The Occasionalists Podcast

Game Show Movie Review: The Luckiest Man in America

Game Show Month is coming to an end with our final movie review, this time a look at the dramatization of the real-life Press Your Luck scandal, The Luckiest Man in America! We discuss how scheming, unemployed ice cream truck driver Michael Larson took the Press Your Luck producers and CBS executives for the largest single-day winnings haul in game show history in 1984.
We also investigate the real man and fictional portrayal behind the scandal and find that it's no surprise that Larson finally figured out a way to game the system, something he tried doing his whole life.
Quick question: Is it cheating if you know exactly how the game works?  

Game Show Movie Review: Quiz Lady

We are bouncing through Game Show Month like a Plinko chip and landing squarely on...our first movie review of the month!
We are heating up the trivia game with Awkwafina, Sandra Oh, Will Ferrell and more as we dive into the world of introverts and trivia game shows as we review Quiz Lady (2023). Honestly, this would be a perfect circle if it were a Venn Diagram.
Don't give your dog a stupid name and most importantly, don't shit in any holes!

Game Show Scandals

We're taking a closer look at the scandals that shaped game show history—from minor controversies that caused a stir to explosive revelations that completely transformed the industry. These pivotal moments didn't just make headlines; they rewrote the rules and gave birth to the modern game show format we know today.
Also, there's a serial killer in this episode! Didn't see that one coming, did you!

Game Show Month Primer

Hello everybody and welcome to...The $64,000 Podcast! That's right all you fabulous folks out there in TV land, we are doing a month-long celebration of a staple in American households for over 70 years: the game show!
We start with some trivia for all of you out there and then dive right into some game show firsts, some personal experiences, and even a bit of game theory and probability problems from some famous game shows.
Please ring in when you're ready to listen. 

Summer Break Top4s: The Occasionalists Part 2 - The Sequel

Our final Summer Break episode has arrived. Chemma is back on board to help us determine which episodes need a continuation.
Which of our incredibly deep and insightful episodes was bursting with so much information that there was no way we could not make a sequel? Probably none of them, but we sure as heck won't let that stop us from coming up with a pair of solid top-four lists for you anyway.

Summer Break Top4s: Most Important Pieces of Pop Culture in Our Lifetime

Chemma returns for the third installment of our Summer Break Top 4s. This time, we are discussing exactly what the title says: The most important pieces of pop culture in our lifetimes. With only a few ideas to guide us, we determine what is most important to us and what is most important to the pop culture zeitgeist.
Join us as we take you into some pretty surprising pop culture properties.  

Summer Break Top 4s: The Originals

We are back with another Top 4, this time we'll be looking at some classic songs that owe a major debt to...other classic songs. 
We're charting four songs that sampled other songs across genres and decades to create unique modern classics, some of which might be considered all-time greats in their respective genres.
Jump in and count down with us! 

Summer Break Top 4s: Should Have Been a TV Show

We are back! And it's summer break! We usually take some time off and play a few classic episodes, but instead, we're giving the people what they want: money fresh new episodes!
We are doing a month of listicle minisodes and ranking our choices. The number crunchers say people love it when you rank stuff, so we're ranking stuff!
First up: Media properties that should have been TV shows.