The Big Stream

HBO's House Of The Dragon has reached its midseason point. Liam McKeone and Stephen Douglas get together and instantly react to yet another violent wedding in the GoT universe and everything else that happened in a rather eventful fifth episode. The two also take stock about where the show is right now and where it could go in the last half, along with some pointed criticism and praise about what's happened so far. And, as always, several minutes are dedicated to wondering what Prince Daemon is up to. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

For the latest episode of The Big Stream, Liam McKeone and Stephen Douglas talk about the best sports documentary on streaming right now: Welcome to Wrexham. It follows the journey of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney after they purchased AFC Wrexham in Wales and the various challenges that come with owning a sports club. The documentary covers all the bases of a good sports doc-- inspiring underdog stories, human interest tales that feel like they're made for television, tremendous shots of soccer being played, and plenty of doses of humor from the main men themselves. The series is halfway done and will release weekly until October 5. Don't wait till it's over. Run to Hulu and give it a watch. You won't regret it. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

House Of The Dragon is nearing its midway point. Liam McKeone and Stephen Douglas are still watching. They aren't exactly enthralled but there are pieces to work with here. Reviewing the fourth episode of the series, which eliminates what appeared to be a central conflict, and anticipating where the show will go next. More importantly, why did Prince Daemon go from his flowing locks to an emo haircut better suited for a mid-2000s punk rock show?Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Last week, Amazon debuted their most ambitious non-football-related streaming project to date in the form of Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power. The quasi-prequel takes places long before the events of both The Hobbit and the original Lord Of The Rings trilogy. Ryan Phillips and Liam McKeone teamed up to discuss their initial impressions of the first two episodes, whether the show accurately captures the grandiose LOTR feeling, and how the early plotlines are developing.  Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The battle for the Iron Throne is starting to heat up. We think? It's hard to tell with all the time passing. Liam McKeone and Stephen Douglas took time out of their holiday weekend to zero in on House Of The Dragon Episode 3 and discussed it on Monday. Topics include the (few) pros and (many) cons of aggressively utilizing time jumps between episodes to accelerate plot development, how this week's big hunt compared to the first way back in Season 1 of GoT, and who Rhaenyra could end up marrying to strengthen her claim to the throne. Also, we need more seafood-based enemies. In everything. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

There's a lot of quality content out there right now, so Liam McKeone and Stephen Douglas get together to make the most of your time. The two review the second season of Only Murders In The Building, the brilliant mystery comedy show from Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez. Then Liam and Stephen dive into Day Shift, the Jamie Foxx-led vampire hunting movie from Netflix. Two very different viewing experiences, rolled into one podcast.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Liam McKeone and Ryan Phillips get together to discuss the thickening plot of House Of The Dragon after Episode 2. They explore just how different the show has been so far compared to its predecessor after two episodes, from pacing to characters. Additional topics include breaking down the finer aspects of the developing storylines, the introduction of an other-worldly villain by the name of Crabfeeder, praise for Milly Alcock and Emily Carey, and the new opening sequence of the show that didn't stray far from its roots.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The final episode of The Rehearsal was unexpectedly one of the most affecting pictures of parenting you'll see on television, but was not without its fair share of awkward moments. This grand experiment flew close to the sun — sometimes too close — and exits as a one-of-a-kind viewing experience. The Big Lead's Kyle Koster and Stephen Douglas try to unpack some of the mysteries and come up with a plan to tackle the post-Rehearsal world, forever changed by the experience.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HBO premiered House of the Dragon on Sunday night. The first Game of Thrones spin-off show arrived with some fanfare and the first episode was viewed with much scrutiny. Liam McKeone and Stephen Douglas both begrudgingly watched it and got together to talk about the foundation laid in the series premiere, the return of classic GoT violence, seeing Matt Smith with shocking blonde hair, how measuring memes is a good indicator of audience engagement, and whether the show will ever be able to stand on its own two (four?) legs without constant comparisons to its predecessor. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The Manti Te'o scandal remains one of the most shocking sports stories of the century, even as the real details have remained a bit of a mystery. All of those questions are answered in Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn't Exist, a two-hour Netflix documentary featuring interviews with all of the primaries. It pains a complete and heartbreaking picture of the impossible situation the star linebacker found himself in and is cause for reflection on what the media ecosystem can do to human beings at the center of a story. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Nathan Fielder's The Rehearsal featured a penultimate episode full of loss, hope, and standing up for one's values. Plus a lot of controversy and the funniest favorite movie anyone's ever had. The Big Lead's Kyle Koster and Stephen Douglas continue to pour over the details. Then, Black Bird is stylish and driven by two massive and memorable performances. So why then did it have trouble sticking the landing? And finally, do we actually miss the old-school television schedule?Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

