Gimmicks
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A podcast about the high-concept, experimental, structure-breaking gimmick episodes of TV! From musicals, to noirs, to bottle episodes and more -- we look at any television episode that breaks from its own formula in some way.
Derek B. Gayle and David Arnold (and occasionally guests!) dig into a different episode of a different show across the entire TV landscape every other Monday!
Derek B. Gayle and David Arnold (and occasionally guests!) dig into a different episode of a different show across the entire TV landscape every other Monday!
106 Episodes
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Pee-wee's Playhouse: "Playhouse for Sale"Come on in, and pull yourself up a chair (Like Chairry!) Kevin Cafferty joins us for the series finale of the hugely popular fusion of Saturday Morning kids edutainment and underground surrealist performance art, and its melancholy clip show goodbye inspired by Howdy Doody. We get into the alt-comedy and punk roots of the Pee-wee Herman character, Pee-wee mania in the 80s, the horrible ways Paul Reubens and his sexuality was handled by the media, and why this finale centers on Miss Yvonne and the playhouse puppets rather than Pee-wee himself.Check out Kevin's Podcasts:Gleaming the TubeBest Stuff in the WorldA proud part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast CollectiveTip us on Ko-Fi | Gimmicks WebsiteEmail: gimmickspodcast@gmail.com | Bluesky | InstagramTheme song: "Disco Tears" by Raven | Creative Commons Attribution 3.0Sources: Inside Pee-wee’s Playhouse: The Untold, Unauthorized, and Unpredictable Story of a Pop Phenomenon (2012) by Caseen GainesPee-wee as Himself (2025) a documentary by Matt WolfNo Trick, Just a Treat (2021) by Chris Azzopardi for Philadelphia Gay NewsCritics Notebook: ‘Pee-wee’s Playhouse redux: Bonus talk with Paul Reubens” by Robert Lloyd for the LA TimesAlison Mork - Under the Puppet #91Kevin Carlson - Under the Puppet #9
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles: "Mr. Ferguson is Ill Today"When this TV sequel to Terminator 2 has a climactic face-off with its series-long cyborg Big Bad, it does so in style -- following the disparate ensemble of heroes from their individual perspectives until they come together in Mexico. We talk about why this is one of the best installments of the Terminator franchise, Derek introducing David to yet another short-lived FOX genre show with a 90210 cast member (hi, Brian Austin Green!), how this narrative structure is owed to the 1999 film Go, and much more.Check out the Are You My Mother episode on Sarah Connor.A proud part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast CollectiveTip us on Ko-Fi | Gimmicks WebsiteEmail: gimmickspodcast@gmail.com | Bluesky | InstagramTheme song: "Disco Tears" by Raven | Creative Commons Attribution 3.0Sources: Fox picks up seven new series, from The Hollywood ReporterJosh Friedman Interview with IGNFriedman Departure of Foundation covered by The Hollywood ReporterArchived transcript of the post-episode live chat with creators and Garrett DillahuntSeason 2 DVD Feature: “Write the Future”
Batman: The Animated Series: "Almost Got 'Im"What happens when five of Batman's rogues gallery play a game of cards together? They tell stories about their greatest foe! Comic writer Lan Pitts joins us for this series of vignettes and mini-Batman adventures from Joker, Poison Ivy, Penguin, and Two-Face (Killer Croc just threw a rock at 'im.) We get into the history of this iconic show and why this is regarded as one of its best episodes!Look out for Lan's upcoming graphic novel with Mad Cave!Bluesky | InstagramA proud part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast CollectiveTip us on Ko-Fi | Gimmicks WebsiteEmail: gimmickspodcast@gmail.com | Bluesky | InstagramTheme song: "Disco Tears" by Raven | Creative Commons Attribution 3.0Sources: Blu-Ray episode CommentaryWhat a Cartoon episode covering “Almost Got ‘Im”That master of dark deco, Eric Radomski, looks behind the mask of the animated Batman. By Bob Miller (Comics Scene #53, June 1994) - Archived hereGolden Book AudioPaul Dini's photo from the cast recording
