Awards Daily Tv's Water Cooler Podcast

Joey and Megan finally weigh in with their Obsession reaction and dip their toes into Margot’s Got Money Troubles. There’s no doubt about it: everyone is talking about Curry Barker’s Obsession. The $750,000 film has made boatloads of cash since it debuted last week, and horror on a budget has had quite the run these last few weeks. Megan and Joey dissect who is the film’s true villain, and Megan relates Barker’s vision to “nice guy tropes” in the current dating world. Can we enjoy this kind of horror on face value, or is it better to obsessively dive in as deep as possible? Find out all this and more in our Obsession reaction podcast! We then shift gears to Apple TV’s Margot’s Got Money Troubles and debate whether we think the David E. Kelley series leans more comedy or drama. How will this adaptation fare in this season’s Emmy race? Where is the tip button? Can we bundle 3 seasons for a discounted monthly rate, or… We close our podcast, as alw

The Emmy 2026 documentary landscape includes two buzzy Netflix documentaries: the touching Marty, Life is Short and the viral The Crash. The 2026 Emmy documentary landscape includes the typically wide array of potential contenders. Netflix added to the pile with two buzzy titles that recently debuted. Marty, Life is Short lovingly explores the career and personal life of Martin Short, one of our most beloved comic figures. It faces stiff competition to fill that “classic Hollywood celeb” slot from docs focused on Mel Brooks, Jayne Mansfield, and the legendary comic duo of Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara. On the true crime front, the more straightforward The Crash became a viral sensation. That’s partially due its main subject (Mackenzie Shirilla) and her influencer-focused social media presence. We chat about both documentaries and the broader Emmy documentary landscape. We close our podcast, as always, with the Flash Forward to the media we’re most anticipating in the upcoming week. We’re deep

Memorial Day marks the beginning of Summer 2026. We offer up the 15 entertainment milestones we’re hottest for this year. Summer 2026 is here. It’s hot out, and movies are already burning up the box office. But there’s more to summer than just good movies. This week at the Water Cooler, Clarence, Joey, and Megan each list the five events, films, music releases, television shows, and more they’re most excited for this summer. We actually have a pretty eclectic mixture of titles. Hopefully, we’re giving you some inspiration of new things to seek out this summer season. What are some of your eagerly anticipated Summer 2026 events? Sound off in the comments! We close our podcast, as always, with the Flash Forward to the media we’re most anticipating in the upcoming week. We’re deeply appreciative for your shares, likes, and positive ratings on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Click here to listen to our audio podcast. Our video podcast follows below!       Royalty Free Musi

This week at the Water Cooler, Megan & Joey dive into Jack Thorne’s Netflix adaptation of the classic novel Lord of the Flies. If you can wade through all the chatter Megan and Joey do about high school and the politics of Lincoln High, you might be able to survive the unexpected brutality of Netflix’s limited series, Lord of the Flies. William Golding’s 1954 novel has been adapted time and time again (shout out to The Simpsons‘ “Das Bus”), so what do we think of Jack Thorne’s new adaptation? Will a new generation be as horrified as we were when we read it in high school? Netflix has a lot of contenders on their hands for the Limited Series category–how many series can they land in the top category? Can this new iteration make it in alongside Beef? Something for the kids with its exploration of bullying and the deterioration of two different marriages for the older crowd? David McKenna, as the beloved Piggy, landed a nomination at the Gotham TV Awards…

‘What’s up, faggots?’ is the first line of Elliot Tuttle’s buzzed about new flick, Blue Film. The two-hander, starring Kieron Moore and Reed Birney, has courted some controversy before its release this weekend, but the reviews have been really solid so far. Frank and I are always talking about the queer films that don’t get as much attention as the ones that enter the realm of the awards conversation, and it got us thinking about how some films don’t get the attention they deserve. For our first foray into analyzing new queer filmmaking, Frank and I talk about Tuttle’s film in addition to Rachel Mason’s My Brother’s Killer and Steve Bache’s No Dogs Allowed. All three films have brought on some chatter about their subject matter. Blue was rejected from several film festivals, because of implications involving Birney’s character. Mason’s film, which debuted at this year’s South By Southwest Film Festival, centers on the decades-old mu