When one lives long enough, they see some incredible things. Like a Predator movie that receives critical acclaim. Only this one is set way back in time. That's right, we're talking analog Predator. The Big Lead's Liam McKeone and Ryan Phillips share their thoughts on the film, which is currently streaming on Hulu. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Nathan Fielder's The Rehearsal is dependent on scores of actors who must tailor their performances to the show's specifications. So how does he get all of those people ready? By establishing his own acting discipline, which he humbly named the Nathan Fielder method. Episode four of HBO's incredibly weird, challenging, and totally unique show is up for inspection as The Big Lead's Kyle Koster and Stephen Douglas try to make sense of it. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Everyone remembers Fargo. But do you remember a movie that came two years later that was similar and every bit as good? Somehow, A Simple Plan got lost to time. The Big Lead's Kyle Koster and Stephen Douglas attempt to fix this by revisiting the perfectly-paced, carefully measured morality play. A star-studded cast includes Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton and Bridget Fonda. Come with them to a remote area of the Minnesota wilderness. What could possibly go wrong with such a straightforward plan?Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The weird world of Nathan Fielder continued to get weirder in the third episode of The Rehearsal, as he attempted to juggle his newfound fatherly duties with other projects he set up. How can he possibly manage to care for one of the many Adams under his watch while managing the unmanageable Patrick, a Punisher fan who wants his share of an inheritance and is not dating a gold digger? Stephen Douglas and Kyle Koster try to make sense of the Inception inside of an Inception and grapple with the complicated ethics on both side of the camera. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Nathan Fielder is up to some new tricks in the second episode of "The Rehearsal" and things are only getting weirder. Stephen Douglas endeavors a solo pod to try to make sense of the situation. Also addressed: the blandness of "The Gray Man" and the economy of "The Rental."Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Season 3 of The Boys wrapped up earlier this month. After taking some time to digest the hilarity, goriness, and weird superhero sex acts that every season of the show brings (but especially this season), Ryan Phillips and Liam McKeone gathered to review Season 3, look back at how far The Boys themselves have come, and attempt to predict what the future holds despite the endless possibilities in the hands of the showrunners. How did Season 3 stack up to Season 2? What did this season do really well? Was the ending a bit of a letdown? Where does young Ryan (the character, not the writer) fit into all this?Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In September, the 22nd season of Law & Order: SVU will air. It is the longest-running live action TV series in American history. Liam McKeone and Kyle Koster got together to discuss the show from two very different perspectives and marvel over the historic run of the show while breaking down exactly what it is about the formula that makes it work. Other subjects include the ensemble cast, the value of commercials, and reflection on SVU's place in the television industry at large. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Nathan Fielder's new show, The Rehearsal, arrived on HBO Max on Friday night. The follow-up to Nathan For You takes Fielder's unique brand of comedy and life advice and applies it to people instead of businesses. The results of the first episode are cringe-worthy, hilarious and memorable. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Stranger Things, the most popular Netflix show to ever be produced, released its fourth season this summer. The final episodes dropped on July 1. Stephen Douglas and Liam McKeone gathered to discuss the happenings of Season 4. What worked? What didn't? How does it compare to previous seasons? What's going to happen to these traumatized Hawkins kids? Was Eddie Munson's Metallica scene the most epic on-screen shredding we've seen in a long time? And, most importantly, does Nancy end up with Steve or Jonathan?Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The Bear, Hulu's indie-rock offering about a down-on-its-luck Chicago eatery, has been collecting critical praise and spreading through word of mouth. And everything you've heard about it is true. Not only is it an excellent, easily digestible series that will tickle the binging mode, it's a working testament to the joy of work and finding family. Star performances from Jeremy Allen White and Ebon Moss-Bachrach mix together to create a dish that will remind you of all the times you've dove into a plate of television and been delighted by the notes. The Big Lead's Stephen Douglas and Kyle Koster break down a minor miracle, one that will have you going along with a simple "yes, chef."Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Spiderhead, currently available on Netflix, is everything you want in a streaming movie. It has big stars in Chris Hemsworth and Miles Teller. It has a unique and straightforward story. It will make you think, but not think too much. Its people and setting is gorgeous to look at. The meme potential is off-the-charts and a cool Yacht Rock soundtrack will transport you to another dimension. Not unlike all the experimental drugs coursing through everyone's veins at all time. So why aren't more people talking about it? Let's fix that right now. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy