The Colin McEnroe Show

There are few monsters more iconic or enduring than Frankenstein’s. From Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel to the 1931 Universal monster movie to recent adaptations from Guillermo del Toro and Maggie Gyllenhaal, Frankenstein continues to resonate with fans around the world. This hour, a look at what exactly it is that makes Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus such a lasting, terrifying wor...

This hour: a look at where voters are getting election information, from artificial intelligence to college newspapers. Plus, are Americans stupid? GUESTS: Will Oremus: Staff writer at The Atlantic Meg Little Reilly: Managing director of the Center for Community News at the University of Vermont. Elijah Hurewitz-Ravitch: City editor at the Yale Daily News who previously covered New Haven City Hall...

Healthcare, and the Affordable Care Act, is poised to play a major role in the upcoming midterm elections. But how did it get its start here in the US? And what might major healthcare reform look like nowadays? This hour, we'll explore the origins of the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare. Plus, a look at the state of employer-provided health insurance. GUESTS: Elisabeth Rosenthal: S...

This hour we talk with experts in ballot design about how to put together a ballot that's accessible to everyone, and all of the things to keep in mind, from font size to the length of candidate's names. Plus, a look at the evolution of ballots throughout history. GUESTS:  Whitney Quesenbery: Chief program officer of the Center for Civic Design Alicia Cheng: Head of Design at The Metropolitan...

We’ve been doing these shows where we don’t book any guests, where we fill the hour with your calls. And your calls have been interesting and surprising and amusing. This hour, the conversation winds around to lanternflies, international travel, election monitoring, Brazil, rude tourists, healthcare costs … Anything. (Seemingly) everything. These shows are fun for us, and they s...

Note:  This episode contains spoilers for You Can See Everything . You Can See Everything is a three-hour experimental documentary (quasi-documentary?) directed by Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim. It is Fielder’s feature directing debut and the second feature directed by Oppenheim that premiered the weekend of September 5, 2026 (the first was Primetime ). It ostensibly follows Elizab...

News outlets and opinion writers have called it: The traditional dinner party is dead. But are dinner parties really so bad? Or are we just bad at hosting them? This hour, the history of dinner parties and some advice from people who turn party-hosting into an art form. GUESTS: Rand Richards Cooper: Fiction writer, contributing editor at Commonweal , and the restaurant critic for the Hartford Cour...

Do you share a name with someone more famous then you? Is it impossible to look yourself up on the internet? Are you the least famous "Alexa"? Then you have a “name doppelgänger”! This hour, we explore cases of shared names, from the many Dan Sullivans dotted across Alaska to the federal “no fly list”. GUESTS: Laura Wattenberg : Naming expert, author of The Baby Name W...

Painter Frederic E. Church was born in 1926 on Temple Street, Hartford. In the 200 years since then, his paintings have travelled the world and helped define American art. This hour, we'll speak with Victoria Johnson, author of a biography all about Church. Plus, we’ll be joined by Betsy Kornhauser, former curator at the Wadsworth Atheneum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, to explore Churc...

We’ve been doing these shows where we don’t book any guests, where we fill the hour with your calls. And your calls have been interesting and surprising and amusing. This hour, the conversation winds around to parenting, poison ivy, papal missives, lake scum, oligarchy, cerebral atrophy … Anything. (Seemingly) everything. These shows are fun for us, and they seem to be fun for y...

The Social Reckoning  is the fourth movie written and directed by Aaron Sorkin. It’s his follow-up to  The Social Network , and it stars Jeremy Allen White, Mikey Madison, and Bill Burr, with Jeremy Strong this time playing Mark Zuckerberg. And:  War  is a legal drama anthology series created by George Kay, who also created  Hijack  and  Lupin , among other...

This hour, we’re joined in studio by seven-time Grammy Award-winning local musician Paul Winter. Winter is known for his annual solstice concerts and his “earth music," which features music from around the world, as well as the sounds of animals like wolves, whales, or wood thrushes. You can find details about his Winter Solstice Celebrations around New England here . GUEST: Paul Winte...

