It Could Happen Here - The Latest Anti-Woke Comedy Series

Episode Date: June 28, 2024

Robert and Gare explore 'The New Norm Show,’ the worst conservative cartoon ever made.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Curious about queer sexuality, cruising, and expanding your horizons? Hit play on the sex-positive and deeply entertaining podcast, Sniffy's Cruising Confessions. Join hosts Gabe Gonzalez and Chris Patterson Rosso as they explore queer sex, cruising, relationships, and culture in the new iHeart podcast, Sniffy's Cruising Confessions. Sniffy's Cruising Confessions will broaden minds and help you pursue your true goals.

You can listen to Sniffy's Cruising Confessions, sponsored by Gilead, now on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes every Thursday. Welcome to Gracias Come Again, a podcast by Honey German, where we get real and dive straight into todo lo actual y viral. We're talking música, los premios, el chisme, and all things trending in my cultura. I'm bringing you all the latest happening in our entertainment world and some fun and impactful interviews with your favorite Latin artists, comedians, actors, and influencers. Each week, we get deep and raw life stories, combos on the issues that matter to us, and

it's all packed with gems, fun, straight up comedia, and that's a song that only nuestra gente can sprinkle. Listen to Gracias Come Again on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hi, I'm Ed Zitron, host of the Better Offline podcast, and we're kicking off our second season digging into tech's elite and how they've turned Silicon Valley into a playground for billionaires. From the chaotic world of generative AI to the destruction of Google Search, Better Offline get your podcasts from. 2025 iHeart Podcast Awards are coming. This is the chance to nominate your podcast for the industry's biggest award.

Submit your podcast for nomination now at iHeart.com slash podcast awards. But hurry, submissions close on December 8th. Hey, you've been doing all that talking. It's time to get rewarded for it. Submit your podcast today at iHeart.com slash podcast awards. That's iHeart.com slash podcast awards. That's iHeart.com slash podcast awards.

On Thanksgiving Day, 1999, five-year-old Cuban boy Elian Gonzalez was found off the coast of Florida. And the question was, should the boy go back to his father in Cuba? Mr. Gonzalez wanted to go home and he wanted to take his son with him. Or stay with his relatives in Miami? Imagine that your mother died trying to get you to freedom. Listen to Chess Peace, the Elian Gonzalez story, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Calls on Media. Oh, yeah! That wasn't the opening of the podcast.

Okay, thank God. Or unless it was. I guess it was, because we were recording. Welcome to It Could Happen Here. Harrison, I had to open an episode about a terrible, terrible piece of voice acting history with some horrible voice acting of my own. It was the only right way. It's true. It's true. But there has been some really bad voice acting going around lately.

Yes. Oh, boy. So do you know what we're going to talk about today, Robert? We're going to talk about the South Park of X. And I know what you're all wondering. What the fuck is X? Did you guys, is that a placeholder? Did you like type in a placeholder because you forgot the name of what this is the South Park of or whatever?

No, no, no. We're talking about Twitter. We are talking about the first animated sit slash com on X slash Twitter titled The New Norm Show. Not to be confused with the 2022 low-budget movie The New Norm. This is a new animated project from the great minds over at Dave Rubin Incorporated. Yeah.

That was so bad, but also so insightful that I did a whole bunch of drugs and wrote about 2,000 words about this project. And uncovered some kind of shocking things that we will slowly get into. I first just want to go over the mini pilot itself. Because right now, the only thing that's out is like this three minute or so little mini pilot. And we'll get into why this is the only thing that's out is like this three minute or so little mini pilot um and we'll get into why this is the only thing that's out right now but i i first just want to do kind of like a short play-by-play and it will be short because again it's only three minutes yeah of what what happens in this new perspective animated sitcom that they want to air on twitter.com now known as x yes so i think the first thing you need to know

about it you know besides you know the dave rubin-ness of it all it looks like early 2000s flash animation like really bad early 2000s flash animation it's not good it's not good none of the characters can like really express things uh and the perspective is always a little bit off yeah it looks like something like a moderately competent person could have animated in this course of an afternoon if the people paying them did not actually

want anything that looked very good. Well, and I think that is kind of what happened. They posted one video showing the animating process, and it does look like just one person did it in like a day. So, anyway, it starts with an older man sitting in a living room chair scratching at an ankle monitor he reaches for a beer only to find that it's been wokefied with rainbow packaging the man reacts in horror and his more liberal

daughter remarks progress it's the new norm and then a pandering country music theme song plays which we will play for you later just because it's so bad. We're going to have to. I want to start just because this is the first shot of the episode. And it was the first thing in the episode that made me very angry. And it's how small his feet are. Especially if you're going to have Rob Liefeld feet. He's got the Rob Liefeld feet. He's got them Rob Liefeld feet.

And this is particularly a problem because the ankle monitor doesn't look like it's going to be a one-off joke because he doesn't just have an ankle monitor. He has like an evil Amazon Alexa that looks a little bit like it's, but it's got some HAL 9000 DNA in it. Yes.

That every time he says something that's not woke enough, it yells at him right it feels offensive offensive yeah yeah the the the fantasy progressive government that is in charge in his uh in this cartoon world has forced him to wear an ankle monitor because he's not woke enough and so i'm guessing that's going to be a recurrent bit and if the fact that he has this cinchon ankle monitor is a recurrent bit. And if the fact that he has the sentient ankle monitor is a recurrent bit, his feet shouldn't look like the ankle monitor should always be falling off of them. No, it's so loose.

