PODCAST · tv
The Incomparable Mothership
by Jason Snell
The Incomparable Mothership is the flagship of the Incomparable podcast network. It’s all about geeky media we love, including movies, books, TV, and more, featuring a rotating panel of guests and hosted by Jason Snell and friends.
Episodes
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839: The Weather is the Bad Guy
In Jason’s absence, Shelly indulges her fondness for disaster movies, a genre that peaked in the 1970s. And what better way to revel in disaster than with a draft? From shipwrecks to nuclear war to runaway planes and trains, we’ve got you covered in cinematic mayhem. There’s even a zeppelin. Host...
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838: And I'm All Outta Dinosaurs
Inhale deeply of the intoxicating gases and get ready to discuss the “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” season gone by. Our panel of puppets, “Casablanca” characters, badmirals, and high fantasy types have opinions on the genre-shifting penultimate season. Too much Kirk, or just enough? What’s up…
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837: Thoughts About a Fictional Bakery
Helene Wecker’s third Golem and Jinni novel, The Gates of Midnight, is now available! Jason asks her about her multi-decade journey to get to the end of the trilogy, how research has changed along the way, the themes of the three books, and what she might do next. Host Jason Snell with Helene...
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836: Tea, Blankets, and Murder
Once a subcategory for mysteries, “cozy” feels like the latest craze in publishing with every genre getting in on the act. Is it really a new thing? Are authors able to take sci-fi or horror and turn it into something to be read while cuddled into a warm blanket with a cup of tea at one’s elbow?...
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835: Team Whammer
The Summer of Sundance comes to an end with “The Natural,” a story of a legendary baseball player—no, we’re not talking about Joe Don Baker as The Whammer, or are we? It’s Bernard Malamud’s take on baseball as American mythology, filtered through the mind of Barry Levinson. Barbara Hershey shocks...
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834: Dial-a-CIA-computer
The Summer of Sundance continues with the paranoid thriller, “Three Days of the Condor.” A devastatingly handsome nerd goes out to buy sandwiches for the office, and the next thing he knows he’s on the run and kidnapping Faye Dunaway… Host Jason Snell with David J. Loehr, Shelly Brisbin, Paul...
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833: She Thought She Heard the Ice Cream Truck
Now the curtain is going up, “The Sting” is starting the show! Snappy patter and jokes, along with the star power of Robert Redford and Paul Newman, drive this story of an elaborate con that goes right—or does it?! Also there’s a lot of Scott Joplin music. Host Jason Snell with Micheline Maynard,...
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832: Likeable Goblins
Eleven books later, our Awards Book Club has finally reached the end of the line. In this episode we cover our last uncovered book, “Shroud” by Adrian Tchaikovsky, recommend some Hugo-nominated short fiction, and rank all eleven books. Plus: What are we reading other than shortlisted novels?! See...
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831: What Is Even Bolivia?
Our Summer of Sundance kicks off with Sundance himself, as we travel back to the end of the old west (and, later, to the garden spot of Bolivia) to visit a couple of robbers, their lady friend, and their not-very-important gang with “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.” Did they use enough...
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830: Sad Man in a Van
Buy some flowers and get ready to profess your feelings—we’re here to talk about “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” in which Tom Holland’s Peter gets to be a sad sack who is saving New York while his personal life has fallen completely apart. There are surprising character reveals, unsurprising…
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829: The True Horror is Bureaucracy
Put on your summer best and board a ferry to New England’s hottest tourist destination! It’s time for us to discuss “Widow’s Bay,” a funny horror story about the mayor and other denizens of a cursed island. Of course there’s a creepy clown, and a slasher, and a dark secret that goes back…
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828: Perfectly Serviceable Boat Movie
It’s one of the best “Star Trek” movies, a classic Dad Movie, and the start of a franchise that never really started. It’s “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World,” in which oceans have become battlefields and privateer ships lurk like horror-movie monsters. Don’t get attached to any of...
