We’re at the final weeks of December, which means two things: It’s time for our end-of-the-year Best Of podcasts, and it’s officially Noel’s fifth anniversary cohosting The Televerse! We dive right into our Top 20, breaking the list into three segments. Take a listen for our picks, and some of the memorable TV music of the year, and then reach out with your picks for the best series of 2020 and the moments you hope we’ll remember for next week’s Best Of Smorgasborgy.

Top 20–15 TV Series of 2020 (14:12)
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Adventure Time: Distant Lands
Miracle Workers: Dark Ages
Kakushigoto
Schitt’s Creek
Giri/Haji
DuckTales
Legendary

Top 7–14 TV Series of 2020 (31:12)
Steven Universe Future
The Amber Ruffin Show
Gentefied
Mrs. America
What the Constitution Means to Me
Kim’s Convenience
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
Superstore
The Good Fight
Briarpatch
DC’s Legends of Tomorrow
Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Top 1–6 TV Series of 2020 (1:25:56)
Infinity Train
Harley Quinn: The Animated Series
Better Things
The Great
The Good Place
What We Do in the Shadows
Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!
I May Destroy You

Music Featured:  

“Party Mix” from Miracle Workers: Dark Ages; “Weirdos Make Great Superheroes” from Central Park; “I Want to be Evil” from Lucifer

“Always Be My Baby” from Schitt’s Creek; “Toss A Coin To Your Witcher” from The Witcher; “American Pie” from Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist

“I Wanna Kill You This Christmas” from The Amber Ruffin Show

Noel, Allison, and Kate continue Streaming In Place with The Flight Attendant, episodes four and five, “Conspiracy Theories” and “Other People’s Houses.” Cinnamon roll Max and his doom face, welcome back to our TVs T.R. Knight!, and more time with Michelle Gomez, please. Tune in for our thoughts, then come back next week for the next two episodes of The Flight Attendant, “After Dark” and “Hitchcock Double.”

Shout-out to our Zoom listener, Marcus! Thanks for joining in on the fun.

Allison, Noel, and Kate begin Streaming In Place with The Flight Attendant, diving in with the miniseries with episodes one through three, “In Case of Emergency,” “Rabbits,” and “Funeralia.” Kaley Cuoco’s star turn, Michiel Huisman’s changing performance, and that score! Tune in for our thoughts, then come back Wednesday for the next two episodes of The Flight Attendant, “Conspiracy Theories” and “Other People’s Houses.”

Shout-out to our Zoom listener, Marcus! Thanks for joining us on our latest show and for sharing your initial takes.

The end of the year approaches, so it’s time to start catching up with the series we may have overlooked. This episode, Noel and Kate explore season one of HBO’s comedy docuseries How To with John Wilson. Before that, though, there’s plenty of TV to discuss. We kick things off with the finale of Wilmore, Peacock’s limited run election series, then check in with The Unicorn and The Mandalorian before moving to reality. It’s a lovefest for The Great British Baking Show: Holidays season three (more specifically, the Derry Girls special), then Kate shares some thoughts on The Great British Sewing Bee seasons one and two, and we round out the week with the penultimate The Amazing Race. Take a listen for our thoughts, then reach out with your take on John Wilson, the week’s TV, and the viewing you’re fitting in before the end of the year.

Season Spotlight: How To with John Wilson Season 1 (1:06:12)

Our Week in TV
Wilmore finale (15:56)
The Unicorn (21:18)
The Mandalorian (32:58)
The Great British Baking Show: Holidays Season 3 (39:04)
The Great British Sewing Bee Seasons 1–2 (50:07)
The Amazing Race (53:54)

Music Featured:  “Gold Rays” by Summer Kennedy

Noel, Allison, and Kate continue Streaming In Place with Lodge 49, talking season one episode ten, “Full Fathom Five.” Well, that’s one way to end a season. Dud gets back in the water, Liz gets out from under water, and because why not, Cheech Marin. Tune in for our thoughts, then come back next week as we take a break from Lodge 49 and dive into the world of international intrigue with the first three episodes of The Flight Attendant.

Shout-out to our Zoom listener, Marcus! Thanks for joining us for season one of Lodge 49 and for sharing your thoughts today.

