Taking It Down

The Alabama Take
  • 5.0 (37)
  • TV REVIEWS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

You work hard. There’s no time to waste. And TV and streaming are overcrowded, reviews are noisy, and often critics talk about what they wish a show had done instead of what it actually does. That’s not Taking It Down, the TV podcast from The Alabama Take. Every episode begins spoiler-free so that you can decide whether a show is worth your time. Then it goes deeper. Instead of grading television against a fantasy version of itself, Taking It Down looks at what’s on the screen and what it means. It's the text and the subtext. This is the TV podcast for people who love television, think critically, work hard, and don’t have hours to chase every take online. Every episode delivers thoughtful analysis, honest reactions, and solid recommendations, all without taking itself too seriously or talking down to listeners. Join hosts Blaine, Adam, and Donovan each Tuesday morning. Your time matters.

  1. 'DTF St. Louis' and Its Vibes; Steve Carell Returns to the Spotlight in 'Rooster'

    1D AGO

    'DTF St. Louis' and Its Vibes; Steve Carell Returns to the Spotlight in 'Rooster'

    To help both the podcast and The Alabama Take site itself, consider making a donation of any size with the link here. In this week's episode of the TV and streaming podcast Taking It Down, Blaine welcomes and gives a quick overview of the episode (0:02) before introducing Adam and explaining Donovan's absence (1:31). From there, the two hosts are in non-spoilers and discuss a certain oddity to the series 'DTF St. Louis' found on HBO (1:31). They also discuss 'DTF St. Louis' in comparison to the new Amazon Prime series 'Scarpettta' (5:50). Then it's time to sing some praises for Steve Carell and his return to TV with the HBO series 'Rooster,' but they keep the spoilers away (9:53). After a break, they do a quick check in with 'Shrinking' to begin the spoiler section (21:20) before moving into exactly what makes 'DTF St. Louis' both strange and unique (24:14). After that, they disucss specifics of the 'Rooster' premiere and what about it gives them hope (46:18). To end spoilers, they add some thoughts on Oscar-nominated films (1:00:10) before getting a little more specific about the movie 'Hamnet' (1:01:39). For more, visit The Alabama Take website. To sign up for the site's newsletter rather than rely on social media, sign up here.

    1h 6m
  2. Unraveling 'DTF St. Louis' and 'Shrinking' Does Its Best

    MAR 10

    Unraveling 'DTF St. Louis' and 'Shrinking' Does Its Best

    In the weekly episode, Blaine introduces the show with a welcome and overview as well as the topics of the week (0:03). When Donovan and Adam join Blaine, Blaine gives a special thank you to someone who helped with the fundraising for the host site and podcasts (1:23). In the non-spoiler section, the hosts introduce the the new series on HBO 'DTF St. Louis' and hint that it may be better than most critics would say (2:23). After that, they discuss without spoilers how 'Shrinking' may have aired its best episode yet (11:40). In the spoilers, they get into why 'DTF St. Louis' is so good (15:32) as well as how 'Shrinking' pulled out an excellent episode in a season that has not been as good (42:04). For more, visit The Alabama Take website. To sign up for the site's newsletter rather than rely on social media, sign up here. To help both the podcast and The Alabama Take site itself, consider making a donation of any size with the link here.

    53 min
  3. How 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' and 'How to Get to Heaven From Belfast' Get It Right!

    MAR 3

    How 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' and 'How to Get to Heaven From Belfast' Get It Right!

