A Very Special Episode

AVSEPod Episode 143: Super Mario Bros. Super Show - "Bonkers from Yonkers"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 20 May 2024 00:00:00 -0500

Hey Paisanos! We are back with a brand new episode and a Very Special guest! Join Carolyn, David, and Shane Hosea as they jump into a pipe and discuss The Super Mario Bros. Super Show season 1 episode 7, "Bonkers from Yonkers"! There's pasta, therapy, screaming like a chicken, and more!

So put on a spaghetti dinner for orphans, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Be sure to listen to Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode143.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 142: Alf - "Alf's Special Christmas"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 1 Jan 2024 00:00:00 -0600

Happy New year! We are concluding our holiday coverage this year by watching the infamous Alf Christmas special, in which Alf learns the true meaning of Christmas (?) from a dying girl, then pulls a Zack & Tori with Mrs. Belding and helps deliver a baby in an elevator, and rounds out his holiday by stopping someone from committing suicide. Join David, Carolyn and Austin as they muse on Willy Tanner's age, rage at Alf pulling a Michelle, and lambast parents for abandoning their sick kids at the hospital on Christmas Eve.

So keep an eye out for Alf's puppet legs, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Be sure to listen to Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode142.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 141: Santa Claus is Coming to Town

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Thu, 21 Dec 2023 00:00:00 -0600

Ho ho ho! Our annual holiday celebration continues with Santa Claus is Coming to Town, a Rankin-Bass claymation special that some (Austin) describe as "the Star Wars Prequels for Santa"! Join Carolyn, David and Austin as they discuss the merits of live versions of songs, debate the moral implications of The Santa Clause, and wonder what happened to Jesus' afterbirth!

So put away your toys before Burgermeister Meisterburger can slip on them, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Be sure to listen to Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode141.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 140: How the Grinch Stole Christmas

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 4 Dec 2023 00:00:00 -0600

Ahoo doray, ahoo doray! Me-Who-rry Christmas everyone! We are kicking off our annual look at Very Special Christmas episodes with that seminal favorite, How the Grinch Stole Christmas! Join Carolyn, David, and Austin as they question the mechanics of Who society, discuss whether "Thurl Ravenscroft" is the greatest name in history, and ponder (sigh) what else might have grown three sizes that day.

So grab your last can of Who-hash, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Be sure to listen to Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode140.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 139: Go On - "Dinner Takes All"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 00:00:00 -0600

Gobble gobble! Take a break from all your Cyber Monday-ing with our brand new Thanksgiving/Matthew Perry tribute episode! Join Carolyn, Austin and David as they discuss the fondly (?) remembered (?) early 2010s Matthew Perry vehicle, Go On, including which sports ball teams map to which Thanksgiving dinner family archetypes, the effectiveness of office kitchens, and the surprising sexiness of a Muzcle Hunkxxx stealing your drink.

So queue up some Vivaldi, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Be sure to listen to Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode139.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 138: Bob's Burgers - "The Hauntening"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 30 Oct 2023 00:00:00 -0500

Happy Halloween, boils and ghouls! We're back with a Very Spooktacular Episode just in time for Halloween. Join Austin, Carolyn, and David as they review Bob's Burgers season six, episode three,
"The Hauntening". Along the way, they debate which type of pasta is the scariest, discuss the difference between every day and formal cloaks, and dive back into dissecting the Saved by the Bell mystery weekend episode!

So ask a zombie to the prombie, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Be sure to listen to Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode138.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 137: Stunt Dawgs - "Freedom of Screech"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 7 Aug 2023 00:00:00 -0500

Stunt Daaaaawgs! Join us for the conclusion of our unofficial DiC animation summer marathon for "Freedom of Screech", an episode of the fever dream-like Stunt Dawgs that, unfortunately, has nothing to do with everyone's favorite Saved by the Bell nerd (or dogs doing stunts). Instead, join Carolyn, David & Austin as they try to make sense of the Stunt Dawgs universe and revel in some classic 90s commercials!

So subscribe for just four easy payments of $19.99 a month, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Be sure to listen to Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode137.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 136: Rainbow Brite - "Mom"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 26 Jun 2023 00:00:00 -0500

We are back after an unofficial hiatus while the AVSE family got a little bigger (and cuter)! This week, we are continuing our (also unofficial) DiC marathon by reviewing season 1 episode 7 of Rainbow Brite, "Mom", in which Murky Dismal's mother comes to visit and reawakens some childhood trauma that explains his otherwise odd crusade against color! Join Carolyn, David, and Austin as they talk flying Winnebagos, inexplicable mustaches, and try to make sense of the rainbow economy.

So mount your horse bareback, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Be sure to listen to Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode136.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 135: Captain Planet - "A Formula For Hate"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 3 Apr 2023 00:00:00 -0500

Who's ready to bring pollution down to zero?!? By their powers combined, Austin, Carolyn, and David are back and reviewing a Very Special episode of a 90s animated TV touchstone, in which a rat creature puts on a trench coat, hangs out at a high school, and makes everyone hate a kid with HIV for...reasons! Along the way, the AVSE-teers discuss the Kinkos Code, ponder the environmental merits of track-and-field, and ask the question on everyone's mind: does Captain Planet fuck?

So commit a HIPPA violation, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Be sure to listen to Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode135.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 134: Review - "Pancakes, Divorce, Pancakes"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 13 Feb 2023 00:00:00 -0600

Happy Valentines Day, everyone! This week, we celebrate love by reviewing a review of divorce as we look at Review season 1 episode 03, "Pancakes, Divorce, Pancakes"! Join Carolyn, Austin, and David as they discuss the show Review, play FMK with waffles, pancakes, and French toast, and debate the comedic limits of having misery foisted on people for laughs.

So wolf down an obscene amount of panckes, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Be sure to listen to Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode134.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 133: A Charlie Brown Christmas

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Fri, 23 Dec 2022 00:00:00 -0600

Can't anyone tell us what Christmas is all about?!? Join David, Carolyn, and Austin as they tackle the question by discussing the commercialization of Christmas-skewing seminal animated holiday classic, A Charlie Brown Christmas (brought to you by the good folks at Coca-Cola)! Along the way, they discuss the history of the Mall of America, something called "damp napping"(?), and the raw sexual chemistry between Charlie Brown and Lucy.

So do your best Snoopy dance, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Be sure to listen to Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode133.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 132: Beverly Hills, 90210 - "It's a Totally Happening Life"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Tue, 13 Dec 2022 00:00:00 -0600

Happy Holidays from the 90s! This week, we return to our (well, Austin's) favorite zip code for a Very Special Christmas episode featuring those smoldering "teens" of Beverly Hills, 90210, in which a pair of angels (yes, really) enact a It's a Wonderful Life pastiche that is less about aping the movie and more about pointing out that the movie just, you know, exists. Join Austin, Carolyn, and David as they discuss poofy hair, what it means to "trim" the tree, and question just how much 90210 is too much 90210. God may or may not intervene.

So take a comical chug from your fifth of Jack to broadcast how drunk you are, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Be sure to listen to Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode132.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 131: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Tue, 6 Dec 2022 00:00:00 -0600

Ho ho ho! We kickoff our Christmas coverage this week with a look at the Rankin-Bass stop-motion classic, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, the special which taught us all the true meaning of Christmas: that differences are meant to be mocked unless/until they become exploitable by the state! Join Carolyn, David and Austin as they debate Thin Santa vs. Fat Santa, discuss David's fear of stop-motion puppetry, and above all, marvel at the extreme dickishness of Santa's reindeer.

So befriend a bumble, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Be sure to listen to Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode131.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 130: Murder, She Wrote - "Indian Giver"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 21 Nov 2022 04:00:00 -0600

It's an Angela Lansbury memorial and Thanksgiving-adjacent episode as David, Carolyn, and Austin visit the murder capital of the world in Murder, She Wrote season 4, episode 10 "Indian Giver" (don't blame them, they didn't title it)! When a mysterious stranger in stereotypical American Indian garb hurls a spear at the Founder Days celebration and claims to own the town of Cabot Cove, racial invectives are hurled with abandon, leaving it to town busybody and everyone's favorite mystery-writing cool old lady Jessica Fletcher to get to the bottom of things per usual.

So dump all the beach sand out of your shoes, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Be sure to listen to Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode130.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 129: Brooklyn 99 - "Halloween"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 31 Oct 2022 00:00:00 -0500

Happy Halloween! We are wrapping up our celebration of the spoooooky season with the inaugural "Halloween heist" episode of Brooklyn 99, in which Jakes bets Holt he can steal a medal from his office before midnight, thereby proving he is an amazing detective/genius. Join Austin, Carolyn, and David as they talk celebrity chef sex crimes, share peanut butter and jelly sandwich recipes, and examine the Halloween costume effort/reward matrix!

So put on your royal baby man costume, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Be sure to listen to Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode129.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 128: Friday the 13th - "Hate On Your Dial"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 3 Oct 2022 15:50:00 -0500

Happy Halloween boys and ghouls! We are kicking off the spooky season with an episode of Friday the 13th: The Series, in which Jason Voorhees slaughters unruly teens with a radio! Just kidding, Jason's not actually in this (or any) episode. But there is a blood-powered time-traveling car! Join Carolyn, David, and Austin as they discuss the bait-and-switch in the series' title, sexy cousins, and the poor handling of cursed antiques!

So feel old doing the Macarena, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Be sure to listen to Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode128.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 127: Boy Meets World - "The Happiest Show on Earth"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 22 Aug 2022 00:00:00 -0500

Our Summer of Disney comes to a close this week, as we journey back to the ~~happiest~~ most magical play on Earth with Boy Meets World, in an episode in which Corey dials up his stalker setting and chases Topanga all the way to Disneyworld! Join David, Carolyn, and Austin as they discuss dolphin throuples, delight at more dummy play, and marvel at how this episode confidently positions Corey as some kind of smoking heartthrob women can't stop kissing!

So marvel at Carolyn's knowledge of creepy things, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Be sure to listen to Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode127.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 126: Full House - "The House Meets the Mouse Parts 1 & 2"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 1 Aug 2022 00:00:00 -0500

Our Summer of Disney continues with a trip across the country to America's wang, as the Tanner family heads to Disneyworld in the two-part "The House Meets the Mouse"! Join Carolyn, David and Austin as they obsess about exactly how much time actually passes in the course of the episode, learn a lesson in benevolent monarchy, and lament the absence of horny president robots.

So inappropriately kiss everyone in your vicinity, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Be sure to listen to Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode126.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 125: Blossom - "Of Mice and Men"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 11 Jul 2022 00:00:00 -0500

Whoa!

Our "Summer of Disney" kicks off with a long overdue look at a seminal 90s sitcom, Blossom! Join Carolyn, David, and Austin as they journey into the land of Disney with Blossom and the gang and discuss earringed dads, Horned Up Robo-Lincoln, and the return of Disney Finger.

Plus, an old feud is put to rest...or is it?!?

So kiss your cousin, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Be sure to listen to Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode125.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 124: Seinfeld - "The Contest"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 30 May 2022 00:00:00 -0500

Our unofficial Problem Child trilogy concludes with a Very Special Episode of Seinfeld, in which the core four enter into a contest to see which one can remain "master of their domain" the longest! Join David, Carolyn, and Austin (masters of their domain, all) as they discuss the deft turns the episode makes to avoid saying "masturbation", the surprising hotness of JFK Jr., and the appeals of a sponge bath.

So check out the window across the street, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Be sure to listen to Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode124.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 123: Married...with Children - "Ship Happens"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 25 Apr 2022 00:00:00 -0500

The grim specter of death inspires us once again, as this week we pay tribute to the recently departed Gilbert Gottfried with a Very Special Married...with Children in which everyone's favorite parrot from Aladdin entertains Al, Peg, Jefferson and Marcy after a shipwreck. Join Carolyn, David, and Austin as they discuss Gottfried's career, the drinking of one's urine, and the relative market value of the Bundy home.

So put on Alfred Hitchcock's Lifeboat, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Be sure to listen to Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode123.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 122: Three's Company - "The Charming Stranger"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 28 Mar 2022 00:00:00 -0500

Come and knock on our door, we've been waiting for you! It's time for an all new Very Special Episode, and this week, Carolyn and David are joined by Very Special Guest Greg Bigoni to discuss Three's Company season 8 episode 11 "The Charming Stranger". It's the most horny episode of a surprisingly un-horny show, featuring pantyhose, the wonder of Don Knotts, and puppet men!

So experience the wardrobe malfunction that posthumously defined a career, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, follow Greg on Instagram @dollartaconite, check out his shop on Redbubble and visit him on Tumbl-y-or.

