Top Five

We didn't mean to take the summer off, but after the shooting in Utah, we had get back on the mics to process all the responses we saw in our social media feeds. We unpack the bewilderment of seeing so many tributes on Facebook (from conservatives and progressives alike!), not realizing we had so many secret conservatives in our past, and Liz's existential spiral into why we're even on...

Could it be? Good news in 2025? We're thrilled about Zohran Mamdani's win in the New York City Democractic mayoral primary, and we talk about the exciting and disheartening parts of this outcome, the data, and the ranked choice of it all. Then we get into a topic we've been thinking but not talking more about in our middle age: Death. We dig into the big questions - how we feel about i...

Chris is thinking about the people our government is abducting, like Kilmar Abrego Garcia, while Liz is medicating with the new Lady Gaga album and the Court of Gold docuseries on Netflix. Then, inspired by our last top five, we dig into health in our 40s: the perimenopause and probiotics of it all, the radical shifts in how we think about taking care of ourselves and the amount of time it takes,...

The world is on fire, and either because of that or in spite of that, we found ourselves consumed with the details of the Murdoch family d-r-a-m-a that were unsealed in court documents last month. We dig into all the things that shocked us (Rupert Murdoch has Asian daughters?), the bizarreness of Succession impacting the family that inspired it, and the potential ramifications of this family feud...

At the end of last year, Chris's mind was blown by life in Scandinavia, and Liz was mourning the loss of a dear friend. Then we shared our Big Life Updates and favorite pop culture nuggets of 2024, culminating in the inaugural Manti Te'o Award for Craziest Story of the Year. Plus, our top five karaoke songs, which Chris took to the next level. This was recorded before the wildfires, before...

Welp... here we are. After absorbing the news on Wednesday, we got on the mics to process how we're feeling, what went wrong, and where we go from here. We don't have any answers, but if you're trying to make sense of what happened, you're not alone. We hope you're taking care of yourselves and each other, friends. ❤️ facebook.com/topfivepod Instagram: @topfivepod Twitter: @thetopfivepod Art by Co...

Oh hi we’re back! After a 15-month hiatus, we fired up the ol' microphones, and we were so excited that we basically recorded two episodes. We were *especially* stoked to talk about the Olympics and we wanted to share our top five moments from Paris (and many other Olympic takes) before they got stale, so please enjoy this apéritif to our fourth season. It's good to be back, friends! faceb...

Chris and Liz are still buzzing from their recent trips -- Chris's to Mexico City and Oaxaca, Liz's to DC for her first sightseeing trip with kids. Then we get into a much more serious topic that's been on our minds lately: aging parents. We talk about why end-of-life plans are especially hard to discuss with our immigrant parents, the conversations we have and haven't had with the...

Chris is ambivalent about celebrity conductor Gustavo Dudamel's surprise move from LA to New York, and Liz is still awed by the amazing food she ate during a trip to LA.  Then, we talk about work: Once upon a time, it felt like our generation was all about finding a job we love so we'd never have to work a day in our lives, but judging from the conversations we've been having lately, it sound...

Chris is existential about giving up his California residency, and Liz is as surprised as anyone that she’s become a member of the BTS ARMY.  Then, inspired by our last top five, we have a candid conversation about whether or not we still identify as Christian - how our relationship with Christianity has evolved over time, why we grapple with this question, and what spirituality looks like fo...

Liz is obsessed with the podcast Normal Gossip , while Chris is considering a new angle on voting in his last California election.  Then we get into a topic we haven't heard nearly enough about: couple friends.  Why is it so much more complicated to make couple friends than individual ones?  What are the signs of a good couple friend for us and our partners?  And crucially for...

After an unexpected two-month hiatus, we're back and we can't wait to chat!  Chris declares his undying love for the Container Store, while Liz is blasting through the podcast 60 Songs That Explain the '90s .  Then, we finally get to talk about Netflix's excellent new(ish) documentary on the Manti Te'o story, which happens to be Liz's favorite story of all time -- how it hit us almost te...

Chris is distressed about the Great Salt Lake drying up, while Liz is basking in the afterglow of a trip to New York City. Then, inspired by Liz’s recent entry into the world of travel credit cards, we get into the weeds of it all - the stresses of maximizing points and if the benefits are worth it; the inherently unethical credit card system and if it’s possible to live ethically within it. Final...