December is underway—baby step to 2021!—and that means the holiday content is flowing free and fast. We kick off the podcast as usual with Our Week in TV, including HBO Max’s Thanksgiving drop of the first three episodes of The Flight Attendant, the finale of The Great British Bake Off, the second season of Sugar Rush Christmas, the antepenultimate The Amazing Race, a Santa-fied DuckTales, and the anticipated live action debut of Ahsoka Tano on The Mandalorian. Then we head over to the spotlight section to catch up with the second season of Netflix’s Great Pretender. Tune in for our thoughts, then reach out with your takes on the week’s TV and your preferred seasonal viewing.

Season Spotlight: Great Pretender Season 2 (1:07:58)

Our Week in TV
The Flight Attendant premiere (15:27)
The Great British Bake Off finale (23:40)
Sugar Rush Christmas S2 (35:37)
The Amazing Race (44:10)
DuckTales (52:06)
The Mandalorian (54:05)

Music Featured:  “Good Time Girl” by Sofi Tukker feat. Charlie Barker

Allison, Noel, and Kate continue Streaming In Place with Lodge 49, talking season one episode nine, “Apogee.” Liz’s lake dive, Ernie’s window scooch, and Dud’s car moment. Plus, our latest digression, Bruce Campbell and other delightful, just off-kilter performers. Tune in for our thoughts, then come back next Wednesday for the season one finale, “Full Fathom Five.”

Shout-out to our Zoom listener, Marcus! Thanks for sharing your thoughts on “Apogee” and our latest Lodge-style detour.

Noel, Allison, and Kate continue Streaming In Place with Lodge 49, talking season one episode eight, “Something From Nothing.” Gary, Liz makes the mingle, and Scott knows? Tune in for our thoughts, then come back Wednesday for season one episode nine, “Apogee.”

Shout-out to our Zoom listener, Marcus. Thanks for joining us again this week and sharing your thoughts.

Happy belated (American) Thanksgiving, and happy Black Friday (please stay home this year!). The holidays are officially underway, so Noel and Kate decided to look back on one of the shows Noel has been most thankful for over the past few years, We Bare Bears. Before we dive in for the DVD Shelf, though, we have plenty to discuss in Our Week in TV, starting with the latest Adventure Time: Distant Lands, the final arc of Great Pretender, returning favorites on The Mandalorian, another fun Superstore, the first ever mega-leg of The Amazing Race, and of course, The Great British Bake Off. Tune in for our thoughts, then reach out with your take on the week’s TV and We Bare Bears.

DVD Shelf: We Bare Bears (1:04:19)

Our Week in TV
Adventure Time: Distant Lands (18:32)
Great Pretender (29:00)
The Mandalorian (33:05)
Superstore (40:07)
The Amazing Race (43:27)
The Great British Bake Off (52:56)

Music Featured:  “Woke Up” from Adventure Time: Distant Lands

Allison, Noel, and Kate continue Streaming In Place for week 36 with Lodge 49, talking season one episode seven, “The Solemn Duty of the Squire.” Captain! Plus Avery is uncovered, Jocelyn lays out some of Larry’s less metaphysical mysteries, and Liz backs away from corporate. Tune in for our thoughts, and our rankings of scariest birds, then come back on Wednesday for season one episode eight, “Something From Nothing.”

Shout-out to our Zoom listener, Marcus! Thanks for joining us again and sharing your thoughts on the episode.

Things seem like they’re starting to normalize, at least temporarily, leaving a little more brain space for TV this week. Noel and Kate kick things off with Our Week in TV, starting with the finale of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, the premiere of The Unicorn, Superstore, The Mandalorian, The Great British Bake Off, and a double helping of The Amazing Race. Then we head to the season spotlight and dive in with Doom Patrol season two. What exactly is happening with the Candlemaker, and how did ending an episode early (due to COVID) impact the season? Tune in for our thoughts, then reach out with your takes on Doom Patrol and the rest of the week’s TV.

Season Spotlight: Doom Patrol Season 2 (57:45)       

Our Week in TV
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver finale (9:30)
The Unicorn premiere (16:00)
Superstore (20:25)
The Mandalorian (23:37)
The Great British Bake Off (29:02)
The Amazing Race (42:17)

Music Featured:  “I Don’t Wish Him Well” from The Amber Ruffin Show

Noel, Allison, and Kate continue Streaming In Place with Lodge 49, talking season one episode six, “The Mysteries.” Larry’s revelation, Liz’s core, and poor Jocelyn just can’t get a break. Tune in for our thoughts, then come back next week for season one episode seven, “The Solemn Duty of the Squire.”

