Pop Culture Happy Hour

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Trying to keep up with the latest in pop culture? We’ve got you covered. The Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast helps you find the best new binge-worthy tv shows, movies, music, and videogames. Join hosts Linda Holmes, Aisha Harris, Stephen Thompson, and Glen Weldon four episodes a week - plus a rotating cast of guest pop culture enthusiasts. It’s your fix for reviews, recommendations, and recaps of the pop culture everyone is talking about. From lowbrow reality TV to Oscar-winning movies to the stuff in between, we take it all with a shot of cheer. On the Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast, we watch everything so that you never miss anything. Make your happy hour even happier with Pop Culture Happy Hour Plus! Your subscription supports the podcast and unlocks a sponsor-free feed. Learn more at plus.npr.org/happyhour

Episodes

Moana and What’s Making Us Happy

July 10, 2026 • 22 mins
Moana is back in Disney’s new sort-of-live-action remake, but how far does it go from the original? Dwayne Johnson returns as Maui, appearing in the flesh this time around. Catherine Laga'aia plays Moana, who sets out to save her island, along with her chicken. The film features a new song from Lin-Manuel Miranda, who also wrote songs for the original animated film. 

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2026 Emmy Nominations

July 8, 2026 • 26 mins
The 2026 Emmy nominations are here. We’re unpacking the record-breaking nominations for Hacks, plus a big day for Widow’s Bay, The Pitt, and The Bear. We’ll also talk about the snubs and make some early predictions of who will win. 

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Gen Z and the movies

July 7, 2026 • 20 mins
Two big horror films, Obsession and Backrooms, just smashed all box office expectations. So much of their success has been driven by Gen Z, which is now the biggest moviegoing demographic. But what makes a movie a Gen Z movie? Today we’re bringing you an episode of NPR’s It’s Been a Minute. Host Brittany Luse talks about this trend with Sam Adams and Reanna Cruz. 

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A wacky merchandise quiz

July 6, 2026 • 21 mins
Everywhere you look, movies and TV shows are teaming up with all kinds of companies to make odd product tie-ins. Green Shrek ketchup. The Handmaid’s Tale wine. Grogu serving boards. Today on the show, we’re playing a game about some very strange brand collaborations.

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We fantasy cast 'The Traitors'

Our 15th Anniversary Time Capsule

A Cam...
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Minions & Monsters and What’s Making Us Happy

July 3, 2026 • 22 mins
Minions & Monsters is the newest addition to the Despicable Me franchise, but this prequel set the minions loose in 1920s Hollywood. They naturally become superstars in the age of silent film. But, as talkies take over, they struggle to stay relevant — until one of them ends up conjuring some cute but deadly monsters using a dead wizard’s old spell book. After many films featuring the hijinks of the yellow pill-shap...
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The Bear

July 1, 2026 • 22 mins
Did the final season of FX’s The Bear serve up the perfect last bite or are diners and viewers alike left wishing for more? Carmy (Jeremy Allen White), Syd (Ayo Edebiri), and the rest of the kitchen staff are back in action as they face down their final day of service. It’s now streaming on Hulu.

If you like seriously funny dramas, check out these episodes:  

‘Widow’s Bay’ is an...
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The best depictions of the American dream

June 30, 2026 • 33 mins
America turns 250 this year. So for this special birthday, we discuss our picks for what pieces of pop culture best depict the American dream, including The Wire, Apollo 13, Grey Gardens, and the spiritual successor to Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car.”

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How we handle spoilers
Our 15th anniversary time capsule
We rewatch the movies we loved as teens<...
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Jackass: Best and Last

June 29, 2026 • 21 mins
In Jackass: Best and Last, Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, and the rest of the crew are back for a final round of stunts, pranks, and laughs. The film features new laugh-out-loud bits as well as footage from the franchise’s best clips over its long history. But did Jackass: Best and Last stick the landing or fall just short of a big bang?

Need more gut-busting laughs? Check out these episodes: 
‘Stop! That! T...
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Supergirl and What’s Making Us Happy

June 26, 2026 • 22 mins
Hollywood’s newest Supergirl is kind of a dirtbag — in the good way. Fearless and grumpy, Supergirl (Milly Alcock) sets out on a quest to support a new pal’s revenge journey and to make a point that should be clear by now: Never mess with a lady’s dog. Also featuring David Corenswet and Jason Momoa, is Supergirl a worthy follow up to Superman?

