TV Break: February 2023 - Poker Face Delights, The Last of Us Devastates, & Netflix Defies Expectations

Welcome to TV Break, where Pop Break’s Podcasts Editor
Alex Marcus is joined by editor-in-chief Bill Bodkin, and TV
Columnist Josh Sarnecky to talk about the happenings in
television.


Here’s the format of the show:


The Best Thing I Saw on TV Last Month – Alex,
Bill, and Josh talk about a show/episode/event they liked from
the last month including HBO’s The Last of Us, The Roku Channel’s
Great American Baking Show Celebrity Holiday Special, ABC’s
Abbott Elementary, and AppleTV+’s Shrinking.


News Break – Alex, Bill, and Josh discuss the
impact of the recent scandals around adult animation
creator and voice actor Justin Roiland on the legacies
and long term viability of the series he helped create and star
in, including Rick & Morty and Solar Opposites.


Streaming Wars – Alex, Bill, and Josh pick a
streamer they think “won the month” based on new shows
airing/upcoming shows announced etc. This month, Bill & Josh
agree that Netflix kicked off 2023 on top, thanks to a
strong Q4 ad tier launch, an exciting 2023 movie
sizzle reel, All Quiet on the Western Front’s status as
second most nominated film at the Oscars, and
the news that Netflix original series dominated the Top
15 Most Streamed Shows list. Meanwhile, Alex gives it up
for Apple TV+ after a month that saw them debut the Harrison Ford
starring sitcom Shrinking (from the creators of
Ted Lasso), make a big splash at the Sundance Film Festival
(where they beat Amazon in a bidding war for film Flora
And Son and debuted Still: A Michael J. Fox
Movie), helped Bryan Tyree Henry earn a surprise Best
Supporting Actor nomination for his work in the film Causeway,
and debuted that amazing Timothee Chalamet ad.


New Series Spotlight – Alex, Bill, and Josh
review Poker Face, Peacock’s case of the week
murder mystery written and directed by Knives Out & The Last
Jedi director Rian Johnson and starring Natasha Lyonne as a
former poker player who can always tell when someone is lying,
Benjamin Brett as the casino fixer trying to hunt her down, and a
slew of special guest stars every episode.