It's so loose. It's really bad animation, right? Like, I'm not even saying that's a good bit, but if that's your bit, you have to actually design the characters to sell the bit, as opposed to me constantly thinking, how is that fucking ankle monitor staying on his goddamn ankle? Anyway, whatever. The character was not designed with the ankle monitor in mind. That was a later edition. So anyway, after the theme song, the man addresses the audience. He says, I'm the old Norm. I want normal beer.

God damn it. Great. I just want to point out, is this like the only character that gets an introduction? We don't really learn almost anyone else's names except for one other character, which is just great for like a pilot. Anyway, so he steps towards his front door and the ankle monitor starts beeping. He blames his liberal daughter for being put on house arrest for, quote unquote, threatening the school board, which he says he did because the school was, quote, brainwashing kids into thinking girls aren't girls and men aren't men. His daughter says sometimes they're neither or both or dressed like dogs. Anyway, his wife comes home. Oh, God. Yeah, there's a real furry obsession in this show.

I guess we'll talk about that later, too. Because this was birthed years ago. This is not like a modern current take on wokeism. But his wife comes home and with her is someone wearing a COVID mask, sporting a pink mohawk. And here I'm going to play our first clip. What's that? Warning. Offensive. Actually, that is one of my pronouns. Also they, them, and me.

You're non-binary? How do you know that word? I learned it in school. That's why I'm locked up. Norm, the judge agreed to conditional parole. What condition? Where's my room? That's staying here.

Chaz is part of a new government program. To re-educate homophobic, transphobic, racist. Charlie, finally, someone normal. I don't understand. You're black. Did that just black whisper? You're his friend. And boss.

So something that isn't fully conveyed just through the sound is that when the daughter finds out that this new person is non-binary, she gets like big, big like lovey eyes. Yeah. And the Black boss character, he is played by failed politician Larry Elder. Oh my God, that's Larry Elder? Yes!

Yes! Oh, that's funny. That's so funny. He's just there to show that black people like Norm, right? Yes, exactly. The progressives actually are racist for not liking Norm because the only black person they're going to put

in this show thinks that he's rad. It's just a normal thing that you do if you're a right-wing hack making a low-budget cartoon. He is wearing, by the way, a Washington Redskins hat and shirt. And shirt! Discontinued four years ago. Yeah, and his first, his opening line in the show

is him coming in and saying, I come over here to escape woke. Yes. Yeah, one thing I do think is interesting is that both this character, because Larry Elder makes a note that like his son is about to transition and is at least non-binary. They don't really know what any of this means. So a little bit of the script is unclear as to what these kids actually,

how they identify. And obviously Norm's daughter is, I don't know if she's non-binary or just like into like generally queer, but like that is the impression you're left with. And again, if you actually were someone who was kind of conservative or conservative sympathetic, like Mike Judge making like a cartoon, you could actually get some mileage out of the,

accepting the idea that like, okay, you've got these curmudgeonly older people and you've got their kids who arely older people, and you've got their kids who are way more open about this kind of stuff. And there's room for plots, as King of the Hill did pretty well, that kind of lampoon the culture in general, but it requires a little more self-awareness. Again, if there was a little bit, you might wonder, like, what are we saying if we're the people making this right-wing piece of propaganda that all of the young people feel very differently about gender than their parents? Well, yeah, that's why Norm keeps saying,

I'm the old Norm, I want to appear. And the show is called The New Norm, not to be confused with the 1999 ABC sitcom starring Norm Macdonald called The Norm Show. It's literally in the name. It's about, you know, how these people cannot accept that times change and they slowly get outdated social beliefs. Anyway, every single

time that Norm addresses the non-binary character, referring to them as pronoun or that, his little AI Amazon assistant just bleeps out offensive offensive chas is here to re-educate norm in non-bonary studies i'm allergic to dogs it's okay billy is an emotional support dog and non-binary. Oh, okay then. Good dog. Just amazing voice acting in that clip.

And with a helpful laugh track, so you know what is a joke and when you're supposed to laugh, which is so embarrassing for an animated sitcom to put on a laugh track. Like, oh my God. Oh my God. It smacks of desperation because nobody really liked nobody misses laugh tracks laugh tracks are like if you have a live studio audience you know a laugh track kind of like makes sense this is this is an animated sitcom it's like if there's a laugh track on

like rick and morty or like the simpsons like what the fuck are you doing yeah anyway the two men sit down to watch sports and larry elder Elder laments that a non-binary person is present in the room and starts complaining about his child. I come here to get away from woke. Trouble at home? Ah, my boy, or whatever it calls themself now, is thinking about transitioning.

Reggie? Try Regina. Transitioning to what? Another fumble. Whatever it calls themself now, amazing pronoun usage, another fumble. Now, Norm tosses the gay beer to Chaz,

the non-binary character. Chaz. Chaz. Chaz fumbles the catch and says, And that's not even, that's not a gay Zoomer name. Chaz isumbles the catch and says, that's not even, that's not a gay zoomer name. Chaz is like something, like that's,

that's very Gen X Chaz. Totally. Yeah. Well, again, because this is all made by Gen X people. Yeah, exactly.

Yes. Chaz fumbles the catch and says that they can't drink because they're not 21. And Larry Elder replies, y'all influence my boy to cut off his junk, but draw the line at beer. And then Chaz hides behind the couch to call upper level government operatives who are advising them on this reeducation assignment.