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827: Organic Free-Range Cave Cheese
Non-linearly begin and end your journey across a wide range of cursed islands! We discuss Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey,” a film now in theatres and a story that’s (nearly) 3,000 years old! Pig sculpting! Lotus eating! Horrible horse hiding! Were we the sea people all along? That’s a tale as…
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826: Layers of Shenanigans
Our awards shortlist book club rolls on with a selection of books we’re much more receptive to: “A Drop of Corruption” by Robert Jackson Bennett, “The Raven Scholar” by Antonia Hodgson, and The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow. Host Jason Snell with Aleen Simms, Erika Ensign, Scott McNulty, Heather...
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825: 3D Printing With Xenon
What if “The Martian” but with an alien buddy? We break down “Project Hail Mary,” and marvel at what a good translation of a sort-of-unfilmable book it really is! Why do we love alien puppets so much? Why is Jason checking his watch at the end? We give this movie a thumbs down—by which we mean we...
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824: The Most Movie
Get out your PowerBooks and prepare to punch an alien in patriotic fashion! We celebrate Independence Day with a 30-year-old film, “Independence Day”! It’s a lot of movie. Is Jason ready to forgive it? Host Jason Snell with Moisés Chiullán, David J. Loehr, Aleen Simms, and Tony Sindelar.
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823: Someone on Both Sides of the Gunfight
We combine our love of “Star Trek” with the appreciation for old movies that can only be provided by our sister podcast Lions, Towers, and Shields, by drafting “Star Trek” actors (TOS and TNG only) and the movie roles we loved before they appeared on Star Trek! And be sure to listen to this...
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822: Jacket Into Cyberspace
William Gibson Book Club reconvenes to close out the legendary Sprawl trilogy with “Mona Lisa Overdrive,” a book in which there are lots of vibes from a lot of people who are secondary characters in a story being driven by an AI that we never really meet. Robot art projects! Many overlapping...
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821: Historic Parking Garage
Get behind your typewriters! Old Movie Club follows the money to discuss 1976’s “All The President’s Men,” in which the power of dogged reportage and journalistic freedom triumphs over the banality of evil. Host Jason Snell with Philip Michaels, Shelly Brisbin, Micheline Maynard, Steven…
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820: I Can Read It!
Our survey of award-nominated novels rolls on with “The Buffalo Hunter Hunter,” “When We Were Real,” and “Sour Cherry.” Not gonna lie: we’re struggling with the reading a bit this year. But at least one of these novels threw us a lifeline. Host Jason Snell with Scott McNulty, Erika Ensign, Aleen...
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819: All the Babus Frik
We went out to the movies to see “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” the first “Star Wars” film this decade. We had a really good time, thanks in large part to the charisma of many different puppets. (This is “Star Wars,” after all.) We aren’t without our criticisms—Is there ever really any danger? What...
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818: Ferris is Magic
Let’s travel 40 years back in time, to Chicago in 1986, where on one legendary day, a high school student named Ferris Bueller bends time and space, all in service of cheering up his best friend. We break down what makes “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” still work after all these years. Host Jason…
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817: A Found Family of Monsters
Awards Book Club reconvenes for 2026, as we discuss Nebula-nominated novels “Katabasis” by R.F. Kuang, “Wearing the Lion” by John Wiswell, and “Death of the Author” by Nnedi Okorafor. The mood of the panel is… cautious. Also: What else are we reading? Host Jason Snell with Aleen Simms, Erika...
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816: Fascism for Algernon
Put on your eye phones and jack in to the cyberscape! Rocket Surgery comes for 1996’s cyberpunk epic “Lawnmower Man 2.” (Don’t worry if you haven’t seen the original “Lawnmower Man,” half of us didn’t either.) Matt Frewer is Max Headrooming it up! A bunch of urchins populate a rainy L.A. that’s...
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815: I Guess I Gotta Kill All These Klan Guys
Not now, Klansmen, I’m killing vampires! “Sinners” got nominated for all the awards, and it’s also a vampire (with a hint of zombie?) movie. We love it when genre movies get attention, and Ryan Coogler keeps putting out bangers, so we’re all in on the story of magical music opening the door to...
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814: Demons are People Too
A special Book Club panel provides an overview of Lois McMaster Bujold’s excellent Penric & Desdemona series of fantasy novellas (plus one novel). This series gives its characters time to learn, grow, and age. It’s got some perspectives you don’t see very often in fantasy fiction. We love it and...
