It’s a Hard Nation Odyssey, as video game legend Mario and his sidekick Cappy (Jessica McKenna & Zach Reino) visit Mark & Pete to discuss their latest adventure. They discuss the ethics of “capturing” an enemy, what hats eat, Mario’s addiction to psychedelics, and Luigi’s shady real estate scheme. Plus: Mark & Pete decide who’s the Mario and who’s the Luigi of their relationship.

Actor, chess teacher, great storyteller Marcus Henderson joins Matt to discuss his roles in Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained and Jordan Peele’s Get Out. He tells us about his Django audition in which he pretended to be attacked by a dog, the layers he went into in portraying Groundskeeper Walter in Get Out, and running to the point of injury for Get Out. Plus, Marcus shares a memorable encounter with Samuel L. Jackson.

This episode is brought to you by Hello Fresh (www.hellofresh.com code: IWTT30).

Tom Scharpling (The Best Show, Monk, Steven Universe) and Jason Gore (The Best Show, Difficult People) join Jo and Manolo to play listener-submitted games with callers. 

Games played: Band Name Or Fact?, Is It Raining?, and Don’t Get Me Started.

Actor/writer Jessica St. Clair swings on board for a mid-November chartstravaganza! She explains why Pink is a role model for everyone while helping count down Billboard’s Top Album Sales. During the TV Chart, Jessica recounts her run-in with a park ranger and laments the death of the love letter, and Two Charted brings with it Salmon Face Cody and Young Kevin to check on SNL predictions and to count down Kevin’s Hot Picks.

This episode is sponsored by Squarespace (code: CHARTED).

Jon & Lauren are so excited to kick off Raised By TV that they spend the whole hour brainstorming ideas for future episodes.  They touch on Supermarket Sweep, TGIF, Saved By The Bell, The Real World, theme songs, an infamous Oprah moment, why it’s creepy that Clarissa kept a ladder next to her window, and the 90s trend of keeping tarantulas as pets.

This episode is brought to you by Shameless on Showtime, Modcloth (www.modcloth.com code: TV), and Tripping.com (www.tripping.com/TV).

Join Kevin for his long-anticipated sit down with Ricky Gervais. Ricky chats about his new stand up comedy tour, his love of the personification of animals, and the joy of getting one juicy Twitter idiot a month.

Dogs, cats, cops, Geocities websites, smooth jazz, holograms and more are all in this new live musical with Carl Tart and Madeline Walter. With stand out numbers like “So Many People On This Enemy List”, “Edible Arrangements” and “Plans & Meetings & Times & Details”, you’ll definitely have a (hair)ball listening to this one!

This episode is brought to you by Mack Weldon (www.mackweldon.com code: OFFBOOK), Design My Soap (www.designmysoap.com code: OFFBOOK), Spice Islands (www.spiceislands.com/OFFBOOK), and Hello Fresh (www.hellofresh.com code: OFFBOOK30).

Danielle Fishel (Boy Meets World, Girl Meets World) joins Jensen to talk about being the number one fan of Ruby’s Diner, Big K.R.I.T.’s new album “4eva Is a Mighty Long Time,” Flipboard, how we were late on adult gaming, and many more things you should know about.

This episode is brought to you by Omaha Steaks (www.omahasteaks.com code: GETUP) and MVMT Watches (www.mvmt.com/GETUP).

A bonafide geologist tells Geth about fossilized dung fungi and the behind the scenes secrets of the Museum of Natural History. They also talk about how quickly the Earth is dying and weigh the likelihood of colonizing Mars.

This episode is brought to you by Sonos (www.sonos.com), Hello Fresh (www.hellofresh.com code: STORIES30), Audible (www.audible.com/esther).

This week, Emily and Deanna touch on the Bella Hadid sneaker situation before welcoming on April K. Quioh and Sophia Carter-Kahn, co-hosts of the podcast “She’s All Fat.” They talk about their favorite body positive Instagram accounts, the most annoying euphemisms, and the intertwining of body positivity and self love. Later, April and Sophia share tips on how to be a better pal to your fat friends.

This episode is sponsored by ThirdLove.

Comedian Jimmy Pardo hosts a pop culture game show-interview podcast; three call-in contestants vie for prizes. Special guest: Scott Aukerman.

Jon Bass returns to the show to talk to Sean and Hayes about a big mistake he did.

This episode is sponsored by ZipRecruiter and Blue Apron.

