The Worst of All Possible Worlds

Josh Boerman, A.J. Ditty, and Brian Alford

The first and only podcast bringing you weekly case studies in the pop culture of a dying empire. Every Wednesday, co-hosts Josh, Brian, and A.J. dissect an artifact of popular culture, breaking down how its narrative choices reflect or subvert the reactionary political project. From video games to movies to theater to an apparently infinite supply of evangelical Christian radio drama, we expose the machinations of the worst of all possible worlds in order to figure out how to build a better one. Also, we have bits.

  1. 214 - The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (feat. Jolenta Greenberg)

    5 DAYS AGO

    214 - The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (feat. Jolenta Greenberg)

    Jolenta Greenberg (Hot Mess-Terpiece Theatre) and the lads attend the dinner party from hell and down goblets of cocktails as they cover season one of the hit-Bravo reality show: The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Topics include the origins of the Real Housewives, the art of the talking head one-liner, and what we can learn from the horrifying darkness that comes with being married to Frasier Crane.   Jolenta Greenberg: Website // Instagram   Hot Mess-Terpiece Theatre: Comedian & pop culture critic Jolenta Greenberg has a theory: reality TV isn’t ruining culture - it is culture. Join her and a cast of sharp, funny guests as they dig into the details behind the drama and unpack why we can’t get enough of those iconic scenes and unforgettable characters. This is the place for highbrow conversations about “lowbrow” TV. Spotify // Apple Podcasts // Podbean // Instagram   Media Referenced in this Episode: The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills S1 E4: “It’s My Party and I’ll Spend If I Want To” S1 E5: “I Would Never Say That” S1 E9: “The Dinner Party From Hell” S1 E13: “Unforgivable” “Bravo Adds Fifth Night of Programming, Boosting Original Hours by 20%” by Bill Gorman. Bravo TV Press Release. March 10th, 2010. “Bravo’s ‘The Real Housewives of Orange County’ to premiere March 21st” by Reality Tv World staff. Reality TV World. January 6th, 2006. How Andy Cohen Became Famous Enough To End Up On "Riverdale" by Rebecca Farley. Refinery 29. March 22nd, 2018. MEDIA; “Bravo Learns to Make Noise and Have Fun” by Abby Ellin. The New York Times. July 5th, 2004. “NBC Puts Its Stamp on Bravo” by Allison Romano. Broadcasting and Cable. February 17th, 2003.   TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com   Edited by: Brian Alford   Interstitial: “The Real Housewives of Carmel-By-The-Sea” // Written by A.J. Ditty // feat. Josh Boerman as “Bravo Announcer”, Eleanor Philips as “Chloe”, Anne Boerman as “Kathy”, and Madeleine Bundy as “Kim”.

    2h 15m
  2. 213 - Midnight Mass

    29 OCT

    213 - Midnight Mass

    THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall   The lads take the Breeze to Crockett island and drink the blood of the angels as they attend Mike Flanagan’s 2021 Catholic horrorfest: Midnight Mass. Topics include the origins of Mike Flanagan, the banal evil of Hamish Linklater, and what it means to try to fight addiction while doing battle with Nosferatu-worshipping vampire-priests.   Media Referenced in this Episode: Midnight Mass. Dir. Mike Flanagan. 2021. “The Deeply Personal Horror of Midnight Mass” by Mike Flanagan. Bloody Disgusting. September 27th, 2021.   TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com   Interstitial: “James the Lesser” // Written by A.J. Ditty // Feat. Dono Eyre as “Da Pope” // Music: Pipe Organ of Keane’s “Somewhere Only We Know” by Reductio

    31 min
  3. 212 - Bloodborne (feat. What’s All This Then?)

    22 OCT

    212 - Bloodborne (feat. What’s All This Then?)

    Charlotte and Libby from the What’s All This Then podcast join the lads in Yharnam as they cover the nightmare that is FromSoftware’s 2015 gothic horror opus: Bloodborne. Topics include the steep learning curve, the masterful escalation of horror, and what it means to conquer your anxieties in the greatest Britain simulator ever made. What’s All This Then?: A podcast about Britain, hosted by Charlotte McDonnell and Libby Watson. Patreon // Spotify // Apple Podcasts Libby Watson: Twitch // Bluesky Charlotte McDonnell: Twitch // Bluesky Media Referenced in this Episode: Bloodborne. Dir. Hidetaka Miyazaki. FromSoftware. 2015. Bloodborne Is Genius, And Here’s Why by Hbomberguy The Paleblood Hunt by “Redgrave” TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com Interstitial: “The Lads of Yharnam” // Written by A.J. Ditty // Feat. A.J. Ditty as “Claude Pitchfork/The Lads” // Music: “Screaming at the Wailing Wall” by Flogging Molly

