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Did it ever occur to a Trekkie that the “red alert” warning might actually mean there are people in red shirts are about to die?  Or that the three uniform colors are also the three primary colors?  Or that this season of Strange New Worlds got even stranger?   You just thought a Broadway musical episode was quirky, but in this season Pelia tells the rest of the crew to have fun storming the galaxy, puppets are put in charge, and an NBC mainstay soap opera star finds her way to a Paramount set - and looks good doing it.  Season 4 had some highs and lows, but The Guys agreed it was definitely watchable, and look expectantly forward to the shortened but hopefully satisfying final season to come.   Until then, Robbie geeks out over an immersive Dune Experience, Art has more facts about Darkwing Duck’s return, and Jay reminisces about his favorite super-heroine.  Spoilers abound in this episode, and we’re not just talking about the hosts!

You just thought A.I. was dangerous and lurking in plain sight, read to take over the world as we know it.  J.I. could be even more threatening.   After a virtual arena snack of brie grilled cheese infused with Nerds Clusters alongside a deep fried Uncrustable with decadent toppings, followed by news of a revival of Disney’s quacking Batman wannabe (imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right?), Robbie attempts to answer Jay’s questions about A.I..   The Guys (sans Art this week, who had better sense and has already talked about this once) get into definitions of what A.I. really is, how Jay may be already using it unwittingly, despite his concerns, how it may be affecting his day job, and what vaccines he might give to prevent long term consequences.  This episode is like ChatGPT, if GPT stood for a Chat with Guys who are Pretty Tired.

An AppleTV a day keeps the Emmy awards coming, or so it seems.  Record numbers of nominations and record numbers of wins came on Emmy awards night (or nights, as it happened) for the streaming service that used to just make computers.   You’ve heard The Guys talk about it already: AppleTV is the place to be for science fiction and so much more, and the folks at the Academy must be listening to this podcast.  Gone are the days of the alphabet networks taking home all the statuettes - NBC, we barely knew ye. In the Geeks of the Week segment, Art has news that’s inconceivable: The Princess Bride is becoming a musical.  Jay is saving up for just one piece of Le Creuset’s new Star Trek collection.  Robbie says Spider-Man Brand New Day is now the brand new domestic money winner.  Hum the soon-to-be-musical hit “As You Wish” while cooking a casserole in the Galileo shuttle which you should eat while watching AppleTV before you head to the theater once again to add to SMBND’s bounty.  And listen to this episode on the way.

Robbie and Jay were faced with a dilemma: what should we talk about today while Art is out near the birthplace of pickle ball? Tradition and hunger led to yet another invitation for friend of the show, most frequent guest host, and oft-mentioned candidate for Jay’s replacement: Wes Shelton.   Wes even brought a Geek of the Week: one of his favorite Reeds (Jay is surely the other) is being inducted into the Barbecue Hall of Fame.  Jay stays food-related, too, with another travel tip, this time to Storm Crow Manor, a bar and grill for nerds (like the Guys, not the candy) where you can let the D20 dice choose your meal as well as your adventure.  Robbie sticks to tech: will he buy the new iPhone Duo?  Does he have enough folding money? After the break, this Trio talks all things meat.  Where to get great deals locally (sorry, listeners in Toronto - and apparently there is one), how to build a two-zone fire and use it for the perfect steak, why Alton Brown is re-visiting some of the earlier methods he espoused, and whether or not the Bourbon Street steak at Applebee’s still passes muster.   There might even be a tale of a table dance at a Chili’s in Dubai.  Listen to see which of Jay’s children is internationally famous.

The Weekly Geeks take a break this week, as the The Guys (not the same as the weekly geeks, but it’s a fair comparison) riff on more news from D23 not previously riffed on in another episode.   Jay begins with his announcement of their announcement of a Harrison Ford/Indiana Jones documentary coming to Disney+ this fall, and was almost as excited as Robbie to find out that a Greatest Showman musical would be soon coming to Broadway.  D23 wasn’t just an X-men cast reveal, it was also about Incredibles 3, Ahsoka 2, Frozen 3, Princess Diaries 3, Tangled live action (Tangled, Too?), and Vision Quest (the 3rd in a trilogy).  The name of the event seemed also to be the theme - lots of 2’s and 3’s to come.  But will they watch it?  Yes they will.   After the break, The Guys talk mahjong for some reason: Art’s wife does play and Robbie’s wine bar hosts.  So they are mahjong-adjacent?  And not to be left out, they also ramble about one of the other trends taking over the athletic lives of many guys and gals of a certain age: Pickleball.  Robbie’s wife plays well, Robbie plays a lot, and Jay plays at it.  There is definitely buy-in with this sport in the GOCA studio, especially now that indoor courts are available.  Be sure and listen for The Guys impromptu tribute to the Leonard’s Losers radio show as college football picks back up for the fall.

In this episode, The Guys take a bite of the big Apple.  Not the city, though.  It’s the behemoth that may have invented the phone on which you are reading this, the pods with which you listen to the podcast, and essentially everything in the world that begins with a lower case “i”.   Apple has new leadership, and The Guys go down memory lane to see what the great (not late) Tim Cook came up with during his tenure at the helm, then speculate on what the new guy (whose name is harder to spell than “Cook”) might  see during his Apple watch. Two obits are part of the Geeks of the Weeks, with the voice of Optimus Prime taking his last bow, as well as the Dark Knight’s stepmother.  And speaking of Batman, one of his days is coming up and Cinemark is celebrating with special movie showings and the popcorn box of all popcorn boxes.  Road trip!

Fans of music and philanthropy of all genres were heartbroken to learn of the passing of Dolly Parton this week.  It’s been a while since someone so universally beloved has left the world, and The Guys wonder aloud who else might fall in this same category?   Elvis? Michael Jackson?  Does anyone make the cut?  Stories of her life are all over the interwebs, and The Guys have memories of their own.  Do you need a quiet place to contemplate things such as this?   ay tells of a new shire-like home you can rent, and you don’t have to go to New Zealand to enjoy it.  Art has more X-men casting news and this time it’s the big boss.  Ridley and Rob-lie are talking about yet another extension of the Alien universe in the works.  It’s not really an obituary episode, it’s a celebration of an incredible life: listen to this episode from 9 to 5 and The Guys will always love you.

He’s back!  And he’s regrettable.  Jay has returned to the studio and this time Robbie didn’t forget his segment.  In fact, it’s a Jay’s Regrettable Segment Roundup, with three - that’s right, the magic number - three Regrettable Supervillains to relay and rate this week.   And be warned: the redeemable badge is particularly hard to come by this go-round.  They start with Dr. Voodoo vs Wonder Man (and it’s not the one you think), Fang up against The Snowman (he’s no Olaf, but he’ll do), and Hawk swooping down unsuccessfully on The Barker, a story of magic and mayhem at your local circus.  If you’ve ever heard of any of these, you must have read the book, too.  And it’s unlikely you’ll ever hear of them again.   Casting news is two-thirds of the Geeks of the Week segment, with Art’s update from X-Men casting reveals at D23, and Jay (almost) getting his chance to talk about Dr. Who showing up in unlikely places.  Robbie is just sad that he’ll no longer get music CD’s from Columbia House.  And all The Guys will be sad if you don’t listen to this episode.  Don’t be a regrettable…just be a Super Listener.

In this episode, the Guys finally deliver a primer on Artificial Intelligence. As creatives, both Robbie and Art have concerns about the use of generative AI to create content, but recognize that it can be an incredible tool for data analysis. Robbie shares ways he is using Claude in business applications, computer file management, and even home appliance repair.  Geeks of the Week include a look at the status of various DCU projects and the possibility of Dr. Who being auctioned off to the highest bidder.    It doesn't take much intelligence, artificial or otherwise, to realize this is an episode not to be missed.

It’s a Brand New Podcast!  Not really. Same 3 old Guys living out their superhero dreams vicariously through watching highly paid actors actually wear the costume and fly through the air.   This week it was Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and The Guys all agreed this is one of their faves.  Plenty of action, new powers, old friends new again, and a villain that may or may not be a villain in the end.  (By the way, SPOILERS ABOUND!)   Speaking of Avengers and such, if one was to try to watch all the Marvel content from Iron Man on, and do it before Doomsday comes out in December, one should get started - Jay does math on this episode.  In the same universe, Art has X-Men casting news with lots of new faces.  Robbie is full of…news…from his new Pocket recorder, to a Kenner Kickstarter, and on to a cancellation that leaves The Guys wondering.   Attach your distraction inhibitor and listen!

Another San Diego Comic-Con, another year The Guys watch from afar.  (It’s not too early to sponsor a 2027 trip, wealthy listener!)  But they’re still interested in the news, and this event does bring the news.   Here are some of the “news”: new Black Panther, new Ghost Rider, new cosplays, new Doomsday announcements, new trailers, new stars roaming the hallways in costume, and a new first-time whopper of a guest.  Plenty of things for The Guys to ramble on about after they lament a bit because rambling is all they could afford to do.  (Did we mention that we are open to travel sponsors?)   On the homefront, Robbie advocates for his buddy Claude, Art looks forward to the next iteration of Blade Runner, and Jay reads a book in a new genre the kids call LitRPG, and the one he picked is coming to Peacock.  It’s a wild episode despite the distance from the San Diego Zoo.

Who knew The Guys were handymen? Mechanics.  Consultants, if you will.   And this week they are here to fix Dr. Who.  Of course, it’s mostly Robbie with his hands on the dials, but Art and Jay do have opinions.  Is it back to basics?  Pleasing the core fans?  More tech and modern effects, or less?  They all agreed that characters and story make the difference.  And they are willing to move to England and be co-show-runners if the BBC will cover the tab.   Since that’s somewhat unlikely, there is a backup plan: travel just a couple of hours and check out the new Lego store in our capital city, the first in the state.  And they can watch trailers along the way: Doomsday, Spider-Man, and even the scary Jessica Chastain movie.   Listen to this episode (and the 390+ that came before it) and perhaps you, too, can fix Guys of a Certain Age.

The pessimist would call this an obituary-focused episode.  The Guys (optimists to the hilt as far as you know) call it a celebration of geek lives.   From actors remembered from when The Guys were but wee lads: Louise Lasser and Randolph Mantooth, to the oldest astronaut ever to go into space (it’s not who you think).  From the sponsor of Soul Train to Bright Eyes (not Caesar’s mom - the one beseeched to turn around.  And of course, one of the patriarchs of the Jurassic Park series, who likely has a pretty high Geek Index.  It was a rough week or two in some ways, but it generated some great memories.   Jay is hoping Robbie’s next entrepreneurial adventure will be to buy Wayne Manor - yes, it’s for sale - as the next GOCA headquarters.  It would be a great place to watch The Batman 2 in February 2028: thanks, Matt Reeves, for giving him a little more time to get the finances in order.  Art has news of George Lucas’s controversial AI statements, and it appears that the role of Kylo Magneto has been cast.  Break out the tissues and the VCRs for this audio walk down memory lane.  It’s a total eclipse of the Art.

This week The Guys revisited a tradition of going to a movie none of their wives wanted to see.  Permission to watch Supergirl was granted and acted upon.   No Oscar nominations are expected (though the CGI dog is pretty good), but The Guys give it 3 thumbs up.  Milly Alcock and Jason Momoa seem to fit their roles, and David Corenswet seems very Superman-ish in his appearances.  Despite Jay’s confusion (why is this movie taking place mostly in space with what seemed like cameo appearances from Star Wars aliens?), the story moves along and makes sense.  Lots of planets, multi-colored suns, but no multi-verses.  In other news, sadly, the leader from an iconic band passes from the planet.   On the other side of the planet, for those who love electric cars AND Batman, Mihandra is ready to take your rupees.  “Heroes” is back on Netflix, so maybe Jay will get past the first few episodes this time around.  Save The Guys!  Save the World!

The fix is in this week, as Robbie and Art take a look at the changes they would make to the Star Trek franchise, which is currently no longer developing new material. Could they go where no Guy has gone before and be onto a possible gold mine idea? Or will Paramount respond with ways to fix our podcast? Other highlights include a new home for the OG Harry Potter-no, he's not leaving Hogwarts. Remembering a pop music mastermind. Looking back at the long-running Farmweek agriculture news shows, and a wild trip down memory lane going through the playlist of Freedom Rocks!   You'll have to download this episode wherever you get your podcasts. Unlike Freedom Rocks, it's not available on 8-track.