Taking It Down

This week, we get right to the point: is Napoleon a good movie? It sure could've been with some of these fixes (2:03). After the break, we discuss how Fargo returns, checks some boxes, but gets back to form (21:18). If you're a fan of video podcasts, the YouTube channel for The Alabama Take has extra footage different from the audio episode, found below, but we need a name. Chime in! Win prizes! The Alabama Take brings you an entire family of podcasts and writings -- all with no ads! But we still have some bills to pay. If there's nothing in the shop to interest you, feel free to make a donation: venture to Buy Me A Coffee or visit our Venmo and PayPal to help to keep the site, the writings, and podcasts going. Find the other podcasts in The Alabama Take network in any podcast app. Not only that, but all podcasts now appear in the YouTube channel for The Alabama Take.

In this week's audio version of the podcast, the entire crew is here to first dive into the current season of MTV's The Challenge: we'll unpack why it has a different vibe and who annoys us most (1:20). After a break, Donovan talks himself into possibly loving the new David Fincher movie on Netflix The Killer (14:05) before we spoil the movie (23:04). If you're a fan of video podcasts, the YouTube channel for The Alabama Take has extra footage different from the audio episode, found below, with takes on the new trailer for the upcoming film Napoleon as well as leftover thoughts on The Beatles and the bad reviews of The Marvels.

With only Adam and Blaine this week, the guys veer way out of the podcast's usual lane of TV to talk about The Beatles. Prompted by the new single "Now and Then," they talk discuss production, albums, and songs. The episode begins with the podcast's roots (1:20) before explaining why this week isn't a TV episode (2:23). There's a dash of football discussion (4:29) before the two hosts talk about The Beatles: the new single, previous work without John Lennon, favorite albums, favorite songs, and the man who played hundreds of copies of The White Album (5:44). The episode wraps with a mushroom-specific "Strawberry Fields Forever" tale (30:27) before Adam assigns some Beatles homework everyone will love (31:49). If you're a fan of video podcasts, the YouTube channel for The Alabama Take has extra footage different from the audio episode, found below, with takes on Daylight Saving Time, seasons, and author Caleb Johnson's recent fiction "The Camper."

This week for the audio episode of the podcast, Donovan and Blaine discuss some new options with the audio and video versions of Taking It Down (1:45) before moving into the sad news of Matthew Perry's death (3:20). Then it's a wrap on the final four episodes of the Netflix series The Fall Of The House Of Usher (7:54). Was it worth it? Does it answer all of its questions? If you're a fan of video podcasts, the YouTube channel for The Alabama Take has extra footage from the audio episode, found below, with some thoughts on the Tuscaloosa Chukker reunion and what to make of the new season of The Challenge, its thirty-ninth installment of the series. The Alabama Take brings you an entire family of podcasts and writings -- all with no ads! But we still have some bills to pay. If there's nothing in the shop to interest you, feel free to make a donation: venture to Buy Me A Coffee or visit our Venmo and PayPal to help to keep the site, the writings, and podcasts going. Find the other podcasts in The Alabama Take network in any podcast app. Not only that, but all podcasts now appear in the YouTube channel for The Alabama Take. For Taking It Down, a bonus footage version is on YouTube.

This week for the audio episode of the podcast, the four hosts have brief announcements on where they'll be this week if you want to come and see them (2:13) before getting into some thoughts on social media sites (5:37). From there, it's the problems of the still enjoyable Loki series on Disney+ (7:19). After a short break, there's a break down of episodes three and four of The Fall Of The House Of Usher, and one host ain't buying it (23:02). To wrap, there's a short talk on Tuscaloosa music, particularly a show in the coming days (49:16). If you're a fan of video podcasts, the YouTube channel for The Alabama Take has an extended version the episode with discussions about Alabama author Caleb R. Johnson, the new Rolling Stones' album, and the finale of The Challenge: USA on CBS. The Alabama Take brings you an entire family of podcasts and writings -- all with no ads! But we still have some bills to pay. If there's nothing in the shop to interest you, feel free to make a donation: venture to Buy Me A Coffee or visit our Venmo and PayPal to help to keep the site, the writings, and podcasts going. Find the other podcasts in The Alabama Take network in any podcast app or in the YouTube channel for The Alabama Take.

All four co-hosts this week are pretty interested in the new trailer of True Detective: Night Country, which is set in Alaska and stars Jodie Foster, and each of the hosts determines what's the impact the show could have (2:08). After that, the group pick up where they left off last week and analyze the final three short films from Wes Anderson on Netflix: The Rat Catcher, Poison, and The Swan (7:04). The final segment covers the first two episodes of the Netflix horror show The Fall of the House of Usher where the group differs on its level of entertainment (21:47). If you're a fan of video podcasts, the YouTube channel for The Alabama Take has an extended version the episode with discussions about Loki's second episode with no spoilers and The Challenge: USA with spoilers. The Alabama Take brings you an entire family of podcasts and writings -- all with no ads! But we still have some bills to pay. If there's nothing in the shop to interest you, feel free to make a donation: venture to Buy Me A Coffee or visit our Venmo and PayPal to help to keep the site, the writings, and podcasts going.

