The Protagonist Podcast

Description Returning guest Kestra Darowski joins Joe and Producer Andrew to discuss the tv series Only Murders in the Building. Starring Steve Martin as Charles-Haden Savage, Martin Short as Oliver Putnam, and Selena Gomez as Mable Mora, the show tells … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Kate Reid joins Joe to discuss My Best Friend’s Wedding, one of Julia Roberts’ iconic rom-com roles from the 1990s. We discuss the various characters, the tropes of the genre, and dig into the character’s motivations. Support Patreon … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest John Darowski joins Joe to discuss the comic book series Void Rivals. Created by Robert Kirkman and Lorenzo de Felici, the series tells the story of two aliens whose home worlds have been at war who end … Continue reading →

It’s Groundpod Day! Every year Andrew, Mav, Nicole, and Joe rewatch Groundhog Day and record a podcast episode about it. 

Description Returning guest Nicole Freim joins Joe to discuss the iconic sci-fi horror film Alien. Directed by Ridley Scott and starring Sigourney Weaver, Alien has become a touchstone film for its genre.  Support Patreon

Description Returning guest John Darowski joins Joe to discuss two classic short stories. “Dalyrimple Goes Wrong” is by F. Scott Fitzgerald and tells the story of a World War I hero trying to succeed at life after returning home. “A … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Norman Mitchell joins Joe and Producer Andrew to discuss the anime series Yuyu Hakusho. This series is an adaptation of a popular manga series and tells the story of a boy who is killed in an accident … Continue reading →

Description Joe and Producer Andrew are at it again. As a way of previewing the movies that are coming out the next year, we have a draft of upcoming films. In the end, we get the total box office of … Continue reading →

Description Joe and Producer Andrew are talking about Metropolis, one of the most iconic silent films ever made. A two-and-a-half hour German Expressionist sci-fi epic directed by Fritz Lang, Metropolis tells the story of Freder, the son of a rich, … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Chris “Mav” Maverick and Hannah Rogers join Joe to talk about one of the most Christmas-y Christmas movies ever made. A little dash of ALL the Christmas stories is present in this Netflix movie, and we have … Continue reading →

Description It’s our ninth annual Christmas Special! Producer Andrew provided Joe and Protagonist Podcast co-founder Todd seven titles to different Christmas movies they’ve never seen. They’ve each written a plot summary inspired by that title and read the summary. Andrew … Continue reading →

Description Returning guests Cavan Helps and Norman Mitchell join Joe and Producer Andrew for a brief game of Dungeons and Dragons. Cavan serves as Dungeon Master and guides our three adventurers on a Christmas-themed adventure.

Description Returning guest Kate Darowski joins Joe to discuss two Christmas episodes from the classic sitcom Frasier. Kate is the co-author of Frasier: A Cultural History (now in paperback!) and an expert on the show. We’re talking about the episodes “Perspectives on Christmas” … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Andrew Deman joins Joe to discuss Wolverine, the iconic X-Men character. We are looking at a story titled “Wounded Wolf” that was contained to a single issue, Uncanny X-Men #205. This issue was created by Chris Claremont … Continue reading →

Description Joe and Producer Andrew have an informal chat about media, gratitude, and the podcast.

Description Returning guest Ryan Haupt joins Joe and Producer Andrew to discuss the 1993 Disney adaptation of The Three Musketeers. Starring Chris O’Donnell, Charlie Sheen, Keifer Sutherland, and Oliver Platt, this film is a fun—if loose—adaptation of the 1884 Alexandre … Continue reading →

Description First-time guest Zach Weinersmith joins Joe to talk about the graphic novel Bea Wolf. Written by Zach Weinersmith with art by Boulet, the story is a middle-grade retelling of the epic poem Beowulf. There are adorable child protagonists, an … Continue reading →

Show Notes Returning co-founder Todd Mack and returning guest Todd Petersen join Joe and Producer Andrew for their annual Halloween special. This year, they each submitted lists of spooky words, then 4 words were selected at random to serve as … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest John Darowski joins Joe and Andrew to discuss the Marvel’s horror special Werewolf by Night, which was released on Disney+ in October 2022. Directed by Michael Giachinno, it starred Gael Garcia Bernal as Jack Russell and Laura … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Allison Epstein joins Joe to discuss the 2001 film A Knight’s Tale. This medieval jousting comedy stars Heath Ledger as William Fletcher. The film features anachronistic comedy elements, which helps make it stand out, but also has … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Norman Mitchell joins Joe and Producer Andrew to discuss the comic book series Paper Girls. The series is a collaboration between writer Brian K. Vaughan, artist Cliff Chiang, colorist Matt Wilson, and letterer Jared K. Fletcher. It … Continue reading →

Description Producer Andrew and Joe are discussing The Spirit of Lonely Places, a podcast campaign in Beyond the Map: A World of Darkness Series. Adam Carnevale runs the campaign and plays all the NPCs, Joel Zammit plays as Warren Birch, … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Kestra Darowski joins Joe to play a game called Disney Heist. Despite its name, we are not trying to break into the Disney Vault (side note….circle back to that idea). Producer Andrew has given us a list … Continue reading →

Description We’re talking about the stop-motion duo of the human Wallace and the dog Gromit. The Wrong Trousers tells the story of a villainous penguin trying to misuse one of Wallace’s inventions to pull off a heist. A Close Shave … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Nicole Freim joins Joe to discuss the comic book series The Stuff of Legend. The series has a story by Mike Raicht and Brian Smith, illustrations by Charles Paul Westover, and design and colors by Jon Conkling … Continue reading →