst movies of the year? It’s about a 7-year-old girl who is visited by a mysterious entity who takes the form of her mother, played by Jessica Chastain. It’s a lean, intense horror film full of dark family secrets and grisly body horror.Looking for more horror films? Check out these episodes:‘It Ends’ is horror as hangout'Backrooms' brings YouTube horror to the big screenIn ‘Obsession,’ love hurts. It really, really, really hurts.Connect with Pop Culture Happy Hour:Letterboxd / FacebookOur weekly newsletterSupport public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy
• 
  Carrie 12.10.2026 18m

  The new series Carrie updates the Stephen King book for the digital age, and plays with what we think we know in some surprising ways. Streaming on Prime Video, it follows a young Carrie who has led a sheltered life with her overbearing mother. But as Carrie enters high school, she has a rough go of it. The signposts are familiar – the showers, the prayer closet, the prom, the pig’s blood – but showrunner Mike Flanagan (The Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass) builds out the world around those events.Looking for more TV and movies inspired by Stephen King? Check out these episodes:Glen Powell is ‘The Running Man’ in the latest Stephen King adaptationA new generation is down to clown in ‘IT: Welcome to Derry’‘The Long Walk’ is a long walk to nowhereDance with Tom Hiddleston through 'The Life of Chuck'Connect with Pop Culture Happy Hour:Letterboxd / FacebookOur weekly newsletterSupport public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy
• 
  The Social Reckoning and What’s Making Us Happy 09.10.2026 26m

  Don’t call it a sequel: The Social Reckoning is a companion piece to The Social Network. While the first movie chronicled the invention of Facebook, this one focuses on where Facebook is now. Jeremy Allen White stars as a crusading reporter alongside Mikey Madison, a Facebook insider with damning information about the business’ practices. The film also features Jeremy Strong as Mark Zuckerberg. Written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, will it be added to the canon of great films about investigative journalism?  Looking for other potential Oscar contenders? Check out these episodes:The movies and TV we’re most excited about this fall‘Primetime’ sits you down with sleazeTom Cruise in 'Digger' is loud, divisive and intensely committed to the bitConnect with Pop Culture Happy Hour:Letterboxd / FacebookOur weekly newsletterSupport public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy