Original Geek
Two Gen X geeks who grew up hiding D&D dice from their parents now break down the franchises that built modern geek culture. Stand-up comic Steve Scarfo and Forever DM Jeff Shaw argue about Star Wars, Marvel, D&D, Star Trek, Fallout, comics, horror, and the shows everyone's actually watching — with comedy, sharp opinions, and zero gatekeeping. New episodes weekly. No homework required.🎙️ New episodes bi-weekly. Subscribe, roll initiative, and embrace your inner geek.
He Agreed With the AI?! J.D. Barker Reviews & Fan-Casts The Fourth Monkey | Original Geek | Random Review
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The d20 calls Detective Sam Porter a cliché, and the author agrees.
J.D. Barker joins Steve and Jeff for a dice-driven review of The Fourth Monkey. He explains how he loaded Porter with every cop cliché on purpose to use the reader’s comfort against them. He also explains why the killer’s early diary entries read like Leave It to Beaver, and which real Chicago places made it into the book. Then, with Sylvester Stallone’s Balboa Productions adapting 4MK for TV, we fan-cast the series and JD reveals who he had i...
J.D. Barker: Interviewing Killers, Pantsing With Patterson & Fan-Casting the 4MK Series | Original Geek | S1E41
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Thriller author J.D. Barker spent a year interviewing murderers in Florida prisons before he wrote The Fourth Monkey. He tells us what he learned and why he wanted readers to empathize with the killer.
JD joins Steve and Jeff to talk about The First Scarlet Door, his new prequel that tells Anson Bishop’s origin story. He walks through two decades of ghostwriting bestsellers under other people’s names, the leap to full-time author, and his rules for juggling multiple points of view. He also explains how he got James Patterson to w...
Mike Spring and the 80s Movies Nobody Wrote About (Live from Granite State Comic Con) | Artists Alley | Original Geek
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Artist Alley is where you meet the creators behind the work, from the legends to the people you’ll be glad you stopped for. At Granite State Comic Con, we stopped for Mike Spring, writer and publisher at Outtatime Comics. His table was all 80s art, and his sign made us laugh before he said a word.
Mike talks about I Want My Two Dollars, his book on 20 cult-favorite 80s movies. He couldn’t afford to make a documentary, so he wrote the book instead, with strict rules: no sequels, under $40 million at t...
The Butcher’s Masquerade (Dungeon Crawler Carl Book 5), with a Roll from Felicia Day | Random Review | Original Geek
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The rules of Random Review are simple: we set the topic, and the d20 sets the direction. This time we got some help. At Granite State Comic Con, Felicia Day, actor, producer, and outspoken Dungeon Crawler Carl fan, agreed to roll the first die for us and give her take on the spot.
She lands a 17 and talks about Carl’s new Agent Provocateur subclass, and why she’d never play a bomb-maker herself but loves watching someone do it well. Then Steve and Jeff dig into Book 5, The Butcher’s Masquerade:
Carl...Granite State Comicon: Felicia Day Rolls the D20, 80s Cult Classics & the Dirty Shirley Pub Crawl | Original Geek | S1E40
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This episode covers a full day at the Granite State Comicon in Manchester, New Hampshire.
Steve and Jeff recap the con they’re calling the Goldilocks of comic cons. They interview writer Mike Spring in Artist Alley about I Want My Two Dollars, his book on 20 beloved 80s movies that flopped at the box office. Then Felicia Day joins the Random Review for Dungeon Crawler Carl Book 5, The Butcher’s Masquerade, rolls a 17, and weighs in on Carl’s bomb-making career. You’ll also hear from Felicia’s panel on The Guild reunion mo...
Coyote vs. Acme Review & the Real History of Looney Tunes | Original Geek | S1E39
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Warner Bros. finished Coyote vs. Acme, then shelved it for a tax write-off. Ketchup Entertainment rescued it, and it's been filling theaters since August. We saw it ten days in to a mostly full house and came out with a theory, a grudge, and a whole lot of Looney Tunes history.
