Down To Watch

This week, DtW is into the superhero-adjacent MCU TV show, Wonder Man! Dan and Raul have Jonnie back to talk more about Marvel as they field another series introducing a lesser-known hero with ionic abilities and killer shades. Yaya Abdul-Mateen II and Sir Ben Kingsley star in this two-hander about hiding your true self, braving the ins and outs of the film industry and most of all, friendship. While Yaya's Simon is desperate to launch a real acting career, his own creative ideas are getting in the way. Meanwhile, Ben's Trevor is navigating life after being the face of terror as The Mandarin and is roped into ensnaring the powered Simon for the shady Dept of Damage Control by appealing to his need for help with his acting career as well as a real friend. Classic setup, but do the burgeoning buddies survive the reveal of the deception and Damage Control coming for them? Is fighting for the role of his dreams what emboldens Simon to take a big step forward in life? I bet these three guys have some thoug

This week on DtW, we're throwing back to the OG meta-horror flick, 1996's Scream! Dan joins Raul's rewatch of the series leading up to a new 2026, Neve-centered sequel to discuss the first film of the franchise. Veteran horror director Wes Craven helms one of the first films to dissect it's genre within the plot and dialogue with seemingly endless nods to, cameos from and easter eggs related to classic horror from all generations. The film is dripping with 90s personality and stands as one of the prototypical films discussing film within it's story, but is it held up entirely by nostalgia or has it remained relevant 30 years later? Listen in as our hosts take a stab at it!

This week on Down to Watch, we're getting the most out of the short month! Dan and Raul checked out the February TV upcoming offerings and put together a choice selection of shows for the second month of 2026. It's cold outside, so stay in and check out stuff like The Burbs, a re-imagining of the Tom Hanks movie as a creepy and funny series. Chances are you can sit on the couch and figure out How to Get to Heaven from Belfast, especially if you're a fan of Derry Girls. Maybe you can get cozy with some reality TV like Survivor Season 50 (!) or a look at Being Gordon Ramsey. Alternatively, you can get snug with some Muppets, an animated Las Vegas Lawyer in Strip Law or The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins, the latest Robert Carlock project and Tracy Morgan vehicle. There's more Paradise and Scrubs coming, plus the Big Game! Feb's got enough to keep you warm inside, so grab a cup of cocoa and check out this pod!

This week, Down to Watch has got so many sneaky secrets... Dan and Raul caught a couple of pilots about people being really sneaky for very different reasons. On Steal, Sophie Turner has to contend with a gang of smartly dressed and armed thieves who take over the 27th floor financial organization she works for. After pushing through the harrowing ordeal and taking a break from her debrief with the police, she sits in a bathroom stall for a moment and gives away to the audience that she was in on the whole thing! Gasp! On the other side of the pod we have Ponies, a show about a couple of widows of CIA agents during the cold war. In order to stay in Moscow and figure out what happened to their mates, Emilia Clarke and costar must pretend to be secretaries while carrying out CIA stuff despite their lack of training. Does this make sense in the real world? Probably not, but the world is cool and the ladies are charming. Will either of these shows be a secretive success or be smuggled off to cancellation by the p

Its been 10 years since season 1 of Stranger Things and the last time DTW covered a season of the show...until now! Raul and Dan discuss the epic 5th and final season (focus on the finale ep) of this beloved Netflix TV show, and naturally many of the seasonal ebbs and flows are discussed as certain parts of the season hit more forcefully and meaningfully than others (Will both becomes a sorcerer and comes out in different eps, equally to great effect at both ends of the spectrum; one choice needed to be left in the Upside Down, Duffers...). This oversized pod is proof the boys could not stop blathering on about the show, and it just goes to show, although this series had its ups and downs it will remain a steadfastly successful, immensely entertaining, genre-busting piece of pop culture that will be adored by generations of future TV-watchers for years to come.

This week,  Down to Watch prepares for a whole new year! Dan and Raul have January covered, and arrive with post-holiday fun for everyone. There's sneaky stuff going on in His & Hers and Seven Dials, and Ponies has the same with some funny mixed in. There's returning favorites in The Pitt, Shrinking and Industry with brand new seasons. Big franchises have offbeat entries lined up in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and Wonder Man. There's even some movies coming out, so listen up and start the year off right!

