Hooked: A Pop Culture Podcast with Mary Carver

With Mother's Day right around the corner, it's time to look at the best (and the worst) moms TV has to offer. From Cersei Lannister to June Cleaver, Mary and her friend Alana Dawson are debating what makes a good television mom. Did they include your favorite? Is Lorelei Gilmore REALLY a good mom? Can they separate their feelings about Aunt Becky from recent revelations about Lori Loughlin? Tune...

Now that Avengers: Endgame is out, we can theoretically stop obsessing about it and turn to all the other movies coming out this summer. Mary and her friend, Dawn Camp, watched eleventy billion trailers before sitting down to talk about the best ones. Wondering what to watch on your summertime date nights, girls' nights, or family nights? Tune in to find out ( or download your free guide )! MENTIO...

In this week's episode, Mary is joined by her friend, Kayse Pratt. They talk about one of their favorite topics: sitcoms! They talk about their favorites from childhood, the sitcoms they watch now, why sitcoms are important, and their top 3(ish) sitcoms of all time. MENTIONED IN THE SHOW:   The fashion of Blossom A very special episode of Mr. Belvedere Family Matters was a spinoff of Perfect Stran...

In this week's episode, Mary is joined by Amy Clark, founder of MomAdvice.com and host of The MomAdvice Book Club on Facebook. As a self-proclaimed book nerd who loves reading, reviewing, and recommending books, she's the perfect person to tell us what to read next, based on our favorite TV shows. For all the details on each show and book mentioned (plus a few extras that didn't make the cut!), cl...

This week Mary and Alia Joy talk about the people in pop culture they've admired and looked up to. And they also talked about the difficulty of finding someone to look up to when nobody looks like you. (And Mary realized the characters she liked most as a kid have something interesting in common...) MENTIONED IN THE SHOW:   Molly Ringwald in John Hughes movies ( This recent article by Ringwald is...

But was the book better? This week's episode is all about book-to-movie adaptations. Mary talks to Tsh Oxenreider about a whole bunch of books that have been turned into movies, and they dissect what makes a good adaptation and debate whether or not you must read the book first. And, as usual, Mary admits something not-so-shocking to faithful listeners. This time, it's about Jane Austen. Was the b...

This week my friend Amanda White and I are talking about beach reads and books to escape into. Mainly because, as she said, if you can't go on a fancy spring break trip right now, just escape into a book! We talk about our favorite "comfort food" books, all the time travel stories we can remember, and whether or not "bibliotherapy" is a real word. (Verdict: It might not be, but it should be.) And...

Who are your favorite Hallmark actors and actresses? Last week (in episode #10), Anna Rendell and I tackled the enormously difficult task of choosing our favorite Hallmark Christmas movie, tournament bracket style. This week we're back at it, ranking our favorite actors and actresses of these cheesy-but-beloved Hallmark (and Lifetime) movies. Did we get it right? Tune in, and then let us know! And...

In honor of NCAA March Madness (and because they don't really do the sports), Mary and her good friend, Anna Rendell, put 64 holiday movies into a tournament bracket. Listen as they reveal their top 8 teams -- I mean, movies -- as well as their ultimate champion. Will you agree with their picks? Only one way to find out...tune in! MENTIONED IN THE SHOW: Print your own (blank) 64-team bracket here...

This week Mary is joined by Lisa-Jo Baker, and they take a vague topic like "what inspires us" and break it down. They discuss flawed heroes vs. antiheroes, as well as the universal draw of good vs. evil. And Mary vows to read a book series Lisa-Jo recommends (for the third time). Tune in to be inspired! MENTIONED IN THE SHOW: Still Life by Louise Penny (the first book in the Inspector Gamache ser...

This week Mary is joined by Grace P. Cho, and they tackle the topic of representation in pop culture. If you've ever wondered why diversity in pop culture matters or what "representation" even means, you won't want to miss this conversation.  MENTIONED IN THE SHOW: Kim's Convenience Crazy Rich Asians Black Panther To All the Boys I've Loved Before ALSO MENTIONED: IF: Gathering Vivan Mabuni Eugene...

Though we've been hanging out on the couch for several weeks now, this was one of the first episodes Mary recorded. She talks with her friend Jenny Rapson about their favorite strong female characters. And, just so you know, they do decide to just call them *badass.* So, that happens. Tune in for all that and more! MENTIONED IN THE SHOW: Veronica Mars ( the TV show ) Veronica Mars ( the movie ) Ve...

Today Mary and her friend Kristin Taylor talk about their favorite couples found in pop culture (mainly TV). They also debate the importance of sitcoms, but that's another topic for another day. After all, despite their realization that they watch very few of the same shows, this episode ended up being all about teamwork. Tune in for the details! MENTIONED IN THE SHOW: Madam Secretary (the TV show...

Today Mary and her friend and fellow podcaster, Amber Salhus, talk about the ladies from pop culture they'd love to hang out with -- and maybe a few they'll just admire from a distance. Did we mention your favorite female duos? Tune in to find out! MENTIONED IN THE SHOW: Tina Fey and Amy Poehler (from SNL ) Leslie Knope and Ann Perkins (from Parks and Recreation ) Meredith Grey and Cristina Yang (...

In this episode Mary and her friend, Kristen Strong, talk about one of their favorite things: Hallmark movies and shows! Okay, really, today's topic is technically Pop Culture When You Need Something Cozy or Heartwarming. But clearly that path led straight to Hallmark, do not pass go, do not collect $200. As moms of teens and tweens, Mary and Kristen also talk about shows to watch with your kids....

Today Mary and her friend, Myquillyn Smith (aka, The Nester), talk about boundaries in how we consume entertainment. In other words, TV (and books and movies and everyone who says, "Oh, you've got to watch Game of Thrones!") is NOT the boss of you. Mary confesses how many times she should have just listened to Myquillyn's TV show recommendations (hello, The Goldbergs, where have you been all my li...

Today Mary and her friend, Amanda White, talk about TV shows, movies, and books about spies. Yes, they know, they forgot Alias. But they mentioned a whole lot of other ones! And rabbit trails include talk about planning parties, bickering like an old married couple, and laughing 'til they cried over absolutely nothing at all. It's a good time! Join us on The Couch! MENTIONED IN THE SHOW: Chuck (NB...

This episode is a short welcome from host Mary Carver and an explanation of what listeners can expect from this show. Prepare to hear nervous laughter and awkward pauses, as well as references to opening lines from famous books like Pride & Prejudice and The Martian. Mary will explain what kind of podcast The Couch will be, who it's for, and just how much laughter listeners are going to hear in up...