Each and every week, Michael Swaim &amp; his guests are going to zoom way, way too far in on a single Simpsons bit and unpack it for a month's worth of jokes, Simpsons games, and education.

The Sex-Crazed Con Man Who Inspired Conan's Monorail Episode  | The Simpsons Taught Me Everything

On episode two of the Simpsons Taught Me Everything Podcast, Michael Swaim is joined by fellow comedy writer, Danielle Radford (Honest Trailers), to continue to delve into more Music Man references from the Conan O'Brien written episode, Marge vs. The Monorail. They also dissect Buddy Hackett's famous duck joke that he told on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, the tantalizing romantic fiction of Elinor Glyn, Simpsons Logic Problems and so much more.

The Simpsons Reference That Unlocked Buddy Hackett's Best Joke | The Simpsons Taught Me Everything

Michael Swaim brings in Brian Brushwood (Scam School/Scam Nation, Modern Rogue), a magician and his expert witness in scams, for episode three of The Simpsons Taught Me Podcast to delve more into the musical con man influence behind the classic Simpsons episode, Marge vs. The Monorail. They also debate whether the end result determines if someone was truly conned or not.

A Master of Scams and Cons Reacts to Marge vs. The Monorail (featuring Brian Brushwood)

This week on The Simpson's Taught Me Everything, Michael Swaim sits down with Robert Brockway of Cracked fame to unpack14 Times Whole Towns Became Delusional Springfield-style.

14 Times Whole Towns Became Delusional Springfield-style - Featuring Robert Brockway

This episode of STME features the one and only Bill Oakley, legendary Simpsons writer, co-creator of Mission Hill, and originator of the Simpsons "Steamed Hams" joke which spiraled into an internet phenomenon and later the namesake of his newfound food influencer career. We talk Simpsons, Mission Hill, The Mullets, and of course, burgers.

How One Simpsons Joke Made Bill Oakley Famous 30 years Later | Simpsons Taught Me Everything

This Groundskeeper Willie video’s going to have it ALL - the length and girth of a Dan Carlin history podcast, the tightly-scripted humor of a VH1 Behind the Music OR BETTER, that’s just an entry-level promise, and of course we’ll learn a ton of fun facts by cataloging and explaining every single joke or reference Willie’s ever made in an ADD-fueled, Connections-inspired stream-of-consciousness frenzy! By the end of this mind-boggling journey, you’ll ken ‘em all. We’ll also create a full fictive timeline of Willie’s life, track his thirty-year relationship to Skinner and the janitorial arts, construct a couple After Hours-style pop culture theories, play a round of Scottish SLANG-WHANG, and get real about The Problem With Apu - I mean Willie - as a Scottish and blue collar stereotype. Plus I’ll even explain why and how he works as a sitcom character and engine for bits, like I did with my recent Arrested Development video, since people seemed to like that. Written and Edited by: Michael Swaim

The Definitive Guide to Groundskeeper Willie with Michael Swaim

This episode of STME features one of the original Simpsons writers, Josh Weinstein discussing iconic Simpsons bit, "The Planet of The Apes: The Musical" and the writers room conversations that made it possible. Follow the Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stmepod/# Follow Josh Weinstein:@joshstrangehill

How The Simpsons’ Planet of the Apes Musical Was Born | Simpsons Taught Me Everything

Adele and Kermit The Frog have a lot in common. Sure, they’re from different countries and they’re different species and one of them is a puppet. But in terms of taking your brain over by manipulating it with song, they’re the world’s foremost masters of a little trick called the appoggiatura. What is that magic Italian-derived word? How does it work? And how many other ways does the world prank your brain with music every day? On this week’s episode of The Cracked Podcast, Alex Schmidt is joined by Jamie Brew (Botnik, Clickhole) for tales of tuneful brain trickery. They’ll dig through the latest brain science, the biggest pop songs of today, and the history of opera for ways your noggin hears music and messes with you as a result. Also, this one has some fun musical examples! So how about that! Footnotes: http://www.cracked.com/podcast/the-weirdest-ways-music-pranks-human-brain/

The Weirdest Ways Music Pranks The Human Brain

Have you visited America’s heartland? And if you have...why are you so sure? “The heartland” is not a defined thing, with borders or flags or land made of literal hearts. The term actually comes from a British geographer named Halford Mackinder (a fantastic name), who coined “heartland” in 1904 to describe one central part of pre-WWI Europe. So why do we use “heartland” in the present day, to describe an aspect of the U.S.? Is it to imply ideas about it, without letting you consider those ideas on their merits? And are there other words in our language that get used the same way? On this week’s episode of The Cracked Podcast, Alex Schmidt sits down with Jason Pargin (better known as David Wong) to explore the most celebrated words in the English language that also trick us constantly. They’ll examine how throwing around the term “real” messes with everything from our gender roles to our dinner plate to our politics. They’ll uncover the creepy way certain words throw entire generations under the bus. And they’ll explore why philosophies like socialism and fascism are making a comeback in places like America’s Heartland (whatever that is). Footnotes: http://www.cracked.com/podcast/9-supposedly-important-words-that-donE28099t-mean-anything/

9 Supposedly Important Words (That Don’t Mean Anything)

Books: they’re almost definitely supposed to do something besides decorate wall space. After all, there’s a whole class about them every year in school. Also various scientific studies say our brains get concrete benefits from reading the written word. But what do we gain when that word is read to us? What do we gain when we let a writer’s meaning reach us like never before? And what happens to society itself when literature takes on the role of prototyping our future? On this week’s episode of The Cracked Podcast, Alex Schmidt sits down with the one and only LeVar Burton, host of the incredible ‘LeVar Burton Reads’ podcast. If you’ve watched TV in the last 40 years, LeVar’s gotten you excited about books directly (‘Reading Rainbow’), indirectly (the original ‘Roots’ TV adaptation), and science fictionally (decades of ‘Star Trek’ acting and directing). Today he and Alex explore how the world’s reacted to LeVar's unique literary mission. They’ll also walk through a history of science fiction prototyping, the near future of ‘Trek’ storytelling, and what literacy can do for all our futures if we let it. Footnotes: http://www.cracked.com/podcast/levar-burton-reading-sci-fi-where-weE28099re-headed-next/

LeVar Burton On Reading & Sci-Fi & Where We’re Headed Next

If you took an advanced high school history class, you might remember that The Spanish-American War happened. You might even remember a few details: a ship sinking in Cuba, the U.S. taking over Puerto Rico, Teddy Roosevelt riding a horse...and once you answered a couple test questions about that, you moved on forever. To most people, the wars that define America involve George Washington winning, Adolf Hitler losing, and the Russians pointing nukes at us and frowning. But what if a brief American conflict in the year 1898 did just as much to shape the entire world’s destiny? And what if people of that time knew their votes in a few key elections would make all the difference? On this week’s episode of The Cracked Podcast, Alex Schmidt is joined by Stephen Kinzer, author of ‘The True Flag: Theodore Roosevelt, Mark Twain, and the Birth of American Empire’. Alex and Stephen dig into The Spanish-American War, and why it’s the most important American war nobody in America ever thinks about. They’ll look at how a little-known U.S. Senator, an even lesser-known populist silver freak, and the legacy of the Spanish Inquisition shape all our lives today. And they’ll consider how modern voters could finally answer the question of what America is supposed to be in the world, and answer it in a way where everybody benefits. Footnotes: http://www.cracked.com/podcast/how-one-forgotten-war-created-modern-america/

How One Forgotten War Created Modern America

Imagine a genie gave you one million dollars to make a movie. You’d immediately go into Working Your Ass Off Mode, right? After all, if you’re spending one whole million U.S. dollars, you’d want to make sure the script and production were as perfect as they could be. Now here’s the next version of that thought experiment: what if you got to spend FOUR HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS? What if you got to spend it making an Avengers story that tied together ten years of filmmaking? And here’s the scary part: what if your story forgot to make it clear that the villain was, ya know, on the wrong side of the conflict?&nbsp; On this week’s episode of The Cracked Podcast, Alex Schmidt is joined by comedy writers Chase Mitchell and Ben Joseph for a look at how some of the biggest movies of all time forgot to prove that their villain was in the wrong. And if they’re lucky they’ll find a way to explain how films from ‘The Little Mermaid’ to ‘Mission: Impossible - Fallout’ to ‘Avengers Thanos-stravaganza’ screwed up the basic building block of "good versus evil" without audiences noticing. Footnotes: http://www.cracked.com/podcast/9-movies-that-forgot-to-prove-villain-wrong/