I got it. Before we get into this, I want to start with what doesn't make sense about that bit, which is that if Chaz was straight edge, right? And they were kind of, again, if they actually knew anything about like the real sort of cultural kind of divides that are coming in around Gen Z and

Gen Alpha, they could have made a point that like, yeah, this generation of kids doesn't get drunk and do drugs the way like millennials did. And that's an actual like cultural cleavage point. But Chaz is not straight edge. Chaz is just saying i cannot

legally drink beer which right no gay person has ever said which no gay but it like the fact unless unless they're straight edge yeah larry elder then comes in and says like oh this is a characteristic but it wasn't like a characteristic of you queer gen z kids but the the queer gen z kid did not express that as like a characteristic of his identity. He was just stating, this is illegal. I can't because it's illegal. Yeah. Very funny. Yeah. Anyway, anyway. When Chaz is conference calling with this, this upper level government, we have, we have this general in like a, in like a kink dog mask who barks. And there's a trans woman admiral who says, find a way to break him. Maybe we can fix the country. I believe the admiral is a really transphobic character of U.S. Assistant Secretary for Health, Rachel Levine.

And it's not even a good character. It's just bad. No, it doesn't look like her at all. There's also another character, which Robert identified as a possible hate crime and tasked me with locating who this person is. And I believe with about 100% certainty that this is a character of Sam Brinton, who was appointed the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Spent Fuel and Waste Disposition in the Office of Nuclear Energy. My God, are you kidding me? For the Department of Energy. Now, these people are

so fucking conservative social media brain what are you fucking come on brinton may be well known to some of our listeners as being let go in late 2022 after being linked to a series of airport luggage thefts one of the funniest things that's ever happened this person could not stop stealing luggage from airports so much that they got fired from the department of energy that's amazing this this goes back to like 2018 years god that's funny years of airport luggage thefts it's so funny but again if this was a good comedy thing they would have some kind of bit like maybe maybe they would be holding like a like a like a you know like a collection of luggage but no they're just they're just they're just standing behind the progress pride flag like that's it like it's not funny yeah because again because the actual funny thing about this would be to have like your

government character be someone at the department of energy who got taxed with this through some sort of incoherent dei narrative and also a character trait is they are always stealing luggage. And like you could actually do bits around that over time. But they just, they threw all these people in knowing that like the 200 people who are as right wing online as them would get who all these were, as opposed to doing the thing that you would do if you were actually making a show for mainstream consumption, which is like make fun of people that the audience will recognize throw a joe biden in there right like obviously you're doing this in 2024 like where is anyone that someone who's not completely

lost their mind to this stuff will recognize and this is this this is the climax of the pilot. It's so bad. After Chaz has this little phone call, the fake camera zooms back to show a fake animated studio audience and the Bad Country theme song plays once again. And now I will play it for you because this section is both so pandering but also oddly genuine towards the end. Carolyn, thank God for Elon Musk and his shitpost memes. X is the home for free speech.

When the song goes, thank God for Elon Musk and his shitpost memes. Oh, yeah. X is the home for free speech. An unvoiced animated Elon Musk pops through the door for no reason. and Elon Musk pops through the door for no reason. And he's, someone on Twitter took a screen grab of the Elon Musk and said they gave him that Innsmouth look. And he does look like one of the fish people from Innsmouth. It's not a flattering caricature.

I think it's meant to be. It is. Because like, it's, I don't know. This is a really interesting moment because this is where it gets like kind of like genuine jess hawkin wrote the part that blows my mind about this video is the elon musk cameo where the bitterness and resentment of the video melts away into still believing in santa claus and it gets it gets just so weirdly genuine with this with this like the kind of heartfelt saccharine Elon Musk ending.

Well, speaking of genuine Garrison, the main thing that's genuine is our love of these sponsors. I found out that was related to the guy that I was dating. I don't feel emotions correctly. I am talking to a felon right now and I cannot decide if I like him or not. Those were some callers from my call-in podcast, Therapy Gecko. It's a show where I take real phone calls from anonymous strangers all over the world

as a fake gecko therapist and try to dig into their brains and learn a little bit about their lives. I know that's a weird concept, but I promise it's pretty interesting if you give it a shot. Matter of fact, here's a few more examples of the kinds of calls we get on this show. I live with my boyfriend and I found his piss jar in our apartment. I collect my roommate's toenails and fingernails. I have very overbearing parents. Even at the age of 29, they don't let me move out of their house. So if you want an excuse to get out of your own head and see what's going on in someone else's head, search for Therapy Gecko on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. It's the one with the green guy on it.

Hey, I'm Jacqueline Thomas, the host of a brand new Black Effect original series, Black Lit, the podcast for diving deep into the rich world of Black literature. I'm Jack Peace Thomas, and I'm inviting you to join me and a vibrant community of literary enthusiasts dedicated to protecting and celebrating our stories. Black Lit is for the page turners, for those who listen to audiobooks while commuting or running errands, for those who find themselves seeking solace, wisdom, and refuge between the chapters. From thought-provoking novels to powerful poetry, we'll explore the stories that shape our culture. Together, we'll dissect classics and contemporary works while uncovering the stories of the brilliant writers behind them. Blacklit is here to amplify the voices of Black writers and to bring their words to life. Listen

to Blacklit on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hi, I'm Ed Zitron, host of the Better Offline podcast, and we're kicking off our second season digging into how Tex Elite has turned Silicon Valley into a playground for billionaires. From the chaotic world of generative AI to the destruction of Google search, Better Offline is your unvarnished and at times unhinged look at the underbelly of tech from an industry veteran with nothing to lose. This season, I'm going to be joined by everyone from Nobel-winning economists to leading journalists in the field, and I'll be digging into why the products you love keep getting worse and naming and shaming those responsible. Don't get me wrong, though. I love technology.

