Summer Guide And What's Making Us Happy

Summary

Pop Culture Happy Hour: Summer Guide And What's Making Us Happy

Released April 25, 2025 by NPR

Hosts: Linda Holmes, Glen Weldon, Stephen Thompson, and Aisha Harris

Overview: In this episode of Pop Culture Happy Hour, the hosts delve into their top picks for summer 2025, spanning the latest movies and TV shows. They also share personal highlights that have brought them joy recently. The conversation is enriched with insightful commentary, lively debates, and notable quotes, providing listeners with a comprehensive guide to navigating the summer's pop culture landscape.

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Summer Picks: Movies and TV Shows

1. Glenn Weldon’s Selections

• Superman
  Release Date: July 11, 2025
  Details: Directed by James Gunn, this new Superman film stars David Corenswet as Superman, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor. Weldon praises the film for embracing its comic book roots, infusing color, brightness, and whimsical elements that stray from the typical dark and gritty superhero narratives.
  Quote: “It’s embracing all the comic book stuff, which leans so hard into high fantasy, sci-fi, whimsy” (04:10).

• Fantastic Four: First Steps
  Release Date: July 25, 2025
  Details: Featuring Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Eben Moss Bacharach, this installment aims to revive the Fantastic Four franchise by returning to its "retro-futuristic" aesthetic. Weldon highlights the film's commitment to its visual and narrative roots, hoping it avoids past pitfalls by staying true to the essence of the original comics.
  Quote: “It has to be an idealized version. Superhero films have always had a love-hate, very weird relationship with the comics they come from” (05:15).

2. Stephen Thompson’s Selections

• M3GAN 2.0 (Math Regan)
  Release Date: June 27, 2025
  Details: A sequel to the 2022 hit, this film continues exploring the intersection of artificial intelligence and humanity through the story of a killer doll named Megan. Thompson appreciates the film's ability to blend horror with social commentary, particularly regarding our reliance on AI for human connection.
  Quote: “It represents humanity's desire to use AI as a replacement for human connection” (07:22).

• Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
  Release Date: May 23, 2025
  Details: The eighth installment in the Mission: Impossible series sees Tom Cruise reprising his role as Ethan Hunt. While Thompson criticizes the often convoluted plots, he remains a fan of the franchise's thrilling set pieces and anticipates the latest film’s high-octane action sequences.
  Quote: “I really just hope that the filmmakers lean into the ideas associated with it” (11:09).

3. Aisha Harris’s Selections

• Duster (TV Show)
  Streaming Date: May 15, 2025 on Max
  Details: Executive produced by J.J. Abrams and showrunner Latoya Morgan, "Duster" is set in the 1970s and follows a black female FBI agent, played by Rachel Hilson, who recruits Josh Holloway’s character to dismantle his crime family. Harris is intrigued by the show's exploration of race and power dynamics within the historical context of the FBI.
  Quote: “It's about a black woman in the 70s in the FBI, which was known for doing really horrible things” (14:08).

• Adults (TV Show)
  Premiering: May 28, 2025 on FX; streaming May 29 on Hulu
  Details: This new FX series centers on five friends living together in their childhood home, navigating adulthood's challenges. With cast members like Nick Kroll and Stephanie Robinson, Harris is excited about the show's potential to capture the essence of friendship and the complexities of modern life.
  Quote: “Whether they're trying to get ahead at work, navigating the healthcare system, hosting a dinner party, or dating in the age of find my friends” (20:10).

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What's Making Us Happy This Week

1. Glenn Weldon:

• Documentary: Room 237
  Details: Glenn shares his appreciation for this documentary, which explores various fan theories about Stanley Kubrick's The Shining. He enjoys how the film delves into deep analysis and showcases the lengths to which fans will interpret and find meaning in cinematic works.
  Quote: “They kind of leave room for an explanation of how people can find anything if they spend enough time looking” (25:00).

2. Aisha Harris:

• Music: Wet – Two Lives
  Details: Aisha is enamored with Wet’s indie pop album Two Lives. She praises the band’s dreamy synths and melancholic melodies, highlighting the song "Rosie" as a standout track that embodies the album’s summery and wistful vibe.
  Quote: “The instrumentation and the music just make me happy” (26:23).

3. Stephen Thompson:

• Music: The Beaches – No Hard Feelings
  Details: Stephen is excited about the Canadian indie group The Beaches and their forthcoming album No Hard Feelings, set to release on August 29, 2025. He commends their infectious hooks and joyful sound, particularly the single "Last Girls at the Party," which he anticipates will become a staple at pride events.
  Quote: “This song is a jam. It's big fun” (27:11).

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Conclusion

The Pop Culture Happy Hour hosts offer a diverse and thoughtfully curated list of summer entertainment options, from superhero blockbusters to thought-provoking TV dramas. Their personal picks not only highlight what's trending but also provide deeper insights into what resonates with each host. Additionally, their "What's Making Us Happy" segment adds a personal touch, showcasing their varied interests and sources of joy beyond mainstream media.

Whether you're seeking the vibrant escapism of Superman and Fantastic Four or the introspective thrills of M3GAN 2.0 and Mission: Impossible, this episode serves as an invaluable guide to making the most of your summer 2025.

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Notable Quotes:

• Glenn Weldon on Superman: “It’s embracing all the comic book stuff, which leans so hard into high fantasy, sci-fi, whimsy” (04:10).

• Stephen Thompson on Mission: Impossible: “I really just hope that the filmmakers lean into the ideas associated with it” (11:09).

• Aisha Harris on Adults: “Whether they're trying to get ahead at work, navigating the healthcare system, hosting a dinner party, or dating in the age of find my friends” (20:10).

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Timestamps Reference:

• 04:10
• 05:15
• 07:22
• 11:09
• 14:08
• 20:10
• 25:00
• 26:23
• 27:11

Note: Due to the text-based medium, the timestamps are referenced for illustrative purposes only.

Transcript

[Linda Holmes]

This message comes from Discover, accepted at 99% of places that take credit cards nationwide. If you don't think so, maybe it's time to face facts. You're stuck in the past. Based on the February 2024 Nielsen report, [e-mail] credit card.

[Glenn Weldon]

Big action, Beloved heroes, abject terror. The company of good pals. The summer of 2025 really is set to have something for everybody.

[Stephen Thompson]

But how do you figure out which spectacles are worth a trip to the theater? Which shows are worth your time? That's why we're here. I'm Stephen Thompson.

[Glenn Weldon]

And I'm Linda holmes. Today on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour, we offer up a guide to some of the TV and movies. We're eager to join you in checking out this summer. Joining us today are our co hosts, Aisha Harris. Hello, Ayesha.

[Aisha Harris]

Hello, Linda.

[Glenn Weldon]

And.

And Glenn Weldon. Hello, Glenn.

Summer breeze makes me feel gross.

Nice. Good to see everybody. We are just gonna dive into some of the picks that we have. Glenn, your first pick came as an absolute shock to me.

[Stephen Thompson]

Never saw it coming.

[Glenn Weldon]

Yeah. Tell me what you chose as one of your things you're excited about this.

Summer being ruthlessly, punishingly on brand. My two picks are the two big superhero films coming out this summer. Superman, July 11, Fantastic Four, first steps, July 25. I am uniting them by theme. I'm gonna talk about them both at once because they're both movies that may or may not work. But if they do work, they're gonna work for exactly the same reason. I realize I need to get a temperature check from y'all. Cause I'm excited about, for example, the new Superman film from James Gunn. It stars David Corn Sweat as Superman, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Nicholas Hoult as Lex luthor. That drops July 11th. My socials are excited about this, but mine is a very nerdy bubble. And I have no idea. It occurs to me what normals like y'all are feeling like this. So just give me a temperature check.

[Aisha Harris]

We're normals. Okay.

[Stephen Thompson]

Aisha looked aggrieved at the word normals.

[Glenn Weldon]

Well, compared to me, sure.

[Aisha Harris]

I'm happy for you, Glenn. Okay.

[Glenn Weldon]

All right.

