Patreon Preview #373: Chatterbox 33

Summary

Hey Riddle Riddle – Patreon Preview #373: Chatterbox 33

Release Date: May 1, 2026
Hosts: Adal Rifai, Erin Keif, John Patrick Coan (JPC)

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Overview

This episode of "Hey Riddle Riddle" is a loose, comedic roundtable where the hosts riff on everything from TV show reboots and bizarre crime dramas to the existential strangeness of adult friendships and nostalgia. True to the show’s spirit, actual riddles take a back seat to hilarious bits, improvised banter, and deep dives on TV—peppered with self-aware commentary on pop culture fatigue, streaming oddities, and personal viewing habits.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Building the “Perfect Animal” (00:02–00:50)

• Adal opens with a surreal project: “I’m trying to build the perfect animal … so far, I have a dog's face, dog's body, dog's feet, dog tail” (00:02).
• He’s been working for 14 days and claims a divine message told him to make the perfect animal, which ultimately is just a dog—with or without antlers.
• The group riff on this, joking about failed drafts (“dog with antlers”; “dog without antlers”; “dog with antlers on the inside”—a huge mistake per Adal’s ‘doctor’ consultation with Zach Braff on LinkedIn).

Memorable quote:

• “I just gotta let Jesus take the wheel.” – Adal (00:27)

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TV Reboots, Nostalgia, and Streaming Confusion (00:54–03:38)

• Tangent about a Scrubs reboot sparks musings on network TV’s creatively stagnant state.
• Erin reflects on rewatching Scrubs as an adult and finding the main character less endearing and more repulsive:
  • “I think we had a higher tolerance for characters like that before.” – JPC (03:11)
• Adal and JPC joke about the endless array of shows with outlandish titles (Tracker, Pistachio and the Bean), highlighting the saturation and disposability of content.
• Erin confesses to being bewildered by obscure shows that turn out to be on season three already—“This has been on my television for years.” (01:40)
• Discussion turns to Survivor, with the group playfully exaggerating the idea that every TV concept has already been done.

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Meta TV Bits and Jokes on Content Overload (03:38–05:55)

• Adal jokes about fake TV series, e.g., Pistachio and the Bean (twin detectives separated at birth, reunited at age one). Erin says, “My brain is liquid. At this point, you could convince me of anything.” (03:55)
• The group feels lost in the endless sea of content. JPC: “You guys are really gonna melt my brain today.” (11:06)
• Ongoing jokes about the absurdity of new show concepts and how every premise is hyper-saturated.

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Sidebar: Ad Reads (05:55–08:17)

Skipped as per your instructions.

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Detective Show Deep Dive: Cross and Critiques of Adaptations (08:17–10:26)

• JPC shares he tried watching Cross, based on James Patterson's character Alex Cross; finds it convoluted and unappealing compared to Reacher.
• Critique of the recurring “fridged wife” trope and weird character motivations.
• The hosts question whether it’s odd for James Patterson (an older white man) to write about the struggles of a Black detective in DC:
  • “Why is this old white guy being like, you know what novels I’m going to write? … about the struggles of a black police officer in Washington D.C.? It just feels like a very odd thing to do.” – JPC (09:14)

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Mr. Inbetween & “Is This a Real Show?” Bit (10:26–11:49)

• Adal highly recommends Mr. Inbetween (Australian dark comedy); JPC is unsure whether it’s a real show:
  • “Are we doing a bit to make Erin think Mr. Inbetween is a real show, or is it a real show?” – JPC (10:55)
• Group embraces the confusion around real/fake shows, highlighting collective TV fatigue.
• Adal quips, “I would dare say Mr. Inbetween is better than Reacher. Actually, I don’t dare say that—it’s leaps and bounds better than Reacher.” (11:20)

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Closing Banter & Teasers (11:50–12:16)

• Erin suggests Mr. Inbetween for their Patreon “Review Crew.”
• Tease about Adal soon having a baby; playful bit about getting the baby on-mic as “Mr. Inbetween.”
• Closing: Energetic and nonsensical, in true “Hey Riddle Riddle” fashion, leading into a Patreon plug.

Memorable moment:

• The hosts spiral into a playful meta joke about introducing Adal's soon-to-be-born child as the show's next special guest.

