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Pop Culture Happy Hour

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Rating
★★★★★
4.5
from
11521 reviews
This podcast has
1144 episodes
Language
English
Publisher
NPR
Explicit
No
Date created
2008/04/18
Latest episode
2026/10/21
Average duration
21 min.
Release period
2 days

Description

Get obsessed with us. Four days a week, Pop Culture Happy Hour serves you recommendations and commentary on the buzziest movies, TV, music, books, videogames and more. Join arts journalists Linda Holmes, Glen Weldon, Stephen Thompson, and Aisha Harris - plus a rotating cast of guest pop culture aficionados. The Happy Hour team leaves room at the table for exploring a range of reactions and opinions on every bit of the pop universe. From lowbrow to highbrow to the stuff in between, they take it all with a shot of cheer.Make your happy hour even happier with Pop Culture Happy Hour Plus! Your subscription supports the podcast and unlocks a sponsor-free feed. Learn more at plus.npr.org/happyhour

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Youth
2026/10/21
We all love actor/writer Sharon Horgan, and she’s got a new show on HBO called Youth. Horgan stars as Alex, a 50-year-old divorcée who finds herself at several simultaneous personal and professional crossroads. But where does this new show fall in the Horgan canon? Is it essential, or is it more of a vestigial Horgan? Looking for more TV and movies about navigating mid-life?  Check out these episodes:‘The Invite’ is a marriage comedy with sex and heartA twisty scam goes haywire in the fun 'Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed'In Tina Fey’s ‘The Four Seasons,’ marriage is far from a vacationIn ‘Rooster,’ Steve Carell makes some college admissions Connect with Pop Culture Happy Hour:Letterboxd / FacebookOur weekly newsletterSupport public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy
Sense and Sensibility
2026/10/20
A new Jane Austen adaptation is going to give you love, family and honor, repressed emotions and probably financial peril that can only be resolved through marriage. A new film version of Austen's Sense and Sensibility touches on those familiar themes with the Dashwood family, which include the two oldest sisters Elinor (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and Marianne (Esmé Creed-Miles). They are, in true Austen fashion, at the mercy of laws that deny widows and daughters financial security. But is this new film a sensible addition to Austen’s film canon? Looking for more buzzy adaptations? Check out these episodes:Truth is elusive in the erotic thriller ‘Verity’'East of Eden' brings a light modern touch to an epic literary classicShould you test out ‘The Love Hypothesis’? Connect with Pop Culture Happy Hour:Letterboxd / FacebookOur weekly newsletterSupport public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy
Whalefall and What's Making Us Happy
2026/10/19
Guy meets whale; complications ensue. That's basically the plot of the new survival thriller Whalefall. It stars Austin Abrams as Jay, who goes diving in search of his deceased father (Josh Brolin) – and is swallowed by a whale. Based on the book by Daniel Kraus, the movie also has a lot to say about fathers and sons, as well as the lessons they have to teach each other. If you’re looking for more with Austin Abrams, check out these episodes: ‘Resident Evil' is a grisly, funny fight to surviveIn 'Weapons', the kids aren't at all right, not in the slightest, nopeHigh school is hazardous in the stylish 'Do Revenge' Connect with Pop Culture Happy Hour:Letterboxd / FacebookOur weekly newsletterSupport public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy
You Can See Everything
2026/10/16
About a month before Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes went to prison for defrauding her investors, she and her partner Billy Evans invited a film crew to document their lives at home with their kids. And they didn't make a deal with a conventional filmmaking team. They connected with Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim. Fielder’s unusual nonfiction work blurs the lines between truth and artifice, so the resulting documentary, You Can See Everything, depicts Fielder's efforts to figure her out using some very unusual methods.  Check out these episodes next: ‘Primetime’ sits you down with sleaze'The Rehearsal' is about reality... and surreality'The Dropout' finds the voice of Elizabeth Holmes Connect with Pop Culture Happy Hour:Letterboxd / FacebookOur weekly newsletterSupport public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy
The Lowdown
2026/10/15
The great FX series The Lowdown stars Ethan Hawke as a freelance investigative reporter with a knack for sticking his nose where it doesn't belong and getting that nose punched. He gets drawn into the seedy goings-on of one of Tulsa's most prominent families. Created by Sterlin Harjo (Reservation Dogs), the modern-day Western noir comedy has an excellent ensemble including Kyle MacLachlan, Keith David, Jeanne Tripplehorn and Killer Mike. The Lowdown just returned for a second season, so today we’re revisiting our conversation about the series. If you need more comedies with great casts, check out these episodes: ‘Widow’s Bay’ is an island in the screamLisa Kudrow returns in 'The Comeback,' and we did need to see thatGen Z awkwardly transitions into 'Adults'‘The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins’ is (30) Rock-solid Connect with Pop Culture Happy Hour:Letterboxd / FacebookOur weekly newsletterSupport public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy
Other Mommy
2026/10/14
The trailer for the movie Other Mommy went viral when it dropped a few months ago. It dominated the box office this weekend, but was panned by critics. But is it really one of the worst movies of the year? It’s about a 7-year-old girl who is visited by a mysterious entity who takes the form of her mother, played by Jessica Chastain. It’s a lean, intense horror film full of dark family secrets and grisly body horror. Looking for more horror films? Check out these episodes:‘It Ends’ is horror as hangout'Backrooms' brings YouTube horror to the big screenIn ‘Obsession,’ love hurts. It really, really, really hurts. Connect with Pop Culture Happy Hour:Letterboxd / FacebookOur weekly newsletterSupport public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy
Carrie
2026/10/12
The new series Carrie updates the Stephen King book for the digital age, and plays with what we think we know in some surprising ways. Streaming on Prime Video, it follows a young Carrie who has led a sheltered life with her overbearing mother. But as Carrie enters high school, she has a rough go of it. The signposts are familiar – the showers, the prayer closet, the prom, the pig’s blood – but showrunner Mike Flanagan (The Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass) builds out the world around those events. Looking for more TV and movies inspired by Stephen King? Check out these episodes:Glen Powell is ‘The Running Man’ in the latest Stephen King adaptation A new generation is down to clown in ‘IT: Welcome to Derry’ ‘The Long Walk’ is a long walk to nowhere Dance with Tom Hiddleston through 'The Life of Chuck' Connect with Pop Culture Happy Hour:Letterboxd / FacebookOur weekly newsletterSupport public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy
How we don’t interrupt each other (NPR+)
2026/10/11
Stephen and Linda answer a mailbag question about hosting Pop Culture Happy Hour panels and how to make their on-air conversations flow. Send a mailbag question for the hosts to [email protected], and we may answer it in a future bonus episode. | Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.
The Social Reckoning and What’s Making Us Happy
2026/10/09
Don’t call it a sequel: The Social Reckoning is a companion piece to The Social Network. While the first movie chronicled the invention of Facebook, this one focuses on where Facebook is now. Jeremy Allen White stars as a crusading reporter alongside Mikey Madison, a Facebook insider with damning information about the business’ practices. The film also features Jeremy Strong as Mark Zuckerberg. Written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, will it be added to the canon of great films about investigative journalism?   Looking for other potential Oscar contenders? Check out these episodes:The movies and TV we’re most excited about this fall‘Primetime’ sits you down with sleazeTom Cruise in 'Digger' is loud, divisive and intensely committed to the bit Connect with Pop Culture Happy Hour:Letterboxd / FacebookOur weekly newsletterSupport public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy
East of Eden
2026/10/07
A new series on Netflix is taking a bold crack at the American classic. Maybe you read John Steinbeck’s East of Eden in school. Or maybe you’ve seen the very loosely-adapted film starring James Dean. Anchored by a fantastic Florence Pugh performance, this new adaptation follows multiple generations of the Trask family. The series is an epic retelling of their story that offers a fresh perspective for new audiences. Looking for more adaptations of classic literature? Check out these episodes:Little House on the Prairie‘Lord of the Flies’ gets the Netflix treatmentOnly Guillermo del Toro could've made this 'Frankenstein' Connect with Pop Culture Happy Hour:Letterboxd / FacebookOur weekly newsletterSupport public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy
Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother
2026/10/06
Mahershala Ali’s new movie isn’t the Blade reboot, but it’s still worth your time. Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother follows a newly widowed hitman who wants out of the game. He's also a devout Muslim, and after his wife’s death, he is forced to adjust to being a single dad to three kids, while trying to balance his work and faith. But his boss (Laith Nakli) has other plans for him. If you’re looking for more great movies and TV about parenthood, check out these episodes: ‘Last Seen’ is a new spin on troubled detectives 'Margo's Got Money Troubles' is a smart adaptation well worth your time ‘One Battle After Another’ is revolutionary — and revelatory 'If I Had Legs I'd Kick You' shows off Rose Byrne's dramatic chops Connect with Pop Culture Happy Hour:Letterboxd / FacebookOur weekly newsletterSupport public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy
Verity
2026/10/05
Verity stars Dakota Johnson as a struggling novelist who gets an unusual assignment. She's been asked to ghostwrite the final books by a superstar writer, played by Anne Hathaway. It’s an erotic thriller about marriage, manipulators, and (of course) murder. Based on Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel, Verity is a story of deceit that wants you to keep guessing until the very end, and maybe even after that. Looking for more books adapted for the screen? Check out these episodes:"Wuthering Heights" is rude, moody and broody'No Other Choice' is the perfect movie for our moment'Little Women' Is A Dynamic Sister Act Connect with Pop Culture Happy Hour:Letterboxd / FacebookOur weekly newsletterSupport public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy
Digger and What’s Making Us Happy
2026/10/02
Digger is a loud, surprising, audacious, and sure-to-be-polarizing entry in this year’s Oscars race. The film stars Tom Cruise as a powerful oil baron who’s helped unleash an existential threat on the world — but that’s only the beginning. The looming devastation attracts the attention of the president (John Goodman) and a well-intentioned scientist (Riz Ahmed). The film takes some pretty big narrative swings along the way. But will Digger work for everyone? Want more Tom Cruise? Check out these episodes:In 'Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning,' Tom Cruise is too controlled 'Top Gun: Maverick' puts Tom Cruise back in the cockpit, 36 years later 'Mission: Impossible' is back, but will you accept it, or will it self-destruct? Connect with Pop Culture Happy Hour:Letterboxd / FacebookOur weekly newsletterSupport public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy
A Different World
2026/09/30
The TV series A Different World has loomed large in the culture since ending in the ‘90s, and now school is back in session in a new sequel series on Netflix. The show welcomes a new generation of students to the fictional HBCU Hillman College, and brings back notable alumni like Whitley Gilbert (Jasmine Guy) and Dwayne Wayne (Kadeem Hardison). And while the world is a lot different than it was 30-plus years ago, in a lot of ways, it’s also kind of the same. If you’re looking for more nostalgia, Check out these episodes:‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ is a comfy nostalgia trip ‘Practical Magic 2’ wants to cast a spell of '90s nostalgia How you feel about 'Bel-Air' may depend upon how you feel about CW dramas Connect with Pop Culture Happy Hour:Letterboxd / FacebookOur weekly newsletterSupport public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy
Forgotten Island
2026/09/29
Forgotten Island is a wonderful new animated feature from the team that brought you Kung Fu Panda 2 and Puss In Boots: The Last Wish. We’re introduced to childhood friends Jo (H.E.R.) and Raissa (Liza Soberano). One is a free spirit, the other an aspiring scientist, and they’re both getting ready to go their separate ways. But during their last night together, they’re transported to a magical island. The film is full of mythological creatures and fantastical settings, but it’s also rooted in friendship and memory. If you’re looking for more animated epics, check out these episodes:Nature needs a little help in the inventive Pixar movie ‘Hoppers’'The Wild Robot' is grand and gorgeous, with big feelings'The Super Mario Galaxy Movie' remembers every Nintendo moment ever Connect with Pop Culture Happy Hour:Letterboxd / FacebookOur weekly newsletterSupport public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

