We Judge a Show by its Pilot
by wejudgeashow
On this podcast, we watch and discuss the pilot (first episode) of tv shows while sharing personal stories that parallel the storyline. We select tv shows from a variety of categories like: our favorite shows, some of the top shows of all time, shows we’ve never seen or shows that were suggested to us. Hosted by married couple, Jeff & Anna. Come take a listen!
Episodes
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Ep. 154 - Rooster
What do you think it would be like to work with one of your parents? That's a question we explore in today's episode. We are judging the pilot for the new HBO hit comedy, Rooster, starring Steve Carell. Along with the pilot we discuss our relationship with our parents, Anna talks about teaching...
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Ep. 153 - The Five-Star Weekend
Do you know what a Five-Star Weekend is? Well come take a listen and found out we judge the pilot for a brand new show that recently premiered on Peacock... The Five-Star Weekend. The show has a stacked cast and we're going to decide if it gets us in our feels. Along with the pilot, we talk about...
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Ep. 152 - Breaking Bad
Buckle up because we're judging the pilot for a show that is considered to be one of the greatest in TV history. Today we are talking Breaking Bad. Number 1 on IMDB. 58 Emmy nominations. And one of the greatest series finales of all time. Along with the pilot, we are telling stories about the...
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Ep. 151 - The Pitt
We are so back and ready for this month's theme: TV Shows that take place in a short period of time. We're kicking it off with one of the most currently popular shows: The Pitt. A medical drama that centers around the staff of a Pittsburgh Emergency Room, The Pitt is considered the most realistic...
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Ep. 150 - 150th Episode Celebration plus Workaholics
2 years and 150 episodes later, we're still going strong! We go down memory lane and talk about the history of our podcast, some of our favorite themes, episodes, and moments. We also have a brief discussion about the evolution of our podcast while discussing the evolution of TV itself. We also...
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Ep. 149 - How to Get to Heaven from Belfast
In a world where true crime and crime dramas are the top tv subgenres, we've all thought to ourselves: could we solve a crime? Well we have the perfect show for you! How to Get to Heaven from Belfast premiered on Netflix in February 2026 and it was created by Lisa McGee, same creator of Derry...
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Ep. 148 - The Woman in the Wall
Today's episode is all about scandals as we judge the pilot for the Irish miniseries, The Woman in the Wall starring one of our favorites, Ruth Wilson. The series explores trauma many women suffered from the Magdalene Laundries in Ireland in the 1990s so we decided to discuss some of the most...
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Ep. 147 - Derry Girls
We are so back and we're ready to talk about the pilot for our first Irish TV show: Derry Girls. Set in the 1990s during a rocky time in Ireland, we discuss major world events that took place during our childhood and adolescence. We also talk about riding the bus to school, times we got…
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Ep. 146 - Smosh
We're a podcast where our love for TV shows are rooted in our relationship and we're doing an episode about a YouTube channel where comedy is rooted in friendship. This is it. Our number 1 favorite YouTube channel of all time. A channel we watch daily, nightly, before we go to sleep, on our days...
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Ep. 145 - Hot Ones (First We Feast)
We are continuing YouTube Month with one of our favorite shows, Hot Ones, a talk show where celebrities answer questions while eating chicken wings that get progressively hotter. So of course we decided to take on the Wings of Death while asking each other questions. If you hear some crunching in...
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Ep. 144 - Kara and Nate
In preparation for our trip to Europe, we decided to discuss our favorite travel vloggers, Kara and Nate. The couple began as budget travelers but eventually evolved into luxury and niche travelers. On today's episode we discuss the history of Kara and Nate, we tell a few stories about traveling…
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Ep. 143 - Lauren Norris
We're so back! This month's theme is a bit different. We're talking about Anna's favorite YouTube channels. We're starting the month off with one of Anna's all-time favorite YouTubers, Lauren Norris. What began as Anna checking out her sorority content eventually grew into a nearly 7 year fandom....
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Ep. 142 - GLOW
Welcome to the wonderful world of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling! Loosely based on the real life wrestling circuit, GLOW centers around the the humble beginnings of the infamous tv series. Along with the pilot, today we are discussing times in our lives when we were desperate for money, 80s...
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Ep. 141 - Running Point
Today's episode is all about women in sports management! We are discussing the pilot of the hit Netflix series, Running Point. The series centers around Isla Gordon, the newly appointed president of a popular professional basketball team. Along with the pilot, we are discussing women in sports...
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Ep. 140 - Chad Powers
If you had a second chance at something, would you take it? Or would you be able to accept that you can't change the past? We discuss that and more as we judge the pilot for the new Hulu hit show, Chad Powers. On today's episode we discuss regrets, sports moments we'll never forget, and the...
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Ep. 139 - The Runarounds
Finishing out the month, we are judging the pilot for one of Jeff's favorite shows of 2025, The Runarounds. Set in the same universe as Outer Banks, The Runarounds centers around a group of recent high school graduates who form a rock band and go on a quest for stardom. Along with the pilot, we…
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Ep. 138 - Adolescence
A last minute entry into this month's lineup, we decided to judge the pilot for the acclaimed miniseries: Adolescence. A show that talks about the uncomfortable subjects of incel culture, knife violence, and family trauma, Adolescence took the world by storm and managed to grasp everyone's...