The dice send us into Will Forte's chemistry with a coyote who was never in the room, and into the courtroom slapstick, where the gallery is packed with Easter eggs. Along the way we get the contract that forced Bugs and...
Dungeon Crawler Carl Book 4 Review — The Gate of the Feral Gods | Random Review | Original Geek
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We set the topic. The dice set the direction. This week: Dungeon Crawler Carl Book 4, The Gate of the Feral Gods — the bubble floor, four castles, and one very large puppy.
The first roll sent Steve and Jeff into the Gate itself, and into an argument with the question: did Vadim's death really unleash Emberus? They pull the whole chain apart on the fly — the flooded sub, the last watch, the assembled gate, and what actually came through the Nothing. Jeff's read on the artifact comes from twenty years behind a DM scre...
Lanterns Episode 1 Review — Tom King, Kyle Chandler & Aaron Pierre | Random Review | Original Geek
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We set the topic. The dice set the direction. This week it's Lanterns, episode one — and both of us walked in already sold.
The first roll landed on Tom King's fingerprints, which stung a little, since we were standing in the same building as him at Boston Fan Expo and never made it to his panel. What we got instead is a Hal Jordan who is nothing like the Silver Age version: worn out, cynical, driving like a maniac, and handing off the ring by rolling out of a moving car and le...
Dungeon Crawler Carl Book 3 Review — The Dungeon Anarchist Cookbook | Random Review | Original Geek
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We set the topic. The dice set the direction. This week the d20 pointed us at Dungeon Crawler Carl Book 3, The Dungeon Anarchist Cookbook — and Steve and Jeff had no idea which two questions they'd be answering until the dice landed.
Roll one sent them into the Iron Tangle, which surfaced a real split between the hosts: Jeff took Matt Dinniman at his word — don't worry about the map, just enjoy the story — and cheerfully ignored the mechanics. Steve did the exact opposite and obsessed over every loop, portal, and ghost train until...
James Gunn's DCU Reboot & Lanterns Episode 1 Review | Original Geek | S1E38
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Two Marvel guys walk into the Green Lantern Corps.
Steve and Jeff review episode 1 of HBO's Lanterns, then dig into James Gunn's whole DCU reboot — Super Friends to Snyderverse to now. Tom King's fingerprints on Hal Jordan. Kyle Chandler being a jerk with a power ring. The d20 hands Steve a question the AI made up. Plus: was recasting Henry Cavill the biggest unforced error in superhero movies?
Spoilers for Lanterns S1E1 only.
🎙️ Original Geek — Gen X geek culture from people who lived it.
Hosted by Steve Sca...
We Fan-Cast Her, Then Told Her To Her Face | Fan Expo Boston | Original Geek | S1E37
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Steve and Jeff spent a day at Fan Expo Boston and brought back the whole thing: Chris Evans, the Hobbits, The Boys, and the moment they told Colby Minifie they'd fan-cast her as Cascadia in Dungeon Crawler Carl. Plus what a con actually costs, why six and a half hours isn't enough, and the trinket trade that turned 30 homemade 3D prints into a floor full of new friends.
The event Fan Expo Boston — Menino Convention Center, Boston MA 2027 dates: December 3-5
Vendors and makers we traded with<...
Carl's Doomsday Scenario (DCC Book 2): Do the NPCs Know They're Trapped? | Random Review | Original Geek
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Some of the monsters know they're monsters. And they can't leave.
Book two of Dungeon Crawler Carl drops Carl and Princess Donut onto the third floor — and starts quietly asking a question the games we grew up on never did: what if the NPCs are aware? Jeff and Steve roll the d20 and let the dice decide how they review Carl's Doomsday Scenario — no plan, no idea what topic's coming until they're already saying it.
This roll landed on the good stuff: the creeping cosmic horror of self-aware NPCs and whet...
Is Spider-Man: Brand New Day a 10/10? Jean Grey, the Multiverse & Rewatchability | Random Review | Original Geek
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Only one Spider-Man is allowed a 10 on Steve's scale. Jeff disagrees. Loudly.
The dice decide how we review Spider-Man: Brand New Day — we set the topic, the d20 sets the direction, and we don't know what we're saying until we're already saying it. This roll landed on the two best arguments in the movie: whether the Department of Damage Control is the darkest turn the MCU's taken yet, and just how rewatchable this thing actually is.
Jeff and Steve get into Damage Control's evolution from comic-book punchline ("who fixes all th...
OG Call Sheet: Fan Casting Dungeon Crawler Carl | Original Geek
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The first edition of the OG Call Sheet is here — the segment where we cast our favorite stories the way they were meant to be.
With a Dungeon Crawler Carl adaptation reportedly in the works at Seth MacFarlane's Fuzzy Door, Steve and Jeff go one-by-one through 13 characters and lock in their dream cast — from Carl and Princess Donut to Mordecai, Odette, and Elle. Expect a couple of eerie matches, at least one hard disagreement, and a lot of "wait, why didn't I think of that." Who's your Carl? Who's your Mordecai? Let us kn...
Random Review: Dungeon Crawler Carl (Book 1) — The Hardest Book to Recommend? | Original Geek
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A guy in his boxers. Crocs. A talking cat. Try recommending that to a normal person — they'll look at you like you've lost your mind. Then they read one page of Princess Donut, and they're in the cult too.
Steve and Jeff roll the D20 and let the dice pick the angle on Dungeon Crawler Carl, Book 1 by Matt Dinniman. Top-three characters, the odd-couple buddy-cop dynamic, the great info-dump debate — and why this series turns readers into believers.
Impossible to sell, or exactly why the cult works? 🎲
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Dungeon Crawler Carl: Book 1 Review & We Cast the Peacock Series | Original Geek | S1E36
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Dungeon Crawler Carl book 1 review — Steve and Jeff break down Matt Dinniman's LitRPG phenomenon, Princess Donut, and who should play Carl in Seth McFarlane's Peacock series.
The apocalypse will be televised. A guy in boxers, Crocs, and a leather jacket chases a cat into the street at 2:30 a.m. — and the world ends. That's page one, and somehow it only gets more unhinged from there. In this episode we get into why a prize-winning Persian cat casting magic missiles is the best character decision in modern genre fiction, whether the Soundbooth Theater audi...
Random Review: We Rolled a Nat 1 Reviewing DREK with the Guy Who Wrote It | Original Geek
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The rules of Random Review are simple: we set the topic, and the d20 sets the direction. We know what we're reviewing — we just don't know how. This time we handed the dice a post-apocalyptic novel and sat the author down to defend it in real time.
Steve and Jeff are joined by indie author Alex Grass for a review of Drek, his surreal, funny, end-of-the-world novel where a coroner ends up with the boogeyman on his gurney, three twisted religions go to war over the body, and the history of how it...
Indie Horror Author Alex Grass on Dreck & Infernal Tramps | Original Geek | S1E35
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Author Alex Grass joins us in the basement for the debut of Artists Alley — and he brought the whole shelf with him: Black River Lantern, Influencer, Drek, A Boy's Hammer, and the brand-new short story collection Infernal Tramps (out July 15).
We start by trying to define paranormal horror and immediately discover the category might swallow the whole genre. Alex traces horror's origins back to the late Victorian collision of scientific progress and spiritualism — M.R. James, Sheridan Le Fanu, ghost stories — and argues that in the beginn...
Disclosure Day: Spielberg's Alien Movie Gets the D20 Treatment | Random Review
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We rolled the d20 on Disclosure Day, Spielberg's new alien movie, and the dice picked our fights for us.
Roll one: the cold open that skips the close encounter entirely and throws you into Act 2 mid-chase, with Daniel already running and zero exposition to catch you up. Roll two: the train car climax — a practical-stunt escape sequence with a full John Williams score behind it. Two big action beats in a movie we swear isn't an action movie.
Plus Colin Firth's loyalty-scrambling casting, the JJ Abrams / Super 8 train callback, and th...
