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The TV Squad Podcast: Tom Papa of 'The Marriage Ref,' 'DWTS,' March Madness, and More!

Joel Keller — 2010-03-25T17:11:00+00:00

Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, Podcasts, Celebrities, Reality-Free, TV Squad Podcast, Features, TV News

After a few stops and starts, we finally managed to get Tom Papa, host of NBC's 'The Marriage Ref,' to join us on the podcast. He talks with Jason Hughes, Danny Gallagher and me about the new show, who his favorite couple has been so far, managing a panel with Larry David, Ricky Gervais and Madonna, and exactly what he thought of the Leno-Conan debacle that gave his show that Thursday at 10PM ET opening.

Tom joins us about 18 minutes into the podcast and stays with us for about 25 minutes. Before and after, Jason, Danny and I talk about:

How March Madness messes with our DVRs and why networks can't send out live DVR updates,
The new cast of 'Dancing with the Stars' and the importance of Pam Anderson's breasts this season,
Two shows that are finally getting killed off: one good ('Scrubs') one not so good (''Til Death'). We also talk about what shows have been on the "Can't Kill 'Em" list in recent years.
Picks of the week, and more.

Run time is 1:13:08.

You can listen to the podcast below, or download from here or by subscribing to our RSS podcast feed. It is also available via iTunes. Feel free to leave us feedback in the comments or drop us a line at tvsquadpodcast [at] gmail [dot] com.

As always, the music at the beginning and end of the podcast is "Life" by Justin Trawick.

The TV Squad Podcast: New Shows, Conan Tour, 'Breaking Bad' and More!

Joel Keller — 2010-03-19T18:19:00+00:00

Filed under: Podcasts, Breaking Bad, Reality-Free, TV Squad Podcast, Features

After a few weeks off (my fault... don't ask), we're back in the swing of things, talking about everything going on this March on TV. This week, Jason Hughes, Danny Gallagher and Allison Waldman join me to talk about:

All the new shows that have started this month. 'Parenthood,' 'The Pacific,' 'Justified' and 'Minute to Win It' are discussed (we're especially flummoxed at why 'Parenthood' isn't at all funny),
How Leno returned to 'The Tonight Show' and no one cared,
What we think the Conan tour is going to look like,
The return of 'Breaking Bad,' 'United States of Tara,' and 'Nurse Jackie,' (Warning: spoilers abound during this discussion),
Picks of the week, and more.

Run time is 1:07:14.

You can listen to the podcast below, or download from here or by subscribing to our RSS podcast feed. It is also available via iTunes. Feel free to leave us feedback in the comments or drop us a line at tvsquadpodcast [at] gmail [dot] com.

As always, the music at the beginning and end of the podcast is "Life" by Justin Trawick.

By the way, the audio problems we had in the last podcast have fixed themselves. Enjoy the non-robotic-sounding voices!

Have a Question for Tom Papa of 'The Marriage Ref?' Ask It Here!

Joel Keller — 2010-02-26T18:02:00+00:00

Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, Site Announcements, Podcasts, Reality-Free, TV Squad Podcast, Features

We have a fun treat coming up for our next episode of The TV Squad Podcast: Tom Papa, host of NBC's new series 'The Marriage Ref,' will be joining us for some talk about his show and some of the interesting arguments he's had to mediate.

But Papa's an interesting guy: He's been on the stand-up circuit forever, and has friends in high places, including 'Marriage Ref' executive producer Jerry Seinfeld. So if you want to ask him questions about being buds with Jerry, some of the people who have gone on 'Ref' (including Alec Baldwin), or why he's credited as a "writer" on an episode of 'Jon & Kate Plus 8,' ask them here.

Leave your questions in the comments and we'll relay them to Papa during the podcast. We'll even give you credit for any question we use. So, ask away below. Any question we get in before we record the podcast on Tuesday at around 5 PM ET will be eligible.

(UPDATE 3/2/10: We decided to postpone this podcast due to Tom's tough schedule and some other fun stuff going on on my end. He'll join us soon.)

