Gridlocked Popcast

In Episode 5 of Gridlocked Popcast, we’re talking about the pop culture we somehow missed: the shows, books, franchises, and fan-favorite phenomena that passed us by while everyone else was apparently doing homework. Each host brings a lock, a swing pick, and an edge pick, then asks the real question: is this still worth catching up on, or has the boat sailed into the fog with all 300 episodes onboard? Along the way, we get into binge-watch anxiety, unfinished franchises, over-recommendation fatigue, and the weird guilt of not knowing the thing everyone assumes you know. It’s part confession booth, part watchlist intervention, and part reminder that sometimes missing out is survivable.

This time on Gridlocked Popcast, we’re picking the characters we’ll defend no matter what — the ones we’ll support, argue for, and maybe even die on a hill for. Each host brings a lock, a swing pick, and an edge pick, with choices ranging from beloved heroes to chaos gremlins, complicated villains, and scene-stealing weirdos. Along the way, we get into what makes a character stick: loyalty, charisma, growth, menace, comfort, nostalgia, and sometimes just being really, really cute. As usual, nobody knows anyone else’s picks ahead of time, which means the affection is real and the judgment is immediate.

The Gridlocked crew digs into the things in pop culture that set them off — from irritation and rage-bait to discomfort, nostalgia, and a few possible happy-place triggers. With a guest voice joining the table, the conversation stretches beyond movies into TV, music, fandom habits, and the strange personal rules that shape what we love, hate, and hate-watch. As always, the picks stay hidden until the mics are on, which means the arguments come with plenty of surprise, side-eye, and affectionate chaos.Thanks to Darin, an SCSU student, for filling in for Andrew!

In our first real outing as the Gridlocked Popcast, we try to figure out what kinds of stories we’ll always show up for. Each host brings a lock, a swing pick, and an edge pick from a list of major pop-culture genres — then the friendly arguing begins. Along the way, we start learning each other’s taste, blind spots, soft spots, and suspiciously strong opinions about what actually counts as a genre. It’s part pilot, part personality test, and part opening volley for the debates to come.Here's the genre list we mulled over before we had our conversation. It's not in any particular order. We compiled the list through ChatGPT, combing the overlapping genre categories of popular streaming sites like Netflix, Amazon, Disney+, Hulu and others, as well as web databases like IMDB and Just Watch. In the episode we talk quite a bit about how flawed this list actually is...and why we largely can't agree on stuff.FantasyScience FictionHorrorThrillerMysteryCrimeActionAdventureComedyDramaRomanceAnimationAnimeSuperheroHistoricalWarWesternDocumentaryFamilyMusical