The Afternoon Special
Your friend who knows just a little bit too much about pop culture. Each week, join Bobbi Miller as she takes deep dives into everything in pop culture that you never knew to ask about, but now need the answer to.
“I started The Afternoon Special as a series of videos on TikTok to keep me sane in the beginning of the pandemic. Soon, I decided to take my pop culture love to podcasts and The Afternoon Special Podcast was born,” says Bobbi Miller, host and creator of the show, which was chosen as the Apple Podcasts' Spotlight pick for March 2023.
Bobbi, who describes herself on the show as “your friend who know just a little bit too much about pop culture” takes her audience on an eclectic deep dive of topics that range from adult animation to vampires in media, and what makes the perfect holiday special.
“The main approach I have when deciding topics for the show begins with the question of ‘What’s a pop culture question that you didn’t know to ask, but now you’re dying for the answer to?’ and then the episode is born from there,” she says.
Bobbi has great ambitions for the show, but ultimately, she wants to keep it enjoyable for both herself and the audience. “I hope the show will continue to expand into other formats like listen-alongs or live shows,” she says. “No matter what, I just want to make sure the show remains fun. I hope the audience always walks away from each episode either having learned something new or just having had a good time.”
26
Adventure in the Great Wide Somewhere: Explorin...
The songs of Disney Princess films have this prevailing nature to them about the power of love, the power of a wish, and the power of a dream. These expertly composed songs almost take on a life of their own and in some ways transcend the movies they’re from. This week, we’re taking a deep dive into the musical world of the Disney Princesses, exploring the songs they have on their hearts and how they came to be. (Warning: this episode might make you want to sing like a Disney Princess.)
34 min
27
Disney Princesses Have Always Saved Disney
For almost 100 years, Disney Princesses have been a pillar of pop culture. They have a musical style, a fashion, and even a way of speaking that’s all their own. For the month of May and in celebration of the live action release of The Little Mermaid, we're talking about all things Disney Princesses and we're kicking this month off with a deep dive into the history of these princess films (and how they often were the financial saving graces for Disney as a company.)
30 min
28
Congress Killed The Saturday Morning Cartoon
For the month of April, we've explored what made the Saturday morning cartoon great. However, there was one key question that we haven't fully been able to answer which is...what happened to the Saturday morning cartoon? This week, we're going to answer that question and the journey to get there is a lot more complicated than it may seem.
31 min
29
They’re Ani-many, Totally Insane-y: A Retrospec...
"In the early 90s, there was one studio that seemed to have an unassuming dominance on the saturday morning cartoon space and that’s Warner Brothers. From Tiny Toons Adventures to Freakazoid to Animaniacs, Warner Bros. was responsible for a golden age of animation that came at the tail end of the Saturday morning cartoon as an institution. This week, we're discussing this amazing crop of animated shows and how we partially have Steven Spielberg to thank for them. "
27 min
30
The Afternoon Special Superhero Friends Hour
Before the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Before the DC Entertainment Universe. Superheroes reigned supreme on the smaller screen. If you didn’t have access to their stories in comic books, saturday morning cartoons were the best place to hang with your super friends and this week, we’re going to talk about where this superhero fever started and focus in on perhaps the best of the bunch. (And I’ll give you a hint: X is going to mark the spot for that one).
33 min
31
The History of the Saturday Morning Cartoon
For decades, it was a weekly tradition for almost every child in America to wake up at the crack of dawn, make themselves a bowl of sugariest cereal they could find, and plop down on the couch for a morning of cartoons. The Saturday morning cartoon was pillar of the first half of television's history. This week, we're taking a walk down memory lane and discussing the constitution that is (was) the Saturday Morning Cartoon.
35 min
32
For The Girlies: The Films and TV Shows That Ma...
47 min
33
The Care and Keeping of You: Puberty as Told By...
Growing up sucks. Like a lot. Puberty is a journey with no map. When you're experiencing this massive change in your life, who you have to run to? Your parents? Your 9th grade health class? No! You turn to pop culture of course. In this week's episode, we're going to be taking a look at the glimpses of puberty we get in pop culture and what that told us (or didn't tell us) about growing up.
43 min
34
The Anatomy (And Defense) of the Fangirl
Fandom is often seen as a male dominated activity, but the group that is the foundation for modern fandom is the teenage girl. Teen girls are often the group that informs us of what's new and next and ultimately are the pioneers of what it means to be a fan. In this episode, we're taking a deep dive into fandom via the lens of teenage girls and we'll finally prove that fangirl is not a bad word.
42 min
35
The History of the Teenage Girl
The teenage girl has existed since the dawn of time, but the idea of being a teen girl was invented in the late 1800s. To kick off our Women's History Month series, we're charting the history of the teenage girl and where our perception of them comes from.