This week the gang have a time dissecting the first episode of the new season of Loki (1:20). They also discuss the impact of Wes Anderson and his new short film on Netflix The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (20:30). To wrap the show, the gang narrows down what's in store for the next episode since there are a lot of choices as well as ask for a favor (43:48). If you prefer video podcasts, the YouTube channel for The Alabama Take has an extended version the episode with discussions this week about what to watch and read for Halloween and The Challenge: USA thoughts! The Alabama Take brings you an entire family of podcasts and writings -- all with no ads! But we still have some bills to pay. If there's nothing in the shop to interest you, feel free to make a donation: venture to Buy Me A Coffee or visit our Venmo and PayPal to help to keep the site, the writings, and podcasts going. Find the other podcasts in The Alabama Take network in any podcast app.

On Taking It Down, the episode begins with a thanks to the city and residents of Florence, specifically some who may listen to the episode (1:20) before moving into a boiling feud with fellow Alabama Take podcast We Are A Star War (4:26). Then we determine perhaps what's missing from Welcome To Wrexham: a unique voice (5:30). After a break, we get oiled up to talk about the most recent episode and elimination on The Challenge: USA (25:15). If you're a fan of video podcasts, the YouTube channel for The Alabama Take has an extended version the episode, found below, with discussions about seeing Beyonce live! The Alabama Take brings you an entire family of podcasts and writings -- all with no ads! But we still have some bills to pay. If there's nothing in the shop to interest you, feel free to make a donation: venture to Buy Me A Coffee or visit our Venmo and PayPal to help to keep the site, the writings, and podcasts going. Find the other podcasts in The Alabama Take network in any podcast app.

For this week, the crew from Taking It Down explain how Ahsoka is bad TV and could signal bad moves for franchise moves (1:24). After the break, they discuss how though The Changeling from Apple TV+ has gotten rocky, it still is solid television. For those who prefer the video podcast, head to YouTube and find The Alabama Take. There in this week's episode, we begin with talks about HBO's cancellation of Winning Time, the big loss on The Challenge: USA, the upcoming season of Fargo with Jon Hamm, and why Natalie loves The Great British Bake Off. The Alabama Take brings you an entire family of podcasts and writings -- all with no ads! But we still have some bills to pay. If there's nothing in the shop to interest you, feel free to make a donation: venture to Buy Me A Coffee or visit our Venmo and PayPal to help to keep the site, the writings, and podcasts going. Find the other podcasts in The Alabama Take network in any podcast app. Not only that, but all podcasts now appear in the YouTube channel for The Alabama Take. For Taking It Down, that includes an audio-only version and a video version with bonus content!

This week's episode begins with a list of specific thank yous to the donors of the donation drive for the home site, The Alabama Take (1:58). If you helped out and pitched in, then you'll hear your name! From there, it's a few jokes at the expense of two specific politicians who made news this week (4:36). Then we get into Victor LaValle, the author of The Changeling and this year's Lone Women on what makes his work good (6:39) before we dive fully into the Apple TV+ adaptation of his work, The Changeling, which has a lot to unpack (10:18). After the break, we're back in Europe with Welcome to Wrexham, the FX/Hulu show. Before we discuss the show, we talk about the country of Whales itself (31:02) and then discuss how the show is great, but sometimes lacks a voice (35:18). Thanks everyone for listening! If you're a fan of video podcasts, the YouTube channel for The Alabama Take has an extended version the episode, found below, with discussions about the upcoming Mike Flanagan project on Netflix The Fall Of The House Of Usher, which has us intriguied and how the entire Aquaman franchise never catches our eye. That extra footage is on the YouTube video only and is included in the first several minutes of the show. Taking It Down is the site's TV and streaming podcast for listeners who have time for the TV, but not time for much else. From us, you'll get the mundane and absurd, the complex and the simple, the easy and the hard all with zero Hollywood b.s. The Alabama Take brings you an entire family of podcasts and writings -- all with no ads! But we still have some bills to pay. If there's nothing in the shop to interest you, feel free to make a donation: venture to Buy Me A Coffee or visit our Venmo and PayPal to help to keep the site, the writings, and podcasts going.

This week's episode begins with the hypothesis that Apple TV+ has taken the crown from HBO for quality TV shows (2:37). Then, the group give spoiler-free thoughts on why The Changeling from the same streamer feels so special (9:28). After a short break aboutThe Alabama Take, it's a breakdown of what happened -- and where it could lead -- on the most recent episode of The Challenge: USA (14:03). If you're a fan of video podcasts, the YouTube channel for The Alabama Take has an extended version the episode with some wilder discussions on recent discourses around Martin Short and Ahsoka, particularly how Twitter has driven them. And you'll get some medical ideas on cysts! Yes, cysts! The extra footage is always in the video version of the show for the first few minutes. The Alabama Take brings you an entire family of podcasts and writings -- all with no ads! But we still have some bills to pay. If there's nothing in the shop to interest you, feel free to make a donation: venture to Buy Me A Coffee or visit our Venmo and PayPal to help to keep the site, the writings, and podcasts going.