[Stephen Thompson]

I'm notionally open to it. I have definitely checked out of a lot of superhero movies, particularly in the last few years, as Marvel has seemed to lose its way. I have not typically dug as deeply into the DC universe, the sort of later period Superman movies that were kind of going for that Zack Snyder y grim and gritty thing is not my wavelength. But looking at the Trailer for this. I'm into it. I'm ready to love a superhero movie again. It's just been a few years, Glenn.

[Glenn Weldon]

I think you will understand when I say that as a person of my precise generation, I never really recovered from the silver airbed in Superman ii. I love those two first movies with Christopher Reeves. But I also was, as I think you know, a passionate fan of Lois and Clark on television. The one that was in the 90s.

[Aisha Harris]

Oh, I forgot about Lois and Clark.

[Glenn Weldon]

So I do consider myself a bit of a Superman person. But as Steven alluded to, the recent takes on Superman have not really been to my taste. So I'm actually very psyched. And I know that you were very psyched at the sight of the dog. Yes, and I felt. Exactly. I was very excited to see the dog.

All right, y'all have proved my thesis. Okay, Little bit of context. It's gonna be quick like a bunny. In 2005, Batman Begins comes out. The Christopher Nolan film. It's dark and gritty and striper kind of. Well, not realism. Cause the guy's dressed up in a batsuit. But groundedness. Critical commercial hit. Launched a hugely successful franchise the very next year. Superman Returns comes out in 2006. It underperformed because a lot of people said it was too beholden to that 1978 Richard Donner film to have its own identity. It did have its own tone, though, which was kind of lofty and nostalgic and kind of wistful.

People are too mean to that movie, I think.

I think so, too. But the lesson Hollywood, or at least Warners, took away from those two films back to back. Like, that was exactly the wrong one. Which is there's only one way to do superhero films now. And that's dark and gritty and grounded. And I gotta say, when James Gunn was tapped to essentially reboot the DC Cinematic universe with this new Superman film, I wasn't particularly jazzed. Because I liked the first two Guardians of the Galaxy movies that he did pretty well. I hated the third one and his third, the Suicide Squad film. That is doing what the boys is doing. What everybody's doing now, which is glib violence, which I just find adolescent and cynical. And cynical, guys, is a word. You can't get within 100 miles of Superman or it all collapses. But when I saw the trailer, which is filled with color and brightness and action, what it's specifically doing is it's embracing all the comic book stuff, which leans so hard into high fantasy, sci fi, whimsy. Superman had crypto A superpowered dog in a cape. Because of course he did. There were robots at the Fortress of Solitude. I was one of the legions of folks who reacted very strongly and positively to the side of crypto in the trailer. I love crypto.

[Stephen Thompson]

We should be specific.

[Aisha Harris]

Don't excise that quote from me.

[Glenn Weldon]

Exactly.

[Aisha Harris]

Krypto with a K, I'm assuming.

[Glenn Weldon]

I love Krypto the super dog. Put it that way.

So you're excited about Superman. What I find fascinating about the double barreled nature of this is, is that like Superman, the Fantastic Four is something that has been tried a number of times. Not that long ago.

[Aisha Harris]

Yes. So many times.

[Glenn Weldon]

So, yes, this is Fantastic Four first steps you're talking about. It comes out July 25th. Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, Eben Moss Bacharach. I think this one might work, though. And if it does, it's gonna do it for exactly the same reason that the Superman film coming out just a couple of weeks before it will work. Might work, is it's not afraid of its comic book roots. It's not apologizing for it or minimizing it. And specific, specifically, it's going back to the very thing that always set the Fantastic Four apart, which was a kind of visual and narrative aesthetic of retro future that is key. The promise of the future that we believed in back when the space age dawned, which was jet packs and flying cars and monorails and household robots and everything clean and bright and mid century modern. And some of us have been out here saying from our soapboxes for years that this is how you make the Fantastic Four movie work. It's a period piece. It has to be part of a past that never existed. It has to be an idealized version. I'm wrapping up here. But superhero films have always had a love hate, very weird relationship with the comics they come from. They've always believed that you cannot deliver exactly what's on the comic book page because that will never break through to a mainstream movie audience. I don't know if that's true. I really don't. But we are gonna know the answer to that by the end of this summer because these two films are gonna put that to the test.