The TV Squad Podcast: Winter Olympics Week Two, Pilot Casting, March Premieres and More

Joel Keller — 2010-02-26T10:33:00+00:00

Filed under: Site Announcements, Podcasts, Reality-Free, TV Squad Podcast, Features

If it's snowing like crazy where you are, the best thing for you to do is sit back and listen to us talk about TV. This week, Jason Hughes and Bob Sassone join me to talk about what's going on in the TV world:

More on the Winter Olympics and how bad NBC is messing them up,
The latest way the network morning shows are scaring parents (it has to do with the site Chatroulette),
The crazy first week of March on TV this year,
How most of the pilot casting news you're hearing about right now isn't going to matter in a couple of months,
How quickly the Andrew Koenig story spread from Twitter and Facebook to 'Larry King' and other national coverage (we taped this before Koenig's body was found yesterday),
Picks of the week, and more.

Run time is 1:17:05.

You can listen to the podcast below, or download from here or by subscribing to our RSS podcast feed. It is also available via iTunes. Feel free to leave us feedback in the comments or drop us a line at tvsquadpodcast [at] gmail [dot] com.

As usual, the music at the beginning and end of the podcast is "Life" by Justin Trawick.

My apologies for the hinky sound coming from Bob and Jason. It was a recording error that will get fixed for next week's show.

The TV Squad Podcast: Winter Olympics, Lost, 24, Idol, Product Placement, and More

Joel Keller — 2010-02-19T14:41:00+00:00

Filed under: 24, American Idol, Lost, Podcasts, Reality-Free, TV Squad Podcast, Features

We're back! After a month of technical issues and other starts and stops, we're geared up and ready to talk about TV again. This week, Jason Hughes, Kona Gallagher and Danny Gallagher join me to talk about what's going on in the TV world:

NBC's blanket coverage of the Winter Olympics, and how hard it is to get away from it,
How the seasons of 'Lost,' '24' and 'American Idol' are going so far,
How bad (and painfully obvious) product placement has gotten these days (I'm talking about you, 'The Biggest Loser!'),
A quick talk about the Super Bowl ads and halftime show (couldn't resist talking about Dave/Oprah/Jay),
Picks of the week, and more.

Run time is 1:26:51.

You can listen to the podcast below, or download from here or by subscribing to our RSS podcast feed. It is also available via iTunes. Feel free to leave us feedback in the comments or drop us a line at tvsquadpodcast [at] gmail [dot] com.

As usual, the music at the beginning and end of the podcast is "Life" by Justin Trawick.

Oh, and if you follow us after the jump, you'll get a surprise...

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The TV Squad Podcast: Leno and Conan, Simon Cowell, TCAs and more

Joel Keller — 2010-01-15T17:05:00+00:00

Filed under: Late Night, American Idol, Podcasts, TCA Press Tour, Reality-Free, Jay Leno, TV Squad Podcast, Features, Fall TV

I'm in Pasadena for the TCA press tour, and it's been one of the most news-packed tours in years. This week, Jason Hughes and Danny Gallagher join me to talk about what's going on in the TV world:

The Late Night Wars, 2010 edition, as we talk about Leno being pulled from 10:00, Conan's "hell no, I won't go to 12:05" letter, and more.
We discuss Simon Cowell's departure from American Idol and what that means for the show and his new show, The X Factor.
We talk about being at the TCAs, and some of the fun (and not so fun) things I've been doing here, and other news that has come out of the press tour.
Our picks of the week, and more.

Run time is 1:04:38

You can listen to the podcast below, or download from here or by subscribing to our RSS podcast feed. It is also available via iTunes. Feel free to leave us feedback in the comments or drop us a line at tvsquadpodcast [at] gmail [dot] com.

As usual, the music at the beginning and end of the podcast is "Life" by Justin Trawick.

The TV Squad Podcast: Lost, 24, Midseason TV, Best of the decade, and more!

