Screen Babble podcast: Painkiller, Yellowstone, Wolf, and Bull - episode 38

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. 

As ever, we begin by discussing what we’ve been watching recently. Alex is still watching Futurama and Boston Legal, while Steven was less-than-impressed by the new series of Good Omens. Kelly, meanwhile, has recently checked out the Neil Maskell film Bull, and started watching the new BBC One drama Wolf.

For our closer look this week, Alex reviews Painkiller, a glossy new prestige true crime drama from Netflix, charting the malign influence of the Sackler family and the opioid epidemic in America. How does it compare to other true crime drama - especially something like Five Days at Memorial or The Dropout? What do Alex, Steven, and Kelly think of its unusual ‘based on a true story’ introduction? And will it be a big Emmy player for Netflix?

Finally, Steven brings us back to the future with a look at the first series of Yellowstone. Why is the quintessentially American series so popular? How does it blend the Western with the soap - and, more to the point, how does it balance Steven’s love of Westerns with his general disinterest in soaps? And is it worth watching?

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 #38 here…

Where can we watch this week’s shows?

• Painkiller is streaming on Netflix from Thursday 10 August. Bull is currently available on Netflix.
• Yellowstone is currently airing weekly on Channel 5, and available in full on Paramount+.
• Wolf is available on BBC iPlayer, with new episodes airing on Monday and Tuesday nights on BBC One.
• Futurama and Boston Legal are available on Disney+.

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
• We’re also on Instagram and threads as @alexmorelandwriter and @steven_jrossnationalworld
• 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].