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Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• “I just gotta let Jesus take the wheel.” – Adal (00:27)
• “My brain is liquid. At this point, you could convince me of anything.” – Erin (03:55)
• “We’re out of ideas.” – JPC (01:24), on TV’s endless parade of reboots
• “I think we had a higher tolerance for characters like that before.” – JPC (03:11)
• “Why is this old white guy being like, you know what novels I’m going to write? … about the struggles of a black police officer in Washington D.C.? It just feels like a very odd thing to do.” – JPC (09:14)
• “You guys are really gonna melt my brain today.” – Erin (11:06)
• “I would dare say Mr. Inbetween is better than Reacher. Actually, I don’t dare say that—it’s leaps and bounds better than Reacher.” – Adal (11:20)

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Recap & Takeaways

• The hosts use the guise of riddles as a springboard for wide-ranging, often surreal comedic conversations.
• A recurring motif is fatigue (and hilarity) over modern television’s endless content—real or fake, everything blurs together.
• The episode offers sharp, funny commentary on nostalgia, pop culture recycling, and the peculiarities of friendships and comfort shows with an improvisational, self-aware flavor.
• Fans of the podcast’s style will find little “content,” many laughs, and a resonant, relatable sense of being overwhelmed by 21st-century entertainment.

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For the full experience and more riddle-based digressions, listen to the extended episode at Patreon.com/heyriddleriddle.

Transcript

[A]

Guys, I'm trying to build the perfect animal. So far, I have a dog's face, dog's body, dog's feet, dog tail.

[B]

That'll get dark circles under your eyes. How many days have you been up working on this?

[A]

14 days. I talked to, like, a burning bush or maybe it was a tree on

[C]

fire or something, but sure, yeah, a

[A]

voice told me to make the perfect animal. So it's just a dog with antlers. And I can't from here. I think it's. I just gotta let Jesus take the wheel.

[B]

What are all these crumpled up pieces of paper? Dog with antlers. Don't look at those.

[C]

Don't look at those.

[B]

Dog with antlers. Dog without antlers. Just a dog. You just reinvented the dog, I guess.

[C]

I don't know, Aaron. The one with just the dog has antlers on the inside, it looks like. Oh, that'd be a huge mistake.

[A]

Yeah, doctor said that went into its brain.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Well, let's just put it in the machine and if it. Whatever animal it spits out, it spits it out.

[A]

And when I say doctors, I mean I DM Zach Braff

[B]

on LinkedIn,

[C]

guys. Everybody's talking about it. Scrubs is back. I did see a thing that was like. ABC was like, I think it's ABC is what Scrubs is on. But they were like, the Scrubs. The first episode of the Scrubs reunion was the most popular thing on ABC in the last year. And I was like, yeah, I mean, we're out of it. Ideas. We're out of ideas.

[A]

I guess. I can't think of what else is on abc.

[C]

They don't even have Tracker. That's cbs.

[A]

What's Tracker?

[C]

Tracker. I don't know. I got.

[B]

I don't know. I've been. That's been happening to me so much lately is I'll see an ad for a TV show and I'll be like, that's such a wackadoo concept. And then it'll be like, season three coming in April. And I'm like, season three. This has been on my television for years.

[C]

Good work. If you can track her.

[A]

Have you guys seen the new Scrubs?

[B]

No.

[A]

I almost said Shrek.

[B]

Okay. We're speaking it into existence. We're manifesting.

[C]

Hold on. Spoiler alert.

[A]

Shrek is on.

[C]

The first episode of the new season of Scrubs.

[A]

Young Shrek would do numbers.

[B]

I'd tune in.

[A]

It's actually pretty good.

[C]

I was a big Scrubs fan growing up, and I can't even tell you when it Was for sure. But sometime in the last four years as a show to have on, Mariah and I started rewatching Scrubs, and we got a couple seasons in, and we were like, yeah, this doesn't really hit the same anymore. Well, first of all, it's hard knowing what I know about Zach Braff now, to look at Zach Braff then. But also, I'm like, I think he's like. When I was younger, I was like, oh, this character, he's just so annoying and he's annoying and kind of repulsive. And there's no reason that. And I guess it's probably true with storylines in shows where they have to keep going, but I'm like, there's no reason any of these people should still be friends with how much they've gone through together. It's very an odd sensation watching something from the past like that.

