KCRW & Sam Sanders · Entertainment

The Sam Sanders Show

The Sam Sanders Show from KCRW is your guide to entertainment. Find out what makes your favorite artists tick, dissect the trends that shape our culture, or just make sense of that random meme you can’t stop thinking about. Join us every week to unpack the pop culture we love. Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week. Sam Sanders is an award-winning podcast and radio host. He’s been named best podcast host by both The Ambies and the iHeart Podcast Awards. He was one of the founding hosts of The NPR Politics Podcast and the host who launched both It’s Been A Minute from NPR and Into It from Vulture.

Episodes

The Cyndi Lauper Conspiracy (From Switched on Pop)

04 Aug 2026

37m

Are We All Nostalgic For Better Times?

31 Jul 2026

46m

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Modern media aesthetics and cultural nostalgia reflect a growing sense of societal malaise. Contemporary films suffer from poor lighting and desaturated color palettes, a byproduct of digital production choices that prioritize a "moody" cinematic look over visual clarity. Simultaneously, cigarette smoking has regained ...

Wikipedia remains a rare, human-powered oasis in an internet landscape saturated with algorithmic gamesmanship and AI-generated content. Unlike commercial platforms, this encyclopedia relies on the collective "elbow grease" of global volunteers who prioritize accessible, shared knowledge over profit. While the site fac...

What Happened To Authenticity? w/ Ryan O’Connell

10 Jul 2026

51m

Madonna’s Pop Matriarchy

07 Jul 2026

28m

The Ultimate ‘90s Nostalgia Party (Live Show!)

03 Jul 2026

1h 43m

The Homoerotic Spectacle of ‘Love Island USA’

30 Jun 2026

23m

What Happens When a Trans Comedian Tours America Alone?

26 Jun 2026

46m

Is Hollywood In The Middle Of An Age War?

23 Jun 2026

28m

Is 2026 the Year Everything Started to Look Too Perfect?

19 Jun 2026

44m

The Real Reason American Men are Struggling

16 Jun 2026

30m

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The American "crisis of men" stems from a persistent gap between inherited scripts of masculinity and the lived realities of men. This disconnect forces individuals into a perpetual, impossible performance that leaves them feeling inadequate, regardless of their social or economic standing. Journalist Jordan Ritter Con...

Leslie Jones Says Comedy Needs Gatekeepers Again

12 Jun 2026

54m

Why So Many People Are Falling In Love With AI Chatbots

09 Jun 2026

27m

Audie Cornish & Ari Shapiro On Ambition, Purpose, Poetry

05 Jun 2026

54m

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The current entertainment and cultural landscape is increasingly defined by a "Gilded Age" dynamic, where rising costs and corporate strategies favor high-spending consumers while alienating the middle market. This shift manifests as "Blue Dot Fever," where stadium tours face cancellations due to unsold tickets and pro...