Comedian, actor and Emmy-winning writer Rick Overton (“Willow,” Groundhog Day,” “Seinfeld”) joins Gilbert and Frank for a free form discussion of everything from incidental sitcom music to the Beatles’ animated series to the underrated mimicry of Frank Gorshin. Also, Barney Fife screws up his courage, Ian McKellen prank calls Patrick Stewart, Rick hangs with Kurt Vonnegut and Captain Nemo meets the Prince of *$#@* Darkness! PLUS: Burns & Carlin! “Million Dollar Mystery”! Otis the Drunk cleans up! The return of the Lee Marvin story! And Rick remembers his friend Jonathan Winters!

Paul F. Tompkins welcomes listeners from around the world back to Spontaneanation! This time out, Paul’s special return guest Oscar Nunez of The Office and People of Earth! Oscar chats about the best gift he received from his mom, falling off a bike while training for a triathlon, and his parents telling him all about the movies they would go out to see. Then, they are joined by improvisers Shulie Cowen and Matt Gourley, to improvise a story set at a Hardware Store. And as always, Eban (only the best) Schletter scores it all on piano!

This episode is brought to you by Indochino (www.indochino.com code: PFT).

Jason Mantzoukas aka Jeffrey Characterwheaties aka the Heynong Man joins Scott to chat about their idea for food that shits, starting a CBB band, and having children on the same day. Then, Scottish independent business man Cameron McGonigle stops by to promote his Ghost Tours of Edinburgh.

This episode is brought to you by Squarespace (www.squarespace.com code: BANGBANG), Leesa.com (www.leesa.com/BANGBANG), and Warby Parker (www.warbyparker.com/bangbang).

We’re joined by a very famous guest… or, rather, his father was famous. He seems okay. It’s Pulcifer the Unassuming.

Credits:

Arnie: Arnie Niekamp
Chunt: Adal Rifai
Usidore: Matt Young
Pulcifer the Unassuming: Mike Pesca
Mysterious Man: Tim Sniffen

Producers: Arnie Niekamp, Evan Jacover, Ryan DiGiorgi
Editor: Chris Rathjen
Theme Music: Andy Poland
Magic Tavern Logo: Allard Laban
Audio Assistance: Jason Knox
Production Assistance: Garrett Schultz

This episode is brought to you by War Dragons (www.wardragons.com/MAGIC), Squarespace (www.squarespace.com code: TAVERN), and Casper Mattresses (www.casper.com/CHUNT).

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: a charismatic populist leader rises to power by warning of immigrants who are are “filthy” and “bring disease.” It’s no coincidence the greatest deplorable leaders through the ages use the same coded language to talk about people who are “other.”

It’s psychology. Quite understandably, it’s human nature to fear disease. It’s why rats are icky to us and I ceremonially burn my clothes after I go to Disneyland. But if you know what you’re looking for, you’ll see how diseases are are framed as exotic and foreign as an excuse to gang up on different nationalities: SARS, ban Chinese people; Ebola, ban everybody from Africa; sickness in general, build that wall.

On this week’s podcast, Alex Schmidt is joined by Cracked executive editor Jason Pargin (aka David Wong) to talk about how this weird germ theory controls how you think about everything.

Footnotes: https://goo.gl/zSd56T

This episode is brought to you by Squarespace (www.squarespace.com code: CRACKED) and Casper Mattresses (www.casper.com/cracked).

Writer Evan Dickson joins Amy this week to discuss the complete Back to the Future trilogy! They pose the entire selection of films for entry into The Canon, touching on the deceptively deep themes, director Robert Zemeckis’s pioneering camerawork, and the unique middle-classiness of the BttF universe. Later, we find out why Biff Tannen is the most vile movie bully in cinematic history before Amy and Evan make their cases for which entries are Canon-worthy. Which Back to the Future films, if any, belong in The Canon? Head to the Earwolf forums now to cast your vote!

This episode is sponsored by MUBI and Casper Mattresses (code: CANON).

Jo and Manolo welcome Chris Gethard (Beautiful Anonymous, The Chris Gethard Show) and Anna Drezen (SNL, How May We Hate You) for the debut episode of Dr. Gameshow on Earwolf. 

Games played: Manolo’s Rhyming Ring, Was I Who, Was Me Who, and Animal Afterlife. 

A missing movie, how to tell your co-worker to stop whistling, and much more on this week’s minisode! Paul goes through Corrections and Omissions for Jason X, opens up the Mail Bag, gives us his Pick of the Week, and the Movie Bitches review Girls Trip. Plus, you’ll find out which movie we will be covering next!