9 Movies That Forgot To Prove The Villain Wrong

Our brains have a few sets of guardrails...theoretically. One set should prevent us from claiming wild nonsense about ourselves, in particular if we know we can’t back it up. Another set ought to prevent us from falling for that garbage if other people pull it. But what if certain people don’t have that first limitation? What if they have the ability to lie beyond all reason, all the time? And what if the rest of us are liable to fall for it in spite of ourselves? On this week’s episode of The Cracked Podcast, Alex Schmidt is joined by Danielle Radford and Jenny Jaffe for a trip through ridiculous lies and cons that never should have worked...and somehow fooled everybody anyway. They’ll explore historical and modern-day examples of utter shenanigans happening everywhere from Brazil to Paris to the Dominion of Melchizedek (don’t ask). And they’ll mull why people love perpetrating -- and falling for -- the dumbest tricks imaginable. Footnotes: http://www.cracked.com/podcast/12-ridiculously-obvious-lies-cons-that-fooled-world/

12 Ridiculously Obvious Lies & Cons (That Fooled The World)

History: it’s the number one topic for filmmakers who want to win an Oscar. From serious movies about American history to serious movies about British history, no subject wins more votes and locks down more statues. Of course the people making those movies would tell you they’re super serious because history was that way, so what else can they do. But what if every period drama could be funnier AND realer if it got over itself? And what if eras from ancient Rome to the twentieth century Cold War featured real hijinks that are so hilarious, so wild, so straight-up funny, Hollywood refused to show them to you? On this week’s episode of The Cracked Podcast, Alex Schmidt and Dan Hopper explore that exact phenomenon. They’ll pick apart some of the greatest historical dramas and biopics of all time, take you behind the production curtain, and pick out the hilarious elements filmmakers just didn’t have the guts to put in. And they’ll dig into the biggest historical events of all time, illuminating funny real things no moviemaker would show you unless they’re making a comedy, and willing to forgo Oscar riches. Footnotes: http://www.cracked.com/podcast/11-historical-facts-that-were-way-too-stupid-movies/

11 Historical Facts That Were Way Too Stupid For The Movies

How well do you read Latin? Because if you’re not all that good at reading Latin or other dead languages, good news: you could have still had a job as an 1800s historian. Fun example: there’s a story claiming the Roman emperor Caligula was SO CRAZY, he sent a whole army to a beach to pick up seashells for him. However, the Latin word ‘musculi’ means both “shells” and “military huts”, so he likely actually told his troops to pack up their campsite. Which is normal. That’s a completely different kind of emperor, right? And here’s a fun thing: your pop cultural understanding of the Roman Empire is approximately that far off of the truth, in a lot of fascinating ways. On this week’s episode of The Cracked Podcast, Alex Schmidt is joined by Siobhan Thompson (CollegeHumor, BBC America) and Patrick Wyman (Tides Of History, ‘Jeopardy!’) for a trip through the inaccurate lies you’ve been fed about the ancient Romans, and also the much more interesting true things you never knew about them. Get your head straight about everything from mighty gladiators to ancient fast food to the stunning economic benefits of living near a former Roman road. Footnotes: http://www.cracked.com/podcast/overrated-myths-and-underrated-facts-about-ancient-rome/

Overrated Myths (And Underrated Facts) About Ancient Rome

“The book is better than the movie.” It’s a belief as old as...well, not as old as time, because books are centuries old and movies hit their stride when ‘Star Wars’ came out. Still, lots of people think movies ruin books. Many people also think there are one or two times when the movie outdid the book, in a weird exception-to-the-rule type situation. But what if we told you a better movie happens often? And what if there are cases where it was so obvious, to everyone involved, the book’s author said so? In public and everything? On this episode of The Cracked Podcast, Alex Schmidt is joined by working writers Zack Bornstein (Saturday Night Live, Jimmy Kimmel Live, The New Yorker) and Hallie Cantor (Lady Dynamite, Arrested Development, The New Yorker) for a trip through the heads of novelists who saw their work torn apart on screen and realized it was for the best. Get excited to see Stephen King, Anne Rice, Philip K. Dick, and more great writers experience the joy of collaboration with Hollywood, in spite of the conventional wisdom we’re all told in English class. Footnotes: http://www.cracked.com/podcast/9-movies-that-improved-book-according-to-author/

