The Conner & Smith Show

Episode 188 — Cabin Fever with Matt & Stephen Welcome back to The Conner & Smith Show! We’re coming to you from the snowbound depths of Winter Storm Fern, where cabin fever has fully set in. In this episode, Matthew and Stephen unpack everything that’s happened since the last time we recorded: from processing the death of Catherine O’Hara to trying to make sense of the bizarre and violent occupati...

Episode 187 — Latinidad in Musical Theatre Welcome back to The Conner & Smith Show, where history, artistry, and storytelling collide. In this episode, we sit down with author Stefan Sittig to discuss his upcoming book Latinidad in Musical Theatre, a vital and illuminating exploration of Latinx contributions to the American musical theatre canon. We trace a vibrant lineage of artists and influence...

Episode 186 — 2025 Culture Wrap-Up Happy New Year and welcome back to The Conner & Smith Show! We’re ringing in 2026 the only way we know how — by looking back at the art, entertainment, and pop culture that got us through 2025. In this episode, we break down our favorite movies, songs, books, and TV shows of the year — the ones that thrilled us, surprised us, obsessed us, comforted us, and comple...

Episode 185 — O Christmas Tree Welcome back to The Conner & Smith Show, where one simple holiday symbol turns into a full-blown festive deep dive. In this episode, we’re talking Christmas trees past, present, and fabulously over-the-top — from the surprising origins of the Christmas tree tradition to the many forms it’s taken over the years. We unpack the glory of silver aluminum trees, the undeni...

Episode 184 – Cozy Couch, Christmas Cabaret & Chit Chat Welcome back to The Conner & Smith Show — and buckle up, because this episode is pure holiday chaos in the best possible way. Today we’re talking Thanksgiving, we’re talking my upcoming Christmas cabaret, and we’re DEFINITELY talking about our brand-new couch, which — in true Conner & Smith fashion — gets delivered in the middle of the episod...

It’s a luminous day on The Conner & Smith Show as we welcome Susan Derry and Howard Breitbart to talk about their upcoming holiday cabaret, Derry & Bright, premiering at Creative Cauldron as part of Susan’s season-long role as Cabaret Artist in Residence. In this conversation, we dive into the creative spark behind the show, the musical surprises they’re crafting, the joy (and mischief) of holiday...

Episode 182 – My Favorite Things Welcome to a very special holiday edition of The Conner & Smith Show! On today’s episode, Matt turns the tables and interviews me about all of my very favorite holiday things — the memories, the music, the traditions, and the inspirations that shaped my upcoming holiday cabaret, My Favorite Things, happening Tuesday, December 9th at Creative Cauldron. We dive into...

Day 31 – Episode 181: Clown in a Cornfield (2025) Happy Halloween! On Day 31 of The Conner & Smith Show’s 31 Days of Halloween, Matt and Ryan take over the podcast to discuss Clown in a Cornfield — a movie Matt has never seen! While I was busy entertaining friends, the boys decided to close out our spooky season with chaos, laughter, and some truly wild takes. The results are absolutely hilarious....

Day 30 – Episode 180: Together (2025) On Day 30 of The Conner & Smith Show’s 31 Days of Halloween, I’m flying solo to talk about Together (2025) — starring real-life couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie. I really wanted to like this one, especially with its promising setup and the duo’s natural chemistry, but what starts as a tense psychological thriller quickly veers into something closer to a sati...

Day 29 – Episode 179: Weapons (2025) On Day 29 of The Conner & Smith Show’s 31 Days of Halloween, Ryan and I are joined by Matt to discuss Weapons (2025) — and we all absolutely loved it. Zack Cregger delivers a bold, haunting, and masterfully constructed film that blurs the lines between nightmare and social commentary. With layered performances, an intricate structure, and imagery that lingers l...

Day 28 – Episode 178: Smile 2 (2024) On Day 28 of The Conner & Smith Show’s 31 Days of Halloween, Ryan and I dive into Smile 2 — and we love every second of it. This sequel amps up everything we enjoyed about the first film: the dread, the tension, and the twisted psychological horror. Naomi Scott delivers a powerhouse performance as a pop star haunted by an unstoppable curse, and director Parker...

Day 27 – Episode 177: Ju-On: The Grudge (2002) On Day 27 of The Conner & Smith Show’s 31 Days of Halloween, I’m flying solo to discuss Ju-On: The Grudge (2002) — Takashi Shimizu’s chilling tale of a curse born from rage that infects anyone who enters its haunted Tokyo home. While I respect the film’s legacy as one of the defining J-horror classics, I can’t help but feel a bit of déjà vu this week...

Day 26 – Episode 176: The Cabin in the Woods (2012) On Day 26 of The Conner & Smith Show’s 31 Days of Halloween, Ryan and I dive into The Cabin in the Woods (2012) — Drew Goddard’s genre-bending twist on the classic horror setup. We debate whether the film truly qualifies as a horror movie or if it’s more of a sharp, self-aware satire of horror tropes. With its blend of meta-humor, monsters, and m...