The entire crew gather to first talk about the intersection of college football and intellectualism and how it's not a dichotomy (2:38) before shifting into The Challenge: USA and asking if production has too much of a hand in certain things (7:07). After the break, Blaine and Donovan discuss at length how zany and sober the latest HBO documentary Telemarketers is, which people should view just for the enlightenment (17:01). If you're a fan of video podcasts, the YouTube channel for The Alabama Take has an extended version the episode, found below as well, with bonus discussions on Burning Man and the recent passing of the legendary Jimmy Buffett. The Alabama Take brings you an entire family of podcasts and writings -- all with no ads! But we still have some bills to pay. If there's nothing in the shop to interest you, feel free to make a donation: venture to Buy Me A Coffee or visit our Venmo and PayPal to help to keep the site, the writings, and podcasts going. Find the other podcasts in The Alabama Take network in any podcast app or on the site. Not only that, but all podcasts now appear in the YouTube channel for The Alabama Take. For Taking It Down, that includes an audio-only version and a video version with bonus content!

After nearly the entire month of August on a break, the entire crew of Taking It Down is back to reflect on the passing of Bob Barker first, as well as offer thoughts on celebrity deaths of late (2:16). After that, the major segments begin with a breakdown of how the HBO series How To With John Wilson has dipped in quality. After a break, the crew discuss how The Challenge: USA on CBS became as good as its predecessor on MTV and why everyone should be watching it (15:17). If you're a fan of video podcasts, the YouTube channel for The Alabama Take has an extended version the episode, found below as well, with bonus discussions on who's the Listener of the Week for the final time this year, why he deserves it, and how Ahsoka on Disney+ does a balancing act that many people need it to do. And we pepper in just a touch of dumb college football talk when it comes to jet lag, as a TV and streaming podcast should. The Alabama Take brings you an entire family of podcasts and writings -- all with no ads! But we still have some bills to pay. If there's nothing in the shop to interest you, feel free to make a donation: venture to Buy Me A Coffee or visit our Venmo and PayPal to help to keep the site, the writings, and podcasts going. Find the other podcasts in The Alabama Take network in any podcast app!

For this week's episode, the crew at Taking It Down go spoiler free for all of the discussions. The talks begin with an explanation of the upcoming August break for the podcast and a call to action from listeners (1:37). From there, it's a dive into the online backlash on Secret Invasion, particularly its recent finale (3:37). After that, Donovan makes a recommendation of the Max star-studded series Full Circle from writer and director Steven Soderbergh (12:15). The Max show reminds them that How To With John Wilson has returned; it's easy to talk about its brilliance (23:45). After a break, it's an unpacking of Oppenheimer without spoilers, which leads to a big complaint of podcasts such as Pop Culture Happy Hour from NPR and beyond (29:28). The podcast ends with some news on social media as well as what to do during the August break (45:36). The Alabama Take brings you an entire family of podcasts and writings -- all with no ads! But we still have some bills to pay. If there's nothing in the shop to interest you, feel free to make a donation: venture to Buy Me A Coffee or visit our Venmo and PayPal to help to keep the site, the writings, and podcasts going. Find the other podcasts in The Alabama Take network in any podcast app or on the site. Plus, all podcasts now stream in the YouTube channel for The Alabama Take. For Taking It Down, that includes an audio-only version and a video version with bonus content!

Guest host Ty Edmondson is back on Taking It Down this week to help explain how Knock At The Cabin, now streaming on Peacock, is two-thirds good. They begin with a brief talk about the one that got away: Succession on HBO (1:38) before talking some generalities of Knock At The Cabin (4:24). After the break, they discuss the movie and book in depth with spoilers (15:02). For the YouTube version of this week's show, found below, the bonuses include a talk with Ty on what makes a movie great as well as the Listener Of The Week! The Alabama Take brings you an entire family of podcasts and writings -- all with no ads! But we still have some bills to pay. If there's nothing in the shop to interest you, feel free to make a donation: venture to Buy Me A Coffee or visit our Venmo and PayPal to help to keep the site, the writings, and podcasts going. Find the other podcasts in The Alabama Take network in any podcast app. Not only that, but all podcasts now appear in the YouTube channel for The Alabama Take. For Taking It Down, that includes an audio-only version and a video version with bonus content!

