The Worst of All Possible Worlds
The first and only podcast bringing you weekly case studies in the pop culture of a dying empire. Every Wednesday, co-hosts Josh, Brian, and A.J. dissect an artifact of popular culture, breaking down how its narrative choices reflect or subvert the reactionary political project. From video games to movies to theater to an apparently infinite supply of evangelical Christian radio drama, we expose the machinations of the worst of all possible worlds in order to figure out how to build a better one. Also, we have bits.
Episodes
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Jacob and Lenore of Workers’ Lit join the lads down under for some ghost busting and coffin surfing as they cover Hideo Kojima’s 2025 delivery simulator: Death Stranding 2. Topics include the unmatchable gameplay loop, the polarity of Dollman, and the horrors lurking under the surface of a game where evil is defeated through the power of dance.
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Scott Benson and Bethany Hockenberry (Night in the Woods) join the lads aboard the Demeter and double back to Transylvania as they cover Francis Ford Coppola’s vampiric 1992 fever dream: Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Topics include th...
THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall On this episode of Fancy Movie Time with Brian and A.J., the Fancy Lads unplug their phones and have a good cry as they cover James L. Brooks' 1987 ode to the joys of work: Broadcast News. Does the electric chemistry of the three leads make this movie a Fancy Feast? Or does its overlong runtime make it a Failure to Fancy? One thing's for sure: that Gracie Films'...
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Tom Stoppard, the acclaimed, prolific playwright behind Arcadia, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, Rock 'n' Roll and so many other plays, along with the screenplays to Shakespeare in Love, Brazil, and Anna Karenina, has died. He leaves behind a staggering, inspiring, often frustrating bod...
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ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE THROUGH 12/31
On their fourth annual remembrance of Pearl Harbor, the lads hop in their B-17’s and throw Los Angeles into chaos as they cover Steven Spielberg’s notorious 1979 WWII flop: 1941. Topics include the duality of Jon Belushi, the real-life horror of the Zoot Suit Riots, and the difficulties of del...
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THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall
The lads throw on their bowler hats and blame on their shoes the faults of their feet as they cover Samuel Beckett’s tragicomic masterpiece: Waiting for Godot. Topics include the origins of Godot, the benefits of being stabbed in the chest, and the enduring legacy of a stage play where nothing happens twice.
Media Referen...
THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall
We've done it. Charlotte and Libby are back to join us in the Hunter's Nightmare, a blood-drenched valhalla where no one's having a good time.
What’s All This Then?: A podcast about Britain, hosted by Charlotte McDonnell and Libby Watson. Patreon // Spotify // Apple Podcasts
The godfather of Christian media podcasts Kevin T. Porter (Good Christian Fun) joins the lads in Odyssey as they cover three episodes from the series that would one day become Adventures in Odyssey: Family Portraits. Topics include the dangers of yokel discrimination, the bizarro world of pre-Odyssey Odyssey, and what it means to have your mail delivered by a man named George Poindexter.
THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall
Donovan Eyre (Radio Free Tote Bag, DonoHell) and the lads throw on their trenchcoats and putter around some crime scenes as they cover the hit NBC/ABC mystery sensation: Columbo. Topics include the genius of Peter Falk, the many crimes of the Kong family, and what we can learn from watching a working class detective one more thing his way towards bringing justice...
Jolenta Greenberg (Hot Mess-Terpiece Theatre) and the lads attend the dinner party from hell and down goblets of cocktails as they cover season one of the hit-Bravo reality show: The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Topics include the origins of the Real Housewives, the art of the talking head one-liner, and what we can learn from the horrifying darkness that comes with being married to Frasier Crane.
...
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The lads take the Breeze to Crockett island and drink the blood of the angels as they attend Mike Flanagan’s 2021 Catholic horrorfest: Midnight Mass. Topics include the origins of Mike Flanagan, the banal evil of Hamish Linklater, and what it means to try to fight addiction while doing battle with Nosferatu-worshipping ...
Charlotte and Libby from the What’s All This Then podcast join the lads in Yharnam as they cover the nightmare that is FromSoftware’s 2015 gothic horror opus: Bloodborne. Topics include the steep learning curve, the masterful escalation of horror, and what it means to conquer your anxieties in the greatest Britain simulator ever made.
What’s All This Then?: A podcast about Britain, hosted by Charlotte Mc...
THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall
Jake from the I Hate James Dobson podcast and the lads return to Odyssey for further adventures in trust funds, marriage counseling, and the next mayor of Odyssey: Margaret Faye. Topics include the never ending Eugene and Katrina will they/won’t they, the effects of bingeing 400 episodes of AiO in an incredibly short amount of time, an...
Mattie Lubchansky (Boys Weekend, Simplicity) and the lads grab their cow as white as milk, their cape as red as blood, their hair as yellow as corn, their slipper as pure as gold, and feed a potion to a rapping witch as they cover Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s 1986 fairy tale musical: Into the Woods. Topics include the massive reworking of the second act, the many allegations against the Big Bad Wolf, and how So...
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The lads hop in their 1964 metallic mint-green Buick Skylarks and get arrested for murder as they cover Jonathan Lynn’s 1992 legal comedy: My Cousin Vinny. Topics include the Era of the Screenplay, the film’s dedication to legal procedure, and the unspeakable cinematic power of having Marisa Tomei talk about tire-tracks.
Media Referenced in this Episode:
- My ...
THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall On this episode of Fancy Movie Time with Brian and A.J., the Fancy Lads head to Taipei and dance with the pigeon man as they cover Edward Yang's coming-of-age drama Yi Yi (2000). Do the film's novelistic approach and impeccable characterizations make it a Fancy Feast? Or does its vibes-based tone and myriad of plots make it a Failure to Fancy? One thing's for su...
THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall
The lads boot up Newgrounds and take The Impossible Quiz as they dive into the bizarre and labyrinthine world of the bread and butter of the Web 2.0: Flash Games. Topics include the origins of Newgrounds, the boundless creativity (and trolling) of the flash scene, and what it means to be the lead gay technician of one of the most influ...
Joe Kassabian (Lions Led By Donkeys) joins the lads in Odyssey for further adventures in monastic life, missionary work, and the dreaded attraction between cousins. Topics include evangelical views of Catholicism, the blatantly political work of missionaries, and why cruelty begetting cruelty is at the heart of the Evangelical project.
Joe Kassabian: Bluesky // Twitter
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