Indiewire's Very Good Tv Podcast

It's hot outside, so does that make it the right time of year to watch murder mysteries like "Sharp Objects" or "The Sinner"? The answer may be yes, but how does the season affect our enjoyment of these shows? Liz and Ben discuss, live from TCAs!

Hulu sprang the final season of "UnREAL" on unsuspecting subscribers last week, but was it the best strategy for the cult series? And when does that sort of strategy play well for content, those who watch it, and those who release it? Liz and Ben dig in (and wow, surprisingly, THE LEFTOVERS comes up!)

Ben recently had to watch Showtime's newest effort to engage with political comedy — but is Sasha Baron Cohen the voice America needs to be hearing right now?

This week, Liz and Ben address a grave injustice of television history, while also connecting it to issues of the day...But really, the problem is that David Schwimmer never won an Emmy for playing Ross.

"Glow," in its second season, showed us what the show-within-a-show actually looks like. Which made Liz and Ben ponder their own behind-the-scenes process, in a very special episode of VGTVP.

Liz and Ben have been slogging through some pretty bloated series lately, but is there a solution? Or do some shows NEED to run a little longer than others? Surprisingly, "The Leftovers" comes up!

This week, Liz and Ben let the listeners come up with the topics to be discussed, and the result was a wide-ranging discussion of everything from the new Apple original content on the horizon to what shows they'd bring with them to a desert island. (Surprisingly, "The Leftovers" comes up!)

"Sense8" fans got a happy ending this weekend thanks to the premiere of a special series finale episode that wrapped up all the major storylines left dangling by Season 2. But does every show deserve, or even require, that sort of treatment? Liz and Ben discuss. Surprisingly, "The X-Files" comes up.

Faithful listeners of this podcast will know that Liz and Ben don't agree on everything, but "The Americans" unites them. A truly great TV show just ended, and no matter how committed you were to it, the fact remains that the story of Soviet spies faking their way through America deserved serious attention.

There's no denying that revival culture is inescapable today, but while that doesn't mean they're all bad ideas, there has to be a better option for casts and creators who want to work together again... Right? Liz and Ben ponder the question.

We're halfway through Season 2 of WESTWORLD, and while Liz and Ben tried to keep their discussion of the first five episodes spoiler-free, they pretty much failed. That's how engaged they got with the HBO drama, which they both like for different reasons.

This is a true SPECIAL TREAT and a true SPECIAL GUEST, as Lesli Linka Glatter, who's directed everything from "Twin Peaks" to "The Leftovers" (shockingly, Ben only brings this up once), joins VGTVP to deliver a master class in directing, explain some key "Homeland" scenes, and talk about the most important part of her new women directors initiative. Lesli Linka Glatter, you guys! She's the best!

Liz and Ben are huge fans of the Netflix comedy "Dear White People," which meant that they weren't going to turn down the chance to bring creator Justin Simien in for a chat about the show's return, Twitter etiquette, and a lot more! (No real spoilers for Season 2, promise.)

Liz and Ben talk about movies this week — but because of a television show! James Cameron has a new miniseries on AMC called THE STORY OF SCIENCE FICTION which leads them to ponder the issue of how Cameron as a filmmaker works in this era of film and TV growing closer than ever. (Also, Liz rants about the Fox sci-fi drama DARK ANGEL a bit. Again. Sorry about that.)

It's mid-April, which means (believe it or not)Emmys season is in full fever! Yes, even if half the shows which might get nominated this summer haven't even come out. That won't stop Liz and Ben from making some guesses as to what's to come. Who knows, they might even get a few things right!

Game time! Special guest Steve Greene challenges Liz and Ben to remember some of their most long-ago reviews! It's pretty exciting — and also, "The Leftovers" comes up!

It's FX's most delightfully weird superhero drama, not to mention Ben's favorite Marvel property — but how deep should we dig into the Noah Hawley-created series? Guess what: Liz and Ben talk about that!

Sad to report that Liz and Ben don't get around to mentioning THE LEFTOVERS *or* THE X-FILES during this episode — instead they have heavier subjects on their mind, as the mega-ratings received by the return of ROSEANNE have them thinking about what happens when political opinion encroaches upon popular television.

It's peak Ben and Liz this week, as they dig into the fact that "The X-Files" might be over for real and Gillian Anderson is calling out that ending on Twitter. And, oh yes, "The Leftovers" comes up.

Sorry for the delay in posting (technical issues)! But as a special treat, Liz and Ben are joined by Liz's mother, Janet, to discuss this year's "American Crime Story" — and figure out why we aren't as obsessed as we were during the OJ season.