In this week's episode, we dissect how It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia keeps being funny and why it's a television classic (1:35). After the break, it's a deep dive into the mysteries of the Apple TV+ sci-fi drama Silo, which is worth a look (18:28). For a transcript of this week's episode, see the website. For the YouTube version of this week's show, found in The Alabama Take's YouTube channel, the bonus material includes a trip to IKEA to begin, how it's the 165th episode of this podcast, and spoiler-free analysis the FX/Hulu series What We Do in the Shadows. For the last segment, Natalie and Blaine dissect some microscopic moments of "Beloved," the fourth episode of Secret Invasion. Hint: it's better than critics think! The Alabama Take brings you an entire family of podcasts and writings -- all with no ads! But we still have some bills to pay. If there's nothing in the shop to interest you, feel free to make a donation: venture to Buy Me A Coffee or visit our Venmo and PayPal to help to keep the site, the writings, and podcasts going. Find the other podcasts in The Alabama Take network in any podcast app.

Apple TV+ has some quality shows, and we have recommendations almost solely from that streaming app, including Hijack (1:37), City On Fire (3:04), and Silo (5:04) all with spoiler-free discussions. Then it's a brief note on the current season of The Righteous Gemstones and why it's not quite as good, yet, as previous seasons (8:11). After the break, it's a short discussion on the details that Secret Invasion is adding to its show that make it a little better than other Disney+ and MCU shows have been (11:32). For a transcript of this week's episode, see the website. For bonus footage, watch the video in YouTube for The Alabama Take. The Alabama Take brings you an entire family of podcasts and writings -- all with no ads! But we still have some bills to pay. If there's nothing in the shop to interest you, feel free to make a donation: venture to Buy Me A Coffee or visit our Venmo and PayPal to help to keep the site, the writings, and podcasts going. Find the other podcasts in The Alabama Take network in any podcast app.

For this week's Taking It Down, it's a brief thought on the 4th of July (1:36) before talking about Juvenile's Tiny Desk Concert on NPR (2:23). Then the rest of the episode is dedicated to the back half of the current season of The Bear, particularly what the characters' actions tell us about the series (4:15). The Alabama Take brings you an entire family of podcasts and writings -- all with no ads! But we still have some bills to pay. If there's nothing in the shop to interest you, feel free to make a donation: venture to Buy Me A Coffee or visit our Venmo and PayPal to help to keep the site, the writings, and podcasts going. Find the other podcasts in The Alabama Take network in any podcast app. Not only that, but all podcasts now appear in the YouTube channel for The Alabama Take. For Taking It Down, that includes an audio-only version and a video version with bonus content!

In Episode 162 of Taking It Down, the crew begin with the secret recipe of the second season of The Bear as they discus the first three episodes of the new season on Hulu (1:37). After the break, it's a talk on how there are potentials within the first episode of the Disney+ series Secret Invasion (18:21). Find the other podcasts in The Alabama Take network in any podcast app.

This week, the hosts of Taking It Down begin with thoughts on the death of Cormac McCarthy, his work as both a Southerner and a Southwesterner, and an adaptation request on one of his novels (2:07). The hosts then give brief expectations on the upcoming Marvel and Disney+ series Secret Invasion (9:18). After the break, everyone explains how the new season of Black Mirror, with its first episode, "Joan Is Awful," does not live up to the show's standard (13:41). To end the weekly analysis, they explain how Smartless: On The Road works as well as if not better than the podcast itself (28:05). Find any of the podcasts in The Alabama Take family of podcasts by visiting the site or searching them out in your favorite app! The Alabama Take brings you an entire family of podcasts and writings -- all with no ads! But we still have some bills to pay. If there's nothing in the shop to interest you, feel free to make a donation: venture to Buy Me A Coffee or visit our Venmo and PayPal to help to keep the site, the writings, and podcasts going.

Taking It Down begins with a fan review (1:49) before discussing how the HBO show Barry comes to an end: somehow it subverts expectations without veering from the story it was always telling (3:24). After a break, we answer how good the new season of the Netflix series I Think You Should Leave is as well as what makes it great comedy (25:25). The Alabama Take brings you an entire family of podcasts and writings -- all with no ads! But we still have some bills to pay. If there's nothing in the shop to interest you, feel free to make a donation: venture to Buy Me A Coffee or visit our Venmo and PayPal to help to keep the site, the writings, and podcasts going. Find the other podcasts in The Alabama Take network in any podcast app.

What does the new documentary Bama Rush on Max -- formerly HBO Max -- have to say about Greek life, specifically rushing at the University of Alabama? And is the film a letdown? This week, we talk Bama Rush from director Rachel Fleit (2:10). The Alabama Take brings you an entire family of podcasts and writings -- all with no ads! But we still have some bills to pay. If there's nothing in the shop to interest you, feel free to make a donation: venture to Buy Me A Coffee or visit our Venmo and PayPal to help to keep the site, the writings, and podcasts going. Find the other podcasts in The Alabama Take network in any podcast app.

