NO SUCH THING — “NST Picks: The Best of 2025 (and Our Best Arguments)”

Date: December 31, 2025
Hosts: Manny, Noah, Devan
Podcast: NO SUCH THING by iHeartPodcasts and Kaleidoscope

Episode Overview

In this lively year-end episode, the hosts — Manny, Noah, and Devan — reflect on their favorite music, movies, TV shows, and episodes from their own podcast over the past year. True to their explainer style, they debate, reminisce, and share how some of their investigations changed their perspectives or daily habits. Expect jokes, earnest recommendations, and a highlights reel of the year’s best arguments and most memorable moments.

Main Segments & Discussion Points

1. Favorite Music Moments of 2025

[02:46–18:16]

Manny’s Music Moment

• Atypical Approach: Manny shares that he doesn’t typically listen to music passively, only seeking out albums or tracks intentionally.
  • “I'm not someone who just kind of has it on in the background during cooking or commuting. I know, it's weird.” (03:21, Manny)
• Favorite of the Year: A memorable song from the video game Expedition 33’s soundtrack, which features a surprising techno turn during a boss fight.
  • “There were a lot of memes ... It was like, damn, this song rips so much. I kept dying 'cuz I was just listening to the music.” (04:05–05:21, Manny)

Noah’s List

• Folk Farewell: Broken Homes and Gardens by Michael Hurley, highlighting Hurley's cozy, simple folk as he passed away this year.
  • “It’s very cozy. Him and a guitar and… you’re in on a nice cold fall/winter day, throw this on while you’re making some hot toddies.” (06:24, Noah)
• Unexpected Favorite: It’s a Beautiful Day, What a Beautiful Day by Skinhead, a solo project with “black humor” and catchy, aggressive songs about the little things (e.g., splitting the bill).
  • “There’s a song about getting separate checks when you’re at the restaurant with your boys.” (08:25, Noah)

Devan’s Highlights

• Year of “OGs”: New albums this year from Bon Iver, Lorde, Bartese Strange, Blood Orange, Dijon, Bieber, Rosalia, Chance the Rapper, Haim, Alex G.
• Best Live Experience: Lorde’s MSG concert.
  • “This show, Lorde show, felt really intimate ... a very emotional show, surprising. I’m not afraid to say you were in your feelings. I was in my feelings.” (12:31–13:47, Devan)
• Special Mention: Dijon and Blood Orange live, and new discoveries like Addison Rae and Nourished by Time.

Age and Algorithms

• The group jokes about Spotify and Apple’s “listening age” feature and its accuracy.
  • “Manny would be unborn because no music is consumed.” (16:27, Devan)
  • Pondering if playlist curation skews the “age” result younger or older for users.

Memorable Quote

• “Going to a concert like this ... is like the closest I get to understanding, like, church for people.” (13:54, Devan)

2. Favorite Movies and TV Shows of 2025

[19:50–36:33]

Noah’s Picks

• Movie: Peter Hujar’s Day starring Ben Whishaw — an understated, dialogue-heavy portrait of an artist describing a single day.
  • “It was shockingly interesting. He’s just describing his day ... it felt like you’re sitting in there with these people.” (21:33, Noah)
• Short and Sweet: Praises the movie for being just 80 minutes and feeling “rejuvenating.”
• Fun Fact: Shares the backstory of the photo on A Little Life book cover.

Manny’s Picks

• Movie: No Other Choice (by the director of Oldboy and The Handmaiden) — a darkly comic film about the cutthroat job market in South Korea.
  • “It’s really, really interesting. I’ve never seen a movie like it, but really good.” (24:44, Manny)
• TV Show: Common Side Effects — HBO/Adult Swim’s animated series about a miracle mushroom cure and Big Pharma.
  • “It’s totally like, oh, this is the world that would happen if RFK is right. Like, where everything is a conspiracy theory.” (25:29, Manny)
  • Mike Judge voices, same creators as King of the Hill, praised for its uniqueness.

Devan’s Picks

• Show Shout-Out: The Chair Company by Tim Robinson (of I Think You Should Leave fame) — a bizarre comedy about a man investigating a broken chair and stumbling into a conspiracy.

  • “He just really dives deep into trying to figure out what company this is. And it opens up another big conspiracy…” (26:45, Manny)
  • The crew celebrates its surreal Ohio setting and Robinson’s writing style.

• Other TV Favorite: Helen Harper Spytis — Created by and starring Cooper Raif, with Lili Reinhart and Mark Ruffalo, about siblings reconnecting with an absent father.

  • “Great for the holidays … you’ll get in your feelings.” (31:14, Devan)
  • Discussion on the portrayal of emotional masculinity.

• Indie Movie: Sorry Baby — a dramedy about friends reconnecting in a college town, praised for balancing drama and humor.

• Special Mention: Noah and Devan bond over The Rehearsal (Nathan Fielder’s latest), blurring the lines between documentary and fiction.

