Pop Culture Happy Hour – Fall Guide (September 18, 2025)

A podcast episode summary by NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour, hosted by Linda Holmes, Stephen Thompson, Aisha Harris, and Glenn Weldon

Overview

This episode serves as the ultimate “Fall Guide” to the buzziest pop culture releases coming in late 2025. The regular PCHH team shares a lively, thoughtful roundtable of their most anticipated movies and TV shows. Expect tips on can’t-miss auteurs, major streaming debuts, and festival standouts—the perfect cheat sheet for what’s worth obsessing over this autumn.

Most titles come with first-hand festival impressions or deep-cut context, and the conversation is full of signature Pop Culture Happy Hour warmth and wit. Periodic veers into nostalgia and personal tastes keep things fun and friendly.

Episode Structure

The panel heads straight for content, skipping through any formal intro, and cycles through fall picks round-robin style.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Wake Up Dead: A Knives Out Mystery

Rian Johnson’s latest Benoit Blanc whodunnit

• Stephen Thompson kicks things off (01:27) with knockout enthusiasm for Rian Johnson’s third Knives Out film, Wake Up Dead. He reminisces about the franchise’s appeal: “These movies have been so much more than that. ...also a commentary on society that greatly spoke to the present moment.” (02:10)
• Cast highlights: Daniel Craig returns, joined by Josh O’Connor, Andrew Scott, Kerry Washington, and Cailee Spaeny. Stephen is beside himself, regardless of anyone’s opinions: “Even if you didn’t like it, I’m gonna love it. I don’t care. I’m gonna love it.” (03:01)
• Linda Holmes (03:09) confirms she saw it at TIFF and pronounces the new film “more melancholy, a little less jokey,” with a “sadness at the core.” She praises O’Connor’s role, calling it the new lynchpin relationship.
• Glenn Weldon (04:05) jokes these films are “a great Thanksgiving tradition ... the consensus choice, not the compromise choice. ...Totally worth the risk of running into someone from high school.”
• Release: Select theaters November 26; Netflix December 12.

2. Begonia (dir. Yorgos Lanthimos)

Dark sci-fi remake with Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons

• Glenn Weldon shares his “very Glenn pick” (04:50) with trademark quirk, digging into Lanthimos’ penchant for “cool, chilly, distant” filmmaking, even when the material is “chaotic and frenetic and violent.”
• The new film is a remake of the cult Korean sci-fi “Save the Green Planet.” Jesse Plemons plays a beekeeper who kidnaps his CEO boss (Emma Stone, who “has to transform” in every Lanthimos film, per Aisha).
• Key quote (Glenn, 05:18): “Consistently surprising is kind of a contradiction in terms, but it’s true.”
• Panelists express cautious excitement and speculation about the director’s evolving tone.
• Release: Limited October 24.

3. Frankenstein (dir. Guillermo del Toro)

A new Gothic take starring Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi

• Stephen Thompson (07:38) cannot wait for del Toro to tackle Frankenstein, seeing it as a match for his “distinct vision.”
• Casting: “When you want a hideous beast, your thoughts immediately turn to the face of Jacob Elordi,” Stephen jokes, comparing it to Tom Hardy's habit of face-obscuring roles. (08:15)
• Aisha Harris (08:55) has seen the film; she’s all in: “He (del Toro) has spent his whole life humanizing monsters, and this is the ultimate monster.” She’s deeply moved by Elordi’s performance, admires Oscar Isaac’s turn, and notes the film takes a fresh direction from the classic book and 1931 film.
• Release: Select theaters October 17; Netflix November 7.

4. No Other Choice (dir. Park Chan-wook)

Dark, relevant adaptation of Donald E. Westlake’s crime novel “The Axe”

• Aisha Harris (10:35) is elated to have nabbed a TIFF screening and highlights the movie’s modern resonance about job loss and desperation.
• The lead, played by Lee Byung-hun, becomes willing to “eliminate the competition” for a new job. Referenced as a “dark, dark, dark movie,” Aisha compares it to “Parasite” in its reflection on what people will do to retain their status.
• Glenn (12:27) and Aisha debate whether the film’s critique is “Eat the Rich” or more about “middle-class on middle-class violence.”
• Oscar note: South Korea’s international feature entry.
• Release: Limited December 25; wide in January.

5. The Lowdown (FX Series, created by Sterlin Harjo)

Ethan Hawke as a Tulsa “truthstorian” rabble-rouser

• Linda Holmes (13:26) raves about this 8-episode series from the creator of Reservation Dogs. Ethan Hawke plays a “citizen journalist” with swagger, and Linda calls his introduction “an appropriately iconic entrance... so lived in from the second that you see him.” (14:00)
• The ensemble is “just the pure pleasure of a beautifully rendered place and community of people” and includes Kyle MacLachlan, Gene Tripplehorn, Keith David, Killer Mike, Tim Blake Nelson, and Tracy Letts.
• Glenn admits he mistakenly lumped it with “Yellowstone and Landman” but Linda is quick to clarify this is “very much more... a professional pain in the patoot to people in power.”
• Aisha: “It is the fall of Ethan Hawke. I’m so excited for him.” (16:58)
• Release: FX September 23; Hulu September 24.