Be sure to listen to Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode122.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 121: 3rd Rock From the Sun - "Dick Puts the Id in Cupid"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 14 Feb 2022 00:00:00 -0600

It's a horny alien Valentines Day as David, Carolyn, and Austin spend the holiday in the embrace of 3rd Rock from the Sun's "Dick Puts the Id in Cupid", in which Dick pushes the boundaries of psychiatry, Tommy gives his girlfriend the gift of him having sex with a frictionless sex genie, Sally takes a secret admirer note the wrong way, and French Stewart...does that squinty look thing.

So turn off the pay-per-view, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to listen to Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode121.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 120: Boy Meets World- "If You Can't Be With the One You Love..."

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 31 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0600

This week we are ringing in the new year with a return to Boy Meets World, the sitcom starring everyone's second-favorite Savage brother, for a Very Special episode about how if you're not careful, drinking too much will make you more likeable and fun to be around! Carolyn, David, and Austin clink their glasses then dive into such topics as cigarette vending machines in schools, hideous puppet golems in store windows, and the question of who exactly in this show is actually likeable?

So steal a pint of whiskey from your dad, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to listen to Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode120.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 119: Cavemen - "Caveman Holiday"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 27 Dec 2021 00:00:00 -0600

~~Merry Christmas~~ ~~Happy Boxing Day~~ Merry Long Night everyone! Our holiday coverage concludes this week with a Very Special holiday episode of Cavemen, the sitcom inspired by insurance commercials starring cavemen who apparently were NOT recently thawed out in the present like Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer was. Join Carolyn, David, and Austin as they discuss horny cave people, the proper way to prepare a whole cow, and the glory that is French Stewart!

So put down that holiday roast you're cradling in your arms, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to listen to Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode119.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 118: Hercules The Legendary Journeys - "A Star to Guide Them"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 13 Dec 2021 00:00:00 -0600

Christmas coverage continues this week as David and Austin, like a pair of hunky wandering Greek heroes, discuss an episode of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys in which the title character participates in a thinly-veiled riff on the Nativity Story and seemingly witnesses the birth of Jesus. Join them as they try to figure out exactly how that's possible for a character from a time that was once referred to as "Before Christ", do their best to get cancelled without Carolyn's help, and marvel at Hercules' ability to travel around Greece (?) without any stuff.

So throw a fire demon crotch-first at another fire demon, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to listen to Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode118.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 117: King of the Hill - "Pretty Pretty Dresses"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 6 Dec 2021 00:00:00 -0600

Merry (?) Christmas! We are kicking off our holiday coverage this year with arguably the most depressing episode of King of the Hill ever! Join Carolyn, David and Austin as they discuss Hank Hill's butt, Carolyn's penchant for finding joy in other people's misery, and David's surprisingly deep love of iguanas.

So grab and beer and head out into the alley, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to listen to Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode117.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 116: How I Met Your Mother - "Slapsgiving"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 22 Nov 2021 00:00:00 -0600

For Thanksgiving this year, David chooses violence with How I Met Your Mother's "Slapsgiving", an episode in which the threat of a looming slap hangs over Barney's head while also inviting rants aplenty from Austin and David about the ultimate legacy of HIMYM. Meanwhile, Carolyn ponders whether puns are the hand jobs or blow jobs of comedy, and all three question how much sex is too much sex.

So put a pie for your ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend in the oven, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to listen to Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode116.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 115: Tales from the Crypt - "The Ventriloquist's Dummy"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 25 Oct 2021 00:00:00 -0500

Welcome, boys and ghouls, to a Very Special Spooktacular Episode as we review Tales from the Crypt season 2 episode 10, "The Ventriloquist's Dummy", in which ventriloquism is suggested to be the height of theater and a tremendous source of fame, and also a good cover for hideous conjoined hand monsters. Join Carolyn, David and Austin as they discuss puns, wade into the debate over which is scarier, clowns or dummies, and watch out for Chekhov's floorboard!

So get yourself a heaping helping of asshole casserole, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to listen to Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode115.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 114: The West Wing - "Isaac & Ishmael"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 4 Oct 2021 00:00:00 -0500

We are back with a timely new episode, in which we discuss The West Wing's "Isaac & Ishamel", a Very Special episode released twenty years ago this week in the wake of the September 11th attacks. Join internet dumbasses Carolyn Main, David Bitzenhofer, and Austin as they tackle topics like religious fundamentalism, racism, and terrorism while doing their best not to get cancelled. Also, they talk about Aaron Sorkin's casual misogyny, Doctor Doom crying, and despite the episode being very clear about not doing this, how this episode fits into the larger West Wing continuity.

So watch out for prehistoric terrorist fish, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to listen to Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode114.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 113: Full House - "Stephanie Gets Framed"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 30 Aug 2021 04:00:00 -0500

Our summer of TV Crossovers comes to a close this week, and we finish things off with one of the most requested crossover episodes: Full House's "Stephanie Gets Framed" aka the one with Urkel. And of course, we couldn't talk Full House or Urkel without the internet's foremost Full House scholar and Steve Urkel aficionado, Ryan Alexander-Tanner! So join the OG AVSE gang as they once again discuss how shitty Joey is, the career of Orson Welles, and wade into the great "fudgicle vs. fudgsicle" debate!

So teach your toddler about capitalism, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to listen to Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode113.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 112: Power Rangers in Space - "Shell Shocked"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 16 Aug 2021 00:00:00 -0500

Cowabunga dudes! Our summer of "TV Crossovers" continues with a radical mashup of two of the 90s biggest martial arts themed kids action-adventure characters, Power Rangers and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! Join Austin, Carolyn and David as they talk Turtle Boobs, Splinter's tastes as an art critic, and how the Aluminum Four compare to the Ninja Turtles!

So throw a punch while flying through the air, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to listen to Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode112.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 111: Alf - "Somewhere Over the Rerun"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 12 Jul 2021 00:00:00 -0500

Our 2021 Summer Theme Marathon kicks off with a Very Special Crossover Episode of ALF, in which everyone's favorite (?) alien puppet runs into the Gilligan's Island crew (or, at least 4/7ths of them). Join Carolyn, Austin, and David as they discuss whether or not they've ever reviewed an ALF episode before (a lengthier discussion than should be necessary...), ponder how much Alf weighs, and bemoan a distinct lack of woos.

So dig yourself a hole/lagoon in your backyard, then then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to listen to Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode111.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 110: Beverly Hills, 90210 - "The Next 50 Years"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 31 May 2021 00:00:00 -0500

In our latest episode, we return to the sunny shores of California & the sadly-evergreen topic of gun violence with "The Next 50 Years", the Very Special Episode of Beverly Hills, 90210 in which David's gooney friend Scott accidentally shoots himself, thereby freeing up David to complete his integration into The Cools. Join Austin, Carolyn, and David as they discuss the proper way to host a birthday party for teenagers and the weights of various hats, plus question the reach and impact of both the school newspaper and the school radio station.

So shoot on some birthday candles, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to listen to Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode110.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 109: Arrested Development - "Pier Pressure"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 3 May 2021 04:00:00 -0500

In our episode this week, we pay tribute to the recently-departed Jessica Walters by reviewing "Pier Pressure", a Very Special episode of Arrested Development about the importance of not teaching your kids lessons. Join David, Carolyn & Austin as they tackle one-armed men, the importance of leaving notes, and Hot Cops, the cousins of the Muzcle Hunkxxx.

So earn yourself a crocodile, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to listen to Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode109.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 108: Daria - "The Misery Chick"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 29 Mar 2021 00:00:00 -0500

This week we stick around in the 90s with an episode from one of the formative TV shows of a certain type of person of a certain age, Daria, in which Daria finds herself mildly perturbed to be the person everyone seeks out to help deal with their misery following the death of a beloved high school alumnus. Join Carolyn, Austin, & David as they talk MTV, the dangers of goal posts, and grapple with their own complex feelings about the recent passing of Dustin Diamond. Plus, a long-overdue mailbag check-in!

So pour one out for Generation X, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to listen to Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode108.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 107: Home Improvement - "The Longest Day"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 1 Mar 2021 00:00:00 -0600

Arr arr arr arugh? What time is it? Time for more Home Improvement, as Carolyn, Austin, and David grunt their way back to the seminal 90s sitcom for a Very Special Episode in which ~~Tandy~~ Randy thinks he might have cancer and Tim & Jill are really shitty at handling it. Join them as they discuss their favorite pies, the sitcom spouse attractiveness ratio, and the dangers of WebMD and/or IMDB.

So put out some empty bottles for the milkman, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to listen to Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode107.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 106: That '70s Show - "That '70s Finale"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 8 Feb 2021 00:00:00 -0600

Hello Wisconsin! We are back in the New Year with a Very Special episode set on the last day of the 1970s, That '70s Show series finale! Join Carolyn, Austin, & David as they talk Green Bay Packers tickets, weather-appropriate clothing, and the bizarre turns this show took once its main cast members decided to pack it in. Plus, a look back at the year that was in pop culture with a mini "Year in Review" segment!

So head to the basement with your friends in order to take the edge off, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to listen to Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode106.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 105: Peep Show - "Seasonal Beatings"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 21 Dec 2020 00:00:00 -0600

Pip pip, Happy Christmas guv'nor! This week we're traveling across the pond to merry ole England for our final Christmas episode of this holiday season, Peep Show's "Seasonal Beatings", in which Mark's family is coming over for Christmas lunch and Jeremy is a bit over-excited for the holiday. And if none of that makes any sense to you, don't worry, because Anglophile Carolyn is there to help walk you, Austin, and David through the vast narrative tapestry that is Peep Show! Join them as they talk Hot Knives, debate whether a potato counts as "veg", and explore the difference between an Eiffel Tower and spit-roasting!

So feed some deli ham through a paper shredder, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to listen to Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode105.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 104: The Simpsons - "Grift of the Magi"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 14 Dec 2020 00:00:00 -0600

Whatcu talking 'bout, everyone? The AVSE Holiday's continue this week with a Very Special Christmas episode of The Simpsons, in which Bart, Lisa & Homer team-up with special guest Gary Coleman to save Christmas from toy-murdering robots. Join Austin, Carolyn & David as they discuss the stunning longevity of the show, reveal which Bart Simpson t-shirts they wore back in the day, and point out the ways this episode from 1999 is eerily relevant to 2020 in places.

So complain about the number of prawns in a galaxy, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to listen to Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode104.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 103: Saved by the Bell - "Pilot"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 7 Dec 2020 04:00:00 -0600

"For the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, the return of a prodigal podcast host!"

That's right, we are kicking off our annual holiday coverage with a Very Special reunion, as Ryan Alexander-Tanner returns in order to reunite the Aluminum Four just in time to review the first episode of the brand new Saved by the Bell series! He joins Carolyn, Austin, and David as they discuss where the new show succeeds and fails at both tickling our nostalgia and doing something new, drop some knowledge about interdimensional wizard Max, and ponder whether this show is actually...good?

So park your car in the best spot, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to listen to Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode103.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 102: I Love Lucy - "Lucy is Enceinte"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 23 Nov 2020 00:00:00 -0600

Gobble gobble everyone! Since Thanksgiving is all effed up this year anyway, we figured we'd lean into the curve and celebrate with a Very Special non-Thanksgiving episode from the annals of classic TV and dive into the seminal I Love Lucy for the very first time by discussing the episode in which Lucy has to tell Ricky she's pregnant without saying the word "pregnant" because the 1950s! Join Carolyn, David, and Austin as they get all horned up like Lucy and talk Communism, sandwiches, and raw doggin' it!

So head on down to the club, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to listen to Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode102.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 101: Punky Brewster - "The Perils of Punky"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 26 Oct 2020 00:00:00 -0500

Happy Halloween everyone! This year we are celebrating the holiday with a Very Special episode of Punky Brewster, you know, the infamous one in which Punky and the gang go camping and find themselves lost in a cave filled with horrific nightmare fuel that will take root in your brain and haunt you forever! Join Austin, Carolyn, and David as they join Punky for her trip of horrors and encounter dismembered gold prospectors, giant black light spiders, and a bedazzled disco demon of death, all in this two-part episode of a family sitcom airing in prime time!

So unwrap a Caramelo bar, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to listen to Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode101.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 100: The TV Theme Song Spectacular!

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 12 Oct 2020 04:00:00 -0500

This week, we celebrate one hundred episodes of A Very Special Episode with a Very Special episode about one of our favorite subjects: TV theme songs! Listen in as Carolyn, David, and Austin rank their favorite theme songs from decades of TV, celebrate the 80s as the Golden Age of TV theme songs, and ruminate on the slow death of the theme song over the last twenty years. Also featuring some terrible singing!

So get prepared to get songs stuck in your head, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to listen to Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode100.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 99: ER - "Freefall"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 7 Sep 2020 00:00:00 -0500

"Must See TV" summer concludes with a Very Special Thanksgiving episode of ER! Included on the holiday menu is turducken, French toast, and DEATH BY HELICOPTER. That's right, as much as this episode might seem like a Very Special episode about the fertility of HIV patients, or marijuana use, or PTSD, it's really about the cold, unceasing bloodlust of helicopters. Join Carolyn, Austin & David as we carve a bird in honor of Dr. Melty Guy, discuss the unending stream of "That Guys" who appear on the show, and discover David's intricate knowledge of Michael Crichton's autobiography.

So ignore that guy smushed under a helicopter, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to listen to Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode099.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 98: Frasier - "Room with a View"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 10 Aug 2020 00:00:00 -0500

Our 2020 Must See TV marathon continues, as we tackle one of the most successful spinoffs of all time, Frasier, with an episode that sees Niles undergo open heart surgery and a hospital spill its guts! Join Carolyn, Austin and David as they rank iconic city skyline buildings, dig into some old candy bars, and discuss Dr. Bitz's tips for ripping off vending machines!

So toss a salad and scramble some eggs, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to listen to Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode098.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 97: Mad About You - "The Conversation"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 13 Jul 2020 04:00:00 -0500

Our 2020 Summer Theme marathon kicks off this week, as we begin reviews of episodes plucked from NBC's "Must See TV" lineup of the 90s! Things kick off with a Very Special episode of Mad About You, the Diet Coke of sitcoms, in which Paul & Jamie attempt to Ferberize their baby in one continuous shot. Join Carolyn, Austin, & David as they discuss parenthood, make some contributions to the great Red Vines vs. Twizzler War, and name the official pasta of the AVSE podcast!

So put down that copy of Architectural Digest, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

And you can follow Aaron on Twitter here!

Also, be sure to listen to Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode097.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 96: Night Man - "The People's Choice"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 15 Jun 2020 00:00:00 -0500

In this week's sax-tastic episode, Carolyn & Austin are joined by Carolyn's husband & returning AVSE guest Aaron Walker to discuss an eerily prescient episode of Night Man, the superhero show you've never heard of but still technically counts as one of the earliest Marvel characters to get his own TV show, in which the titular hero has to battle an evil business magnate determined to win public office at any cost! Join us as we talk out-of-touch writers' ideas of the internet in 1998, the inexplicable limitations of Night Man's super suit, and a Nixon-themed version of the Joker!

So leave a hologram of yourself doing something productive in your place, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

And you can follow Aaron on Twitter here!

Also, be sure to listen to Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode096.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 95: Family Ties - "Say Uncle"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 11 May 2020 00:00:00 -0500

Pour yourself a big tall glass of Vanilla extract and warm up your clarinet, cuz it's time for another Very Special Episode. This week, Austin, David & Carolyn are tackling one of those standard-bearing VSEs, Family Ties' "Say Uncle", in which Tom Hanks rolls into the Keaton household and promptly drinks everything in sight. Join us as we discuss our favorite Tom Hanks' roles, the background sitcom tropes which annoy us the most, and booze, booze and more booze.

So grab some socks, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to listen to Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode095.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 94: The George Carlin Show - "George Really Does It This Time"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 13 Apr 2020 04:00:00 -0500

Happy Pandemic everyone! We are back, and piggybacking on the zeitgeist, with a Very Special episode about the dangers of disease, asymptomatic carriers, and poor social distancing from The George Carlin Show, in which the sheer filth of George's apartment births a virus that soon causes everyone he comes into contact with to get sick. And if all that is hitting too close to home right now, don't worry: Carolyn, Austin, & David find plenty else to talk about, like dating in the 90s and the Madonna/Whore Complex (the Crack Research Team gets quite a workout in this one)!

So renew your subscription to Caboose magazine (Carolyn will thank you), then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to listen to Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode094.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 93: Tim & Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! - "Puberty"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 16 Mar 2020 00:00:00 -0500

This week, our bodies go through some changes in an episode more gross than the Screech porn, as as an Aluminum Two-some plus a Very Special Guest, AVSE & SbtbB Reviewed Theme Song Master Brad Sucks, discover hair where they had no hair before while tackling modern sketch comedy.

So sit on down for a puberty milkshake as you try not to involuntarily release urine, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

And be sure to check out Brad's work at BradSucks.net and follow him on Twitter!

Also, be sure to listen to Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode093.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 92: MASH - "Abyssinia, Henry"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 10 Feb 2020 00:00:00 -0600

We are back and tackling your dad's favorite sitcom this week, as we review an episode of MASH involving the departure of a much-loved character from the ensemble! Join Carolyn, Austin & David as they talk toidy trees, decide which MASHer is the show's Screech, and declare the new leader of the podcast!

So put on your best Carmen Miranda outfit, then download and listen here, and rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to check out Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode092.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 91: 2019 Year in Review

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 13 Jan 2020 04:00:00 -0600

So long, 2019! It's time for our now annual very special Very Special episode, when the Aluminum Four look back on the year that was and highlight the bits of new (or new to them) pop culture & societal trends they loved, hated, or were slightly more than indifferent towards. This year, we're talking about Tuca & Bertie, Knives Out, 30 Rock, Watchmen, and so much more.

So join us as we yell at some kids to get off our lawns, then download and listen here, and rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to check out Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here! It still makes a great stocking stuffer if you want to get a heads start on next year!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode091.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 90: Family Matters - "Deck the Malls"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 23 Dec 2019 00:00:00 -0600

It's a Christmas miracle, as we reach our fourth and final Family Matters Christmas episode, and Urkel is shockingly not super annoying! But we're still left with plenty to discuss as, following last week's return to a Homeless Christmas, this episode brings us back to our second favorite Christmas trope, "Christmas at the Mall in Which The Main Characters Are Inexplicably in Charge of Holiday Events!" Along the way we talk gingerbread houses, expensive pens that are still just pens, and randy Myra!

So help us calculate how many Christmases Aunt Rachel has missed, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to check out Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here! It makes a great stocking stuffer!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode090.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 89: Family Matters - "A Miracle on Elm Street"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 16 Dec 2019 00:00:00 -0600

In our latest episode, A Very Special Family Matters Christmas continues with season six's "A Miracle on Elm Street", in which Laura loses another cherished childhood heirloom and the Winslow family is again given irrefutable proof that Santa is real via another instance of the "homeless person comes to live with the central family at Christmas" sitcom trope. Also, Urkel hangs out at the dump.

So iron out the wrinkles in your underwear, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to check out Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here! It makes a great stocking stuffer!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode089.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 88: Family Matters - "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Urkel"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 9 Dec 2019 00:00:00 -0600

Merry Christmas! We're back with another installment of A Very Special Family Matters Christmas, in which the Aluminum Four tackle season four's "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Urkel", a (very loose) pastiche of It's a Wonderful Life in which Milo from Good Morning Bliss gets his wings by negging Laura into being nice to Urkel in what is mostly an excuse to get Kellie Shanygne Williams to dress & act like Urkel. Not surprisingly, we have...thoughts about all this.

So brush the snow of your Urkelmobile, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to check out Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here! It makes a great stocking stuffer!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode088.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 87: Family Matters - "Have Yourself a Very Winslow Christmas"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 2 Dec 2019 07:41:00 -0600

Ho ho ho! This week, we begin our annual Christmas celebration, bringing you four holiday-themed episodes over four weeks. And, because Ryan has been a very good boy this year (and/or paid off all the right people), this year's Christmas extravaganza will be an All Family Matters Christmas! That's right, we'll be stuffing your stockings with four different Family Matters Christmases over the next four weeks, which means four times the Urkel, four times the cheese, and four times the inappropriate crossing of personal boundaries (haha just kidding it happens way more than four times)!

So gather round for a family singalong as Ryan, Carolyn, Austin and David kick things off with season two's "Have Yourself a Very Winslow Christmas", featuring both the first time Laura is sad about a heretofore unmentioned heirloom and the first time the entire family is remarkably blase about receiving verifiable proof that Santa exists, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify! You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to check out Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here! It makes a great stocking stuffer!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode087.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 86: Friends - "The One With All The Thanksgivings"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 11 Nov 2019 00:00:00 -0600

Could we *be* celebrating any more Thanksgivings? This week, AVSE breaks the seal on Friends as we celebrate Turkey Day with everyone's favorite...friends. Join Carolyn, David & Austin as they discuss how Ross is the worst, map the Aluminum Four to the Friends, and take a deep dive into...Hocus Pocus.

So shove your head up the butt of a raw turkey, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

And now we're available on Spotify as well!

Also, be sure to check out Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode086.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 85: Family Matters - "Stevil Part II: This Time He's Not Alone"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 28 Oct 2019 00:00:00 -0500

Happy Halloween boils & ghoul, it's time for another scary installment of A Very Special Episode! For this year's spook-tacular episode we journey once more to the hallowed halls of Family Matters for the return of Stevil, and nobody is more excited than your (g)host with the most, Ryan! Join him, Carolyn & Austin as they tackle dancing dummies, the line between dreams & reality, and the logistics of animating soulless constructs!

So grab a giant bucket of food, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

And now we're available on Spotify as well!

Also, be sure to check out Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode085.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 84: Degrassi The Next Generation - "Time Stands Still Parts 1 & 2"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 14 Oct 2019 04:00:00 -0500

This week, we tackle a Very Special episode of one of David's favorite shows, Degrassi: The Next Generation, in which things take a tragic turn when the bullied Rick gets pushed too far (or does he?!?) via a Carrie homage, leading to the birth of an internet meme. Join David, Carolyn & Austin as they tackle a host of Very Special topics, from gun violence to criminal rehabilitation to...house selling.

So don your best beret, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

And now we're available on Spotify as well!

Also, be sure to check out Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode084.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 83: G.I. Joe - "Knowing is Half the Battle" PSAs

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 30 Sep 2019 00:00:00 -0500

Yo Joe! In this week's episode, Ryan, Carolyn, and Austin enlist to discuss one of the seminal "Very Special" pieces of 80s programming, the G.I. Joe PSAs that taught an entire generation of kids that knowing is half the battle! Listen along as we learn about stopping nosebleeds, avoiding downed power lines, and the importance of using plans when building a tree house. We also post-game Carolyn's wedding, talk cartoon-influenced sexual awakenings, and express concern over some especially-handsy Joes.

So put on your helmet & put down your dad's medicine, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

And now we're available on Spotify as well!

Also, be sure to check out Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode083.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 82: Land of the Lost - Elsewhen

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 16 Sep 2019 00:00:00 -0500

This week, Ryan & Austin are joined by two Very Special guests, the hosts of the Star Wars Minute podcast, Alex Robinson & Pete the Retailer. Together, the four discuss an episode set a long time ago, in a land far, far away...the Land of the Lost! Join them as they tackle this Very Special episode about growing up/meeting your future self in a cave beset by lizard-like Sleestaks, discuss the proper way to climb down a rope into a seemingly-bottomless hole, and try to make sense of the time travel of it all.

So send three beeps via your crystal walkie-talkie to signal that everything is fine, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

You can follow Alex & Pete on Twitter here & here, and of course, be sure to check out their podcasts, Star Wars Minute, The Godfather Minute, ABCDevo, & Alphabeatical!

Also, be sure to check out Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode082.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 81: Star Trek The Next Generation - Force of Nature

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 2 Sep 2019 00:00:00 -0500

This week, we are once more boldly going where no one has gone before (except for us, in an earlier episode...) to discuss Star Trek The Next Generation's "Force of Nature". Join David as he assembles an Away Team consisting of himself, Ryan & Carolyn as they discuss this Very Special episode which attempts to warn us about the dangers of technological advancement on the environment, and also, the dangers of...cat training.

So set your phasers on fun!, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to check out Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode081.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 80: Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip - The Christmas Show

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 19 Aug 2019 00:00:00 -0500

Ho ho heil! This week, we conclude our "One Season Wonders" summer marathon with a Very Special Christmas episode of Aaron Sorkin's done-in-one series, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip! Join Austin, Caroln & David as they discuss whether you can have Christmas in LA, how much the FCC really cares about f-bombs, and which of our One Season Wonders was the hardest to get through!

So get a pregnant lady a danish, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to check out Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode080.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 79: Scorch - You Gaslight Up My Life

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 5 Aug 2019 00:00:00 -0500

This week, we continue "One Season Wonders" with the third (final!) episode of Scorch, a TV show which answers the question nobody asked, "what if Alf, but with a dragon puppet and without the normal rhythms of a sitcom?" Join the Aluminum Four as we discuss the curious late 80s/ early 90s trend of puppet-based sitcoms, try to wrap our heads around the premise of the show which suggests a local ventriloquist would rocket to the top of the media power rankings, and tackle the deeply philosophical question, "if a sitcom doesn't have any jokes, is it still a comedy?".