Day 25 – Episode 175: Insidious (2010) On Day 25 of The Conner & Smith Show’s 31 Days of Halloween, I’m flying solo with Insidious (2010) — a film I like and respect well enough, even if I sometimes mix it up with The Conjuring. And honestly, who could blame me? With James Wan directing, Leigh Whannell writing, and Patrick Wilson starring, the overlap is real. Still, Insidious stands on its own as...

Day 24 – Episode 174: The Ring (2002) On Day 24 of The Conner & Smith Show’s 31 Days of Halloween, Ryan and I revisit Gore Verbinski’s The Ring (2002) — the film that defined early 2000s horror and made us all afraid of our TVs. We dive into how influential this American remake of Ringu truly was, from its haunting aesthetic to its eerie use of analog technology. Naomi Watts delivers a powerhouse...

Day 23 – Episode 173: Mandy (2018) On Day 23 of The Conner & Smith Show’s 31 Days of Halloween, Ryan and I dive into Mandy (2018) — a strange and surreal operatic fantasia descending into the madness of revenge. Nicolas Cage delivers one of his most unhinged and haunting performances in this neon-soaked fever dream by director Panos Cosmatos. It’s a heavy-metal horror symphony of grief, rage, and...

Day 22 – Episode 172: Grave Encounters (2011) On Day 22 of The Conner & Smith Show’s 31 Days of Halloween, I’m flying solo with Grave Encounters (2011) — and honestly, at this point, I think we’ve officially hit found-footage fatigue. This movie feels like Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum all over again, just with a different group of ghost-hunting YouTubers trapped in an abandoned psychiatric hospital. It...

Day 21 – Episode 171: Us (2019) On Day 21 of The Conner & Smith Show’s 31 Days of Halloween, Ryan and I dive into Jordan Peele’s Us (2019) — a chilling and complex exploration of duality, privilege, and identity. This isn’t just a home-invasion thriller; it’s a layered allegory packed with symbolism, social commentary, and unforgettable performances. From the haunting use of “I Got 5 on It” to the...

Day 20 – Episode 170: Bring Her Back (2025) On Day 20 of The Conner & Smith Show’s 31 Days of Halloween, Ryan and I discuss Bring Her Back (2025) — a film that left us both cold. Despite its stylish look and ambitious setup, we found it to be a mean-spirited movie with little emotional payoff. What could have been a dark, thoughtful supernatural thriller instead felt cruel for cruelty’s sake. Some...

Day 19 – Episode 169: An American Werewolf in London (1981) On Day 19 of The Conner & Smith Show’s 31 Days of Halloween, Ryan and I head across the pond to revisit An American Werewolf in London (1981) — John Landis’s genre-blending masterpiece that’s equal parts horror, comedy, and tragedy. This film not only redefined transformation effects (earning Rick Baker the very first Academy Award for Be...

Day 18 – Episode 168: 28 Years Later (2025) On Day 18 of The Conner & Smith Show’s 31 Days of Halloween, Ryan and I dive into 28 Years Later — the long-awaited and utterly breathtaking continuation of Danny Boyle and Alex Garland’s apocalyptic saga. What we expected to be another grim survival horror instead left us both deeply moved, even brought to tears by its haunting beauty, humanity, and poe...

Day 17 – Episode 167: Paranormal Activity (2007) On Day 17 of The Conner & Smith Show’s 31 Days of Halloween, I’m flying solo with Paranormal Activity (2007) — the little indie that launched a massive horror franchise. Maybe we should’ve started our found-footage week with this one, because after the relentless terror of [REC] and Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum, this one feels like… a bit of a snooze. St...

Day 16 – Episode 166: Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum (2018) On Day 16 of The Conner & Smith Show’s 31 Days of Halloween, Ryan and I confront one of the most terrifying found-footage films ever made — Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum (2018). This South Korean nightmare follows a group of online ghost hunters who livestream their exploration of a real abandoned asylum… and quickly discover that some legends are bet...

Day 15 – Episode 165: [REC] (2007) On Day 15 of The Conner & Smith Show’s 31 Days of Halloween, Ryan and I dive into the terrifying chaos of [REC] (2007) — one of the most intense and genuinely frightening found-footage films ever made. This Spanish horror masterpiece traps viewers inside a quarantined apartment building as a news reporter and her cameraman document a mysterious outbreak that spir...

Day 14 – Episode 164: The Innkeepers (2011) On Day 14 of The Conner & Smith Show’s 31 Days of Halloween, Ryan and I check into Ti West’s The Innkeepers (2011) — a modern ghost story that proves atmosphere and slow-burn tension can be just as scary as jump scares. Set in the real-life Yankee Pedlar Inn, the film follows two quirky hotel employees during the inn’s final weekend before closing, as th...