You may know the Schuyler sisters, Angelica and Elizabeth (and Peggy!), from Hamilton . But the musical just scratches the surface of their fascinating lives. This hour, Amanda Vaill joins us to talk about her new book, Pride and Pleasure: The Schuyler Sisters in an Age of Revolution. GUEST: Amanda Vaill: Author, journalist and screenwriter. Her newest book is Pride and Pleasure: The Schuyler Sist...

Samuel Moyn joins us to talk about how older people are hoarding political power and resources, what that means for all of us, and how we could forge a new path with better representation for people of all ages. GUESTS: Samuel Moyn:  Kent Professor of Law and History at Yale University. His latest book is  Gerontocracy in America: How the Old Are Hoarding Power and Wealth — and Wha...

We’ve been doing these shows where we don’t book any guests, where we fill the hour with your calls. And your calls have been interesting and surprising and amusing. This hour, the conversation winds around to oil prices, land acknowledgements, cybernetic limbs, blank checks, talking to strangers … Anything. (Seemingly) everything. These shows are fun for us, and they seem to be...

This hour, The Nose looks at two current bits of pop culture with men’s names that start with the letter T: Tony  is the fifth movie co-written and directed by Matt Johnson and  the second released commercially this year . It is kind of vaguely a biopic, coming-of-age dramedy about Anthony Bourdain. It stars Dominic Sessa, Emilia Jones, Stavros Halkias, Leo Woodall, and Antonio Ban...

John Steinbeck considered  East of Eden  to be his magnum opus. And it’s now thought of as one of the great American novels. Netflix’s new seven-part limited series adaptation is created by and co-written by Zoe Kazan. Kazan’s grandfather, Elia Kazan, directed the classic big-screen adaptation starring James Dean. This hour, a look at Steinbeck’s epic novel, the o...

When was the last time you read a short story? This hour, we talk about why short stories are so popular in the classroom, but why adults don’t seem to read them much once they’re done with school. And we make the case for why you should. Plus, a look at the art of the short story with some masters of the craft. You can read Rebecca Makkai’s Substack post that inspired this show...

We’ve been doing these shows where we don’t book any guests, where we fill the hour with your calls. And your calls have been interesting and surprising and amusing. This hour, the conversation winds around to the Connecticut gubernatorial election, nostalgia, praying mantises, heavy metal, healthcare … Anything. (Seemingly) everything. These shows are fun for us, and they seem...

What do you know about silversmith Paul Revere besides that he borrowed a horse to warn American colonists that the British troops were coming? If Revere had help, why is he the only rider taught in History classes throughout America? We talk with Kostya Kennedy about his book, ‘The Ride,’ and learn the story behind a man—and an act on horseback—that was, “deeper and...

This month marks the 40th anniversary of the last time the New York Mets won the World Series . The Mets came in last in the National League East this season, but Mets fandom seems to have taken on a bit of an uncharacteristic “Wait ’til next year!” sort of an attitude. With the hated Red Sox eliminated from the postseason and the New York Yankees on an off day between series, we...

George Orwell's novels 1984 and Animal Farm feel especially prescient in this moment, as surveillance technologies continue to expand, and history and language are weaponized. We take a look at the life and literature of George Orwell. And ask: what does the term "Orwellian" really mean? GUESTS: Laura Beers: Professor of History at American University, and the author of Orwell’s Ghosts: Wisd...

Do you have a place where everybody knows your coffee order? Your cat's name? How you like your eggs? Then congrats! You're a regular! This hour, we explore the value of becoming a regular (and how to do so) in our ever disconnected society. Plus, we hear about the regulars of Claire's Corner Copia in New Haven. GUESTS: Gillian Sandstrom:  Associate Professor in the Psychology of Kindness at...

Today “Luddite” is used as a derogatory term for someone who doesn’t understand technology. But the original Luddites weren’t behind. They were technical workers who were concerned about the impact that technology would have on people. This hour, we look at the history of Luddites, how their philosophy applies today, and ask what our present would look like if they had won....

We’ve been doing these shows where we don’t book any guests, where we fill the hour with your calls. And your calls have been interesting and surprising and amusing. This hour, the conversation winds around to  Lonesome Dove , the public intellectual, how to talk in more complex sentences, tragedy and tragic figures today, quilting, the music of 1976… Anything. (Seemingly)...