Summer’s here and we’re diving headfirst into the horror! Susan, Kelly, and Cort are all back in the pod to dish about what’s been keeping us up at night (and hitting that “play next episode” button anyway). From physical media debates sparked by ATXtv Festival to spine-tingling summer scares like Gerald’s Game and I Know What You Did Last Summer, we’re deep in the scream stream.

We also break down the latest Beyond the Gates drama — because yes, Kat is still tampering with evidence (girl, NO). Plus, what’s hot in recommendations, and why we might just be side-eyeing Gwyneth’s candle game.

Mentions:

• Sinners
• Good Night, and Good Luck
• The Tylenol Murders
• Lilo & Stitch
• Ginny & Georgia
• Echo Valley
• Two Titan documentaries
• Beyond the Gates
• Mike Flanagan
• Piranha

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Original music by Garrett Thompson

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Geek on!

ATXtv Day 4 – We Are Leftovers & Mad Men Magic

This was the day. The reason Susan and Cort traveled to Austin: The Leftovers cast reunion panel. Get ready for chills, tears, laughter, and maybe even some “JustinKevin” spiritual energy. Then, they rounded out the evening with the 10th anniversary celebration of Mad Men’s finale—aka Jon Hamm worship. From mystical on-set experiences to Chipotle firsts, this ep covers it all.

00:00 – Leftovers Day Begins!

Lined up early with the superfans. The anticipation, the crowd, the vibe… all worth it.

03:00 – The Leftovers Cast Panel

Ann Dowd, Amy Brenneman, Carrie Coon, Damon Lindelof, Tom Perrotta, and Mimi Leder deliver heartwarming stories, behind-the-scenes truths, and long-awaited answers.

35:00 – Mad Men Panel

Jon Hamm, John Slattery, and moderator Noah Hawley dish about casting, smoking 72 fake cigarettes, and why slouching was banned on set.

51:00 – Chipotle Firsts & ATX Fest Wrap-Up

Granola bar survival tips, cotton candy nightcaps, and exhausted reflections from four full days of TV nerdery.

📺 Panels & Shows Mentioned:

• The Leftovers (HBO)
• Mad Men (AMC)

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Original music by Garrett Thompson

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Part 2 – Lost Authors, Leftover Fans & Legendary Voices

Our Day 3 (or Festival Day 2?) brought surprises, voice crushes, elevator chaos, and fangirling in full force. Susan and Cort dive into early screenings (Duster Ep. 4), secret societies in Anne Rice’s universe, and a panel with Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta. Expect TV nerdiness, near-missed seats, and Cort’s personal vendetta against chocolate croissants.

00:00 – Rainy mornings & lazy starts

Skipped morning panels to recover from late-night storms and schedule shuffles.

02:00 – Duster Episode 4 Early Screening

Seventies vibes, FBI twists, Keith David’s velvet voice, and car chases galore.

07:00 – AMC’s Anne Rice Universe Panel

Interview with the Vampire season 3 updates, Talamacus show revelations, and a new rockstar vampire on the rise. Yes, actual rock songs are coming.

24:00 – Showrunners & Authors Panel

Elevator drama, sneaking into packed rooms, and saving seats like champions. Damon & Tom spill tea on The Leftovers, book-to-screen shifts, and Carrie Coon’s game-changing performance.

41:00 – Punch Bowl Burgers & Restaurant Rejections

A Big-Ass Burger and a big-ass letdown when their favorite restaurant becomes VIP-only.

46:30 – Book Club Curveball

Cort and Susan attend an ATXtv “book club” hoping for another Damon & Tom Q&A... only to realize they were never coming. Womp womp.

50:00 – Poolside Nostalgia & Looking Ahead to the Cast Panel

Photos, chills, and predictions for Day 4’s main event: The Leftovers cast reunion.

📺 Panels & Shows Mentioned:

• Duster
• Interview with the Vampire
• The Mayfair Witches
• We Were Liars
• The Leftovers
• The Vampire Diaries
• Lost

Part 2 – Lost Authors, Leftover Fans & Legendary Voices

Our Day 3 (or Festival Day 2?) brought surprises, voice crushes, elevator chaos, and fangirling in full force. Susan and Cort dive into early screenings (Duster Ep. 4), secret societies in Anne Rice’s universe, and a panel with Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta. Expect TV nerdiness, near-missed seats, and Cort’s personal vendetta against chocolate croissants.

00:00 – Rainy mornings & lazy starts

Skipped morning panels to recover from late-night storms and schedule shuffles.

02:00 – Duster Episode 4 Early Screening

Seventies vibes, FBI twists, Keith David’s velvet voice, and car chases galore.

07:00 – AMC’s Anne Rice Universe Panel

Interview with the Vampire season 3 updates, Talamacus show revelations, and a new rockstar vampire on the rise. Yes, actual rock songs are coming.

24:00 – Showrunners & Authors Panel

Elevator drama, sneaking into packed rooms, and saving seats like champions. Damon & Tom spill tea on The Leftovers, book-to-screen shifts, and Carrie Coon’s game-changing performance.

41:00 – Punch Bowl Burgers & Restaurant Rejections

A Big-Ass Burger and a big-ass letdown when their favorite restaurant becomes VIP-only.

46:30 – Book Club Curveball

Cort and Susan attend an ATXtv “book club” hoping for another Damon & Tom Q&A... only to realize they were never coming. Womp womp.

50:00 – Poolside Nostalgia & Looking Ahead to the Cast Panel

Photos, chills, and predictions for Day 4’s main event: The Leftovers cast...