Ted Lasso is in its third and likely final season, and we answer if it is suffering without former show runner Bill Lawrence, and if so, how much (1:32). After that discussion, it's an analysis on how Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania was awful (13:56). The Alabama Take brings you an entire family of podcasts and writings -- all with no ads! Yet we still have some bills to pay. If there's nothing in the shop to interest you, feel free to make a donation: venture to Buy Me A Coffee or visit our Venmo and PayPal to help to keep the site, the writings, and podcasts going. Find the other podcasts in The Alabama Take network in any podcast app.

The show begins with a movie recommendation since Ty is back on the show (1:37). After that, it's a breakdown of the fifth episode of the HBO show Barry and how many of its shots and scenes are worth a rewatch (2:23). We tell what to watch for and why. After the break, it's a discussion of the first two episodes of HBO's miniseries White House Plumbers and explain how it maintains its hilarity through its display of history (26:40). Find a transcript of the show on The Alabama Take website. The Alabama Take brings you an entire family of podcasts and writings -- all with no ads! Yet we still have some bills to pay. If there's nothing in the shop to interest you, feel free to make a donation: venture to Buy Me A Coffee or visit our Venmo and PayPal to help to keep the site, the writings, and podcasts going. Find the other podcasts in The Alabama Take network in any podcast app.

We begin with a few brief thoughts on the writers' strike and what that may mean for television: just look at past strikes (1:36). Then, it's the fourth episode of the fourth and final season of Barry, which allows for a lot of its characters not only to carry the episode but also tell large parts of their story (6:36). A listener gets a shoutout and thanks (17:50) before we give the hosts their hellos (18:27). After a break: a discussion on what's working very well for Love & Death on HBO Max (20:07). Finally, we get incredibly tickled on the outrageousness of the second episode of this season of Somebody Somewhere -- unless you watched, it may not be what you expect (35:17). A transcript of the episode appears on the second page of The Alabama Take site for this episode. The Alabama Take brings you an entire family of podcasts and writings -- all with no ads! Yet we still have some bills to pay. If there's nothing in the shop to interest you, feel free to make a donation: venture to Buy Me A Coffee or visit our Venmo and PayPal to help to keep the site, the writings, and podcasts going. Find the other podcasts in The Alabama Take network in any podcast app or from the site.

Does the new stand-up special Baby J from John Mulaney live up to his previous work (1:40)? We explain why Somebody Somewhere on HBO is well done normcore television (15:54). After the break, we have a quick audience question (28:26) before we dissect how Perry Mason does mystery right (28:56).

With so much TV, a lot of which is promising, we run down some ideas on what to watch (2:43). Then Natalie gives a few spoiler-free thoughts on The Challenge: World Championships (3:58). It's a lot of bemoaning when it comes to the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 (5:07) as well as the planned series for Harry Potter (5:46) from HBO. From there, the crew dissect what a bust the entire season of The Mandalorian was (6:35) before talking about the hits and misses of this third season of Ted Lasso as it enters its halfway point (22:26). To end, it's plenty of analysis and laughs on how Barry may be the best thing on TV -- Donovan and Blaine discuss the first two episodes of the HBO show's fourth and final season (30:54). The Alabama Take brings you all the entire family of podcasts and writings -- all with no ads! Yet we still have some bills to pay. If there's nothing in the shop to interest you, feel free to make a donation: venture to Buy Me A Coffee or visit our Venmo and PayPal to help to keep the site, the writings, and podcasts going. Find the other podcasts produced by The Alabama Take in any podcast app or on the site.

Most of the crew are taking a break, but Blaine is joined by special guest and staff writer for The Alabama Take, Ty Edmondson, who is here to talk solely about why Beef is one of the better shows of the year. This week's show is broken into thoughts without spoilers (2:11) and then analysis with spoilers for all ten episodes (17:22). The Alabama Take brings you all the entire family of podcasts and writings -- all with no ads! Yet we still have some bills to pay. If there's nothing in the shop to interest you, feel free to make a donation: venture to Buy Me A Coffee or visit our Venmo and PayPal to help to keep the site, the writings, and podcasts going. Find the other podcasts from The Alabama Take in any podcast app.

On Taking It Down this week, the gang starts with the noise online with boygenius (2:26) before moving on to discuss the joy of the Apple TV+ show Shrinking and why you should watch the first season (4:49). After a break, Blaine and Donovan continue the Perry Mason investigation and bring some clues together that fans may have missed with episode four of its second season (27:25). To end, it's the AMC series Lucky Hank and why it may have to walk back some ideas from that second episode (39:48). The Alabama Take brings you all the entire family of podcasts and writings -- all with no ads! Yet we still have some bills to pay. If there's nothing in the shop to interest you, feel free to make a donation: venture to Buy Me A Coffee or visit our Venmo and PayPal to help to keep the site, the writings, and podcasts going. Find the other podcasts from The Alabama Take in any podcast app or directly from the site.