I just hate the people in charge and want them to get back to building things that actually do things to help real people. I swear to God things can change if we're loud enough, so join me every week to understand what's happening in the tech industry and what could be done to make things better. Listen to Better Offline on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, wherever else you get your podcasts. Check out betteroffline.com. Hola mi gente, it's Honey German and I'm bringing you Gracias, Come Again, the podcast where we dive deep into the world of Latin culture, musica, peliculas, and entertainment with some of the biggest names in the game. If you love hearing real conversations with your favorite Latin celebrities,

artists, and culture shifters, this is the podcast for you. We're talking real conversations with our Latin stars, from actors and artists to musicians and creators, sharing their stories, struggles, and successes. You know it's going to be filled with chisme, laughs, and all the vibes that you love. Each week, we'll explore everything from music and pop culture Thank you. podcast by Honey German, where we get into todo lo actual y viral. Listen to Gracias Come Again on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On Thanksgiving Day, 1999, a five-year-old boy floated alone in the ocean. He had lost his

mother trying to reach Florida from Cuba. He looked like a little angel. I mean, he looked so fresh. And his name, Elian Gonzalez, will make headlines everywhere. Elian Gonzalez. Elian Gonzalez. Elian Gonzalez. Elian. Elian. Elian Gonzalez.

At the heart of the story is a young boy and the question of who he belongs with. His father in Cuba. Mr. Gonzalez wanted to go home and he wanted to take his son with him.. His father in Cuba. Mr. Gonzales wanted to go home and he wanted to take his son with him. Or his relatives in Miami. Imagine that your mother died trying to get you to freedom. At the heart of it all is still

this painful family separation. Something that as a Cuban, I know all too well. Listen to Chess Peace, the Elian Gonzalez story, as part of the My Cultura podcast network, available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. Okay, we are back. So after watching this pilot, there's a lot of questions to be asked. Why is there a fake animated studio audience? You know, pretty bad. My friend Ellie Ehrman pointed out, like, why is the protagonist so unpleasant, even in their perfect fantasy world? And also, why is the word sitcom hyphenated in the title?

Something that you don't do. Just a lot of baffling things. So there was a mix of reactions to this. You know, some of the blue checks on Twitter were kind of lapping this stuff up. One person with the username AmazingGamingProductions wrote, I know some people are critiquing it, but my fiance and I laughed at a couple points.

It's a good start. I hope you continue to work on it. We need all of the indie material we can create. points it's a good start i hope you continue to work on it we need all of the indie material we can create and included in this tweet is a picture of a very poorly drawn avatar saying hi my name is indie david i'm here to fight goliath mainstream oh my god amazing gaming productions is a gamer gate 2 themed gaming company who wants to create anti-woke games they've done nothing. They just post really bad artwork.

And I cannot overstate how bad this cartoon is. Why is the neck that wide? Why is his neck so wide and so long? For how bad the TV show's animation is, this reply was just so bad, I had to point it out. Just incredible. Now, Dave Rubin, shows animation is this this reply was just so bad i had to point it out just incredible yeah um now dave rubin the possible alleged potential most likely creator of the show does air his work

on blaze tv you know by by uh by glenn beck and even even other glenn beck employees could not could not help but point out how terrible this is uh logan hall writer for glenn becks the blaze wrote quote tv shows on leftism the cringiest most unwatchable nauseating trash ever created tv shows on conservatism somehow even worse and one of the most brain poisoned conservative cartoonist george axapolos okay basically like a discount stone toss, wrote, quote, South Park had edge. This has as much edge as uncooked sourdough. Between this and the Daily Wire's limp cartoon, they may as well be flushing money down the toilet. He then went on to say, give me a small team, a million dollars and total creative control, and we will make a cartoon pilot that will melt faces.

So, again, he just wants to get his own his own TV show. that will melt faces. So again, he just wants to get his own TV show. But a whole bunch of these, you know, kind of right-wing cultural critics were not enthused with this outing because it's really bad. So I want to get into kind of who is behind this. Now, the full, I hesitate to say creative team,

but the people behind... Let's just say team, yeah. The team behind The New Norm show, not to be confused with the Fox two-season documentary show The New Norm, have been largely kept secret, possibly out of fears of humiliation. Yeah, that's how you know it's a good show.

But we at least do know some of the voice cast, right? Larry Elder plays the token black conservative who only exists to affirm that the main character isn't actually racist. Now, I doubt Larry Elder has much involvement beyond lending his voice. And the other two confirmed voice, again, I hesitate to use the word talent or even actor,

but the other two voice contributors are Dave Rubin and J.P. Sears. Now, I believe these two could be much more critical to, like, what makes up the comedy of The New Norm Show, not to be confused with the Oatly Oatmilk series of online puppet shorts titled The New Norm and Al Show. Now, I assume most people listening to this are familiar with Dave Rubin. Like many of these right-wing influencers, he's a failed comedian turned political podcaster who's been positioning himself further and further to the right over the course of the last decade.

Now, J.P. Sears was a quote-unquote holistic life coach who turned kind of into like a YouTube skeptic type satirical comedian. And while trying to parody new age woo and conspiracy theories, J.P. was peddling his own pseudoscience and adopting more and more conspiratorial beliefs. Over time, JP and his comedy began moving further and further to the right, but the COVID-19 lockdown was kind of the breaking point where he went all in on anti-vax, COVID-19, and January 6th conspiracy theories. But I think there has to be at least one other contributor, you know, behind like the art and design of the show. And I can't, I can't figure out who that is. I scrolled through all of the tweets to try to find out if this account had another name.

