Decoding TV

This Week In Streaming is a show on the Decoding TV podcast feed that covers the most interesting shows available on streaming each week. On this episode, David Chen is joined by writer, filmmaker, and YouTuber Jessie Earl to discuss the final five episodes of  Fargo  season 5, which are streaming right now on Hulu/FX: Episode 6 - The Tender Trap Episode 7 - Linda Episode 8 - Blanket Epi...

Welcome to Decoding TV’s new weekly format! For years, Decoding TV has decoded weekly TV shows like  Westworld ,  The Last of Us ,  Succession , and  The Curse . We’ve loved diving in depth into these shows, analyzing them, and sharing our theories. But doing the show the way we did had a fatal flaw: People mostly didn’t listen to the podcast if they weren’t watching the show!...

Stay tuned to the podcast next week as we re-launch in a new weekly format! In this episode of Decoding TV, Patrick Klepek and David Chen are joined by Jessie Earl to discuss the tenth episode of The Curse on Paramount+/Showtime, “Young Hearts.” Well folks. What to say about this one? The first 20 minutes of this episode is standard Curse fare, with a healthy dose of awkwardness and obliviousness....

In this episode of Decoding TV, Patrick Klepek and David Chen discuss the ninth episode of  The Curse  on Paramount+/Showtime, “Young Hearts.” In this episode, Whitney has an awkward encounter with Cara at a spa, but what does it say about her character? Fliplanthropy tries to make the pivot to a show where Whitney and Asher love each other more, but will it work? What exactly was Asher...

This Week In Streaming is a show on the Decoding TV podcast feed that covers the most interesting shows available on streaming each week. On this episode, David Chen is joined by writer, filmmaker, and YouTuber Jessie Earl to discuss the season finale of A Murder at the End of the World, “Retreat.” As with most mysteries, this one came down to a visit to the accusing parlor will the detective slow...

In this episode of Decoding TV, Patrick Klepek and David Chen discuss the eighth episode of  The Curse  on Paramount+/Showtime, “Down and Dirty.” In this episode, Asher and Whitney’s marriage strains to the breaking point and Whitney’s manipulation begin to spiral out even further. Who do we think actually tried to bait Asher with the chicken? What did Whitney do in the bathroom/elevator...

In this episode of Decoding TV, Patrick Klepek and David Chen discuss the seventh episode of  The Curse  on Paramount+/Showtime, “Self-Exclusion.” In this episode, the cracks begin to show in Whitney and Asher’s marriage. But to what extent are the cracks real vs. Whitney putting on a show? How much does it cost to buy a racist mini-golf statue these days? Is it worth having a lock on yo...

This Week In Streaming is a show on the Decoding TV podcast feed that covers the most interesting shows available on streaming each week. On this episode, David Chen is joined by writer, filmmaker, and YouTuber Jessie Earl to discuss the first four episodes of Fargo season 5, which are streaming right now on Hulu/FX: Episode 1 - The Tragedy of the Commons Episode 2 - Trials and Tribulations Episod...

In this episode of Decoding TV, Patrick Klepek and David Chen discuss the sixth episode of  The Curse  on Paramount+/Showtime, “The Fire Burns On.” In this short episode, Whitney and Dougie hatch a plan to betray Asher. Is this the beginning of the end for our favorite reality couple? Is there any hope for “Fliplanthropy”? Who would leave chicken in a fire station bathroom? Is “Green Que...

In this episode of Decoding TV, Patrick Klepek and David Chen discuss the fifth episode of The Curse on Paramount+/Showtime, “It’s a Good Day.” In this episode, Whitney continues charging headfirst into her misguided plans to help the community. But how do we think it’s all going to go wrong this time around? Is 80 degrees really too hot for the inside of a house? Is Asher just a powder keg waitin...

In this episode of Decoding TV, Patrick Klepek and David Chen discuss the fourth episode of The Curse on Paramount+/Showtime, “Under the Big Tree.” This episode is a clear middle chapter, developing some characters and letting a few plotlines simmer before presumably bigger events explode sometime in the future. How well is the Dougie storyline working for us and where do we think it’s heading? Li...

This Week In Streaming is a show on the Decoding TV podcast feed that covers the most interesting shows available on streaming each week. On this episode, David Chen is joined by writer, filmmaker, and YouTuber Jessie Earl to discuss the first four episodes of  Invincible  season 2, which are streaming right now on Amazon Prime Video: Episode 1 - A Lesson For Your Next Life Episode 2 - I...