This week, it's Blaine and Donovan discussing the varied plot threads throughout the second season of Perry Mason as they break down the third episode, "Chapter Eleven" (2:42). After a short break, they talk about how The Mandalorian is good, but has big problems (22:48). Lastly, they dissect the pilot episode of Lucky Hank, which stars Bob Odenkirk and airs on AMC each Sunday (34:02). The Alabama Take brings you all the entire family of podcasts and writings -- all with no ads! Yet we still have some bills to pay. If there's nothing in the shop to interest you, feel free to make a donation: venture to Buy Me A Coffee or visit our Venmo and PayPal to help to keep the site, the writings, and podcasts going. Find the other podcasts produced by The Alabama Take in podcast app or directly on the site.

To help us do a complete wrap on The Last of Us, we bring in host of This Song Sucks Josh Kavanaugh to talk about the show, the game, and if it all worked (2:57). Josh sticks around to help analyze the first three episodes of The Mandalorian and is surprised by The Book of Boba Fett in the process (31:26). At the end of the show, Donovan and Blaine praise the first two episodes of the HBO show Perry Mason for taking it slow and casting Matthew Rhys (46:51). The Alabama Take brings you all the entire family of podcasts and writings -- all with no ads! Yet we still have some bills to pay. If there's nothing in the shop to interest you, feel free to make a donation: venture to Buy Me A Coffee or visit our Venmo and PayPal to help to keep the site, the writings, and podcasts going. Find the other podcasts in the network on the site or your favorite app.

With even more laughs than usual, Taking It Down starts with ads that aren't ads at all as well as music announcements (1:30). From there, the group discusses a goodbye of sorts for Arrested Development, which turns into a lesson on digital versus physical copies (3:51). It all leads to a hilarious set of listener questions that involve spoilers and spoiler hatred (6:02), Point Break (11:23), albums that never get old (13:15), Cocaine Bear (17:05), doing our homework (18:02), an Ant-Man query (18:58), and stand-up comedy (19:33). After the break, which is newly redesigned and you'll want to hear, Donovan and Blaine break down the beauty of the seventh episode, "Left Behind," of the HBO series The Last of Us and conclude that it is a retelling of Romeo and Juliet once again (23:31). The Alabama Take brings you all the entire family of podcasts and writings -- all with no ads! Yet we still have some bills to pay. If there's nothing in the shop to interest you, feel free to make a donation: venture to Buy Me A Coffee or visit our Venmo and PayPal to help to keep the site, the writings, and podcasts going. Find the other podcasts in the podcast network in any podcast app!

We begin this week's episode with some spoiler-free thoughts for those considering watching the new Amazon Prime Video series The Consultant, which stars Christoph Waltz (2:58). From there, we have different ideas on the film Tár, which is now streaming on Peacock and in the running for a few Academy Awards (6:23). After the break, some of us more than others are excited for the new season of the HBO show Perry Mason (25:42). To wrap, we give brief thoughts on the sixth episode, "Kin," from the HBO show The Last of Us (26:37). The Alabama Take brings you all the entire family of podcasts and writings -- all with no ads! Yet we still have some bills to pay. If there's nothing in the shop to interest you, feel free to make a donation: venture to Buy Me A Coffee or visit our Venmo and PayPal to help to keep the site, the writings, and podcasts going. Find the other podcasts in the podcast network in any podcast app or on The Alabama Take website.

This week, we respond to the reviews of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2:38) before some thoughts on what James Gunn taking over the DC Universe means for those franchises (9:01). After the break, we discuss something that's been very funny: the BBC2 and Netflix series Cunk on Earth (13:44). The Alabama Take brings you all the entire family of podcasts and writings -- all with no ads! Yet we still have some bills to pay. If there's nothing in the shop to interest you, feel free to make a donation: venture to Buy Me A Coffee or visit our Venmo and PayPal to help to keep the site, the writings, and podcasts going. Find the other podcasts in The Alabama Take's network in any podcast app.

In the crew's goofiest show to date, this episode of Taking It Down easily has more Patrick Mahomes than ever offered in the show's catalog thus far. To begin, the Taking It Down group shares some recommendations and possible ideas for upcoming episodes of the podcast, including: the 1963 unreliable narrator novel It Happened in Boston?; the WWII film Narvik on Netflix; new television from Apple TV+ Shrinking and Servant; and the strange South American novel Tender Is The Flesh (1:19). No spoilers for any of the recs, so listen to see if something strikes you. After the break, it's spoilers galore! The gang breaks down the fourth and fifth episodes of The Last Of Us on HBO, including if the show can rise above a few tropes of the genre and even some its own tropes the series is settling into with regularity (13:05). The Alabama Take brings you all the entire family of podcasts and writings -- all with no ads! Yet we still have some bills to pay. If there's nothing in the shop to interest you, feel free to make a donation: venture to Buy Me A Coffee or visit our Venmo and PayPal to help to keep the site, the writings, and podcasts going. Find the other podcasts in The Alabama Take podcast network in any podcast app.