I can't find out who exactly this other person is. There, there is, there is one mystery, one mystery component, but one, one interesting thing I did uncover is that the new norm show, not to be confused with the 2012 TV show,

the new normal has been in production in some form for over four years. They've been working on this for over four years. There is one frame from a video titled Character Sketch Evolutions posted on September 19th of last year. And this shows project files stretching all the way back to Januaryuary of 2020 they've been working on this since january of 2020 early sketches of the daughter feature an antifa and transgender tattoo on her left arm um also she has a keffiyeh and posters that read vegans for palestine all all in 2020 artwork wow yeah yeah wow that. That's kind of fascinating because the daughter character in the published pilot

is just wearing like a hoodie and like a beanie. There's none of that stuff. She's got like some bracelets that have like a, there's at least one of her bracelets has a rainbow on it, which I think is the only queer signaling

or like kind of really signaling of any kind that we get. And she has an Apple watch because LOL Gen Z. But yeah, otherwise her design is completely boring. Like there's nothing going on. And I found this other thing that is maybe a little bit, you know, behind the scenes look at what this may have been.

So last March, this account posted a little comic strip saying, a look at how it began as a comic strip. So, possibly this may have originated as not being an animated series, but instead an online webcomic, which might explain a few things, and also I assume the mystery

contributor that we don't know probably was working on the webcomic, and then it kind of roped in more and more people to do the animated series. But I am going to read out this webcomic and then it kind of roped in more and more people to do the animated series. But I am going to read out this webcomic just because it is fascinatingly bad. Oh my God. Oh my God.

Norm says, For 20 years our address was 7 Columbus Ave. Now it's Colin Kaepernick Drive. That's his daughter saying that. And everyone thinks, I feel so so the mom says fancy the daughter says woke and norm says sick and then a whole bunch of news crews show up at norm's front door they say what's it like to live in the most woke address in town and norm says i refuse to

call it colin kaepernick drive it's columbus ave the news media says any last words before the angry mob shows up should we call the fire department for you and norm says i thought you snowflakes defunded them too no it's not even a no no one was talking about defunding the fire department not true anyway it's it's like it's just not even a joke right like the the there's not like a a release of tension or anything with like the the end bit like him saying, why would we call the fire department? You defunded. It's not it's like it's not a joke.

No, like the last series of panels are even more disconnected. Yeah, they are back inside. The door is closed. Norm says, Chloe, which I guess is his daughter's name, never said in the pilot, Chloe, why must your generation change everything? And then the doorbell rings delivery. The mom answers the door and says, sorry, wrong address. This is now Colin Kaepernick Drive.

Ben Affleck Boulevard is two streets down where James Woods Parkway used to be. My God. That's the punchline. What is that even? What is that even? Do you really, like, is it? Okay.

James Woods has fallen. They replaced it with Ben Affleck Boulevard. If you could, if you were someone who was like kind of conservative, but not completely issues with inequality and racism that they have not dealt with in lieu of changing the name of a single street and pretending things are better and you could actually like there's there's things you could do with that where you actually making comedy but like the fact that they the fact that the escalation is rather than sort of like examining this world and like why shit like this gets done uh just to kind of like make these like um performative gestures instead it's like and next they're going to replace james woods with ben affleck very very good do the gen z kids do

the progressives like ben affleck does anyone feel all that strongly about ben affleck no we we have to start naming streets after ben affleck also why would there be a james woods parkway anyway whatever yeah who's naming a street after name a thing james woods has been in like oh my god so the marketing of this pilot is even is almost as baffling as the pilot itself, right? There's a few slogans they like to use. First of all, the South Park of X, which is already just brilliant. It's heartbreaking. Legalize humor.

Very, very funny. And make America funny again. They will often just tweet these phrases out with no context. And sure, why not? The homepage on their website reads quote the new norm not to be confused with the ongoing podcast series the new norm is an animated sitcom for our woke world an edgy yet family-friendly comedy that shines a funny light on today's most divisive issues and gives americans a safe space to come together and laugh.

Just fantastic stuff. Great, great. I love, again, I made a comment about this, but I love that they're calling this the South Park of X because the South Park guys would never put a cartoon or anything else on X because they actually make things that are commercially successful. And so real companies will buy their shows. Whereas if you're putting something on X, it means that there's no money in what you're doing. It means that your show is going to be monetized alongside those ads for

games that don't exist, that just show little action cartoon characters leaping into the legs of like very horny drawings of Gorgons and shit, and actual straight up pornography because there is no money on X. Family friendly. It's so funny. Now, there are a few reviews that they post on the New Norm website.

Bill Maher says, Brilliant. Dave Rubin says, Beautiful. Larry Elders has Relevant, Timely, and Funny. I'm in. And Kevin Sorbo. He's literally in. He's one of the voices. So is Dave Rubin. And Kevin Sorbo says,

Wow. Robert, what is All in the Family? Because I am a Zoomer. I need to explain a couple of things. All in the Family? Because I am a Zoomer. I need to explain a couple of things. All in the Family was a groundbreaking sitcom show from like 15 or 20 years before you were born. Even longer than that. I mean, it was like the 70s, right?

Yeah, oh shit. It was like 30 or 40 years before you were born. Yeah, it's way, way before my time. It's before your time. Yes, yes it is. And Kevin Sorbo, do is. And Kevin Sorbo. Do you know who Kevin Sorbo was even? Robert, I grew up watching Christian movies.

