The Afternoon Special

The songs of Disney Princess films have this prevailing nature to them about the power of love, the power of a wish, and the power of a dream. These expertly composed songs almost take on a life of their own and in some ways transcend the movies they’re from. This week, we’re taking a deep dive into the musical world of the Disney Princesses, exploring the songs they have on their hearts and how t...

For almost 100 years, Disney Princesses have been a pillar of pop culture. They have a musical style, a fashion, and even a way of speaking that’s all their own. For the month of May and in celebration of the live action release of The Little Mermaid, we're talking about all things Disney Princesses and we're kicking this month off with a deep dive into the history of these princess films (and how...

For the month of April, we've explored what made the Saturday morning cartoon great. However, there was one key question that we haven't fully been able to answer which is...what happened to the Saturday morning cartoon? This week, we're going to answer that question and the journey to get there is a lot more complicated than it may seem.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adcho...

In the early 90s, there was one studio that seemed to have an unassuming dominance on the saturday morning cartoon space and that’s Warner Brothers. From Tiny Toons Adventures to Freakazoid to Animaniacs, Warner Bros. was responsible for a golden age of animation that came at the tail end of the Saturday morning cartoon as an institution. This week, we're discussing this amazing crop of animated s...

Before the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Before the DC Entertainment Universe. Superheroes reigned supreme on the smaller screen. If you didn’t have access to their stories in comic books, saturday morning cartoons were the best place to hang with your super friends and this week, we’re going to talk about where this superhero fever started and focus in on perhaps the best of the bunch. (And I’ll giv...

For decades, it was a weekly tradition for almost every child in America to wake up at the crack of dawn, make themselves a bowl of sugariest cereal they could find, and plop down on the couch for a morning of cartoons. The Saturday morning cartoon was pillar of the first half of television's history. This week, we're taking a walk down memory lane and discussing the constitution that is (was) the...

This one's for girlies. For the entire month of March, we've been celebrating and deconstructing the societal concept of the teenage girl, examining how other see her and how she sees herself. In this episode, we're wrapping things up by chatting about the films and TV shows that we felt were tailor made for us. This episode also could double as Bobbi fangirling about formative media for 30 minute...

Growing up sucks. Like a lot. Puberty is a journey with no map. When you're experiencing this massive change in your life, who you have to run to? Your parents? Your 9th grade health class? No! You turn to pop culture of course. In this week's episode, we're going to be taking a look at the glimpses of puberty we get in pop culture and what that told us (or didn't tell us) about growing up.  ~~ Fo...

Fandom is often seen as a male dominated activity, but the group that is the foundation for modern fandom is the teenage girl. Teen girls are often the group that informs us of what's new and next and ultimately are the pioneers of what it means to be a fan. In this episode, we're taking a deep dive into fandom via the lens of teenage girls and we'll finally prove that fangirl is not a bad word. ...

The teenage girl has existed since the dawn of time, but the idea of being a teen girl was invented in the late 1800s. To kick off our Women's History Month series, we're charting the history of the teenage girl and where our perception of them comes from.  ~~ Follow the show on  Instagram: @theafternoonspecial Tik Tok: @theafternoonspecial Twitter: @hiimbobbi Email the show at theafternoonspecial...

From Sesame Street to Bluey, some of first interactions with television come in the form of children's educational programming. They teach us shapes, numbers, and colors, and provide us with some necessary life lessons. This week, we're talking to Emmy Award-winning showrunner, writer, and director, Kristen McGregor about all things children's education programming.  ~~ Follow the show on  Instagr...

From Sesame Street to Bluey, some of first interactions with television come in the form of children's educational programming. They teach us shapes, numbers, and colors, and provide us with some necessary life lessons. This week, we're taking a deep dive into just how some of favorite preschool shows were created and the process that goes into creating curriculum for television's youngest viewers...

