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Pop Culture Happy HourPop Culture Happy Hour

Pop culture in high spirits
Ian McKellen in The Christophers.

Ian McKellen in The Christophers. Claudette Barius/Neon hide caption

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Claudette Barius/Neon

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

‘The Christophers’ is a work of art

In the terrific new film The Christophers, an art restorer with a background in forgery (Michaela Coel) takes a job as an assistant to a once-famous artist who's faded from public life (Ian McKellen). And her motives are… complicated. It might seem like a quiet story, but as directed by Steven Soderbergh, the movie packs a serious punch of talent.

Watch This: The Christophers

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Oscar Isaac in the second season of Beef.

Oscar Isaac in the second season of Beef. Netflix hide caption

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Netflix

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

‘Beef’ still tastes pretty good in Season 2

The Netflix Beef returns for season two with an all new cast. This time the beef involves two couples: Carey Mulligan and Oscar Isaac face off against Charles Melton and Cailee Spaeny. Just like in the first season, their feud reveals way bigger underlying issues for each of the parties involved. Everyone’s a mess and it’s a surreal journey to behold.

Beef

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Bob Odenkirk in Normal.

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Magnolia Pictures

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

In ‘Normal,’ Bob Odenkirk lays down the law (and lets down his fans)

Bob Odenkirk has pivoted from sketch comedy to dramatic acting and, most recently, to late-middle-aged action star. In the new film Normal, he plays a small-town sheriff who finds out his small town isn’t so normal after all, which will of course require some sexagenarian butt-kicking. The cast includes Henry Winkler and Lena Headey, and was written by Derek Kolstad, the mind behind the John Wick franchise. 

Normal and What’s Making Us Happy

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Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon.

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Pictorial Press Ltd / Alamy

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

We watch classic movies for the first time

We've all been there. A major movie is mentioned, you shrug, sheepishly, and someone says, "I can't believe you've never seen that!" Today, in this encore episode, we make a dent in our own lists of classic films we somehow had not yet gotten to, including Erin Brockovich, Enter the Dragon, Raging Bull, and Flower Drum Song.

We Watch Classic Movies For The First Time

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Jerry Hauck and Anthony Norman in Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat.

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Prime

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Recent TV you don’t want to miss

There’s a lot of TV worth recommending out there. So today we’re spotlighting some television we didn’t have time to talk about earlier this year, including Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat, Ponies, Blossoms Shanghai, and Deadloch.

Recent TV you don’t want to miss

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Dan Levy in Big Mistakes.

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Spencer Pazer/Netflix

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

With ‘Big Mistakes,’ Dan Levy returns to TV with a crime comedy

Dan Levy co-created and starred in the beloved Schitt’s Creek. And now he’s back with a new comedy on Netflix that’s got a very different vibe. In Big Mistakes, Levy and Taylor Ortega play dysfunctional siblings who get drawn deeper and deeper into the world of organized crime, even as their mom – the great Laurie Metcalf – runs for public office.

Big Mistakes

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Halle Bailey in You, Me & Tuscany.

Halle Bailey in You, Me & Tuscany. Giulia Parmigiani/Universal Pictures hide caption

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Giulia Parmigiani/Universal Pictures

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

‘You, Me & Tuscany' has got us lost in the pasta sauce

“She came for the pasta, and got lost in the sauce.” That’s the brilliant tagline for the zesty new rom-com You, Me, & Tuscany. Halle Bailey stars as a broke twenty-something who decides to fulfill a dream and fly to Tuscany on a whim. There she meets a hot winemaker played by Regé-Jean Page. But this is an old-school movie with classic rom-com machinations, so it’ll take at least a three-course meal and a few vinos to get these two beautiful people together.

You, Me & Tuscany and What’s Making Us Happy

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Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back.

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AJ Pics / Alamy / LUCASFILM

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

How we handle spoilers

We’ve all been there: Maybe somebody tells you too much about the twist ending of a movie, or they tell you who dies at the end. In other words, you’ve run into a spoiler. The discourse around The Drama has us thinking: how should you handle spoilers, and what even counts as a spoiler? We talk about Star Wars, The Sixth Sense, and even the American Idol finale. 

How We Handle Spoilers

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‘The Pitt’ approaches the end of a very long shift

Noah Wyle in the second season of The Pitt. Warrick Page/HBO Max hide caption

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Warrick Page/HBO Max

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

‘The Pitt’ approaches the end of a very long shift

In HBO Max's The Pitt, an ER full of doctors, nurses and staff are put through tense, high-stakes shifts. The first season was a critical success and won the show a raft of Emmy Awards. Now the second season is close to an end, and while this shift has been less catastrophic in some ways, it's clear that everyone, including attending physician Dr. Robby (Noah Wyle) is stretched very, very thin. 

