Pretty Much Pop: A Culture Podcast

PMP#219: Weir-ed Sci Fi: Hail Mary and The Martian

14 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

We discuss the hard sci-fi film Project Hail Mary, which along with The Martian (2015) was based on a novel by Andy Weir and adapted by Drew Goddard. ...

PMP#218: All the “Scream”-ing

01 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

We talk about the Scream meta-slasher film franchise, from the original Wes Craven /Kevin Williamson 1996 debut starring Neve Campbell, and Courtney C...

PMP#217: Mel Brooks’ Old Comedy

18 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In light of Judd Apatow's HBO documentary The 99-Year-Old Man, we discuss the films of Mel Brooks, which were to varying degrees formative on us (i.e....

PMP#216: Oscars So Black?

05 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In light of the now-completed black history month and the upcoming Oscars, we consider the "Oscars So White" issue that was a hot topic about a decade...

PMP#215: Hamnet Dramatizes Shakespeare

17 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

When we don't know much about some genius playwright's life, why not make up some things based on the contents of his plays? Maybe put Shakespearean d...

PMP#214: South Park Resurgence

03 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

We're discussing Trey Parker and Matt Stone's Comedy Central show that premiered in 1997 and has just finished its politically relevant 28th season, f...

PMP#213: Stranger Things Grown Familiar

13 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The Netflix sci-fi/horror/teen series by the Duffer Brothers that started in 2016 has now finished with its sixth season, attempting to be both epic a...

PMP#212: Holiday Romance Films

23 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Hallmark Channel became famous for producing low-budget, formulaic Christmas films, and this has spread to other outlets, sometimes with higher bu...

PMP#211: Slow Horses and Predecessors

10 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We discuss the British spy show based on the novels of Mick Herron, which are in turn firmly in a tradition of anti-007 books by John le Carré. Featu...

PMP#210: One Paul Thomas Anderson Film After Another

25 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In light of One Battle After Another, Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al walk through the range of his films from his 1996 crime film Hard Eight through...

PMP#209: Alien Franchised

13 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In light of Noah Hawley TV show Alien Earth, Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn and Al revisit the franchise through its seven canon films beginning with Ridley...

PMP#208: An Ed Gein Halloween

28 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It's a special two-hander where Mark and Lawrence reflect on the appeal of horror and how the new Monster: Ed Gein Netflix show has to contribute, giv...

PMP#207: Spinal Tap and Other Fake Bands

14 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al watched Spinal Tap and its new sequel, and we throw these into a mix with K-Pop Demon Hunters and other films and sho...

PMP#206: Abbott Elementary Did Not Win an Emmy This Year, But…

30 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For our Emmys/back-to-school episode, we cover the pinnacle of the current network sitcom landscape: The six-time 2025 Emmy nominated Abbott Elementar...

PMP#205: Fantastical Foursome

16 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What do we expect out of a superhero film? Does it need overqualified dramatic actors? Does it even need a real budget? Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and ...

PMP#204: Naked Gun Rapid Firing

03 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What is the state of the stream-of-gags formula that used to stand tall in the films of the Zucker Brothers (mainly Airplane) and Mel Brooks? A new ge...

PMP#203: What Superman?

19 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In light of the new James Gunn film Superman, Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al talk about the character, his stories, and past films and shows. Did Za...

PMP#202: 50-Year-Old Jaws Busts Our Block

05 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Purported the first summer blockbuster, Jaws has now hit 50 years, and so we discuss this wonderful early Spielberg film, its ill-conceived sequels, s...

PMP#201: John Wick Minus Wick

22 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In light of the new film Ballerina, we discuss the John Wick franchise that kicked off in 2014 with four films plus a (bad) Peacock TV show. We also w...

PMP#200: Hollywood Studio Antics (feat. The Studio and Erica Spyres)

09 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In immediate reaction to the Apple TV+ Seth Rogan show The Studio, we talk about Hollywood's obsession with itself and how studio dynamics interfere w...