    To help with funding, which is only asked for once every four years or so, click here. On this fine week of Taking It Down, Blaine introduces the show as well as explains how listeners can help both the show and the website The Alabama Take (0:03). They could use the help! After the introductions, there are a few thank yous to be said to those who have donated to help the podcasts and site, which leads to the Madness of March, somehow (1:49). Plus, Blaine reads a comment from the site about the podcast and asks for help with an Irish term (3:42). Continuing the non-spoiler talk, it's high praise for 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' (6:16), a nod to a slight improvement from 'Shrinking' (10:31), and some broad love for 'How to Get to Heaven From Belfast' (13:02). After a break, the hosts discuss the specifics of why the finale of 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' had a perfect ending, which actually included no dongs (19:50). They spoil the most recent episode of 'Shrinking' to talk about some minor improvements for this season (28:08). Finally, the hosts discuss how 'How to Get to Heaven From Belfast' had resonance and depth perhaps missed upon first viewing (35:22). For more, visit The Alabama Take website. To sign up for the site's newsletter rather than rely on social media, sign up here. To help both the podcast and The Alabama Take site itself even long after the fundraiser, consider making a donation of any size with the link here.

    57 min
  4. An XL Episode From Rewatches to 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' to 'How to Get to Heaven from Belfast'!

    FEB 24

    An XL Episode From Rewatches to 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' to 'How to Get to Heaven from Belfast'!

    To help this podcast continue and the website The Alabama Take keep going, click this link to donate as much or as little as you wish. Every bit helps. Thank you! They're back after a hiatus that lasted too long! And it's with a plus-sized episode! This week, Blaine begins with how to make a donation for The Alabama Take, why it's important, and how the funds will be used (0:02) Blaine then gives an overview of the episode (1:47). In the non-spoilers, which begin every episode, Blaine, Adam, and Donovan thank those who have helped the site and podcasts thus far (2:44). The episode kicks off in earnest with shows they repeatedly watch and what makes that a must (5:04): included is the series 'Band of Brothers,' which Adam claims to be HBO's best series (5:29) and Blaine found 'Lonesome Dove' a must after hearing of the death of Robert Duvall (11:34). Plus, he throws in the brilliance of comedian Dusty Slay as well as his Alabama connection (13:56). Continuing with non-spoilers, Blaine explains in general how 'Wonder Man' is easily Marvel's greatest television series and its best attempt at anything in many years (15:08). From there, it's non-spoilers for shows that will appear in the spoiler section; the first of which is 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,' what could be the best of the George R.R. Martin universe of shows on HBO (17:19). Blaine and Adam then discuss how Apple TV's 'Shrinking' is stinking and a little bit of why (21:33). Lastly in the non-spoiler section is the new Netflix series 'How to Get to Heaven from Belfast,' which has all three hosts intrigued (22:39). After a short break, they get into the meat of the episode, pondering how goods HBO's 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' truly is and if what appears in the penultimate episode is fully needed (31:06). From there, it's the specifics on Apple TV's 'Shrinking' and why it now sucks (52:47). In the final spoiler conversation, all three hosts have full attention to Netflix's new show 'How to Get to Heaven from Belfast' (1:08:35) because of how quickly it lets the viewer in, which has a lot to do with aging. For more, visit The Alabama Take website. To sign up for the site's newsletter and not rely on social media, sign up here. To help both the podcast and The Alabama Take site itself, consider making a donation of any size with the link here.

    1h 28m
  5. It's the Seventies in Russia and 'A Knight' Makes Us Happy!

    JAN 27

    It's the Seventies in Russia and 'A Knight' Makes Us Happy!

    This week, Blaine welcomes everyone and gives a quick overview of the episode (0:02). From there, Donovan gives the guys the scoop on what the hype is behind the HBO series 'Heated Rivalry' (1:33). After that, the weekend was abuzz because of Netflix's live event 'Skyscraper Live,' which Donovan could not watch (9:31). Continuing in non-spoilers, they introduce 'PONIES' on Peacock (15:09), why 'The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins' is must-see (20:53), and how great it is to be back in Westeros with 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' (28:17). In the spoiler section, the host discuss how 'PONIES' is mostly great, though there could be fixes (30:18). Then they finalize this week's episode with the joy of 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' (43:31). For more, visit The Alabama Take website! To sign up for the site's newsletter rather than rely on social media, sign up here. To help both the podcast and The Alabama Take site itself, consider making a donation of any size with the link here. Companies mentioned in this episode: NBCPeacockHBONetflix

    54 min
  6. The Big TV Preview Episode!

