Crossing Streams

Craig Elsten and Liddy Loree have come up with their first rough drafts of this year's Top-20 lists. On this week's podcast, each share with the other shows that don't appear on the other's list, in an attempt to fill in some coverage gaps. Then, a full discussion of why season two of The White Lotus is taking Mike White's franchise to a whole new level.

It's been a minute since Craig Elsten and Ken Gartin have gotten together to discuss Amazon's big bet in the fantasy world, Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Looking back on the season, was it worth the wait and the investment? A cold-eyed review follows, then (25:00 mark) Craig and Ken get into the current season of Survivor, and if the "new era" is starting to wear thin.

Crossing Streams is back after a week hiatus with a big-time episode! Craig Elsten is joined by his "Talk Nerdy To Me" correspondent Ken Gartin to discuss the final three episodes of Andor on Disney+, including the season finale. Then, the guys break down Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, discussing what really worked and what felt grafted onto the film.

Craig Elsten is re-joined by Liddy Loree to discuss the first two episodes of The White Lotus' second season, the savage complexity of Mike White's writing, the confidence of the first two episodes, and all the delicious characters within. Then, a discussion of The Patient on Hulu, and how the half-hour drama format fit the show's aims so directly.

Craig Elsten and "Talk Nerdy To Me" correspondent Ken Gartin are back to discuss Andor, which started as one of the best Star Wars shows, and now is fighting to be one of the best overall shows of 2022! Plus, a complete review of the first season of "She Hulk: Attorney at Law", discussion of an underwhelming (so far) season of Survivor and how it's comparing to The Challenge, and more!

Padres baseball season has ended, and that means Crossing Streams is back in full force! Craig Elsten returns after a weeklong NLCS-induced hiatus, reviewing the final two episodes of House of the Dragon Season One with his OG maester Ryan Phillips.

Craig Elsten is joined by Liddy Loree to discuss the full season of the AppleTV+ dark comedy, "Bad Sisters". What made this Sharon Horgan project so enjoyable to watch, and did the puzzlebox-mystery aspect pay off in the end? Plus, your hosts try as hard as they can to encapsulate what makes "Reservation Dogs" such a special show, and one of the very best of 2022. At the end, a brief discussion of...

Craig Elsten is joined by pinch-hitting maester Drew Steck, filling in this week for Ryan Phillips, as we dive back into two juicy episodes of House of the Dragon on HBO. It looks like, after three time jumps, this series has finally hit its stride. Craig and Drew go through the major implications from these two episodes, with time to discuss the brilliance of Paddy Considine's performance, and th...

Craig Elsten and Ken Gartin have been talking Star Wars for three years now on Crossing Streams, and Craig has been a bit of a broken record asking for a grittier, smaller scale story inside the Star Wars universe. And now, we have Andor! Hear why the newest Disney+ show is ticking ALL of the boxes to be the best Star Wars show yet. Then (32:00), Ryan Phillips returns for our bi-weekly look at Hou...

Craig Elsten and Rebecca Gennaro are back to talk about the thrilling final two episodes of Season Two of Industry, on HBO. They go through everything that happens with Harper, Eric, Rishi, Yasmin, DVD, Rob and the rest of the Industry crew, including some jaw-dropping scenes and twists. Is this the BEST show of an already-great year of television? Spoilers ahead!

Craig Elsten and Ryan Phillips are back to review the past two episodes of Game of Thrones: House of the Dragon. The show is getting better, and episode 4 was probably the best of the bunch so far. Which performers are standing out, and where do you think the plot is going? Plus, what's the one thing House of the Dragon could start doing a lot better? Enjoy the episode, we are covering HotD and Lo...

It's another Crossing Streams edition of TALK NERDY TO ME! Nerd culture correspondent Ken Gartin joins Craig Elsten to take a full look at the first three episodes of Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power on Amazon Prime Video. What is the epic series doing right, and what do we need to see by the end of the first season? In the second half of the podcast (42:30), a complete review of The Sandman...