9 Movies That Improved On The Book (According To The Author)

History is the most prolific screenwriter of all time. Thanks to the magic of Events Happening In Real Life, pop culture has graced us with everything from ‘Braveheart’ to ‘On The Basis Of Sex'. Those hit biopics about real people form a sort of Humanity Hall Of Fame. What if we told you there are an endless number of incredible real people who belong in that hall, and could make Hollywood fat stacks of cash in the process, if somebody would only put them on screen? On this episode of The Cracked Podcast, Alex Schmidt is joined by writers/podcasters/all-around hilarious people Dave Schilling and Andrew Ti. They’ll take a trip down historical memory lane, and look into the most fascinating stories of right now, to find every amazing biopic Hollywood should have already made (and still can make). Get to know the most incredible war hero and U.S. Senator nobody talks about, the first female Presidential candidate, the Forrest Gump of relationships with modern terrible men, and more epic real people with Oscar potential. Footnotes: http://www.cracked.com/podcast/7-incredible-biopics-hollywood-shouldve-made-by-now/

7 Incredible Biopics Hollywood Should've Made By Now

We’re fresh off ‘Green Book’ achieving its dream Oscar night (CONGRATULATIONS you made-up Hero Dad Story you!!!). But this week’s episode is about EVERY Oscars ceremony. Why? Because the Oscars dictate most of your movie-watching year: October-December = “good movies”, January-February = “failed attempts at good movies”, summertime = “movies seeking the big green Oscar better known as MONEY.” So we asked ourselves a question. We asked what might happen if the Oscars stopped dictating that schedule? And what if they stopped dictating it because the Oscars stopped happening at all, freeing up all of pop culture to function differently (and maybe function better)? On this week’s episode of The Cracked Podcast, please enjoy the oracular brilliance and Hollywood wisdom of comedians/podcasters Caitlin Gill, Dan Hopper, Amy Nicholson, and Danielle Radford, who joined Alex Schmidt for this LIVE episode from the UCB Sunset Theatre in Los Angeles. They’ll dig into the biggest possible pop culture thought experiment: what would happen if the Oscars went away. Footnotes: http://www.cracked.com/podcast/what-would-happen-if-oscars-went-away/

What Would Happen If The Oscars Went Away?

We’re only a few centuries into the era of detective work. 19th century criminologists like Eugene Vidocq invented modern forensic techniques, standardized criminal databases, and the basic approach that underpins police investigations to this day. You would think this revolutionary shift would make our lives less spooky. But what if we told you history is full of mysteries that received diligent investigations, only to turn up stranger scarier questions? On this episode of The Cracked Podcast, Alex Schmidt is joined by writers/comedians/history mystery superfans Jenny Jaffe and Carey O’Donnell to rediscover history’s strangest disappearances, murders, and more. They’ll explore all kinds of baffling tales that confounded professional investigators from the past through today. And stick around for some plain ol' fun new theories on these old cases. Footnotes: http://www.cracked.com/podcast/10-creepy-unsolved-mysteries-from-history/

10 Creepy Unsolved Mysteries From History

Notes are annoying. Nobody likes to spend weeks and months crafting an idea only to be told what’s wrong with it. Flip side to that: we often have blind spots when it comes to our creative projects. And that goes for everybody, even the creators of the most famous and successful entertainment of all time, because surprise -- almost every movie and TV show you love needed saving from creative notes that are (in hindsight) blisteringly obvious. On this episode of The Cracked Podcast, Alex Schmidt is joined by Cracked editor/columnist Dan Hopper and by writer/comedian Kandice Martellaro for a look at the most quotable, lovable, Oscar-winning movies of all time...and how they almost fell apart at the ideas step. They’ll also discover series-killing TV episodes that got rehearsed and staged and brought within a hair of terrifying America. And yes, don’t worry, they one hundred percent discover which iconic franchise almost made its villain a confusing monkey. Footnotes: https://www.cracked.com/podcast/10-great-movies-tv-shows-that-were-almost-disasters

