The Podcast About The Podcasts About Television Shows The Podcast About The Podcasts About Television Shows

Welcome back to the penultimate episode of Season 2 of TPATPAT! This time we’re bringing you back to the far flung land of 2016… Long before the Office Ladies carved their faces into the Mount Rushmore of rewatch podcasts, the modest West Wing Weekly chugged along in the background, for all intents and purposes a “normal” rewatch show, were it not for one of the host’s appearance in Season 4 and beyond of West Wing. While the pandemic proliferated actor-led rewatch podcasts, the West Wing Weekly was ahead of its time, so join us as we review their early episode discussing West Wing S01E05 “The Crackpots and These Women” and see how this early iteration compares to the slew that was to follow.

The West Wing Weekly

An episode-by-episode discussion of The West Wing, one of television’s most beloved shows, co-hosted by one of its stars, Joshua Malina, along with Hrishikesh Hirway of Song Exploder.

You’ve had podcast, yes, but what about SECOND podcast?

This episode of The Podcast About the Podcasts About Television starts with us asking how far we’ve gone off the rails, as The Friendship Onion isn’t even a TV rewatch podcast, but rather a hobbity Lord of the Rings nostalgia trip. We’re reviewing episodes 3 and 4 of the show, a.k.a. the Elijah Wood episodes, and it’s a zip back in time to the pandemic, a.k.a. the ground zero of celebrities getting microphones and recording podcasts to celebrate their careers. But what starts as a harmless, if ad-filled, jaunt down memory lane soon turns into an investigation of a Succession-style conspiracy that we gradually uncover over the course of this episode.

We all know, by now, that this story isn’t about podcasters OR actors, but rather it’s a story about podcast networks. What is the shadowy organization keeping The Friendship Onion in a perpetual state of hiatus? Who filled the first ten minutes of this show with ten different ads? Why don’t these dear hobbits want to talk anymore? Welcome to the story of Kast Media and Colin Thomson, the man who brought the exploitative model of podcast networks to the next level and scammed down-on-their luck rich celebrity podcasters until they hung up their hobbit feet and sailed off to the Undying Lands.

The Friendship Onion

Join your favorite Hobbits, friends and co-stars, Billy Boyd and Dom Monaghan as they take a look back at their time on The Lord of the Rings. Featuring interviews with cast and crew, diving deep into life behind the scenes, and answering the many fan questions, The Friendship Onion will peel back the layers of their friendship, both on screen and off.

TPATPAT is back with S02E07 in which we discuss “The Wire at 20”, an HBO production meant to intice you into rewatching your favourite groundbreaking crime ensemble via HBO’s no-doubt reasonably priced streaming service. This show is beyond the norm, more of an audio documentary than a chat show, to the point where we have to debate whether it counts as a rewatch podcast. It borders on a radio play, with Method Man guiding us through more-or-less overproduced segments and interviews. Are these actually new interviews or just archive footage? How does genuine insight balance against “remember this-isms”? Join us to find out!

The Wire at 20

Few shows are as beloved as the HBO Original Series The Wire. In honor of its 20th anniversary, HBO is releasing a brand new podcast hosted by musician and actor Method Man and featuring revealing interviews with the show’s most memorable voices. Over eight episodes, the podcast will look back at David Simon’s sprawling five-season drama and unpack its complex themes, cultural influence, and ongoing legacy. The Wire at 20 podcast is produced by HBO and Campside Media.

We’re halfway through season 2 of TPATPAT and after a Jim Scampoli tour de force (two Friday Night Lights podcasts, two Full House podcasts, one Saved by the Bell podcast) we’re reviewing a podcast about a more modern show, which both hosts have actually watched. HBO’s The Last of Us podcast isn’t a nostalgic rewatch show but rather part of the official marketing material released alongside The Last of Us season 1. It features the makers of both the game and the TV show, as well as the actor who voiced Joel, and in our discussion we’re honing in on the much lauded episode 3 — yes, the Nick Offerman one. Join us to learn how the pedigree of this podcast connects both to the wonderful Breaking Bad Insider Podcast and the more questionable genre of Talking Dead spinoffs!

HBO’s The Last of Us Podcast

The official companion podcast for the new HBO Original series The Last of Us, based on the critically acclaimed video game of the same name. Each week, join Host Troy Baker (who played Joel in the video game) as he breaks down episodes of the TV series with Showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann. Together they’ll dive into key moments and reveal behind the scenes stories from the making of this action survival series starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey.

This week we reluctantly dive into another installment of the ever-expanding TV rewatch podcast universe, and find ourselves face-to-face with: “Zack to the Future” which, in case it wasn’t clear, is a Saved by the Bell rewatch podcast. What has it got to do with Back to the Future, you ask? Nothing at all. Amidst the sea of nostalgic callbacks and flashbacks, we can’t help but marvel at the sheer absurdity of it all. Here we are, two guys hiding out in a bunker, critiquing a podcast about a show we barely remember watching. And yet, as we navigate through the saccharine-sweet halls of Bayside High, we find ourselves grappling with existential questions about the nature of nostalgia and the relentless march of time.

So grab your oversized cell phones, dust off your acid-washed jeans, dig out your neon scrunchies, raid your parent’s attic for that old Zack Morris poster, snag a slice of pizza from The Max, brush up on your Slater-style dance moves, find your VHS collection of “Saved by the Bell” reruns, stock up on caffeine pills (just kidding, don’t do that), hunt down your Lisa Turtle-inspired fashion accessories, borrow your little sister’s slap bracelets, locate your Zach Attack cassette tape, and prepare for one hell of a ride because where we’re going we won’t need… roads.

Zack to the Future

Mark-Paul Gosselaar (aka Zack Morris) has not watched an episode of Saved by the Bell since he walked off the set over 25 years ago. Partnered with Dashiell Driscoll – who is currently writing for the series reboot and who wrote the Funny or Die series “Zack Morris is Trash” – the duo revisits the show and recaps the most epic moments for the audience to relive the incredible series. So grab a burger and shake from The Max, get so excited for some special guests and don’t let the dog eat your homework, because Zack Morris is back.

We are back again with the other side of the coin regarding Friday Night Lights rewatch podcasts. This time we check in on Clear Eyes Full Hearts: A Friday Night Lights Rewatch after discussing It’s Not Only Football. We start to scratch the surface of the seedy underbelly of rewatch podcast production companies and stay tuned as this only goes deeper.

Clear Eyes Full Hearts: A Friday Night Lights Rewatch



Clear Eyes, Full Hearts is a Friday Night Lights weekly rewatch podcast hosted by actors Derek Phillips and Stacey Oristano (Billy and Mindy Collette-Riggins). Derek and Stacey are married on television, but they’re friends in real life. Join them as the two pals take a trip back to Dillon, Texas where they’ll share highlights of the episodes, behind-the-scenes information and answer fan questions. Along the way, they’ll be joined by members of the Friday Night Lights family: writers, directors and fellow cast members.