Spielberg's Aliens: Trilogy, Quadrilogy, or Quintology? | Original Geek | S1E34
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How many alien movies has Steven Spielberg actually made? Ask three geeks, get three answers — and that's exactly the fight we pick this week.
With Disclosure Day finally in theaters, we put Spielberg's entire alien run under the microscope: Close Encounters, E.T., the new one, and the two movies nobody can agree on (looking at you, War of the Worlds and that Indiana Jones with the crystal skull). Steve holds the line at three pure Spielberg originals. Jeff refuses to let it go.
Along the way: a full Disclosure Da...
Random Review: Spider Noir - Nic Cage goes full NOIR | Original Geek
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This week on Original Geek Random Review, Steve Scarfo and Jeff Shaw roll the dice and land in the smoky, shadowy world of Spider-Noir.
Nicolas Cage stars as Ben Reilly, a broken-down private investigator with a past life as The Spider, and somehow the whole thing works exactly because it lets Cage be Cage. We dig into the noir style, the Spider-Man twist, Janet as the show’s secret weapon, the midseason slowdown, and the brilliant reversal of the classic Spider-Man line: “With no power comes no responsibility.”
We also get in...
Random Review: The Mandolorian & Grogu | Original Geek
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Is The Mandalorian & Grogu a true Star Wars movie event… or does it feel more like a Disney+ episode with an IMAX upgrade?
On this Original Geek Random Review, Steve Scarfo and Jeff Shaw roll the dice and review The Mandalorian & Grogu, breaking down the theatrical experience, the Disney+ problem, Grogu’s big Force payoff, the Hutt storyline, the pacing, and whether this story raised the stakes enough to justify the jump from streaming to the big screen.
We liked the movie. We loved seei...
Geek Court: Was Gen V a Betrayal of The Boys Universe? | Original Geek Podcast
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The boys are putting Gen V on trial. Jeff prosecutes the spin-off for the ultimate irony — a show that satirizes corporate franchise expansion… by expanding into a franchise. Steve defends it as legitimate universe-building that explores what Vaught does to young, hopeful lives. They agree on one thing: they wasted Marie Moreau. Guilty or not guilty? You decide.
🎙️ Original Geek — Gen X geek culture from people who lived it.
Hosted by Steve Scarfo and Jeff Shaw.
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Random Review: The Boys Series Finale (SPOILERS) | Original Geek
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⚠️ FULL SPOILERS for the series finale. Watch the episode first, then come back.
Episode 8, "Blood and Bone," had the hardest job on TV: end Butcher, Hughie, Starlight, and Homelander without short-changing five seasons of buildup. Did it stick the landing?
We Roll the D20 — it's a spoiler-heavy Random Review of THE BOYS series finale. Steve and Jeff break down the bloodiest, most satisfying send-off on TV: the Deep's full-circle death by radicalized sea life, Huey's "it just hurts to be human" gut-punch to Butcher, Starlight finally getting her revenge, and whethe...
Deconstructing the Cape: The Boys Series Finale, Gen V on Trial | Original Geek | S1E33
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The Boys is over. We watched the series finale the day it dropped — and now we're Deconstructing the Cape.
Steve and Jeff dig into five seasons of Compound V and corruption, then break down the finale: the Deep's karmic end, Huey's "it just hurts to be human," Homelander's collapse, and whether the show stuck the landing or pulled a Lost. We put Gen V on trial in Geek Court, flash back to Mystery Men and a wild Supernatural cast reunion, trace the anti-hero from the '80s to today, and rant about everyone sc...
Random Review: Punisher – One Last Kill (BONUS) | Original Geek
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A standalone Random Review — Steve and Jeff break down Marvel's Punisher: One Last Kill in under 20 minutes.
The dice gave us two prompts: the dog death in the opening and the PTSD representation throughout the special. Was the cold open mean-spirited or earned? Did Jon Bernthal's co-written script finally let Frank Castle move past the vengeance origin story the way Tom Holland's Spider-Man moved past Uncle Ben? And where does this 45-minute one-shot fit between Kingpin's New York and Spider-Man: Brand New Day?
We also get in...
