Popspotting

Dexter Morgan, Miami Metro Police Department blood spatter analyst, leads a double life. When he's not helping the homicide division solve murders, he satisfies his dark desires by hunting and killing bad guys who slip through the justice system, all the while following a strict code established for him by his father.

For Movie Monday, a “Neo Pseudo Noir” double feature pairing “The Big Lebowski” and “Brick.” Both bring unique, contemporary takes on the classic noir genre, whether it’s following “The Dude” through Los Angeles or untangling a high school conspiracy.

Our take on “Captain America” raised a few hackles, with listeners sharing some of what we missed in the Marvel backstory. But our love for “Friday Night Lights” was definitely well received. Despite some “sad realism,” the lives of the people in Dillon, Texas won our hearts. And the five-season run was satisfying enough that a new movie is not necessarily a good thing. Also on tap, a “Breaking Bad” podcast connection, questions about the future of “The Walking Dead,” and two thumbs up for “Misfits.” Finally, “The Glades” makes a play for Jen’s attention by appealing to her Florida roots. Your feedback is what keeps us going, so if anything we say (or fail to say) makes you laugh (or cry), please don’t hesitate to let us know. You can comment here on the blog, post over on Facebook, hit us up on Twitter, or send us an email at feedback@popspotting.net.

We love Canada. We love Canadians. And one of the main reasons why we’re so resolute in our affection for the Great White North is Alirio. He's a fellow podcaster, one of the voices behind “PotentialCast,” “Yip! Yip!” and PauseCast."

You want more music shows? You'll get more music shows! As Jen celebrates yet another 29th birthday, we arbitrarily choose the year 1972 to highlight with a top five list. Then, we share some music recommendations from our listeners.

or TV Tuesday, we finally get around to "Game of Thrones," a medieval fantasy series on HBO that many of you declared a must-see show. Based on author George R. R. Martin's best-selling "A Song of Ice and Fire" book series, "Game of Thrones" is an ambitious series that encompasses a sprawling, complex world. It takes some time to get a handle on who, what, and where, but it's totally worth it. Beyond the sets, costumes, and effects, the characters and performances are really where this show shines.

"Crazy Stupid Love," directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, focuses mostly on "Love." This was a surprisingly smart but still comedic exploration of adult relationships (and those that aspire to adulthood). This Movie Monday podcast also includes a bonus review of "Glee in 3-D."

After our break, we start to dive into some of the great feedback we got while we were in San Diego, starting with Swedish romantic horror films. There's a lot of love out there for "The Wire," at least one tiny shred of love for "The Killing."

Our first post-Comic-Con PopTalk & Trivia guest is Jimmy, a.k.a. @JimmyinGA, who is behind “Falling Skies Cast,” a podcast devoted to TNT’s new original sci-fi series starring Noah Wyle and Moon Bloodgood. Of course “Falling Skies” is his first recommendation (a show that was also the first pick of our last guest, Des), but he also tells us about “Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” and last year’s “Black Death.”

It's impossible to cover nearly a week of travel and pop culture craziness in fifteen minutes. Turns out it's also impossible to do it in half an hour. Even so, our longest podcast yet still doesn't completely convey our glee (no pun intended) as we look back at our fourth Comic-Con, and at our first family vacation to San Diego.

Today we tackle one of our favorite shows, "Friday Night Lights," an NBC/DirecTV-backed series that survived five seasons despite shaky marketing and disappointing ratings. Just last week, the Television Critics Association honored "Friday Night Lights" as "Program of the Year." Jen goes as far as to say that this is the one show, out of the many shows we love, that you absolutely must watch.

Today we tackle "Captain America: The First Avenger," the origin story of the most unflinchingly patriotic of Marvel superheroes. The film is set in a plausible but still fantastic period in American history, as the "Star-Spangled Man" takes on the most classic of baddies: power-hungry Nazis. The film stars Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving, Tommy Lee Jones, Stanley Tucci, and Hayley Atwell.

Today's featured panel is "Glee," which kicked off the Hall H program on Sunday. My daughter Katie was so eager to attend, we slept overnight outside the San Diego Convention Center. You may, in fact, periodically hear her voice on this recording (and my shushing!)

Today’s featured panel is “Alcatraz,” on FOX, starring "LOST" alum Jorge Garcia. Alas, the show doesn't air until next year. The Q-and-A portion, and thus this podcast, is only ten minutes long, because the Comic-Con session included a screening of the pilot episode.

As Jen struggles with late-onset nerd flu, we kick off this off week with more audio from the San Diego Comic-Con. Today's featured panel is "Fringe," on FOX. Fringe returns to Comic-Con with series stars Anna Torv, Lance Reddick, Blair Brown, Jasika Nicole, and John Noble and executive producers Jeff Pinkner and J.H. Wyman for a Q&A with fans and an exclusive video presentation.