So eat your morning paper, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to check out Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode079.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 78: Cop Rock - Pilot

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 22 Jul 2019 00:00:00 -0500

"One Season Wonders" dances on, as the Aluminum Four tackle one of the more infamous one season shows of all time, Cop Rock, the series which dared to ask "what if a cop show, but also, a musical?", and apparently answered with "sure, but also, the cop show is really crappy." Join Ryan, Carolyn, Austin & David as they talk (and occasionally sing) about the show's awkward politics, ponder who, exactly, is buying babies off the street (and if the answer is just bad, or the worst thing ever) and make so much fun of Randy Newman.

So lift up your desk to reveal a keyboard underneath, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to check out Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode078.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 77: The Pitts - Pilot

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 8 Jul 2019 05:00:00 -0500

It's time for our annual summer theme marathon, in which we spend the summer reviewing episodes fitting a certain theme picked by you, the listeners! This year, we're looking at "One Season Wonders", episodes of shows that only lasted one season. And we're kicking it off with The Pitts, a Fox sitcom from the early 00s so bad it redefined "bad TV" for a young Dr. Bitz. Join David, Carolyn & Austin as they pore over the surprisingly-deep IMDB credits of this cast, introduce Carolyn to the Midwestern wonder of crop art, and try to decide if this show is really as bad as the reputation David has given it.

So ditch your date to take a prettier date to the dance, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to check out Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode077.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 76: Step by Step - Back to School

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 24 Jun 2019 00:00:00 -0500

This week, we return to TGIF and the 90s Brady Brunch to check in with the Step by Step gang, in an episode where perennial dum-dum JT learns all his problems in school might not be caused by being a dum-dum, Frank & Carol try to pass a snooty inspection, and White Urkel & his girlfriend try to suppress their throbbing biological urges. Join Ryan, Austin & David as they talk privilege and the college application process, the extreme horny-ness of TV's Patrick Duffy, and, of course, the Codemeister.

So zip up your rubber sex suit, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to check out Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode076.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 75: Murphy Brown - You Say Potatoe, I Say Potato: Part 2

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 10 Jun 2019 00:00:00 -0500

In this week's episode we tackle Murphy Brown for the first time (a show which burned bright but isn't around much anymore, thanks in part to just how topical and zeitgeist-y it was), with the episode in which the titular Murphy Brown responds to Vice President Dan Quayle's attacks (in-universe & in real life) on Murphy's decision to become a single mother. Join Carolyn, Austin & David as we talk Quayle's infamous spelling mishap, the death of print media, and the triumphant return of Peter Bonerz.

So chug some mylanta, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to check out Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode075.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 74: Game of Thrones - The Iron Throne

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 27 May 2019 00:00:00 -0500

Valar Morghulis! We stay topical this week, as Ryan, David & Austin form a Great Council of our own to discuss the Game of Thrones series finale all the internet is buzzing about! Join us as we talk the good, the bad, and the metaphor-destroying dragons. Because when you play the game of thrones, you either win, or you podcast.

So bust down the spoiler wall (because, um, spoiler alert on this whole episode), then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to check out Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode074.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 73: Avengers Endgame

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 13 May 2019 06:00:00 -0500

Avengers assemble (again)! In our latest episode, David, Ryan & Austin are joined by returning Very Special guest, author, and Spider-Man expert Mark Ginocchio to discuss a tiny little movie that is currently making all the money in the world, Avengers: Endgame. Join us as we talk favorite moments, take potshots at Hawkeye, and plumb the depths of David's pedantry.

So bust down the spoiler wall (because, um, spoiler alert on this whole episode), then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

And be sure to check out Mark's book, 100 Things Spider-Man Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die, as well as his website, Chasing Amazing, and his podcast, Amazing Spider-Talk. And follow him on Twitter @ChasingASMBlog. Excelsior!

Also, be sure to check out Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode073.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 72: Golden Girls - High Anxiety

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 29 Apr 2019 00:00:00 -0500

The Aluminum Four are reunited and it feels so good, as we thank you for being our friend by breaking the seal on Golden Girls with an episode in which the golden girls help break Rose of her lifelong pill-popping habit while Dorothy & Sophia try to film ~~a porno~~ commercial. Join us as we discuss the longevity of Dennis Rodman, pizza, and how the Aluminum Four match up with the Golden Girl.

So pop a Flintstones vitamin, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to check out Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode072.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 71: Taxi - Simka's Monthlies

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 15 Apr 2019 12:30:00 -0500

Hey, you guys, Ryan is back! And this week, he and Carol are joined by their "regular visitor", special guest Amy Miller, to discuss yet another episode of Taxi! Learn all about krimkapoosh, Amy's gross hotel room, and Alex Rieger's codependent behavior in this very special episode about "womanly troubles".

So tell everyone your Aunt Flo is in town, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

And don't forget to follow Amy on Twitter!

Also, be sure to check out Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode071.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 70: California Dreams - Guess Who's Coming to Brunch

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 1 Apr 2019 05:00:00 -0500

We stay in the realm of 90s-era, California-based teen shows this week, as David returns fresh from his honeymoon alongside his now wife-Lauren, who join Carolyn to discuss an episode in which a bunch of attractive, musically-inclined teens fix racism. Along the way, David reveals the price at which he'll sell out, Lauren reveals which Peter Engel show she likes most, and Carolyn actually compliments a Peter Engel show.

So give some advice to racists dads, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to check out Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode070.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 69: Beverly Hills, 90210 - The Child is Father to the Man

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 07:30:00 -0500

The AVSE offices are in mourning once again, and this week we celebrate the accomplishments of the recently-departed Luke Perry with a Very Special episode of Beverly Hills, 90210, in which we get a double dose of Luke Perry as Dylan deals with the fallout of his dad exploding. Join Austin, Carolyn & Very Special Guest, Carolyn's Pitch Please! co-host Shane Hosea, as they talk death-related puns, tall hair, and using ties to get girls.

So put on your trench coat before coming to the trench coat party, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Be sure to follow Shane on Twitter, and check out his podcasts Anime at the Gates & Spec Script wherever you find podcasts!

Also, be sure to check out Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode069.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 68: Gilligan's Island - "Jungle Boy"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 4 Mar 2019 00:00:00 -0600

Ahoy mateys! We are back with our second superhunk episode in a row as Carolyn, David & Austin go on a not-quite-three-hour tour with Gilligan's Island! Join us as we discuss island hemorrhoids, the hotness of Mary Anne, and the Harlem Globetrotters! And we get back to our SBTB Reviewed roots by comparing the castaways to the Golden Six!

So be sure to pack a ton of raincoats, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to check out Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode068.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 67: Magnum P.I. - "Solo Flight"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 18 Feb 2019 00:00:00 -0600

Aloha! This week, Carolyn, David, and the returning Very Special Guest, Carolyn's newly-turned-40 fiance Aaron, grapple with mortality under the sunny skies of Hawaii along with Magnum P.I. and one of the finest examples of facial hair in TV history. And while staring death in the face, they also discuss sharks named Herman, dropping the N word in Vietnam, and a boss fly with a pussy face.

So remember that failure is one of life’s few absolutes, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

And you can follow Aaron on Twitter here!

Also, be sure to check out Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode067.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 66: Trackdown - "The End of the World"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 4 Feb 2019 00:00:00 -0600

Howdy partners! This week, David, Carolyn & Austin travel back to the Old West to check out a show from what was once one of TV's dominant genres, the Western. Join us as we review an episode of Trackdown, in which Texaa Ranger Hoby Gilman arrives in town shortly after a conman who promises to help the townspeople stave off the end of the world (that only he says is coming) by building a wall to protect them from scary outside forces - for a price, of course. And if that sounds eerily familiar, wait til you hear the conman's name.

So open your meteorite-repelling umbrellas, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to check out Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode066.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 65: Laverne & Shirley - "Why Did the Fireman..."

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 21 Jan 2019 00:00:00 -0600

"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 Schlemiel! Schlimazel! Hasenpfeffer Incorporated!" This week, we're doing it our way, as we tackle a Very Special episode of Laverne & Shirley in commemoration of the passing of Penny Marshall, in which Laverne meets the love of her life in the form of Ted Danson's magnificent plume of hair, but Ted Danson meets tragedy in a genuinely heartbreaking episode. Join Ryan, Carolyn & Austin as they we discuss the ever-present specter of death, but also, backdoor pilots, R Kelly, and the unique combination of Pepsi & milk (?).

So finish washing your dalmatian, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to check out Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode065.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 64: 2018 Year in Review

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 7 Jan 2019 00:00:00 -0600

And now for something completely different! This week, we present a very special Very Special episode, as the Aluminum Four ring in the new year by discussing the highs and lows of pop culture in 2018, the TV shows, movies, books and more we enjoyed (and some we didn't enjoy) in the year that was. Join us as we discuss everything from Steven Universe to the Moviepass debacle to Mary Poppins Returns and the futility of Minnesota professional sports.

So sing a chorus of Auld Lang Syne, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to check out Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode064.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 63: Quantum Leap: "A Little Miracle"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 17 Dec 2018 04:00:00 -0600

Marley was dead, to begin our fourth & final Christmas episode of the season, as Sam leaps into a Christmas Carol pastiche in a very special Quantum Leap Christmas episode! Join David, Ryan, Carolyn & Austin as we grapple with the mechanics of Quantum Leap, discuss the awesome redemptive power of sexual attraction, and try to dissect a complex plot involving Dickensian orphans meant to make the episode's Scrooge figure think he's having flashbacks to his childhood.

So put some powder on your unies, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to check out Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode063.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 62: He-Man & She-Ra: A Christmas Special

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 10 Dec 2018 00:00:00 -0600

By the power of ~~Grayskull~~ Christmas! This week, we return to the formative years of Austin's childhood as Christmas comes to Eternia in the form of a pair of Earth children accidentally kidnapped thanks to Orko's bungling, who proceed to teach Skeletor the true meaning of Christmas. Along the way, the Aluminum Four discuss frighteningly-negligent parents, winter coat-generating laser blasts, and, of course, penis helicopters.

So get a tan to disguise your secret identity, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to check out Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode062.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 61: Small Wonder - "Oooga Mooga"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 3 Dec 2018 00:00:00 -0600

Oooga mooga, everyone! Our special run of weekly Christmas episodes continues with an episode from Small Wonder, in which the patriarch of the Lawson family/creator of small wonders is convinced to help organize a fundraiser for a caribou-themed lodge in the interest of furthering his career. If that doesn't sound very Christmas-y, well, that's because it's not. Turns out Ryan got tricked by the internet into thinking this was a Christmas episode. Consider the endless razzing he receives for this by Carolyn, Austin & David to be our Christmas gift to you.

So bring borrow a creepy living doll from a story (and break it), then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to check out Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode061.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 60: A Claymation Christmas Celebration

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 26 Nov 2018 00:00:00 -0600

Merry Christmas! This week begins our annual marathon of Christmas-related episodes, and Carolyn kicks things off by leading us into a world populated by animated clay dinosaurs, pigs, and bells performing some of the all-time great Christmas songs, all under the watchful eye of famed animator Wil Vinton. Word through the grapevine is that even some West Coast-based cookie-ruiners might make an appearance as well!

So get ready to go a-wassailing, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to check out Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode060.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 59: WKRP in Cincinnati - "Turkeys Away"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 12 Nov 2018 00:00:00 -0600

Gobble gobble everyone! For this year's Very Special Thanksgiving episode, the Aluminum Four gather round to discuss WKRP in Cincinnati's "Turkeys Away", an episode featuring several old AVSE friends in which a radio promotion involving turkeys lands with (several) thuds. Along the way, we reveal our favorite meats, try to figure out who's doing what at the WKRP station, and talk a lot about...the Herculoids.

So prepare for a turkey counterattack, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to check out Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode059.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 58: Family Matters - "Stevil"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 29 Oct 2018 00:00:00 -0500

Welcome back boils & ghouls to another spine-tingling Halloween installment of "A Very Special Episode". This week, the Aluminum Four return to TGIF mainstay Family Matters for "Stevil", in which Steve Urkel's ventriloquist dummy comes to life and proceeds to slaughter the Winslows in Freddie Krueger-esque, pun-based ways. Join Carol, Austin, David and a death-warmed-over (but ecstatic) Ryan as we discuss Fatheads, dummy sex, and Urkel variants.

