Extra Hot Great: This Week In TV

We’re thrilled Santiago Melli-Huber could return to discuss the inter-agency copaganda — and, to be fair, the realistic sibling interactions — of Line Of Fire, a puzzle-box-ish network procedural full of cop tropes, unrealistic travel times, and actors we had trouble reconciling with relatively likable characters. We went Around The Dial with Best Of The Best, Dropout content, and Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story before Sarah bellied up to the Canon with a pitch for Drunk History. The Savant won, Taylor Frankie Paul lost, and Game Time was so on-brand with its acting-through-the-generations concept that it took nearly a generation to complete. Pocket an origami swan and join us for an all-new Extra Hot Great!
GUESTS
👤 Santiago Melli-Huber
TOPICS
Lead Topic: 🔫 Line Of Fire
Around The Dial: 🕺 Best Of The Best
Around The Dial: 👵🏻 Matlock (2024)
Around The Dial: 🍚 Game Changer
Around The Dial: 🪓 Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story
The Canon: 🥴 Drunk History S05.E07: Drunk Mystery
Winner & Loser: 🪦 The Savant
Winner & Loser: 🤦‍♀️ Taylor Frankie Paul
Game Time: 🍼 Return Of The TV Nepo Babies
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NOTES
🗒 Full episode notes can be found on this episode's page on our site
📱 Ridiculous large iPhone text
🦋 Follow Santiago Melli-Huber on Bluesky
🎙️ Mari Cohn and Dolly Parton Tribute Night at The Edge
💄 The Listen To Sassy Club
🪓 Sarah's Monster: Lizzie review at Best Evidence
🏦 Make a withdrawal from (or deposit in!) the EHG Mutual Aid Vault
📷 Photo: Spencer Pazer / NBC

The great Josh Gondelman returns to discuss the not-so-great High Value Target: The Hunt For Saddam, a tiresome limited series on TNT starring Joel Kinnaman as a CIA analyst/non-credible nerd and Tom Berenger as his crusty veteran dad. We’re talking about who it’s for (crusty veteran dads, lbr), why you wouldn’t just read John Nixon’s book, and whether other series have unpacked this era’s baggage more efficiently. We went Around The Dial with Coin From Accounts, Reggie Dinkins, and OJ Unseen before Dave wondered if the first-thought ring recharging on Lanterns is Worse Than Jazz?, and we contemplated a meta game-changer episode of Game Game Changer for the Canon. Point Break won, Entourage lost, and we sharpened our No. 2 pencils for an analogy-forward Game Time from Seth. We’re not in Kansas anymore either — it’s an all-new EHG!
GUESTS
👤 Josh Gondelman
TOPICS
Lead Topic: 🎯 High Value Target: The Hunt For Saddam
Around The Dial: 🦮 Colin From Accounts
Around The Dial: 🏈 The Fall And Rise Of Reggie Dinkins
Around The Dial: 🍊 OJ Unseen: Exploitation Of Evil
Is This Worse Than Jazz?: 💍 The Lantern From Lanterns
The Canon: 🏰 Game Changer S07.E11: Samalamadingdong
Winner & Loser: 🏄‍♂️ Point Break
Winner & Loser: 😡 Entourage creator Doug Ellin
Lead Topic: 🧠 All About The D
SUPPORT THE SHOW
🔥 Join the EHG Club for bonus episodes, no ads, community Discord and more!
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NOTES
🗒 Full episode notes can be found on this episode's page on our site
🗓️ More from Josh Gondelman, including his tour schedule
📰 Josh's newsletter, That's Marvelous
🕵🏻‍♂️ "Not My Job: We Quiz A Retired CIA Analyst On Briefs (The Underwear)" from Wait Wait Don't Tell Me
🌴 Again With This Club
🍊 Sarah's review of OJ Unseen at Best Evidence
📷 Photo: TNT
CLUB-ONLY NOTES
🔥 EHG Club Perk Links & How-To
💬 Get On Our Community Discord

