Screen Babble podcast: Oscars 2023 predictions, The Last of Us finale, Cheat, and Ted Lasso - episode 16

Screen Babble is your essential guide to everything on television, from the mainstream to the marginal. NationalWorld’s podcast producer Kelly Crichton, news and trends expert Steven Ross, and critic Alex Moreland discuss what is – and what isn’t – worth watching. In our latest episode, we’re joined by Weekend Editor and The Last of Us expert Matt Mohan-Hickson, as well as eCommerce Editor and Oscars specialist Katie Conaglen, who preview the biggest film & TV events this weekend.

As ever, we kick things off by discussing what we’ve been watching recently. Steven’s checked out the brilliant Stath Lets Flats, but has more to say about the considerably less impressive Cheat. Elsewhere, Alex has been rewatching Ted Lasso ahead of the new series, and Kelly has been continuing with Maternal and Better.

Next, Matt tells us all about The Last of Us ahead of this week’s finale. How does the HBO series compare to Matt’s beloved video game? What might we see from the show going into its second series? And is it the best ever television adaptation of a game?

Finally, Katie shares her Oscars predictions. Will Austin Butler beat the odds and win Best Actor? Could Cate Blanchett upset the field or is Michelle Yeoh on track for victory? And will Everything Everywhere All At Once win every award in every category all in one evening?

Don’t forget to check back tomorrow for Steven’s Weekend Watch Mini-Babble, previewing all the best TV to watch over the next few days.

Listen to Screen Babble #16…

Where can we watch this week’s shows?

• Ted Lasso Series 1 and 2 are available on Apple TV+, with the new series starting on Wednesday 15 March.
• Cheat is available now on Netflix.
• Maternal is available now on ITVX.
• Stath Lets Flats is available now on All4.
• Better is available now on BBC iPlayer.
• Dublin Narcos and The Last of Us are available on Sky and NOW TV.
• You can watch the Oscars on NOW TV and Sky Cinema.

Screen Babble: how to follow the show

• Screen Babble is available to download on all podcast platforms, including Apple and Spotify
• You can join the conversation on our Screen Babble Facebook group

• If you’ve enjoyed the show or found it useful, we’d love you to give us a rating and review, as it helps us to reach more listeners.

• You can also follow our TV coverage on Twitter @NationalWorldTV - as well as @morelandwriter and @steven_jross and @kelc100. Meanwhile, you can find our special guests @MattM_H and @KatrinaConaglen.
• Do you have a TV question you’d like the Screen Babble team to answer on a future episode, or a recommendation of your own? Send it to [email protected] or [email protected]