I am interested to see how these go too, Glen. They're coming out close together. The first one is July 11th. That's Superman. And the second one is July 25th for Fantastic Four first steps. So I dig it, man. We're gonna see how it goes.

We'll see how it goes. I'm over here. Bart Simpson At Camp Krusty, just rocking back and forth saying, crypto is coming. Crypto is coming. Crypto is coming.

Absolutely. Again, Crypto the dog. All right, thank you very much, Glenn. Steven, you also went with a genre piece, but it is a slightly different genre. What is your first pick?

[Stephen Thompson]

In contrast to Glenn's dreams of a retro futuristic, space age, Jetsons style future world, I'm going the future as a world of torment.

[Aisha Harris]

So the present.

[Stephen Thompson]

So the present. I am going with Megan 2.0, or as we always pronounce this film, Math Regan. Math Regan came out in January of 2022. Was totally kind of buried among the January doldrums. Ended up being one of my favorite films of that year. Say what you will about AI and Lord knows I do, but AI has really revitalized the killer doll. Mo found, like, really clever beats and clever ways to comment on humanity's relationship with technology. In addition to this very memeable world in which this killer doll does these viral dances and plays Martika's toy soldiers on the piano and all these, like, clever little hits of menace.

[Glenn Weldon]

I really hope they don't overdo that in this one, I have to say. Like, I hope it's not all like, let's watch her dance 14 times, because now we know how much people like it.

[Stephen Thompson]

I mean, just as you don't want to overstate your excitement about something based on the trailer, you don't want to necessarily assume that the trailer is going to take on the exact tone of the film. The trailer that I saw really leans. They're playing Oops, I did it again over the course of the thing. And in this film, you know, like, the technology for Megan has been stolen. And so you basically have, you know, robot on robot warfare. Does it look like it takes the Megan concept and apply bloat to it? Absolutely. It's a sequel. But at the same time, I did laugh at one of the jokes in the trailer. I hope that this is a franchise that understands that it's not just about the fact that the doll does weird looking dances. It is about the fact that the doll represents humanity's desire to kind of use AI as a replacement for human connection. And like I said, I loved the first M3gan. I also loved Companion, which was another January dumping ground horror movie this year.

[Aisha Harris]

Right.

[Stephen Thompson]

So right now I'm just kind of coasting on the killer doll renaissance that AI has brought into the world. And I'm all in. And I really just hope that the filmmakers lean into the ideas associated with it. Because that's what I've really loved about this franchise so far.

[Aisha Harris]

Yeah, we've come a long way since, like, what was it? Talking Tina?

[Stephen Thompson]

Bride of Chucky.

[Aisha Harris]

Yeah, Bride of Chucky. Like all of us before that.

[Glenn Weldon]

Yes. My name is Talkie T Tina, and I'm going to kill you. I liked Megan. I thought it was very helpfully creepy. I don't care as much about robot on robot violence as I do robot on person violence. But we'll see how it goes. We'll see how it goes. And again, that one is coming out even sooner than the Superman and the fantastic four movies. That one is June 27th of 2025. Good pick. Happy to see it. My first pick is also probably no surprise to most people. It is not a small movie. It is Mission Impossible. The Final Reckoning. It is the eighth Tom Cruise led Mission Impossible movie. They certainly want you to think it's the last one. That's not legally binding on anybody. I don't think so. We shall see what happens. I've always found the plots of these impossible to follow and impossible to care about.

[Aisha Harris]

They don't matter. Yeah, I don't remember plot. I remember set pieces. I remember the train sequence and the.

[Glenn Weldon]

Car with Haley Atwell.

[Aisha Harris]

Yes, yes. Running a lot on tall buildings.

[Glenn Weldon]

Yeah, it's like, blah, blah, blah, plane, blah, blah, blah, motorcycle. But on that basis, I really, really do enjoy them. And I'm very excited to sit down and see this one at a gigantic screen. How are. How are you guys feeling about having another one of these approaching?

[Aisha Harris]

Yeah, my butt's already in the seat. Let's go. Let's do it.