6. Hedda (dir. Nia DaCosta)

Modern, sumptuous adaptation of Ibsen’s “Hedda Gabler”

• Aisha (19:24) is delighted with DaCosta’s dramatic turn after “Candyman” and “The Marvels,” calling out the “gorgeous, sumptuous, beautifully shot” visuals.
• Tessa Thompson stars as Hedda; Nina Hoss plays a gender-swapped role.
• The movie plays out mostly over a single night, “so catty and delicious and Hedda is evil...” (20:54)
• Glenn (21:38): “Among the theater cognoscenti, there’s a term of art that we apply to this particular Ibsen play, which is: Bummer. Hyper-mega-bummer.”
• Release: Select theaters October 22; Prime Video October 29.

7. John Candy: I Like Me (doc, dir. Colin Hanks)

A tribute to the late comedian

• Glenn (22:45) picks this Prime Video documentary, half-lamenting that it might lean too “sad clown” and focus on addiction and tragedy versus the craft of sketch comedy.
• Interviewees: Catherine O’Hara, Dave Thomas, Eugene Levy, Dan Aykroyd.
• Hope rests on director Colin Hanks’ deftness, citing his past documentary “All Things Must Pass.”
• Linda reveals (24:21) Glenn’s “ideal SCTV doc” actually played TIFF: “You Had to Be There,” about the legendary 1972 Toronto production of “Godspell” with Martin Short, Eugene Levy, et al.—“life affirming and wonderful.”
• Release: October 10 on Prime.

8. Pluribus (Apple TV+ series, creator: Vince Gilligan)

The mysterious new project starring Rhea Seehorn

• Linda (24:45) picks “Pluribus”—despite having seen nothing but the creators’ and star’s names. The show’s premise: “the most miserable person on earth must save the world from happiness.”
• She vouches for her trust: “It’s not that often that I’m able to truly say I’m fully bought in based exclusively on ... the names of the people involved.” (26:47)
• Aisha: “I am so, so curious, just like you, Linda.” (26:45)
• Release: Apple TV+, November 7.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I am excited about the movie Wake Up Dead, a Knives Out mystery. ... I don’t care. I’m gonna love it.” — Stephen Thompson (01:27, 03:01)
• “These movies are now a great Thanksgiving tradition... the consensus choice, not the compromise choice.” — Glenn Weldon (04:05)
• “Consistently surprising is kind of a contradiction in terms, but it’s true.” — Glenn Weldon on Lanthimos (05:18)
• “He (del Toro) has spent his whole life humanizing monsters, and this is the ultimate monster.” — Aisha Harris (08:55)
• “It is a dark, dark, movie. But it’s also very farcical and light.” — Aisha Harris on “No Other Choice” (10:49)
• “Ethan Hawke has an entrance ...that just feels like an appropriately iconic entrance for who they want this character to be.” — Linda Holmes (14:00)
• “Among the theater cognoscenti... term of art that we apply to this particular Ibsen play, which is: Bummer. Hyper-mega-bummer.” — Glenn Weldon (21:38)
• “The movie that you want [about SCTV]... is life affirming and wonderful.” — Linda Holmes (24:21)

Timestamps for Major Picks

• 01:27 — Wake Up Dead: A Knives Out Mystery (Stephen)
• 04:50 — Begonia (Glenn)
• 07:38 — Frankenstein (Stephen, Aisha review)
• 10:35 — No Other Choice (Aisha, Glenn)
• 13:26 — The Lowdown (Linda)
• 19:24 — Hedda (Aisha, Glenn)
• 22:45 — John Candy: I Like Me (Glenn, Linda)
• 24:45 — Pluribus (Linda)

Tone & Style

Breezy, warm, full of in-jokes, quick asides, and a sense of shared giddy expertise. The group’s personal passions shine through, and no one’s afraid to disagree or warn “this might not be for everyone.” Recommendations are grounded in both professional insight and personal taste—whether “very Glenn picks” or “consensus” crowd-pleasers.

Conclusion

The Fall Guide delivers a tour of the season’s best bets in film and TV from a quartet of plugged-in pop culture fans. Each recommendation comes with context, banter, and plenty of practical info—whether you’re looking for a surefire crowd-pleaser or a highbrow gem, you’ll walk away with a fall watchlist (and maybe a few festival deep cuts to track).