The Watchers

In this episode of The Watchers , we're trading the awkward energy of McKinley High for the quaintly watercolor world of Dawson’s Creek . Join Jodie and Andrea as we explore the lives of Dawson, Joey, Pacey, and Jen, who navigate picturesque Capeside while remaining somehow sex-obsessed and puritanically chaste, simultaneously. We’ll talk about Dawson’s unearned self-confidence, Pacey’s weird litt...

In this episode of The Watchers , we’re stepping away from the world of Liberty High and into the awkward halls of McKinley High School with Freaks and Geeks . Join Jodie and Andrea as we navigate the landscape of this cult classic. We delve into the show’s attempts to balance the earnest with the awkward, discuss the impact of creators Paul Feig and Judd Apatow (and the one million careers launch...

In this episode of The Watchers , we're leaving behind the glitzy glamour of Beverly Hills High for the rust belt city setting of My So-Called Life ! Join Jodie and Andrea as we follow Angela Chase through the halls of Liberty High School, where the drama is real and the emotions run deep. We traverse Angela's moody, tender, earnest as hell inner monologue, dissect the dynamics of her friendships...

In this episode, we're diving into the pilot of Beverly Hills, 90210 . We'll be talking about how Brandon and Brenda Walsh tackled the drama at West Beverly High, and how this show basically kickstarted the whole teen drama craze. Created by Darren Star and produced by Aaron Spelling, it was a total game-changer, mixing in drama, romance, and a whole lot of social commentary against the backdrop o...

We’re back in the dream weave, baby! This week on The Watchers , we’re wrapping up our review of The Bear , season 3, episodes 6 through 10. Jodie and Andrea get real about this season’s biggest hits and misses, question whether or not something is necessary just because it’s powerful, and launch the most important campaign in television history: #GiveSydAGirlfriend Follow: The Watchers on Instagr...

We’re back in Chicago this week for our review of The Bear , season 3, episodes 1 through 5. Jodie and Andrea talk about the declaration of intent that is “Tomorrow,” how the aspects of The Bear we’ve argued make it a standout carry over and intensify in season 3, the (im)balance of character growth versus plot, what we’re hoping to see in the back half of season 3, and why you better stay out of...

It’s a supersized episode of The Watchers this week as we get ready for the return of one of our favorite shows, Christopher Storer’s ode to Chicago, The Bear . Jodie and Andrea recap seasons 1 and 2, focusing on some of our favorite episodes and moments across the two seasons. We’re talking pacing, montage, color, editing, family dynamics, friendships, dream sequences, humor, flashbacks, heart, f...

This week on The Watchers ’ Pilot Season, Jodie and Andrea review The Leftovers , HBO’s 2014 drama based on Tom Perotta’s novel of the same name. We get into how we might respond to losing two percent of the world’s population in an instant, how this show has more in common with our previous shows than we’d expected, whether all dogs are truly good dogs, and if a certain deer has a grudge against...

This week on The Watchers: Pilot Season , Jodie and Andrea review, “Good News About Hell,” the first episode of Dan Erickson's sci-fi thriller, Severance , which is basically like if The Office and The Backrooms had an inappropriate workplace relationship that resulted in a weirdly symmetrical little baby. We talk aesthetics, getting serious about work-life balance, and why we’d both be really goo...

We’re deep into pilot season here on The Watchers , and this week we’re wrapping up our post-apocalyptic jaunt with 2023’s HBO drama, The Last of Us . We talk adaptation, genre, parallels, and plot as well as Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann’s relationship, which seems to be at the heart of what makes The Last of Us one of the very few successful video game adaptations out there.  Next week, we...

It’s Pilot Season here at The Watchers , and this week, for our penultimate installment of our post-apocalyptic dystopian run, Jodie and Andrea watched “Freedom Day,” the first episode of the AppleTV+ series, Silo , based on Hugh Howey’s novel Wool (so far). We discuss Silo ’s use of post-apocalyptic dystopia as the setting to tell a mystery story, the small town vibes inside the silo, why dystopi...

We had so much fun in the post-apocalypse with Fallout last week that we decided to stick around a little longer. This week, Jodie and Andrea watched “Wheel of Fire,” the first episode of Station Eleven. This particular dystopian post-apocalyptic drama swaps ghouls for Shakespeare and delves into life after a flu pandemic. We discuss the show's relevance to our own pandemic, its unique–possibly mo...

We've spent the last few weeks looking back on some of the greatest television pilots of the past few decades. Now, we're applying what we've learned to something new: Fallout . Based on the video game series of the same name, the series follows folks in a post-apocalyptic, dystopian, retrofuturistic United States, a few hundred years into our future. It also features our beloved Ella Purnell and...

