The 42cast

The original Lost in Space was a contemporary series of Star Trek, but it never got the same kind of following as the other sci-fi series. The storylines tended to be far more immature and the special effects left a lot to be desired. Yet, in 2018 Netflix decided to reboot the series. Taking the basic idea of the original series, they modernized it’s tale of the Robinson family, lost far away from...

As we round out the year, we’re joined by Eric and Julia Lewald to discuss their work in animation, focusing on X-Men: The Animated Series and Exosquad . There are anecdotes aplenty as they detail how they broke into animation, working to get X-Men made the way that they want to, meeting Stan Lee, ideas that didn’t make it to the screen, and so much more. We also talk about Eric’s book, Previously...

Star Trek was an idea devised by Gene Roddenberry over fifty years ago. He wanted to tell a hopeful story about the future that not only entertained but showed the potential of humanity. His series was not considered a big success at the time, but it has lived on in reruns and numerous spinoff TV shows and spinoffs since the late 70’s. In this episode we take a look at “Star Trek” as a whole. We d...

Last Jedi hit movie theaters two years ago, and the reaction was unprecedented. It made its bank as expected, but the controversies both in and out of universe raged in a way that no single movie has ever provoked. With The Rise of Skywalker premiering this year, we decided that it was time to pull out our review of The Last Jedi. We discuss many of the issues and concerns that people have about t...

As Runaways season 3 rushes at us, we’re taking a look back to our discussion of season 2. Runaways was a surprise property for Marvel TV, taking a relatively new comic and placing it on Hulu during a time when Marvel was mostly putting TV content on Netflix. The first season achieved both critical and fan acclaim, garnering a renewal on Hulu was an increased episode count. In this episode we exam...

This week we release out interview with Wendy Padbury from Chicago TARDIS 2018. Wendy played Zoe Heriot in the 5th and 6th seasons of Doctor Who alongside Patrick Troughton as the Doctor and Fraser Hines as Jamie McCrimmon. Since 2007 she has reprized the role of Zoe for Big Finish and has continued to play the character in audio dramas ever since. In this episode we discuss her work on Doctor Who...

Doctor Who is the longest running science fiction television franchise of all time. With this episode we kick off a series on each Doctor, as we discuss their contributions to the overall story of Doctor Who. In our first installment we discuss William Hartnell. We talk about the first Doctor’s character, Hartnell’s performance, behind-the-scenes details that informed the performance and varied th...

Justice League was the culmination of DC’s attempt to create an interconnected movie universe akin to Marvel’s Avengers line. Having introduced Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman in the previous films, the movie introduced viewers to The Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg as the team banded together to protect all life on Earth from the threat of Steppenwolf. The production suffered some problems. Most no...

This week, green is the new black as we discuss season 7 of Arrow. Oliver Queen has been thrown in jail, and a new Green Arrow appears on the scene in the form of Oliver’s secret half-sister, Emiko. The Queen family tree may have more hidden branches than the Charmings’, but we ensure that everything is clear with our typical, somber commentary on the proceedings. We discuss how this season effect...

Four years and 2 networks into the series, Supergirl seems to have finally found it’s footing. In this episode we discuss difficulties of writing for the eternal optimism of Kara Danvers. We also discuss John Cryer’s surprising turn as Lex Luthor, Brainiac 5’s addition to the cast, and why a little moral ambiguity goes a long way in a series like this. Instead of a 5-minute controversy, this week...

After years of messing with the timeline, the Flash becomes embroiled in his daughter’s very own Flashpoint as Nora-West Allen joins the crew in season 5 of The Flash. In this episode we examine the ramifications of this storyline as it effects the past, present, and future of The Flash. We’ll also talk about the villainy of Cicada, why the Reverse Flash is always Barry’s greatest nemesis, ways of...

Before Black Lightning season 3 premieres next week, we do our review of season 2. We’re one cast member short this time, but that doesn’t mean that we haven’t jam packed the episode full of all the careful analysis, witty banter, and overall geeky hijinks of any other episode of The 42cast. We discuss the villainy of Tobias Whale, the awesomeness of the Pierce family, and discuss how well the soc...