So impress David by talking without moving your lips, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to check out Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode058.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 57: Freddie's Nightmare - "Missing Persons"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 15 Oct 2018 00:00:00 -0500

One, two, Freddie's coming for you...

Hello, boils & ghouls, in this week's spoooky episode, we plunge into the dreamscape to review an episode from the horror anthology series Freddie's Nightmare, in which a babysitter with body image issues transforms into a pig monster & eats a kid, but then it turns out it's all just a little girl's dream, and then that's girl's dad gets stuck in someone else's life, then dies, or not, but it doesn't matter, because it's all a dream, or maybe it's not. Join Ryan, Carolyn & Austin as they debate what's real and what not, and also discuss inappropriate babysitter interactions, talking food, and the sexiest instrument.

So pour yourself a nice bowl of dogfood, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to check out Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode057.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 56: Arthur - "Shelter from the Storm Parts 1 & 2"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 1 Oct 2018 04:00:00 -0500

This week, we're reviewing Arthur - not the 1981 Dudley Moore/Liza Minelli film with the catchy theme song, but rather the PBS Kids animated series that has had an astonishingly long run. Specifically, we're discussing "Shelter from the Storm", in which Hurricane...Sadie...strikes whatever town it is Arthur lives in, upending the lives of the titular aardvark and his friends. Along the way, the Aluminum Four talk child labor, fear of the wind (it's a thing!), and bears that don't look like bears as we attempt to weather the storm.

So put your naked dog man out in the yard, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to check out Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode056.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 55: Star Trek: The Next Generation - "The Game"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 17 Sep 2018 00:00:00 -0500

Captain's Log: this week, the crew of the AVSE Podcast charts a new course with a Very Special episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, in which Commander Riker brings the STD known as "mind-controlling, orgasm-inducing video game" back from his sex vacation, which quickly afflicts everyone except a visiting Wesley and a pre-fame Ashley Judd. Join Austin, Carolyn & David as we talk Trek of all stripes, Neutrino flows, and sex chocolate.

So set your phasers for fun!, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

And there's still time to support Comics Comics #1, a special anthology comic featuring Carolyn, as well as Patton Oswalt & Paul Scheer! Make a pledge here!

Also, be sure to check out Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode055.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 54: Diff'rent Strokes - "The Reporter"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 3 Sep 2018 00:00:00 -0500

This week, we review Diff'rent Strokes Season 5, Episode 22, "The Reporter", in which we finally (?) learn to "just say no", as Nancy Reagan fills Arnold in on what she's talkin' bout: the war on drugs. Relive the relatable experience of having one's own integrity validated by the first lady of the United States making a personal appearance in your classroom as we discuss one of the more iconic Very Special episodes in TV history. Special guest, Farel Dalrymple, beloved & acclaimed comic book artist, drops in to learn about how dumb drugs are and comment on Gary Coleman's incredible performance.

So just say no, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Farel can be found on Twitter @FarelDalrymple and on Patreon.

Also, be sure to check out Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode054.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 53: Seinfeld - "The Puerto Rican Day"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 20 Aug 2018 05:00:00 -0500

Our summer "Bad Episode, Good Show" series concludes this week, as we check out one of the greatest sitcoms of all time (allegedly...) by discussing Seinfeld's "The Puerto Rican Day", an episode so controversial it rarely gets aired in syndication. But is it, really? Join us as we ask, in our best Jerry Seinfeld voice, "what's the deal with the controversy in this episode?", talk way too much about laser pointers, and take a lot of shots at Michael Richards.

So finish your latest re-watch of Blimp!, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

A Very Special Episode is part of the Rivercity Podcast Federation, a group of like-minded podcasts from across the internet (but mostly physically in Portland). Check out the other great shows here.

Also, be sure to check out Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode053.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 52: The Sopranos - "Christopher"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 6 Aug 2018 00:00:00 -0500

Fuggedaboudit! In our latest episode we're heading to Jersey to discuss a bad episode from the godfather of the Golden Age of TV Drama, The Sopranos, in which associates of the titular mob family run afoul of American Indian protesters on Columbus Day as stereotypes collide.

So grab some orecchiette & broccoli rabe, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

A Very Special Episode is part of the Rivercity Podcast Federation, a group of like-minded podcasts from across the internet (but mostly physically in Portland). Check out the other great shows here.

Also, be sure to check out Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode052.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 51: Roseanne - "Sweet Dreams"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 23 Jul 2018 00:00:00 -0500

"Bad Episode, Good Show" hits paydirt this week, as the Aluminum Four return to an old and occasionally controversial favorite with "Sweet Dreams", a second season episode of Roseanne in which the titular character fantasizes about taking a bath, murdering her family, and starring in a Busby Berkeley-style musical. It's not just a bad episode of Roseanne, it's quite possibly the worst half hour of TV of all time.

So call in the Muscle Hunks (aka the Muzcle Hunkxxx), then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

A Very Special Episode is part of the Rivercity Podcast Federation, a group of like-minded podcasts from across the internet (but mostly physically in Portland). Check out the other great shows here.

Also, be sure to check out Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode051.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 50: Buffy the Vampire Slayer - "Beer Bad"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 9 Jul 2018 00:00:00 -0500

In our new episode, the Aluminum Four reunite to kick off our summer theme marathon, "Bad Episode, Good Show", with "Beer Bad", one of the more notoriously bad episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, in which enchanted beer sends Buffy and a quartet of college douches back to the stone age, in a hamfisted and deeply mixed metaphor about the dangers of alcohol (at least, in theory). Along the way, we discuss the intersectionality of werewolves, the strange career of Kal Penn, and the possible return of...the Max?

So grab someone else's sandwich, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

A Very Special Episode is part of the Rivercity Podcast Federation, a group of like-minded podcasts from across the internet (but mostly physically in Portland). Check out the other great shows here.

Also, be sure to check out Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode050.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 49: Gargoyles - "A Lighthouse in the Sea of Time"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 25 Jun 2018 02:00:00 -0500

This week, we travel back to the heyday of Disney animation on TV to revisit the cult classic Gargoyles and learn an important lesson about literacy & the power of the written word, as expressed through magical Gargoyles who turn to stone in daylight and come alive at night. Along the way, David, Carolyn & Austin talk about the apparent omnipresence of medieval architecture in New York City, the deep bench of Star Trek actors who contributed to this show, and, because it's us, Gargoyle sex.

So take a look (it's in a book), then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

A Very Special Episode is part of the Rivercity Podcast Federation, a group of like-minded podcasts from across the internet (but mostly physically in Portland). Check out the other great shows here.

Also, be sure to check out Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode049.mp3

Help Us Pick This Summer's Theme!

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Thu, 14 Jun 2018 12:00:00 -0500

Hi everybody! Summer is upon us, and last year, we stumbled into a four-episode theme week of sorts, in which each of your four intrepid hosts selected an episode from ABC's "TGIF" lineup to review. We had such a blast doing that (and you all seemed to enjoy it), we decided to make a summer theme run an annual thing. But because we're all terrible at making decisions, we're putting the onus on you, the listener, to help us decide this year's theme.

So leave us your vote in the comments (and on Twitter & our Facebook page, if you're so inclined), and whichever choice gets the most votes across all platforms will be selected as our summer theme this year!

AVSE Summer Theme Poll

Crossover episodes (in which characters from one show appear on a different show)
Bad episodes from good shows
Episodes from four different shows featuring the same actor (Actor TBD; leave us suggestions!)
Episodes from NBC's "Must See TV" lineup

AVSEPod Episode 48: Glee - "Grilled Cheesus"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 11 Jun 2018 00:00:00 -0500

With a song in our hearts and the divine on our lunches, we turn this week to Glee, season two episode three, "Grilled Cheesus", in which Jesus appears on Finn's grilled cheese, Kurt's dad falls into a coma, and everyone sings their feelings about religion! Join Carolyn, David, Austin and special guest, fellow Rivercity Podcaster and former Glee extra, Kyle McCormick, as we talk snazzy hats, Glee's confusing habit of transitioning from diegetic to non-diegetic music, the unfortunate circumstances of two of the cast members, and much, much more.

So come out, Virgina, don't let 'em wait, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

And be sure to follow Kyle on Twitter @Kyle_McCormick, and check out his podcasts, Reboot, Reuse & Recycle & Spec Script!

A Very Special Episode is part of the Rivercity Podcast Federation, a group of like-minded podcasts from across the internet (but mostly physically in Portland). Check out the other great shows here.

Also, be sure to check out Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode048.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 47: The Simpsons - "Mother Simpson"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 28 May 2018 00:00:00 -0500

This week, we journey to Springfield, USA as we break the seal on one of the greatest TV shows of all time to review The Simpsons' "Mother Simpson", in which Homer learns his long-dead mother is alive and well, albeit on the lam from the law. Special Guest Jess Tholmer joins Ryan and Austin as we talk favorite Simpsons quotes, the extent of Ryan's Simpsons hipsterism, and Glenn Close's greatest hits. Plus, a special interview with Bernadine Dohrn, the real life inspiration for Homer's mother!

So set your watch to Johnny Unitas' haircut, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

And be sure to follow Jess on Twitter and Instagram @tholmz, then check out her Tumblr and her writing for Hello Giggles

A Very Special Episode is part of the Rivercity Podcast Federation, a group of like-minded podcasts from across the internet (but mostly physically in Portland). Check out the other great shows here.

Also, be sure to check out Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode047.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 46: Avengers Infinity War

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 14 May 2018 02:00:00 -0500

Avengers Assemble! This week we throw pretense out the window in order to let four dorks talk about the biggest movie in the world for a couple hours! Join David, Ryan, Austin and special returning guest, the internet's foremost Spider-Man expert, Mark Ginocchio, as we talk annoying trailer tricks, Thanos' plan, and Spider-Man's thighs. And, of course, the Avengers!

So cut a swath of destruction across the universe as you assemble a glove of immeasurable power (spoiler alert?), then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

And be sure to check out Mark's book, 100 Things Spider-Man Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die, as well as his website, Chasing Amazing, and his podcast, Amazing Spider-Talk. And follow him on Twitter @ChasingASMBlog. Excelsior!

A Very Special Episode is part of the Rivercity Podcast Federation, a group of like-minded podcasts from across the internet (but mostly physically in Portland). Check out the other great shows here.

Also, be sure to check out Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode046.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 45: Night Court - "Her Honor, Part 4"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 30 Apr 2018 00:00:00 -0500

All rise! This (night) court is now in session, as the Aluminum Four gather in memory of the recently departed Harry Anderson to discuss the conclusion to a four part, cross-season storyline on Night Court, which finds a job-less Harry interrupting a suicide as he attempts to hang glide over to the Statute of Liberty. Joins us as we talk belt loops, panting at women, and concussions. Guest starring Carolyn's snoring pug dogs!

So swing by the Gay Pride parade, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

A Very Special Episode is part of the Rivercity Podcast Federation, a group of like-minded podcasts from across the internet (but mostly physically in Portland). Check out the other great shows here.

Also, be sure to check out Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode045.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 44: The Flintstones - "The Great Gazoo"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 16 Apr 2018 00:00:00 -0500

Podcast, it's a podcast,
'bout the modern stone age family.
From a-cross the country,
we're talking Fred & Barney & genies.

That's right, we're going back in time to talk The Flintstones, as Carolyn & David are joined by two Very Special guests, fellow Rivercity podcaster Randall Lawrence & Mark Russell, writer of DC's Flintstones comic book, to discuss the death gasps of one of TV's all-time great shows as an undependable space genie philatro-pranks primitive man, while primitive woman blames herself in a war of the genders that's out of the stone age.

So think about how to construct your wishes so as not to invoke any unintended consequences, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Be sure to follow Randall on Twitter, and check out his podcasts here. Follow Mark on Twitter, and buy his books here.

A Very Special Episode is part of the Rivercity Podcast Federation, a group of like-minded podcasts from across the internet (but mostly physically in Portland). Check out the other great shows here.

Also, be sure to check out Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode044.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 43: NewsRadio - "Bill Moves On"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 2 Apr 2018 00:00:00 -0500

In our latest episode, we stay in the 90s but crank up the sadness, as we review the debut episode of NewsRadio's fifth season, "Bill Moves On", in which the cast deals with the tragic death of the legendary Phil Hartman both in-universe and in the real world. Join Ryan, David & Austin as they try to hold back tears while talking Hartman's legacy, our favorite Stephen Root character, and the awkwardness of Andy Dick.

So finish proofreading your eulogy, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

A Very Special Episode is part of the Rivercity Podcast Federation, a group of like-minded podcasts from across the internet (but mostly physically in Portland). Check out the other great shows here.