10 Great Movies & TV Shows (That Were Almost Disasters)

Movie sequels are the biggest gamble in entertainment. The first movie is the first bet: how much do you build it toward a franchise at the expense of its story? How many of those folks will stick around for a second adventure? With your Adventure #2, how do you retell Adventure #1's story in a new way? Those and more questions make it amazing second and third movies happen at all (let alone 20+ Avengers building blocks). But what if that sequel process isn’t as hard as it looks? What if it’s actually pretty easy to do...as long as you avoid a few classic pitfalls audiences reject every time? On this week’s episode of The Cracked Podcast, Alex Schmidt teams up with Cracked editor/columnist/swell fella Cyriaque Lamar for a look at mistakes multi-million dollar movie franchises repeat year after year. They’ll dig into the story problems studios keep bringing on themselves. They’ll examine why Aliens, Terminators, and more Hollywood big bads turn kind of lame after enough iterations. And stick around for a few movie franchises that nail this every time, in replicable ways (HINT HINT MOVIEMAKERS). Footnotes:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cracked.com/podcast/7-common-mistakes-that-ruin-movie-sequels-trilogies/" target="_blank">https://www.cracked.com/podcast/7-common-mistakes-that-ruin-movie-sequels-trilogies/</a>

7 Common Mistakes That Ruin Movie Sequels & Trilogies

Over 2000 years ago, Aristotle wrote that it’s “evident” the Earth is round. One generation later, Greek mathematician &amp; geographer Eratosthenes achieved a solid ballpark estimate of the Earth’s circumference. Again, that was over 2000 years ago. So how are we now in a world where many people believe our world is flat? What if those Flat Earth People do believe in climate change, in a hilarious way? And is there any chance this is all the Internet’s fault? On this episode of The Cracked Podcast, Alex Schmidt sits down with Dana Gould ('The Simpsons', 'Stan Against Evil', incredible stand-up comedy, so much more) for a deep dive into the world’s strangest newest conspiracy theories. They’ll look at how YouTube, social media, and bizarre message boards give us rabbit holes like never before. And they’ll examine how you can move forward in a world where all data gets bent out of shape by people helping each other do it. Footnotes: https://www.cracked.com/podcast/the-9-strangest-newest-conspiracy-theories-thriving-online/

The 9 Strangest Newest Conspiracy Theories Thriving Online

Good news: this single podcast episode is two shows at once! Because on this episode of The Cracked Podcast, Alex Schmidt is joined by comedians Caitlin Gill and Kandice Martellaro for a walk through the latest greatest science news you haven’t heard yet. From there, they’ll spitball the fun &amp; funny sci-fi movies waiting to be adapted from that real life science. Because here’s the #1 news story to remember: being alive is more interesting than people think it is. Footnotes: https://www.cracked.com/podcast/10-real-science-stories-that-should-be-sci-fi-movie/

10 Real Science Stories That Should Be A Sci-Fi Movie

Many science fiction stories go to the past, not the future. Which makes sense, right? Why be a Connecticut Yankee in some random Jetsons city when you can be a Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur’s Court, A Place That’s Part Of Your Own Era's Roots, Which Makes Visiting It Meaningful? We all long to vacation in the past, touring its wonders before the germs &amp; backwardness bother us. But here’s one way being alive is more interesting than people think it is: there are a shocking number of artifacts that let you experience that past *today*, because they still exist in spite of all logic. On this week’s episode of The Cracked Podcast, Alex Schmidt sits down with comedic character genius Andy Daly to bring the past to life. They’ll explore old curiosities that anyone can hear, see, experience, or eat, even though there is no way any of that should be possible. Join Alex and Andy for comedy records from 1899, pickles from before the Civil War, a surprisingly modern warning about a surprisingly ancient dog, and more. Footnotes: https://www.cracked.com/podcast/12-incredible-historical-artifacts-that-somehow-still-exist

12 Incredible Historical Artifacts That Somehow Still Exist

Science: it’s often remembered as a story of remarkable linear progress. It’s also a truer, cooler, more incredible story if you stop and smell the roses...and in this metaphor, “the roses” are little-known bizarre stories from the lives of great scientists. On this episode of The Cracked Podcast, Alex Schmidt is joined by comedians Robin Ince and Olga Koch for a special LIVE show at The London Podcast Festival. They’ll explore the weirdest things you never knew about scientific luminaries from Newton to Darwin to Pythagoras. They’ll welcome further tales of that stuff from our brilliant British audience members. And stick around after the live conversation for a tale of perseverance through military occupation, heinous sexism, and more common historical obstacles, illuminating more things worth remembering as we examine odd men of the past. Footnotes: https://www.cracked.com/podcast/14-funny-strange-stories-from-lives-great-scientists/

14 Funny Strange Stories From The Lives Of Great Scientists

Have you ever wondered what happens in the world's most exclusive clubs, parties, and airline lounges? Well wonder no longer, because a writer/podcaster/famous minor television personality explored them on your behalf, and captured them like no one else can. On this episode of The Cracked Podcast, Alex Schmidt is joined by the one and only John Hodgman, author of ‘Medallion Status: True Stories From Secret Rooms’. Thanks to John you’ll experience the elegant ridiculousness of Yale’s secret society tombs, learn the true name of Mar-a-Lago, and discover the Delta Airlines status so elevated it feels like the sweet release of death. Also stick around for advice on how any of us can feel the hidden magic of being Gold Status without ever flying a mile. Footnotes: <a href="https://www.cracked.com/podcast/a-tour-through-worldE28099s-secret-rooms-with-john-hodgman/" target="_blank">https://www.cracked.com/podcast/a-tour-through-worldE28099s-secret-rooms-with-john-hodgman/</a>

A Tour Through The World’s Secret Rooms (with John Hodgman)

Anything can happen in a fictional world. Stories take us to the farthest reaches of the galaxy, or the fantasy-est realms ever conceived, or the grittiest most realistic representations of everyday life. But if all that is true, why do writers and creators lean on the same tropes over and over again? And why are the weakest tropes in a piece of fiction often strange takes on women’s bodies, minds, and lives? On this episode of The Cracked Podcast, Alex Schmidt sits down with comedy writer Hallie Cantor and comedian/actor/writer Tiff Stevenson for a look at fascinatingly dumb pop culture tropes about women. From movies to TV shows to video games, they’ll reveal common entertainment myths from “water breaks like a flood” to “women are the hardest thing to draw” to “your number of boobs indicates your morality.” They’ll also run through real-life casting calls with bizarre expectations about who exists in the world, look at how pop cultural sexism and real global sexism feed into each other, and mull how Listeners Like You can push all this in a better direction. Footnotes: https://www.cracked.com/podcast/11-stupid-pop-culture-tropes-you-always-see-about-women/

11 Stupid Pop Culture Tropes You Always See About Women

This is an evergreen episode of The Cracked Podcast -- and not just because it involves Christmas trees. “Evergreen”, in case you don’t know, is a media term for stuff that’s worth listening to any time after its publication. And on this episode of The Cracked Podcast, Alex Schmidt and his special guest Jason Pargin (who writes for Cracked as David Wong) are taking a Christmas-sparked look at the overall, global, all-encompassing meaningfulness of holidays. Why does your culture, no matter who you are, spend time and resources and energy on a set of traditions? What are we missing if we become Too Modern to value a break from everyday life? And how can anyone generate a holiday feeling in their own heart, any time of the year? Footnotes: https://www.cracked.com/podcast/why-holidays-are-secretly-crucial-to-our-survival

