The Protagonist Podcast

Description Returning guest Ryan Haupt joins Joe to discuss the film M. This is director Fritz Lang’s first sound film, and is a clear demonstration of how sound is going to forever alter the film medium. This haunting noir film … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Chris “Mav” Maverick joins Joe to discuss the classic sitcom The Brady Bunch. We’re discussing the episodes “The Not So Ugly Duckling” and “Getting Davy Jones.” But we also discuss the Brady Bunch’s place in pop culture … Continue reading →

Description Producer Andrew joins Joe to discuss Andy Weir’s novel Project Hail Mary. This novel tells the story of the human Ryland Grace and the alien Rocky in an unexpected sci-fi buddy comedy adventure with the stakes of all life … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Kjerste Christensen joins Joe for an open-ended discussion about genre. Why do genres labels exist, what purposes do they serve, whom do they benefit? We cover a lot of ground on this broad topic, and fortunately Kjerste … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest John Darowski joins Joe to discuss Pippin “Pip” Dale from the comic book Welcome to the Maynard. This mini-series by writer James Robinson, artist J. Bone colorist, and letterer Jim Campbell tells the story of a new … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest George Tsakiridis joins Joe to discuss James Bond from the film Skyfall. Because we’re talking about an extremely successful multimedia franchise, we spend a lot of time discussing trivia. Then we tackle our favorite James Bond film, … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Kestra Darowski joins Producer Andrew and Joe to discuss E.B. White’s classic children’s novel Charlotte’s Web. We chose to cover this novel because Kestra and Andrew’s kids were reading Charlotte’s Web for school, and we had no … Continue reading →

Description First-time guest Alasdair Green joins Joe to discuss Ron Swanson from Parks and Rec. Parks and Rec aired 125 episodes between 2009-2015 and Nick Offerman’s Ron Swanson was an iconic character from the series. Support Patreon Show Notes Parks … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Nik English joins Joe to discuss one of the classic Fantastic Four stories by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee, “This Man…This Monster!” It tells the story of an unnamed antagonist who takes the place of the Thing … Continue reading →

Description It’s GroundPod Day! Every year, Nicole Freim, Chris “Mav” Maverick, Andrew Darowski, and Joe Darowski get together to discuss Groundhog Day. This year, we are joined by special guest Chris Bingham to once again analyze the classic film.

Description Returning guest Kestra Darowski joins Producer Andrew and Joe to discuss the iconic 1937 film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. After talking about lots of trivia and then the evil Queen for a good while, they do get … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest John Darowski joins Joe to discuss a short story about Harry Houdini being captured in Egypt and having a (potentially supernatural) adventure. Though credited to Houdini at the time of publication in the pulp magazine Weird Tales, … Continue reading →

Description Producer Andrew and Joe are discussing a classic tv series, The Saint. The Saint is a character that first appeared in short stories and novels, but has been adapted into many different types of media. We’re discussing the British … Continue reading →

Description Producer Andrew and Joe are revealing the winner of their Fantasy Box Office game from 2025. Then, they are looking ahead at the films coming out in 2026 and making their draft selections. Throughout the year, they each accumulate … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest John Darowski joins Joe to discuss the comic book series The Great British Bump-Off. In this cozy mystery, a poisoning occurs during the filming of a popular British baking competition. Shauna, one of the contestants, must solve … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Kate Reid joins Joe to discuss a holiday-themed episode of The West Wing, “In Excelsis Deo.” This episode tells the story of Toby receiving a phone call when a homeless man dies from exposure but has Toby’s … Continue reading →

Description Returning Protagonist Podcast co-founder Todd Mack joins Joe and Producer Andrew for their annual Christmas Special. Producer Andrew has provided Todd and Joe with a list of titles for Christmas movies they have never seen, and Todd and Joe … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Cavan Helps and Norman Mitchell join Joe and Producer Andrew for a role-playing Christmas adventure. This year, we’re celebrating the holidays in the Marvel Universe. Support Patreon

Description Returning guest Kjerste Christensen joins Joe to discuss the 1816 short story “The Nutcracker” by E.T.A. Hoffman. This story has been adapted frequently and has become a Christmas classic. It tells the story of a young girl’s favorite Christmas … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Kate Reid joins Joe to discuss the classic sitcom Friends. We’re talking about a pair of their Thanksgiving episodes, “The One with All the Thanksgivings” and “The One Where Ross Got High.” Besides talking about the specifics … Continue reading →

Description First-time guest Jonathan Wade joins Joe to discuss to classic, early sci-fi stories, “The Machine Stops” and “Mechanopolis.” In the 1909 short story “The Machine Stops” by E.M. Forster, humanity has begun living in underground cities with all their … Continue reading →