    2h 39m
  4. 211 - Faye Anything (feat. I Hate James Dobson) [Whit’s Endless Summer 47]

    15 OCT

    211 - Faye Anything (feat. I Hate James Dobson) [Whit’s Endless Summer 47]

    THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall Jake from the I Hate James Dobson podcast and the lads return to Odyssey for further adventures in trust funds, marriage counseling, and the next mayor of Odyssey: Margaret Faye. Topics include the never ending Eugene and Katrina will they/won’t they, the effects of bingeing 400 episodes of AiO in an incredibly short amount of time, and the ingrained sexism at the heart of both the evangelical project and John Avery Whittaker. I Hate James Dobson: Join therapists Jake (a former Evangelical) and Brooke (who knows almost nothing about Evangelical culture) as they read and tear apart Dobson’s works. Get ready to laugh, cry, and rip your hair out as we explore the very many reasons why I Hate James Dobson. Spotify // Apple Podcasts // Bluesky // Instagram Media Referenced in this Episode: Adventures in Odyssey #372-374: “For Whom the Wedding Bell Tolls Parts 1-3” #380-381: “The One About Trust Parts 1 and 2" TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com Interstitial: “25 Keys” // Written by A.J. Ditty // Feat. Eliza Martin Simpson as “Mary Mulligan” and A.J. Ditty as “Melvin Mulligan”

    31 min
  5. 210 - Into the Woods (feat. Mattie Lubchansky)

    8 OCT

    210 - Into the Woods (feat. Mattie Lubchansky)

    Mattie Lubchansky (Boys Weekend, Simplicity) and the lads grab their cow as white as milk, their cape as red as blood, their hair as yellow as corn, their slipper as pure as gold, and feed a potion to a rapping witch as they cover Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s 1986 fairy tale musical: Into the Woods. Topics include the massive reworking of the second act, the many allegations against the Big Bad Wolf, and how Sondheim’s most lucrative musical might also be his best. Mattie Lubchansky: Website // Bluesky // Instagram // Patreon BUY MATTIE'S BOOKS: In the Land of…Simplicity: An Account of the Unusual Peoples of the Former United States & A Sojourn Through the Exurb Zones And Other Unsecured Territories By An Intrepid Explorer From the Coalition of Secured City-States: a vibrant new graphic novel about a timid academic sent out from the walled dystopian security territory of New York City to investigate a cult in the wilds of the Catskill Mountains. Boys Weekend: A hilarious trans-“final girl” horror graphic novel about a bachelor party gone very, very wrong. A witty, tender romp through the cosmic horror of being alive LISTEN TO MATTIE'S PODCASTS: No Gods No Mayors: Municipal government: a trap that catches those too incompetent, too corrupt, too strange even for national politics. And the greatest of these, the mayor - the highest political office one can hope to reach with a truly oppositional personality or a crack addiction. Mattie Lubchansky, Riley Quinn and November Kelly are teaming up to make a podcast investigating these mayors. From petty Bonapartes to flagrant mafiosi, these are their stories. Available on Spotify // Apple Podcasts // RSS Feed Temporal Culture War: Mattie Lubchansky and Clayton Ashley figure out what the hell was going on in culture in the early 2000s while they wade through episodes of Star Trek Enterprise. Available on Spotify // Apple Podcasts // RSS Feed Media Referenced in this Episode: Into the Woods. Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Book by James Lapine. 1986. Bernadette Peters and Original Into the Woods Cast Recall Untold Stories, Backstage Memories and Standouts With Sondheim by Adam Hetrick. Playbill. November 25th, 2014. From "Boom Crunch" to "The Last Midnight": How Into the Woods Transformed Throughout the Years by Logan Culwell-Block. Playbill. November 19th, 2014. Look, I Made a Hat: Collected Lyrics (1981-2011) with Attendant Comments, Amplifications, Dogmas, Harangues, Digressions, Anecdotes and Miscellany by Stephen Sondheim. Penguin Random House. 2011. Into the Woods: A conversation with Sondheim and Lapine – 1991 PBS TV Into the Woods - MTI Conversation Piece with Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine Into the Woods SR. at Lenox Hill TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com Interstitial: “There’s a Chance You Might Be Bi” // Music by Stephen Sondheim // Lyrics by A.J. Ditty // Featuring A.J. Ditty as “Himself”

