Great Pop Culture Debate

Heists have been a part of cinema since at least 1903, when The Great Train Robbery became one of the most successful movies of its time. There’s something intrinsically compelling about people stealing things – the thrill of transgression, the desperation that leads to the act, the anxiety of getting caught. Heist films have changed tremendously over the intervening 120-plus years, but the best o...

We’re taking a short break from new episodes this week, but we didn’t want to leave you without a little something to listen to. Instead, we’re bringing you a Hot Take from our Season 4 Best Disco Song episode, initially released in September 2021. In this clip, panelists Eric Rezsnyak, Karissa Kloss, Gary Jackson and Derek Mekita square off over two dance floor classics: ABBA's "Dancing Queen" an...

While women have been featured in comedy films since the beginning of the motion picture, around the 1980s, studios seemed to realize: women are funny, and women can be big business. Over the past four decades, some of the sharpest, wittiest, most bonkers films have been centered on – and in some cases created by – women. We want to celebrate these funny ladies, so join the Great Pop Culture Debat...

Science fiction has been part of television since at least the 1950s, when “Lost in Space” and “Star Trek” gave us charmingly quaint visions of what the future could look like. By the dawn of the 21st Century, technology had caught up to creators' visions, leading to a Golden Age of genre television. Series celebrated by critics and embraced by audiences with their mind-blowing imagination and, at...

Stevland Hardaway Morris – better known to the world as Stevie Wonder – signed his first record deal at age 11, and scored his first Billboard No. 1 by age 13. He transitioned from child musical prodigy in the 1960s to one of the most influential artists of the 1970s and 80s, bringing jazz, r’n’b, reggae, and funk into the mainstream, and having a major hand in bringing synthesizer sounds into mai...

It’s the year 2026, and while the LGBTQ community is under attack politically and socially, we remain blessed when it comes to queer representation on our TV screens – at least for the time being. Even 20 years ago, we couldn’t have conceived of how accepting the small screen would become, with gays, lesbians, bi, and trans folx appearing not only in series created specifically for them, but hes,...

The Looney Tunes animated anthology series premiered in 1930, and in its nearly 100 years has become a pop-culture juggernaut, conquering movie theaters, television, video games, theme parks, and more. The franchise launched entertainment icons like Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, and others that have entertained generations, won a slew of accolades including five Academy Awards, and has genera...

Australian Kylie Minogue has released 17 studio albums, nearly 100 singles, and sold more than 80 million records worldwide. And yet, most Americans remain largely unaware of this international princess of Pop. While Kylie has had numerous breakthroughs in all of the last five decades, her 2023 dance-pop track “Padam Padam” became one of the biggest hits in her nearly 40-year career, proving that...

It is not hyperbole to say that Stephen Sondheim was among the most important creative voices in 20th Century American musical theater. From the 1950s through to the 2020s, he wrote the lyrics, music, or both for some of the most critically and commercially successful shows of our lifetimes. Sondheim’s shows are beloved not only for their incredibly catchy songs, but also for their insightful stor...

While films had been made to promote music dating back to at least the 1960s, the music video became a fixture of pop culture in the 1980s. Accelerated by the birth of MTV, MuchMusic, and VH1, music videos in the 80s experienced extraordinary growth in both popularity and artistic creativity. The decade would produce countless iconic music videos, giving renowned artists a second shot at relevancy...

Alfred Hitchcock was the so-called Master of Suspense. From the 1930s through the 1960s, he directed dozens of films – mostly in the murder-mystery, psychological horror, or spy drama genres – and worked with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars to create masterpieces that continue to feel relevant more than half a century later. While his personal life and professional ethics are fraught with contro...

“The Simpsons” began as crudely drawn sketches on The Tracey Ullman Show on the then-nascent Fox Network in 1987. Two years later, it spun off into its own show – the first primetime animated series to air since “The Flintstones” in the 1960s. “The Simpsons” became an unexpected hit, and Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie became one of the most iconic families in television history, as well as a...

In 2006, the United States had a wildly unpopular Republican president, was embroiled in a pointless war in the Middle East, and was heading straight toward a major economic crisis. Sound familiar? But at least 20 years ago we had some amazing music to make those terrible times at least somewhat more enjoyable. Belting pop-rock ballads. Infectious hip-hop tracks, foundational emo-punk, and what ca...

