Great Pop Culture Debate

Great Pop Culture Debate host Eric Rezsnyak explains how we created the bracket for our episode devoted to the best songs featured on the Fox musical-comedy-drama TV series "Glee," and walks you through the Round 1 match-ups. The main episode will release on Tuesday, November 4, wherever you listen to podcasts. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Make sure to subscribe to the podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ so you don't miss any upcoming episod...

Everything was big in the 80s. The hair. The fashion. The movies. That included a slew of romantic comedies with modest budgets, but which became box-office smashes thanks to their novel concepts, sparkling scripts, and charismatic leads. In what other decade could you have a film about a magic mannequin that was secretly a naive sexpot, or gruff Australian hunter who charms the pants off a big-ci...

Great Pop Culture Debate host Eric Rezsnyak explains how we created the bracket for our episode devoted to the best romantic comedy movies of the 1980s, and walks you through the Round 1 match-ups. The main episode will release on Tuesday, October 28, wherever you listen to podcasts. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Make sure to subscribe to the podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ so you don't miss any upcoming episodes. And ⁠⁠subscribe to our Y...

Grunge music emerged from the Pacific Northwest in the late 1980s, replacing the outrageous styles and slick solos of hair metal with grinding guitars, growling vocals, and ample ennui. The so-called Seattle Sound broke into the mainstream via bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Hole, and others, before fading away after just a few years. While the genre’s cultural footpri...

Great Pop Culture Debate host Eric Rezsnyak explains how we created the bracket for our episode devoted to the best grunge song, and walks you through the Round 1 match-ups. The main episode will release on Tuesday, October 21, wherever you listen to podcasts. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Make sure to subscribe to the podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ so you don't miss any upcoming episodes. And ⁠⁠subscribe to our YouTube Channel⁠⁠ so you...

While fantasy films have existed almost as long as cinema, the genre cast a particularly potent spell on the movies of the 1970s and especially the 1980s. Studios needed new horizons for adventure films, and bigger budgets led to awe-inspiring tales of warriors and wizards, magic and dragons. Fans of high fantasy films were awash in epic tales in the last quarter of the 20th Century. So strap on y...

Great Pop Culture Debate host Eric Rezsnyak explains how we created the bracket for our episode devoted to the best fantasy films released between 1975 and 1999, and walks you through the Round 1 match-ups. The main episode will release on Tuesday, October 14, wherever you listen to podcasts. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Make sure to subscribe to the podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ so you don't miss any upcoming episodes. And ⁠⁠subscribe...

With rare exceptions, most television series want you to like their lead characters. They want you to identify with the lead, or invest in their journey, or find them charming or endearing. But it doesn’t always work out that way. Sometimes lead characters start out well enough, and over time their flaws become harder to ignore, their behaviors increasingly maddening. Sometimes a lead is put forwa...

Great Pop Culture Debate host Eric Rezsnyak explains how we created the bracket for our episode devoted to the WORST lead character in a TV series, and walks you through the Round 1 match-ups. The main episode will release on Tuesday, October 7, wherever you listen to podcasts. ⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Make sure to subscribe to the podcast⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠ so you don't miss any upcoming episodes. And ⁠subscribe to our YouTube...

Dolly Rebecca Parton grew up in extreme poverty in Appalachian Tennessee, and over the course of a legendary 60-year-and-counting career, would become one of the most important artists in country music. A singer, a songwriter, an actor, a producer, an entrepreneur, and a philanthropist, Dolly has basically done it all – and she’s done it all better than almost anyone. Dolly has released 50 albums,...

Here we come again! Great Pop Culture Debate host Eric Rezsnyak explains how we created the bracket for our episode devoted to the best Dolly Parton song (specifically, her officially released singles). He also walks you through the Round 1 match-ups. The main episode will release on Tuesday, September 30, wherever you listen to podcasts. ⁠⁠⁠⁠ Make sure to subscribe to the podcast ⁠⁠⁠⁠ so you don'...

“The X-Files” premiered on the Fox network in September 1993. While the sci-fi mystery show was inspired by earlier series like “The Twilight Zone,” “Twin Peaks,” and “Kolchak: The Night Stalker,” creator Chris Carter tapped into a unique moment in the cultural zeitgeist to produce something even more resonant. The adventures of two outcast FBI agents investigating aliens, monsters, and unexplaine...