This week on Down to Watch... NAUGHTY! Dan and Raul watched Silent Night, Deadly Night, the holiday slasher from 1984 that translates Santa-related trauma into bodies upon bodies. After Billy Chapman goes through a handful of awful Xmas related experiences both at 5 and 8 years old, the final flash forward sees an 18 year old Billy working at a store and through his demons. However, after having the responsibilities of the store Santa thrust upon him, he unleashes a b-movie's worth of axe-chops and box cutter stabs, enough to land this scrappy horror flick firmly in the land of cult classics. There's no garbage day, but there's plenty of trashy fun to be had here!

This week on Down to Watch, our hearts grow two sizes in one episode! Dan and Raul watched the 2000 live action remake of How the Grinch Stole Christmas starring Jim Carrey to get into the holiday spirit, Who-style. Ron Howard made an extended version that includes backstories for some of the classic Seuss characters and leans deeply into the aesthetic of the Chuck Jones Looney Tunes-esque cartoon special from the 60s. A bevvy of comic and character actors fill in Whoville's community of revelers who are too focused on materialism and are poised to learn a lesson delivered by a very un-jolly fellow. Make your Christmas green and furry by giving it a watch and giving us a listen!

This week on DtW, it's all spirit fingers and stolen routines with Bring It On! Dan and Raul caught another anniversary film with the 2000 cheerleading competition flick that is turning 25 this year. Kirsten Dunst, Eliza Dushku and Gabrielle Union all star in this slightly spoofy sports story centered around a suburban championship cheer squad and their new leader finding out their trophy-winning moves were plagiarized from an inner city team. As a film that seemingly bridges classic film tropes and modern cinema sensibilities, it manages to stay entertaining and relevant a quarter century after release and definitely worth a watch. The cheerocracy has declared you listen to this pod!

This week on DtW, it's holiday travel at it's best/worst in Planes, Trains and Automobiles! Dan and Raul braved the winter wilds of 80s airports and depots to follow fast frenemies Del and Neal played by John Candy and Steve Martin respectively in this classic story about a trip home for Thanksgiving. The two travelers are seemingly as mismatched as their trip is fraught with implausible calamity, but they make an incredible duo on screen and might actually be just what each of these Chicago castaways needs. This one is beloved for a reason, and if you needed a reason to pop this on around turkey time, this podcast serves as an appetizer OR dessert!

This week, DtW is enjoying the one from many in Pluribus! Dan and Raul are excited to get into the new AppleTV series from Vince Gilligan, mastermind behind Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. This show that sees Rhea Seehorn as Carol, one of the last independent people in the world after a signal from space acts as a virus that turns all of humanity into one being with an interconnected mind. This hive mind is peaceful, friendly and helpful in making Carol's existence as comfortable as possible, at least until they can figure out how to remove her individuality. She may protest, but the collective creature is so sure she'll love it that it sounds like maybe she will not have a choice. What's this show about and what makes these two first episodes so great? I bet our two hosts can figure it out if they just put their minds togeth... wait a sec.

The It that It is all about is back and DtW is feeling quite Welcome to Derry! Dan and Raul went into It with some expectations and so far It has delivered both scares and gross-outs, often together. The town of Derry is tortured by an active Pennywise the Dancing Clown every 27 years with this series investigating each occasion going backwards in time per season, and this season lands perfectly in line with 60s era discrimination. Two families in the idyllic Maine hamlet will deal with what it means to be a racial minority in a town that is steeped in evil even when the ghoulish title character is hibernating. Add to that a military operation to weaponize Derry's scariness and the usual youthful angst that goes along with an It story and it's a powder keg of creepy chaos that has already exploded in buckets of viscera and mountains of madness. Come see if we all float down here!

We're looking forward to the rest of the year on this week's Down to Watch! Dan and Raul are looking at the winter weather watchlist and picking out great gifts for listeners good and bad alike. Nov has plenty to pick from including a surreal sci-fi story from Apple called Pluribus, an American history lesson with great actors in Death by Lightning and Danes doing dangerous secret stuff again in The Beast in Me. There's a true life tales  as well with Alex vs A-Rod, a remake worth a look with The Running Man, and while December is a little empty we're gonna see the return of Fallout, Stranger Things and the whole of Kill Bill in theaters. Santa's coming down early and he's got some tv for ya! 