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813: Spiritual Sequel
We complete our run through blades with “Blade Runner 2049,” a late sequel in which Ryan Gosling plays a replicant detective searching for an explosive secret that could change everything… and is unsurprisingly tied to characters from “Blade Runner.” We discuss why a replicant might need a...
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812: Ridley Scott Just Can't Stop
No voiceovers! More unicorns! Our journey deep into the futuristic world of 2019 Los Angeles continues with another look at “Blade Runner” — this time, it’s “The Final Cut” edition. Deckard’s identity revealed, sort of? Voiceovers removed! Superfans and sort-of-fans compare, contrast, and…
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811: Have You Considered More Voiceovers?
These movie producers really did a job on “Blade Runner.” They don’t advertise for narrations in the newspaper, every good writer knows that. But when you’re trying to sell a narratively dense piece of visual art to 1982 audiences who just want to see a Harrison Ford movie, that’s the sort of...
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810: Cheated Out of Glitter Vomit
Hit the books and polish up your comm badges, because it’s time to go to school—“Starfleet Academy,” that is. We check in on the first season of Star Trek’s latest (and last, for now?) TV series, and find that despite the YA focus, it’s still just really good “Star Trek” that’s worth your...
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809: Triple J on 'Jeopardy!' with Jennings
Jason was on “Jeopardy!” Now he breaks the experience down with the help of two former “Jeopardy!” champions, Glenn Fleishman and Dan Moren. Host Jason Snell with Dan Moren and Glenn Fleishman.
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808: Growing Up Targaryen
Have your squire put on your best (and only) set of armor and be sure to re-paint your shield! We’re here to discuss the surprisingly delightful “Game of Thrones” spin-off “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” which features characters to root for, humor, and other things in short supply in other...
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807: Assassin As a Service
Charge up your cyberspace deck and avoid all slamhounds! It’s time for us to discuss the second book in William Gibson’s famed Sprawl trilogy, “Count Zero.” Of course, Count Zero is the name of a great hacker… wait, it’s this kid? This is a book that defies audience expectations, from the title...
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806: Demon in a Photocopier
Our Book Club reconvenes to discuss Emily Tesh’s “The Incandescent,” which offers a teacher’s perspective on a magical school (that’s mostly not magical, but infested by demons), an interesting story structure, and some very well-drawn characters. Plus: What else are we reading? Host Jason Snell...
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805: Universal Basic Rooster Income
Find a cat bed and some apricots, and prepare to upgrade your chicken! While Jason’s away, we play Embark’s hit game “Arc Raiders”, a multiplayer extraction shooter where people can… be nice to each other? (Most of the time, anyway.) We talk survival tips, resource management, and—to nobody’s...
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804: I Pay This Movie Rent
Want to see a dead body? Bring your comb, stock up on cherry flavor Pez, and stay really quiet if you see a deer. We return to the 1980s and honor Rob Reiner by discussing 1986’s “Stand By Me,” a movie Jason has somehow never seen. It’s not a movie with Things That Happen, but that’s just fine…
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803: Doing the Good Loon's Work
Celebrate Valentine’s Day with The Incomparable. It’s time to discuss that Canadian hockey show everyone’s been talking about. “Heated Rivalry” just wants to know, “Will you come to the cottage this summer?” Host Annette Wierstra with Kirsten Goruk, Heather Berberet, Stacy Watnick, and Kat Benesh.
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802: Farm-to-Table Body Parts
Guillermo del Toro’s waited his whole life to make a “Frankenstein” movie, and now he’s done it. We carefully select the (Oscar-nominated!) film’s best bits, chop them up, and then sew them back together in the grossest way possible. (We know Del Toro would approve.) You don’t need to have a…
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801: Chekhov's Chunga Palm
Hello, Carol. This is a recording. At the tone, you can leave a message to request anything you might need. We’ll do our best to provide it. Our feelings for you haven’t changed, Carol. But after everything that’s happened, we just need a little space. Host Jason Snell with Erika Ensign, Tony...
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800: Draft Science
After 800 episodes, we are in serious danger of repeating ourselves, but that never stopped us before. Some of our most prolific panelists fulfill the prophesy and draft Incomparable drafts. Jason begs them to give him new ideas, because after 800, he’s almost run out. And we use our powers for...
