Screen Watching

With new seasons for The Pitt (s2) & Industry (s4), we ask how much change each season is good and how much can piss off the fans? Plus, Simon reviews the new jukebox musical Song Sung Blue.

You may have seen critics delivering their lists of the top 10 TV shows and/or movies of the past year. But your pals Dan Barrett and Simon Foster have for you the OFFICIAL lists. Understand... these are the actual best. Note: Episode republished with a slight edit due to a copyright claim.

In one corner we have one guy who just isn't into Avatar at all. In the other, a guy who genuinely loves these movies. Both saw the new one, Avatar: Fire and Ash, but had very different viewing experiences. On the show this week, we are also talking about the HBO Max animated show Common Side Effects. It just debuted in Australia (after almost a year's wait). We have thoughts!

The third of Knives Out film brings back Daniel Craig’s master detective Benoit Blanc and director Rian Johnson for WAKE UP DEAD MAN, and Dan and Simon take a magnifying glass to Netflix’s blockbuster whodunnit.  There’s not much happening TV-wise, so Dan reignites his not-at-all-hidden love for Jon Hamm and talks MAD MEN. Meanwhile Simon emerges blood-splattered after watching the slasher remake...

The year might be set to end, but the flow of new movies and TV shows isn't letting up. This week: Nuremberg - in cinemas Jay Kelly - Netflix The Family McMullen - HBO Max Twiggy - Prime Video Future Boy - Spotify There's also an impromptu chat about the Netflix acquisition of Warner Bros. It's a lot of show.

This week on the pod, Dan and Simon talk about the aged and informed Stranger Things cast with season 5 debuting through the week. Simon takes a gander at Zootopia 2, while Dan goes against common consensus on new Netflix film Train Dreams.

This week on the podcast Dan has a blast with Netflix's new samurai show, while Simon struggles with the second part of the smash hit witch musical series. This week: Wicked For Good - In cinemas Last Samurai Standing - Netflix John Candy: I Like Me - Prime Video Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk - In cinemas He Had It Coming - Stan The Death of Bunny Munro - BINGE

Maybe we're more in love with the idea of Edgar Wright than his actual movies? Dan Barrett and Simon Foster explore that idea as they churn through reviews of: The Running Man (2025) - In cinemas Pluribus - Apple TV Frankenstein (2025) - Netflix The Iris Affair - Sky Atlantic | Stan Predator Badlands - In cinemas Mitchell & Webb Are Not Helping

What a massive week for television. Dan chats about: Death By Lightning - Netflix All's Fair - Hulu All Her Fault - Peacock (US) | BINGE (Aus) Ghosts Australia - Paramount+ Robin Hood 2025 - MGM+ (US) | Stan (Aus)

On the podcast this week Dan takes a ;look at the new Apple TV show Down Cemetery Road. It's based on a book series from the author behind Slow Horses. He then turns back the clock for a look at The TV movie version of The Taking of Pelham 123 and forgotten sitcom Hearts Afire.

The new Kathryn Bigelow film A House of Dynamite is streaming now on Netflix and your boy Dan Barrett was very into it. He also offers a quick take on Nobody Wants This and the 2019 Mad About You reboot.

It's another week without a co-host, which doesn't stop Dan talking about: The Diploman returns for season 3 (Netflix) The Lowdown is getting even better (Hulu) The Chair Company frustrates in the best ways (HBO Max)

Dan takes the reins of the podcast with co-host Simon Foster off in Europe or something. With Dan in charge, it's nothing but TV (with some shorter movie talk up front) The Last Frontier (Apple TV+) The Woman in Cabin 10 (Netflix) Peacemaker's season 2 series finale (HBO Max)

This week on the podcast we talk about Ethan Hawke being a very good boy in The Lowdown, a fantastic new show on Disney+. Then we talk about a really good boy in the movie Good Boy.

This week Dan and Simon gush over the new Paul Thomas Anderson film One Battle After Another. But is it as good as Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie? And how about the Brett Goldstein film All of You?

Dan and Simon wish they were more passionate about all of the movies and TV shows they're discussing this week. But instead, they're here to talk about: A Big Bold Beautiful Journey (In cinemas) Black Rabbit (Netflix) And some briefer chatter about Kangaroo (In cinemas), Swiped (Hulu/Disney+), and The Morning Show season 4 (Apple TV+)

This week Simon walks into the cinema for The Long Walk, but then it is couch time as Dan pressed play on the latest Spike Lee joint Highest 2 Lowest. Then there's some shouty Task (HBO Max) and aka Charlie Sheen (Netflix) talk.

Two screen comedies dominate the Screen Watching podcast this week with Dan Barrett taking a look at The Office Spin-off The Paper. Is it a worthy successor to the beloved comedy, or is The Paper just comedic bird cage liner? Then Simon Foster walks us through The Roses - the divorce comedy remake of War of The Roses almost no one was really after.

Dudes! Screen Watching is back with thoughts... some might dare go as far as to suggest they are hot takes... on the following: The Toxic Avenger (2025) - Finally in cinemas The Thursday Murder Club - Netflix Caught Stealing - in cinemas Eenie Meanie - Disney+/Hulu Peacemaker s2 - HBO Max

It's not a big week for reviews, but it's a substantial one with two reviews of shows/movies from bona fide creative genius' you should be across. Eddington - the new Ari Aster (Midsommer, Beau Is Afraid) film is in cinemas now Long Story Short - the new Raphael Bob-Waksberg (Bojack Horseman, Undone) show is on Netflix now

Dan and Simon are back to argue on the Screen Watching podcast. Whoever wins, we all lose! This week they have a natter about: Alien Earth (Hulu/Disney+) The Life of Chuck (In cinemas now) Butterfly (Prime Video) Platonic (Apple TV+) Smilla's Sense of Snow (SBS On Demand) Playing Gracie Darling And a very brief chat about Weapons (in cinemas)

Simon chats with us about Weapons on the podcast this week, but we're a bit more interested in the similarities between Freakier Friday and King of The Hill - two reunion projects over a decade since the original. Only one of them is any good though.

With no major releases this week, Dan and Simon have a really broad and unusual assortment of titles to discuss this week: Together (in cinemas) Leanne (Netflix) Omniscient Reader (In cinemas) The Assassin (on Stan in Australia, Prime Video elsewhere) Convoy (Plex) The Greatest Hits (Disney+) Return To Me (it was on Prime)

It's a more film-centic Screen Watching than usual with Dan and Simon taking a look at Fantastic Four: First Steps (in cinemas now), digital rental Millers in Marriage, and the Netflix release of Happy Gilmore 2. There is also a bit of South Park and Firefly talk too. Big show.

We ask this week the expected question around the latest Hollywood remake I Know What You Did Last Summer (the question obviously being why remake this and not just start with the remake of I Still Know What You Did Last Summer?) and then go on to talk about something actually pretty good, which is Netflix's new Eric Bana forestry cop drama Untamed.