PMP#199: Missioning Impossibly

24 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On the eight-film action series that launched in 1996 (based on the 1966 TV series) in light of its apparently final film. Featuring Mark, Lawrence, ...

PMP#198: Andor: Grown-Up Star Wars

12 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al discuss Tony Gilroy's Star Wars Disney+ two-season TV show. Should this actually be a Star Wars show given how differ...

PMP#197: Medically Dramatic

29 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al discuss The Pitt and other medical dramas like ER, Gray's Anatomy, ad nauseam.  Doctors and patients grappling with ...

PMP#196: Our “Sinners” Shindig

14 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Luvell Anderson (Philosophy prof. at U of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign) joins Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al to discuss Ryan Coogler's new vampire s...

PMP#195: Mike White’s Lotus

01 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We discuss the HBO dramedy about rich people having existential crises at a luxury resort in light of its third season. What exactly made this latest ...

PMP#194: Adolescence Wrecks Us

16 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We watched the 4-part British crime series that's become #1 in 80 countries, breaking Netflix's records for an original series. And man, was it a bumm...

PMP#193: Severance: Mystery Box in Progress

03 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn and Al here discuss the sci-fi/office dramedy in light of its second season. We might normally wait until the end of the show...

PMP#192: Exhibitionist Reality TV

19 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We acknowledge this hugely popular form of "entertainment" recently embodied by The Baldwins, but popularized by shows like The Osbournes and The Kar...

PMP#191: Saturday Night Liver

07 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Are we taking for granted this unique, talent-filled weekly nationally televised live comedy event that's been around for 50 years? (as in "What do we...

PMP#190: The Substance: Act Your Age!

19 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn and Al discuss the Coralie Fargeat/Demi Moore film The Substance in light of its Oscar nominations, along with related reflec...

PMP#189: Bob Dylan As We Know Him

07 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In light of the recent release of the James Mangold film A Complete Unknown, Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Dylan superfan Al discuss the man, the myth...

PMP#188: Vampire Appreciation

22 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In light of Robert Eggers' film Nosferatu and the end of What We Do in Shadows, Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al discuss the many vampire shows and f...

PMP#187: Taking Down Santa Claus

23 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For our annual holiday episode, Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn and Al talk about Santa qua mythical and cultural figure, getting into the history of the ch...

PMP#186: From Oz Books to Wicked Film

12 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We're coming up on the 125th anniversary of L. Frank Baum's children's book, The Wizard of Oz, and the film version of (the first half of) the musica...

PMP#185: Steve Martin: X-Tuple Threat

25 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Steve Martin was the biggest comic celebrity in the late '70s, became a huge movie star, and now delivers gentle comedy and fast banjo licks according...

PMP#184: !BREAKING! Comedy News

07 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Many people use shows like Last Week Tonight or The Daily Show to not just satirize the news but to provide us with our news. Late night shows, SNL, a...

PMP#183: Classic Universal Monster Movies

25 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It's our Halloween episode! Brucker Nourse from the Autopsy of a Horror Movie podcast joins the gang about a wave of 1930's films including Dracula, F...

PMP#182: Tim Burton: Shtick Macabre

10 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In light of the new Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, we discuss the films of director (and occasional writer) Tim Burton since his career was firmly establish...

PMP#181: M. Night Shyamalan’s Films Are a Trap

18 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In light of the new film Trap, we look at this writer/director's oeuvre. Was he a bright light (The Sixth Sense) that at one point went out (certainly...

PMP#180: Season Four Wrap Party: Nostalgia

05 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As Pretty Much Pop ends its 5th year of podcasting, Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn and Al break from our usual format to talk in a more free-form way about ...

PMP#179: Deadpool Gets Meta

20 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We discuss the Deadpool films in light of the new Deadpool & Wolverine, which leaves the fourth wall thoroughly smashed. Is the new film just a meta-t...