Description First-time guest Andy Hartzell joins Joe to discuss his graphic novel Monday. Monday tells the story of Eve and Adam trying to navigate their first days after creation as Snake offers suggestions about what they should do and God … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest John Darowski joins Joe to discuss the Japanese film Grave of the Fireflies. This 1998 film was produced by Studio Ghibli and directed by Isao Takahata. It is based on the semi-autobiographical short story of the same … Continue reading →

Description Protagonist Podcast co-founder Todd Mack is back for our annual Halloween Special. In this episode, we play a game of Halloween Fives, where a random Halloween topic is given and we each need to fill out a list of … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Josh Allen joins Joe to discuss the Stephen King novel Salem’s Lot. King’s second novel tells the story of a small town in Maine being overrun by vampires, and the few citizens who realize what is happening … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Nik English joins Joe to discuss the tv show Resident Alien. This sci-fi dramedy series stars Alan Tudyk as an alien who wants to destroy earth but is disguised as the human Harry Vanderspiegle. We discuss the … Continue reading →

Description First time guest Valentino Zullo joins Joe to discuss “Kamen’s Kalamity,” a story from the EC Comics Tales from the Crypt #31. We discuss the place of EC Comics in pop culture history, and also dig into this particular story which … Continue reading →

Description Returning guests Lena English and Tayler Iverson join Joe to discuss the 1999 film 10 Things I Hate About You. Based on Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, this film moves the plot to an American high school in … Continue reading →

Description First-time guest Joseph Darowski (hi, Dad) joins returning guest John Darowski and Joe to discuss to stories about supernatural dangers faced by humans as they take to the skies. “The Horror of the Heights” is a 1913 short story … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Josh Allen joins Joe to discuss the animated series Gravity Falls. The series is animated fantasy/comedy/cryptid/coming of age/mystery/adventure show and it is fantastic. We’re talking about the 12-year-old twins Mabel and Dipper, who go to spend the … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest John Darowski joins Joe to discuss the long history of adapting Superman into additional media outside of the comic books where the character first appeared. John is the editor of the essay collection Adapting Superman, making him an … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Andrew Deman joins Joe to discuss the comic book issue X-Factor #87 which had a cover date of December 1992. This classic issues sees a therapist meet with each member of the team and provide new insights … Continue reading →

Description Producer Andrew joins Joe to discuss the classic western film Shane. Based on the 1949 novel by Jack Schaefer, the film was directed by George Stevens and stars Alan Ladd as Shane and Van Hefline as Joe. It tells … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Kestra Darowski joins Producer Andrew and Joe to discuss the novel Castle of Water. This novel by Dane Hucklebridge tells the story of a stranded pair of strangers trying to survive on a deserted island. Support Patreon … Continue reading →

Description First-time (sort of) guest Stephanie Siler joins Joe to discuss the classic tv mystery show Monk. Adrian Monk, played by Tony Shalhoub, is an obsessive compulsive private investigator who struggles with all of the phobias while also solving a … Continue reading →

Returing guest Chris “Mav” Maverick and Stephanie Siler join Joe to discuss the inverted detective story, also sometimes called the HowCatchem instead of the WhoDunIt. In these stories, the audience knows how the bad guy is (often the murderer), and … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Wayne Wise joins Joe to discuss Love and Rockets, one of the iconic independent comic books from the 1980s. Created by the Hernandez Bros, we are discussing some of the first stories they produced in this long-running … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Virginia McAlister joins Joe to discuss the first novel about Jack Ryan, a character who has been adapted into many different media since his debut appearance. Written by Jack Ryan, The Hunt for Red October tells the … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Branden Ushio joins Joe for a trip down 80s-Nostalgia Lane as they discuss The Karate Kid. We’re talking about Mr. Miyagi and Daniel LaRusso, one of the iconic teacher-student pairings in pop culture. We discuss the real-world … Continue reading →

Desription Producer Andrew and Joe are talking about a classic tv sitcom The Andy Griffith Show. We talk about the show’s legacy, the cast’s roles in the series, and why this remains an iconic piece of popular culture. Support Patreon … Continue reading →

Special Guest Gabriel McKee joins Joe to discuss the early history of UFO stories in American culture. McKee has a new book, The Saucerian, that is about Gray Barker, one of the early publishers to promote and publish UFO stories. … Continue reading →

Description Returning guest Norman Mitchell joins Joe to discuss the classic manga series Lone Wolf and Cub. An immensely influential text, Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima’s story of a wandering assassin seeking revenge while caring for his three-year-old son is … Continue reading →