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799: Earth 2120 (feat. Xenomorph)
Noah Hawley’s TV take on the Alien franchise, “Alien: Earth,” is crashing into a building near us, bringing gross aliens old and new, suspicious synths, terrified (and bloody) humans, and a new class of hybrid life forms with the minds of children and superhuman bodies. Does the show give us…
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798: Trust Dan, Not Fish
Our most frequent panelists of the year join Jason to talk about their favorite stuff from the year gone by, and we also pause to recall some favorite Incomparable moments. Synergy! Host Jason Snell with Erika Ensign, Moisés Chiullán, Tony Sindelar, David J. Loehr, Annette Wierstra, Scott…
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797: Iceman Was Right
Kilmas comes but once a year! This year we’re climbing into the cockpit and revisiting 1986’s “Top Gun,” starring some airplanes, Val Kilmer, and Tom Cruise. It’s a very subtle movie. Were Tony’s parents right in protecting his young mind from it? And most importantly, why do we remember Val...
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796: Grape Juice Plus
Our Ape Club reconvenes to celebrate the holidays with a viewing of 1971’s “Escape from the Planet of the Apes!” Is this an ape movie or an episode of “Mannix”? What happens when you change lanes on the Freeway of Time? Why is Zira the smartest of all creatures, ape or human? And was Dr.…
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795: Put the Magic Baby Down
Set in a bright retro-future world, “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” doesn’t have anything to do with the Marvel Cinematic Universe… yet. We analyze the latest attempt to translate Marvel’s first family to the big screen, including the trade-offs involved in introducing characters, not…
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794: Oops! All Rats
We celebrate Fangsgiving with a visit to darkest Transylvania (and Germany) for the plague-stricken, rat-infested tale of “Nosferatu”, a legally questionable knock-off of “Dracula” more than a century old that surprisingly reinvigorates the classic lines of the Dracula story. Host Jason Snell…
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793: Table 19, Your Pizza's Ready
Ever wonder what happened to The Oneders? We celebrate Hanksgiving by discussing Tom Hanks’s love letter to ’60s pop that’s also a clear-eyed look at the machinery of the entertainment business, “That Thing You Do!” Powered by a legitimately classic pop song, a stunning cast (turns out, Tom Hanks...
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792: Deep Books in a Trenchcoat
If you’ve been thinking of reading Science Fiction and Fantasy but had no idea where to start, we’re here to help. Our panel of longtime SF/F readers has some suggestions just for you! Host Jason Snell with Aleen Simms, David J. Loehr, Erika Ensign, Heather Berberet, and Sandra Wong.
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791: Elio and Glordon's Excellent Space Adventure
Pixar Club re-forms to discuss “Elio,” the studio’s lowest-grossing feature film of all time. Funny thing, though… it’s a pretty good movie? It’s funny, has some space adventure and gross-but-lovable aliens, and even has a nice message about making connections. Look, we didn’t go see it in the...
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790: Serious Academic Arguments
It’s time for another Old Spooky Club, as we celebrate the 40th anniversary of Stuart Gordon’s horror-comedy classic, “Re-Animator”, which bears very little resemblance to the works of H.P. Lovecraft. We’ve got notes about severed heads, chomped-on fingers, lobotomized deans, weird character...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
The Incomparable Mothership is the flagship of the Incomparable podcast network. It’s all about geeky media we love, including movies, books, TV, and more, featuring a rotating panel of guests and hosted by Jason Snell and friends.
HOSTED BY
Jason Snell
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Incomparable Mothership have?
The Incomparable Mothership currently has 831 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Incomparable Mothership about?
The Incomparable Mothership is the flagship of the Incomparable podcast network. It’s all about geeky media we love, including movies, books, TV, and more, featuring a rotating panel of guests and hosted by Jason Snell and friends.
How often does The Incomparable Mothership release new episodes?
The Incomparable Mothership releases new episodes frequently with a large back catalog of 831 episodes. Check the episode list for recent publication dates.
Where can I listen to The Incomparable Mothership?
You can listen to The Incomparable Mothership on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Incomparable Mothership?
The Incomparable Mothership is created and hosted by Jason Snell.
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