Podcast
The Protagonist Podcast
Hosted by Dueling Genre Productions · EN
Each week we discuss a great character in a great story. Hosted by Joseph J. Darowski.
33episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Genre and Categorization (special 2026)
Mar 1600:58:46Tap to summarizeDescription Returning guest Kjerste Christensen joins Joe for an open-ended discussion about genre. Why do genres labels exist, what purposes do they serve, whom do they benefit? We cover a lot of ground on this broad topic, and fortunately Kjerste is an expert on this topic.
Transcribe →Pippin Dale from Welcome to the Maynard (comic 2025)
Mar 900:49:13Tap to summarizeDescription Returning guest John Darowski joins Joe to discuss Pippin “Pip” Dale from the comic book Welcome to the Maynard. This mini-series by writer James Robinson, artist J. Bone colorist, and letterer Jim Campbell tells the story of a new bellhop at a hotel for magic users who gets pulled into a supernatural miniseries. Support Patreon Show Notes James Robinson – Wikipedia J. Bone – Wikipedia
Transcribe →James Bond from Skyfall (film 2012)
Mar 200:56:45Tap to summarizeDescription Returning guest George Tsakiridis joins Joe to discuss James Bond from the film Skyfall. Because we’re talking about an extremely successful multimedia franchise, we spend a lot of time discussing trivia. Then we tackle our favorite James Bond film, 2012’s Skyfall. Support Patreon Show Notes James Bond – Wikipedia Ian Fleming – Wikipedia Skyfall – Wikipedia
Transcribe →Wilbur and Charlotte from Charlotte’s Web (novel 1952)
Feb 2300:54:47Tap to summarizeDescription Returning guest Kestra Darowski joins Producer Andrew and Joe to discuss E.B. White’s classic children’s novel Charlotte’s Web. We chose to cover this novel because Kestra and Andrew’s kids were reading Charlotte’s Web for school, and we had no idea where the discussion was going to go. In the end, we were pleasantly surprised with where our conversation led us. Support Patreon Show Notes Charlotte’s Web – Wikipedia E.B. White – Wikipedia
Transcribe →Ron Swanson from Parks and Rec (TV 2009)
Feb 1600:55:46Tap to summarizeDescription First-time guest Alasdair Green joins Joe to discuss Ron Swanson from Parks and Rec. Parks and Rec aired 125 episodes between 2009-2015 and Nick Offerman’s Ron Swanson was an iconic character from the series. Support Patreon Show Notes Parks and Rec – Wikipedia Ron Swanson – Wikipedia
Transcribe →The Unnamed Antagonist from “This Man…This Monster” in Fantastic Four #51 (comic 1966)
Feb 900:52:06Tap to summarizeDescription Returning guest Nik English joins Joe to discuss one of the classic Fantastic Four stories by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee, “This Man…This Monster!” It tells the story of an unnamed antagonist who takes the place of the Thing in an effort to get revenge on Mr. Fantastic but ends up inspired by Reed Richards’ selflessness. Support Patreon Show Notes Fantastic Four – Wikipedia Jack Kirby – Wikipedia Stan Lee – Wikipedia
Transcribe →GoundPod Day 2026 (special)
Feb 201:07:33Tap to summarizeDescription It’s GroundPod Day! Every year, Nicole Freim, Chris “Mav” Maverick, Andrew Darowski, and Joe Darowski get together to discuss Groundhog Day. This year, we are joined by special guest Chris Bingham to once again analyze the classic film.
Transcribe →Snow White in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (film 1937)
Jan 2601:07:51Tap to summarizeDescription Returning guest Kestra Darowski joins Producer Andrew and Joe to discuss the iconic 1937 film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. After talking about lots of trivia and then the evil Queen for a good while, they do get around to discussing Snow White too. Support Patreon Show Notes Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs – Wikipedia
Transcribe →Harry Houdini in Imprisoned with the Pharoahs (short story 1924)
Jan 1900:53:14Tap to summarizeDescription Returning guest John Darowski joins Joe to discuss a short story about Harry Houdini being captured in Egypt and having a (potentially supernatural) adventure. Though credited to Houdini at the time of publication in the pulp magazine Weird Tales, the story was written H.P. Lovecraft. Support Patreon Show Notes Under the Pyramids – Wikipedia H,P, Lovecraft – Wikipedia Harry Houdini – Wikipedia
Transcribe →Simon Templar from The Saint (tv 1962)
Jan 1200:54:29Tap to summarizeDescription Producer Andrew and Joe are discussing a classic tv series, The Saint. The Saint is a character that first appeared in short stories and novels, but has been adapted into many different types of media. We’re discussing the British tv series from the 1960s that starred Roger Moore before he played James Bond in that film series. Support Patreon Show Notes The Saint – Wikipedia Leslie Charteris – Wikipedia The Saint (tv series) – Wikipedia
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