29 min
36
The Science of Preschool TV: Part 2
From Sesame Street to Bluey, some of first interactions with television come in the form of children's educational programming. They teach us shapes, numbers, and colors, and provide us with some necessary life lessons. This week, we're talking to Emmy Award-winning showrunner, writer, and director, Kristen McGregor about all things children's education programming.
34 min
37
The Science of Preschool TV: Part 1
From Sesame Street to Bluey, some of first interactions with television come in the form of children's educational programming. They teach us shapes, numbers, and colors, and provide us with some necessary life lessons. This week, we're taking a deep dive into just how some of favorite preschool shows were created and the process that goes into creating curriculum for television's youngest viewers.
49 min
38
Happy Holidays From The Afternoon Special
Special Holiday Message from Bobbi.
1 min
39
We Wish You A Very Grinchmas: Exploring The Gri...
He's a mean one. His heart's an empty hole. For almost as long as we've had jolly old Santa Claus, we've had a figure exhibits the exact opposite of holiday cheer. With books, films, and TV specials about him galore, this week, we're taking a look at the pop culture journey of one of the holiday season's most notable figures, The Grinch.
43 min
40
What Makes The Perfect Holiday Special?
What makes a perfect holiday special? There are countless holiday themed films and TV specials that we watch every year, but what makes them so memorable? This week, we're taking a look at a few of the most beloved holiday films and TV specials and dissecting why they're so good.
33 min
41
The (un) Official History of DreamWorks Animation
DreamWorks Animation has always been seen as a formidable and entertaining contender to the animated films of Disney. However, while many know the studio for its biggest hits, many don't know its very insane history behind the scenes. This week, we're chronicling the wild ride of the studio that began with the mission of making "animation for adults" to being one of the biggest producers of kid-focused franchises with the unofficial history of DreamWorks Animation.
43 min
42
Happy Thanksgiving Afternooners!
Wanted to drop a line that we’re enjoying a little break for Thanksgiving but we’ll be right back next week with new episodes of The Afternoon Special.
0 min
43
The Story of Television's Greatest Primetime Ca...
Premiering in a rare primetime slot in September of 1992, Batman: The Animated Series quickly cemented itself as one of television's greatest animated programs. Between gripping narratives and memorable characters, the series opened the door for superhero craze that we currently are finding ourselves in. This week, we're taking a deep dive into the story of how TV's greatest version of the Caped Crusader came to be.
54 min
44
The Curious Case of Anastasia (1997)
The 90s was a wonderful, strange time for animation. One of the strangest aspect was the trend of animated films retelling historical events and one example of this is Anastasia (1997). The film, often considered to be a Disney Princess film never made by Disney, chose a unique subject in Anastasia Romanov, an alleged sole survivor of The Romanovs. This week, we're taking a look into the film, its reception, and its impact.
39 min
45
The Coke Can is There On Purpose: Diving into t...
Born from a semi viral tweet about Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, this week's episode is taking a look into the stories behind classic product placement moments in film. Product placement is a constant in pop culture and while it is blatant advertising, it can also be a pretty effective tool for storytelling too.
40 min
46
Crazy, Vampy, Cool: Exploring Our Endless Love ...
We're back with vampire business. This is part 2 of our exploration into our endless pop culture love affair with the vampire. This week, we're going into what the vampire means as a reflection of humanity. Later in the episode, I'm joined by actor/writer/star of HBO's True Blood Michael McMillian to discuss his time on the show, vampires in the South, and the finally answering the question of why we love vampires.
56 min
47
Crazy, Vampy, Cool: Exploring Our Endless Love ...
Vampires. Mysterious. Alluring. Chaotic. And very very hot. Pop culture loves itself a good vampire story and we, as spectators, do too. From film to television to books to the stage, these bloodsuckers are everywhere and this week, we're taking a peek at some of the most iconic pieces of vampire media. This is part 1 of our exploration into our love affair with the vampire and we'll pick up with the rest of our journey next week!
49 min
48
The One Where They Wear Costumes: A History of ...
"We're officially in the spooky season and that means grabbing your favorite Halloween candy, getting cozy on the couch with your favorite sitcom Halloween special.The TV Halloween special is a mainstay and this week, we're taking a look into TV's greatest Halloween special, including ""It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown"" and the slasher inspired classic episode of ""Boy Meets World."" Link to my vampy playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1KSKD7bDhqbVLWu2cuMJYu?si=2uELKkjgQeStdKPg0dxMyw"
51 min
49
Can You Quote It?: Investigating How We Define ...
What separates the pop culturally evergreen and the pop culturally forgotten? Does high box office or ratings automatically determine cultural relevance? There are a million and one different metrics for how we determine how impactful a piece of media is and this week, we're unpacking a few of the ways we determine a piece of media pop culture footprint.
40 min
50
Armchair Detective: An Exploration into True Cr...
45 min