Decoding TV

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-Smith says Disney Can’t Stay Silent42:02 - The Penguin Ep 3 - Bliss01:12:27 - Agatha All Along Ep 5 - Darkest Hour / Wake Thy PowerLinks: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

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 Episode 5 (Disney+)The Franchise Episode 1 (Max)Shownotes:12:13 - Strong Ratings for The Penguin16:20 - Sugar Renewed for Season 221:18 - Frank Darabont Ends Retirement for Stranger Things25:53 - The Last of Us Season 2 Trailer36:20 - The Penguin Ep 2 - Inside Man01:04:28 - Agatha All Along Ep 4 - If I Can’t Reach You, Let My Song Teach YouLinks: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

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 - Through Many Miles / Of Tricks and TrialsLinks: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

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 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

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

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 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

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 on TiktokSubscribe to David’s free newsletter, Decoding EverythingFollow David on InstagramFollow David on Tiktok

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 on InstagramFollow David on Tiktok

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 Capital of AmericaEpisode 2 - A Hundred Bucks Says You Won’tLinks: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