Better Call Paul
Hosted by former Marvel entertainment lawyer Paul Sarker and entertainment enthusiast Mesh Lakhani, Better Call Paul will delve into the business and legal issues at play behind the glitz and glam. This show takes you beyond the catchy headlines to find out what’s really at play behind the scenes and gives you an introduction to the business side of show business.
Episodes
February 25, 2026 • 23 mins
This week, Paul and Jessica begin with a recap of the excellent month of January 2026 for TV consumption which was up across all forms (broadcast, cable, streaming and FAST). Next, they discuss the AI Short which , despite winning the Frame Forward AI Animation Festival, may not be embraced by movie theaters. Finally, Jessica and Paul look forward to House of the Dragon Season 3 and reflect upon the stellar A Knight of the Seven Ki...
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February 18, 2026 • 33 mins
This week, Paul and Jess begin with a discussion of Seedance 2.0, the AI video generator that has shaken Hollywood with its realistic, and perhaps infringing clips. Next, Paul breaks down Kalshi's argument that its contracts regarding sports events are swaps and not subject to state gaming laws. Finally, Paul and Jessica explore Pete Davidson's Netflix podcast and ponder where the line between video podcast and television talk show...
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February 11, 2026 • 30 mins
This week, Paul and Jessica dive in with Disney's named successor to Bob Iger, Josh D'Amaro a long-time veteran of Disney Parks who will become Disney's CEO on March 18. Next, Jessica reflects on her One Direction fanhood as Zayn is set to debut his 5th solo album, Konnakol. Finally, Paul provides a trademark update certain celebrities are leaning into trademarking their name, image, and likeness in an effort to preserve their bran...
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February 4, 2026 • 33 mins
This week, Paul previews the biggest night in sports and advertising, and now sports betting, the Super Bowl. Next, Paul and Jessica discuss (stalled) progress facing minorities who are seeking greater representation in Hollywood, in particular the Latino acting community's recent call for action. Finally, Paul discusses the upcoming discussions between SAG and the AMPTP and Jessica ponders whether AI can really replace actors and/...
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January 28, 2026 • 34 mins
This week, Paul and Jess begin with a summary of the major 2026 Oscar nominations with a handful of their predictions thrown in. Next, they discuss a BBC YouTube-first deal and YouTube's broader plans for pay TV. Finally, Paul breaks down a recent government inflation report which indicated that SVOD services had, by far, the highest rate of inflation in 2025.
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January 21, 2026 • 25 mins
This week, Paul and Jessica start with a recap of the big winners at the 2026 Golden Globes. Next, Paul discusses the recently-announced exclusive Pay 1 SVOD license deal between Sony Pictures and Netflix, and Jessica ponders the pros and cons of Netflix's content-acquisition blitz. Finally, Paul breaks down the Supreme Court's decision to review the FCC's authority to levy large fines without the need for a jury trial.
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January 14, 2026 • 31 mins
This week, Paul provides an update on the Netflix + WBD merger as well as an appeal of the House v NCAA settlement which could impact NIL rights and revenue sharing for college athletes. Finally, Paul and Jess discuss the celebrity mom group drama which erupted between Ashley Tisdale, Hillary Duff and others.
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December 31, 2025 • 33 mins
This week, Paul and Jess look back on 2025 and Season 4 of BCP with the Paulies, where they award: Best TV Show, Best Picture, TMT M&A Deal of the Year; Who had the Best Year; Pop Culture Moment; and Best BCP Episode.
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December 17, 2025 • 29 mins
This week, Paul and Jess recap many of the Golden Globes nominees where Neon and Netflix dominated and go through some of their picks to win. Next, they share their eager anticipation of Idris Elba's return as Sam Nelson in Apple TV's Hijack 2. Finally, with Avatar: Fire & Ash opening this week, they discuss how James Cameron's $400M installment in the epic franchise is likely to perform.
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December 10, 2025 • 35 mins
This week, Paul and Jess begin with a quick update on some box office and streaming hits from December. Then they discuss one of the biggest potential mergers in entertainment, Netflix's tenative deal to buy WBD for $82B as well as some potential hurdles to closing, including Paramount's hostile bid.