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Ep. 137 - IT: Welcome to Derry
Hands down Jeff's favorite series of 2025 was IT: Welcome to Derry. Based on one of Stephen King's most famous novels, a prequel to one of the most financially successful horror movies of all time, and a series that ties in other Stephen King works like The Shining, Doctor Sleep, and the…
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Ep. 136 - Overcompensating
It's time for our 2025 favorites and we're starting off this month with one of Anna's picks: Overcompensating. A series that follows the lives of a group of college students as they try to figure who they are and where they're going in life, we both instantly were hooked on this show for its…
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Bonus Episode: Stranger Things (SERIES FINALE)
HAPPY NEW YEAR! As we say goodbye to 2025 we ask ourselves a few questions.... How do you say goodbye to one of your all-time favorite shows? How do you properly end an epic fantasy series? Will we ever be satisfied with any ending? We explore that and more as we discuss the series finale for...
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Ep. 134 - Superstore (SERIES FINALE)
Buckle up, get ready because this is a packed episode! Our final episode of 2025 and we couldn't stop talking! To close out the year we chose a series finale that remains one of our favorites of all time and a series finale we've referenced many times on the pod... Superstore! On today's episode…
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Ep. 133 - Girls (SERIES FINALE)
Today we are judging a series finale that had the fans divided from the moment it originally aired. The series finale for the HBO hit show, Girls, didn't wrap everything up in a little bow and it certainly didn't give us any finality. We discuss whether or not we need finality in a series finale,...
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Ep. 132 - The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (SERIES FINALE)
It's an emotional moment when you must move out of your childhood home. It's hard when everyone seems to be moving on with their lives except for you. Those are 2 subjects we delve into today as we judge the series finale for the 90s iconic sitcom, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
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Ep. 131 - The Carrie Diaries
Today we are judging the pilot for The Carrie Diaries and completing the Carrie Bradshaw universe. We're talking frenemies, certain belongings of our parents we can't let go of, and we talk about retcons in TV history. Enjoy!
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Ep. 130 - Barry
If you could switch careers over night, would you? What would you do? Is there something you're passionate about but never pursued? These are questions we ask ourselves as we judge the pilot for the HBO smash hit: Barry. Created by and starring legendary comedic actor Bill Hader, Barry explores…
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Ep. 129 - Penny Dreadful
Today we are traveling back to Victorian era London and explore the world of the mysterious and supernatural. We are judging the pilot for the criminally underrated horror drama: Penny Dreadful. A very unique series where famous characters from classic horror fiction exist in the same universe…
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Ep. 127 - According to Jim
What makes a show underrated? Is it a great series that never took off? Can it be a long running series that never received the accolades it deserved? Could it simply be a show that was forgotten in them mix of an infinite number of tv shows. Well we explore that on today's episode where we judge...
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Ep. 127 - Are You the One? (season 3)
If your perfect match was standing right in front of you, would you even know it? That's a question frequently asked on the dating reality show: Are You the One? Originally airing on MTV (R.I.P.), Are You the One set itself apart from other dating reality shows in that it introduced the idea of a...
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Ep. 126 - Jersey Shore
Yeaaahhhh buddy! We are traveling back to the mysterious year of 2009 when Jeff had just moved back home and was trying to find his place in the world. He didn't find it but thanks to one of his best friends, he did find Jersey Shore. Considered one of the most popular American reality shows of…
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Ep. 125 - The Hills
It's guilty pleasure week and we're continuing Jeff Month with a show he's never fully admitted he was a huge fan of... The Hills. Originally a spin-off of Laguna Beach, The Hills follows Lauren Conrad as she moves from the Orange County suburbs to Los Angeles with her bestie, Heidi Montag. On...
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Ep. 124 - The Challenge: Fresh Meat 2
We're continuing Jeff Month with his all-time favorite tv show: The Challenge. Originating as a spin-off to Real World and Road Rules, The Challenge is one of the first competition reality shows that pit former cast members of Real World and Road Rules against each other to compete for a cash...
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Ep. 123 - Bug Juice
For Jeff, this was the reality show that started it all for him. If you were a 90s kid that frequently watched The Disney Channel then you might remember Bug Juice, a reality show about kids at summer camp. Best described as "The Real World for middle schoolers", Bug Juice followed a group of…
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Ep. 122 - Schmigadoon!
Put on your Sunday best, bring your best batch of corn puddin', but be sure to avoid the town's rapscallion! Why? Because today we're judging the pilot for Schmigadoon! A comedy that parodies the Golden Age of musicals, this series has a stacked cast including Keegan Michael Key, Cecily Strong,...
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Ep. 121 - Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist
If you could create a playlist that represented you, what would your theme song be? The song that hypes you up? The song you listen to when you're sad? The song that inspires you? We delve into that and much more while we discuss the pilot for Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist.
