Yes, I'm Still Watching! - A TV Podcast

Come on grab your friends, we’ll go to very distant lands… with Esra Erol, Mallory Johns, and Gina Chen, the humans and your podcast hosts. We’re back with a new season, new discussions on what’s worthwhile viewing, and a new name—The Essentials is now Yes, I’m Still Watching!

This week, we’ve been catching up on the Cartoon Network neo-classic, Adventure Time. Esra shares how it’s helped her get through the pandemic; Gina pays tribute to the many princesses of the Land of Ooo; and Mallory considers what’s the best way to watch a kids’ show as an adult.

Thanks for being a subscriber to our podcast! If you’re in the mood for another animated classic, Mallory’s is ride-or-die for Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

Thanks also for your support during this first season! We’re excited to share our second season in the next weeks and to continue this passion project. Let us know what you’d love for us to cover on a future episode. 😊

Get on the email list at yesstillwatching.substack.com

This week on The Essentials, Mallory, Esra, and Gina take on time, as it’s experienced within the series 24 and how the world has evolved since the show first came out, almost twenty years ago. Mallory gets passionately personal, and likens Jack Bauer to a modern-day Odysseus; Gina gives in to the pull of story and celebrates viewing without commercials, and Esra wades into the show’s problematic legacy.

Thanks for being a subscriber to our podcast! If you’re in the mood for another aughts’ throwbacks, Mallory’s other go-to-fav is The West Wing.

Thanks also for your support during this first season! We’re prepping for Season 2, to drop in the fall, and would love to hear your feedback on what you’ve listened to. Hit that reply button to let us know what you’d love for us to cover on a future episode. 😊

Get on the email list at yesstillwatching.substack.com

This week on The Essentials, Mallory, Esra, and Gina consider the essentialism and celebrate the joy of two shows, Pose and Legendary. Mallory declares the dancers of Legendary TV’s most athletic, Esra shares some learnings about trans representation in film and television, and Gina makes the case that audiences have evolved beyond the need for Trojan horses in storytelling.

Thanks for being a subscriber to our podcast! We usually recommend one of our other podcast episodes in this space, but this week, we really do think you should just go and watch these two shows. Or check out Disclosure, the documentary discussed by Esra this week. Got some feedback for us, or have a suggestion for what we should cover next? Please leave us a review or email us at theessentials@substack.com.

Get on the email list at yesstillwatching.substack.com

This week on The Essentials, Mallory, Esra, and Gina go see a Star War on the small screen. Mallory goes deep into how the animated series offers redemption to the storylines of the Prequel films, Esra applauds the layered complexities added to Anakin Skywalker, and Gina ponders the deep-rooted contradictions that make up the franchise.

Thanks for being a subscriber to our podcast! If you’re in the mood for more political intrigue and new depths added to familiar characters, we recommend checking out Boardwalk Empire and Mrs. America. Got some feedback for us, or have a suggestion for what we should cover next? Please leave us a review or email us at theessentials@substack.com.

Get on the email list at yesstillwatching.substack.com

This week on The Essentials, Gina, Mallory, and Esra discuss detective duos and new takes on familiar characters. Gina argues why Elementary is the best TV adaptation of Sherlock Holmes and Esra marvels at how seriously the show takes its elaborate murders. Meanwhile, Mallory argues that we should instead be discussing Castle. We all admire Lucy Liu in suits.

Thanks for being a subscriber to our podcast! If you’re into a more auteur take on hunting down murderers, we previously discussed the visceral delights of Hannibal. Looking for comfort? The West Wing is an ever-reliable political procedural. Got some feedback for us, or have a suggestion for what we should cover next? Please leave us a review or email us at theessentials@substack.com.

Get on the email list at yesstillwatching.substack.com

This week on The Essentials, Mallory, Esra, and Gina wade into the literal and figurative darkness of Hannibal. Mallory gets into why the score is unlike any other you’ll hear on TV; Esra expounds on the show’s unique approach to food; and Gina goes full nerd on the series’ text, subtext, and intertextuality, particularly in relation to the Renaissance and Christianity.

Thanks for being a subscriber to our podcast! If you’re really in the mood for dramas about death, with style and stacked casts, we recommend Boardwalk Empire. If you’re in the mood for a comedy, with death and style and stacked casts, we recommend What We Do in the Shadows. Got some feedback for us, or have a suggestion for what we should cover next? Please leave us a review or email us at theessentials@substack.com.

Get on the email list at yesstillwatching.substack.com

This week on The Essentials, Mallory, Esra, and Gina continue time-traveling, diving into the Prohibition power plays of Boardwalk Empire. Esra ponders the best (and the worst) bad characters; Mallory assesses the history depicted; Gina follows the money and finds Faust; and we all stan for the inimitable Steve Buscemi.

Thanks for being a subscriber to our podcast! In case you missed them, check out our other discussions on period dramas: The West Wing and Mrs. America. If you’d like to share feedback to us directly, or let us know which show you think we should cover next, please leave us a review or email us at theessentials@substack.com.

Get on the email list at yesstillwatching.substack.com

This week on The Essentials, Mallory, Esra, and Gina get lost in the history of Mrs. America. Mallory loves a good character study — and this show delivered with well-developed characters, from Phyllis Schlafly (Cate Blanchett) to Shirley Chisholm (Uzo Aduba); Gina and Esra agree: Tracey Ullman wowed as Betty Friedan.

Thanks for being a subscriber to our podcast! In case you missed them, check out our first three episodes: Normal People, The West Wing, and What We Do in the Shadows. If you’d like to share feedback to us directly, or let us know which show you think we should cover next, please leave us a review or email us at theessentials@substack.com.

Get on the email list at yesstillwatching.substack.com

This week on The Essentials, Mallory, Esra, and Gina are wracked with laughter at the undead antics that take place in What We Do In the Shadows. Gina admits to growing warm feelings for Staten Island and indulging in the silliness of pure fantasy; Esra breaks down inspirations and references in adapting the film to TV; Mallory marvels at the depth of reference to other pop culture vampires and gives a list of guest actors she demands to have on the show in future seasons. Full transcript and other supplemental links.

Get on the email list at yesstillwatching.substack.com

This week on The Essentials, Mallory, Esra, and Gina wind back the clock to 1999 to talk about The West Wing. Mallory shares about the comfort of rewatching a favorite show and waxes on how real life and fiction intertwined; Esra laments how poor her history teachers were and how the show was surprising; Gina wrestles with mixed feelings. Full transcript and other supplemental links.

Get on the email list at yesstillwatching.substack.com

Listen now (36 min) | This week on The Essentials, Mallory, Esra, and Gina get whisked into the aching love story Normal People. Esra assesses its success as an adaptation of Sally Rooney’s acclaimed novel, Mallory talks traveling to Ireland during the time in which the show is set, Gina discusses blushes, and everyone chats about the

Get on the email list at yesstillwatching.substack.com