Stop Everything‪!‬ ABC listen

We're all guilty of loving problematic faves. Is it still OK to read Harry Potter or watch Woody Allen movies? How do you reconcile your love for murky pop culture with the ethics of being a good person?

In this special episode, Benjamin Law and Wenlei Ma confess to their problematic faves and attempt to determine whether it's still OK to declare their loyalty to them or if it's something to be disavowed.

We also chat to Karyn Moynihan and Anna Carey about Double Love, a podcast which recaps and re-litigates the blockbuster 1980s teen publishing phenomenon, Sweet Valley High.

It's a great week for anyone who loves a scandal, especially a media one. The return of The Newsreader and Morning Wars within days of each other means we're well served when it comes to fictional high-drama in newsrooms. All that shouting and backstabbing!

The Newsreader's Sam Reid joins us to chat about what to expect for the second season, and his curious obsession with vintage TV sets.

Plus, BL and WM discuss the furore surrounding Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis after their support for Danny Masterson in the wake of his conviction for rape — and the fraught use of character references in sexual assault cases.

Cancellations! Price rises! Too many services! Streaming was supposed to be a pop culture utopia where audiences could pay $10 for everything they ever wanted to watch.

A decade on, viewers are forking out for multiple services and their favourite shows are being canned. Journalist and streaming expert Dan Barrett joins us to wade through the mess and forecast what the future holds for the industry and audiences.

Speaking of mess, BL and WM discuss the muddy disaster of Burning Man and whether festivals will now always be at the mercy of climate change. Plus, how people reacted to the Venice Film Festival's inclusion of Woody Allen, Roman Polanski and Luc Besson.

And, we take a look at the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie and the enduring power of a thoroughly silly (in the best ways) franchise.

Everywhere you look, there's a cultural bin fire. The flames of disaster are burning down the house and we can't stop staring.

First there's the shameless comeback of the Fyre Festival, the disastrous party that never was. Then there's Disney scuttling a super expensive streaming series it's already finished filming and may now never see the light of day.

And, of course, there's the calamitous Sex and the City revival And Just Like That, which finished its second season with an anticipated cameo and a narrative whimper.

Plus, Australian authors Jenna Guillaume and Will Kostakis drop in to chat about all things Young Adult books, TV shows and movies, and how to walk the tightrope of the culture wars.

If Taylor Swift's nemesis Scooter Braun is having a bad week, is it a pretty safe assumption that TayTay is having a good one? So, why is everyone talking about Braun right now?

Plus, Real Housewives superfan Ben mounts a spirited defence of the reality TV juggernaut and tries to convince non-believer Wenlei to give it a go.

And, actor and comedian Matt Okine stops by to chat about his bold adventure, a remake of iconic Australian series Mother and Son while BL and WM wrestle over the Bradley Cooper "Jewface" controversy.

The internet is blowing up over the bedroom antics in queer rom-com Red, White and Royal Blue, but is it actually sexy? And is mediocrity what's been missing in LGBTQI+ representation?

BL and WM discuss the messy, QAnon-adjacent controversy that's engulfed box-office barnstormer, child sex trafficking movie Sound of Freedom.

Plus, authority on all things comics Maria Lewis stops in to talk about her new book, Mockingbird: Strike Out, and the state of play in the world of superheroes.