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

Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass

July 15, 2026 • 17 mins
Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass is a comedy, but it’s mostly a very funny hang. Zoey Deutch plays a small town hairdresser whose fiancee has just had sex with the celebrity on his sex pass list. She's determined to do the same – with Jon Hamm. She sets off to Hollywood to find him and gathers a motley crew along the way. The film was directed by David Wain, also is known for Wet Hot American Summer. 
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Little House on the Prairie

July 14, 2026 • 22 mins
You may be familiar with the world of Little House on the Prairie, either through Laura Ingalls Wilder’s beloved books, or the 1970s TV adaptation. Now, Netflix is once again bringing the Ingalls family to life with a new series. It focuses on earlier in Laura's life in Kansas, where the promise of available land for the family comes at the expense of a local Osage population that's being pushed out. During this time, the Ing...
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The Invite

July 13, 2026 • 19 mins
What happens when a simple dinner party goes off the rails? That’s the premise of The Invite, a very good new comedy directed by Olivia Wilde. Wilde also stars alongside Seth Rogen as a couple who invite their neighbors over for a meal, played by Penelope Cruz and Edward Norton. And it’s a heck of a dinner party, full of frank talk about sex and its complications.

If you like slightly absurd relationship comedies...
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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. 

Craving more live action Disney remakes? Check ...
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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. 

If you want to hear more about these m...
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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.

If you like want more episodes like this one, check out:

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.”

If you like want more episodes like this one, check out:
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?

If you want more DC superhero action, check out these epis...
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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.

If you’re looking for other fizzy pop songs, check out: 
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. 

If you need more summer blockbusters, check out: ...
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