Pop Culture Happy Hour

This week on Pop Culture Happy Hour, NPR Monkey See's Linda Holmes, Stephen Thompson, Tanya Ballard Brown, and Marc Hirsh look back at the legacy of American Idol. Then they'll return to one of our favorite segments, people we're pulling for. All that, plus What's Making Us Happy.

Monkey See's Linda Holmes, Stephen Thompson and Glen Weldon and guest Kat Chow of NPR's Code Switch say goodbye to 2015, and revisit their resolutions and predictions. And they make new ones for 2016. And no fail, Pop Culture Happy Hour panelists share what's making them happy.

Monkey See's Linda Holmes, Stephen Thompson and Glen Weldon and guest Kat Chow of NPR's Code Switch say goodbye to 2015, and revisit their resolutions and predictions. And they make new ones for 2016. And no fail, Pop Culture Happy Hour panelists share what's making them happy.

This week on Pop Culture Happy Hour, librarian Margaret Willison helps NPR Monkey See's Linda Holmes, Stephen Thompson and Glen Weldon get on their melacholidays — yes, it's okay to have a not-so-merry little Christmas. They talk about the Pohler-Fey film, Sisters, their 2015 surprises and, always, what's making them happy.

By now, billions of people have seen Star Wars: The Force Awakens. We didn't spoil it for you last week. But on this bonus epidose, Linda Holmes and Glen Weldon do nothing but talk spoilers that make you really want to see the movie.

By now, billions of people have seen Star Wars: The Force Awakens. We didn't spoil it for you last week. But on this bonus epidose, Linda Holmes and Glen Weldon do nothing but talk spoilers that make you really want to see the movie.

This week on Pop Culture Happy Hour, NPR Monkey See's Linda Holmes, Stephen Thompson, Chris Klimek, and Code Switch's Gene Demby talk about Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Then they'll reveal some of their most beloved and reviled pieces of movie merchandise. All that, plus What's Making Us Happy.

In this Pop Culture Happy Hour extra, Stephen Thompson chats with NPR's biggest Frank Sinatra fan, reporter Sonari Glinton.

This week on Pop Culture Happy Hour, NPR Monkey See's Linda Holmes, Glen Weldon, Stephen Thompson and Code Switch's Gene Demby talk about Creed, the latest film in the Rocky franchise. Then they'll discuss men crying at movies, and other visceral reactions we have while consuming pop culture. All that, plus What's Making Us Happy.

This week on Pop Culture Happy Hour, NPR Monkey See's Linda Holmes, Glen Weldon, Stephen Thompson and Kat Chow the new Pixar film The Good Dinosaur. Then the gang share some examples of pop culture in which their first impression was completely wrong. All that, plus What's Making Us Happy.

Our panel is on vacation, but that doesn't mean there's no show: in October, host Linda Holmes chatted with The Daily Show's new host Trevor Noah about comedy, diversity, decor, visiting South Africa, and lots more.

All Things Considered Host Audie Cornish talks with Shonda Rhimes, the creator of Grey's Anatomy and Scandal. Rhimes decided to step out of her comfort zone for a year, sparking major changes in her personal and professional life. Rhimes chronicles this year in a new memoir titled Year Of Yes. (A shorter version of this interview originally aired on All Things Considered on November 10, 2015.)

This week on Pop Culture Happy Hour, NPR Monkey See's Linda Holmes, Glen Weldon, Stephen Thompson and Barrie Hardymon chat about Aziz Ansari's new series Master of None, available on Netflix. Then they'll discuss Neal Shusterman's young adult novel Challenger Deep, which recently won a National Book Award. All that, plus What's Making Us Happy.

In our live show from the historic Howard stage, Fred Armisen of Portlandia and former SNL cast member competes in a Halloween trivia quiz and shares with our audience the techno joys that make him happy.

This week on Pop Culture Happy Hour, NPR's Linda Holmes, Stephen Thompson, Glen Weldon and Mike Katzif talk about what makes Brooklyn Nine Nine a show worth watching. Then, they tackle the meant-to-do pile before What's Making Us Happy.