The gang is divided on two topics of recent interest: that third episode of The Last of Us (2:51) and the newly streaming Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (19:47). The Alabama Take brings you all the entire family of podcasts and writings -- all with no ads! Yet we still have some bills to pay. If there's nothing in the shop to interest you, feel free to make a donation: venture to Buy Me A Coffee or visit our Venmo and PayPal to help to keep the site, the writings, and podcasts going. Find the other podcasts in the podcast network in any podcast app or directly from the site.

The folks at Taking It Down morn the loss of Tom Verlaine and reflect on his music to begin the podcast (1:02). From there, it's a discussion on what makes Everything Everywhere All At Once worthy of its eleven nominations but a sign of modern culture (4:23). After the break, everyone gives some quick thoughts on Bob Dylan's seventeenth Bootleg Series release, Fragments, which came out last Friday (29:42) before getting into what The Last of Us may need to do to change things up from its second episode (35:25). The Alabama Take brings you all the entire family of podcasts and writings -- all with no ads! Yet we still have some bills to pay. If there's nothing in the shop to interest you, feel free to make a donation: venture to Buy Me A Coffee or visit our Venmo and PayPal to help to keep the site, the writings, and podcasts going. Find the other podcasts in the podcast network in any podcast app or on the site.

We get right into the fine dining of the HBO Max movie The Menu, which we all liked but only to a point and it doesn't hurt us to try to cram in as many food puns as we possibly can (2:43). After the break, we talk about video games and the first episode of the HBO show The Last of Us (23:26). It's a series that could be tailor made for at least one of our hosts. The Alabama Take brings you all the entire family of podcasts and writings -- all with no ads! Yet we still have some bills to pay. If there's nothing in the shop to interest you, feel free to make a donation: venture to Buy Me A Coffee or visit our Venmo and PayPal to help to keep the site, the writings, and podcasts going. Find our other podcasts in your favorite podcast app

To start, we talk the joy of local libraries before we get into White Noise on Netflix and why it reminds us of both Steven Spielberg and David Lynch (3:42). After the break, it's all about the Netflix film Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths and why two of us found it mesmerizing and one of us did not (26:41). The Alabama Take brings you all the entire family of podcasts and writings -- all with no ads! Yet we still have some bills to pay. If there's nothing in the shop to interest you, feel free to make a donation: venture to Buy Me A Coffee or visit our Venmo and PayPal to help to keep the site, the writings, and podcasts going. Find our other podcasts in your favorite podcast app.

Thoughts on 2023 makes us question if it is the year of A.I. (2:07) which leads to a quick takedown of the movie Moonfall and Natalie's draw to disaster movies (3:15). After that, Blaine makes some revisions to the top television of the previous year as Fleishman Is In Trouble deserves some praise (5:28). The gang then analyze the lovable Glass Onion, which is now on Netflix (8:15), and the drama on recent episodes of this season of The Challenge (26:43). The Alabama Take brings you all the entire family of podcasts and writings -- all with no ads! Yet we still have some bills to pay. If there's nothing in the shop to interest you, feel free to make a donation: venture to Buy Me A Coffee or visit our Venmo and PayPal to help to keep the site, the writings, and podcasts going. Find our other podcasts in your favorite podcast app or on the site.

For the final show of the year, we recap the year that was (2:47). We give thoughts on such pop culture b.s. as Twitter, crypto, and NFTs (3:56) before getting into what we liked about the year (7:58). After the break, host Blaine previews his top ten television shows of the year (25:55). The Alabama Take brings you all the entire family of podcasts and writings -- all with no ads! Yet we still have some bills to pay. If there's nothing in the shop to interest you, feel free to make a donation: venture to Buy Me A Coffee or visit our Venmo and PayPal to help to keep the site, the writings, and podcasts going. Find our other podcasts in your favorite podcast app or on the site.

Donovan gets excited when Liberty loses, which is what happened in some recent bowl game action (2:06). This week's podcast primarily focuses on the connection to Showtime's miniseries George and Tammy (2:40); the overview of Michael McDonagh's works (7:21); and some thoughts, analysis, and spoilers for The Banshees of Inisherin (15:24).

No Natalie this week as she's off working for the joy of the holiday season (3:58). Blaine and Adam are itching to talk about Bono's autobiographical writing Surrender as well as U2 as a whole (4:36). Somehow, we can't avoid Avatar talk (20:51), which leads into not one but two stories about Dances With Wolves (22:36)! Come for the Avatar bashing, stay for the Dances With Wolves childhood tales! From there, it's the bulk of the episode as the gang dissects the enjoyment of the Netflix movie Emily The Criminal (26:14) as well as a very deep dive into the final episodes and overall amazement of The English from Amazon Prime, including why its flawed but still great (42:17). The Alabama Take brings you all the entire family of podcasts and writings -- all with no ads! Yet we still have some bills to pay. If there's nothing in the shop to interest you, feel free to make a donation: venture to Buy Me A Coffee or visit our Venmo and PayPal to help to keep the site, the writings, and podcasts going.