    JAN 16

    The Big TV Preview Episode!

    The podcast episode is a unique, spoiler-free preview of upcoming TV shows set to debut from January through April. Blaine begins everything with a quick overview (0:03) before Adam and Donovan join and get a chance to rebuke his best-of-TV list from 2025 (2:42). Then it's time to discuss what's coming to TV this late winter and early spring as well as gauge our interest on various series (7:42). For more, visit The Alabama Take website with this link. To sign up for the site's newsletter, visit the link here. To help both the podcast and The Alabama Take site itself, consider making a donation of any size with the link here.

    30 min
  7. TV Finales: 'Stranger Things,' 'Plur1bus,' 'Welcome to Derry,' and 'The Chair Company'

    JAN 13

    TV Finales: 'Stranger Things,' 'Plur1bus,' 'Welcome to Derry,' and 'The Chair Company'

    This week, the episode kicks off with the trio—Adam, Donovan, and Blaine—reuniting after their holiday break to discuss the endings of 2025's television. To begin, Blaine breaks down where they've been and how it almost ended (0:02). In the non-spoiler section, the guys join Blaine to talk about 'Stranger Things 5' and its return to form (2:29). They also discuss the finales, without spoilers, for 'Plur1bus' (4:56), 'Welcome to Derry' (6:19), and 'The Chair Company' (9:07). In the spoiler section, it's what made 'Stranger Things 5' work (12:17), what 'Plur1bus' likely had to say (30:54), how 'Welcome to Derry' was more of a roller coaster than show (44:50), and how 'The Chair Company' achieved something utterly wild (49:13). For more, visit The Alabama Take website with this link. To sign up for the site's newsletter, visit the link here. To help both the podcast and The Alabama Take site itself, consider making a donation of any size with the link here.

    1h 1m
  8. Inconsistence in 'Welcome to Derry' and 'Plur1bus' Goes Beyond A.I.

    12/16/2025

    Inconsistence in 'Welcome to Derry' and 'Plur1bus' Goes Beyond A.I.

    This week, Blaine gives a welcome and overview (0:02) before Donovan joins to talk non-spoilers about the D&D heavy episodes of 'Stranger Things 5' (1:12). They briefly talk about the new Netflix film 'Knives Out: Wake Up Dead Man' (6:24). From there, they continue some non-spoiler ideas on if 'Welcome to Derry' is good (7:43) and the amount of episodes left for 'Pluribus' (11:04). In non-spoilers, the bulk of the discussion revolves around 'Welcome to Derry,' where they analyze the show's recent developments and if it can count as having thematic depth (16:19). From there, it is spoiler section for 'Pluribus,' where they recognize its unique storytelling (39:58). For more, visit The Alabama Take website with this link. To sign up for the site's newsletter, visit the link here. To help both the podcast and The Alabama Take site itself, consider making a donation of any size with the link here.

    54 min
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Hosts & Guests

5
out of 5
37 Ratings

About

You work hard. There’s no time to waste. And TV and streaming are overcrowded, reviews are noisy, and often critics talk about what they wish a show had done instead of what it actually does. That’s not Taking It Down, the TV podcast from The Alabama Take. Every episode begins spoiler-free so that you can decide whether a show is worth your time. Then it goes deeper. Instead of grading television against a fantasy version of itself, Taking It Down looks at what’s on the screen and what it means. It's the text and the subtext. This is the TV podcast for people who love television, think critically, work hard, and don’t have hours to chase every take online. Every episode delivers thoughtful analysis, honest reactions, and solid recommendations, all without taking itself too seriously or talking down to listeners. Join hosts Blaine, Adam, and Donovan each Tuesday morning. Your time matters.

Information

  • Channel
    The Alabama Take
  • Creator
    Blaine Duncan
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    274
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Blaine Duncan
  • Show Website
    Taking It Down

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