Decoding TV

In this episode of the Decoding TV podcast, David and Patrick discuss Succession creator Jesse Armstrong’s latest HBO original, Mountainhead. Does it do a good job of satirizing the billionaire tech class? Will Nic Pizzolatto ever write a True Detective episode again? And why do we feel sympathy for the new kids cast as the main Harry Potter characters? Listen to us discuss all these questions and more!Homework for next week:Predator: Killer of Killers (Hulu)Shownotes:03:40 - TV News‘Harry Potter’ HBO Series Casts Harry, Ron and Hermione‘Stranger Things’ Season 5 Gets Three-Part Release, Series Finale Set for New Year’s Eve‘True Detective’ Creator Nic Pizzolatto Has a “Story” for Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson to Reprise Cohle and Hart: They’re “Open to It”28:00 - Mountainhead review58:45 - The Rehearsal Season 2 Follow-Ups1:11:00 - The Last of Us Season 2 Follow-UpsLinks: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 the Decoding TV podcast, David and Patrick are joined by Christian Spicer to dive into the latest episodes of The Last of Us and The Rehearsal.Why was The Last of Us season finale such a disappointment? What were some of the most memorable moments? What two narrative crimes did the episode commit? And why was The Rehearsal so exhilarating by comparison? Listen to us discuss all these questions and more!Homework for next week:Mountainhead (HBO)Shownotes:03:00 - The Last of Us Season 2Ep 7 - Convergence1:01:00 - The Rehearsal Season 2Ep 6 - My ControlsLinks:Subscribe to Christian Spicer’s newsletterListen 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 some follow-ups to their podcast series about Andor season 2. Why did Tony Gilroy feel the need to delineate the true nature of Kleya and Luthen’s relationship? What about Mon Mothma’s relationship with her husband and daughter? And what do we think of the possibility of Jyn Erso and Leia cameos in Andor season 2? Listen to hear us discuss all these questions and more. Links:Subscribe to Patrick’s YouTube channelRead Dan Gvozden’s recap of these episodesSubscribe 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 the Decoding TV podcast, David and Patrick dive into the latest episodes of The Last of Us and The Rehearsal.Is Max’s rebrand back to HBO Max one of the worst instances of corporate brand destruction ever? Are we excited about the new Alien: Earth series launching this summer? And why does David hate the marketing for James Gunn’s Superman so much? Listen to us discuss all these questions and more!Homework for next week:The Last of Us Season 2 episode 7 (HBO)The Rehearsal Season 2 episode 6 (HBO)Shownotes:06:30 - TV NewsHBO Max Lives! Max to Change Its Name Back After Two Years‘Alien: Earth’ Sets August Release Date Plus 10 Images and Plot Details Revealed‘Fallout’ Renewed for Season 3 Ahead of Season 2 Premiere in December‘Game of Thrones’ Spinoff ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Shifts to 2026 Release39:30 - The Last of Us Season 2Ep 6 - The Price1:14:00 - The Rehearsal Season 2Ep 5 - WashingtonLinks: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 bonus episode of Decoding TV, David and Patrick Willems discuss the final three episodes of Andor Season 2:Ep 10 - Make It StopEp 11 - Who Else Knows?Ep 12 - Jedha, Kyber, ErsoWhat did we think of how this show connected to the events of Rogue One? Were we happy with how the show wrapped up the stories of characters like Bix and Luthen? What are our closing thought on the series as a whole? Listen to hear us discuss all these questions and more.You can also watch our convo on YouTube:

In this episode of the Decoding TV podcast, David and Patrick dive into the latest episodes of The Last of Us and The Rehearsal.It feels like there’s not gonna be enough time to tell a complete story in this season of The Last of Us. Where does episode 5 leave our characters? Is there any possibility the Harry Potter PR tour is going to turn around? Are we excited about a revamp of the Netflix homepage? And did we really need to launch a Max app in the first place? Listen to us discuss all these questions and more!Homework for next week:The Last of Us Season 2 episode 6 (HBO)The Rehearsal Season 2 episode 5 (HBO)Shownotes:01:30 - TV News‘Shogun’ Season 2 to Begin Production in January 2026Netflix Plans Major Overhaul of Homepage Design, OpenAI-Powered Search and TikTok-Style Vertical FeedsMax Purges Over 200 Seasons of Television As It Pivots Back to the HBO BrandJ.K. Rowling Says ‘I Wouldn’t’ Fire Paapa Essiedu From HBO’s ‘Harry Potter’ for Supporting Trans Rights: ‘I Don’t Have the Power’ and ‘Wouldn’t Exercise It If I Did’HBO Exec Promises ‘Harry Potter’ Series ‘Not Secretly Being Infused’ With J.K. Rowling’s Anti-Trans Rhetoric38:00 - The Last of Us Season 2Ep 5 - Feel Her Love1:11:00 - The Rehearsal Season 2Ep 4 - KissmeLinks: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 Tiktok

In this bonus episode of Decoding TV, David and Patrick Willems discuss the next three episodes of Andor Season 2:Ep 7 - MessengerEp 8 - Who Are You?Ep 9 - Welcome to the Rebellion?This batch probably has some of the most intense action in Star Wars ever put to film. We also got some actual Star Wars references to things like the Force and other iconography. What did we think of Syril Karn’s arc this season? How did we feel about Mon Mothma’s big moment? Have stormtroopers and droids ever looked more terrifying? Listen to hear us discuss all these questions and more.

In this episode of the Decoding TV podcast, David and Patrick dive into the latest episodes of The Last of Us and The Rehearsal.What do we think of The Last of Us’s depiction of Seattle? How did we feel about how this week’s episode moved Ellie and Dina’s relationship along? And was Nathan Fielder’s The Rehearsal this week an act of insanity of genius? Listen to us discuss all these questions and more!Homework for next week:The Last of Us Season 2 episode 5 (HBO)The Rehearsal Season 2 episode 4 (HBO)Shownotes:01:00 - The Last of Us Season 2Ep 4 - Day One46:30 - The Rehearsal Season 2Ep 3 - Pilot’s CodeLinks: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 bonus episode of Decoding TV, David and Patrick Willems discuss the next three episodes of Andor Season 2:Ep 4 - Ever Been to Ghorman?Ep 5 - I Have Friends EverywhereEp 6 - What a Festive EveningWe’ll be doing a podcast episode for each of the four Andor drops.This batch introduces us to the world of Ghorman. What parallels is the show trying to draw between the Ghormans and our world? Have we ever seen Luthen more light-hearted than in these episodes? And how do we feel about the state of the Karn/Meero #karntent at this point? Listen to hear us discuss all these questions and more.Links:Subscribe to Patrick’s YouTube channelRead Dan Gvozden’s recap of these episodesSubscribe 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