Pop Trash Podcast

Pirate Misadventures: Yo ho ho no!

Should pirate movies walk the plank? Many have sunk to the bottom of the box office, so we have to ask: is there still buried treasure to be found in this genre or are these types of adventures destined to be exiled to a cutthroat island? Join your hosts Eric Grigs and Mike Jones as we look at some high profile pirate movie flops and uncover why the pirate movie has been largely cursed for decades. 

Copycat Sitcom Flops

They say imitation can be the sincerest form of flattery. But sometimes imitation can be the fastest road to a flop. Join hosts Eric Grigs and Mike Jones as they look at “copycat” sitcoms created in the wake of blockbuster hits like “Friends” and “The Cosby Show,” that were supposed to be the next big hit, but ended up in the TV graveyard.

Cult Classics: Redeeming Flops

Some box office failures refuse to remain relegated to bad movie status. What does it take to bring a once-panned film back from the brink and cement it in pop culture history as a cult classic? Hosts Eric Grigs and Mike Jones discuss some flops that rebounded years later thanks to devoted fans.

Saturday Cartoon Catastrophe

What happened in the 1990s that derailed the cartoon express? Saturday morning cartoons had been an American institution for generations of kids from the 60s through the 80s. Hosts Eric Grigs and Mike Jones discuss the end of an era and pour out a bowl of sugary cereal in memory of NBC's last cartoon lineup. As we remember our favorite gone-too-soon cartoons, we'll also revisit a surprising cartoon failure that was redeemed as a big hit decades later in syndication and forever changed how we view the future.

Product Launch Flops

Pop culture history is full of product launches that fell flat with consumers. We revisit some food and drink casualties—including what took the fizz out of the Cola Wars and some specialty pizzas that didn’t exactly deliver hot out of the oven. 
 
So drink up and grab that extra slice as your Pop Trash Podcast hosts Eric Grigs and Mike Jones take a bite out of two of the biggest food and beverage flops. 

Divas Down!

We’re kicking off season two by going on a diva trip! This episode, we’re discussing some early career falters for Madonna, Mariah Carey, and Jennifer Lopez as they tried to make the jump to the silver screen. 
Hosts Eric Grigs and Mike Jones touch on the films Who's That Girl?, Glitter, and Gigli to find out why pop music royalty status alone might not be enough to save a movie from bombing. How could these music superstars send albums flying up the charts and at the same time send even their own devoted fans running away from theaters?
You probably know these films are considered box office trash, but do they stack up differently decades later? Are there some redeeming qualities to these three flicks that may make you want to flip their definition from a flop?

Top of the Flops: Season 2 Teaser

Join hosts Eric and Mike for all new episodes exploring the stories behind some of the most notorious failures in pop history. Here's a quick preview of season two that we're calling "Top of the Flops."

Pop Culture Predictions for 2022

It’s the new year! There's no better time to make some bold (but maybe not so beautiful) predictions about what pop culture treasures from the past might have a rebirth in 2022. 
From beloved TV and movie icons who might return to the screen to classic game shows perhaps ripe for a rematch, hosts Eric Grigs and Mike Jones peer into crystal balls to foresee what nuggets of nostalgia may see new moments of relevance in 2022. 

Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas

Grab your wash tub bass as we head to Frogtown Hollow in the 1970s and visit an impoverished otter family who find hope amidst hardship in the charming Jim Henson Christmas special “Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas.” 
Your pop culture Christmas elves, Eric Grigs and Mike Jones, make the case for this TV special as the perfect cure for your holiday anxieties and also explore the technical genius behind the puppetry which helped to usher in the decades of Muppet cinema that would follow.
Some say our world is getting too small, we say with kindness and some singing otters, there’s room for us all in this latest episode of the Pop Trash Podcast’s series “We Wish You a Campy Christmas.” 

Christmas Sitcom Time Machine

We’re making a list and checking it twice… a list of four favorite Christmas sitcom episodes! Revel in the seasonal delights of classic TV from the 70s through the 90s. These special holiday shows were comedy juggernauts, skilled at pulling in a sleigh full of laughs.
Your Pop Trash Podcast hosts Eric Grigs and Mike Jones hop in our time machine and travel between 1977 and 1995 to discuss warm memories and obscure trivia from the very special Christmas episodes of sitcom giants Alice, Alf, Night Court, and NewsRadio.