For this week's installment of The Watchers ' Pilot Season, we're talking about what some have called the greatest television pilot of the 90s, the first episode of Chris Carter's The X-Files . Join us as we break down the mysterious world of the two most beautiful agents ever employed by the FBI, Fox Mulder and Dana Scully. We get into the weird encounters, shady government dealings, and spooky p...

Alright folks, for this week's installment of our pilot season here at The Watchers , we watched "Northwest Passage," the first episode of Twin Peaks . Created by the strange and unusual pair of David Lynch and Mark Frost, this '90s gem has been a huge influence on so many of the shows Jodie and Andrea love. Join us as we navigate the quirky charm and eerie mysteries of this small-town-thriller-so...

It's pilot season here at The Watchers, and we're talking about the first episode of The Sopranos . Created by David Chase, this series, running from '99 to '07, is a Jersey landmark, so you know Jodie and Andrea are taking this review seriously. Join us as we dissect the pilot's portrayal of mob life, family dynamics, and moral dilemmas. More importantly though, its portrayal of business parks in...

This week on The Watchers, we’re continuing our journey into pilot season with Six Feet Under , a show that Jodie loves and that, somehow, Andrea has never seen. Created by Alan Ball, the show aired from 2001 to 2005 and is widely regarded as one of the greatest TV dramas of all time. Most importantly, Jodie’s obsessed with it. Join us as we discuss what makes this show so unique. From its darkly...

It's pilot season here at Watchers HQ. With our Yellowjackets season 1 recap all tied up, Jodie and Andrea are kicking off a new series where we revisit some of the most acclaimed, iconic, and/or controversial TV pilots of all time. We're starting with the shows that have some connection to our beloved Yellowjackets. You'll be shocked to hear our first installment is a rewatch of the groundbreakin...

In what can only be described as an outright act of nepotism, Jodie and Andrea are joined this week by comedian, actor, writer, podcaster, etcetera-er, and–some might say–mother of this very podcast, Chris Gethard, who stops by to help us wrap up our Yellowjackets rewatch. As someone who binged seasons 1 and 2 over the course of just a couple weeks, Gethard has a slightly different perspective on...

We're finally here! "Sic Transit Gloria Mundi," the season 1 finale of Yellowjackets, marks a real turn toward the dark in a season that was already pretty freakin' dark. In 1996, the team does a collective walk of shame after the events of "Doomcoming." In 2021, the gang struts their collective stuff at their high school reunion. Lots more happens in between, but since we recorded this one as a w...

*AIRHORN* Jodie and Andrea are coming at you large and in charge from the very same room, and the energy is . . . well, it's pretty much the same. But if you're a visual listener, you should picture us sitting across from each other in a fancy little studio. Anyway, we're revisiting the events of the ninth episode of season 1 of  Yellowjackets, " Doomcoming." In 1996, we find the girls eating...

This week, Jodie and Andrea are revisiting the events of the eighth episode of season 1 of Yellowjackets, " Flight of the Bumblebee." In 1996, Van uses up another one of her nine lives, Jackie helps Shauna share the news about her little secret, and Laura Lee flies the friendly skies. In 2021, Misty and Jessica bond, Nat leans on an old sponsor for support, Tai takes a walk, Shauna goes undercover...

This week, Jodie and Andrea are revisiting the events of the seventh episode of season 1 of  Yellowjackets, " No Compass." In 1996, our soccer team begins to worry about the approaching winter, and Tai decides to do something about it. Jackie figures out what Shauna has been keeping from her. Travis continues to be a baby, and Nat continues to let him. In 2021, Shauna's in a farce, Tai's...

You're listening to  The Watchers , a show where sometimes one of your podcast hosts can't edit the podcast because she got too busy making podcasts for people who pay her money to do so. Very sorry, but we'll be back this Tuesday with our review of "Flight of the Bumblebee." In the meantime, Andrea recommends checking out Mariah Stovall's fantastic new book, "I Love You So Much, It's Killing...

This week, Jodie and Andrea are revisiting the events of the sixth episode of season 1 of  Yellowjackets, " Saints." In 1996, Nat gives Travis a lesson in Women and Gender Studies, Tai helps Shauna deal with her pregnancy, Ben puts on his Health Teacher hat, and Laura Lee and Lottie go for a dip. In 2021, Shauna and Jeff celebrate Jackie's birthday, Tai struggles to be the wife and mother Sim...