I am intimately familiar with Kevin Sorbo. Oh, okay. Okay, but not for why he actually got famous. He was Hercules. Yes, in a show that, again, predates your existence by at least 10 or 15 years. And is now just a weird, bad Christian actor. Now, so, these reviews are funny, not only because two of these people giving

reviews on the site are literally in the pilot, but also, let's look at the Bill Maher quote. Brilliant. Do you think Bill Maher has seen this pilot? No, he hasn't. Do you know why? Of course not. Because underneath the text that says in quotes

brilliant it says brilliant bill maher hbo real-time host and then in much smaller text it says speaking of the show creator's previous work featured on hbo he's just talking about dave rubin being interviewed on his show at some point bill, Bill Maher said brilliant to Dave Rubin, and now they're using this as a quote, endorsing the show. Man, I kind of, I feel like, so, like, again, 15 years or so ago, back when he was still alive, Roger Ebert shared one of my articles that I wrote for Cracked, and I kind of want to take his feedback on that and claim that, like, dress it up as feedback for our podcast.

Yeah. Roger Ebert loves this show that was made 10 years after he died. Well, he doesn't, but he said something nice about something else I did a long time ago. So I think he would support this show. The show creator's previous work.

It's amazing. And we will return to the kevin sorbo quote about all in the family for our time um because again like this isn't even just a parody of like all in the family they're they're taking certain they're taking certain elements but but not like actually satirizing them they're just kind of doing them again and do you know what we're gonna do again robert go to ads we're gonna we are we are gonna go to ads we know what we're going to do again, Robert? Go to ads? We are going to go to ads. We're going to transition, which the people who make this show would really hate.

I found out I was related to the guy that I was dating. I don't feel emotions correctly. I am talking to a felon right now and I cannot decide if I like him or not. Those were some callers from my call-in podcast, Therapy Gecko. It's a show where I take real phone calls from anonymous strangers all over the world as a fake gecko therapist and try to dig into their brains and learn a little bit about their lives. I know that's a weird concept, but I promise it's pretty interesting if you give it a shot.

Matter of fact, here's a few more examples of the kinds of calls we get on this show. I live with my boyfriend and I found his piss jar in our apartment. I collect my roommate's toenails and fingernails. I have very overbearing parents. Even at the age of 29, they won't let me move out of their house. So if you want an excuse to get out of your own head and see what's going on in someone else's head, search for Therapy Gecko on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. It's the one with the green guy on it. Hey, I'm Jack Peace Thomas, the host of a brand new Black Effect original series, Black Lit, the podcast for diving deep into the rich world of Black literature. I'm Jack Peace Thomas, and I'm inviting you to join me

in a vibrant community of literary enthusiasts dedicated to protecting and celebrating our stories. Black Lit is for the page turners, for those who listen to audiobooks while commuting or running errands, for those who find themselves seeking solace, wisdom, and refuge between the chapters. From thought-provoking novels to powerful poetry, we'll explore the stories that shape our culture. Together, we'll dissect classics and contemporary works while uncovering the stories of the brilliant writers behind them. Blacklit is here to amplify the voices of Black writers and to bring their words to life.

Listen to Blacklit on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hi, I'm Ed Zitron, host of the Better Offline podcast, and we're kicking off our second season digging into how tech's elite has turned Silicon Valley into a playground for billionaires. From the chaotic world of generative AI to the destruction of Google search, better offline is your unvarnished and at times unhinged look at the underbelly of tech from an industry veteran with nothing to lose. This season I'm going to be

joined by everyone from Nobel winning economists to leading journalists in the field and I'll be digging into why the products you love keep getting worse and naming and shaming those responsible. Don't get me wrong, though. I love technology. I just hate the people in charge and want them to get back to building things that actually do things to help real people. I swear to God things can change if we're loud enough. So join me every week to understand what's happening in the tech industry and what could be done to make things better. Listen to Better Offline on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, wherever else you get your podcasts. Check out betteroffline.com.

Hola mi gente, it's Honey German and I'm bringing you Gracias, Come Again. The podcast where we dive deep into the world of Latin culture, musica, peliculas, and entertainment with some of the biggest names in the game. If you love hearing real conversations with your favorite Latin celebrities, artists, and culture shifters, this is the podcast for you.

We're talking real conversations with our Latin stars, from actors and artists to musicians and creators sharing their stories, struggles, and successes. You know it's going to be

filled with chisme laughs and all the vibes that you love. Each week, we'll explore everything from music and pop culture to deeper topics like identity community and breaking down barriers in all sorts of industries don't miss out on the fun and life stories join me for gracias come again a podcast by honey german where we get into

listen to gracias come again on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On Thanksgiving Day, 1999, a five-year-old boy floated alone in the ocean. He had lost his mother trying to reach Florida from Cuba.

He looked like a little angel. I mean, he looked so fresh. And his name, Elian Gonzalez, will make headlines everywhere. Elian Gonzalez. Elian Gonzalez. Elian. Elian.

Elian Gonzalez. At the heart of the story is a young boy and the question of who he belongs with. His father in Cuba. Mr. Gonzalez wanted to go home and he wanted to take his son with him. Or his relatives in Cuba. Mr. González wanted to go home and he wanted to take his son with him. Or his relatives in Miami. Imagine that your mother died trying to get you to freedom.

At the heart of it all is still this painful family separation. Something that as a Cuban, I know all too well. Listen to Chess Peace, the Elian González story, as part of the My Cultura podcast network, available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Okay, we are back. I have a few images from the marketing of this that you're going to love, Robert. Back in September, the New Norm Show's Twitter posted this picture. It's a very bad cartoon.