Allison, Noel, and Kate continue Streaming In Place with Lodge 49, talking season one episode five, “Paradise.” Liz’s flirtation with corporate, Gloria and Dud’s relationship, and Blaise’s breakthrough. Tune in for our thoughts, then come back Wednesday for season one episode six, “The Mysteries.”

Shout-out to our Zoom listener, Marcus! Thanks as always for joining in on the fun.

It’s a week later and things are less confusing and chaotic? Maybe? There continues to be plenty of TV to discuss, and we kick off the podcast as always with Our Week in TV. First, Noel checks in with the Mom premiere, then Noel and Kate look at America Ferrera’s final episode of Superstore, we catch up with Wilmore, have thoughts on The Mandalorian’s egg-gate, ponder driving on The Amazing Race, and rant about blast chillers on The Great British Bake Off. Afterwards, we head to the DVD Shelf to share a few thoughts on the seminal ’90s hangout comedy Living Single, using friend of the show Angelica Jade Bastién’s episode guide at Vulture. Tune in for our thoughts, then reach out with your Living Single character ranking and take on the rest of the week’s TV.

DVD Shelf: Living Single (57:57)          

Our Week in TV
Mom premiere (13:37)
Superstore (18:30)
Wilmore (26:10)
The Mandalorian (30:29)
The Amazing Race (37:09)
The Great British Bake Off (45:45)

Music Featured:  “Catatonic” from The Amber Ruffin Show; Living Single theme song

Noel, Allison, and Kate continue Streaming In Place with Lodge 49, talking season one episode four, “Sunday.” Liz’s day off, searching for Larry, and our surprisingly specific soda rankings. Tune in for our thoughts, then come back next week for season one episode five, “Paradise.”

Shout-out to our Zoom listener Marcus. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, and your soda preferences.

Allison, Noel, and Kate continue Streaming In Place with Lodge 49, talking season one episode three, “Corpus.” Dud and the rat, Liz and the money, and that cliffhanger. Tune in for our thoughts, then come back Wednesday for season one episode four, “Sunday.”

Shout-out to our Zoom listener Marcus! Thanks for joining us again this week and sharing your take on the episode.

It’s another stressful and potentially weird week in 2020 and time has been standing still. To help pass the time—and keep us from doomscrolling—we decided to dive in with a beloved series we had hardly any awareness of, the ‘00s sitcom Girlfriends. We used Alexis Reliford’s piece at The A.V. Club, “10 episodes of Girlfriends that celebrate the sisterhood of Black women”, as our guide and talked about our experience exploring the show. Before the DVD Shelf, though, there was plenty of other TV to discuss. We kick off Our Week in TV with the premieres of The Mandalorian and Superstore, then Kate catches up with The Repair Shop season one and The American Barbecue Showdown season one, and we round out the week with new episodes of The Amazing Race and The Great British Bake Off. Take a listen for our thoughts, then reach out with your take on Girlfriends, comfort viewing, and more.

DVD Shelf: Girlfriends (1:03:30)         

Our Week in TV
The Mandalorian premiere (11:56)
Superstore premiere (24:56)
The Repair Shop S1 (29:36)
The American Barbecue Showdown S1 (40:11)
The Amazing Race (43:11)
The Great British Bake Off (50:56)

Music Featured:  “Rush & Fever” by Nation of Language; Girlfriends theme song

Noel, Allison, and Kate continue Streaming In Place with Lodge 49, talking season one episode two, “Moments of Truth in Service.” Liz and her trainee, Jocelyn and the blindfold, and Dud either can’t or won’t help himself. Tune in for our thoughts, then come back next week for season one episode three, “Corpus.”

Shout-out to our Zoom listener Marcus! Thanks for sharing your take on the episode.

Allison, Noel, and Kate continue Streaming In Place, kicking off our journey with AMC’s short-lived Lodge 49. We begin with season one, episode one, “As Above, So Below.” Donuts, snakes, and just what is happening with Dud? Tune in for our thoughts, then come back on Wednesday for season one, episode two, “Moments of Truth in Service.”

Shout-out to our Zoom listeners, Keenan and Marcus! Thanks for joining us on our new TV adventure.

CrowdCast Link: Here’s the link for Allison and Kate’s Election Day lunch break, where we’ll be talking about comfort TV and actively not checking Twitter.