[B]

I think we had a higher tolerance for characters like that before.

[A]

Yeah, that makes sense.

[B]

I'm not watching any current tv. I guess I'm watching Survivor.

[A]

What do you think?

[B]

Season 50. It's so good so far.

[C]

You got to watch Tracker, Aaron.

[B]

I'll watch it when you tell me what the hell it is.

[C]

I couldn't find it. I've only ever stumbled across it.

[B]

Well, then you would have nothing in common with the main character, Tracker. I'm assuming it's his name.

[A]

Aaron, are you watching Pistachio and the Bean?

[B]

Who is that?

[A]

Aaron? Pistachio and the Bean, Season eight. They're twin detectives, separated at birth, reunited at age one.

[B]

Separated again. My brain is liquid. At this point, you could convince me of anything. Hey, guys, I'm playing hide and seek with Adeline jpc, and so I'm hiding, so just bear with me. Do you know that Mother's Day is coming up? And let me guess, you're gonna go for the same old, same old. You're gonna get your wife or your mom flowers, brunch, a gift card, fluffy robe that you already got her last year. What if you got her an aura frame? If your mom is anything like my mom, she will send you screenshots of photos from six years ago in the middle of the day on a Tuesday. Because moms love looking at photos. That's like their number one thing that they love to do. The aura frame has free unlimited storage. You can add as many photos or videos as you want. You can even preload photos before it ships, maybe adding inside jokes, all the photos that she's been screenshotting, and then she'll send you a screenshot of a screenshot of a screenshot of a photo and you can include those on there. You can personalize your gift that can be messages that you can have. A gift Box Every Frame comes packaged in a premium gift box with no price tag. Just download the free Aura app and text photos straight to the frame. The Aura frame reached number one in the App Store on Christmas Day in 2025 because moms love the Aura frame named number one on Wirecutter. You can save on the gifts moms love by visiting auraframes.com for a limited time. Listeners could get $25 off their best selling Carver Mat frame with code riddle that's aura a u r a frames.com promo code riddle R I D D L E Support the show by mentioning us at checkout. Terms and conditions apply. Oh my gosh, I forgot to whisper. Do you think they're looking for me? It's been like six and a half days, but I bet they're really excited to find me. 9991000 Ready or not, here I come. Oh hey everybody. I'm just playing a game of hide and seek with ADOL and JPC so you keep an eye out for them while I talk to you about quints. This past weekend I was out and about with my new Italian suede slouchy midnight blue bag. And I kid you not, several of the most beautiful cool looking women asked me where I got it and I got to go. Quints. It's super affordable. I want my everyday items to be classic and timeless and comfortable and easy and affordable. And that's why I shop at Quince. Quince has all the wardrobe staples for spring. Think 100% European linen shorts and shirts from $34. Lightweight, breathable and comfortable. But you're still going to look put together and clean. 100% prima cotton tees with a softness that has to be felt. Everything is priced 50 to 80% less than what you'll find at similar brands. Quince works directly with ethical factories and cuts out the middlemen so you're getting premium materials without the markup. I love everything I have from Quince. I recently got sandals from them. I'm obsessed with their home stuff. If you're looking for basics like rugs or curtains. Truly just the most timeless, classic, well made items are over there at Quint's so check it out. Still not seeing Adler gpc. Starting to worry that they went to the movies or something. No, they're around. We'll find them. Refresh your everyday with luxury. You'll actually use head to quince.com riddle for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. Now available in Canada too. That's Quince Q U I n c e.com riddle r I d D L E for free shipping and 365 day returns. That's a full. If it's a full year, you can decide if you like it. You're gonna like it. Quints.com Riddle I found you. Oh, no. Sorry. False alarm. Those are just two scarecrows eating dessert waffles. Onward and upward.

[C]

I did watch the first episode of a show called Cross because first of all, you all know how much I love Reacher. That I think Amazon was, like, really serving me. Cross. And it was like a different. Maybe John Grisham does. John Grisham. There's some James Patterson. Maybe it's James Patterson is like another author who has, like, a detective series. But it's Alex Cross. And I watched the first episode of it. I was like, this is dog shit. I was like, I can't. I can't. It doesn't have the same hit that Reacher has.

[A]

Who's the titular Cross?