First up, we review The Devil Wears Prada 2. Then, we continue in our “Megan’s Never Seen This Michael Douglas Movie” journey with The War of the Roses. This week, we chat about Meryl Streep’s return as Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada 2. The sequel to Oscar-nominated film revisits the publishing industry in a modern, digital era. How does this film justify itself as a 20-year-old sequel? What does it get right about modern journalism and sequels in general? Plus, have people been sleeping on Anne Hathaway? Then, we continue with the latest in our “Megan’s Never Seen This Michael Douglas Movie” series — The War of the Roses. Starring Kathleen Turner, Danny DeVito, and Douglas, Roses famously pits a married couple going through a painful separation. Since neither party is willing to give up their beloved home, they reluctantly live together until the stress becomes far too much to bear. We look at the film through a modern lens, ask if it takes sides in

In Episode 550, we look deeply and longingly at The Pitt. How much did we love Season 2? More importantly, how will Season 2 rewrite The Pitt Emmy narrative? We love The Pitt, and that did not change with Season 2. Yes, certain online communities seem to have already turned on the medical drama, but we believe Season 2 remained consistent in its extraordinary character depth and authenticity. After gushing over the new season, we spitball various The Pitt Emmy scenarios. Will Katherine LaNasa move up to Lead Actress? Who does that open space for in the Supporting Actress race? What guest performances will resonate with the Television Academy? Can anyone beat Noah Wyle? Or, for that matter, can any series stop a Drama Series repeat? We close our podcast, as always, with the Flash Forward to the media we’re most anticipating in the upcoming week. We’re deeply appreciative for your shares, likes, and positive ratings on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Click here to listen to our audio podcast. Our video podcast follo

Joey and Clarence look at Beef Season 2: the themes, the performances, and its Emmy chances. Plus, an early look at Michael. Beef Season 2 dropped last week without the typical Netflix limited series fanfare. Audiences reacted in kind: initial ratings ranked 60% lower from season to season. But Beef Season 2 may not be a shower, more of a grower. Starring Oscar Isaac and Carey Mulligan, Lee Sung Jin’s second season explores themes of wealth, cultural identity, marriages, and the vast generational gap. Joey and Clarence break things down and find common ground in their reactions, even if they don’t agree 100 percent on the merits of the season. Will audiences find their way to the season? Will the Television Academy embrace it as tightly as they did Season 1? Find out on this week’s podcast! But first, Clarence gives a quick sneak preview of his reaction to Michael, the new Michael Jackson biopic. We close our podcast, as always, with the Flash Forward to the media we’re most anticipating in

We continue our break down of the 2026 Emmys race where we focus on the bleak Comedy Actor race and the 2-woman Comedy Actress race. We’re back from our spring break and ready to tear into the 2026 Emmys race once more. With HBO MAX’s Hacks receiving series-best reviews in its final season, we wonder if anyone can beat Jean Smart’s clean sweep. Will she win Comedy Actress for all five seasons of the series? Or will Lisa Kudrow finally win Comedy Actress for HBO’s The Comeback? Is there really anyone else who can break into what appears to be a 2-way race? On the flip side, the 2026 Emmys Lead Comedy Actor race looks bleak. Bleak as any recent race we can remember and completely devoid of a frontrunner. Only Murder in the Building‘s Martin Short seems widely predicted to take home an Emmy, finally, but is that out of love for its latest, muted season or is he the last man standing? If not Short, then who? Jason Segel (Shrinking)? Adam Brody (Nobody Wants This)? The two Steves (Mar

Joey and Megan kick off Emmys 2026 with a look at the early frontrunners as we head into the end of the eligibility window. Are you ready to dive into some Emmy contenders? Yes, it is only April 1st, but we already have some bonafide Emmy passion with even more on the horizon. Megan and Joey begin this Emmy season with discussing the conclusion to Connor Hines’ Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette. Did the nine-episode season go on too long? Is Sara Pidgeon really out that far in front? With three women now battling for Supporting Actress (Naomi Watts, Constance Zimmer, and Grace Gummer), will one of them be left out? From there, Megan and Joey run down each series category to counter what may or may not make the cut. Can sophomore efforts like Jury Duty or Nobody Wants This break back in or will Comedy Series make way for something new like Rooster or The Chair Company or can The Comeback earn its first nomination? Will The Pitt grow in nominations as it defends its title? Which Limit