Joel Keller — 2010-01-08T10:05:00+00:00

Filed under: Podcasts, Reality-Free, TV Squad Podcast, Features

In the first podcast of the new year, Jason Hughes, Allison Waldman and Kona Gallagher join me to talk about what's going on in the TV world:

Which midseason TV premieres and returning shows we're looking forward to,
What Lost might do during its last season,
Has 24 run its course? And how will Jack Bauer not get delayed by packed subways and indifferent cabbies in New York?
What we tried to do with our Best of the '00s lists, and what we left out.
Picks of the week, and more.

Run time is 1:15:10

You can listen to the podcast below, or download from here or by subscribing to our RSS podcast feed. It is also available via iTunes. Feel free to leave us feedback in the comments or drop us a line at tvsquadpodcast [at] gmail [dot] com.

As usual, the music at the beginning and end of the podcast is "Life" by Justin Trawick.

The TV Squad Podcast: Doctor Who, what to buy with holiday loot, Brittany Murphy, and more!

Joel Keller — 2009-12-24T16:31:00+00:00

Filed under: Site Announcements, Podcasts, Festivus, Reality-Free, TV Squad Podcast, Features

Merry Christmas! In this pre-holiday podcast, Brad Trechak and Jason Hughes join me to talk about our favorite holiday episodes (think Festivus, folks), as well as the following:

Brittany Murphy's death and how it caused NBC to pull a SNL Weekend Update bit from a few weeks ago,
It's David Tennant's last days as Doctor Who, and we talk about his popular run and what's in store for his successor, Matt Smith,
What TV-related items you can buy with the handful of gift cards you received during the holidays,
How we might be watching TV during the next decade. Will the 30th season of The Simpsons be available telekinetically?
Ask TV Squad, Comment of the Week, our picks of the week, and more!

Run time is 1:14:14.

You can listen to the podcast below, or download from here or by subscribing to our RSS podcast feed. It is also available via iTunes. Feel free to leave us feedback in the comments or drop us a line at tvsquadpodcast [at] gmail [dot] com.

As usual, the music at the beginning and end of the podcast is "Life" by Justin Trawick. Note that we recorded the podcast on Monday, and my pick of the week -- Jay Thomas on Letterman -- has already aired. Huh. I figured they'd wait until at least Christmas Eve for that one.

The TV Squad Podcast: The Golden Globes, when to watch a show live, and more

Joel Keller — 2009-12-21T18:09:00+00:00

Filed under: Podcasts, Dexter, Awards, Reality-Free, TV Squad Podcast, Features, TV News

It was a very loosey-goosey podcast this week, as Jason Hughes, Kona Gallagher and Danny Gallagher join me to talk about some of the goings on in TV:

We talk about what we usually watch this time of year, whether it's holiday specials or just catching up on shows via DVD,
The Golden Globes nominations came out last week, and we talk about how they got things (mostly) right,
Something Danny has some experience with: When should you make like it's the 1990s and actually watch a show in real time to ensure you don't get spoiled (like the Dexter finale)?
Ask TV Squad, Comment of the Week, our picks of the week, and more!

Run time is 1:11:23

You can listen to the podcast below, or download from here or by subscribing to our RSS podcast feed. It is also available via iTunes. Feel free to leave us feedback in the comments or drop us a line at tvsquadpodcast [at] gmail [dot] com.

As usual, the music at the beginning and end of the podcast is "Life" by Justin Trawick. Note that we recorded the podcast last week, so my pick of the week -- Cowboys vs. Saints -- has already happened.

The TV Squad Podcast: Rich Sommer of Mad Men, returning shows, Glee, and more!

Joel Keller — 2009-12-11T13:29:00+00:00

Filed under: 24, Lost, Site Announcements, Podcasts, Reality-Free, Mad Men, Glee, V, FlashForward, TV Squad Podcast, Features

As a holiday bonus, we have a super-sized podcast this week. The reason? Rich Sommer of Mad Men called in and gave us a solid half-hour of talk about the season just past, what he thinks is in store for his character of Harry Crane, how people used to yell at him for almost breaking up Pam and Jim on The Office, and how he loves doing commercials.