  • “You never know where it’s going to go ... Is this real? Is this fake? What’s happening?” (34:48–34:56, Devan)

3. Favorite Moments from the Podcast

[36:33–56:45]

Top “No Such Thing” Moments

• Dating AI Chatbots

  • Devan’s wild date “transcript” with an AI, featuring uproarious roleplay and uncomfortable honesty.
    • “Okay. I say, you know, nice. How would you feel about us taking it to the next level?...She said, ‘I’m completely okay with that whenever you are.’ I said, ‘Let’s do it.’” (37:21, Devan)
  • Manny: “That was my favorite episode ... where it starts one way and then you have to change up the format because of the ridiculous things that we've captured.” (38:20, Manny)

• Why Don’t Men Ask Follow Up Questions?

  • Interview with Liz Plank; discussion of male friendships being “side-by-side” instead of “face-to-face.”
    • “Now I’m like, thinking back on, like, most of my friendships with men, and it is like we’re always...experiencing some central thing instead of just sitting across from each other.” (38:33, Manny)
  • Devan: “That one really seemed to resonate with the women in my life.” (39:44, Devan)

• Ben Franklin: Lord of PR or Real Genius?

  • Listener Kelsey calls in a conspiracy: “Benjamin Franklin was a grifter with a great PR team ... an Elon Musk kind of fraudster.” (41:03)
  • Friend Rich’s outraged off-mic reaction becomes a host highlight.

• Food on the Floor Debate

  • Noah and Devan’s passionate/messy micro-argument about what foods are okay to eat off the ground (“Would you eat a chip? At what age?”)
    • “Are you a full grown man? We’ll do three polls at different age ranges.” (44:36, Manny & Devan)

Episodes That Changed Their Lives

• Dog Owner Epiphany

  • With dog cognition expert Alexandra Horowitz: “It’s not like, you know, a 13 year old boy who’s being annoying ... I can just let this go, it’s a dog being a dog.” (46:37, Alexandra/Devan)

• Follow Up Questions in Friendships

  • Manny admits now asking friends deeper questions: “You do learn a lot about your friends...just by asking that question.” (47:21, Manny)

• Weather App Mistrust

  • Noah claims he’ll never trust an app since learning reported temps are taken in the shade, not sun. (48:23)
  • “That kind of changed everything for how I see the sun.” (48:58, Noah)

• Laundry Truth Bombs

  • Manny and Devan switched to powder detergent and “warm” washes after learning from expert Patrick.
    • “Now my detergent is going to last me forever now ... I’m still probably doing too much.” (50:06, Noah)

• Sibling Influence Realization

  • Devan realizes, per the “siblings vs. parents” episode, how much more responsible/independent eldest siblings are.
    • “That episode really rang true to me ... even, you know, we’re 16 years apart or whatever. It does apply.” (53:10–53:22, Devan)

• Minor Habits

  • “Sitting to pee” episode: Devan reports he sits more often now; Manny is still standing proud.
  • “Food on the bed” concerns reinforced.

Last Words and Podcast Growth

• Hosts marvel at fanbase size, growth, and making Apple Podcasts’ “best of 2025” list.
  • “A year ago...I was like, hopefully we have 100 people listening ... Suffice to say, we have a lot more now.” (56:25–56:26, Devan)
• Encourage listeners to share and submit future episode questions.

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• “You just feel like, okay...this is really just a guy doing this, like...it’s wholesome.”
  — Noah on Michael Hurley’s album (07:07)

• “Going to a concert like this ... is like the closest I get to understanding, like, church for people.”
  — Devan on the Lorde show (13:54)

• “That episode really rang true to me ... even, you know, we’re 16 years apart or whatever. It does apply.”
  — Devan on sibling birth order (53:10)

• "You do learn a lot about your friends...just by asking that question.”
  — Manny, on changing his conversations with follow-up questions (47:21)

• "I don't trust weather apps at all anymore. Especially once they explained the temperature is taken in the shade and not the sun."
  — Noah (48:08)

Recurring Tone & Style

• Friendly banter, self-deprecation, authentic enthusiasm about both pop culture and minutiae.
• References to previous episodes, running jokes (“Manny doesn’t listen to music”—multiple times).
• Welcoming listener input; open invitations for more emails/call-ins.

Breakdown of Timestamps

| Segment | Timestamp | |------------------------------------------|------------| | Introduction & Music Moments | 02:46–18:16| | TV & Movie Picks | 19:50–36:33| | Podcast Favorite Moments (“Best Arguments”) |36:33–56:45| | Closing Thoughts & Thanks | 56:45–end |

For New or Returning Listeners

This episode is a tour de force of the show's core strengths: fun arguments, deep dives into culture, and big-hearted, personal reflection. Whether you’re looking for pop culture recs or want to revisit the podcast’s greatest debates (from AI matchmaking to whether you can eat chips off the floor), this “Best of 2025” episode captures both the spirit and substance of No Such Thing.

To submit your own questions or favorite moments, reach out at mannynoahdevan@gmail.com or call ‪(860) 325-0286.