Which Star Wars Trilogy Did the Most Damage? (May the 4th Special) | Original Geek | S1E32
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May the 4th be with you… but we’ve got a problem.
In this special episode of Original Geek, Steve and Jeff put Star Wars on trial:
👉 Did George Lucas wreck the saga with the prequels?
👉 Or did J. J. Abrams and Rian Johnson finish the job with the sequels?
We break down:
Why the prequels killed the “magic” of the Force
How the sequels turned into pure nostalgia bait (“member berries” overload)
The moment Star Wars lost its identity… and how it’s finally recovering
Daredevil: Born Again, Kingpin’s Evolution, and the Case for Ben Affleck’s Daredevil | Original Geek | S1E31
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This week on Original Geek, we head into Hell’s Kitchen to talk all things Daredevil — especially Daredevil: Born Again on Disney+.
Steve and Jeff break down what’s working in the new series, why Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin is still one of Marvel’s best villains, how the Netflix version shaped the modern character, and whether the 2003 Ben Affleck Daredevil movie deserves a reduced sentence in Geek Court.
We also get into Daredevil’s comic roots, Frank Miller’s influence, old-school comic memories, the street-level side of Marvel, and why bringing...
Why We Love Competence Porn | Project Hail Mary, Sherlock Holmes & Smart Heroes | Original Geek | S1E30
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Why are stories about highly capable, hyper-competent characters so satisfying to watch?
In this episode of Original Geek, Steve and Jeff explore the oddly perfect geek culture concept of “competence porn” — the movies, shows, and characters we love because they’re simply really, really good at what they do.
Using Project Hail Mary as the centerpiece, they unpack why audiences are drawn to stories built around intelligence, strategy, problem-solving, and mastery instead of brute force and chaos.
Along the way, they also dive into:
Sherlock Holmes as the o...
Galaxy Quest Reunion & Our First Convention in 30 Years... We Weren't ready | Original Geek | S1E29
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What happens when two Gen X geeks walk into their first convention since the 80s?
They realize geek culture didn’t just survive… it took over.
In this episode of Original Geek, Steve and Jeff dive into their experience at Northeast Comic Con, where they:
Met cast members from Galaxy Quest including Jed Rees and Patrick Breen
Took part in a live Random Review with actual actors from the movie
Discovered just how massive modern geek culture has become
And nearly lost the entire recording than...
Manga Is Beating American Comics… And We Didn’t See It Coming | Original Geek | S1E28
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Two Gen X geeks finally sit down with One Piece — and realize they've been anime fans since childhood without knowing it. Steve and Jeff review Netflix's One Piece Season 1 (no spoilers for season 2!), flashback to Star Blazers and Voltron, and go head-to-head in Geek Court over whether manga has officially surpassed the American comic book.
In this episode:
One Piece random review — dice rolls, devil fruit powers, and Easter eggsFlashback: Star Blazers (1979), the serialized anime that snuck into American living roomsGeek Court: Manga's single-artist vision vs. the multiverse-rebooting American comicHits & Fails: What...Monarch: Legacy of Monsters — Is It Fixing the Monsterverse? | Original Geek | S1E27
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Is Monarch: Legacy of Monsters fixing the Monsterverse, or is the franchise getting too big for its own good?
In this episode of Original Geek, Steve Scarfo and Jeff Shaw dive into the secret organization at the center of the Monsterverse — Monarch — and debate whether the show strengthens the franchise or distracts from what fans really want: giant monsters smashing cities.
We break down how Monarch: Legacy of Monsters connects the modern Monsterverse films starting with Godzilla (2014) through Godzilla vs. Kong and beyond. We also explore why the show’s dual t...
The Star Trek Era That Changed Everything (Kirk vs Picard) | Original Geek | S1E26
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Kirk vs Picard: Which Star Trek Era Was the True Peak? + Starfleet Academy Random Review
Which era of Star Trek was the true peak?
Was it the Original Series era — Kirk, Spock, and the foundation of the franchise?
Or the Next Generation era — Picard, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager expanding the universe?
