Great Pop Culture Debate

Somewhere around the mid-1970s, Hollywood studios realized that the summer months were the perfect launching point for their most-expensive, highest-profile projects. With kids out of school, families needed something to do. The prestigious Oscar-bait timeframe was half a year away. And people welcomed an opportunity to get out of the sun and into a dark, air-conditioned room to watch grown men ge...

Great Pop Culture Debate host Eric Rezsnyak explains how we created the bracket for our 2025 Summer Special devoted to the best blockbuster movies released between Memorial Day and Labor Day, from 1975's "Jaws" through 2023's "Barbie" -- and walks you through the Round 1 match-ups. The main episode will release on Tuesday, July 15, wherever you listen to podcasts. Make sure to subscribe to the pod...

Writer, director, actor, and artist John Waters has been making avant-garde cinema since the 1960s. His movies have pushed boundaries and shocked audiences with their wild characters and surreal storylines, even as they offer piercing insights into popular American culture and society. While he experienced mainstream crossover success by the 1980s and into the 2000s, and has been embraced by many...

Great Pop Culture Debate host Eric Rezsnyak explains how we created the bracket for our 2025 Pride Special episode devoted to the best John Waters film -- and walks you through the Round 1 match-ups. The main episode will release on Tuesday, June 24, wherever you listen to podcasts. Make sure to subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss any upcoming episodes: https://www.greatpopculturedebate.com...

While comic books have traditionally been defined by heroes that reflect the extremes of masculinity and femininity, and aimed at a primary straight-male audience, a notable shift has happened over the past 20 or so years. Where queer characters were once merely hinted at, or when included portrayed as grotesque stereotypes, since at least the 2000s comics have become increasingly more inclusive....

Great Pop Culture Debate host Eric Rezsnyak explains how we created the bracket for our 2025 Pride Special episode devoted to the best LGBTQIA+ superheroes featured in comic books -- and walks you through the Round 1 match-ups. The main episode will release on Tuesday, June 17, wherever you listen to podcasts. Make sure to subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss any upcoming episodes: https://w...

Few rock bands have had a greater global impact than Queen . The British act, whose core line-up included Brian May, Roger Taylor, John Deacon, and absolutely iconic frontman Freddie Mercury – emerged from scrappy prog-rock band in the early 1970s, to pop-rock superstars in the late 70s, to arena-rock gods in the 1980s, selling out shows on almost every continent. Queen’s Greatest Hits album from...

Great Pop Culture Debate host Eric Rezsnyak explains how we created the bracket for our episode devoted to the best musical singles released by British rock legends Queen -- and walks you through the Round 1 match-ups. The main episode will release on Tuesday, June 10, wherever you listen to podcasts. Make sure to subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss any upcoming episodes: https://www.greatp...

Video games made their way into American homes as early as the 1970s. But it wasn’t until the console wars in the 1990s that in-home video-game consoles became nearly ubiquitous. Nintendo, Sega, Sony, and Microsoft were all pumping out quality machines that played increasingly awe-inspiring games, and that trend has continued ever since. As Nintendo prepares to kick off the next generation of cons...

Great Pop Culture Debate host Eric Rezsnyak explains how we created the bracket for our episode devoted to the best video-game consoles, and walks you through the Round 1 match-ups. The main episode will release on Tuesday, June 3, wherever you listen to podcasts. Make sure to subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss any upcoming episodes: https://www.greatpopculturedebate.com/subscribe And if y...

As of late 2024, more than 170 women had been cast on one of the 12 Real Housewives franchises to air on cable network Bravo. But not all of those housewives were worthy of the title. Each franchise has had its peaks and valleys, but at their best, they have given us incredible reality television generated by the unique alchemy of their casts. So grab your oranges, apples, peaches, diamonds, snowf...

Great Pop Culture Debate host Eric Rezsnyak explains how we created the bracket for our episode devoted to the best casts from Bravo TV's "Real Housewives" franchises, and walks you through the Round 1 match-ups. The main episode will release on Tuesday, May 27, wherever you listen to podcasts. Make sure to subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss any upcoming episodes: https://www.greatpopcultu...