The whole gang of Taking It Down is back to talk about the latest from legendary rock group Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers with their recent release of Live at the Fillmore, a twenty-night stand recorded perfectly (2:30). After the discussion, what's with the hoopla around the new Netflix series Wednesday, an extension in the classic story of The Addams Family (10:31)? After a break, Blaine and Donovan revel in the beauty and fascination of The English on Amazon Prime Video (16:29). To finish the episode, the group questions where The Guardians of the Galaxy's Christmas Special stands in the plethora of similar, holiday-themed television (34:21). The Alabama Take brings you all the entire family of podcasts and writings -- all with no ads! Yet we still have some bills to pay. If there's nothing in the shop to interest you, feel free to make a donation: venture to Buy Me A Coffee or visit our Venmo and PayPal to help to keep the site, the writings, and podcasts going.

It's only Blaine and Donovan this week, and they sort through where everyone else is as well as the sincere intricacies of why Taking It Down didn't return for a weekly format until five weeks later (2:00). If you have mental health issues, do what you can do to ensure that you're okay. Speaking of mental health, we also talk about Twitter and its possible demise and its possible replacements if the social media giant does go under (5:18). Then Netflix could very well have a great movie on its hands with the Florence Pugh-led film The Wonder: but how good, exactly (9:05)? We answer that and pondered what it was that made Andor the best Star Wars has delivered perhaps ever (30:54).

After a two-week hiatus due to vacationing, resting, and traveling, Taking It Down, the pop culture podcast from The Alabama Take network, is back to first briefly discuss Halloween and Halloween songs (3:43). Then it's an equally brief and broad talk about the new Taylor Swift album (5:02). It's important that we discuss our disdain for the botched She-Hulk ending, which was good with merely one aspect, but horrible with much more (6:28). After that, the hosts discuss plenty of news from the first two episodes of this season's The Challenge, which is subtitled Ride or Dies. (You can also read a weekly column on The Alabama Take site every Thursday afternoon.) After a short news break, the gang does as deep of a dive as they've ever done and this one is on The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power from Amazon Prime with two actual Tolkien scholars (31:14)! Listen on the this site with the player above or in any podcast app by searching for Taking It Down.

Welcome back, Taking It Downers! This week, it's some brief banter about sports, namely college football (2:47) before some heady and serious discussions begin centered around the film Blonde, which was recently released on Netflix (6:27). Keeping with the Netflix motif, the hosts briefly discuss what watching Dahmer says about us as a culture (21:23). After a break, it's a quick check-in with the Disney+ show Andor (28:06) and it's just too fun not to talk about House of the Dragon, which has the hosts talking about the sixth episode of that HBO show (36:03). The Alabama Take brings everyone the entire family of podcasts and writings -- all with no ads! Yet we still have some bills to pay. If there's nothing in the shop to interest you, feel free to make a donation: venture to Buy Me A Coffee or visit our Venmo and PayPal to help to keep the site, the writings, and podcasts going.

It's autumn music from listeners' suggestions (2:24). House of the Dragon and its stellar "We Light The Way" fifth episode (13:24). We don't talk She-Hulk and it is easy not to do (30:21). There is a plethora of television shows now, and we can't decide what could be next (31:12). We do talk about the premiere of Andor and its three episodes (33:41). There's enough for everyone to come eat at the show that is The Patient (42:56) Listen on the this site with the player above or in any podcast app by searching for Taking It Down.

On Taking It Down this Tuesday, we start with a check-in on the FX/Hulu series Welcome to Wrexham (4:03) before revealing how Twitter can get it done after some college football (8:02). Then it's talk on large swaths of entertainment news: corrections about our episode; the return of The Handmaid's Tale and why it's hard to care; the b.s. online about The Little Mermaid; and a gauge on our interest of the AMC series Interview with the Vampire (12:10). After that, everyone gives a temperature check on the Amazon Prime show The Rings of Power -- good for those who want no spoilers (15:19). However, the conversation about House of the Dragon's fourth episode "The King of the Narrow Sea" is packed with spoilers as we dissect what it has to say for the show now and moving forward and explain why Donovan needed an adult for it(19:36). After the break, we offer what we can about She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (33:29) and enjoy discussing The Patient on FX/Hulu (41:45).

Episode 131 of Taking It Down certainly starts hectic with plenty of talk about the news from Disney on both Star Wars and the M.C.U. and some college football banter (2:53) before things settle in and everyone chimes in on what made the most recent episode of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law more enjoyable than some other installments of the show (9:20). Then everyone discusses what Welcome to Wrexham gets right as a a sports show about both soccer and people as well as what it could improve upon (19:29). Lastly, the third episode of The Patient is on Hulu, and for what the show is, it's excellent (33:12). But what is it, exactly? Listen to this and the whole family of Alabama Take podcasts on TheAlabamaTake.com or in any podcast player!