With the Oscars behind us, Joey and Clarence introduce Megan to the classic erotic thriller Basic Instinct. With Oscars 2026 put to bed, we’re turning our sights elsewhere this week. A few podcasts ago, Megan shockingly revealed that she’d never seen the 1992 erotic thriller Basic Instinct. Directed by Paul Verhoven from a screenplay by Joe Eszterhas, Basic Instinct stars Sharon Stone (her star-making performance) as a potentially murderous writer (“She’s evil! She’s brilliant!”). Michael Douglas plays the troubled cop (“Shooter”) trying to catch her or screw her. Or both! Controversy assailed the film upon its release, following it to this day. Yet, you cannot deny the influence Basic Instinct had on 1990s cinema. Several films tried (and failed) to capture its heat. Joey and Clarence have seen the film multiple times. Megan, however, sees it for the first time through modern eyes. Does the film hold up? Does it live up to its reputation? We slash Basic Instinc

Joey, Megan, and Clarence regroup at the Water Cooler for an Oscar Quickie to reflect on the 2026 Oscar ceremony. We waited 24 hours to let the 2026 Oscar ceremony sink in. We wanted to let a little perspective in before passing full judgment on last night’s 98th Annual Academy Awards. And we think that’s a good idea that should be echoed across the internet. So, Joey, Megan, and Clarence gather at the Water Cooler to share their thoughts in our Oscar Quickie podcast. What did we think of Conan O’Brien and the winners? What were our favorite moments of the evening? And what are we looking forward to at the 2027 Oscars? We close our podcast, as always, with the Flash Forward to the media we’re most anticipating in the upcoming week. We’re deeply appreciative for your shares, likes, and positive ratings on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Click here to listen to our audio podcast. Our video podcast follows below.     Podcast Music: Royalty Free Music from Tunetank.com Track: Here We Go! b

The full roster at The Contending gathers around the Water Cooler to give their (somewhat) final 2026 Oscars predictions! We are about to put the 2026 Oscars season to bed. Join the full team at The Contending as we give our predictions (as they stand at the time of recording) across all 24 Oscar categories. Some (Animated Feature, Song, Best Actress, to name a few) seem like foregone conclusions. Others (Best Supporting Actress, Cinematography) feel more debatable. And are people fooling themselves for thinking Sinners has a shot at Best Picture? Or is it really all sewed up with One Battle After Another? We offer interesting stats, theories, and gut takes as we wade through our final (and nearly 2-hour) podcast before Sunday’s 2026 Oscars ceremony. Plus, stick around until the end for a deep thought from our own David Phillips! Check back on Friday for our final, locked Oscar predictions on the site! We’re deeply appreciative for your shares, likes, and positive ratings on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. C

Following last night’s surprising and at times emotional Actor Awards, we chat about the 2026 Best Actor and Best Actress Oscar races. It was a big weekend of film awards. If you follow the Oscar race, then you’re either cemented that One Battle After Another‘s Best Picture coronation is inevitable or you’re convinced that a Sinners upset waits in the wings. There’s literally no in between. On this week’s podcast, we talk about the 2026 Actor Awards: the winners, the speeches, and whatever else crosses our minds. Then, we springboard into the latest 2026 Oscar analysis conversation. The Best Actress Oscar may be all sewed up (congrats Jessie Buckley), but Best Actor feels unexpectedly wide open. How do we think the race shakes out following Michael B. Jordan’s surprise Actor Awards win? Find out on this week’s podcast! We’re deeply appreciative for your shares, likes, and positive ratings on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Click here to listen to our audio podcast. O

Jalal joins the Water Cooler to discuss this weekend’s shocking BAFTA Supporting awards and to weigh in on France’s favorite, Ella McCay. We’re not sure what’s more shocking: this weekend’s BAFTA Awards or French film critics’ great love of James L. Brooks’ Ella McCay. But, we are here to break it all down for you. First up, we thought we had a handle on the Supporting Oscar races, but BAFTA voters just tossed a huge curve ball into the game. They rebuffed convention and handed their supporting prizes to Sean Penn (One Battle After Another) and Wunmi Mosaku (Sinners) when most Oscar watchers thought their nominations would be their win. Will BAFTA change Oscar’s trajectory? Then, we finally take a look at Ella McCay, the much-maligned new film from James L. Brooks. We thought we’d put this one behind us, but French critics seem primed to rescue it with some using the “M word.” Jalal joins us to talk about both topics as we head into next weeken