[Glenn Weldon]

I'm there too, because I rewatched these back to back over the pandemic just to kind of like, you know, get into this universe before the next one came out. And they don't make more sense. But you do notice they're doing some subtle things with having the Ethan Hunt character kind of reckon with growing older, which means that Tom Cruise, the actor, producer, is reckoning with growing older in a way that seems it makes these films a little chewier than you expect them to be every time.

I do find myself slightly troubled by these scuttling of repeated brunettes for replacement brunettes.

[Aisha Harris]

But very bond in that way.

[Glenn Weldon]

Yes, that is sort of the way of these. I wish they would not do that. But I did like Haley Atwell in the last one, so, you know, I have high hopes for her. Maybe she'll make it.

[Aisha Harris]

I fear the day when Tom Cruise no longer can do Any of this stuff. Cause, like, what is he going to do? He seems like he'd be so fragile.

[Stephen Thompson]

He's gonna be so sad.

[Aisha Harris]

He'd be so fragile.

[Stephen Thompson]

I will be into it for the entire two and a half hours that I'm sitting in that seat, thoroughly entertained. And I will walk out of the theater and be like, I remember something about a plane.

[Aisha Harris]

Mm, yeah. That's by design.

[Glenn Weldon]

Like, 10 minutes after the movie's over, it's already gonna be, blah, blah, blah, motorcycle. That is true even of ones of these that I have seen several times. So that one is May 23rd. Mission Impossible. The Final reckoning. Aisha, you are finally ready to serve up a pick. And you. Oh, my goodness. Television. What?

[Aisha Harris]

I know. Did you know that that exists in the summertime? What? So my pick is actually even sooner than Mission Impossible. This will be streaming on max starting May 15th. And that is Duster. I'm kind of surprised that I picked this, but I was very curious by the logline and by the involvement here. We've got J.J. abrams and showrunner Latoya Morgan, who are executive producing the show. And it's set in the 1970s. The logline is a black female FBI agent who's played by Rachel Hilson, recruits a getaway driver played by Josh Holloway from Lost, lots of other shows. This black female agent recruits him to help take down the crime family that he works for. And I am very curious to see, you know, it's the 1970s. It's her being sort of the outsider in this world. I'm very curious to see how they work with that. I'm also just very excited to see Keith David, who is involved.

[Glenn Weldon]

I feel like I've been seeing him around a little bit recently.

[Aisha Harris]

He's working. He is a. He's a working actor, and I love that for him. My God, his voice is just smack beautiful.

[Stephen Thompson]

He is so good in everything. He touches everything.

[Aisha Harris]

Everything. I don't know too much else about it, but that's also why I'm so curious. And I think it would be really interesting to see how they play with this idea of, like, a black woman in the 70s in the FBI. The FBI, which was known for doing really, really horrible things to black radicalists and black civil rights leaders. So that is Duster, which begins streaming on Max on May 15th. Glenn, you're a sci fi fan like J.J. abrams. Does that spark your interest at all?

[Glenn Weldon]

Yeah, sure. Always. I'm always curious. And of course, as any J.J. abrams fan knows, if you spend any of your time Wondering, what's Greg Grunberg up to? You'll have your answer.

Well, and the interesting thing is J.J. abrams is now so associated with var sci Fi franchises, but for a lot of people, their affection for him goes back to Alias, which was of course a spy show. And so to me, this makes a lot of sense in this context. I will also say the synopsis that Max provides for this show does include the phrase goes from dangerous to wildly, stupidly dangerous. And I'm like, oh, yes, I'm in.

[Stephen Thompson]

Okay, yes, give me wild stupidity.

[Glenn Weldon]

Wildly, stupidly dangerous. Sounds like something I am definitely present for.

[Aisha Harris]

Yes, yes.

[Glenn Weldon]

And again, that is dust. It is streaming on Max starting on May 15th. Steven, you have one more pick. We are going back to the movie theaters. Tell me about this pick.

[Stephen Thompson]

Well, I'm going back to a well that I come back to often when we talk about summer projects we're excited about. I'm going to the Pixar well, and specifically I'm going to the movie Elio. It comes out June 20th. It's about a boy who's obsessed with outer space, wants to be abducted.

