The Best of Car Talk

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...

This week on Pop Culture Happy Hour, NPR Monkey See's Linda Holmes, Stephen Thompson, Trey Graham and Glen Weldon talk about NBC's '30 Rock,' which just had its series finale. They'll discuss what the show did particularly well, including being meta — how a comedy show on NBC about a comedy show on NBC worked. They'll also drum up other examples of metacommentary done well and not so well in TV, film and theater...

This week on Pop Culture Happy Hour, NPR Monkey See's Linda Holmes, Stephen Thompson, Trey Graham and Glen Weldon talk about Noel Murray's A.V. Club piece on nerds and autism in pop culture. They'll discuss TV shows and movies that feature autistic characters, some more openly than others. They'll discuss the changing perception of nerds and their rising cool factor. Finally, the long-awaited return of the Regrettable Television Pop Quiz. 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 and Glen Weldon are joined by NPR movie critic Bob Mondello to talk about movies and awards season. They discuss the Golden Globes, how much they loved hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler and which wins surprised them. They also talk about Jodie Foster's so-called "coming out" speech and how people are reacting to it. Finally, they move on to the Oscars...

This week on Pop Culture Happy Hour, NPR Monkey See's Linda Holmes, Stephen Thompson, Trey Graham and Glen Weldon talk Downton Abbey. Along with special guest Barrie Hardymon, they talk about the first episode of the new season, and what does and doesn't work about the show overall. Next, they talk pop culture redemption. How does an actor move on from a former role or win the audience back after a bad personal decision? 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 their pop culture resolutions for the New Year. They also go back and face last year's resolutions. Who followed through on their goals? Next, they make predictions for pop culture in 2013. Will television be as violent? And which movies will win major Oscars? All that, plus What's Making Us Happy this week.