PMP#178: The Bear’s Incomplete Dish

02 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We discuss Christopher Storer's culinary dramedy in light of the release of its strange third season. What made this a uniquely wonderful show in its ...

PMP#177: Inside Out – Animated Psyche

18 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We discuss the 2015 and 2024 Pixar films by writer/director Pete Docter , featuring the usual crew of Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al. These films sh...

PMP#176: Furiosa: Are We Mad Maxed Out?

05 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al discuss the five films in George Miller's Mad Max/Road Warrior franchise. What was the original appeal of the series,...

PMP#175: Podcast of the Planet of the Apes

18 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We discuss the ten films that all started with the 1968 Charlton Heston vehicle (based on Pierre Boulle's 1963 novel) through the latest offering, Kin...

PMP#174: Fallout Plays Post-Apocalyptic

31 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn and Al discuss the new Amazon TV show based on on the video game series that launched in 1997. How does one best adapt a sand...

PMP#173: Cowboy Beyoncé? (Cross-Genre Music)

20 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al look at pop music and the idea of genre. Beyoncé is beloved enough that she can do whatever she wants to musically, ...

PMP#172: Curb Larry David’s Shtick

01 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The incredible post-Seinfeld improvised sit-com Curb Your Enthusiasm has had its finale, and so Mark, Lawrence, Sarah and Al reflect on its format, it...

PMP-NEM Crossover: Head vs. Gut Songwriting w/ Roger Joseph Manning Jr., David Christian, Rachel Taylor Brown

18 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When we write, how much is planned vs. improvised? How much is inspirational vs. double-or-triple checked? How does this factor weigh into how much mu...

PMP#171: The Traitors – A Multi-National Reality Game Show Phenom

13 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al discuss the American version, and to a lesser extent the British and Australian versions, of this reality game show t...

PMP#170: Poor Things and Other Yorgos

21 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We discuss the 4-Oscar-winning film Poor Things as well as the other creations of writer/director Yorgos Lanthimos, including most notably The Lobster...

PMP#169: Doctor Who? (When?)

07 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Do you Who? Did you Who back in the day, or just from the point of the 2005 revival? Did you Who through Tennant, Smith, Capaldi... Were you still on ...

PMP#168: Writing Women’s Fiction w/ Kathryn Leigh Scott

23 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

To celebrate the publication of the latest novel by one of our hosts, Sarahlyn Bruck, we bring back acclaimed actor/author Kathryn Leigh Scott to joi...

PMP#167: “May December” and Other Docudramas

08 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When we've already heard about someone's personal scandal in the news, do we need to also see it dramatized with A-list actors? We discuss Todd Haynes...

PMP#166: Miyazaki’s Anime Dreamscapes

24 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In light of the new, acclaimed film, The Boy and the Heron, Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al reflect on the Studio Ghibli films that Hayao Miyazaki ha...

PMP#165: Jewish Comedy w/ Daniel Lobell

11 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Your hosts Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al explore Jewish comedy with stand-up Daniel, whose film Reconquistador is about his ancestors being kicked ...

PMP#164: Muppets, esp. Their Xmas Carol

21 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For our annual holiday episode, Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al talk all things Muppets, but in particular the 1992 film The Muppet Christmas Carol. ...

PMP#163: Marvel Fatigue?

10 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, Al and special guest Vi Burlew talk about the new film The Marvels as well as more generally what's been coming out in film ...

PMP#162: Poe Flavoring Upon the House of Usher

21 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We discuss the loose mishmash adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe stories that makes up Mike Flanagan's Netflix show, The Fall of the House of Usher. Mark, ...

PMP#161: Revisiting “The Exorcist”

31 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al talk about the original 1973 film (and the 1971 novel), the new Exorcist: Believer, with some talk of the early seque...