Every time I gaze at Kate Hawley’s costume design for Guillermo Del Toro’s Frankenstein, I feel like I discover something new. Maybe The Creature’s hunt for humanity and compassion can be translated into our own curiosity for the exquisite Oscar-nominated work. One of the reasons why Hawley’s designs have dominated this season is because every piece is driven by character but also steeped in drama. Hawley’s work is robust, meaningful, and hypnotic. One might assume that a man of science like Victor Frankenstein doesn’t care about what he wears, but that is not the case in this new iteration. Oscar Isaac brings such a sexy swagger to the role but he allows his intelligence and passion for science do the talking. Hawley, though, translates that into how the doctor wears his clothes. His red gloves (I need…) are something that he has carried with him from his childhood, but notice how the camera captures the shape of his hats or how he wears his robes or jackets open. In

We review Love Story, the JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette limited series. Plus, we break down 2026 Oscar’s Supporting Actors! On this week’s Water Cooler podcast, we review the new Hulu on FX limited series Love Story. Created by Connor Hines and executive produced by Ryan Murphy (among others), Love Story looks at the tabloid-fodder relationship between John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy. Is this a series worth exploring, or is it a cheap tabloid-fodder knock-off? And what’s to be made of Naomi Watts as Jackie Kennedy Onassis? Then, we revisit the 2026 Best Supporting Actor Oscar contenders. Is it Stellan Skarsgård’s to lose? Or is there something to his omission at The Actor (formerly SAG Awards)? If it’s not Skarsgård, then who could take home the Oscar? Could Sinners co-star Delroy Lindo surprise on Oscar night? We’re deeply appreciative for your shares, likes, and positive ratings on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Click here to listen to our audio podcast. Our video p

Joey and Clarence step through the buzziest Super Bowl commercials. Plus, where does the Oscar race stand post-DGA? Clarence returns to the Water Cooler, but sadly Megan’s under the weather this week. So, he and Joey tackle the major Super Bowl commercials without her and see what stuck with us the day after. Was it Ben Affleck’s Good Will Dunkin’? Was it Sabrina Carpenter romanticizing some Pringles? Or was it Lady Gaga waxing poetic about the Pokemon Jigglypuff? We give our classic Siskel and Ebert “thumbs up / thumbs down” on the 2026 Super Bowl commercials. But first, the Directors Guild of America handed out their awards for the best direction of 2026 across film and television. As expected, Paul Thomas Anderson received the award for his work on One Battle After Another. The 2026 director Oscar race may be over, but what does it say about Best Picture? We briefly chat about the awards race and about upcoming awards to watch out for. We’re deeply appreciative for your shares

The Water Cooler spends some time deserted with Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien for Sam Raimi’s ‘Send Help.’ Help! Clarence is deserted on a remote island–someone save him! Or, perhaps, Megan and Joey are talking about Sam Raimi’s Send Help and he’s a little under the weather. Even an S.O.S. can be dramatic. If you follow Megan on any social platform, you will notice how much she loves Raimi’s latest, which finds Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien butting heads and slaughtering boars after their plane crashes on a business trip to Bangkok. McAdams’ Linda has the survival skills, but O’Brien’s Bradley thinks he’s still in control. How does Raimi fare when giving this workplace hierarchy dark comedy his trademark bloody twists? A few new trailers dropped this week, and Joey and Megan give their instant reactions to The Devil Wears Prada 2 and Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette. Is the lighting that bad for Miranda P

The Contending’s Clarence Moye returns to his original interview with the great Catherine O’Hara, gone too soon at 71. We were not ready to say “Goodbye” to Catherine O’Hara today. When a friend send the news that she’d passed, it felt like a punch to the gut. I mourned not only the great comedic performances she’d given — Best In Show, Waiting For Guffman, Beetlejuice, and her Emmy-winning work in Schitt’s Creek — but I also mourned the great performances she’d yet to give. No matter her age, O’Hara always seemed down to play, and I always imagined her bringing that same inspired lunacy straight into her 90s. But the universe had different plans for her. In 2017, I had the great fortune of speaking with Catherine O’Hara when I wrote for Awards Daily. It would emerge as one of my very favorite interviews. She was kind, she was generous, and she was very, very funny as she dove into the process of Schitt’s Creek and Moira Rose.