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Okay, so his name is Alex Cross and he's like a black detective, but he's also, like a Ph.D. and he works for, like, the D.C. cops or something. And so already I'm like, okay, so this is no Reacher Reacher. He's a cop who fights against the cops. But it was, like, very confusing. And there's a lot of his wife gets murdered and he's trying to solve that thing as well, which I'm like, okay, great. Another, like, wife gets murdered thing.

[B]

I'm putting it on the back burner, but, yeah, I'm still looking into it.

[A]

Cross, are you still trying to solve that thing? You mean my wife being murdered?

[B]

That guy did it. That guy did it for sure.

[C]

He's working on a case that he's trying to solve his wife's murder from, like, a year ago. And then there's like, one scene in it where he's at, like, a dinner party with. It's all, like, his friend, or I guess it's his friends and some people from, like, the neighborhood that he doesn't know. But one guy is, like, really giving him guff for being a black cop. And he was like, you know, and the guy who's given a guff for being a black cop is, like, pretty right at all of the things that he's saying. And then Cross gets really mad and, like, slams him against a wall. And I'm like, this is my hero. Like, what are we. What are we doing here? But then I was like, this is so weird. But also I thought it was so strange because. And I don't know anything about this, but I was like, james Patterson. I was like, is James Patterson a black guy? I'm like, no, he's like an old white guy. And I'm like, so why is this old white guy being like, you know what novels I'm going to write? I'm going to write novels about, like, the struggles of a black police officer in Washington D.C. it just feels like very, very an odd thing to do as, like, an old white guy.

[A]

Is it. Is the lead played by the guy who was Luke Cage?

[C]

No. No. I mean, it could have been.

[A]

He probably shows. He's great. Jpc. I don't know if you've seen it. I don't think you have. I cannot recommend enough. And I think he'd be over the moon about it. You Simply must watch Mr. In between.

[C]

Oh, no. At all. I watched maybe what, the first three episodes of Mr. In between.

[A]

You didn't like it?

[C]

No, I enjoyed it. I enjoyed it. And if I'm being honest, I can't tell. Are we doing a bit to make Aaron think Mr. In between is a real show or is it a real show?

[A]

It's a real show.

[C]

Okay, nevermind. I have not watched it.

[B]

Is it.

[A]

It's an Australian dark comedy.

[B]

Oh, you guys are really gonna melt my brain today. Wait, it is a real show. But jpc, you were assuming that you were doing a joke about making me believe that shows were real.

[C]

One hundo, people, I say, rocking back

[B]

and forth, looking off into space.

[A]

I would dare say Mr. In between is better than Reacher. Actually, I don't dare say that it's leaps and bounds better than Reacher.

[B]

I dare you to say it.

[C]

Okay, Adol. Mr. In between, in accordance with what Aaron's saying, has three seasons.

[A]

Yes.

[C]

What crazy.

[A]

Three seasons in a movie. But it's Australia, so we would not have heard of it except for it's so good that it's crossed oceans. To be. To be here and to be.

[C]

Oh, it's a comedy.

[B]

Why don't we just do that for April? Review crew. Okay, let's just bypass everybody. Adel, you're about to have a baby. It's your birthday.

[C]

Well, emotionally, I will say. Aaron, I will say, let's not talk about any of that because this episode comes out May 1st, so.

[B]

Well, maybe we did it.

[A]

Well, then I guess I have to introduce my baby. Let's get them on the mic.

[B]

Here's Mr. In between.

[C]

1, 2, 3, 4.

[B]

Hey, Riddle.

[C]

Riddle's Clue crew. Listen to the rest of the episode now by starting your free seven day trial at patreon.com heyriddle riddle.

[B]

Hi, I am Mandy Moore.

[C]

Sterling K. Brown.

[A]

And I'm Chris Sullivan.

[C]

And we host the podcast that was us.

[B]

Now on each episode, we're gonna go into a deep dive from our show. This is us.

[C]

That's right.

[B]

We're gonna go episode by episode. We're also gonna pepper in episodes with different guest stars and writers and casting directors.

[C]

Are we gonna cry? Yes, a little bit. Are we gonna laugh a lot. A lot. A whole lot. That's what I'm hoping, man. Listen to that was us on your favorite podcast app or watch full video episodes on YouTube or Spotify. New episodes every Tuesday.