PMP#160: Mvto to “Reservation Dogs”

20 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al discuss the groundbreaking Native-written/starring TV show about four teens trying to get away from their Oklahoma re...

PMP#159: Watching “How To with John Wilson”

04 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al all watched the three seasons of this groundbreaking, polarizing documentary show that serves as a visual diary and c...

PMP#158: “Oppenheimer” and Other Christopher Nolan Films

21 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al talk about the writer-director's work, touching on not only his recent tour-de-force, but back to Memento, Dunkirk, T...

PMP#157: The Function of a Pop Culture Podcast

06 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What is media criticism, and is that what we're doing? For our Season 3 finale (i.e. the end of PMP's 4th year of operation), your now officially offi...

PMP#156: Black Mirror’s Tech Horrors

23 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al talk about Charlie Brooker's British anthology TV series that began in 2011 and recently released its 6th season. How...

PMP#155: Existentialist Barbie

10 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al talk about the most discussable movie of the summer made by the unlikely pairing of feminist indie director Greta Ger...

PMP#154: Indiana Jones and the Various MacGuffins

24 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al talk about the blockbuster archaeological adventure films created in 1981 by George Lucas and Stephen Spielberg that ...

PMP#153: Kids’ Films, Adult Messages

11 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark, Lawrence, and returning parents/panelists Michelle Parrinello-Cason and Chris Sunami take on animated blockbuster films by Pixar, et al. Why do ...

PMP#152: BELIEVE in Ted Lasso

28 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al disagree about the Jason Sudeikis-headed Apple TV+ pandemic hit that's just wrapped up with its third season. Was it ...

PMP#151: Everybody’s Talkin’ ‘Bout “Succession”

14 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The regular gang (Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al) address Jesse Armstrong's prestige HBO dramedy that premiered in 2018 and has just wrapped up. Why...

PMP#150: Dark Shadows w/ Kathryn Leigh Scott

04 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark, Lawrence, and Sean Michael Cooney discuss the gothic romance vampire soap opera from 1966-1971 plus the spin-off movies and reboots. We intervi...

PMP#149: Rocky and Creed

17 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It's our most successful sports film franchise ever, starting with the Best Picture winning, highest grossing film from 1976, through eight sequels to...

PMP#148: Resource Management Video Games

24 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark, Al, our editor Tyler Hislop, and Dr. Jamie Madigan of the Psychology of Video Games podcast talk about a wide range crafting and building games ...

PMP#147: Nostalgic Mysteries (Knives Out, Poker Face) from Rian Johnson

01 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al talk about Rian Johnson's new show Poker Face as basically a Columbo reboot (a "howcatchem" instead of a "whodunnit")...

PMP#146: Black Panther Films and Comics

12 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Perhaps alone in the Marvel Universe, Black Panther is taken seriously as a political statement, both in the content of its stories and in how the fil...

PMP#145: Growing Up Sitcommed

22 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark, Sarahlyn, Lawrence, and guest Landen Celano from the Grunt Work podcast talk about talk about our ambivalence toward the three-camera, laugh-tra...

PMP#144: Androids and Us

08 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Do movie robots want to love us, be us, or kill us? Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al talk through various ethical and narrative problems having to do ...

PMP#143: Pinocchio the Unfilmable (Yet Frequently Filmed)

26 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al discuss the original 1883 freaky children's story and consider the recent rush of film versions, from a new Disney/Ro...

PMP#142: Lyric Literality w/ Dave Philpott

13 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Since 2008, Dave has written cheeky (but actually heavily researched) letters to rock stars that point out logical flaws in and/or deliberately misund...

PMP#141: Christmas Songs

28 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The PMP A-Team (Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al) talk about the canon of Christmas songs, from centuries-old carols to current attempts by pop stars ...

PMP#140: First Nations Culture w/ John Beaubien

17 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Mark and Lawrence talk to "Iroqois propagandist" and philosophy nerd John about how Native cultures currently relate to American and Canadian mainstre...

