The Protagonist Podcast

Description Producer Andrew and Joe are discussing a classic tv series, The Saint. The Saint is a character that first appeared in short stories and novels, but has been adapted into many different types of media. We’re discussing the British … Continue reading →

Description Producer Andrew and Joe are revealing the winner of their Fantasy Box Office game from 2025. Then, they are looking ahead at the films coming out in 2026 and making their draft selections. Throughout the year, they each accumulate … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest John Darowski joins Joe to discuss the comic book series The Great British Bump-Off. In this cozy mystery, a poisoning occurs during the filming of a popular British baking competition. Shauna, one of the contestants, must solve … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Kate Reid joins Joe to discuss a holiday-themed episode of The West Wing, “In Excelsis Deo.” This episode tells the story of Toby receiving a phone call when a homeless man dies from exposure but has Toby’s … Continue reading →

Description Returning Protagonist Podcast co-founder Todd Mack joins Joe and Producer Andrew for their annual Christmas Special. Producer Andrew has provided Todd and Joe with a list of titles for Christmas movies they have never seen, and Todd and Joe … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Cavan Helps and Norman Mitchell join Joe and Producer Andrew for a role-playing Christmas adventure. This year, we’re celebrating the holidays in the Marvel Universe. Support Patreon

Description Returning guest Kjerste Christensen joins Joe to discuss the 1816 short story “The Nutcracker” by E.T.A. Hoffman. This story has been adapted frequently and has become a Christmas classic. It tells the story of a young girl’s favorite Christmas … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Kate Reid joins Joe to discuss the classic sitcom Friends. We’re talking about a pair of their Thanksgiving episodes, “The One with All the Thanksgivings” and “The One Where Ross Got High.” Besides talking about the specifics … Continue reading →

Description First-time guest Jonathan Wade joins Joe to discuss to classic, early sci-fi stories, “The Machine Stops” and “Mechanopolis.” In the 1909 short story “The Machine Stops” by E.M. Forster, humanity has begun living in underground cities with all their … Continue reading →

Description First-time guest Andy Hartzell joins Joe to discuss his graphic novel Monday. Monday tells the story of Eve and Adam trying to navigate their first days after creation as Snake offers suggestions about what they should do and God … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest John Darowski joins Joe to discuss the Japanese film Grave of the Fireflies. This 1998 film was produced by Studio Ghibli and directed by Isao Takahata. It is based on the semi-autobiographical short story of the same … Continue reading →

Description Protagonist Podcast co-founder Todd Mack is back for our annual Halloween Special. In this episode, we play a game of Halloween Fives, where a random Halloween topic is given and we each need to fill out a list of … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Josh Allen joins Joe to discuss the Stephen King novel Salem’s Lot. King’s second novel tells the story of a small town in Maine being overrun by vampires, and the few citizens who realize what is happening … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Nik English joins Joe to discuss the tv show Resident Alien. This sci-fi dramedy series stars Alan Tudyk as an alien who wants to destroy earth but is disguised as the human Harry Vanderspiegle. We discuss the … Continue reading →

Description First time guest Valentino Zullo joins Joe to discuss “Kamen’s Kalamity,” a story from the EC Comics Tales from the Crypt #31. We discuss the place of EC Comics in pop culture history, and also dig into this particular story which … Continue reading →

Description Returning guests Lena English and Tayler Iverson join Joe to discuss the 1999 film 10 Things I Hate About You. Based on Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, this film moves the plot to an American high school in … Continue reading →

Description First-time guest Joseph Darowski (hi, Dad) joins returning guest John Darowski and Joe to discuss to stories about supernatural dangers faced by humans as they take to the skies. “The Horror of the Heights” is a 1913 short story … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Josh Allen joins Joe to discuss the animated series Gravity Falls. The series is animated fantasy/comedy/cryptid/coming of age/mystery/adventure show and it is fantastic. We’re talking about the 12-year-old twins Mabel and Dipper, who go to spend the … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest John Darowski joins Joe to discuss the long history of adapting Superman into additional media outside of the comic books where the character first appeared. John is the editor of the essay collection Adapting Superman, making him an … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Andrew Deman joins Joe to discuss the comic book issue X-Factor #87 which had a cover date of December 1992. This classic issues sees a therapist meet with each member of the team and provide new insights … Continue reading →

Description Producer Andrew joins Joe to discuss the classic western film Shane. Based on the 1949 novel by Jack Schaefer, the film was directed by George Stevens and stars Alan Ladd as Shane and Van Hefline as Joe. It tells … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Kestra Darowski joins Producer Andrew and Joe to discuss the novel Castle of Water. This novel by Dane Hucklebridge tells the story of a stranded pair of strangers trying to survive on a deserted island.  Support Patreon … Continue reading →

Description First-time (sort of) guest Stephanie Siler joins Joe to discuss the classic tv mystery show Monk. Adrian Monk, played by Tony Shalhoub, is an obsessive compulsive private investigator who struggles with all of the phobias while also solving a … Continue reading →

Returing guest Chris “Mav” Maverick and Stephanie Siler join Joe to discuss the inverted detective story, also sometimes called the HowCatchem instead of the WhoDunIt. In these stories, the audience knows how the bad guy is (often the murderer), and … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Wayne Wise joins Joe to discuss Love and Rockets, one of the iconic independent comic books from the 1980s. Created by the Hernandez Bros, we are discussing some of the first stories they produced in this long-running … Continue reading →