Indiewire's Very Good Tv Podcast

Special guest Steve Greene joins Liz and Ben to chat about the best stuff we all experienced this year — actually perhaps shockingly, THE X-FILES comes up! In the meantime, looking forward to the new year!

The Emmy-winning favorite of Liz and Ben's moms is back, and there's a lot to discuss, from what impresses us about Amy Sherman-Palladino's attention to detail to whether or not they really need to swear so much on the show. All without spoilers!

It's awards season! But the DNA of television can be found in a number of the films under contention for the Golden Globes and Oscars, including THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS and WIDOWS. How does that affect our viewing? Liz and Ben discuss!

When IndieWire did its 50 Best Animated Series of All Time, one thing we noticed was that a lot of these shows haven't gotten the recognition they deserve, beyond the realm of cartoons. Ben and Liz ask: What gives?!

In the name of turkey and stuffing, Liz and Ben debate what's the best kind of TV to watch on the classic American holiday, from football to "Mythbusters" to "Friends" to, yes, surprisingly, "The Leftovers."

Last week it was revealed that a movie set within the world of BREAKING BAD was a likely possibility. But rather than debate whether or not it's a good idea, Liz and Ben dig into why this might have been an inevitability — and what it takes for a franchise to really, truly end.

On a weekend filled with important TV, Liz and Ben choose to focus on... "Saved By the Bell." But really, it's a conversation about how the future of media might affect our present!

Recently, TV has been graced with a number of examples of long takes — single-shot sequences that stretch on for minutes, per the story demands, including "Daredevil," "The Haunting of Hill House," "Kidding" and the upcoming "Homecoming." What makes these technological feats exciting to watch, and when do they prove distracting? Liz and Ben get into the nitty-gritty. (Shockingly, "The X-Files" comes up!)

It's another super-focused episode, as Liz and Ben look into how the shows they've been watching recently reflect our complicated relationship with the truth of today's society. (Believe it or not, "The Leftovers" comes up.)

Vox's Todd VanDerWerff comes by to chat with Liz and Ben about how, with the changes in television over the past 20-something years, the state of scary television has changed with the times. Shockingly, "The X-Files" comes up!

Netflix, Hulu, CBS All Access and more are all desperate for our continuing subscriptions, and they're using their content in unique ways to strategize that. Guess what — Liz and Ben find that interesting!

Last week, Ben watched a lot of "Last Man Standing." Liz watched a lot of "Murphy Brown." Hilarious culture clashes ensue! You could definitely get a sitcom out of it.

IndieWire's Steve Greene joins Liz and Ben with an exciting challenge: Trying to guess how many seasons a wide variety of TV shows, from cable, broadcast, and beyond. You likely be as shocked as they were by just how long some of TV's most iconic series have been airing. Try playing along and seeing if you can do better than Ben!

Ben has been neck-deep in the Emmys game this year, while Liz might need some help remembering who's nominated in each category — yet they both have strong opinions about what's going to happen once Michael Che and Colin Jost stop talking and awards start getting handed out!

Jim Carrey's big return to TV has Liz and Ben once again gazing into the abyss that is their own mortality, but its emphasis on discussing death may keep the Showtime quasi-comedy from connecting with audiences.

There's a LOT going on in the next few months when it comes to TV, and you'd better believe that Liz and Ben are obsessed with what's to come. So many shows come up here! God rest our souls.

Liz and Ben are joined by a special guest — IndieWire's associate TV editor Steve Greene — to dig into why the end of the HBO limited series "Sharp Objects" will stick with us for quite some time, and whether or not a follow-up season would be too crazypants to consider.

SIMPSONS and FUTURAMA fans were likely pretty excited about Matt Groening's third-ever animated series, but it proved to be a bit of a disappointment. But maybe there's a solution for enjoying the first season? Liz and Ben discuss.

Liz and Ben followed up a long few weeks of Comic-Con and TCA coverage by... watching maybe the worst Netflix series of the year so far. (And yes, they both watched every episode.) But what's really so bad about this series? And, despite the reviews, is there a danger of it getting a second season?

Because Liz and Ben are consummate professionals, they'd never confess just how tired they currently are on this humble podcast. Instead, they focus this episode of VGTVP on how they've learned a ton about some upcoming TV, from the new season of IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY to Lifetime's YOU to a bunch of other shows, all thanks to the TCA summer press tour. TV is good! (So is sleep, but that'll come later.)