Indiewire's Very Good Tv Podcast

Liz and Ben are both guilty of letting their fond memories for old shows affect them — but what's the real danger in letting nostalgia take over our perception of television?

Liz and Ben are joined by a special guest! Film editor Kate Erbland, having come to Los Angeles to cover the Oscars, sits down to discuss these things we call movies, and how covering them is different from TV, and why someday soon there might not be much of a difference. (Surprisingly, "The Leftovers" comes up.)

Liz and Ben both watch a lot of teen-oriented shows — what have they seen work best? And why has Netflix become such a leader in this regard? Surprisingly, THE O.C. comes up!

The Olympics are happening right now, but Liz and Ben simply aren't that into it — and also don't care for the fact that it's preempted some of the programming they actually want to watch. Is there a solution? It might not be one possible while NBC's in charge.

That's right, 150 episodes! In tribute, Liz and Ben celebrate one of the things they love most about TV — when shows take chances. Shockingly, "The Leftovers" comes up!

Other things come up in this episode, but really Liz and Ben are here to discuss Netflix's big new sci-fi play, which one of them didn't like as much as the other! (Don't worry, you guys, THE LEFTOVERS does come up.)

Glenn Howerton has a new show coming up on NBC! But people are mad about what that might mean for IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA's future. However, he's not the only actor who's ever wanted to explore additional options beyond his most iconic role — and as Liz and Ben discuss, that's a good thing.

This year's awards season favorites are stacked to the brim with great performers and creators who got their start in television, and Liz and Ben have their personal hopes as to who might see their talents recognized with the nominations for this year's Academy Awards. They're probably going to be very wrong about a lot of this! (But, weirdly, "The Leftovers" DOESN'T come up.)

As TCAs continue, Liz and Ben find themselves grappling with the fact that these days, the news is always so focused on what's ahead for their favorite shows...as opposed to what's happening in the here and now.

There's no shortage of TV to look forward to this year, and here are just a few of the shows that Liz and Ben think could make 2018 bearable.

What a year it has been, right? So Liz and Ben are here to reflect on all the amazing stuff that happened in 2018, because optimism isn't dead and after the year that was 2017, it's fun to "remember" that things can get better.

A special time for a very special guest! What better holiday gift could Liz and Ben ask for than Emmy winner Sam Esmail coming by — not to discuss his truly exciting series "Mr. Robot," but to instead fight about which of three other series was the true king of 2017 and in general discuss what makes TV so compelling. (Why yes, "The Leftovers" does come up — why do you ask?)

An alternate title for this podcast: "Why all awards shows should have a Best Ensemble award!" Liz and Ben dig into the SAG Awards nominations as well as shows which could deserve equal consideration. (Surprisingly, "The Leftovers" comes up!)

Liz and Ben are joined by Hanh Nguyen and Steve Greene, their colleagues in TV coverage, to reveal their picks for the most important people behind the best television of the year. (Surprisingly, "The Leftovers" comes up.)

The creators of anthology series like "Easy" and "Black Mirror" put a lot of time and effort into creating an episode order for their seasons — but should people stick with the order as presented, or experiment with their own selections? Ben and Liz have different takes on the issue.

As the holiday season heats up, Liz and Ben are forced to confront that these days, there's no easy way to give someone a television show. Are they Luddites for not embracing the streaming era? Or are they missing an obvious solution?

Liz and Ben go around the Thanksgiving dinner table to craft some recommendations for hypothetical family members. (Shockingly, "The Leftovers" comes up!)

"Twin Peaks" co-creator Mark Frost just released a new book of tales from the series — but do they actually count when it comes to the official Lynch/Frost narrative? And how do other ancillary materials fit into other franchises? Liz and Ben dig in (shockingly, "The X-Files" comes up!).

Sometimes a TV show finds truly unique ways to tell a story, not just within the episode but on a far broader scale. Liz and Ben break down a few of their favorite recent examples. Not all of them are extremely pornographic! (Also, shockingly, THE LEFTOVERS comes up.)

It's an omnibus episode driven by YOUR questions, as Liz and Ben discuss what TV shows would be a good fit for Sylvester Stallone to appear on, what's going on with Lorca on "Star Trek: Discovery," and when is the right time to quit a TV show.