Special Holiday Message from Bobbi. ~~ Follow the show on  Instagram: @theafternoonspecial Tik Tok: @theafternoonspecial Twitter: @hiimbobbi Email the show at theafternoonspecialtv@gmail.com ~~ Afternoon Special is brought to you by QCODE.  To advertise on the show, contact us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

He's a mean one. His heart's an empty hole. For almost as long as we've had jolly old Santa Claus, we've had a figure exhibits the exact opposite of holiday cheer. With books, films, and TV specials about him galore, this week, we're taking a look at the pop culture journey of one of the holiday season's most notable figures, The Grinch.  ~~ Follow the show on  Instagram: @theafternoonspecial Tik...

What makes a perfect holiday special? There are countless holiday themed films and TV specials that we watch every year, but what makes them so memorable? This week, we're taking a look at a few of the most beloved holiday films and TV specials and dissecting why they're so good.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

DreamWorks Animation has always been seen as a formidable and entertaining contender to the animated films of Disney. However, while many know the studio for its biggest hits, many don't know its very insane history behind the scenes. This week, we're chronicling the wild ride of the studio that began with the mission of making "animation for adults" to being one of the biggest producers of kid-fo...

Wanted to drop a line that we’re enjoying a little break for Thanksgiving but we’ll be right back next week with new episodes of The Afternoon Special.  ~~ Follow the show on  Instagram: @theafternoonspecial Tik Tok: @theafternoonspecial Twitter: @hiimbobbi Email the show at theafternoonspecialtv@gmail.com ~~ Afternoon Special is brought to you by QCODE.  To advertise on the show, contact us! Lea...

Premiering in a rare primetime slot in September of 1992, Batman: The Animated Series quickly cemented itself as one of television's greatest animated programs. Between gripping narratives and memorable characters, the series opened the door for superhero craze that we currently are finding ourselves in. This week, we're taking a deep dive into the story of how TV's greatest version of the Caped C...

The 90s was a wonderful, strange time for animation. One of the strangest aspect was the trend of animated films retelling historical events and one example of this is Anastasia (1997). The film, often considered to be a Disney Princess film never made by Disney, chose a unique subject in Anastasia Romanov, an alleged sole survivor of The Romanovs. This week, we're taking a look into the film, its...

Born from a semi viral tweet about Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, this week's episode is taking a look into the stories behind classic product placement moments in film. Product placement is a constant in pop culture and while it is blatant advertising, it can also be a pretty effective tool for storytelling too.  ~~ Follow the show on  Instagram: @theafternoonspecial Tik Tok: @theafternoonspec...

We're back with vampire business. This is part 2 of our exploration into our endless pop culture love affair with the vampire. This week, we're going into what the vampire means as a reflection of humanity. Later in the episode, I'm joined by Michael McMillian — actor/writer/star of HBO's True Blood and host of podcasts Bigfoot Collectors Club and Slate Your Name — to discuss his time on the show,...

Vampires. Mysterious. Alluring. Chaotic. And very very hot. Pop culture loves itself a good vampire story and we, as spectators, do too. From film to television to books to the stage, these bloodsuckers are everywhere and this week, we're taking a peek at some of the most iconic pieces of vampire media. This is part 1 of our exploration into our love affair with the vampire and we'll pick up with...

We're officially in the spooky season and that means grabbing your favorite Halloween candy, getting cozy on the couch with your favorite sitcom Halloween special. The TV Halloween special is a mainstay and this week, we're taking a look into TV's greatest Halloween special, including "It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" and the slasher inspired classic episode of "Boy Meets World."   Link to m...

What separates the pop culturally evergreen and the pop culturally forgotten? Does high box office or ratings automatically determine cultural relevance? There are a million and one different metrics for how we determine how impactful a piece of media is and this week, we're unpacking a few of the ways we determine a piece of media pop culture footprint.  ~~ Follow the show on  Instagram: @theafte...

True crime is one of guiltiest pop culture pleasures. From documentaries to fictional series to more podcasts than you can count, we have a morbid curiosity with some of history's most heinous crimes. The upcoming release of Netflix's Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, which features re-enactments of the events and court proceedings of the victims of Jeffrey Dahmer has caused social media uproar,...