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Ep. 120 - Smash
I hope I get it! No, it's not that musical but it's the same vein. Today we are judging the pilot for Smash, a musical drama that has developed a cult following over the last 10+ years. As lovers of musical theater, we were very interested in seeing the behind the scenes world of developed a...
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Ep. 119 - Glee
Today we are judging the pilot for a show we both love but is unfortunately surrounded with controversy. At one point in time, Glee was one of the biggest shows on TV. Countless Top 10 singles on iTunes, international tours, and it turned a bunch of unknown young actors into superstars. Some of…
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Ep. 118 - The White Lotus
How do you like to vacation? Do you like to do stuff? Do you like to sit around and sit by the pool? We explore that and more on today's episode where we judge the pilot for one of the most currently popular shows on TV right now, The White Lotus. Along with the pilot, we talk about our…
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Ep. 117 - Grey's Anatomy
We're traveling to Seattle to visit a hospital with the world's hottest staff. Today we are judging the pilot for Grey's Anatomy. Spanning over the last 2 decades with over 450 episodes and still running, Grey's Anatomy is one of the most popular tv dramas of all time. Along with the pilot we are...
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Ep. 116 - Red Shoe Diaries
WARNING: This episode might be too sexy for you. We try our best to keep a straight face for this episode but we can't help ourselves. We dive into the sexy, dramatic universe of Red Shoe Diaries, an erotic anthology series that originally aired on Showtime in the early 90s. We discuss our…
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Ep. 115 - The Golden Girls
Thank you for being our friend! We've been waiting to judge the pilot for one of our favorite sitcoms and we're finally doing it. Today we discuss our love for The Golden Girls, an 80s sitcom that became one of the most popular shows on tv while discussing controversial topics in a comedic…
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Ep. 114 - Black-ish
Have you ever had to "dial back" who you are in order to fit in? That's a topic we discuss as we judge the pilot for the beloved sitcom, Black-ish. A sitcom that broke barriers by having serious, topical conversations while still being a funny series. Along with the pilot, Anna shares what it was...
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Ep. 113 - Dept. Q
It's our last episode of the month and our last Tuesday episode. After this we will be releasing an episode once a week on Friday's. We are closing out UK Month with a newer show that recently came out on Netflix... Dept. Q. The series centers around a brilliant detective that has been reassigned...
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Ep. 112 - Fleabag
Casual dating. What does that mean exactly? How can you casually date? Well we explore that as well as other dating topics while we judge the pilot for the critically acclaimed UK series, Fleabag. The titular character is a young woman navigating single life in London. Along with the pilot, we...
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Ep. 111 - The Inbetweeners
Are you good at making friends? How do you go about it? That's our main topic today as we judge the pilot for the UK gem, The Inbetweeners. The series centers around a 16-year-old boy named Will who is starting his first day at a new school and he can't to stop standing out. As we discuss Will...
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Ep. 110 - Skins
Why do we make such a big deal about losing our virginity? As teenagers and young adults, we make it this life affirming event but is it really that big of a deal? We explore this question while judging the pilot of one of Jeff's all-time favorites, Skins (not the U.S. remake that most people…
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Ep. 109 - Call the Midwife
Can a show that has been running for 14 seasons be considered underrated? We discuss that while judging the pilot for a show neither one of us had ever seen, Call the Midwife. Set in East End London in 1957, it is based off the memoirs of real life midwife Jennifer Worth as she experiences major...
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Ep. 108 - The Office (U.K.)
We're back and we're excited to share this episode with you! If you live in the US or the UK and you've never heard of The Office then I'm not sure where you've been for the last 20+ years. We're going back to the original. The Office U.K. was a sleeper hit and eventually became one of the…
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Ep. 107 - Downton Abbey
Put on your fancy pants and your finest hat because we're heading to Downton Abbey to hang out with the Crawley's and their servants. A groundbreaking series that was both hugely popular in the UK and the US, Downton shows us the contrasting worlds of the high class aristocrats and the working...
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Ep. 106 - Ted
Grab your Thunder Buddy, put on your finest suit, start playing the Flash Gordon theme song because we're talking about everyone's favorite living teddy bear, Ted. Starting out as a movie starring Mark Wahlberg and Seth MacFarlane, getting a sequel film, and then a prequel TV series, Ted has…
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Ep. 105 - Parenthood
Something that everyone seems to have an opinion on is parenting, even if they don't have kids. Today's episode we're judging the pilot of one of Jeff's favorite shows which is based on one of Anna's favorite movies, Parenthood. The movie was released in 1989 and it reflected the next generation…
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About this show
On this podcast, we watch and discuss the pilot (first episode) of tv shows while sharing personal stories that parallel the storyline. We select tv shows from a variety of categories like: our favorite shows, some of the top shows of all time, shows we’ve never seen or shows that were suggested to us. Hosted by married couple, Jeff & Anna. Come take a listen!
Hosted by
wejudgeashow