Not Quite Great Books: a TV podcast

Danielle Hanley & John McMahon
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When you spend the bulk of your life reading, writing, and building lesson plans, sometimes your brain needs a break. Join two of your favorite political theory professors - Danielle Hanley and John McMahon - as they switch gears from the world’s so-called great books to break down some of your favorite TV shows. The twist? Only one of your hosts has seen the show before. First up? The Americans.

  1. 12/29/2025

    116. The Americans Season 6 Preview

    Danielle and John are BACK* from their long espionage sojourns and reunited to preview The Americans Season 6. Having both rewatched the S5 finale, they note their surprises and ideas upon this revisiting, before talking through what the show asks of its viewers and what Danielle expects, predicts, and wants heading into Season 6.       *"we are SO back" reserved for the actual start of S6 episodes Season 6 episodes coming your way in 2026.  -- Music by Lesfm from Pixabay

    50 min

  2. 12/04/2025

    Americans Season 6 coverage coming in the new year!

    If you can't wait for [redacted] and [redacted] and the dramatic [redacted] of our beloved [redacted], never fear, we'll be back in early 2026 to begin our coverage of The Americans, Season 6 (the last one!).

    1 min

  3. 11/28/2025

    115. Derry Girls Series 2, Episode 5 "The Prom" & Episode 6 "The President"

    Set up for fancy listening devices as Regan and John navigate intersubjective lessons for the characters of Derry Girls and for themselves while they dive into the Series 2 finale. What do the girls learn about themselves through moments of conflict, and when do they stay stuck in joke-delivery-machine status? Do you really gotta hand it to Bill Clinton? Will John and Regan's respective takes on the show so far and on what they want out Series 3 be predictable?  Much like being a Derry Girl, being a loyal NQGB listener is a feckin' state of mind (but do like, subscribe, and download).  -- Music by Lesfm from Pixabay

    1h 42m

  4. 11/06/2025

    114. Derry Girls Series 2, Episode 3 "The Concert" & Episode 4 "The Curse"

    The titular girls go through coming of age rites of passage both holy and profane, sneaking away to an escapade-laden concert in Belfast and navigating one wedding and a pot-scone-fueled wake. And yet, your hosts are split on these episodes and the series as a whole as one of them (guess who) concern trolls whether these are characters or props delivering jokes and shenanigans. Regan and John are united, however, in their interest in the travellers, gratefulness of The Cranberries drops, appreciation of Da Gerry, and having been too goody two-shoes as teens to pull off Derry girls-level deception and subterfuge. Plus, Sister Michael outside of school, twice! -- Music by Lesfm from Pixabay

    1h 20m

  5. 10/23/2025

    113. Derry Girls Series 2, Episode 1, "Across the Barricade" & Episode 2, "Ms De Brún and the Child of Prague""

    The second series of Derry Girls (second season for the Yanks) is here, and what if anything about the show has changed? 80s classic The Breakfast Club and Dead Poets Society help Regan and John frame their discussion of mission: ride some Prod lads and the questions about social separation the mission raises, and of the pedagogy (or lack thereof) of one Ms. De Brún. A real heyday for Sister Michael in these episodes sparks the segments, which also include your share of lad culture, music recommendations, and, of course, our guy the Child of Prague. -- Music by Lesfm from Pixabay

    1h 13m

  6. 10/09/2025

    112. Derry Girls, Series 1 Episodes 5-6

    These are the episodes where the girls truly do become children of the crossfire. A run-in with the Orange Order prompts a roadtrip gone wrong and a consideration of our new favorite (?) Provo, whale some classic school newspaper mechanics prompt a coming out for one of the main characters. Regan and John discuss how these episodes and particularly the cross-cutting final scene may fundamentally alter the show and consider an absent Madonna (the pop superstar this time), step aerobics, The Cranberries, Saint Anthony, and Le Tigre among many other subjects.  -- Music by Lesfm from Pixabay

    1h 21m

  7. 09/25/2025

    111. Derry Girls Series 1, Episodes 3-4

    Regan and John connect to podcasts past (Pope-verse, anyone?) as they explore the ways Catholicism is woven into the fabric of everyday life for the titular Derry girls as they confront the mysteries of the Virgin Mary, dead, resurrected, or absconded dogs, history exams, and visitors from Ukraine. After questioning whether Erin can become more than trope-ic comic relief, they dive into the segments to appreciate Sister Michael, recommend PJ Harvey (guess who), talk about Chernobyl Children International, and much more.  There’s even a hot priest! -- Music by Lesfm from Pixabay

    1h 10m

  8. 09/11/2025

    110. Derry Girls, Series 1 Episodes 1-2

    Regan Levitte is BACK for some more NQGB podcasting, this time initiating John into the world of Derry Girls. Exploring identity-making, the pair situate themselves in the world of Derry, Northern Ireland and of the five main characters, Erin, Clare, Michelle, Orla, and James. Which character does each of your trusty hosts most resemble (whether they like ir or not)? What new and alliterative segments have been devised for this jaunt to the serious and silly sitcom set amid The Troubles, circa 1990s? What theory season is it (spoiler: Sara Ahmed SZN…but this time The Cave contains more than just theory.) Does John like this show? -- Music by Lesfm from Pixabay

    1h 35m
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About

When you spend the bulk of your life reading, writing, and building lesson plans, sometimes your brain needs a break. Join two of your favorite political theory professors - Danielle Hanley and John McMahon - as they switch gears from the world’s so-called great books to break down some of your favorite TV shows. The twist? Only one of your hosts has seen the show before. First up? The Americans.

Information

  • Creator
    Danielle Hanley & John McMahon
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2025
  • Episodes
    118
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
  • Show Website
    Not Quite Great Books: a TV podcast