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Great movies we missed

June 25, 2026 • 20 mins
There have been some fantastic movies released this year, and we know you can’t see them all. So we’re recommending four recent movies we missed that you should add to your watchlist: The Furious, Tuner, She’s The He, and Heresy.

If you need a few more fun film recommendations, check out these episodes: 

Fun movies you may have missed
Our favorite movies on Tubi
We debate the best movies t...
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Leviticus

June 23, 2026 • 16 mins
You should see the new horror movie Leviticus. Set in a small Australian religious community, it’s about two queer teens that start having feelings for each other. Their relationship touches off a chain of increasingly violent events. It’s both a queer coming-of-age romance and a blistering indictment of gay conversion therapy. Mostly, though, it’s a seriously creepy movie about a demonic entity that knows exactly...
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Best Pixar Movies, Ranked

June 22, 2026 • 26 mins
Toy Story 5 just hit theaters, so it seemed like a good time to revisit our episode from last summer where we discussed YOUR picks for the greatest Pixar films of all time. Thousands of you voted, and we've got the results.

If you want to hear about other Pixar films we loved, listen to our episodes about:

Nature needs a little help in the inventive Pixar movie ‘Hoppers’

'Turning Red' paints teenage...
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Toy Story 5 and What's Making Us Happy

June 19, 2026 • 24 mins
In Disney’s Toy Story 5, Jessie, Woody, and Buzz are back to confront a new threat – screen time. When their kid Bonnie gets a new tablet called Lilypad, she forgets about the rest of her toys. But Jessie is determined to win Bonnie back, even after a series of events separates them. Toy Story 5 features a familiar and beloved voice cast with Tom Hanks, Tim Allen and Joan Cusack reprising their roles. 

Are y...
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Olivia Rodrigo you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love

June 17, 2026 • 21 mins
Olivia Rodrigo is back blending spikey rock with tender ballads. How do we feel about her evolving sound? Her third album you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love is a collection of fizzy, sometimes jagged pop songs about a love that goes amazingly well until it doesn’t.

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Taylor Swift re-enters her banger era in ‘The Life of a Showgirl’<...
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Widow’s Bay

June 16, 2026 • 21 mins
Widow’s Bay is a spine-tingling blend of horror and comedy you won't want to miss. The buzzy Apple TV series follows a mayor (Matthew Rhys) who is desperately trying to bring tourism to a small island town that might be cursed. The cast includes Stephen Root, Kate O’Flynn, and Betty Gilpin.

If you’re looking for other eerie island escapes, check out these episodes 

A bratty boss gets a dose of h...
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Stop! That! Train!

June 15, 2026 • 21 mins
The ridiculously fun new film Stop! That! Train! brings the gags-a-minute silliness of Airplane! to the bawdy world of RuPaul’s Drag Race. But does it chug along smoothly or does it veer off the rails? RuPaul stars as the president of the United States who must help save a train from a massive stormaganza. Drag queens Jujubee and Ginger Minj are train attendants aboard the runaway train filled with Drag Race alumni and comedy...
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Disclosure Day and What’s Making Us Happy

June 12, 2026 • 25 mins
Stephen Spielberg brings aliens back to the big screen in Disclosure Day. But how does his new blockbuster compare to his alien classics like E.T. and Close Encounters of The Third Kind? Our heroes Emily Blunt and Josh O’Connor are compelled by something they don’t understand, and there are authority figures trying to keep a huge secret from the public. 

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Summer House

June 11, 2026 • 22 mins
Have you been keeping up with all the drama of Summer House? The cast of the Bravo reality series is currently embroiled in a scandal involving Kyle Cooke, Amanda Batula, West Wilson and Ciara Miller. We’re unpacking why people in and outside the Bravo fandom can’t stop talking about Summer House, what drives the drama of Bravo, and where the franchise might go from here. 

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Office Romance

June 9, 2026 • 22 mins
The new Netflix film Office Romance pairs rom-com veteran Jennifer Lopez with Brett Goldstein in a story about the hazards of falling for your boss. But is the on-screen chemistry there? And how does it fit into J.Lo’s rom-com history? Directed by Ol Parker (Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again), the film was written by Goldstein and Joe Kelly, one of the writers he worked with on Ted Lasso.

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Scary Movie

June 8, 2026 • 20 mins
The horror comedy franchiseScary Movie is back in theaters with a new movie. But does this legacy sequel that parodies other legacy sequels have anything new to say? Helmed by the Wayans Brothers, it lampoons horror tropes new and old amid a flurry of jokes and references, and brings back familiar faces like Anna Faris and Regina Hall. It also introduces a new generation to face the dreaded Ghostface.

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