Days 1 & 2 – Tornadoes, Panels, and Popcorn Drama

Susan and Cort are live(ish) from the Austin Television Festival! From Texas-sized hailstorms and hotel confusion to binge-watching and brushing shoulders with TV legends, they recap their first two whirlwind days at ATX. Tune in for festival highlights, travel misadventures, unexpected heartthrobs, and the joy (and pain) of trying new coffee.

00:00 – Welcome from ATX, hotel shenanigans, and The Great Texas Storm

Rainy departures, flight drama, and a very Texas pit stop at Buc-ee's.

They tour the International Assassin Hotel and joke about bathtub reenactments.

A near-apocalyptic storm traps them under a sparking transformer—no Autobots, just drama. Ponchos are deemed useless in 80mph winds.

11:00 – For the Love of Four Seasons

They attend the Four Seasons panel and talk Netflix, writer’s room therapy, and meeting Alan Alda.

18:00 – Food, sun, and shady sidewalks

Cort makes Susan walk, regrets are had, coffee is disappointing, but the Mediterranean lunch redeems the day.

24:00 – Netflix’s The Waterfront Premiere

A surprise favorite! They attend the pilot screening and Q&A, get starstruck by Kevin Williamson, and swoon over Holt McCallany’s voice.

30:00 – Panel etiquette and predictions

Why Q&A hogs are the worst, and what they’re hoping for from the rest of the weekend.

📺 Shows Mentioned:

• The Leftovers
• The Four Seasons
• The Waterfront
• Duster
• Shrinking
• Mad Men
• Animal Kingdom
• Beyond the Gates

Original music by Garrett Thompson

Follow us:

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Geek on!

We’re peering into the present through the cracked lens of the future this week with Susan, Kelly, and Geek Guy Chris. From AI chatbots with too much personality to dystopias where “reality” is a broadcasted spectacle, it’s a soup of sci-fi predictions that hit way too close to home.

Whether it’s Mission Impossible’s rogue AI, the gentle (and totally not creepy) vibes of Her, or the calculating logic of Colossus: The Forbin Project, we’re diving into how film and TV imagined our now—and nailed it a little too well.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Cold Open: No outline, no problem

03:00 – Lilo & Stitch live-action and Ohana culture

06:00 – Recommendations: Duster and Murderbot

12:00 – Future Present: Predictions that came true (or too close)

22:00 – Wealth gaps, dystopia staples, and why Idiocracy is a documentary

33:00 – AI companions and their… emotional side

44:00 – So. Many. Sci-fi. Films.

57:00 – Prepping for the ATX Festival

Is it all depressing? Kinda. But is it a blast? Absolutely.

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Original music by Garrett Thompson

Follow us:

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Geek on!

We’re bringing Nollywood to your earbuds this week as Susan and Cort take a cinematic trip across the continent to celebrate Africa Day! We curated a rich watchlist featuring African films—from rom-coms and thrillers to revenge flicks and supernatural twists. Plus, we catch up on entertainment news, discuss Final Destination: Bloodlines, and unpack the juicy drama unfolding on Beyond the Gates. (Spoiler: wigs and secrets are flying.)

In This Episode:

[00:01:00] – Final Destination: Bloodlines review + niece trauma

[00:03:00] – Remembering George Wendt

[00:06:00] – Elmo gets fired, but Sesame Street survives… on Netflix

[00:08:00] – Honoring Malcolm X and his legacy on what would’ve been his 100th birthday

[00:10:00] – Murderbot on Apple TV? We’re in.

[00:13:00] – ATX TV Fest: The agony of scheduling

[00:20:00] – Beyond the Gates breakdown: secrets, shady wigs, and soap realness

[00:39:00] – 🎥 Africa Day Watchlist: from Ghanaian weddings to Nigerian thrillers

[00:57:00] – Book rec: My Sister, the Serial Killer

[00:58:00] – Catching up with The Last of Us and what’s next

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Original music by Garrett Thompson

Follow us:

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Geek on!

We’re back from the wilds of real life and diving straight into the post-apocalyptic drama of The Last of Us! In this episode, the Geek Girl Soup crew gets emotional, philosophical, and maybe a little fungal as we dissect Season 2 up through Episode 5 (“Feel Her Love”). SPOILERS!!!

From Joel’s gut-punch of an exit to the rise of the WLF and those chilling airborne cordyceps, we’ve got thoughts—and plenty of them. We talk revenge quests, moral ambiguity, Jeffrey Wright’s glorious entrance, and what it means to survive in a world where every decision echoes like a gunshot in a subway tunnel.

We also catch up on what we’ve been watching (👋 Conan O’Brien, 👀 Forever), mourn a few cancellations (RIP Found), and celebrate some good news (Beyond the Gates lives on!).

Timestamps:

0:00 – Welcome back and catching up

5:00 – Entertainment news and random recs

28:55 – Cort’s Corner: Beyond the Gates drama

38:00 – The Last of Us deep dive (through S2E5)

1:04:00 – Spores, Scars, and Survivors

1:10:00 – Next week: Movies to celebrate Africa Liberation Day

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Original music by Garrett Thompson

Follow us:

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Geek on!

May The Sweeps Be With You

While Kelly is away on assignment this week, Susan and Cort dish on recent entertainment news and the start of May Sweeps.

Weeks after premiering, Sinners continúes to do its big thing at the box office.

Susan traveled to Las Vegas and met podcaster Chris of The VHS Strikes Back & Chris and Dave's Reality TV Cast.

Also, it’s the moment that Cort has been waiting for since Beyond The Gates first premiered in February. Family betrayals, mysterious paternity, and a full-scale anniversary party ambush: now that’s how you set up an epic climax.

Original music by Garrett Thompson

Follow us:

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Geek On!