Pop Culture Happy Hour

Fox announced today that the 15th season of American Idol will be the end of the road for what was once the biggest show on TV. In this Pop Culture Happy Hour extra, Linda Holmes and Stephen Thompson about the show's legacy and what lead to the show's demise.

This week on Pop Culture Happy Hour, NPR Monkey See's Linda Holmes, Stephen Thompson, Glen Weldon, and Chris Klimek discuss Avengers: Age of Ultron, covering everything from the fighting, exploding, and if Thor is really necessary. Then they'll talk about pop culture pariahs: the bands that get no respect, movies that are shorthand for things that aren't cool, and even the selfie stick. All that, plus What's Making Us Happy.

This week on Pop Culture Happy Hour, NPR Monkey See's Linda Holmes, Stephen Thompson, Glen Weldon, and Petra Mayer offer a guide to Free Comic Book Day, an annual celebration of reading and exploring comics.Then they'll discuss pop culture rabbit holes, and how the Internet enables deep dives into their personal obsessions. All that, plus What's Making Us Happy This Week.

This week on Pop Culture Happy Hour, NPR Monkey See's Linda Holmes, Stephen Thompson, Kat Chow, and Gene Demby discuss many facets of food in pop culture, from cooking competition shows and luscious portrayals of food in movies. Then its time for a discussion about how films and movies get the college experience right and wrong. All that, plus What's Making Us Happy this week.

This week on Pop Culture Happy Hour, NPR Monkey See's Linda Holmes, Glen Weldon, Stephen Thompson, and Margaret H. Willison discuss the new Netflix superhero series Daredevil. Then they'll discuss credulity — specifically, how difficult it can be to enjoy a piece of pop culture when you know a lot about its subject. All that, plus What's Making Us Happy this week.

This week on Pop Culture Happy Hour, NPR Monkey See's Linda Holmes, Stephen Thompson, Glen Weldon, and Chris Klimek discuss the new FX series The Comedians, starring Billy Crystal and Josh Gad. They'll discuss its relatives in the broader family of show business stories and backstage satire. Then they'll take a look at the briefest of acting triumphs: the cameo. From football players who are a little wooden to politicians who should have stayed in their offices, they'll chat about what cameos are and how they work. All that, plus What's Making Us Happy

In this Pop Culture Happy Hour extra, Linda Holmes and Barrie Hardymon chat about the Hilary Mantel novel Wolf Hall and its adaptation, currently airing on PBS.

In this Pop Culture Happy Hour extra, Stephen Thompson and Linda Holmes take a few minutes to remember pioneering satirist Stan Freberg.

In this Pop Culture Happy Hour extra, Linda Holmes and Stephen Thompson find themselves on opposite sides of Monday night's NCAA men's basketball final. Things could get tense.

This week on Pop Culture Happy Hour, NPR Monkey See's Linda Holmes, Stephen Thompson, Glen Weldon, and Kat Chow discuss the new Tina Fey comedy Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. They'll talk about it's extraordinary silliness, its employment of stereotypes, and that unforgettable theme music. Then they'll try to find the solution to the problem of when culture that's inspired by other work becomes what we derisively call "derivative," whether it's critters that look a lot like Hobbits or songs that sound like Iggy Pop. All that, plus What's Making Us Happy this week.

In this Pop Culture Happy Hour extra, Linda Holmes talks with Chris Klimek about Furious 7, the latest movie in the Fast and the Furious franchise.

This week on Pop Culture Happy Hour, NPR Monkey See's Linda Holmes, Glen Weldon, Stephen Thompson, are joined by PCHH newbie Katie Presley. Katie and Stephen share some of their favorite South by Southwest discoveries. Then the gang discusses pop culture geography and if it's important to accurately capture a sense of place. All that, plus What's Making Us Happy.

In this Pop Culture Happy Hour extra, we talk to comedian, actor and podcaster Kumail Nanjiani about the return of The X-Files — a TV show about which he has a podcast.

This week on Pop Culture Happy Hour, NPR Monkey See's Linda Holmes, Glen Weldon, Barrie Hardymon, and Chris Klimek discuss Nick Hornby's new comedic showbiz novel Funny Girl. Then they'll talk about book to film adaptations. All that, plus What's Making Us Happy.

In this Pop Culture Happy Hour extra, Linda Holmes talks with romance blogger Sarah Wendell about romance fans, romance novels, and some of her top recommendations for fans and new visitors alike.