Episode 84: Spiralling therapist or kitchen chaos? What to watch first from Emmy nominations

This week on Culture Bites, hosts Enas Refaei and Farah Andrews discuss their favourites from this year’s Emmy nominations.

From dramas to comedies, some of the most highly rated TV series from 2025 have made the list, including Adolescence, The Last of Us and the latest season of The White Lotus. Some of the shows that Enas and Farah have recommended before on the podcast made the cut, such as The Bear's new season, and Shrinking, a comedy about a grieving therapist who says too much.

Also in this episode, the hosts explore the Arabic roots of common English words and trace their journeys. Coffee, for example, originated in Yemen and evolved from the Arabic word “qahwa”. Others are less commonly known, such as candy – which evolved from the word “qandi” meaning sugar, and hazard, taking its root from “al-zahr”, or dice, an object used in games of chance.

Enas and Farah talk about the spread of the Arabic language through ancient trade and how it reflects the region’s golden era of knowledge and innovation.

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