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Pop Culture Happy Hour: Talk Shows With Guy Branum

Comedian Andy Richter and Guy Branum, the host and creator of <em>Talk Show The Game Show. </em>
Doug Hyun
/
TruTV
Comedian Andy Richter and Guy Branum, the host and creator of Talk Show The Game Show.

Talk shows have been around for decades upon decades. Nerdy ones, silly ones, in late-night and daytime, shows that feature people in conversation have long been both adored and ridiculed. And the skill involved in being the perfect talk show guest has now been turned into a game show in truTV's aptly named Talk Show The Game Show. Its host, Guy Branum, is also the host of Maximum Fun's pop culture podcast Pop Rocket and the author of the upcoming book My Life As A Goddess.

We talked to Guy about how you become a good guest — in real life and on his game show. We talked about classic shows and modern shows, and we expressed our appreciation for some of the hosts we believe to have, as they say, the most.

We also talked about what's making us happy this week. Stephen is happy about an article about NPR's own Tiny Desk. Glen is happy about an album that I absolutely agree with him is a classic. Guy is happy about a musical — that's right, a musical! And I am happy about a new podcast you might want to check out if you want ... well, an explanation of today.

Find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter: me, Stephen, Glen, Guy, the show, producer Jessica, and producer emeritus Mike.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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Linda Holmes is a pop culture correspondent for NPR and the host of Pop Culture Happy Hour.