Also, be sure to check out Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode043.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 42: Roseanne - "Let's Call It Quits"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 19 Mar 2018 00:00:00 -0500

With a revival looming, we return to Roseanne (and shameless pop culture piggybacking!) to review season 1, episode 23 "Let's Call It Quits", in which Roseanne does her best Norma Rae impression to take on her imperious & casually-chauvinistic boss, future US Senator Fred Thompson! Join David, Carolyn & Austin as we discuss robots, beer and George Clooney's magnificent hair, as well as our pre-air thoughts on Roseanne's return to TV (shockingly, those thoughts are...complicated).

So punch your time card and meet your quotas, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

A Very Special Episode is part of the Rivercity Podcast Federation, a group of like-minded podcasts from across the internet (but mostly physically in Portland). Check out the other great shows here.

Also, be sure to check out Carolyn's spinoff podcast, Pitch Please!, here, and buy the game here!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode042.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 41: Home Improvement - "What a Drag"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 5 Mar 2018 00:00:00 -0600

More power! This week, we dive into one of the 90s longest running shows with a Very Special "just say no to drugs!" installment of Home Improvement, in which Tim & Jill are stunned to discover one of their boys is smoking marijuana. Of course, the whole thing takes on some added meaning considering Tim Allen's...shady past, and you can bet Austin, Carolyn & David point that out. They also talk about the mistreatment of Al, funny/horrifying scene transistions, and Family Feud hosts.

So supercharge your favorite listening device, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

A Very Special Episode is part of the Rivercity Podcast Federation, a group of like-minded podcasts from across the internet (but mostly physically in Portland). Check out the other great shows here.

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode041.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 40: Taxi - "Nardo Loses Her Marbles"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 19 Feb 2018 00:00:00 -0600

This week, we finally discuss Ryan's all-time favorite sitcom, Taxi, with a very special episode about coping with the never-ending pressures that life piles on top of you. Carolyn shows up to make jokes about buttholes, alongside frequent special guest, comedian Amy Miller, who was invited on the show because she, too, could really use a great deal of therapy. Come for Danny Devito and Andy Kaufman, and stay for emotional revelations, plus also a lengthy side-conversation about what the fuck was up with that recent Jim Carrey Netflix documentary. Ibbi da!

So hail a cab, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to check out Amy's website, where you can order her comedy album "Solid Gold", and follow her on Twitter @AmyMiller!

A Very Special Episode is part of the Rivercity Podcast Federation, a group of like-minded podcasts from across the internet (but mostly physically in Portland). Check out the other great shows here.

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode040.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 39: Too Close for Comfort - "For Every Man, There's Two Women"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 5 Feb 2018 00:00:00 -0600

For our special Valentines Day episode, the Aluminum Four reunite to tackle one of the white whales of our podcast, an infamous Very Special Episode we've been after since the start of the podcast. Thanks to the help of intrepid listener who tracked down a copy, this week we're reviewing Too Close for Comfort's "For Every Man, There's Two Women", in which the doofy Monroe is kidnapped and raped by two women. It's an episode which, to its credit, tries to present female-on-male rape as a legitimate problem that actually can happen, but then, less to its credit, tries to have its cake by spending most of the episode laughing at the problem. Needless to say, we have...thoughts on the matter.

So kick your leg over your motorcycle, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

A Very Special Episode is also part of the Rivercity Podcast Federation, a group of like-minded podcasts from across the internet (but mostly physically in Portland). Check out the other great shows here.

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode039.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 38: Arrow - "Spectre of the Gun"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 22 Jan 2018 00:00:00 -0600

This week we're diving into superhero TV to discuss the gun control episode of CW's Arrow, in which the Green Arrow is confronted with a problem he can't just shoot with an arrow, while the audience is confronted with a lot of opinions, but no clear stance on the subject. Join Austin, Carolyn, David and special guest, comedian & podcaster Chris Khatami, as we talk genre TV, hilariously non-specific laws, and the questionable ethics of opposing guns while leading a team of vigilantes, many of whom use guns.

Also, David's apartment starts on fire mid-episode.

So load up your quiver and pull on your mask, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to follow Chris on Twitter, and check out his podcast, Reboot, Reuse & Recycle.

A Very Special Episode is also part of the Rivercity Podcast Federation, a group of like-minded podcasts from across the internet (but mostly physically in Portland). Check out the other great shows here.

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode038.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 37: Classic Drug PSAs LIVE

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 8 Jan 2018 00:00:00 -0600

We are back and fully rested from the holidays with a special treat for our first show of 2018: a live show that was recorded back in the halcyon days of 2017! Once upon a time, Ryan & Carolyn were joined by cartoonist and Star Wars Minute cohost Alex Robinson to talk classic public service announcement ads involving drugs, including the infamous "this is your brain on drugs" commercial that used to be everywhere. Along the way, they tackle deep philosophical questions (like if having a dad who does drugs will make you do drugs, or if not having a dad leads to doing drugs), engage in some odd and surprising audience participation, and deal with a surprise appearance by the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

So crack some eggs, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to follow Alex on Twitter, and check out his webpage, where you can buy his books and artwork, as well as his podcasts, Star Wars Minute and Godfather Minute.

A Very Special Episode is also part of the Rivercity Podcast Federation, a group of like-minded podcasts from across the internet (but mostly physically in Portland). Check out the other great shows here.

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode037.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 36: The Facts of Life - "Christmas in the Big House"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 25 Dec 2017 00:00:00 -0600

You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have...Christmas in the slammer! That's right, for our final Christmas episode, we're going back to the big house to learn the facts of life as Blair learns an important lesson about convicts being people too. And because this episode is about 2/3 people singing (thus not inspiring much commentary), we pad things out with some discussion of Christmas favorites and a dip into the AVSE mailbag.

So dust off your old Christmas pageant routine, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

A Very Special Episode is also part of the Rivercity Podcast Federation, a group of like-minded podcasts from across the internet (but mostly physically in Portland). Check out the other great shows here.

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode036.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 35: Married...With Children - "It's a Bundyful Life"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 18 Dec 2017 00:00:00 -0600

Whoa Bundy! Our holiday celebration continues as we look at one of the formative shows of the Fox network, Married...with Children, and its season four Christmas episode "Its a Bundyful Life", in which Al (after lots of setup) finds himself in a (brief) It's a Wonderful Life pastiche in which Sam Kinison plays his guardian angel. Along the way, we discuss the show's often-problematic treatment of women, ask pedantic questions regarding just how poor the Bundy's are supposed to be, and learn some useful tips about floating checks.

So withdraw your money from the Christmas Club, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

A Very Special Episode is also part of the Rivercity Podcast Federation, a group of like-minded podcasts from across the internet (but mostly physically in Portland). Check out the other great shows here.

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode035.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 34: Metalocalypse - "Dethmas"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 11 Dec 2017 00:00:00 -0600

Our holiday marathon continues as we rock our way into the more recent past to discuss the Metalocalypse Christmas episode, "Dethmas", a very special Christmas episode that plays like a greatest hits of previous TV Christmas specials, but with a coked-up half-naked clown thrown in. This may also be one of our more divisive episodes yet, as one of our hosts quite likes this, while another...does not.

So finished up your Bed, Bath & Beyond shopping spree, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

A Very Special Episode is also part of the Rivercity Podcast Federation, a group of like-minded podcasts from across the internet (but mostly physically in Portland). Check out the other great shows here.

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode034.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 33: Christmas at Pee Wee's Playhouse

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 4 Dec 2017 00:00:00 -0600

Today's secret word is "podcast" (Ah! Podcast! Ahhhh!), as we kickoff our 2017 holiday programming by reviewing 1988's "Christmas at Pee Wee's Playhouse", in which Pee Wee hosts a bevy of special guests at his titular Playhouse to celebrate Christmas, from Charo to Whoopi Goldberg to Magic Johnson, and learns an important lesson (several times) about the spirit of the season. Join us as we talk fruitcakes, the Dickensian toiling of Annette Funicello & Frankie Avalon, just who the heck Dinah Shore is.

So turn on Computery, login to Internety and plug in Headphony, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

A Very Special Episode is also part of the Rivercity Podcast Federation, a group of like-minded podcasts from across the internet (but mostly physically in Portland). Check out the other great shows here.

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode033.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 32: The Star Wars Extravaganza!

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 27 Nov 2017 00:00:00 -0600

Presenting a very special Very Special Episode, in which four nerds put Star Wars - from the dizzying highs of the binary sunset & dramatic paternal declarations to the lowest Jar Jar Binks-ian lows - on trial.

For the Defense, one die hard Star Wars uber-fan & apologist (Austin). For the Prosecution, a triumvirate of fans running the gamut from the jaded (Carolyn) to the casual (David) to the exuberant-with-reservations (Ryan). Over the course of this (very) long episode (which might just be the longest thing ever recorded by anyone, ever), we will litigate everything from the charred corpses of Luke's family, to Han Solo's spiritual beliefs, to the animate cardboard known as Hayden Christensen, as well as rolling tentacle-vaginas, annoying cameos, and more. So much more.

Will the Defense convince anyone that the Prequels aren't all that bad? Will the Prosecution make the Defense question some of his life choices? Well, grab a cup of Jawa juice, then download this episode in less than twelve parsecs and listen here,

You can also pass your own judgment on the show by rating & reviewing us on iTunes, and you can also listen to the case via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. And provide your own expert testimony on the matter on Twitter, our Facebook page, or via email (avsepodcast@gmail.com).

A Very Special Episode is also part of the Rivercity Podcast ~~Alliance~~ Federation, a group of like-minded podcasts from ~~a galaxy far, far away~~ across the internet (but mostly physically in Portland). Check out the other great shows here.

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode032.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 31: Family Ties - "No Nukes is Good Nukes"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 20 Nov 2017 00:00:00 -0600

Gobble gobble everyone! For the second year in a row, we're spending Thanksgiving in the slammer! This year, we return to Family Ties to discuss the season one episode, "No Nukes is Good Nukes", in which Steven & Elyse spend the holiday protesting the proliferation of nuclear arms and end up in jail, while Alex and one of the Darrin's are insufferable asses about the whole thing.

So grab some stuffing and call your bookie, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

A Very Special Episode is also part of the Rivercity Podcast Federation, a group of like-minded podcasts from across the internet (but mostly physically in Portland). Check out the other great shows here.

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode031.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 30: Justice League of America

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 6 Nov 2017 00:00:00 -0600

In a shameless attempt to piggyback on the pop cultural word-of-mouth surrounding the upcoming big budget Justice League movie, this week the Aluminum Four assemble to discuss that film's decidedly not-big-budget predecessor, 1997's Justice League of America, a failed attempt to launch a TV series inspired by the sitcom-esque Justice League comics by Keith Giffen & JM DeMatteis. This thing is pretty rough, so we end ranging off-topic a bit (even moreso than usual), as we discuss, amongst other things, David's odd fascination with The Cape, the obscure sitcom George & Leo, and Martian Manhunter's impish sidekick, Zook.

So chew some gum and guard your cat, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

A Very Special Episode is also part of the Rivercity Podcast Federation, a group of like-minded podcasts from across the internet (but mostly physically in Portland). Check out the other great shows here.

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode030.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 29: Stephen King's It

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 23 Oct 2017 00:00:00 -0500

Hot on the heels of the recent theatrical version and just in time for Halloween, this week Carolyn, Austin & David review the 1990 TV movie adaptation of Stephen King's It, in which a malevolent being in the form of a clown (Tim Curry) menaces a group of kids and their adult selves. Featuring Harry Anderson & John Ritter in the adult section, with Seth Green & Aluminum Four All-Star Jonathan Brandis (!!!) in the kids' section, we talk giant spider puppets, clown kissing, and a really weird scene involving dogs in a mental hospital. And, of course, Jonathan Brandis.

So project your face onto the moon, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

A Very Special Episode is also part of the Rivercity Podcast Federation, a group of like-minded podcasts from across the internet (but mostly physically in Portland). Check out the other great shows here.

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode029.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 28: Mr. Belvedere - "The Counselor"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 9 Oct 2017 00:00:00 -0500

AVSE returns to the "very special" topic of our first episode (child molestation) with our first review of one of the many 80s era sitcoms centered around a family with nontraditional live-in domestic help, the season four episode of Mr. Belvedere, specifically, "The Counselor", in which bratty Wesley is sent to summer camp and ends up in a sad "boy who cried wolf" scenario when the titular counselor shows an unhealthy interest in him. Join Ryan, Austin, and special guest Caroline Smith as they do their best to unpack this icky topic (again), as well as suss out Bob Uecker's age and what Mr. Belvedere's whole deal is.

So cover your rear, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to check out Caroline on Twitter!