Down to Watch lines up an evening of scares with 2011's Fright Night! Dan and Raul are squaring a spooky circle they started last year with the 1985 original by checking out the second go-round with Colin Farrell, Toni Collette, Imogen Poots and Anton Yelchin in the main roles (we still get an Ed but lose a Billy). This retry at a horror version of Rear Window has the advantage of 20+ years of horror history to draw inspiration and experience from in order to turn this send up of b-movies that ended up as one itself by addressing the mistakes of the first and bringing these characters into the 2010s, an ideal position for a cast and crew to tackle the dreaded remake. Do these modern filmmakers make good on the promise of a clever premise and talented cast or is this an uninspired rehash of the first foray into fang territory?  Vegas odds are good!

This week, DtW is going to Alaska to see about some chairs! Dan and Raul caught a couple of pilot episodes for The Last Frontier and The Chair Company. In Frontier, we revisit the idea of a bunch of Cons in the Air when a prison transport crashes near remote Faibanks, and Frank the local marshalls have to contend with dangerous fugitives in the area while an arriving CIA agent has to lock down one specific asset she's lost. Codenamed Havelock, this asset was added to the transport roster at the last minute and he's got skills that make him very dangerous to the rest of the cast. On the other side, The Chair Company sees the perennially intense and awkward Tim Robinson take his over the top characters into a long form story about shame, aging and how hard you can freak out without throwing everything away. Lead character Ron has an embarrassing event escalate into an absolute collapse of decorum while he runs down a seemingly real conspiracy surrounding the titular company. What do these shows have in common?

This week on Down to Watch, it's a dangerous business being a truthstorian! Dan and Raul caught a couple eps of The Lowdown, Hulu's new drama from the creator of Mare of Easttown. The cool new series follows Ethan Hawke as an indie reporter getting the dirt on the powerful people in town. He's great at lots of things, like being a dad, getting the scoop, and receiving a whooping. But how many punches to the face make a great reporter in this promising new tale based loosely on a true story? Maybe this pod knows! 

Spooky season is upon us and Down to Watch is rattling up some new TV! Dan and Raul have sifted through the tricks and treats of October and have filled your round plastic pumpkin pale with a bit of everything. There's Tim Robinson getting weird at The Chair Company, Pennywise making people feel Welcome to Derry and something like Con Air redux in The Last Frontier. Scary stuff includes animated Avengers with a hankering for brains while the theaters welcome back some freaky favorites. There's docs and true stories and a cartoon about spies so make sure to double check your haul and dig in! 

This week, DtW has just one Task! Dan and Raul previewed the new HBO crime/family drama in the monthly upcoming TV shows ep and after hearing good things about the premiere, it's time to tackle the first two eps. The story follows dual protags with mirrored lives, as a priest turned FBI agent searches for a crew robbing trap houses in the area led by a secretly vengeful family man down on his luck. Both characters have heavy and complicated tragedies hanging over them while the dope dealers make moves against them. Does the drug house have a nice score within or did we come up empty handed and running for our lives? It is your TASK to listen!

This week, Down to Watch isn't afraid to go back in the water after 50 years of Jaws! Dan and Raul reminisce about the first blockbuster that set the stage for a summer of big budget blowouts, a series of sequels and copycats and a lifetime of Spielberg flicks. Bruce, the big mechanical shark that didn't work right during production, is the star here as the world learned to be afraid of even land-locked bodies of water, but there's plenty passed the gray-skinned chomper to praise regarding one of the most influential and beloved horror movies ever. Is it worth releasing to theaters a half-century after it's first swim in the sea? Heck yes! And more, so listen up!

This week the DtW crew is out of the office but into The Paper! Dan and Raul are subscribed to the new spinoff from The Office, borrowing the creator and a single character from the original show. Greg Daniels continues to draw attention thanks to the legendary status of the original program, despite his previous attempt in Space Force falling well short of his original hit with Steve Carrell. This time he brought Oscar along for a look at a branching story about paper, a fading newspaper in this case, owned by a company more interested in delivering quality toilet paper rather than reporting. Is this the social bend Daniels needed to take with his next project or are we missing the hook of empathizing with lives that resemble those of it's audience? Extra, extra, the answers are within this pod!