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November 26, 2025 • 29 mins
This week, Paul and Jess begin with a list of some of the TV shows that were awarded California's film tax credit, including Fallout, the Night Agent, and Baywatch. Next, they discuss some much anticipated spin off (prequel and sequel) news regarding their favorite show, Game of Thrones. Finally, Paul breaks down Dave Erickson's profit participation lawsuit arising out of Fear The Walking Dead.
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November 19, 2025 • 27 mins
This week, Paul interviews Shashank who is the co-CEO of Nazranaa, the largest wholesaler and retailer of Indian garments in the U.S. In addition to running Nazranaa, Shashank is the executive producer of the YouTube series, Nazranaa Diaries, which highlights some of the store’s best customers and has taken on a life of its own. Shashank discusses the challenges of growing and managing this business amidst extreme tariff unpredicta...
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November 12, 2025 • 30 mins
This week, Paul and Mesh begin with Alls Fair, Ryan Murphy's star-studded, critically-panned over-the-top legal drama streaming on Hulu and a ranking of their top legal dramas. Next, they discuss England's recently-announced education reforms which were, in part, receptive to Ed Sheeran's call for educators to embrace teaching music in the classroom. Finally, Paul provides a high-level recap of Learning Resources v. Trump, a recent...
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November 5, 2025 • 33 mins
This week, Paul kicks things off with the NCAA's announcement that it will pause its proposed rule change which would have allowed student athletes to bet on professional sports. Next, Mesh recaps October's slow box office, which had the lowest ticket sales (excluding the pandemic) in nearly 3 decades. Finally, Paul and Mesh discuss Taylor Sheridan's $1B deal to move his TV and Film development and production banner to NBCU.
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October 29, 2025 • 32 mins
This week, Paul and Mesh discuss Skydance's bid for Warner Bros. Discovery and the sales process that it ignited which includes many usual suspects, Comcast, Netflix, Apple, etc. Next, they reminisce about MTV's lasting cultural impact as Skydance Paramount announced that it will shutter the MTV Europe music video channels at the end of 2025.
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October 22, 2025 • 35 mins
This week, Paul and Mesh debate Spotify's agreement to distribute its popular Ringer video podcasts on Netflix starting in 2026. Next, Paul discusses SAG's decision to expand its jurisdiction to cover the burgeoning business of microdramas which are produced for consumption on mobile devices. Finally, Paul and Mesh discuss some of California's recently passed laws which attempt to apply guardrails to AI and social media, in particu...
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October 15, 2025 • 32 mins
This week, Paul begins with an explanation of California's SB 576, a new law which will require streamers to make sure their advertisements are not louder than the content of the video programming viewed by users. Next, they discuss Taylor Swift's Life of a Showgirl, which, despite mixed reviews from critics, continues to break records. Finally, Paul provides an update in Drake v. UMG, where UMG was able to dismiss Drake's defamati...
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October 8, 2025 • 34 mins
This week, Paul and Mesh provide an update as AI-generated actress, Tilly Norwood, goes viral and California passes new AI-transparency legislation. Next, they discuss the FCC’s review of its local media ownership rules for radio and broadcast television. Finally, Paul celebrates Bad Bunny being announced as the half-time performer of Super Bowl LX.
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October 1, 2025 • 30 mins
This week, Mesh provides his One Battle After Another review and Paul recaps the initial signups for ESPN Unlimited and Fox One. Next, they discuss Marvel’s Wolverine, a PlayStation 5 game from Insomniac Studios that is scheduled for a Fall 2026 release, whose cinema-quality teaser trailer was dropped last week. Finally, Paul and Mesh debate RushTok, the phenomenon that has transformed Greek life at universities, created several vi...
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September 24, 2025 • 32 mins
Paul and Mesh begin with a quick recap of the biggest Emmys winners and a tribute to Robert Redford who passed away at the age of 89. Next, they discuss Luma AI's new video generator, Ray 3, which it describes as intelligent, iterative, and capable of producing HDR quality video. Finally, they ponder the impact of Telisha Jones, a poet whose an AI-assisted alter-ego, Xania Monet, leveraged Suno and image generators to climb the ...
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