We’re still one down this week, and this week it’s Megan! Never fear, Joey and Clarence carry on with a discussion of film and television. On the film side, they review Alex Garland’s divisive box office winner Civil War. Then, on the TV front,

Quiet at the Cooler! We Are Talking…’Quiet On Set’

10 days ago

Investigation Discovery’s Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV has been the talk of social media for the last few weeks. By confronting the long-buried secrets of several sexual predators on set during the Golden Age of Nickelodeon, the serie

2024 Summer Movie Preview: Megan and Joey Face Off For the 2024 Summer Movie Trivia Crown

18 days ago

The 2024 Summer Movie season is just around the corner. To prepare, Clarence has constructed an epic Summer Movie Preview quiz for Joey and Megan. Who will wear the trivia crown for the upcoming season? As always we close with the flash forward

TV Reviews: Springing Into a New Crop of Emmy-Contending Television

Mar 19th, 2024

This week at the Water Cooler, we’re springing (we love a pun) into the final gasp of the 2024 Emmy season. Late February / early March typically emerges as the prime window to launch television series. It allows voting members of the Televisio

Oscars Telecast: Taking In the Show From Home and From Inside the Dolby

Mar 13th, 2024

We’re saying goodbye to the 2024 Oscar season this week at the Water Cooler. Megan just returned from attending the 96th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theater, so we thought it would be an interesting experiment to compare experiences watching at

‘The Regime:’ Will Winslet Win Another Emmy For This Divisive Political Satire?

Mar 5th, 2024

This week, we dive into the eagerly anticipated HBO limited series The Regime. Starring Kate Winslet, the Stephen Frears-directed satire takes the audience into an unnamed European country in the grasp of an unstable authoritarian regime. The s

Emmys 2024: Surveying Current and Upcoming Contenders for Limited Series

Feb 27th, 2024

We kick off the podcast with a look back at the weekend’s big guild awards – the Producers Guild Awards and the Screen Actors Guild Awards. What do the winners tell us about the 2024 Emmy race? Then, we launch into our first analytical look at

Talking ‘Ted’ and the Best of the 2024 Super Bowl Commercials

Feb 14th, 2024

Megan rejoins the Water Cooler to give us an update on her recent trip to the SCAD TV Fest. Then, we revisit this weekend’s best Super Bowl commercials and the buzzy movie trailers that debuted during the game. Finally, Megan leads a conversati

The Claws Are Out: Grammys, ‘Argylle,’ and ‘Feud’ Duke It Out For the Cattiest Experience

Feb 6th, 2024

We’re talking cats and swans this week at the Water Cooler but sadly without Megan. First up, Joey and Clarence briefly discuss the Grammys ceremony and the online aftermath where the claws were most definitely out. Then, we take a look at Matt

‘Night Country:’ Does ‘True Detective’ Resurrect Its Promise with the Jodie Foster-Led Edition?

Jan 23rd, 2024

FX’s Fargo overcame recent disappointments to deliver one of its best seasons to date with season five. Now, HBO returns to the True Detective universe with True Detective: Night Country. Does this new season similarly return a tarnished series

2023 Emmys: Team ADTV Gathers To Dish the Emmys and Look Forward To Next Year

Jan 17th, 2024

This week, the full roster of Team ADTV joins the Water Cooler to review the 75th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony. We talk about our favorite moments, our disappointments, and whether or not three series should dominate the entire evening

2024 Golden Globes TV Predictions and Our Favorite Films of 2023

Jan 3rd, 2024

This week, we dive into our favorite films of 2023 as they stood when we recorded (more on that in the podcast). We also quickly predict what we think will win the television categories at the 2024 Golden Globes, airing Sunday on CBS. Programmi

Best of 2023 TV: We Rank Our Favorite Television of the Year

Dec 28th, 2023

The trees are still up and decorated. Santa has come and gone. But before we head into 2024, we’re looking back at our favorite television series of 2023. What will Joey, Megan, and Clarence rank as their favorite TV series of the year? As alwa

Christmas Time Is Here: We Share Our Favorite Holiday Films, Expected and Unusual, and Share Virtual Xmas Gifts