Craig Elsten and Rebecca Gennaro are back to talk about one of the most addictive, propulsive, entertaining and well-crafted shows of 2022, Season 2 of Industry on HBO. Creators Mickey Down and Konrad Kay have taken their bold entry from late 2020, deepened the characters and added a delicious twist in Jay Duplass' character Jesse Bloom. We have a LOT of nice things to say about what is probably *...

Game of Thrones correspondent Ryan Phillips (@RumorsandRants on Twitter) joins Craig Elsten (@619sports) to head back to the Red Keep and King's Landing! Reviews of the first two episodes of GoT: House of the Dragon, looking at the big characters and themes, the show so far, and some notes on where they need to go (and no longer need to go). New House of the Dragon coverage every other episode her...

Craig Elsten and Ben Higgins started podcasting about Better Call Saul in Episode #1 of Crossing Streams. 193 episodes later, the guys are back together one more time to dive into the Albuquerque universe created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould, recapping the final four episodes of Season 6, including the series finale. Never mind #1 show of 2022: is the combined Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul ru...

Crossing Streams goes on the reservation for episode #193 detailing two all-Native productions! Craig Elsten and Liddy Loree remind listeners why Reservation Dogs was a consensus Top-10 show for them last year before diving into the first two episodes of Season Two. After a brief interlude to discuss the hilarity of What We Do in the Shadows, the hosts return for a full look at the six-episode AMC...

Craig Elsten and Liddy Loree start off by talking about a pair of Apple TV+ shows. "Black Bird" has a chance to be a ranked show on both of our lists by the end of 2022. Meanwhile, one of our favorite past shows, "For All Mankind", has been struggling in its third season. Then (30:10), a full discussion of what we learned from Season 3 of "The Boys" and where the show is headed.

Craig Elsten and Ben Higgins get back together to discuss Better Call Saul a week earlier than expected, because the last two episodes have been *that* important and good. Full reviews with spoilers of Season 6 Episode 8 "Point and Shoot", and Season 6 Episode 9 "Fun and Games"

Craig Elsten is joined by Ken Gartin at Bottle Rocket in downtown San Diego for another episode of TALK NERDY TO ME! This time, the guys go through the entire season of Stranger Things 4, including Volume 2 (with spoilers). How has Netflix's last mega-show changed, and is Craig right that it was about twice as long as it needed to be? Then (35:00), a spoiler review of Thor: Love and Thunder. MARVE...

Craig Elsten is joined by authentic Chicagoan (and CHGO Blackhawks reporter) Jay Zawaski to break down the brilliant new FX comedy/drama "The Bear". Jay lets us know what is in an authentic Chicago Beef sandwich, then the guys dive into this very authentic-feeling depiction of life in a high stress restaurant kitchen. It takes a LOT to get to #1 in the Crossing Streams rankings, in this MEGA-episo...

Craig Elsten is joined once again by Liddy Loree to talk about two summer shows that are both tracking for end-of-year Top-20 status. First, they break down the huge start to Season 3 of For All Mankind on AppleTV+, which starts with a banger of an opening episode, before setting up a race to Mars. Then (41:00), they take on The Old Man, a new prestige spy drama on FX and Hulu, starring Jeff Bridg...

Craig Elsten and Liddy Loree are back to put together their Top-5 TV Shows for the first half of 2022, including a handful of honorable mentions. How will the rankings change between now and Christmas?

Two episodes of Crossing Streams this week, and a two-parter to start the week! Liddy Loree returns to Crossing Streams to discuss the first half of The Boys Season 3. One of the biggest, wildest shows on TV is becoming a pretty direct allegory for modern American proto-fascism, and leaning in HARD to the parallels. Then, Dan Hayes makes his Crossing Streams debut to discuss the under-the-radar de...

Craig Elsten is joined by his Barry correspondent Rick Romero to talk about the wildly inventive and unique third season of Bill Hader's HBO black comedy. What makes this show so good, and why? We break down the key moments and performances. Full spoilers for season 3 ahead!

Craig Elsten and John Browner are back to look at the final six episodes of season 3 of Atlanta, and the season as a whole. Without question, this was the boldest, most artistic and most fearless show on television in 2022. Was it the best, or did it miss the mark sometimes? Craig and John go through the cultural challenges, the "black mirror"-style anthology episodes, and what happened in the fin...