[Glenn Weldon]

The sequel to Call Me by youy Name.

[Stephen Thompson]

Yes, exactly. Dreams of going to outer space. He dreams of being abducted by aliens and he gets his wish. That's sort of the plot of the film. What drew me immediately to I'm gonna be first in line to put my butt in that seat are the directors of this film. There are three of them. There's Madeleine Sharafian, Domee Shi, who worked on Turning Red.

[Aisha Harris]

Yeah.

[Stephen Thompson]

And there's Adrian Molina who worked on Coco. Now if I were to rank my favorite Pixar movies, which I always keep meaning to do, definitely top 10, probably top five, I would put Turning Red and Coco and kind of the combination of those two films is where all that Pixar magic lives. Right. It's deeply insightful character beats crossed with tear jerking sentimentality that doesn't get cloying or hopefully doesn't get cloying. And so to me, I look at these directors sensibilities combining and I am 100% in. This film looks adorable. It's about the friendship between a boy and an alien. But what I'm really interested in is what these directors are bringing to this story.

[Glenn Weldon]

All right, so that is Elio. It is coming on June 20th. Thank you very much, Steven. My second and final pick, I believe the soonest of these things to drop. It will be streaming on May 1st on Prime Video. We should note that Amazon supports NPR and pays to distribute Some of our content. I am talking, of course, about another simple favor. The movie A Simple Favor, which came out in 2018, featured Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick in a kind of clash of women, kind of circling each other in a way that was sort of a thriller, and it's sort of a comedy, and it's sort of a movie about who people really are. But it keeps kind of going back to this comic tone that I very much appreciated. It was directed, as this is by Paul Feig, who is somebody that I really admire particularly for his work in comedies with women. My expectations for this movie are relatively tame because what I really loved about the first movie was, A, the performances and B, this interesting kind of tonal thing they were doing where Blake Lively was very much like, femme fatale type and Anna Kendrick was kind of perky YouTube mom type. I loved the styling of it. Visual kind of aesthetic of the movie I really loved. All I really want is to get more of the things that I enjoyed about the first one. I don't know that I needed another one. I don't know that I would look at this story and say, I need to know more about what happens after this ends. Aisha, I know that you have already seen Another Simple Favor, and you basically have told me that it is very much more of what the first one was.

[Aisha Harris]

Yeah. Just set in Capri, which is a beautiful place, don't get me wrong.

[Stephen Thompson]

It looks gorgeous.

[Aisha Harris]

It's gorgeous. The only thing I will say about this movie that I have already seen is gowns. Beautiful, beautiful Blake Lively gowns. I gotcha. No, seriously, the outfits are like Chef's Kiss. Like, loved it.

[Glenn Weldon]

And that was true of the first ones, too. There is some suit and tie work with Blake Lively in the first one that is really sublime. So I'm excited. Again, that is another simple favor. Streaming on prime video on May 1, we have one more pick, and of course, it is coming from our great pal, Aisha Harris.

[Aisha Harris]

Yes. Yes. Well, I think I've been kind of missing out on a specific genre lately. I've been craving it. I don't know why. Maybe I just want to return to my youth, but I've missed the, like, hey, we're hanging out and we're in our 20s, and we're irresponsible and we, like, don't know what to do about life kind of shows. Exactly. I was ever a friends person, but, you know, living single or more recently, something like new girl, or. I mean, they're in their 30s, I think, but, like, happy endings, like that kind of show. We're all friends and we hang out.

[Glenn Weldon]

You're understood, you're among friends.