Dec 18th, 2023

Cue the melancholy Vince Guaraldi and Lee Mendelson-penned song “Christmas Time Is Here” from A Charlie Brown Christmas because it’s almost here. Whether that sends you into shivers of glee or strikes fear in your heart (because you still have

2024 Golden Globes: ‘Succession,’ ‘The Crown’ Break Records As the Globes Return

Dec 12th, 2023

The Golden Globes are back, baby! Not only have actors embraced their nominations with public statements and appreciation, but the Golden Globes returned with some very Globesy nominations (we see you, The Diplomat). But they also returned to m

‘Society of the Snow’ & Catching Up To ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ As We Look To Year-End Listmaking

Dec 5th, 2023

We’re heading toward the end of 2023, which naturally means it’s almost time to start making year-end lists! As we cultivate our favorite films of 2023, we’re catching up to one major year-end release, J.A. Bayona’s Society of the Snow. Retelli

‘May December,’ ‘Maestro:’ We Take On Two Awards-Buzzed December Releases

Nov 28th, 2023

Two huge awards-buzzed films will be released in the month of December, and we’ve seen them both! Todd Haynes’ May December stars Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore in a camp drama that explores the aftermath of an illicit love affair between a

Ranking All 10 ‘Friends’ Thanksgiving Episodes

Nov 21st, 2023

It’s Thanksgiving week, and of course in Water Cooler Land, that means Friendsgiving! Of course, it’s a bittersweet year with beloved Friends star Matthew Perry recently passing away. But we’re thankful for both his comic talent and the brillia

A Podcast About ‘A Murder At the End of the World’

Nov 8th, 2023

This week, we’re embracing new television! The FX on Hulu limited series A Murder At the End of the World stars The Crown‘s Emma Corrin as Darby Hart. We’ve heard this described online as “Nancy Drew and the Dragon Tattoo.” That’s not far off,

Reminiscing About Matthew Perry and Looking Back at Recent Film Festivals

Oct 31st, 2023

We’re starting this week’s podcast on a bit of a down note as we reminisce about Matthew Perry who passed away this weekend. Joey, Megan, and Clarence each go around the water cooler and give their favorite Chandler Bing moments from Friends. P

‘Lessons in Chemistry:’ Does AppleTV+’s Adaptation of the Bonnie Garmus Novel Merit a Passing Grade?

Oct 18th, 2023

This week, we review AppleTV+’s new limited series Lessons in Chemistry. Based on the beloved Bonnie Garmus novel, Chemistry stars Oscar winner Brie Larson as Elizabeth Zott, a chemist turned local cooking show host who finds herself changing t

‘Fair Play:’ We Disclose a Sliver of Our Basic Instincts About Netflix’s New Thriller

Oct 11th, 2023

This week at the Water Cooler, the gang looks at Chloe Domont’s thriller Fair Play. Starring Phoebe Dynevor and Alden Ehrenreich, the film serves as a modern take on the erotic thrillers that populated the 1990s. We talk about the merits of the

Oscars: Making Our First Round Draft Picks for the 2024 Fantasy Oscar Pool

Oct 3rd, 2023

Megan’s back from her communing with Stevie Nicks (who now has her very own Barbie). That means it’s finally time to make our first-round draft picks in the 2024 Fantasy Oscar Pool! Yes, we’re a little late this year. Traditionally, we try to d

Halloween 2023: Kicking Off the Season with Halloween Horror Nights, ‘House of Usher’

Sep 28th, 2023

While Megan spins in a yellow shawl with Stevie Nicks, Joey and Clarence regroup at the Water Cooler to kick off Halloween 2023. With the spooky season here, Clarence preps Joey for his upcoming visit to Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nig

Revealing the 2023 Cooler Awards Winners!

Sep 19th, 2023

The 2023 Emmy Awards may have postponed their ceremony due to the ongoing WGA / SAG strike, but the Cooler Awards ceremony carries on. On this week’s podcast, we reveal the winners of the 2023 Cooler Awards as voted on by the staff and readers