What We Do in the Shadows: "Go Flip Yourself"Bad news?! Matt Bruneau-Richardson (from Tiny Siren Animation) joins to discuss the reality TV spin of of the mockumentary style show What We Do in the Shadows. We celebrate this series' queerness, alongside its horror and comedy while also talking about the history of home renovation programs, what they've become, and how watching them might be really bad for our brains.Check out Matt's upcoming feature, Sirenetta: Part-Time Mermaid on Kickstarter.Bluesky | InstagramA proud part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast CollectiveTip us on Ko-Fi | Gimmicks WebsiteEmail: gimmickspodcast@gmail.com | Bluesky | InstagramTheme song: "Disco Tears" by Raven | Creative Commons Attribution 3.0Sources: Yana Gorskaya interview with Awards Radar Yana Gorskaya interview with Gold DerbyReality-TV Originals, in Drama’s Lens by Dennis Lim for the New York TimesGrant, A., Handelman, J., (2023) Dysplacement and the Professionalization of the Home. Journal of Consumer Research. (Note: in episode, David cited Dr. Handelman being faculty at the University of the British Columbia, while he is actually at Queen's College in Ontario)Whatever Happened to Educational Television: The Story of 'The Learning Channel' by Audrey Watters
Only Murders in the Building: "The Boy from 6B" It's one of the smartest takes on a silent episode when the murder mystery dramedy takes on the perspective of its deaf character Theo (James Caverly)! We get into how a series headlined by Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez could actually exist, and how its stylized take on the genre allowed deaf creators to craft one of the show's most rich and complex episodes with almost no vocal dialogue. Plus, we talk about the nature of true crime podcasting and this show's nuanced take on the subject!A proud part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast CollectiveTip us on Ko-Fi | Gimmicks WebsiteEmail: gimmickspodcast@gmail.com | Bluesky | InstagramTheme song: "Disco Tears" by Raven | Creative Commons Attribution 3.0Sources: Making of FeaturetteKCRW interview with Steve Martin Deadline AnnouncementJames Caverly AMAFemestella interview with James CaverlySalon interview with James Caverly
Happy Days: "Hollywood, Part 3" You've heard the phrase "jump the shark." But what about the episode that created it? We're talking the hugely popular 1970s sitcom about the 1950s -- Happy Days, and the Hollywood beach vacation three-parter and pseudo-Jaws riff that led to Henry Winkler's Fonzie waterskiing over a shark... and defining "TV shows going downhill" for the ages. Does the episode deserve the infamy? How much evil has Ron Howard inflicted on the world? And should you, in fact, sit on it?A proud part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast CollectiveTip us on Ko-Fi | Gimmicks WebsiteEmail: gimmickspodcast@gmail.com | Bluesky | InstagramTheme song: "Disco Tears" by Raven | Creative Commons Attribution 3.0Sources: First Person: In defense of “Happy Days” Jump the Shark episode by Fred Fox Jr. for the LA Times (2010)Hein Interview in Michigan Today: “He’s a Maniac” by Alan Glenn (2016)“Happy Days became one of the biggest hits on TV by selling its soul” by Emily St. James for The AV Club (2012)Interview with Tom Bosley on his careerInterview with Pat Morita who played ARNOLD, a requirement to be seen for season 3 to be picked up
Black Mirror: "San Junipero" Heaven is a place on Earth! Merrilee O'Neil (from Glitterjaw's Fear Coded) joins us for the queer joy of the bleak sci-fi anthology's first break from formula -- a big gay sapphic love story set in the 1980s (sort of) that is not, in fact, a huge downer. We get into the cultural conversation around Black Mirror (and how it led to the creation of this episode) along with complex explorations of death, the meaning of life, and why queerness elevates this sci-fi premise.Check out Merrilee on Fear Coded: A Queer Horror PodcastBluesky | InstagramA proud part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast CollectiveTip us on Ko-Fi | Gimmicks WebsiteEmail: gimmickspodcast@gmail.com | Bluesky | InstagramTheme song: "Disco Tears" by Raven | Creative Commons Attribution 3.0Sources: IndieWire interview with Charlie BrookerNostalgia as Therapy in The GuardianEW Black Mirror season 3 previewBlack Mirror season 3 preview on WiredAV Club Black Mirror season 3 previewThe origin of “what if phones but too much” on The ToastBlack Mirror FCBD comic
Frasier: "Crock Tales" Just before the series finale, Frasier Crane breaks a clay crock in his kitchen and reflects on the last 11 years of his sitcom... flashing back to clips we've never seen! We're talking about the iconic Cheers spin-off and the character Kelsey Grammer played for 20 consecutive years, and the unique way this episode celebrates a decade of character development and different kinds of farcical stories. And of course, we talk about all the terrible wigs and how infuriatingly confusing that crock prop is (it was filled with spreadable cheese?!)A proud part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast CollectiveTip us on Ko-Fi | Gimmicks WebsiteEmail: gimmickspodcast@gmail.com | Bluesky | InstagramTheme song: "Disco Tears" by Raven | Creative Commons Attribution 3.0Sources: Mahoney obituary in Washington PostLisa Kudrow on the SmartLess podcast, talking about her casting on FrasierPeri Gilpin on the Still Here Hollywood podcastInterview with Gilpin in Ability MagazineFrasier DVD Extras