Flashback to 1988! The world was changing in significant ways. And in the movie theaters, Americans were treated to a wonderfully inventive, original slate of films that would delight both audiences and critics. So join the Great Pop Culture Debate as we throw it back to determine the Best Film of 1988. Films discussed: Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, Gorillas in the Mist, Scrooged, Heathers, The Naked...

Great Pop Culture Debate host Eric Rezsnyak explains how we created the bracket for our episode devoted to the best American films release in 1988, and walks you through the Round 1 match-ups. The main episode will release on Tuesday, May 20, 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 culture, sign up...

Since Marvel Comics introduced the X-Men in 1963, Marvel’s merry mutants have gone through any number of permutations. Countless characters have joined and left the squad, and the team has produced a slew of spin-off groups that still undeniably fall under the X-banner. With the X-Men back in the public spotlight thanks to Disney+’s blockbuster “X-Men 97” animated series, and the property’s slow b...

Great Pop Culture Debate host Eric Rezsnyak explains how we created the bracket for our episode devoted to the best team line-ups that have been featured in Marvel Comics' X-Men series (and its spin-off titles), and walks you through the Round 1 match-ups. The main episode will release on Tuesday, May 13, wherever you listen to podcasts. ⁠⁠⁠Make sure to subscribe to the podcast⁠⁠⁠ so you don't mis...

William Martin Joel – better known to the world simply as Billy Joel – is one of the defining American popular music artists of the late 20th Century. From the 1970s to the early 1990s, he released a dozen studio albums, selling more than 160 million records worldwide on the strength of numerous hit singles that were embraced by both audiences and music critics alike. Billy Joel’s music crosses ge...

Great Pop Culture Debate host Eric Rezsnyak explains how we created the bracket for our episode devoted to the best singles released by music icon Billy Joel, and walks you through the Round 1 match-ups. The main episode will release on Tuesday, May 6, 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 culture, si...

Upon its release on April 28, 2011, Judd Apatow ’s Bridesmaids became a commercial and critical smash. The film would go on to earn more than $300 million at the worldwide box office — nearly 15 years later it remains the highest-grossing Apatow picture – and receive a Golden Globe nomination for Best Comedy Film, and two Oscar nominations for Best Supporting Actress and Best Original Screenplay....

Great Pop Culture Debate host Eric Rezsnyak explains how we created the bracket for our episode devoted to the best lines from 2011's critical and commercial smash hit movie, Bridesmaids , and walks you through the Round 1 match-ups. The main episode will release on Tuesday, April 29, wherever you listen to podcasts. ⁠Make sure to subscribe to the podcast⁠ so you don't miss any upcoming episodes:...

For many of us, 2015 feels like just a few years ago. But the reality is, we are now a full DECADE away from the midpoint of the 2010s. You know what that means: time for a potent hit of nostalgia, arguably more comforting than ever in these unprecedented times. Thankfully, 2015 was loaded with incredible music, including career-defining singles for more than one pop-music superstar, some strong d...

Great Pop Culture Debate host Eric Rezsnyak explains how we created the bracket for our episode devoted to the best songs that were popular in 2015 -- which includes some songs released in 2014 -- and walks you through the Round 1 match-ups. The main episode will release on Tuesday, April 22, wherever you listen to podcasts. Make sure to subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss any upcoming epis...

When it came to movies, 90s kids had it GOOD. Disney was firmly in its Renaissance period, churning out beloved blockbuster after beloved blockbuster. Kid stars like Macauley Culkin and Kirsten Dunst were featured in breakout roles, and kid-friendly vets like Robin Williams were given bonkers vehicles with which to let loose. And sports movies! So many sports movies, if you’re into that kind of th...

Great Pop Culture Debate host Eric Rezsnyak explains how we created the bracket for our episode devoted to the best kids' films of the 1990s -- films starring kids, or aimed at children and families released in American theaters between January 1, 1990, and December 31, 1999 -- and walks you through the Round 1 match-ups. The main episode will release on Tuesday, April 15, wherever you listen to p...

Television shows can live or die based on their premiere episodes – so-called “pilots” designed to make a series take off with viewers and critics alike. A great first episode can almost instantly cement a show’s place in the television pantheon, and catapult a series into the cultural conversation. So join us as the Great Pop Culture Debate looks back at 16 of the most successful first episodes o...