The Best of Car Talk

This week on Pop Culture Happy Hour, NPR Monkey See's Linda Holmes, Stephen Thompson, Glen Weldon and special guest Barrie Hardymon talk about the two-hour season opener of 'Mad Men.' They'll discuss how the show is changing as they move into the late Sixties and why they love Peggy. Next, they take a moment to bid the fondest of farewells to one of their pop-culture heroes, Roger Ebert. Finally, they tackle the topic of  the unreliable narrator...

This week on Pop Culture Happy Hour, NPR Monkey See's Linda Holmes, Stephen Thompson, Trey Graham and Glen Weldon talk about whether it's really possible to capture the magic of a first season later on in a series. What do shows do to reinvigorate themselves and last a long time? They'll talk 'Law and Order,' 'The Wire' and 'Mad Men,' which returns this weekend. Next, they'll discuss movie red flags...

This week on Pop Culture Happy Hour, NPR Monkey See's Linda Holmes and Glen Weldon are joined by producer Jess Gitner and NPR Books editor Petra Mayer. They discuss the new Sundance miniseries 'Top of the Lake,' a crime drama starring Elisabeth Moss and Holly Hunter, directed and written by Jane Campion. They'll talk about the pacing, the acting, and how to best put a drug trip on screen...

This week on Pop Culture Happy Hour, NPR Monkey See's Linda Holmes, Stephen Thompson, Trey Graham and Glen Weldon discuss crowd-funded art. They'll talk about the Veronica Mars movie which raised more than 3 million dollars on Kickstarter and they'll weigh the pros and cons of a patronage model. They'll also discuss Vulture's Ultimate Sitcom bracket, in which 'The Simpsons' emerged victorious over 'Cheers.' The gang clashes over what's the right criteria in judging the best sitcom...

This week on Pop Culture Happy Hour, NPR Monkey See's Linda Holmes and Stephen Thompson are joined by producer Jess Gitner and comics guru (also Stephen's mom) Maggie Thompson to talk about pop culture for all ages. They'll discuss how pop culture is passed down from generation to generation and share some favorite examples of entertainment that can be enjoyed by both the young and old, together...

This week on Pop Culture Happy Hour, the the gang takes some time off due to a perfect storm of illness and SXSW preparation. Here's a favorite episode from last Spring in which NPR Monkey See's Linda Holmes joins Glen Weldon, Trey Graham and Stephen Thompson to talk about the vitality (or not) of the teen sex comedy — from Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Porky's to American Pie and Superbad. Then the gang has a lively debate about Easter candy and the value of Peeps...

This week on Pop Culture Happy Hour, NPR Monkey See's Linda Holmes, Stephen Thompson, Trey Graham and Glen Weldon round up the Oscars telecast, from Daniel Day Lewis' speech and Jennifer Lawrence's tumble to Seth McFarlane's jokes. Next, they declare an "earworm warm" and take a close look at the commercial jingle. They'll go through a few of their favorites from past to present and ask why the jingle has gone the way of the dodo in recent years...

This week on Pop Culture Happy Hour, NPR Monkey See's Linda Holmes, Stephen Thompson, Trey Graham and Glen Weldon devote the whole show to the Academy Awards and run through all nine Best Picture nominees. They'll talk about about Steven Spielberg, story structure, the presence and absence of music, and a VIP (Very Important Pigeon). They'll also share their favorite film of the year. All that, plus What's Making Us Happy This Week. 

This week on Pop Culture Happy Hour, NPR Monkey See's Linda Holmes, Stephen Thompson, Trey Graham and Glen Weldon talk about the Grammy Awards: won, who wore what, and the performances they like and disliked. In honor of both President's Day and the launch of Netflix's 'House Of Cards,' they also talk about presidents in pop culture and why there's not as many movies and TV shows about presidents as you'd think. All that, plus What's Making Us Happy This Week. 

This week on Pop Culture Happy Hour, NPR Monkey See's Linda Holmes, Stephen Thompson, Trey Graham and Glen Weldon talk about all things Superbowl (well, aside from the game). They'll discuss the commercials they loved and hated, Beyonce's halftime show and the blackout. And, ahead of Valentine's Day, they'll talk about romance in pop culture and what they find actually romantic. Favorite examples come from 'The Simpsons,' 'Modern Family,' Johnny Cash and the comic 'Strangers in Paradise...