It’s been another anxious week, let’s talk some TV. This episode, we kick things off with Our Week in TV, including another fabulous The Amber Ruffin Show, the finale of Archer, a perilous DuckTales, A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote—btw everyone, VOTE!!—The Great British Bake Off, and The Amazing Race. Afterward, we head to the season spotlight and catch up with season one of HBO’s Betty, a slice-of-life half-hour series following young women skateboarders in New York City. Take a listen for our thoughts, then reach out with your own take on the week’s TV, Betty, and how you’re destressing during this particularly tense time.

Season Spotlight: Betty Season 1 (52:43)                    

Our Week in TV
The Amber Ruffin Show (12:00)
Archer finale (17:29)
DuckTales (19:21)
A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote (23:27)
The Great British Bake Off (29:26)
The Amazing Race (41:10)

Music Featured:  “I’ve Got a Yummy Yummy Brain” from The Amber Ruffin Show

Noel, Allison, and Kate continue Streaming In Place with a quick stop-off in the world of Murder, She Wrote. We look at the season one favorite, “Murder Takes the Bus.” A brief Kate’s Classical Corner, that oh so delightful guest cast, and just how certain are we Jessica isn’t a serial killer? Tune in for our thoughts, and come back next week as we begin our journey with Lodge 49.

Shout-out to our Zoom listener, Marcus! Thanks for joining us for our Halloween-inspired detour.

Allison, Noel, and Kate continue Streaming In Place with Over the Garden Wall, episodes eight through 10, “Babes in the Wood,” “Into the Unknown,” and “The Unknown.” Greg and his teacup, Wirt and Beatrice brave the storm, and It. All. Happened. Then we reflect back the miniseries as a whole and chat with our Zoom listeners Keenan and Marcus about their experiences watching it. Take a listen for our thoughts, then come back tomorrow as we stop off with Jessica Fletcher for the Murder, She Wrote season fav, “Murder Takes the Bus.”

Noel, Allison, and Kate continue Streaming In Place with Over the Garden Wall, episodes five through seven, “Mad Love,” “Lullaby in Frogland,” and “The Ringing of the Bell.” Bebe Neuwirth and John Cleese, Auntie Whispers, and more Jason Funderberker? Take a listen for our thoughts, then come back tomorrow for episodes eight through 10, “Babes in the Wood,” “Into the Unknown,” and “The Unknown.”

Shout-out to our Zoom listeners, Keenan and Marcus! Thanks for chatting with us and sharing your takes.

Allison, Noel, and Kate start week 32 Streaming In Place by kicking off our journey with the (modern) classic autumnal miniseries Over the Garden Wall. We talk episodes one through four, “The Old Grist Mill,” “Hard Times at the Huskin’ Bee,” “Schooltown Follies,” and “Songs of the Dark Lantern.” The music, the animation style, the voice cast, there’s plenty to dive in with. Take a listen for our thoughts, then come back tomorrow for episodes five through seven, “Mad Love,” “Lullaby in Frogland,” and “The Ringing of the Bell.”

Shout-out to our Zoom listeners, Marcus and Keenan! Thanks for joining us and sharing your thoughts on these episodes.

We’re headed into what’s bound to be a particularly stressful week of political news in the United States, so here on the podcast we decided it was a good time to check in with What the Constitution Means to Me, a (mostly one-woman) play by Heidi Schreck that was filmed and is available streaming on Amazon Prime. Before that, though, there’s plenty of TV to discuss. Kate shares a few thoughts on the finale of Lovecraft Country, Noel and Kate have plenty of thoughts on the finale of The Vow, we celebrate the premiere of Supermarket Sweep, discuss brownies and white chocolate on The Great British Bake Off, talk racism on The Amazing Race, and dive in with the double-length Darkwing Duck special on DuckTales. Take a listen, then reach out with your thoughts on What the Constitution Means to Me, the rest of the week’s TV, and whatever else you’ve been watching.

DVD Shelf: What the Constitution Means to Me (57:04)  

Our Week in TV
Lovecraft Country finale (12:53)
The Vow finale (18:06)
Supermarket Sweep premiere (27:26)
The Great British Bake Off (33:34)
The Amazing Race (42:56)
DuckTales (49:38)

Music Featured:  “Sh-Boom” by The Chords