Franchisography

Sometimes everything works out and everyone is happy. Sometimes filming a movie is a breezy, enjoyable experience made up of energized creatives working in an environment built on mutual respect and singular vision. Sometimes that movie is the critical and … Continue reading →

After the critical and fan acclaim won by The Wrath of Khan, Paramount’s new heading for the Trek franchise was clear: Harve Bennett was the captain now. Original Trek creator Gene Roddenberry had even less power than he did before, … Continue reading →

In the wake of STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE’S divisive release, Paramount put the entire franchise on red alert. Their first step in assembling a crew for the sequel was selecting a new creative lead; Harve Bennett, a television producer … Continue reading →

Star Trek. The final frontier. These are the voyages of the podcast FRANCHISOGRAPHY. Their 13-film mission: to learn the history behind the Star Trek film franchise. To understand the complex and frustrating tug of war between creator Gene Roddenberry, director … Continue reading →

It’s a Betweenisode! Join Nick & Scott as they discuss the conclusion of the Rocky/Creed mini-series, rank all 8 films, and discuss the start of the Star Trek mini-series beginning next week. FRANCHISE POTENTIAL: Real Steel (2011) episode now available … Continue reading →

Three years after his loss to “Pretty” Ricky Conlan, the world now knows Adonis Johnson Creed by a different name: The Champ. But his victory comes at a cost: Adonis’s sudden fame catches the attention of Ukrainian boxer Viktor Drago, … Continue reading →

In the early 2010s just as his promising film career was beginning to take off, an unexpected family crisis found writer-director Ryan Coogler’s dreams drifting to thoughts of a childhood cinematic hero, and an exciting way to continue his story … Continue reading →

Sixteen years after the failure of Rocky V and thirty years after his first round as the character, Stallone was ready to get back in the ring one more time for 2006’s ROCKY BALBOA.  After letting the character rest through … Continue reading →

Five years after the most successful Rocky movie ever made, Stallone decided to write a bittersweet ending for his character that attempted to bring him back to his Philadelphia roots in 1990’s ROCKY V, this time with original director John … Continue reading →

After the immense success of Rocky III, Stallone looked to a real pair of boxing matches between Joe Louis and Max Schmeling for inspiration, updating the conflict with WWII Nazi Germany to Cold War Soviet Union. But to make it … Continue reading →

We pity the fool who skips this episode! As Stallone puts it, Rocky made him famous, but Rocky II made him rich. And with this newfound success, he wanted to give his underdog boxer character a similar trajectory, turning him … Continue reading →

Ain’t gonna be no rematch? We’ll see about that…  After its immense success, the writer and star of Rocky found himself dealing with sudden celebrity status and knew just where to take his Italian American hero on his next adventure. … Continue reading →

Crack some raw eggs into a glass and start your morning run because thanks to our listeners FRANCHISOGRAPHY is getting into the ring to go the distance with the most successful sports movie franchise of all time, starting with the … Continue reading →

It’s a Betweenisode! Join Nick & Scott as they discuss the conclusion of the Evil Dead mini-series, speculate about next year’s Evil Dead Rise, and discuss the start of the listener-chosen Rocky mini-series beginning next week. FRANCHISE POTENTIAL: Bubba Ho-Tep … Continue reading →

The body might stay the same, but the laughs are few and far between in the film that might have invented the modern “elevated horror” genre: Don’t say it, don’t write it, don’t hear it, it’s 2013’s EVIL DEAD. Between … Continue reading →

We’re falling through time to pay off a cliffhanger as Ash Williams goes up against the Medival Dead in 1992’s ARMY OF DARKNESS. After the success of DARKMAN, Sam Raimi was ready to turn EVIL DEAD into a studio picture, … Continue reading →

Strap on your chainsaw and hop in the Classic because we’re headed back to the cabin for 1987’s EVIL DEAD 2: DEAD BY DAWN. After his sophomore effort proved to be a financial flop and creative misfire, Sam Raimi was … Continue reading →

Fire up that reel-to-reel tape recorder and stay out of the woods because FRANCHISOGRAPHY is back with the ultimate mini-series of grueling terror, and it all begins with 1981’s THE EVIL DEAD. In the winter of 1979, a group of … Continue reading →

It’s a Betweenisode! Join Nick & Scott as they discuss the conclusion of the Jurassic Park mini-series, take a look at the Extended Cut of Jurassic World: Dominion, and prepare to ring in the spooky season with the start of … Continue reading →

In the summer of 2022, the Jurassic franchise finally came to a close with nearly a billion dollars at the worldwide box office and even more negative reviews. Fresh off of being unexpectedly outed from the director’s chair on Star … Continue reading →

JURASSIC WORLD was a massive success at the box office, but critical and fan reaction was divided, to say the least. For the second part of their legacy trilogy, Universal would sign on celebrated Spanish director Juan Antonio Bayona to … Continue reading →

After over a decade of false starts and abandoned ideas, the Jurassic franchise finally released its fourth installment in the Summer of 2015 to both enormous box office success and criticism that this once intelligent and thrilling franchise had become … Continue reading →

The Jurassic franchise continues as Nick, Scott, and guest Andrew Darowski are on an ill-fated rescue mission to save the lost son of two divorced parents from the genetically engineered theme park monsters of Isla Soma. With The Lost World … Continue reading →

In the next chapter of their journey through the Jurassic era, Nick, Scott, and returning guest Phil Dragash take a slow-moving boat ride of a different kind to the mysterious Isla Sorna, Site B of John Hammond’s infamous and deadly … Continue reading →

FRANCHISOGRAPHY comes roaring back with Season 2 for an adventure 65 million years in the making. Director Steven Spielberg’s 1993 masterpiece, Jurassic Park. Michael Crichton’s 1990 bestseller had already been courted by some of the biggest directors in Hollywood before … Continue reading →