Oh my God. Ben Shapiro, Tucker Carlson, and Joe Rogan. What are these? It has one like, and Texture says, who is your fave? I love how small they made Ben Shapiro and Joe Rogan. Oh, and there is another image of Norm, the titular character, saying, thank you, Chaya Rychek and

Elon Musk, for the freedom to say amen now that the word amen was undemonetized. Most of their marketing kind of looks like this. It's just, it's talking about other more popular right-wing content creators or just praising Elon Musk. That is most of the marketing for the show. It seems their primary marketing strategy

seems to be sucking up to Elon Musk to attract attention from him and his fan base. Now, I haven't seen anyone else talk about this yet, but the new Norm show, not to be confused with the new Norm MacDonald show, actually released their first video project last March. It was titled, Elon Musk X AOC AI Animation, unquote.

What? With show creator Dave Rubin saying, the future of animation is AI. The video starts with an AI image of Elon Musk in a black suit with voiceover of Norm addressing Musk saying, Hey Elon, check this out. We cut to a congressional deposition where AOC is questioning Elon Musk, who's wearing a spacesuit about him replying, quote unquote, true to a meme posted by Norm saying that AOC is hot, but not smart.

Mr. Musk. Call me Elon. There's a slow motion love heart sequence of Elon and AOC staring at each other. And Elon says, I have a hands on approach to the world's population crisis. You'll never get your hands on me i'm boycotting you then go yourself god he looks like a cherub in that space suit what is happening so yeah here's here's here's ai norm and ai elon musk sitting in this courtroom now norm says that it's because of elon's reply quote that millions of people saw my post.

So in this little to no effort AI short, they straight up lay out their intentions behind all of this clamoring for Musk's attention and approval, right? Their goal is that if Elon Musk can see their stuff, maybe he'll spread it and it will be popular. Why does Musk look like a nine-year-old boy? Oh yeah, he does look like cherub Elon Musk, absolutely. But this is their entire strategy, right? It's to make content that they hope Elon Musk will see

and then boost so that people will give them money. That's the entirety of the bit. In the replies to this AI short film, everyone who expressed that they liked it saying, like, so funny or just like a laugh laugh emoji the norm account replied to every single one of these tweets with a thumbs up emoji that's it my god that's that's it like sometimes with a flaming thumbs up sometimes with a regular thumbs up emoji but replying to every single tweet they just did a thumbs up it's so it's so lazy like like content goes out that's

some intern who's getting paid by their and like or if they're getting paid or whatever however they're getting evaluated they want to be able to claim that they were doing lots of work so yeah they're just going through and thumbs upping every post that's my wild so this is all kind of reminiscent of the daily wires own animated comedy, Mr. Burcham, right now, Mr.

Burcham, we talked about in our, in our, in our daily wire episodes earlier this year, but it was, it was pitched to Fox like over a decade ago. They even made a 10 minute animatic Fox past. And so did every other network and streaming service also declined to pick up the project until,

until it came across jeremy boring's desk a few years ago and jeremy boring said adam carolla that's who the kids love these days so yeah they they greenlit the show and it is now airing on the daily wire plus but most of the jokes are super outdated because again this was pitched 10 years ago, over 10 years ago. So there's a whole bunch of just like vegan jokes. Like it's jokes that maybe would have been transgressive in 2011. And of course there's like a few updated jokes thrown in there, but like not many.

So in terms of the new Norm show, not to be confused with the many other projects with the same title, only the three minute pilot episode is out right now, right? They are soliciting more money. And that's the main drive of putting out this pilot, is that they are spreading around this donation link like crazy. They've explicitly said, when does the first episode drop?

Soon, but sooner if y'all give here with the donation link. Yeah. Two other tweets read, quote, support this show to animate the first season and support this show and help fight the woke mind virus

with laughter. Unquote. I don't think this will actually ever get made because no one's going to support this because it's garbage. This is like that

Red Ape Family NFT cartoon. Exactly. Which I'm still heartbroken about. All that they're doing is trying to get, you know, like unfortunate souls to donate money to this

and uh i don't think the right-wing billionaires are going to be funding this the same way they fund other daily wire projects so this seems kind of dead in the water this seems like it you know not much thought was put into it it's lazy it's also completely stealing a simpsons joke from 1999 this is the big thing I discovered. So I've been trying to watch more 90s Simpson lately. Good for you. Good for you. Solid move.

And as I was watching this three-minute pilot, something started to feel a little bit familiar. And then I read the Kevin Sorbo review, all in the family for our time, and I realized something. This whole show is just stealing a cutaway gag from a 1999 Simpsons episode about a fake sitcom called All in the Family 1999, in which a new, more woke, and inclusive version of the original show is airing on TV.

And here's a collection of images robert uh in my google document that shows early concept art of norm looking exactly like the main character of yeah down down to the cigar yeah it's literally the picture of him in the chair looks traced it is the exact same there is a diverse cast standing next to've got the black friend standing next to him. Exactly. They've got the woman study major in her Birkenstocks. Exactly. They've got a rabbi in there as opposed to the, which is some 90s diversity. But like, and I remember that bit too,

which is like, it's actually, because there were conservatives writing on the Simpsons in the 90s. One of the, John Schwarzwalder was like a famous libertarian. Like he's a, but he's also like funny. And so they made

a good bit about like PC, like the rash of like overtly politically correct shows, right? Like it's a fun little aside joke that Schwarzwelder was enough of a comedian to know is good for about six seconds. Exactly.