We are off this week for Labor Day but present an episode from inside the Club vault. AppleTV’s newest dramedy pairs The Heat screenwriter Katie Dippold with Matthew Rhys as the beleaguered mayor of a dying island town; we tell you whether you should book your stay at the creepy local inn. Ask EHG invites us to share, among other things, which current show desperately needs a zombie apocalypse and the words we find aesthetically pleasing. Sarah pitches Omar Little’s first rendition of “The Farmer In The Dell” from The Wire for the Tiny Whistling Canon. We name the week’s Not Quite Winners And Losers. Finally, we end on our picks for the Sky Mall gifts our favorite TV characters most need to receive. Settle in to your table at The Salty Whale and join us!
TOPICS
Announcement: 📢 Ask & Answer Ask EHG Without Discord
Lead Topic: 🧙‍♀️ Widow's Bay
Ask EHG: 🇨🇦 Canadian Gladiators
Tiny Canon: 😗 The Wire S01.E05: The Pager
Winner & Loser: 👶 Nick Offerman
Winner & Loser: ✍️ Friends writers
Winner & Loser: 🩳 Michael Beach
Winner & Loser: 🐻‍❄️ Lost producers
Winner & Loser: 👦🏻 Adolescence
Winner & Loser: 😤 Aimee Lou Wood
Extra Credit: ✈️ SkyMalled
Mini: 😚 Whistling (Oct 2011)
SUPPORT THE SHOW
🔥 Join the EHG Club for bonus episodes, no ads, community Discord and more!
🎧 Subscribe to EHG on Apple Podcasts for bonus episodes and no ads!
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NOTES
🗒 Full episode notes can be found on this episode's page on our site
🎺 "What's Jazz Doing In A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms?" on YouTube
😙 "Omar Comin'" on YouTube
🙊 "Lost Actor Harold Perrineau Says Former Co-Star Still Won't Talk To Him" at IGN [subscription required]
✈️ SkyMall
📷 Photo: Apple

Labor Day is nearly here, and with it the unofficial start of fall. With dozens of new shows premiering or returning, which are we actually planning to watch…and planning even harder to avoid? Eve Batey returns so that we can all share our picks and P.U.s. Eve presents the Widow’s Bay episode “Your Baggage” for induction into The Canon. Then, after we name the week’s Winner and Loser, we close with a Ted-y bear of a Non-Regulation Game Time. Take a break from burning your dead leaves to listen!
GUESTS
👤 Eve Batey
TOPICS
Lead Topic: 🍂 Fall TV Preview
The Canon: ⛽️ Widow's Bay S01.E08: Your Baggage
Winner & Loser: ⚖️ Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Winner & Loser: 📡 CNN
Game Time: 🔪 Ted Like Me
SUPPORT THE SHOW
🔥 Join the EHG Club for bonus episodes, no ads, community Discord and more!
🎧 Subscribe to EHG on Apple Podcasts for bonus episodes and no ads!
🛍️ Shop our merch store!
NOTES
🗒 Full episode notes can be found on this episode's page on our site
🦋 Eve Batey on Bluesky
‼️ “The Cozy-Looking Sweaters In ‘Reds,’ Ranked” at Defector
📰 The Vanity Fair Daily newsletter
🌁 Eve’s piece on Under Story at the San Francisco Chronicle [subscription required]
👶 Sarah’s review of Baby Doe at Best Evidence [subscription required]
🖼️ “CNN Apologizes For Mistakenly Airing Photo Of Dolly Parton Impersonator In Report On Late Singer” at Variety

Five-part Swedish serial-killer cop show Blood Sacrifice just hit Netflix, and Sarah Baker is back to talk about scratching the Scandi-noir itch, mapping overseas procedurals onto B-B-B-B-Bosch, and what uniquely Swedish crimes a second season could incorporate. We went Around The Dial with My Brilliant Career, Big Brother, This Is A Gardening Show, and a Djokovic djokumentary on Prime Video before Tara very truthfully pitched Would I Lie To You? for another Canon spot. Line Of Fire won; Lost, um, you know; and we had to dive deep into our NCISknowledge for Game Time. Throw a couple cans of sparkling wine in the Volvo and join us!
GUESTS
👤 Sarah Baker
TOPICS
Lead Topic: 🩸 Blood Sacrifice
Around The Dial: 👷🏻‍♀️ My Brilliant Career
Around The Dial: 👁️ Big Brother
Around The Dial: 👨‍🌾 This Is A Gardening Show
Around The Dial: 🎾 Novak Djokovic: The Wolf In Winter
The Canon: 🤥 Would I Lie To You S19.E05
Winner & Loser: 🔫 Line Of Fire
Winner & Loser: 🐻‍❄️ Lost
Game Time: ⚓️ Navally
SUPPORT THE SHOW
🔥 Join the EHG Club for bonus episodes, no ads, community Discord and more!
🎧 Subscribe to EHG on Apple Podcasts for bonus episodes and no ads!
🛍️ Shop our merch store!
NOTES
🗒 Full episode notes can be found on this episode's page on our site
🍔 Listen to Sarah Baker on Bob's Burgers
💝 And keep an eye out for Loves Company
🏦 Contact Sarah about the EHG Mutual Aid Vault
📷 Photo: Netflix / Jörgen Johansson