Legion is a mind-trippy story about the most powerful mutant on Earth, who also suffers from severe mental illness. In this episode we stare into the abyss of season 2 and try to keep it from staring back into us. Along the way we come to conclusions, all of which are probably inaccurate. Still, we have a fun time. Along the way we talk about Gary’s teeth sweating, Anji reveals the true villain of...

Last year, before the wave of cancellations of Marvel Netflix series there was hope that we’d be getting these for a long time to come. This week, The 42cast pulls an episode from the archives from those halcyon days where we discuss Jessica Jones season 2. This season was controversial as many said that it lost some of what made the first season great. We address those comments as well as discuss...

Many people expected season 5 of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. to be the end of the series. It had achieved 100 episodes and much of that season seemed to be a wrap up. In this episode we talk about expectations vs. reality. Did the season work better as the end of the series or as just one installment in a continuing story? We also examine the links to the MCU at large and discuss whether that’s hinderi...

Come celebrate 50 episodes of The 42cast. Unlike other podcasts we’re not doing anything special. We’re just bringing you the same great reviews that you’ve come to expect from The 42cast. This time we discuss season one of Marvel’s Cloak and Dagger. The series is a bit of a looser adaptation than many other Marvel properties and skews far younger in the demographics. This week we discuss the seri...

Star Trek: Discovery relaunched the Star Trek franchise on TV after a hiatus of over a decade. Set before the original Star Trek series, Discovery’s slick look and darker tones evoked polarization in fandom as some gravitated towards the update and others rejected what they saw as an affront to Gene Roddenberry’s vision of the future. In this episode we talk about those issues as well as the decis...

The Punisher was the last of the Marvel Netflix series. The Punisher hadn’t been part of the original deal for the “Defenders” series between Marvel and the streaming service, but the popularity of the character in season 2 of Daredevil lead to quick negotiations and a series announcement. Dealing with the aftermath of Frank’s hunt of all those that he thought were responsible for the death of his...

Originally, Gotham was going to be the story of a young Jim Gordon fighting crime in Gotham. By the fourth season, any pretext that this was a show that centered on Gordon was gone. The cast was vast, and the characters shared the limelight. The series remained controversial among Batman fans due to the liberties that it took with the mythology, but it also attracted many more people who were inte...

Marvel’s Runaways brought the MCU to Hulu. As a continuity light series it allowed the focus to reside on the teen stars and their parents, as the youngsters realize that their parents are involved in horrific and evil goings on. In this episode, we take a look at how well the series succeeded in introducing the characters, what we thought of the pacing, the macro-plot, favorite characters, and wh...

Marvel’s Inhumans made history by being the only MCU series to not be renewed for a second season. With controversial choice of showrunner, Scott Buck, helming the show, the series suffered from poor ratings and poor reception from the fanbase. In this episode we examine the Inhumans series and examine what went wrong. In addition we examine the context of the show and the usage of the characters...

The Orville surprised everyone when it debuted. Advertised as a crass parody of Star Trek, the Orville turned out to be a far more sophisticated show than anyone including the network gave it credit for. In this episode we do a deep dive into the first season of The Orville, discussing the the characters and plots, but also talking about how it fits into the legacy of Trek and whether it and Star...

Timeless gained a second year because the fans demanded it. In a season with reduced runtime and a lower budget Timeless fought for its very survival and told another interesting story through time. In this episode we delve into the changes between Timeless season 1 and season 2, talk about the growth in the characters, and what we think of the evolving Timeless storyline. Sadly, this episode was...

In its 3rd year, Supergirl was fraught with problems. The showrunner was fired, and the show suffered from production delays. In this episode we look back at the season and talk about what worked and what didn’t. We’ll talk about how the show has changed and how we think that it should stay the same. We also discuss the character relationships and how they’ve developed from the beginning of the se...

DC’s Legends of Tomorrow became the underdog of the Berlanti universe. Coming out of a season 1 panned by critics and fans, Legends gained more solid footing in its second season. Now, we assemble a cast to discuss season 3 of the series. We talk about the major shakeups to the cast, how permanent we think they are, and what it means for the series overall. We talk about a new team up of villains...