Rich's interview starts around the 37-minute mark. Besides the interview, Jason Hughes, Bob Sassone and I talk about the following:

The insane TV coverage of the Tiger Woods story,
A discussion of shows that are returning in January (24, Idol, Lost) as well as those that are taking a break until spring (Glee, V, FlashForward),
Our Comment of the Week! This is where listeners find out that we do not represent everyone in the TV industry,
Our picks for the week, and much more.

Run time is 1:31:26.

You can listen to the podcast below, or download from here or by subscribing to our RSS podcast feed. It is also available via iTunes. Feel free to leave us feedback in the comments or drop us a line at tvsquadpodcast [at] gmail [dot] com.

As usual, the music at the beginning and end of the podcast is "Life" by Justin Trawick.

Have any questions for Rich Sommer of Mad Men? Ask them here!

Joel Keller — 2009-12-04T18:02:00+00:00

Filed under: Site Announcements, Podcasts, Reality-Free, Mad Men, TV Squad Podcast, Features

As an early Christmas present to loyal TV Squad Podcast listeners, we will be having Rich Sommer on to talk about the fantastic third season of Mad Men. Sommer plays media analyst Harry Crane, and at the end of season three, he somehow managed to get his character in a very good place.

But you never know what's in Matthew Weiner's head for season four: Will we advance in time? Will everyone be working where they did at the end of season three? Who's coming back? Who isn't?

We'll have some fun with Rich as we make our guesses about it (he likely doesn't know any more than we do), and we'll talk to him about some of his other roles (like when he almost broke up Pam and Jim on The Office a couple of years ago).

Have questions for Rich, about Mad Men or anything else? Leave them in the comments and we'll relay them to Sommer during the podcast. We'll even give you credit for any question we use. So, ask away below. Any question we get in before we record the podcast on Tuesday at around 2 PM ET will be eligible.

The TV Squad Podcast: Surprising shows, decade-end lists, and the Commenter of the Week!

Joel Keller — 2009-12-04T13:25:00+00:00

Filed under: Site Announcements, Podcasts, Reality-Free, TV Squad Podcast, Features

It's our first four-way panel this week, as Jason Hughes, Kona Gallagher and Allison Waldman join me to talk about some of the goings on in TV this week:

We talk about the shows that have surprised us so far this season, including The Middle and White Collar,
It's the end of the '00s as we know it, and we feel fine: we talk about the inevitable end-of-decade lists that will drip out this month (including ours!) and what we expect to see on them,
A new feature: Our Commenter of the Week! Knowing our commenters, you can be pretty sure we didn't pick one that said how much they loved us.
Our picks for the week -- including the last episode of Monk -- and much more.

Run time is 1:01:38

You can listen to the podcast below, or download from here or by subscribing to our RSS podcast feed. It is also available via iTunes. Feel free to leave us feedback in the comments or drop us a line at tvsquadpodcast [at] gmail [dot] com.

As usual, the music at the beginning and end of the podcast is "Life" by Justin Trawick. Though I had so much fun adding the George Takei ID to the mix, I added another small surprise at the top of this 'cast, a call-back to an interview I did a few years ago. Hope you enjoy it.

The TV Squad Podcast: Vik Sahay of Chuck, Oprah talk, brutal timeslots, and more!

Joel Keller — 2009-11-25T15:01:00+00:00

Filed under: Podcasts, Chuck, Reality-Free, TV Squad Podcast, Features

Happy pre-Thanksgiving! Before you dive into the feast and football, dig in for some Chuck talk first. Vik Sahay, who plays Lester Patel on the NBC geek hit, joins me, Jason Hughes and Kona Gallagher to talk about the show's new season, which starts on January 10. Here's a hint about the season: Jeffster is mentioned a few times during the interview.

Before and after the interview, the three of us talk about:

Why Mondays, especially at 8, is such a brutal timeslot,
Oprah's "retirement" and if she'll ever have that same kind of platform again,
Our picks for the week, and more.

