Is Marvel washed?

What would you do if there were only three TV shows? Just three. One of my panelists made this suggestion on the show this week, after I asked him to come up with his hottest pop culture hot takes. Yes, we brought that show format back already, because it was such a *hit* when we first tried it a few weeks ago!

“Part of being able to have shared values is having shared cultural reference points and everyone talking about a thing,” Zach Zimmerman told me and comedian Eliot Glazer. “And so if there were only three TV shows – one funny, one sad, one weird – everyone watched the same show, [and] we can talk about it in a meaningful way that grows community. You have shared reference points.”

This would maybe bring back something I miss dearly: the monoculture. But of course, the next question: What are the three shows? Who gets to make them, what are they about, and who are the stars? And will those choices ever make enough people happy? In case you’re wondering, I think the three shows should just be required rewatches: I Love Lucy, HBO’s Girls, and the chronically underrated comedy sketch show In Living Color. Don’t argue with this. I’m right!

Eliot came in hot with his own hot takes. His most controversial: Stadium shows are overrated. Glazer had the revelation after seeing Kylie Minogue at Crypto.com Arena last week. (I also was there, and had a decent time!) But Eliot brought up a good question: “Does she put on a show that's a spectacle, and/or are you there because you love the music?”

This is a question I have been asking myself a lot, especially in the aftermath of seeing Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter Tour. The spectacle was incredible, but I am still not sure I love that album. And I am increasingly wondering if we’ve maybe reached peak stadium tour? Like, would I at this point enjoy hearing Beyonce more in a small, intimate venue? (The answer is yes. I would.) In fact, there was a moment during Cowboy Carter when the friend I went with leaned over in his chair at SoFi and whispered to me: “Wow, Beyonce is singing opera right now! I think I would rather hear her sing opera in an opera house?” He’s right. Our pop stars keep getting better. The venues don’t. Kill the stadium tour.

With that, I leave you with a recommendation that isn’t a hot take at all: Season four of HBO’s Hacks. This is a comedy that shouldn’t have worked for as long as it has. It’s extremely niche: all about a washed comic (played by Jean Smart) recreating her career by landing a coveted spot as a late night host. Late night hosts and late night shows seem to be becoming increasingly niche, which makes a TV show all about making a late night show feel very, very niche. And yet, I’d argue that Hacks has a little bit of something for everyone. You can’t help but root for Smart whatever she does, and it’s been that way since Designing Women. And co-star Hannah Einbinder, who plays a prickly comedy writer, holds her own against Smart the entire series, which feels like something pretty hard to do. Top it off with some queer sexual energy and an entire cast pulling off the most beautiful LA/Vegas/showbiz wardrobe I’ve seen on TV in years, and you’ve got a winner.

With that, check out this week’s episode to hear MY latest pop culture hot takes (I have a big opinion on academic nonfiction) and write back to me with your own.

Till next week, enjoy Hacks, and check out Zach’s comedy special on YouTube!

-- Sam