PMP#139: The Sandman Cometh

02 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We cover the first chunk of Neil Gaiman's 1989 comic and its new Netflix adaptation. Mark is joined by Anthony LeBlanc, Sarahlyn Bruck, and Al Baker. ...

PMP#138: What Are “Creatives”?

18 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Is there really a division in today's culture between those who create and the merely receptive masses? Mark gathers three artists in different media ...

PMP#137: Slashing the “Halloween” Film Franchise

10 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What's the appeal of this 13-film franchise that started with John Carpenter's 1978 film Halloween and has purportedly wrapped up with David Gordon Gr...

PMP#136: Nathan Fielder’s “The Rehearsal”

01 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al convene an emergency podcast recording to react to this brilliant, mind-blowing, possibly immoral HBO comedy docuseri...

PMP#135: The Breaking Bad-O-Verse

18 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Given the end of Better Call Saul, Mark, Lawrence Ware, Sarahlyn Bruck, and Al Baker discuss this strange TV "franchise" that amazingly produced a pre...

PMP#134: Unpopular Music Genre Fandom

07 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

With the dissolution of popular music culture by the Internet, what is it now to be into music genres that aren't currently popular? Is it still an ac...

PMP#133: Predator (Films) and Prey

23 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Thanks to the new film Prey, we now have six films (starting with 1987's Predator) featuring the dreadlocked, camouflaged, infrared-seeing race of ali...

PMP#132: “Too Soon” in Comedy?

08 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

To honor the death of Gilbert Gottfried, we discuss jokes like the 9-11 one he was pilloried for. Can comedy really be "too soon" in relation to its t...

PMP#131: Hope for Jordan Peele’s “Nope”

24 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Jordan Peele's launch from a solid comedy base with Key & Peele to the unexpected Get Out was so impressive that he's generated a huge amount of good ...

PMP#130: CODA and Deaf Culture

09 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The 2022 Oscar winner for Best Picture was CODA, a story about a musically inclined girl with a deaf family. Kambri Crews, herself a CODA, joins your ...

PMP#129: Wherefore the Cover Song?

27 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Is re-playing or re-recording a song written and performed by someone else an act of love or predation? Mark is joined by Too Much Joy's Tim Quirk, th...

PMP#128: Jurassic Shlock

12 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Mark is joined by NY Time entertainment writer/philosophy prof Lawrence Ware, novelist/ex-actor Sarahlyn Bruck, and filmmaker/Remakes, Reboots, and Re...

PMP#127: You Down with Downton Abbey?

06 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We discuss the appeal of this Julian-Fellowes-penned British historical drama in light of the new film. Is this really "a new era" or just more of the...

PMP#126: Political Sci-Fi in “The Expanse”

17 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On the novel series and TV show written by James S.A. Corey (aka Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck). Mark is joined by fact-checker Al Baker, educator Sabr...

PMP#125: The Dramatics of “This Is Us”

09 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Mark is joined by rhetorician/educator Michelle Parrinello-Cason, Chris Sunami (The Pop Culture Philosopher), and award-winning former journalist Kera...

PMP#124: What Is Batman?

02 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In light of the recent release of Matt Reeves' film The Batman, we consider the strange alternation of darkness and camp that is Batman. Is he even a ...

PMP#123: We Are All Jackass

20 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Mark is joined by comedian Matty Goldberg; filmmaker/podcaster Rolando Nieves; and comedy juggler Josh Casey to discuss the franchise that began in 20...

PMP#122: Maus Shows the Tragic Via Comics

04 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We discuss Art Spiegelman's Maus (1980-91) and other war-related graphic novels like Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis (2000) and George Takei’s They Cal...

PMP#121: Protesting Protest Songs

20 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Are protest songs effective, either as protest or songs? Four songwriters including your host Mark Linsenmayer, Lilli Lewis, Rod Picott, and PMP's aud...