In this episode of Original Geek, Steve and Jeff go head-to-head in Geek Court to debate which Star Trek era truly defined the franchise.
We also dive into:
• A full Random Review...
Street-Level vs Cosmic Marvel: Which TV Era Wins? | Original Geek | S1E25
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Marvel Television has evolved from The Incredible Hulk in the 70s to Loki, Daredevil, WandaVision, and now Wonder Man on Disney+ — but which version of Marvel TV actually works best?
In this episode of Original Geek, we dive deep into the Marvel Television Universe (MTU) and debate:
Is street-level Marvel (Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Hawkeye) better suited for TV?
Or does cosmic Marvel (Loki, WandaVision, multiverse madness) deliver bigger stakes?
Did Marvel TV peak with the Netflix era?
Is Wonder Man a genius re...
How Game of Thrones Changed Fantasy Forever | Original Geek | S1E24
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Before Game of Thrones, fantasy was rarely treated as prestige television.
Then HBO brought George R.R. Martin’s world of Westeros to life — and the genre was never the same.
In this episode of Original Geek, we revisit the cultural impact of Game of Thrones, debate the best character arcs (Arya vs Daenerys), revisit the controversial final season, and explore why A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms feels like a return to what made the franchise great.
Was this the moment fantasy grew up?
Or did it l...
Why The Muppet Show Still Works | Original Geek | S1E23
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For Original Geeks, The Muppet Show wasn’t just a kids’ program—it was controlled chaos, smart failure, and comedy that trusted the audience.
In this episode, we dig into why the Muppets still matter 50+ years later, how Jim Henson deliberately built characters who failed on purpose, and why the show worked for adults and kids at the same time.
We talk Sesame Street roots, the original UK production, the Steve Martin guest spot that lives rent-free in our heads, and the ongoing debate:
Did Disney save the Muppets—or sand...
Fallout & the End of the World - Why We Can’t Stop Watching Apocalypse Stories | Original Geek | S1E22
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What’s the worst apocalypse to survive?
In this episode of Original Geek, we head straight into the wasteland to talk Fallout — the hit TV series, the video games that inspired it, and why post-apocalyptic stories refuse to leave our brains alone.
From nuclear wastelands and underground vaults to dystopian societies that pretend everything’s fine, we break down why worlds like Fallout, Mad Max, The Matrix, Hunger Games, Divergent, Silo, and more keep pulling us back in. Is it the spectacle? The fear? Or the uncomfortable truth that these storie...
Predator: Badlands — How It Changes the Predator Franchise | Original Geek | S1E21
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Predator: Badlands didn’t just land as another sequel — it cracked open a much bigger conversation about what the Predator franchise actually is, where it’s been, and where it might be going next.
In this episode of Original Geek, we use Badlands as a jumping-off point to explore the entire Predator timeline — from the 1987 original and its slasher-movie roots, through Predator 2, Predators, The Predator, Prey, and the long, messy crossover history with the Alien franchise. Along the way, we dig into how tone, humor, mythology, and even the Predator itself h...
Zombies: Rage vs Rot | Original Geek | S1E20
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What makes zombies terrifying—speed or decay?
In this episode of Original Geek, we break down the two classic zombie types: rage-driven infected and slow, rotting undead. We explore how zombie movies and TV shows evolved, why these two styles dominate the genre, and what makes each one scary in its own way.
If you love zombie movies, horror debates, and geeky pop-culture deep dives, this one’s for you.
🎙️ Original Geek — Gen X geek culture from people who lived it.
Hosted by Steve Scarf...
What Actually Makes a Disaster Movie? (Explosions Aren’t Enough) | Original Geek | S1E19
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What actually makes a disaster movie?
Is it explosions? CGI destruction? Cities getting wiped off the map?
Or is it something smaller—and a lot more human?
In this episode of Original Geek, we break down what defines a true disaster movie, why the best ones still work decades later, and why so many modern films miss the point entirely.
From the golden age classics like The Poseidon Adventure and The Towering Inferno to modern, grounded survival stories like Greenland, we explore the core formula that ma...