Run time is 1:15:52.

You can listen to the podcast below, or download from here or by subscribing to our RSS podcast feed. It is also available via iTunes. Feel free to leave us feedback in the comments or drop us a line at tvsquadpodcast [at] gmail [dot] com.

As usual, the music at the beginning and end of the podcast is "Life" by Justin Trawick; we discuss how we found this music at the top of the 'cast.

Have any questions for Vik Sahay of Chuck? Ask them here!

Joel Keller — 2009-11-23T10:27:00+00:00

Filed under: Podcasts, Chuck, Reality-Free, TV Squad Podcast, Features

On Tuesday, we're going to be recording our weekly podcast. In honor of the return of NBC's Chuck on January 10, we're going to have Vik Sahay, who plays Buy More cog Lester Patel, on board to talk about the show's return and what fans can expect.

Last season ended with a bang, as most fans already know. Not to spoil anything, but the finale ended with Chuck saying the famous line from The Matrix, "I know kung fu." And, boy, does he ever. Sahay will be able to give us some insight into what's in store for the Buy More crew now that Chuck is going in a new and even more adventurous direction.

Have questions about for Vik about Chuck or anything else? Leave them in the comments and we'll relay them to Sahay during the podcast. We'll even give you credit for any question we use. So, ask away below. Any question we get in before we record the podcast tomorrow (time TBD right now) will be eligible.

The TV Squad Podcast: The Prisoner, '80s TV, soap news and more

Joel Keller — 2009-11-19T18:16:00+00:00

Filed under: Site Announcements, Podcasts, Reality-Free, TV Squad Podcast, Features

If you haven't seen The Prisoner yet, you may want to skip the first fifteen or so minutes of this podcast, because we talk about the whole damn thing this week. Jason Hughes and Allison Waldman join me to talk about the AMC remake of the British cult classic, as well as these topics:

After the deaths of Edward Woodward and Ken Ober, why '80s TV suddenly seems so old,
Soap news, mainly a discussion of James Franco's guest stint on General Hospital,
Another dip into our Ask TV Squad mailbag, where we discuss the use of laugh tracks and why multi-camera shows are written differently than single-camera shows,
Our picks for the week, and much more.

Run time is 1:02:55.

You can listen to the podcast below, or download from here or by subscribing to our RSS podcast feed. It is also available via iTunes. Feel free to leave us feedback in the comments or drop us a line at tvsquadpodcast [at] gmail [dot] com.

As usual, the music at the beginning and end of the podcast is "Life" by Justin Trawick. Though I decided to add a small surprise at the beginning, a call-back to an interview I did a few years ago. Hope you enjoy it.

The TV Squad Podcast: Mad Men finale, November sweeps, and more

Joel Keller — 2009-11-12T18:28:00+00:00

Filed under: Site Announcements, Podcasts, Reality-Free, Mad Men, TV Squad Podcast, Features

It was an eventful week in TV, especially for fans of Mad Men. This week, Jason Hughes and Bob Sassone join me to talk about the show's finale and what may be in store for next season. We also talk about:

Why November sweeps don't mean as much as they used to,
Another dip into our Ask TV Squad mailbag, where we discuss why we promote SlashControl and other AOL-related ventures,
Our picks for the week, and much more.

Run time is 57:28.

You can listen to the podcast below, or download from here or by subscribing to our RSS podcast feed. It is also available via iTunes. Feel free to leave us feedback in the comments or drop us a line at tvsquadpodcast [at] gmail [dot] com.

By the way, the music at the beginning and end of the podcast is "Life" by Justin Trawick.

The TV Squad Podcast: Linda Purl talks about The Office, we talk spoilers, and more

Joel Keller — 2009-11-05T17:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Podcasts, Interviews, The Office, Reality-Free, TV Squad Podcast, Features, Celebrity Interviews

We've got a new e-mail address for the podcast! If you have any questions or suggestions about the 'cast, please e-mail us at tvsquadpodcast [at] google [dot] com.