The truth is out there! Great Pop Culture Debate host Eric Rezsnyak explains how we created the bracket for our episode devoted to the best episode of "The X-Files." He also walks you through the Round 1 match-ups. The main episode will release on Tuesday, September 23, wherever you listen to podcasts. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Make sure to subscribe to the podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ so you don't miss any upcoming episodes. And subsc...

In May 1990, then-unknown 21-year-old Mariah Carey released her debut single, “Vision of Love.” Within a handful of weeks, the song would hit No. 1 on the Billboard charts, and it would be followed by four additional No. 1 tracks, setting records and making it clear: Mariah Carey and her five-octave vocal range were here, and pop music would never sound the same. Mariah had No. 1 singles every yea...

Season 12 begins! Great Pop Culture Debate host Eric Rezsnyak explains how we created the bracket for our episode devoted to the best Mariah Carey Song. He also walks you through the Round 1 match-ups. The main episode will release on Tuesday, September 16, wherever you listen to podcasts. ⁠⁠⁠Make sure to subscribe to the podcast⁠⁠⁠ so you don't miss any upcoming episodes. And if you love pop cult...

We’re taking a short break from new episodes this week, but we’d never leave you stranded at Shady Pines without some company.  And what better time than now? We’re celebrating the 40th Anniversary of "The Golden Girls" on September 14th with this Hot Take from our Season 6 episode, Best "Golden Girls" Episode. Want to hear more form this episode (originally released in September 26, 2022)? ⁠Click...

We’re taking a break from new episodes this week, but we didn’t want to leave you without something to watch over you. So consider us your trusty babysitters, keeping you entertained while you flip through your reading list. In honor of National Read a Book Day on September 6, we’re giving you a Hot Take from our Season 9 episode, Best Baby-sitters Club Book . Want to hear more form this episode (...

The Emmy Awards , which celebrate the best in television each year, have a tendency to favor the Drama categories – often seen as the more “sophisticated” or “prestige” projects. But from our perspective, the Emmy winners in the Comedy series are every bit as deserving, and in many cases, have contributed just as much to the cultural conversation as their more dramatic counterparts. That is especi...

Great Pop Culture Debate host Eric Rezsnyak explains how we created the bracket for our 2025 Summer Special devoted to the best actresses to ever when the Emmy Award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series (supporting or lead). He also walks you through the Round 1 match-ups. The main episode will release on Tuesday, August 26, wherever you listen to podcasts. ⁠⁠Make sure to subscribe to the podcast⁠⁠...

No new episode this week, but we didn't want to leave you powerless. Enjoy this "hot take" argument from our Season 8 episode Best Super Hero Film, in which Kevin Dillon, Brendan Hay, Jake Lewis, and Eric Rezsnyak debate Marvel's "Black Panther" from 2018 and Warner Bros. Pictures' 1989 "Batman" film. Want to hear more from this episode (originally released October 23, 2023)? ⁠ Click here to liste...

Swedish band ABBA – made up of Agnetha, Bjorn, Benny, and Anni-Frid – conquered the global record charts in the 1970s, and became one of the most successful music groups of all time, conservatively selling more than 150 million albums worldwide. After winning the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974, the quartet would release a string of smash hit songs that made them household names across Europe, the...

Great Pop Culture Debate host Eric Rezsnyak explains how we created the bracket for our 2025 Summer Special devoted to the best songs released by Swedish supergroup and Eurovision champions, ABBA. He also walks you through the Round 1 match-ups. The main episode will release on Tuesday, August 12, wherever you listen to podcasts. ⁠Make sure to subscribe to the podcast⁠ so you don't miss any upcomi...

No new episode this week, but we didn't want to leave you lonely. Enjoy this "hot take" argument from our Season 8 episode Best Whitney Houston Song, in which Amma Marfo, Derek Mekita, Gary Jackson, and Eric Rezsnyak debate Whitney's "So Emotional," and her performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner" from the 1991 Super Bowl. Want to hear more from this episode (originally released September 11, 202...

Musicians have been inspired by alcohol since the days of traveling troubadours. Booze is a loosener of lips, a loosener of hips, and a shared experience for many adults – although respect to our sober brothers and sisters, especially in these challenging times. The summer months in particular have long been associated with adult beverages. Margaritas on the deck. Wine on the beach. A nice cold be...

Great Pop Culture Debate host Eric Rezsnyak explains how we created the bracket for our 2025 Summer Special devoted to the best drinking song -- songs about drinking, or about specific alcohols -- and walks you through the Round 1 match-ups. The main episode will release on Tuesday, July 29, wherever you listen to podcasts. Make sure to subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss any upcoming episo...