In this episode of Decoding TV, Patrick Klepek and David Chen discuss the third episode of The Curse on Paramount+/Showtime. This episode ventures out of the land of cringe and into the scary land of sadcringe , requiring several multi-layered performances. How well did we think our main actors pulled off these moments? What do we think this show is trying to say about the impact of well-meaning,...

This Week In Streaming is a show on the Decoding TV podcast feed that covers the most interesting shows available on streaming each week. On this episode, David Chen is joined by his wife (AKA @joyonapping) to discuss the first four episodes of  The Crown  season 6: Episode 1 - Persona Non Grata Episode 2 - Two Photographs Episode 3 - Dis-Moi Oui Episode 4 - The Aftermath This season fol...

In this episode of Decoding TV, Patrick Klepek and David Chen discuss the second episode of  The Curse  on Paramount+/Showtime. This episode maintains the agonizing cringe and awkwardness of the first episode as Asher and Whitney get involved with a local art show. But in what ways is Whitney blundering through this situation that make it so painful? What do we make of Dougie’s backstory...

This Week In Streaming is a show on the Decoding TV podcast feed that covers the most interesting shows available on streaming each week. On this episode, David Chen is joined by writer, filmmaker, and YouTuber Jessie Earl to discuss the first two episodes of  A Murder at the End of the World , streaming on Hulu: Episode 1 - Homme Fatale Episode 2 - The Silver Doe Brit Marling and Zal Batmang...

In this episode of Decoding TV, Patrick Klepek and David Chen discuss the first episode of  The Curse  on Paramount+/Showtime. We’ll be covering this show weekly through January 2024 and we hope you’ll have a chance to join us for it! This show features a core trio of incredible talent (Benny Safdie, Nathan Fielder, and Emma Stone). How did we feel their skills were applied in this episo...

In this episode of Decoding TV, Patrick Klepek and David Chen dive into Loki season 2 episode 6, “Glorious Purpose.” Loki’s finale is not only one of the best episodes of the season but possibly one of the best episodes of the show altogether. How did we feel about the way the show used its time travel mechanics? Where does this season leave all of our beloved characters? What did we think of the...

This Week In Streaming is a show on the Decoding TV podcast feed that covers the most interesting shows available on streaming each week. On this episode, David Chen is joined by writer, filmmaker, and YouTuber Jessie Earl to discuss the first season of Gen V , streaming on Prime Video. This was a really strong season of television! But how seamless (or not) were the tie-ins to The Boys ? Was Mari...

In this episode of Decoding TV, Dan Gvozden from the Amazing Spider-Talk podcast and David Chen dive into Loki season 2 episode 5, “Science/Fiction.” This episode finds Loki dealing with the fallout from the events of last episode and maybe also learning some valuable lessons too. What did we think about how this episode paid off long running threads? What is this show trying to say about the art...

In this bonus episode, Patrick Klepek and David Chen discuss the Five Nights at Freddy’s movie currently streaming on Peacock. What is the appeal of this videogame property? Is it possible to take any of these characters seriously? How did the videogame’s lore interact with the story they were trying to tell? And why is this movie so good for society even if we ultimately don’t like it very much?...

In this episode, Patrick Klepek and David Chen dive into Loki season 2 episode 4, “Heart of the TVA.” This episode delivers on the best of what this show has to offer. But is that enough? What are the moments that shocked Patrick and David? How close did that scene come to being rated R? Do we think that the backstories of Renslayer, General Dox, and Victor Timely got quite enough time in the oven...

In this episode, Patrick Klepek and David Chen dive into  Loki  season 2 episode 3, “1893.” This episode sees the return of Ravonna Renslayer and Miss Minutes. But, like, what is Miss Minutes’ deal exactly? Does she have physical properties? Do we care about her quest for a human body? What did we think of Jonathan Major’s performance as Victor Timely? How delightful is it to see Mobius...

This Week In Streaming is a show on the Decoding TV podcast feed that covers the most interesting shows available on streaming each week. On this episode, David Chen and Sarah Marrs discuss all eight episodes of Mike Flanagan’s The Fall of the House of Usher : Episode 1 - A Midnight Dreary Episode 2 - The Masque of the Red Death Episode 3 - Murder in the Rue Morgue Episode 4 - The Black Cat Episod...

In this episode, Patrick Klepek and David Chen dive into  Loki  season 2 episode 2, “Breaking Brad.” But first: a conversation about  how Marvel has been handling TV , and how that might change moving forward. This episode sees Loki finally reuniting with Sylvie after some adventures apart. But why does it feel like this show is actually two separate shows fighting against each othe...