This week, actress Linda Purl joins me, Jason Hughes and Kona Gallagher to talk about her guest starring stint as Pam's mom on The Office -- she's on tonight's episode, by the way. She also chats about her long acting career (remember her during the waning days of Happy Days?), her work with the California International Theatre Festival and her current success as a touring lounge singer.

After the interview, which is about 30 minutes, Kona, Jason and and I talk about the following:

What constitutes a spoiler and what doesn't,
An "Ask TV Squad" segment on PBS,
Our picks for the week.

Run time is 56:00.

You can listen to the podcast below, or download from here or by subscribing to our RSS podcast feed. It is also available via iTunes. Feel free to leave us feedback in the comments.

By the way, the music at the beginning and end of the podcast is "Life" by Justin Trawick.

The TV Squad Podcast: Bill Scheft of The Late Show, Cake Boss, Mad Men and more

Joel Keller — 2009-10-29T17:25:00+00:00

Filed under: Late Night, Site Announcements, Podcasts, Talk Show, Reality-Free, TV Squad Podcast, Features

Today I made an executive decision and gave the podcast an oh-so-creative name: "The TV Squad Podcast." This was after we recorded it on Tuesday, so I still refer to it by its old APB name. If you have any suggestions, let me know at tvsquad [at] gmail [dot] com.

In this episode, Late Show writer Bill Scheft joins me, Danny Gallagher and Kona Gallagher to talk about his new book Everything Hurts. Of course, there's lots of good behind-the-scenes info about what it was like to work at The Late Show, especially on how the events of the past month affected the staff and the show's writing, including the monologue.

He also tells some funny stories about being canned from Sports Illustrated (and spawns a new catchphrase), feeding lines to the guy who played Mike Singletary and more. It's 45 minutes of fun.

After the interview, Kona, Danny and I give our picks of the week. Run time is 1:03:02.

You can listen to the podcast below; or download from here or by subscribing to our RSS podcast feed. It is also available via iTunes. Feel free to leave us feedback in the comments.

By the way, the music at the beginning and end of the podcast is "Life" by Justin Trawick.

TV Squad's APB Podcast: Balloon Boy, The Simpsons, DWTS, and more

Joel Keller — 2009-10-22T17:24:00+00:00

Filed under: The Simpsons, Site Announcements, Podcasts, Dancing With The Stars, Reality-Free, TV Squad APB Podcast, TV Squad Podcast, Features

Podcast time again! In this episode, Jason Hughes and Michael Pascua join me to talk about TV's doings this week:

The whole Balloon Boy fiasco and why the 24-hour news networks were so fixated on it,
Reality news from Michael, including a flu scare on Dancing With The Stars,
A discussion on why The Simpsons, especially the "Treehouse of Horror" series, is in decline,
Another dip into our Ask TV Squad mailbag,
Our picks for the week, and much more.

Run time is 46:02.

You can listen to the podcast below, or download it by subscribing to our RSS podcast feed. It is also available via iTunes. Feel free to leave us feedback in the comments.

By the way, the music at the beginning and end of the podcast is "Life" by Justin Trawick.

TV Squad's APB Podcast: Southland, Leno, Mad Men, and more

Joel Keller — 2009-10-15T18:29:00+00:00

Filed under: Site Announcements, Podcasts, Reality-Free, TV Squad APB Podcast, TV Squad Podcast, Features

Week two of the revival of TV Squad's APB podcast has arrived! In this episode, Bob Sassone and Danny Gallagher join me to talk about TV's doings this week:

The cancellation of Southland and the role of The Jay Leno Show in that cancellation,
A quick discussion about my interview with Mad Men's Matt Weiner last week,
Another dip into our Ask TV Squad mailbag,
Our picks for the week, and much more.

Run time is 40:10.

You can listen to the podcast below, or download it by subscribing to our RSS podcast feed. It is also available via iTunes. Feel free to leave us feedback in the comments.

By the way, the music at the beginning and end of the podcast is "Trevor Trailer Trash" by the late great New Brunswick, NJ band Cropduster.