Podcast reviews

Read Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast reviews


4.5 out of 5
11521 reviews
★☆☆☆☆
Cookie9432 2026/10/17
What is wrong with Greta?
Does she have some type of neurological disorder her up speak is annoying and really not what I expect from NPR.
★★★★★
Rinermo 2026/10/06
Great, but…
I enjoy this show very much, but I recommend that some of the critics listen to one of their episodes paying attention to the number of times they say...
★★★★★
Hagsploitated 2026/09/25
Happy Hour Indeed
Pop Culture Happy Hour is a lovely way to wind down on the drive home or a weekend afternoon. Aisha Harris, Linda Holmes, and Glen Weldon bring insigh...
★★★★★
Hkfhbndn 2026/09/20
Keeps me up to date
I thoroughly enjoy pop culture happy hour and the insights it gives me about shows that I enjoy. It has also led me to new must sees, must reads and m...
★★★★★
Sarah Ellesse 2026/09/07
Qua-li-ty
This show is a favorite and always on rotation! Your latest episode on the hidden money behind music was fantastic 👌 great discussion and interesting...
★★★★★
Cechanique 2026/09/04
PCHH is my favorite podcast
Been listening to it for years. Great hosts, all charming, delightful, and informed. It helps keep me up to date with all movies, shows, music, etc, e...
★★★★★
Gummiwise 2026/09/03
Timely Insightful Movie, Music and TV Reviews
I heard about this podcast through an ad for another show. That was several years ago now. I am grateful to be able to listen to the show as it is upd...
★★★★★
GTJAC 2026/09/02
Smart, Insightful, Funny
I love this podcast. It is like visiting with friends. Never miss a show. I appreciate all the hosts but Aisha… you are erudite, insightful and have a...
★★★★★
lilamillere 2026/09/02
Love this podcast!
I've been listening for years and it's always good. Love to hear the different takes and get excited about a new movie or tv show to watch (or book, o...
★★★★★
DisgrntldRN 2026/09/01
My go-to podcast in the movie theatre parking lot!
I love Pop Culture Happy Hour! One of my favorite things is to see a movie they have reviewed, prior to listening to that episode. I then head to my c...
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