Chris survived COVID, and Liz cannot believe the shitshow that is the Michigan Republican gubernatorial primary. Then we celebrate the rarest of occurrences: We both saw Everything Everywhere All At Once and Fire Island ! We couldn't wait to talk about the beauty of a rom-com where the suitors are secondary to the story, rave about star performances, and try to work out the takeaway of EEAAO. &nbs...

We're reeling from the SCOTUS leak, so we needed a minute to unpack our reactions and both the political maneuvering and the toxic theology that got us to this point.  Then, on a more hopeful note, we get into the shocking abundance of Asian American movies and TV shows we're experiencing right now - how quickly the tide changed, if we're still obligated to see every single one, and what we'r...

The Slap was top of mind for us and everyone else in the world, so by popular request, we talk how we experienced it as avid consumers of celebrity culture (Liz) and survivors of toxic masculinity (Chris).  Then, continuing our conversation about managing our thirtysomething lives, we dig into the division of labor in our households -- the messages we got growing up, what this looks like now...

Note: This episode was recorded a few weeks ago, before Russia invaded Ukraine, and it feels like we live an entirely different world now. Sending love and care to all, especially those who are directly impacted by the atrocities happening in Ukraine. 🇺🇦 [CW: violence against Asian Americans] Liz and Chris reflect on the murder of Christina Yuna Lee and the rash of violence against Asian Amer...

Chris is appalled that anti-CRT rhetoric is turning into actual book bans, and Liz wept through Speed Cubers , a sweet documentary on Netflix. Then, inspired by current events, we dig into the complicated process of making a wedding guest list, that once-in-a-lifetime referendum on all your friendships.  How do you decide who gets an invite, especially when you're getting married in your late...

Liz is loving the cast album of Six: The Musical , and Chris is unsettled by his New Year's Eve viewing of Don't Look Up .  (Spoiler alert: Please skip 6:00 to 17:10 if you don't want to know how the movie ends.)  Then we revisit a topic that we first discussed two and a half years ago, in our second episode: adulthood.  We talk about Chris's major life updates, whether adulthood is...

Happy New Year, friends! Holiday stress was top of mind when we recorded this episode, which led us to some critical questions:  Who do you buy holiday presents for?  Now that we have all these new holiday gift obligations, we get into the weeds:  What do you give the ten different teachers who care for your preschooler?  If you're a New York City resident like Chris, how much...

Chris finally gets a taste of pandemic parenting, while Liz has unexpectedly gotten sucked into Succession .  Then we dig into the last two items in our pop culture grab bag: The viral New York Times piece "Who Is The Bad Art Friend?" (where we arrive at different conclusions) and our experiences of taking our dads to see the new Bond movie (where our experiences are strikingly similar -- is...

Surprise -- we're back and excited to chat! We're kicking off season three with thoughts about Ted Lasso (Liz) and the sudden ubiquity of Korean pop culture (Chris). Then we go through all the culture we've been dying to talk about for the last six months, from the Olympics to Harry and Meghan on Oprah to Chris's connection to a high-profile trial.  We wrap with our top five self-care practic...

Liz is confused about why queer-affirming people continue to speak at events that are not (content warning for discussion of queer-unaffirming theology; please skip 2:10 through 9:45 if you’d like to avoid it). Meanwhile, Chris celebrates the return of March Madness, and one of us has to pay up on a wager we made when our teams went head-to-head.  Then, inspired by a recent event (!!!), we ta...

CW: anti-Asian violence, murder We would love to be talking about something else, but here we are. We check in and talk about the shooting through our lenses as Asian Americans and former evangelicals who were raised in purity culture, and in Liz’s case, as an Asian American woman and parent.  We also dig into all of the other stuff the tragedy has kicked up — like how have your non-Asian fri...

In true pandemic fashion, Netflix is giving us life: Liz finally discovered Schitt’s Creek , and Chris loved The 40-Year-Old Version . Then we get into the ethical questions that have been weighing on us in the current COVID landscape:  Is it okay to wait in line for a leftover vaccine before we’re eligible?  Is it reasonable to ask a teacher to return to the classroom without a vaccine?...