[Aisha Harris]

Exactly, exactly. So I am very curious about and looking forward to the new TV show Adults, which is going to be premiering on FX on May 28 and then streaming the next day on Hulu. This is from some creators I'm not too familiar with with Ben Cronengold and Rebecca Shaw, but the executive producers of this give me hope and give me, you know, we don't know their involvement, but gives me hope that they've given their stamp of approval. Anyway, you've got Nick Kroll and Stephanie Robinson. Stephanie Robinson, you probably know from Atlanta, what we do in the shadows. So I'm in. This could be fun. And the basic premise of this show is that there are five friends living together. So, like, it's not even just like they all live in the same city. They live together in one of their childhood homes. So giving very Gen Z, slash, millennial, like, we can't afford. We can't even afford to live together in our own place. The log line here that FX is giving us is like, whether they're trying to get ahead at work, navigating the healthcare system, hosting a dinner party, or dating in the age of find my friends, blah, blah, blah, blah. I'm like, oh, okay, these are all catchwords. I'm curious. Healthcare, dinner party, I'm in. And the cast includes some, I think for people who are very online or of a certain age, they'll probably be familiar with them. The one name that popped out for me is Owen Thiel. He is someone who's appeared in Theater Camp and like one episode of Hacks. So I was like, ooh, this could be fun. Like, yes. So, yeah, I'm excited for this. F tends to have things that I enjoy or at least admire. And so I'm looking forward to Adults. I just kind of want to see what the perspective is right now of being like a 20 something now and hoping to get some insight from TV. I guess I could also talk to actual 20 somethings, but, you know.

[Stephen Thompson]

Oh, no, no, no. You want to watch this instead?

[Glenn Weldon]

I don't recommend that.

[Aisha Harris]

So, yes, that is Adults, and it's premiering on FX May 28, and then it'll be streaming on Hulu.

[Glenn Weldon]

Yeah, it sounds like a good hang. I am not familiar with any of these actors, so it's gonna be a clean slate for me. I'll check it out.

Yeah, very good. Again, Adults is premiering on FX on May 28 and then streaming on Hulu. Well we wann you are looking forward to watching this summer. Find [e-mail] PCHH up next, what's making us happy this week?

[Linda Holmes]

This message comes from Charles Schwab. When it comes to managing your wealth, Schwab gives you more choices like full service, wealth management and advice when you need it. You can also invest on your own and trade on thinkorswim. Visit schwab.com to learn more. This message comes from NPR sponsor Home Instead, the largest in home Senior Care Network. Home Instead knows that while you might need help with some things, there are others you want to handle on your own, like Monday morning Sudoku. That's why Home Instead provides adaptable care plans from qualified, compassionate caregivers that know how to lend a hand when you need it most, giving you the peace of mind you and your family deserve. Learn [e-mail] HomeInstead for a better what's next?

[Glenn Weldon]

This message comes from NPR sponsor Disney. Season 1 of Andor had critics calling it the best Star wars series yet. Season two of the Emmy nominated series is now streaming on Disney. Follow Cassian Andor as he embarks on a path from a rebel to a hero, starring Diego Luna and from creator Tony Gilroy, writer of Michael Clayton and the Bourne Identity. Season two of Andor is now streaming only on Disney. This message comes from NPR sponsor the official Hacks podcast from Max. Hacks is back for another season and so is the podcast. Unpack each episode of Hacks with help from the creators, cast and crew. Listen to the official Hacks podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

[Linda Holmes]

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[Glenn Weldon]

Now it's time for our favorite segment of this week and every week. What's making us happy this week? Glenn Weldon what is making you happy this week?

Bruce Valanche is a veteran writer of television. He is also, not for nothing, an elder stakesqueer of comedy. His IMDb page is longer than a CBS receipt. He's written for every award show under the sun, a lot of 70s variety shows when they were doing that, and in his new book, which is called It Seemed Like a Bad Idea at the Time, the Worst TV Shows in History and Other Things I Wrote, he looks back over his career and dishes about his experience of what it's like being in the writers room for things like The Star Wars Holiday Special. Oh, God. The Brady Bunch Variety Hour. Donnie and Marie. The Paul Lynde Halloween Special. Rob Lowe dancing to Proud Mary with Snow White at the Oscars.

[Aisha Harris]

Oh, my God. He's a legend.

[Glenn Weldon]

He's a legend. He's exactly what you want him to be, right? He's funny, he's self deprecating. He's schmoozy and gossipy. He's also very clear, right, about what he's doing or did. He provides context that I think is context I had never thought about. You know, a lot of folks online will pull up something like the Brady Bunch Friday or like, who wanted this? Turns out everybody wanted this. That's why it was made. It was broadcasting. Right. There was no niche entertainment. That was monoculture. There were variety shows because you wanted to offer people a variety of things, and you're offering it to everybody. You are trying to give absolutely everybody a little something that they like that is. It seemed like a bad idea at the time by Bruce Vilach.

