Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

I'm back! Life has been life-ing, but TJ Unfiltered is returning with The Rewind, my monthly media episode, covering September and October.

In this one I share what I've been reading, eating, playing, obsessing over, recommending and treating myself to, from a Bolivia trip to the WNBA playoffs. The full pop culture breakdown drops next.

In this episode:

• Intro: where I've been
• Reading: All My Friends Are Superheroes and The Disappearers
• Eating: Oksana, Celia wine bar and a Bolivian empanada
• Playing: Madden and FC27
• Obsessed: the WNBA playoffs and the Valkyries' title run
• Recommend: The Rehearsal, the Matthew Perry documentary, Love Is Blind S11
• Treated: better spending habits and Bolivia
• Extra info: Spotify, Arsenal Women, Alex Scott, Ted Lasso, On, Man City
• Outro: what's next

Next episode: the full pop culture breakdown.

Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.

This week on The Debrief: a tribute to Dolly and the legacy she leaves behind, the royal family's latest privacy drama with Harry back in town and Charles Spencer's tell-all book, Channing Tatum's very unconvincing "not my burner" account, why SNL UK's season 2 comeback is hitting different, Ed Sheeran's Macklemore fallout and double apology (plus that ironic cancelled Kraft stadium show), and the viral courtroom moment where a murder suspect's AI-generated love songs for his mistress had the whole room holding back laughter.

Segments:

• Remembering Dolly

• Royal Family Drama

• Channing Tatum's "Burner" Account

• SNL UK Is Smashing It

• Ed Sheeran Needs to Grow a Backbone

• The AI Love Song in Court

Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.

A rambly one this week: what actually happens when you rewatch the same shows on loop, and whether it's comfort or something the algorithm built for you.

In this episode:

• The moment it started — rewatching Gilmore Girls on mute as background noise

• My comfort rotation: The Office, Parks and Rec, Brooklyn 99, Grey's Anatomy, Gilmore Girls, New Girl, Private Practice, Station 19

• Being honest about when rewatching did help (predictability during a rough mental health stretch) vs. now, when it's just autopilot

• The old "it's just like rewatching my DVDs" excuse — and why that logic aged badly

• What psychology says: comfort, reduced uncertainty, and "social snacking" with familiar characters

• The 2024 Netflix study on choice overload and decision paralysis

• Why subscriptions change the psychology — "I'm paying for this, I should use it" — and the research on platforms building psychological ownership

• The content overabundance paradox: more choice, less satisfaction

• "Volitional reconsumption" — the academic term for deliberately rewatching, and how streaming made it effortless

• A quick history detour: 24-hour news (CNN, 1980) → internet → smartphones → why screens stacked instead of replacing each other

• Where I've landed: not quitting rewatches, just aiming for balance over the long timeline

Mentioned:

• Dr. Chivonna Childs, Cleveland Clinic (comfort viewing and anxiety)

• TIME's concept of "social snacking"

• 2024 Netflix choice-overload study

• 2026 study, Electronic Commerce Research and Applications (psychological ownership & subscriptions)

• Longo & Baiyere on content overabundance

• 2026 review, Choosing to Re-Experience Movies and TV Episodes

• UK ONS screen-time data (2000–2015)

• Brasel & Gips (2011) media multitasking study

• Nielsen simultaneous TV/internet use data (2008–2009)

Got a comfort show you can't quit? Send it my way — want to hear the rotation.