A Very Special Episode is also part of the Rivercity Podcast Federation, a group of like-minded podcasts from across the internet (but mostly physically in Portland). Check out the other great shows here.

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode028.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 27: Mork & Mindy - "The Night They Raided Mind-ski's"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 25 Sep 2017 03:00:00 -0500

Na-uu na-nu! Our TGIF-athon may be over, but this week's episode once again plunges into the halcyon sitcoms of yesteryear with a discussion of Mork & Mindy's season two episode,"The Night They Raided Mind-ski's", in which alien Mork, played by America's beloved funny man, Robin Williams, falls in with a group of white supremacists. The fact that a sitcom episode from 1980 featuring a plot like that is so relevant today says something not KO, leaving David, Carolyn and special guest, comedian Eric Cash, lots to say about it as well.

So climb out of your egg-shaped ship then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, be sure to check out Eric on Twitter and Facebook!

A Very Special Episode is part of the Rivercity Podcast Federation, a group of like-minded podcasts from across the internet (but mostly physically in Portland). Check out the other great shows here.

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode027.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 26: Full House - "The Apartment"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 00:00:00 -0500

Our TGIF marathon concludes with the show that started our little pop culture coffee klatch, Full House, and the season seven episode "The Apartment", in which DJ doesn't have sex with Steve in his swanky (?) new apartment, but gets the same level of shit from her dad as if she did. And no, this isn't the Papouli episode or the DJ eating disorder one, but more importantly, it is the episode that lured Ryan back to discuss this show once again. Along the way, the Aluminum Four play a game of eff/marry/kill (with surprising results), heap praise on Kimmie Gibbler's bedroom, and emphasize again and again how Joey is The Worst.

So get off your coffee table, put away your vanilla ice cream dinner and turn down that "rock" music, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

And if you haven't already checked out Ryan's website, Full House Reviewed, in which he reviewed every single episode of the show (and lived to tell about it), you can do so here.

Also, A Very Special Episode is part of the Rivercity Podcast Federation, a group of like-minded podcasts from across the internet (but mostly physically in Portland). Check out the other great shows here.

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode026.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 25: Perfect Strangers - "This Old House"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 28 Aug 2017 00:00:00 -0500

Our TGIF-athon continues with one of the block's oldest shows, Perfect Strangers, as we review season five, episode twenty-one, "This Old House", in which Larry decides to get in on the ground floor of that sweet HGTV money by flipping a house, and in the process, learns an important lesson about...greed...and...chandeliers, and, well, we'll be honest: there's not much "very special" about this particular TV episode, but it does give us a chance to talk about Cousin Balki, and the history of TGIF, and chandeliers, so it's all good.

So do the Dance of Joy, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, A Very Special Episode is part of the Rivercity Podcast Federation, a group of like-minded podcasts from across the internet (but mostly physically in Portland). Check out the other great shows here.

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode025.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 24: Step by Step - "Video-Mania"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 14 Aug 2017 00:00:00 -0500

Join us as we once more endeavor to convince ourselves that the Friday nights of our youth weren't entirely wasted. That's right, it's part two of our AVSE TGIF series!

This week we're discussing "90s Brady Brunch", aka Step by Step, season three, episode six, "Video-Mania", in which OCD Mark trades his addiction to good grades for that scourge of youth, video games. It sort of addresses the issue of video game addiction, but it's also hard to tell how earnestly the issue is regarded by the show's creators. Plus, the glaring marital issues that Suzanne Somers and Patrick Duffy are struggling with are only slightly addressed as well, and the personality disorders running rampant through their excessive gaggle of children is virtually ignored. But helping Ryan and David sort all this out is very special guest, podcaster and admitted video game addict Gary Butterfield. If his life hadn't already been ruined by that damn computer box, then watching this episode would've gotten the job done for sure.

So put down your controller then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Be sure to follow Gary on Twitter @GaryBuh, and check out his podcast, Watch Out for Fireballs!

Also, A Very Special Episode is part of the Rivercity Podcast Federation, a group of like-minded podcasts from across the internet (but mostly physically in Portland). Check out the other great shows here.

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode024.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 23: Family Matters - "Good Cop Bad Cop"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 31 Jul 2017 00:00:00 -0500

This week, the Aluminum Four return to the halcyon days of TGIF to discuss "Good Cop Bad Cop", a season five episode of Family Matters in which Eddie (Darius McCrary) is pulled over for driving while black, much to the dismay of his police officer father (also, Urkel goes to the dentist). Not surprisingly, things get political in this one, but also personal, as Ryan's deep, abiding love for Urkel is laid bare. Also, Shai guest stars, and if you know who that is already, well, you've got a leg up on all four of the hosts.

So take a couple pulls of laughing gas, then then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

Also, A Very Special Episode is part of the Rivercity Podcast Federation, a group of like-minded podcasts from across the internet (but mostly physically in Portland). Check out the other great shows here.

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode023.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 22: Community - "Mixology Certification"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 17 Jul 2017 00:00:00 -0500

Mix yourself up a Seven & Seven, as Carolyn, Austin, Aaron and special guest Kyle McCormick attempt to get their "Mixology Certification" by discussing an atypically-morose episode of Community, in which Troy (Donald Glover) turns 21 only to discover adulthood isn't all it's cracked up to be when the study group takes him out drinking.

So pour yourself some extra credit, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

And be sure to follow Kyle on Twitter @Kyle_McCormick, and check out his podcast, Reboot, Reuse & Recycle!

Also, A Very Special Episode is part of the Rivercity Podcast Federation, a group of like-minded podcasts from across the internet (but mostly physically in Portland). Check out the other great shows here.

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode022.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 21: Amazing Spider Man #96-98 - "Green Goblin Reborn!"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 3 Jul 2017 00:00:00 -0500

Hey there, True Believer! This week, we stretch the format of our show once again as we review a trio of "very special" comic books, Amazing Spider-Man #96-98 from 1971, which somewhat famously were published without the seal of the Comics Code Authority due to their depiction of drug use, despite having been commissioned at the request of the federal government to serve as an anti-drug story. Join Austin, Ryan, David and special guest, podcaster, author and Spider-Man expert Mark Ginocchio, as they tackle the import issues, such as who the definitive Spider-Man artist is, the difference between "slinging" and "swinging", and the importance of strong thighs to crime fighting.

So pull on a tasseled deerskin shirt and a chunky necklace, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com.

And be sure to check out Mark's book, 100 Things Spider-Man Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die, as well as his website, Chasing Amazing, and his podcast, Amazing Spider-Talk. And follow him on Twitter @ChasingASMBlog. Excelsior!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode021.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 20: RuPaul's Drag Race - Season 9 Recap

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 19 Jun 2017 00:00:00 -0500

Hayyyyyyy, squirrel friends! This week, we stretch the boundaries of our show once again, as we tackle an actual current, still-on-the-air show by discussing the entirety of the ninth season of Ru Paul's Drag Race! Join Ryan and Carol as they spend the entire episode arguing over who's the Ru and who's the Michelle Visage, while All Star and Fan Favorite guest judge Terry Blas returns to the podcast to lend his expertise! Spill the tea with us as we review every queen from the season, and, in a nod to the rare topicality of this episode, hear our speculations about who will be America's next Drag Superstar, before the winner is announced!

Download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com. Drop us a line and let us know what you think of the show, or give us suggestions for future episodes!

And be sure to check out Terry's website, and follow him on Twitter @TerryBlas

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode020.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 19: Family Ties - "A, My Name is Alex"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 5 Jun 2017 00:00:00 -0500

This week, we finally confront one of life's eternal questions: what would we do, baby, without us?

That's right, it's time to tackle one of the seminal sitcoms of the 80s, Family Ties! Join Ryan, David and special guest Jess Tholmer as they discuss "A, My Name is Alex", in which Alex grapples with grief in the wake of his friend's sudden death, and the show stretches beyond its normal confines in the process. Do the gimmicks add to the impact of the episode, or does the whole thing just come across as forced and overwrought? You'll have to listen to find out!

So dim the lights and enter a minimalist representation of reality, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com. Drop us a line and let us know what you think of the show, or give us suggestions for future episodes!

And be sure to follow Jess on Twitter and Instagram @tholmz, then check out her Tumblr and her writing for Hello Giggles

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode019.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 18: Roseanne - "Crime and Punishment"/"War and Peace"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 22 May 2017 15:26:00 -0500

This week, David, Carolyn & Austin are joined by David's girlfriend, Lauren Paulson, as they tackle one of the greatest sitcoms of the nineties (and all time), Roseanne, by discussing the two-part "Crime and Punishment" & "War and Peace", aka the ones where Fisher beats up Jackie. Join us as we talk about how great Laurie Metcalf is, how sexy John Goodman is, and how very funny these episodes manage to be while also being very special.

So pick up a bucket of chicken (skin only), then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com. Drop us a line and let us know what you think of the show, or give us suggestions for future episodes!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode018.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 17: Leave it to Beaver - "Beaver and Andy"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 8 May 2017 00:00:00 -0500

Don't be a-scared by the lack of color, we've just gone back to an allegedly-simpler time to discuss Leave it to Beaver's "Beaver and Andy"! Join Ryan, Carolyn & Austin as they discuss an episode NOT about child molestation, but instead, one about the surprisingly-sophisticated question of how much information is too much information to share with kids. We also offer up our own theory as to the origin of Beaver's nickname, marvel at Ward's suits, and make fun of Wally.

So put aside that untied Monkey's Knuckle, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com. Drop us a line and let us know what you think of the show, or give us suggestions for future episodes!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode017.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 16: World War II Cartoon Theater LIVE

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 24 Apr 2017 00:00:00 -0500

It's another very special episode of "A Very Special Episode", as Carolyn first leads the Midwest boys in a discussion of "Booby Traps", one of the infotainment cartoons starring Private Snafu ordered by the US Army in World War II and created by some of the finest minds working in Warner Bros. animation, including Mel Blanc and Dr. freaking Seuss. Then, she and Ryan are joined by special guest (and SbtB Reviewed favorite) Terry Blas to discuss the World War II-era, Academy Award-winning, Donald Duck cartoon "Der Fuehrer's Face" in our first ever LIVE episode, recorded at the Alberta Street Pub as part of the Rivercity Podcast Federation launch show.

So bone up on fascism and set your Rube Goldbergian deathtraps, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. You can follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com. Drop us a line and let us know what you think of the show, or give us suggestions for future episodes!

Also, be sure to check out Terry's website, and follow him on Twitter @TerryBlas

And of course, A Very Special Episode is part of the Rivercity Podcast Federation, a group of like-minded podcasts from across the internet (but mostly physically in Portland). Check out the other great shows here.

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode016.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 15: The Mary Kay Letourneau Extravaganza!

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 10 Apr 2017 00:01:00 -0500

It's time for another very special episode of A Very Special Episode, as Ryan leads Austin and special guest Alex Falcone in a discussion of Mary Kay Letourneau, the infamous teacher who had sex with her sixth grade pupil, got pregnant by him, went to jail, had sex with him again, got pregnant again, went back to jail, then eventually married him. We discuss All-American Girl, the made-for-TV movie about her story, and a 20/20 special, in which Mary Kay, her husband Villi Fulaau. and their teenage daughters are interviewed by Barbara Walters in honor of their tenth wedding anniversary. Along the way, we debate whether it's okay for a teacher to have sex with her student if they're in love (it's not), whether Barbara Walters is still a good interviewer (she's not great), and how to talk like a convincing couple-in-love (Mary Kay & Villi aren't great at this, either).

So break parole, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. Also, follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com. Drop us a line and let us know what you think of the show!

And be sure to check out Alex's website, follow him on Twitter, and buy his book, Unwrap My Heart!

A Very Special Episode is now part of the Rivercity Podcast Federation, a group of like-minded podcasts from across the internet. Check out our esteemed company here.

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode015.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 14: Dinosaurs - "Steroids to Heaven"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 27 Mar 2017 00:00:00 -0500

Join the Aluminum Four as they travel back in time 65 million years/the early 90s, to a time when dinosaurs ruled the Earth/airwaves, via Dinosaurs, ABC's Jim Henson-produced sitcom featuring pantsless dinosaur puppets tackling the issues of the day via prehistoric-themed puns. Steroids are on the menu in the season three episode "Steroids to Heaven", in which teenage Robbie pops some "thornoids" in order to bulk up and impress a girl, but the Aluminum Four, in true meandering fashion, also take on the Friend Zone, Skype etiquette, and what kind of food they'd still eat if the food talked back to them.

So put down your refrigerator, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. Also, follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com. Drop us a line and let us know what you think of the show!

A Very Special Episode is now part of the Rivercity Podcast Federation, a group of like-minded podcasts from across the internet. Check out our esteemed company here.

