BFG Podcast #043: ‘Pam & Tommy,’ ‘Ozark,’ and ‘Next Level Chef’ Our team breaks down the week in culture

In this week’s exciting edition of the Book and Film Globe Week in Review podcast, editor Neal Pollack asks the important question: Why do we enjoy watching shows that eliminate chefs? Contributor Daniel Cohen stops by to ponder the answer, and concludes that we all have to make dinner every night, and cooking competitions are almost like fantasy football. Meanwhile, Neal and Dan make fun of the new Gordon Ramsay show ‘Next Level Chef,’ which is almost like Ramsay on Xanax. You get the sense that he really doesn’t care if the turbot on the descending platform makes it down to the basement kitchen.

But before all that nonsense, Neal welcomes Paula Shaffer to talk about the disastrous Hulu miniseries ‘Pam & Tommy,’ which grossly underserves the abuse that Pamela Anderson had to endure, and also strangely focuses on Seth Rogen’s handyman character over the two more glamorous leads. Then there’s the strange case of Tommy Lee’s penis, one of the oddest missteps and screenwriting choices in TV history. Paula concludes that the show is just “wrong.”

But there’s nothing wrong about the new season of Ozark. TV critic Matthew Ehrlich says the characters and relationships are deeper than ever before, the pathos more pathetic, and the action more tense now that the story of the money-laundering Byrde family is moving toward its probably unhappy conclusion. And both Neal and Matthew have lots of praise for Julia Garner, the show’s breakout star.

Reader…you have been Chopped. Enjoy the podcast show!