Star Trek: The Next Generation: "First Contact" We come in peace! Author Chris Farnell (Star Trek: Lower Decks Crew Handbook, Fermi's Progress) gets beamed up with us to talk about this perspective flip on the usual Star Trek formula -- a story that positions our Enterprise crew as mysterious space invaders to a planet that has never met aliens. We get into the flaws of the Federation’s first contact procedures and how this story is just “a day at the office” for them, and how the episode quickly builds a familiar alien culture we can sympathize with. No, this isn't about the movie of the same name, but yes...it's that Bebe Neuwirth scene!Find all of Chris’s great work at chrisfarnell.comA proud part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast CollectiveTip us on Ko-Fi | Gimmicks WebsiteEmail: gimmickspodcast@gmail.com | Bluesky | InstagramTheme song: "Disco Tears" by Raven | Creative Commons Attribution 3.0Sources: Chris’s Den of Geek Article: “Why Has Sci-Fi TV Stopped Imagining Our Future?” Memory Alpha
Days of Our Lives: The Marlena Possession ArcWe're levitating as we cover the 90s storyline that introduced the supernatural into soap operas and changed daytime TV forever! Chels from The Q Division and And a Rewatch Podcast helps us prep our exorcisms as we get into the history of this extremely long-running soap, and how the O.J. Simpson trial led to the literal Devil possessing Deidre Hall's popular character Marlena Evans. We talk huge nuts, wedding crashers and plane crashes, deep voice filters and practical effects, the obvious parallels to The Exorcist, and how soap operas are the foundation for most of the television we love.Find Chels:The Q Division | And a Rewatch Podcast | Bluesky | InstagramA proud part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast CollectiveTip us on Ko-Fi | Gimmicks WebsiteEmail: gimmickspodcast@gmail.com | Bluesky | InstagramTheme song: "Disco Tears" by Raven | Creative Commons Attribution 3.0Sources: Liquid Soap clip complication on YouTubeWriteup from Fortress of SolitudeInterview with Producer Ken CordayCBR writeupThe Devil on the Days of Our Lives WikiHyatt, Wesley (1997). The Encyclopedia of Daytime Television.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: "The Janitor Always Mops Twice"Don't be a goon! Chris Osborne of the Play Comics podcast joins us for this beautifully artful and smart take on film noir from the long-running raunchy comedy... which still somehow centers on "diarrhea poisoning" and includes eating cat food. We dig into the great lengths taken to authentically film this episode in black and white with striking splashes of red, along with the snappy dialogue, spot-on performances, and well-constructed mystery.Check out Play Comics!A proud part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast CollectiveTip us on Ko-Fi | Gimmicks WebsiteEmail: gimmickspodcast@gmail.com | Bluesky | InstagramTheme song: "Disco Tears" by Raven | Creative Commons Attribution 3.0Sources: Episode discussion on Reddit where director Heath Cullins gives an AMAReid’s Account of Her Role in Co-creating IASIP in The ObserverInterview with Megan Ganz on the Feminist Film TumblrEpisode 582 of WTF with Marc Maron - Interview with Rob McElhenney It’s Always Sunny Podcast - Episode 1
The Secret World of Alex Mack: "24 Hours" In one of the coolest stories we've heard on this podcast, Dr. Lara Ameen shares her unique connection to the 90s Nickelodeon series about the girl with T-1000 powers -- from meeting and befriending the cast and creators, to helping film scenes in the series finale, to casting star Larisa Oleynik in her dissertation. Then, we talk about Alex Mack's take on a paranoia thriller, along with the show's strong queer vibes and more!Find Lara:Bluesky | Instagram | TwitterA proud part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast CollectiveTip us on Ko-Fi | Gimmicks WebsiteEmail: gimmickspodcast@gmail.com | Bluesky | InstagramTheme song: "Disco Tears" by Raven | Creative Commons Attribution 3.0Sources: 'The Secret World Of Alex Mack' Retrospective: Larisa Oleynik And More On The Origins, Hats And A RemakeInside Nickelodeon’s Saturday Night GambleKen Lipman and Thomas Lynch interview on the Splat Podcast - (despite the start of this video being a bit goofy - this was a FANTASTIC INTERVIEW)20 Year Cast Reunion Full Interview3 Brothas and a Shot of Milk Podcast Interview of Darris Love - (started at 1:06:33)