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode014.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 13: The Oprah Winfrey Show - "Cowabunga, It's the Ninja Turtles"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 13 Mar 2017 00:01:00 -0500

Who is ready for a pizza party? In this week's episode, Carolyn & David are joined by special friends Mel Heywood & Mendi Menefee to discuss the episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show in which Oprah interviews the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (no, really) and "April O'Neil" (no, really) in a shameless hour-long promotion of their concert tour (no, really).

So tune up your key-tar and sharpen your sais, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. Also, follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com. Drop us a line and let us know what you think of the show!

And be sure to check out the Facebook page and website for Lez Stand Up, the comedy event in which Mel is participating!

A Very Special Episode is now part of the Rivercity Podcast Federation, a group of like-minded podcasts from across the internet. Check out our esteemed company here.

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode013.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 12: Boy Meets World - "Cult Fiction"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 27 Feb 2017 00:00:00 -0600

Bah Weep Granah Weep Nini Bong! This week, the Aluminum Four tackle an episode from the fourth season of that 90s TGIF staple, Boy Meets World, "Cult Fiction", in which Sean (Rider Strong) gets seduced into joining a surprisingly-robust cult ridiculously fast, much to the dismay of Corey (Ben Savage) and his ready-to-kill dad. Along the way, we learn the most important lesson of all: that hot chicks and bad dudes make for the best cults!

So put on your creepiest serene smile and invite all the local teens to live in your warehouse in clear violation of at least several laws, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. Also, follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com. Drop us a line and let us know what you think of the show!

And A Very Special Episode is now part of the Rivercity Podcast Federation, a group of like-minded podcasts from across the internet. Check out our esteemed company here.

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode012.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 11: The Mary Tyler Moore Show - "The Good-Time News"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 13 Feb 2017 03:00:00 -0600

In honor of the recent passing of Mary Tyler Moore, the Aluminum Four reunite for this week's episode to discuss the third season premiere of her eponymous sitcom, "The Good-Time News", in which Mary learns she makes less money than the man who did her job before her, just because she's a woman, then fights with her boss over whether the news should be more informative, or more entertaining. So needless to say, our discussion gets...political. If that's not your bag right now, consider this your trigger warning. But we also talk about Minnesotans' furious need to claim all the celebrities we can as our own, the real inspiration for Ron Burgundy, and the awesomeness of morning meeting drinking.

So turn the world on with your smile, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. Also, follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com. Drop us a line and let us know what you think of the show!

And A Very Special Episode is now part of the Rivercity Podcast Federation, a group of like-minded podcasts from across the internet. Check out our esteemed company here.

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode011.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 10: 24 - "Day 4 07:00PM - 08:00 PM"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 30 Jan 2017 00:01:00 -0600

In this special "All Minnesota" episode, Austin & David are joined by a very special guest, Austin's wife, Kristi, to discuss the fourth season episode of 24, "7:00 PM - 8:00 PM" aka "24 tries to shoehorn a message into a random episode that not all Arab-Americans are terrorists". And because this is 24, we end up talking torture, EMPs, and looting, all the while doing our best to keep David's head from exploding due to the lack of logic throughout the episode.

So put down your active protocols and that mash note to your alcoholic ex, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. Also, follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com. Drop us a line and let us know what you think of the show!

A Very Special Episode is now part of the Rivercity Podcast Federation, a group of like-minded podcasts from across the internet. Check out our esteemed company here.

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode010.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 9: Growing Pains - "Second Chance"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 16 Jan 2017 00:01:00 -0600

It's back to the 80s, as we discuss an episode of Growing Pains in honor of the recently-departed Alan Thicke. And though the lesson of this episode is ostensibly about the dangers of drunk/buzzed driving (featuring a young Matthew "Could I be any more of a guest star?!?" Perry), in true AVSE fashion, we spend just as much time talking instead about how everyone really needs to just stop constantly shitting on Carol (TV Carol, not Podcast Carol). Also, because this is Growing Pains, and us, we spend more than a few minutes talking about Boner, even though he's not even in this episode.

So grab your still clunky but not-laughably-large camcorder and crouch in the bushes, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. Also, follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com. Drop us a line and let us know what you think of the show!

Also, A Very Special Episode is now part of the Rivercity Podcast Federation, a group of like-minded podcasts from across the internet. Check out our esteemed company here.

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode009.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 8: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - "Charlie Gets Molested"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 2 Jan 2017 00:00:00 -0600

AVSE goes post-modern this week as we discuss Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 1, episode 7, "Charlie Gets Molested", a very special episode whose creators were well aware of the tradition as they tackled the titular event (which may or may not have happened). Carol, Austin and Dr. Bitz are joined by very special guest Aaron Walker, aka Carol's hetereosxual lifemate, and because this is a Carol-directed episode, the Saved by the Bell references are run especially hot and heavy, inspired by the actor playing the alleged molester.

So grab a can of pledge and your therapy doll, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. Also, follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com. Drop us a line and let us know what you think of the show!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode008.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 7: The Star Wars Holiday Special

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 19 Dec 2016 05:00:00 -0600

~~Merry Christmas~~ Happy Life Day everyone! With the holidays in full swing and a new classic era Star Wars movie in theaters, what better time to take a look at the most infamous bit of Star Wars storytelling, the Holiday Special, in which Chewbacca's family awaits his arrival home on a vaguely-defined Wookiee holiday while under Imperial occupation. In between appearances from an embarrassed Harrison Ford, a dead-eyed Carrie Fisher, and a frighteningly-glam Mark Hamill, the Wookiees are joined by the the brightest (or most-available) stars of 1978 for sequences involving a black-face cooking demonstration, a phallic rock 'n' roll performance, holographic space porn, and more!

Is the whole thing painful to watch? Does it have any redeeming value? Is the world better off with this in it, or does it deserve to be obliterated from existence as George Lucas would like? Download and listen here to find out, then rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play.

Also, follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com. Drop us a line and let us know what you think of the show!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode007.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 6: The Corey Feldman Extravaganza!

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 12 Dec 2016 00:00:00 -0600

We continue to shake things up, format-wise, in this week's episode featuring Carol, Ryan and a very special guest, comedian Amy Miller. Rather than discussing a specific episode of a show, it's the podcast episode itself that's very special this week as the three hosts take part in a retrospective looking at 80s pop culture icon(?) Corey Feldman!

In light of his recent appearances on the Today Show, it seems as though Corey's life has entered a very special phase, and we took it upon ourselves to investigate just when and how things went wrong. Starting with an all-time great child actor filmography and working our way towards the recent morning show debacles, we delve through decades of Feldmania, all the while asking ourselves if all this is his fault for needing our attention, or ours for continuing to give it to him. You don't have to be one of Corey's angels to make your way through this, but it helps.

So cue up Lost Boys and pour one out for Corey Haim, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. Also, follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com. Drop us a line via any of those methods and let us know what you think of the show!

Also, be sure to check out Amy's website, where you can order her brand new comedy album, and follow her on Twitter @AmyMiller!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode006.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 5: Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue!

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 5 Dec 2016 01:00:00 -0600

In this week's episode, the Aluminum Four stretch our mandate a little, as we discuss not a "very special" episode of an ongoing TV series, but rather a one-shot show specifically designed to be "special". So travel back with us to those halcyon days of the War on Drugs, when President Bush the Elder told children to read his lips and watch this animated special, in which the brightest cartoon stars of 1990 (including Alf, Slimer and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle) team-up with classic characters like Daffy Duck & Bugs Bunny to teach kids about the dangers of befriending floating ephemeral smoke beings wearing a suit, ie doing drugs. The end result is...kind of a mixed, muddled message, but hey, Winnie the Pooh talks about hardcore drug use, so there's that.

So set your Kemit alarm clock and turn off your Garfield lamp, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. Also, follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com. Drop us a line via any of those methods and let us know what you think of the show!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode005.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 4: The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air's "There's the Rub"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 21 Nov 2016 00:01:00 -0600

Gobble gobble, everyone! We are back with a brand new Thanksgiving-themed Very Special episode, just in time for the holiday! This week, we review The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air's two-part "There's the Rub", in which Will (Will Smith) and Uncle Phil get locked up for visiting an illicit massage parlor (no, seriously), Carlton & Hilary learn the true meaning of Thanksgiving (ie it's a lot easier to help people if you're rich), and Will's aunts spend an interminable amount of time arguing over stuffing and their relative attractiveness (because this show isn't *that* progressive). We also discuss Will Smith's dangle, Ryan's massage parlor, and everyone's favorite Thanksgiving foods.

So grab a bowl of little onions swimming in cream sauce, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. Also, follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com. Drop us a line via any of those methods and let us know what you think of the show!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode004.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 3: Punky Brewster's "Cherie Lifesaver"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 14 Nov 2016 15:38:00 -0600

This was supposed to be an episode about the dangers of refrigerators (or the importance of learning CPR, whatever), but instead, we pretty much just rag on Ryan for pulling an Alan and dicking around on his phone during a CPR class. But we also discuss Carol's unique pronunciation of "George Gaynes", what kids' faces David finds punchable, and Austin's enduring fear of fridges.

So look, listen, and feel, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes or listen via Podbean, Stitcher and Google Play. Also, follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com. Drop us a line via any of those methods and let us know what you think of the show!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode003.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 2: Maude's "Maude's Dilemma"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Mon, 7 Nov 2016 06:50:00 -0600

First there was Saved by the Bell, including Miss Bliss/And then a creepy pervo on Diff'rent Strokes/And then there's Maude/And then there's Maude/And then there's Maude!

It's dead rabbits for some, and vasectomies for others, as Maude (the always-awesome Bea Arthur) is faced with a difficult decision in the seminal "Maude's Dilemma", with the series (and the Aluminum Four) tackling head-on a tricky hot button issue that is still burning today in a groundbreaking and frank (for its time) two-part episode.

So pour yourself a double and mash together some balls, then download and listen here, rate & review us on iTunes, follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com. Drop us a line via any of those methods and let us know what you think of the show!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode002.mp3

AVSEPod Episode 1: Diff'rent Strokes' "The Bicycle Man"

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Sun, 30 Oct 2016 17:00:00 -0500

Welcome to the very first episode of "A Very Special Episode", the podcast which reviews "very special" episodes of pop culture!

For our first episode, regular hosts Ryan, Carol, Austin & David (aka the Aluminum Four) tackle the always-hilarious subjects of child molestation and growth-stunting kidney disease via the two part Diff'rent Strokes episode "The Bicycle Man", in which Arnold (Gary Coleman) and his friend Dudley run afoul of the overly- and creepily-friendly owner of the local bike shop, in one of the more well-known "very special episodes" of the 80s. How well does the episode impart its message? How awkward is the required-for-its-time studio laughter when applied to a subject this serious? How do we manage to make an entertaining podcast out of such sensitive subject matter? You'll have to listen to find out!

And you can do so by downloading the episode here and, shortly, via iTunes and various other podcast providers. You can also follow the show on Twitter, like our Facebook page, and email us via avsepodcast@gmail.com. Drop us a line via any of those methods and let us know what you think of the show!

http://media.averyspecialepisodepodcast.com/AVerySpecialEpisode001.mp3

A Very Special Introduction

austin.gorton@gmail.com (@AVSEPod) — Tue, 4 Oct 2016 15:05:00 -0500

TV of the 1980s is famous for its "very special" episodes, those well-intentioned, hyper-earnest, and tonally-dissonant stories which often broke the mold of the show, however briefly, to impart a lesson on an important real-world issue to the viewers. Substance abuse, sexual assault, teen pregnancy and suicide are just a few of the issues tackled in these 30-60 minutes chunks (with commercials, of course), all couched in the implicit, soothing promise that by episode's end, everything would be back to normal for the characters. Think of the time Maude had an abortion, or Alex Keaton got high on speed, or, yes, when Jessie Spano got high on...caffeine.

In this podcast, the hosts of Saved by the Bell Reviewed and friends will review those kinds of episodes, from the famous to the infamous to the lesser known. But we won't be limited to just television; rather, we will cover "very special episodes" from across pop culture, be they movies, music, comic books or more. Any time pop culture interrupts itself to teach, sermonize, or (attempt to) inspire, however earnestly or effectively (or not), we'll be there, to dissect, discuss, celebrate and/or mock it.

There will probably also be some poop jokes.

As always, we want to hear from you, the listeners. Let us know how we're doing, which of the hosts is your favorite, and make suggestions on very special episodes to cover in the future. You can email us at avsepodcast@gmail.com, follow the show on Twitter @AVSEPod, and drop us a line on our Facebook page.

We hope you enjoy the show!