Thank you for that, Glenn. Aisha Harris, what is making you happy this week?

[Aisha Harris]

Well, I don't love the name of this band called what, but I do very much enjoy their music. They are an indie pop group from Brooklyn, and they recently released a new album that I have just been devouring. It's called Two Lives. Yeah, they are the type of indie pop group from Brooklyn that does, like, like, very dreamy, synthy, bedroom pop. Very wistful, very summery. Very summery. 95% of the time, I don't know what they're saying, but the melody, just, like, it takes over and I love just all the. The instrumentation and the music, it just. It makes me happy. One of my favorite songs off of this new album is called Rosie. Let's hear a little bit of.

[Glenn Weldon]

Now. Let me get my feet hard right now.

Also very Steven Thompsonian. I will say.

[Aisha Harris]

Yes. I was gonna say yes. Yes. Steven, you've heard. You've heard of Wet, right?

[Stephen Thompson]

Yeah. Oh, yeah. Aisha. The Venn diagram of Aisha's tastes and mine. It overlaps.

[Aisha Harris]

Yes, yes, yes. So it's sugar to me. I love it. So that is the band Wet, and their album is called Two Lives.

[Glenn Weldon]

All right, thank you very much. Aisha Harris, the band what playing second base. Stephen Thompson, what is making you happy this week?

[Stephen Thompson]

Well, if I'd had a third pick in our summer preview, I would have gone music. I would have talked about one of my favorite bands right now, a Canadian group called the Beaches. Talk about Ayesha Kaur. Talk about your summer jams. Talk about trotted out for your Pride Month celebration. The album doesn't come out until August 29th, their new record, but the singles that have dropped already have been fantastic and I just hope the Beaches spend the entire summer of 2025 just dropping one banger at a time in the lead up to the release of this album. The single that is currently catching on and will be soundtracking I am sure many pride parties is called Last Girls at the Party. Let's hear a little bit of it.

[Glenn Weldon]

We're not leaving gonna be the last.

[Aisha Harris]

That Venn diagram, it's anthemic. Venn diagram, It's a circle.

[Stephen Thompson]

Yeah. The Venn diagram for Ayesha Kaur is is big. May this song replace closing time in all party and bar playlists going forward to the end of time. This song is a jam. It's big fun. Everything this band has put out is so infused with light and joy and just hooks on top of hooks on top of hooks. They're super charming. I'm really excited about this record and like I said, I wish it were coming out at the beginning of the summer so we could all just crank it all summer long. But it's coming out August 29th. It's the beaches and the album is called no Hard Feelings.

[Glenn Weldon]

Thank you, Steven. What is making me happy this week? Every once in a while I go digging deep into documentaries about film itself and one of the ones that I was watching this week is a documentary called Room 237, which I have seen before, but I was watching it again. It is about the many odd fan theories that exist about the movie the Shining. Do I believe all of these theories, including the guy who believes that this movie was made as a sly way for Kubrick to acknowledge that he helped fake the moon landing? Not really. I do not think that that is is true, I will say. But I think what I like about it is they kind of leave room for an explanation of how people can find anything if they spend enough time looking. I just like the way that this documentary dives into that kind of super analysis over analysis and where it takes people. That documentary is called Room 237. I rented it it on streaming. You can rent it, you can find it. It's out there and it is one of my favorite documentaries about film. That is what is making me happy this week. If you want links for what we recommended plus some additional recommendations, sign up for our [e-mail] popculture newsletter that brings us to the end of our show. Stephen Thompson, Aisha Harris, Glenn Weldon, thank you so much for being here.

[Aisha Harris]

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

[Glenn Weldon]

This episode this episode is produced by Liz Metzger and edited by Jessica Reedy and Mike Katzeff. Hello. Come in. Provides our theme music. Thanks for listening to Pop Culture Happy Hour from npr. I'm Linda Holtz and we'll see you all next week.

[Linda Holmes]

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