The Pitt

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Zendaya in The Drama.

Zendaya in The Drama. A24 hide caption

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A24

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Zendaya brings 'The Drama,' we bring the spoilers

The Drama is a dark and twisty comedy starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson as a storybook couple preparing for their upcoming wedding. But just days before the big day, she reveals a horrifying truth about her past self that threatens to undo their nuptials, and their bond. In this spoiler-packed episode, we’re getting into that reveal, and all the surprising drama of the movie.

The Drama: Spoiler Episode

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Robert Pattinson and Zendaya in The Drama.

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A24

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Zendaya and Robert Pattinson bring 'The Drama'

In the dark comedy The Drama, Zendaya and Robert Pattinson are getting married, but maybe they shouldn’t? The stars play a couple in full-on prep mode for their upcoming wedding, though when a shocking secret is revealed, suddenly their love for one another doesn’t seem all that secure.

The Drama and What’s Making Us Happy

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Mario (Chris Pratt) in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.

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Universal Pictures

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

'The Super Mario Galaxy Movie' remembers every Nintendo moment ever

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is the ultimate piece of Nintendo fan service. Mario (Chris Pratt), Luigi (Charlie Day), Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) are on an outer space adventure to save Princess Rosalina (Brie Larson). The film features other beloved Nintendo characters like Bowser (Jack Black)  and Yoshi (Donald Glover) – and a few surprises. It’s a sequel to The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which made more than a billion dollars worldwide.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie

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Lisa Kudrow in The Comeback.

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Emma Simkin/HBO

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

Lisa Kudrow returns in 'The Comeback,' and we did need to see that

Lisa Kudrow is back in HBO’s beloved comedy The Comeback. It’s been more than a decade since we last saw sitcom star Valerie Cherish, and her present situation is bleak. The new show she’s starring in is being written by AI. But if we know anything about Val, it’s that she’ll always seize an opportunity, setbacks be damned.

The Comeback

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Miley Cyrus in Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special.

Miley Cyrus in Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special. Ser Baffo/Disney hide caption

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Ser Baffo/Disney

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Hannah Montana' still straddles the best of both worlds

This year marks 20 years since Hannah Montana premiered on the Disney Channel. The show made a global phenomenon of star Miley Cyrus and her pop-star alter ego. It's been streamed millions of hours since going off the air, and influenced the next generation of pop stars like Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter. With the new Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special on Disney Plus, we figured it’s a good time to look back at the legacy of the show, and where it fits into Miley’s career.

Hannah Montana

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Guz Khan and Riz Ahmed in Bait.

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Amazon MGM Studios

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

Why yes, we'll take Riz Ahmed's 'Bait'

In the whimsical Prime Video comedy series Bait, the great Riz Ahmed plays Shah, an actor in the middle of a career downturn who lands an audition to be the next James Bond. But when this leaks to the public, the social media reactions to the possibility of a brown 007 are unhinged. And one particularly disturbing response shakes Shah’s confidence and sends his personal life into a tailspin.

Why yes, we'll take Riz Ahmed's 'Bait'

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BTS in BTS The Comeback Live.

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BIGHIT Music and Netflix

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

On 'Arirang,' BTS nods to K-pop's past, present and future

BTS, one of the biggest groups in K-pop, is back. Arirang is the group’s first full-length album following a hiatus in which the members released solo projects and served in South Korea’s military. It’s a brash, catchy comeback, with a mix of hip-hop, pop, and R&B. And like their previous hits, Arirang is bound to make a mark on the Billboard charts. 

BTS ARIRANG

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Nicole Byer in Season 5 of Nailed It.

Nicole Byer in Season 5 of Nailed It. Netflix hide caption

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Netflix

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

The reality TV shows we'd actually win

Part of the fun of reality TV is putting yourself in the shoes of the people you're watching. Maybe you'd make a great Real Housewife. Maybe you could win The Amazing Race. In this encore episode, we're not here to make friends. But we are here to pick the reality shows that we think could thrive on.

The Reality TV Show We’d Actually Win

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Samara Weaving in Ready or Not 2: Here I Come.

Samara Weaving in Ready or Not 2: Here I Come. Pief Weyman/Searchlight Pictures hide caption

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Pief Weyman/Searchlight Pictures

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Ready or Not 2' is a satanic and manic thrill

The cheeky horror comedy Ready Or Not starred Samara Weaving as a bride who’s forced to partake in her new family’s game of hide and seek, which turns quite deadly. Ready or Not 2: Here I Come picks up right where the previous story left off, but this time with more lore, more gore, and more stars like Elijah Wood, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Kathryn Newton.

Pop Culture Happy Hour-03.23.2026

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