This episode is brought to you by Squarespace (www.squarespace.com code: BONKERS).

Check out new HDTGM merch over at https://www.teepublic.com/user/howdidthisgetmade

Where to Find Jason, June & Paul:

Paul’s new comedy Drive Share is available on Go90. Paul can be seen on Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later, Opening Night, and Veep. You can see June and Paul on NTSF:SD:SUV:: on HULU. June stars in Grace and Frankie on Netflix, as well as Lady Dynamite alongside with Jason.

Jason can be seen in The Good Place, The House, The Lego Batman Movie, How to Be Single, Sleeping with Other People, and is still indeed in The Dictator.

Comedian and writer Joel Kim Booster (Model Minority) joins Matt and Dave this week to talk cargo pants at the gym, Olive Garden, and American Ninja Warrior. Joel also reveals a secret about what he was up to on Election Night, and why he cried in a changing room at H&M. Plus, Matt and Dave break down the Kevin Spacey situation, and more.

This episode is sponsored by Showtime’s Shameless and Joule: Sous Vide (code: HOMOPHILIA).

Welcome to Long Term Love with your host and retired marriage and family counselor Marilyn Bamford (Maria Bamford)! This week Marilyn welcomes Hayden aka Rainbow to talk about being in an open relationship with Rob, Silviana, Raef, and Brie. Plus, Traci Reardon drops by to offer long term relationship advice in another edition of “Help Me, Rhonda.”

This episode is brought to you by Leesa (www.leesa.com/LAPKUS) and Modcloth (www.modcloth.com code: LAPKUS30).

Jeff Kreisler (Dollars and Sense) and Rachel Sklar (TheLi.st) join Negin to talk about Trump’s response to the Halloween terrorist attack in New York. Plus, they discuss the Mueller indictments and some of the conservative media’s favorite topics: Hillary Clinton, the Russia dossier, and Uranium One.

This episode is brought to you by Modcloth (www.modcloth.com code: FAKE30), Saffron Road (www.saffronroad.com/fake), and littleBits.

Danielle is joined by fave special co-host Matt McConkey and hilarious comedian/housewives genius Joel Kim Booster whose theory on Kameron from Dallas is crushing yet important. A sheet over a head on a stretcher gives life to a once dying franchise and Dallas gives us it’s best Tennessee Williams realness. Plus we talk gaggles of Gorgas and Casey chimes in from the void with lots of deep thoughts on the gift of cocaine.

This episode is brought to you by Flexfits (www.ihatetampons.com/housewives), MVMT Watches (www.mvmtwatches.com/housewives), and Rent the Runway.

Keeping up with Danielle Koenig.

This episode is brought to you by Bombfell (www.bombfell.com/PARDO) and MVMT Watches (www.mvmt.com/NEVER).

John Hughes month begins on Cracked Movie Club! Back in the 1980s, John Hughes changed the idea of a teen movie from a bunch of dopey kids dancing on the beach to a bunch of mopey kids talking about their depressing, broken lives (and also dancing). No other film more perfectly exemplifies this than 1985’s The Breakfast Club, Hughes’ hit film about five misfits sharing a Saturday detention together, which set a template for teenage dramedy that Hollywood still follows to this day.

On this week’s episode, Tom is joined by Cracked’s Carmen Angelica and Jenny Jaffe, the creator and star of IFC’s Neurotica, as they discuss the impact The Breakfast Club still has on teenagers decades after its release, how Nicolas Cage was too expensive for Hughes to cast (a problem no film made in the past five years has encountered), and whether John Bender is actually cool or just an insufferable, boring asshole.

Musical guest The Smith Street Band joins improvisers Drew Tarver, Betsy Sodaro, and Dan Lippert for this week’s improv4humans! They perform songs that lead to scenes about bringing a girlfriend to band practice, the worst fake laugh in the world, and a romantic evening on a freezing rooftop. Plus, a rock star has trouble explaining lyrics in an interview, and schoolchildren identify with animals for deeply existential reasons.

This week, Erin takes down Rep. Steve King’s objectionably-named “Heartbeat Protection Act” and Bryan explains how one rainbow flag led to the worst Egyptian crackdown on homosexuality in recent memory. Guest Jessica Chaffin joins to talk about which of her friends she embarrassed in front of Joan Rivers, why the Kevin Spacey allegations aren’t entirely surprising, and what Kim Jong Un really wants out of life.

This episode is sponsored by Casper (code: SHADE), Away (code: SHADE), and Showtime’s SMILF.