And I will play those six seconds right now. And at 930, all in the family, 1999. Oh, geez, dear. They got me living with an African-American, a semi-American and a woman American there. And I'm glad I love you all. I love everybody. I wish I'd saved my money from the first show yeah see there's there's there's some there's a couple of different jokes there yeah there's

multiple jokes in that three seconds or so it's such a good layered joke on the part of the simpsons it has the parody of archie from all in the family kind of being like offensive in an old-fashioned, uh, you know, bemoaning that he has to be around all these people, but also saying that he loves everyone. And the way that these kinds of shows like to play both sides by showing the main character is still good nature to despite his faults.

And then he flips again saying he's, he's only come back to do the show because he needs money. The bit doesn't overstay its welcome. It lasts only like 10 seconds and yet is infinitely more funny than the entirety of this three minute pilot. And Dave Rubin actually thought he could just rip off a short obscure Simpsons joke and stretch it into an entire show and no one would notice. So I was really happy to find that this was just stealing an old Simpsons joke really poorly too. And because I've been watching an old simpsons joke uh really poorly too and

because i've been watching more uh older simpsons i've also realized that a lot of the jokes and lady ballers are also just completely stolen from simpsons but ripped of the context that makes them funny so all of these like right wing like cranks who are trying to produce this comedy stuff they're all just kind of going back to old simpsons jokes that people hopefully have like forgotten and are injecting them without the actual humorous context into all these anti-woke projects and it doesn't work it it simply doesn't for one it's plagiarizing and the second and and like secondly it's it's just bad but yes i will i will post some of these comparison pictures on uh on my twitter at hungry bowtie if

you want to see the uh the shocking shocking solid work that was a fine investigation garrison because i you're definitely right like this is this is a carbon copy of a of a cutaway gag about all in the family that's so fucking funny even the background house is the same look they have the staircase in the same. The windows are literally in the same. The door, like it's identical. Everything is in the exact same position. It's wild.

I know. They sent this to an animator. Like they sent that screen grab to the animator. That's so funny. God, The Simpsons was such a good show in its golden years that people are still trying to incompetently rip it off and again they they compare themselves to like the south park of x south park even did a much better job of ripping off the simpsons and making that be the focus of

an episode that like everyone rips off the simpsons because of how long they've been going on like yeah anyway whatever they were smart enough to remove the cigar in the final pilot, but all, because that would be just so obvious, but all the concept art that they've posted on Twitter, like half a year ago, has him with a cigar wearing a white button-up shirt, and it looks, it is almost traced. It is, like, his arms. Yeah, they threw on the vest, clearly, to distract. It's phenomenal. So, yeah uh amazing stuff from dave rubin he i guess shouldn't have quit interning at the at uh

at john stewart back in the 2000s maybe maybe he could have had a better life but instead instead we get this so great job dave rubin i i wish you only the best in your future creative works. Yeah. This is what's going to get him that plush writing gig on the Rick and Morty season. I don't know, whatever the next one is. I'm sure he's on the cusp. Oh, he's close to breaking through.

I can feel it. Yeah, yeah. All right, well, I'm good. I'm going to go watch some classic Simpsons again. Thank you for reminding me. It Could Happen Here is a production of Cool Zone Media. For more podcasts from Cool Zone Media, visit our website, coolzonemedia.com, or check us out on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

You can find sources for It Could Happen Here updated monthly at coolzonemedia.com slash sources. Thanks for listening. Curious about queer sexuality, cruising, and expanding your horizons? Hit play on the sex-positive and deeply entertaining podcast, Sniffy's Cruising Confessions. Join hosts Gabe Gonzalez and Chris Patterson Rosso as they explore queer sex, cruising, relationships, and culture

in the new iHeart podcast, Sniffy's Cruising Confessions. Sniffy's Cruising Confessions will broaden minds and help you pursue your true goals. You can listen to Sniffy's Cruising Confessions. Sniffy's Cruising Confessions will broaden minds and help you pursue your true goals. You can listen to Sniffy's Cruising Confessions, sponsored by Gilead, now on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes every Thursday. Hi, I'm Ed Zitron, host of the Better Offline Podcast, and we're kicking off our second season digging into tech's elite and how they've turned Silicon Valley into a playground for billionaires. From the chaotic world of generative AI to the destruction of Google Search, Better Offline is your unvarnished and at times unhinged look at the underbelly of tech

brought to you by an industry veteran with nothing to lose. Listen to Better Offline on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, wherever else you get your podcasts from. Radio app, Apple Podcasts, wherever else you get your podcasts from. The 2025 iHeart Podcast Awards are coming. This is the chance to nominate your podcast for the industry's biggest award. Submit your podcast for nomination now at iHeart.com slash podcast awards. But hurry, submissions close on December 8th. Hey, you've been doing all that talking. It's time to get rewarded for it.

Submit your podcast today at iHeart.com slash podcast awards. That's iHeart.com slash podcast awards. Welcome to Gracias Come Again, a podcast by Honey German, where we get real and dive straight into todo lo actual y viral. We're talking música, los premios, el chisme, and all things trending in my cultura. I'm bringing you all the latest happening in our entertainment world and some fun and impactful interviews

with your favorite Latin artists, comedians, actors, and influencers. Each week, we get deep and raw life stories, combos on the issues that matter to us, and it's all packed with gems, fun, straight-up comedia, and that's a song that only Nuestra Gente can sprinkle. Listen to Gracias Come Again on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

On Thanksgiving Day, 1999, five-year-old Cuban boy Elian Gonzalez was found off the coast of Florida. And the question was, should the boy go back to his father in Cuba? Mr. Gonzales wanted to go home and he wanted to take his son with him. Or stay with his relatives in Miami? Imagine that your mother died trying to get you to freedom.

Listen to Chess Peace, the Elian Gonzalez story, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.