    2h 58m
  6. 209 - My Cousin Vinny

    3 OCT

    209 - My Cousin Vinny

    THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall The lads hop in their 1964 metallic mint-green Buick Skylarks and get arrested for murder as they cover Jonathan Lynn’s 1992 legal comedy: My Cousin Vinny. Topics include the Era of the Screenplay, the film’s dedication to legal procedure, and the unspeakable cinematic power of having Marisa Tomei talk about tire-tracks. Media Referenced in this Episode: My Cousin Vinny. Dir. Jonathan Lynn. 1992. Abnormal Interviews: “My Cousin Vinny Director Jonathan Lynn” by Nick Farr. March 13th, 2012. Dale Launer’s Incredible Website ‘WHAT IS A YUTE?’: AN ORAL HISTORY OF ‘MY COUSIN VINNY’ by Andy Greene. Rolling Stone. March 7th, 2022. TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com Interstitial: “A Phone Call From The Southern Baptist Correctional Facility” // Written by A.J. Ditty and Tony Ditty // feat. A.J. Ditty as “A.J. Ditty”, Eleanor Philips as “Denise”, and Tony Ditty as “Tony Ditty: Lawyer and A.J.’s Actual Father”

    25 min
  7. Fancy Movie Time #33: Yi Yi

    1 OCT

    Fancy Movie Time #33: Yi Yi

    THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall On this episode of Fancy Movie Time with Brian and A.J., the Fancy Lads head to Taipei and dance with the pigeon man as they cover Edward Yang's coming-of-age drama Yi Yi (2000). Do the film's novelistic approach and impeccable characterizations make it a Fancy Feast? Or does its vibes-based tone and myriad of plots make it a Failure to Fancy? One thing's for sure: Mr. Fancymovietime DEFINITELY got his union card. On the next episode of Fancy Movie Time with Brian and A.J.: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)

    15 min
  8. 208 - Bar Rescue (feat. Slowpuke)

    24 SEPT

    208 - Bar Rescue (feat. Slowpuke)

    Slowpuke (SlowpukeLIVE) and the lads stake out a bar and scream in the faces of undiagnosed alcoholics as we cover Jon Taffer’s hit reality-television show: Bar Rescue. Topics include Taffer’s self-aggrandized past, the ethics of robot performers, and what it means to watch a man transform a bar from terrible to an entirely different kind of terrible.   Slowpuke: Twitch // Bluesky // Instagram   Media Referenced in this Episode: Bar Rescue S02E01: “Yo-Ho-Ho and a Bottle of Dumb” S03E11: “Don’t Mess with Taffer’s Wife” S02E22: “Punch-Drunk and Trailer-Trashed” S04E25: “Sticky Situation” Bar 702 (Sand Dollar) From Bar Rescue Has Been Sold by Matt. Barrescueupdates.com. June 22nd, 2014. Breaking News - Spike TV Picks Up New Original Series, "Bar Rescue" and "Repo Games" | TheFutonCritic.com. January 1st, 2011. Council Bluffs police investigating shooting at O'Face Bar by KMTV News. 3 News Now. February 27th, 2021. Domestic Violence Case Dismissed by Staff Consortium. The Virgin Islands Consortium. March 19th, 2021. How "Bar Rescue" host Jon Taffer helped changed the way we watch the NFL by Aaron Torres. Fox Sports. January 7th, 2014. jon taffer spaceship robot story Second arrest made in connection to weekend shooting outside Council Bluffs bar by First Alert 6 Staff. First Alert 6. March 25th, 2025. Wilkes Assault Lawsuit TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com   Interstitial: “Bar Rescue Jr.” // Written by A.J. Ditty // Feat. Josh Boerman as “Aggressive Narrator”, Slowpuke as “Mrs. Cunningham/Molly Cunningham”, and A.J. Ditty as “Jon Taffer/Customer”

    2h 29m
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Hosts & Guests

About

The first and only podcast bringing you weekly case studies in the pop culture of a dying empire. Every Wednesday, co-hosts Josh, Brian, and A.J. dissect an artifact of popular culture, breaking down how its narrative choices reflect or subvert the reactionary political project. From video games to movies to theater to an apparently infinite supply of evangelical Christian radio drama, we expose the machinations of the worst of all possible worlds in order to figure out how to build a better one. Also, we have bits.

Information

  • Creator
    Josh Boerman, A.J. Ditty, and Brian Alford
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2025
  • Episodes
    233
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2021-22 TWOAPW. All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    The Worst of All Possible Worlds

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