And now for something completely different! Welcome to the 200th episode of the Great Pop Culture Debate podcast. Typically you all listen to OUR opinions on music, movies, TV, video games, comic books, and more. But for this anniversary special, we’re handing the mic to YOU, the listeners. In our nearly six years and 199 episodes, we’ve gotten a lot of things right – but we’ve also gotten some th...

We’re off this week, but orange you glad we found a little something for your feed? Check out THIS Hot Take argument from our Season 9 episode, Best Nickelodeon Original Series, in which host Eric Rezsnyak and panelists Amma Marfo, Andrea Guerrero, Curtis Creekmore, and Joelle Boedecker, discuss two of Nick's most enduring teen-oriented series, the sketch show "All That" and the animated series, "...

We’re off this week, but we didn't want to go breaking your heart, so here's a little ditty on your feed. Check out THIS Hot Take argument from our Season 9 episode, Best Elton John Single, in which host Eric Rezsnyak and panelists Derek Mekita, Kate Racculia, and special guest John Higgins, Sir Elton John's personal archivist, discuss two of his most memorable hits from the 1980s, "Sacrifice" and...

We’re off this week, but we're still feeling Jovani and wanted to drop something incredibly chic on your feed. Check out THIS Hot Take argument from our Season 11 episode, Best "Real Housewives" Cast, in which host Eric Rezsnyak and panelists Jake Lewis, Jake Pitochelli, and Kevin Dillon discuss two of most memorable casts from Bravo's reality franchise, the Season 3 apple-holders from "Real House...

We’re off this week, but we still wanted to drop something on your feed. Check out THIS Hot Take argument from our Season 8 episode, Best "Les Miserables" Song, in which host Eric Rezsnyak and panelists Bob Erlenback, Curtis Creekmore, and Joelle Boedecker discuss two of most memorable songs from the Broadway and film musical. Want to hear more from this episode (originally released on February 26...

The TV series “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” aired 144 original episodes from March 1997 to May 2003 on two now-defunct TV networks, the WB and UPN, which would ultimately merge to become the CW. That’s fitting, because “Buffy” essentially provided the blueprint for the bulk of what would air on CW – and other teen-skewing networks – for decades to come. There were teen dramas before “Buffy,” and ther...

Great Pop Culture Debate host Eric Rezsnyak explains how we created the bracket for our Season 12 episode devoted to the Best "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" Episode. Walk through the Round 1 match-ups and see which episodes made the cut. The main episode will release on Tuesday, March 3, wherever you listen to podcasts. And if you love pop culture, ⁠⁠⁠sign up for our weekly newsletter⁠⁠⁠ to keep up on...

Pop music in 1990 was a wild experience. New queens of pop like Paula Abdul, Taylor Dayne, and Mariah Carey stood shoulder pad to bustier with 80s ladies Madonna and Janet Jackson. Hip-hop broke into the mainstream in a big way with M.C. Hammer and Vanilla Ice. The last gasps of hair metal still clung to the airwaves like so much AquaNet residue. Club music somehow how found its way onto Top 40 ra...

Great Pop Culture Debate host Eric Rezsnyak explains how we created the bracket for our Season 12 episode devoted to the very best songs that were popular in 1990. Walk through the Round 1 match-ups and see which tracks made the cut. The main episode will release on Tuesday, February 24, wherever you listen to podcasts. And if you love pop culture, ⁠⁠⁠sign up for our weekly newsletter⁠⁠⁠ to keep u...

Myra Ellen Amos – better known as Tori Amos – is a singular voice in American popular music. While she has been nominated for such major accolades as Grammys and MTV Video Music Awards, she never received significant mainstream radio play in America. Still, her prodigious musical skills and captivating, poetry-rich lyrics confronting topics like religion, misogyny, and sexual assault made her an a...

Great Pop Culture Debate host Eric Rezsnyak explains how we created the bracket for our Patreon-sponsored episode devoted to our favorite songs by alternative music icon Tori Amos. Walk through the Round 1 match-ups and see which tracks made the cut. The main episode will release on Tuesday, February 17, wherever you listen to podcasts. And if you love pop culture, ⁠⁠⁠sign up for our weekly newsle...

“The Naked Gun” series of films premiered in 1988, a movie continuation of the flop TV show “Police Squad.” While the spoof of police procedurals didn’t find an audience when it ran on ABC for just six episodes in 1982, the misadventures of Leslie Nielsen’s Lieutenant Frank Drebin were a smash success on the big screen, leading to a trilogy in the late 20th Century, and a reboot film in 2025....