Why The Holidays Are Secretly Crucial To Our Survival

There’s something magical about a pilgrimage. It combines a journey, a quest, and a vacation into one experience. So keep trekking to your favorite things, you wonderful people you. Just make sure you’re avoiding the mistakes in this podcast's stories. Because on this week’s episode of The Cracked Podcast, Alex Schmidt is joined by Dan Hopper (Ranker, CollegeHumor, The Washington Post) for a look at movie &amp; TV locations that fans are pilgrimaging into oblivion. Discover the most neighborhood-snarling, pizza-chucking, monastery-crumbling behaviors in the whole world of fandom. Find out how one monkey's paw-style studio deal turned part of Spain blue forever. And find out how Viewers Like You can be more thoughtful toward Hollywood locations than the average 'Joker' Instagrammer. Footnotes: https://www.cracked.com/podcast/8-famous-movie-tv-locations-ruined-by-fans/

8 Famous Movie & TV Locations (Ruined By The Fans)

How did we remember anything before the Internet? If it wasn’t in a library book, a file cabinet, or a computer database the size of a living room, it wasn’t easy to hang onto a piece of information. So here’s one way being alive is more interesting than people think it is: pre-Internet television writers took their show universes into insane directions, whenever they felt like it, with the hope nobody would remember the insanity by next week. So on this episode of The Cracked Podcast, Alex Schmidt is joined by Siobhan Thompson (Rick and Morty, Dimension 20) and Andrew Ti (Mixed-ish, Yo Is This Racist?) for a trip through the strangest canon ever grafted onto a TV show. They’ll turn up late-season canon decisions that broke entire television universes. Also be sure to listen for strange network promos and a stranger talk show appearance that make your favorite science fiction worlds too bizarre to comprehend. Footnotes: https://www.cracked.com/podcast/11-tv-shows-that-secretly-gave-themselves-insane-canon/

11 TV Shows That Secretly Gave Themselves Insane Canon

Military history: it’s supposedly just battles between armies. But what about the countries who launched elaborate assaults on other nations’ minds? Or beseiged their own citizens’ sanity? On this episode of The Cracked Podcast, Alex Schmidt is joined by comedians/podcasters Adam Tod Brown (Unpopular Opinion) and Jeff May (Sideshow’s Side Show) for the strangest, silliest, oddest psychological warfare ever plotted by national governments. Discover tales of elected officials and professional militaries dreaming up pranks, toys, holograms, and more bizarre tools for crushing their enemies...even if the execution of those plots would boggle the mind. Footnotes: https://www.cracked.com/podcast/13-insane-psy-ops-real-governments-tried-to-pull-off/

11 Insane Psy-Ops Real Governments Tried To Pull Off

Alex Schmidt is joined by Jody Avirgan (FiveThirtyEight, 30 For 30) and Nicole Hemmer (historian, author 'Messengers Of The Right'). Jody and Nicole host a fantastic new podcast called 'This Day In Esoteric Political History'. On this show, the three of them share amazing stories from T.D.I.E.P.H., and from elsewhere, about America facing shutdown-level crises. It turns out the United States often faces pandemics, crashes, and weather cataclysms that disrupt national life for months or even years. Those events don't loom large in our collective historical memories, despite being important reminders of our country's resilience in the face of bizarre national danger...and reminders that thoughtful collective action is as American as apple pie, baseball, and revolting against the British. Footnotes: https://www.cracked.com/podcast/6-little-known-crises-lockdowns-u.s.-history

6 Little-Known Crises And Lockdowns Of U.S. History

Alex Schmidt is joined by Adam Tod Brown and Chet Wild, the hosts of Unpopular Opinion’s “The 90s Sucked” podcast. They’re exploring huge, meaningful, world-altering ways the 1990s never stopped happening to us. They’ll also reveal which element of the ‘90s stuffs the nation’s landfills to this day, which ‘90s band happily played a show in a living room, and which ‘90s after-effects are most worth looking out for in 2020, 2024, and beyond. Footnotes: https://www.cracked.com/podcast/5-weird-ways-1990s-never-ended/

5 Weird Ways The 1990s Never Ended

Alex Schmidt is joined by Sarah Pappalardo (Reductress) and Dave Weigel (The Washington Post) for a look ahead at an election that’s practically happening tomorrow. Could one party take both houses of Congress? How is the Presidential race shaping up? And will American voters have to jack up their pandemic risk just to plunk down a ballot?&nbsp; Footnotes: https://www.cracked.com/podcast/how-bizarre-or-great-will-2020-election-be

How Bizarre (Or Great) Will The 2020 Election Be?

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