Adventure Time: "A Glitch is a Glitch" Tommy Proffitt goes into the source code of the universe with us for Cartoon Network's massively innovative and influential series -- and an unsettling 3D-animated episode from experimental filmmaker David OReilly! We explore the history of glitch art (and where the word "glitch" even comes from) and how this unique, subversive artform works -- along with how it fits into Adventure Time's legacy and the "that's so random" humor of the 2010s.Tommy's podcasts:Distant Echoes: A Star Wars PodcastLee Carvallo's Podding Challenge: A Simpsons Gaming PodcastA proud part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast CollectiveTip us on Ko-Fi | Gimmicks WebsiteEmail: gimmickspodcast@gmail.com | Bluesky | InstagramTheme song: "Disco Tears" by Raven | Creative Commons Attribution 3.0Sources: Glitch Art in Theory and Practice“Queer-Alt-Delete: Glitch Art Against the Surveillance Cis-tem”Coverage of Everything Video GameDatamoshing Interview with David OReillyTime Interview with Pendleton WardRolling Stone Interview with Pendleton WardFred Seibert’s Tumblr blog which has a lot of his personal historyPodcast interview with John DiMaggioDavid OReilly talks about the development of technology and the crisis of human autonomyOctocat Adventure
Star Trek: Deep Space 9: "Take Me Out to the Holosuite" Death to the opposition! Tyler from Hate Speech Podcast and Animorphing Time joins us for this famous Star Trek episode, where the crew takes a breather from their high stakes war drama for a baseball game on the holodeck. We talk about the role this American pasttime plays in both the 24th century and television in general, this episode's origins in the 80s series Fame, Tyler's own personal baseball connection to this episode, who's the hottest starship captain, and more!Find Tyler on BlueskyCheck out Hate Speech PodcastA proud part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast CollectiveTip us on Ko-Fi | Gimmicks WebsiteEmail: gimmickspodcast@gmail.com | Bluesky | InstagramTheme song: "Disco Tears" by Raven | Creative Commons Attribution 3.0Sources: Memory AlphaWhat We Left Behind documentaryMLB’s History of Baseball Around the World (a Primer)Mendelbaum, 2005. “The Meaning of Sports: Why Americans Watch Baseball, Football, and Basketball and What They See When They Do”“Robot Umps Are Here,” 2025 New York Times. Nerds of Color’s Sisko Essays
Maniac Mansion: "The 10th Anniversary Special" In quite possibly the only time we’ll ever cover a pilot episode on this podcast, Chris Cummins of Sci-Fi Explosion joins us for this forgotten, but subversive and smart Eugene Levy-helmed Canadian sitcom and its bizarre first episode – a fake clip show celebrating its 10th anniversary. Seriously! We talk about this show’s deep connections with Schitt’s Creek, Freaks and Geeks, and the hugely influential improvisation powerhouse Second City and SCTV. Plus, a dive into this show's origins as a LucasArts video game adaptation, a brief history of The Family Channel and its religious ties, and the clip show parodies, dream sequences, anniversary special tropes, JFK assassination jokes, and meta references that this truly daring episode offers.Watch Sci-Fi Explosion on TwitchFollow Sci-Fi Explosion on InstagramA proud part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast CollectiveTip us on Ko-Fi | Gimmicks WebsiteEmail: gimmickspodcast@gmail.com | Bluesky | InstagramTheme song: "Disco Tears" by Raven | Creative Commons Attribution 3.0Sources: 1992 Entertainment Weekly piece on “SCTV” alumni are working on the show, Benjamin Scetskey writing for Entertainment Weekly, January 1992The Weird and Wonderful History of Maniac Mansion, Ian Howard writing for Fandom, November 2022Exclusive Interview with Eugene Levy: Creating the Comedy for Maniac Mansion, Dan Madsen writing for Lucasfilm Fan Club Magazine, August 1990. Scans from The International House of MojoFamily Channel Strays from Religion, Embraces Clean Fun, Susan King writing for the Los Angeles Times, January 1991The Long, Strange History of ABC Family, Jacqui Shine writing for The New Republic, October 2015Family Channel’s Making Of Maniac Mansion Video
Smallville: "Lexmas"
The first Christmas episode of this Superman adaptation pulls out all the holiday stops, as a dying Lex Luthor is offered a Christmas Carol/It's a Wonderful Life-infused dream of a love-filled future from the ghost of his mom...complete with the most tinsel and soft glow you've ever seen. Oh, and did we mention Santa Claus is real and young Superman talks him off a ledge? AND that this is the episode where Michael Rosenbaum's Lex goes bad for good? We dig into it all, including Derek's weirdly deep history with Smallville as a midnight cult show, what makes this comic book adaptation refreshingly different from current TV and superhero media, and more!
A proud part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast Collective
Tip us on Ko-Fi | Gimmicks Website
Email: gimmickspodcast@gmail.com | Twitter: @gimmickspod | Instagram: @gimmickspod
Theme song: "Disco Tears" by Raven | Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
Sources:
Smallville: The Official Companion Season 5 by Craig Byrne
Talk Ville Podcast
Broad City: "Stories"
The great Hamish Steele returns for an episode told (almost) entirely through not-quite Instagram stories! As
Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer take a 30th birthday walk along the entire length of New York City, we talk about this show's insights into social media and millennial culture, the weird political space it occupied by straddling pre- and post-Trump America, and how this gifable Tumblr darling of the late 2010s went under the radar in its final season. Plus, butt videos as legitimately good gifts, a touch of cultural appropriation, and the time Guillermo Díaz flirted with Derek.
Find more from Hamish!
Other cool stuff you should check out:
Self-Esteem and the End of the World by Luke Healy
Hamish's upcoming comic, Go-Man, Champion of Earth
Weekend as a 28 Year Old in Chicago
A proud part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast Collective
Tip us on Ko-Fi | Gimmicks Website
Email: gimmickspodcast@gmail.com | Twitter: @gimmickspod | Instagram: @gimmickspod
Theme song: "Disco Tears" by Raven | Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
Sources:
The Hollywood Reporter
Dexter's Laboratory: "Dexter and Computress Get Mandark!"
When Tyler Lee was six and a half, he and his mother recorded him narrating his own story for his favorite cartoon... and then it was animated into a famous episode! Tyler himself joins us to talk about his brush with Cartoon Network fame, and how it led to his brief stint in child acting and now a professional career as an opera singer and D&D podcaster. Plus, we dispel misinformation (he didn't die!), and dig into why only a Genndy Tartakovsky cartoon could pull this off, the iconic nature of "YOU ARE STUUUUPID", and even deleted scenes from Tyler's original recording!
Check out what Tyler is doing now as an adult:
Instagram: @tylerleetenor
The Predicting Chaos D&D Campaign: YouTube (@PredictingChaos) and Twitch (@predictingchaos)
A proud part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast Collective
Tip us on Ko-Fi | Gimmicks Website
Email: gimmickspodcast@gmail.com | Twitter: @gimmickspod | Instagram: @gimmickspod
Theme song: "Disco Tears" by Raven | Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
Sources: Washington Post | Brian A. Miller of Cartoon Network Studios
My So-Called Life: "Halloween"
We're joined by Matt Baume (YouTuber, award-winning author, and host of Matt’s So-Cast Pod) for this seminal Gen X teen drama and the poster child of 90s cancelled-too-soon TV--and the much-maligned time it ditched the grounded realism it was so famous for in a Halloween ghost story involving time travel and dying young. We talk about the breakout performance from Claire Danes, Jared Leto jumpscares, the show's groundbreaking queerness, and more!
Find all of Matt Baume's incredible work:
YouTube | Matt’s So-Cast Pod | Hi Honey, I’m Homo!
A proud part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast Collective
Tip us on Ko-Fi | Gimmicks Website
Email: gimmickspodcast@gmail.com | Twitter: @gimmickspod | Instagram: @gimmickspod
Theme song: "Disco Tears" by Raven | Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
Sources: San Francisco Bay Guardian | Tampa Bay Times
Breaking Bad: "Fly"
It's a tentpole of the golden age of television, so we had to get to Vince Gilligan's crime thriller eventually...and that meant doing its most divisive episode, a Rian Johnson-directed low-budget chamber piece all about catching a fly! We dig into Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul's performances, the inventive camerawork, an even lower-budget Spanish remake, and why this episode is not at all filler. Plus, we have an interview with Daniel Roemer, creator of the Amazon Prime TV series Chaser, about creating high concept television like this!
Find more from Daniel Roemer:
Linktree | Instagram: @dfroemer
Check out Chaser on Amazon Prime!
A proud part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast Collective
Tip us on Ko-Fi | Gimmicks Website
Email: gimmickspodcast@gmail.com | Twitter: @gimmickspod | Instagram: @gimmickspod
Theme song: "Disco Tears" by Raven | Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
Sources:Vulture retrospective | Pardon My Take podcast | AV Club’s “Best Show, Worst Episode” roundtable from 2011
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