Best James Schaffer Podcasts (2025)

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The Empire Podcast Review Of The Year 2025 2:41:08

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3m ago2:41:08

2:41:08

And so, as 2025 disappears off into the distance, it's the most wonderful time of what's left of the year, as the Empire Podcast team get together in the podbooth for their marathon deep dive/look back at the cinematic year that was. Join Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, and James Dyer for this near-three-hour behemoth in which they go through the year …

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‘Comedy Nerd’ Judd Apatow Returns for Our Final Episode 57:58

1d ago57:58

57:58

Judd Apatow didn’t realize it at the time, but as a young teenager growing up on Long Island in the ‘70s, he was inventing the comedy podcast by doing the first-ever long-form radio interviews with his stand-up heroes. So it’s only fitting that he’s the last guest ever on The Last Laugh podcast. In his fourth and final appearance on the show—taped …

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Farewell, Rob (ft. guests Glenn Close; Stephen Lang; Josh Safdie) 2:13:59

7d ago2:13:59

2:13:59

The final Empire Podcast of the year is here, folks, and it's a bumper-sized jamboree, longer than usual and hopefully fit to tide you over until we return with Episode 700 (live from Kings Place) on January 11th. For the first time ever, the revolving fourth chair revolves wildly during the pod itself, so Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, and James Dyer…

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It: Welcome To Derry — An Empire Podcast Special, In Association With Warner Bros. 46:38

7d ago46:38

46:38

They all float down here. Now that It: Welcome To Derry, the prequel to Andy Muschietti's It Chapter One and It Chapter Two, has finished its eight-episode run, the Empire Podcast has teamed up with Warner Bros. to bring you a special episode in which Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, and James Dyer conquer their fears of clowns, spiders, and spider-clow…

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Kathryn Hahn: ‘The Studio’ Is the Comedy Show of the Year 55:54

8d ago55:54

55:54

Kathryn Hahn never set out to be an explicitly comedic actress. But starting with breakthrough roles in instant classics like ‘Anchorman’ and ‘Step Brothers,’ she has slowly but surely established herself as a comedy powerhouse who can go toe-to-toe with everyone from Will Ferrell to Amy Poehler. So it should come as no surprise that she spent 2025…

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Paul Thomas Anderson & Boogie Nights: An Empire Podcast Special, In Association With Warner Bros. 44:55

14d ago44:55

44:55

Boogie Nights wasn't Paul Thomas Anderson's first movie (that was Hard Eight), but it's the film that put him firmly on the map, and served notice that here was a serious filmmaking force. And with the release of a remastered 4K UHD version of Boogie Nights on Monday, December 15, it's the perfect time for the Empire Podcast team — Chris Hewitt, He…

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There's Magic In The Air (ft. guests Shih-Ching Tsou & Sean Baker; Daryl McCormack & Cailee Spaeny; James L. Brooks) 1:56:11

14d ago1:56:11

1:56:11

The penultimate regular Empire Podcast of the year is here, folks (don't worry, there are specials galore on the way), and it's a belter. Guest-wise, we have more goodies under the tree, as Jamie Graham talks to longtime collaborators Shih-Ching Tsou and Sean Baker (the director of Anora) about Tsou's directorial debut, Left-Handed Girl, which can …

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F1: An Empire Podcast Interview Special ft. Jerry Bruckheimer, Damson Idris & Kerry Condon 1:04:35

14d ago1:04:35

1:04:35

"Yer man's in the pits, boss!" Joseph Kosinski's crowd-pleasingly kinetic F1 was one of the success stories of the year at the box office, displaying impressive legs (or wheels) to take the chequered flag with over $600 million in the global bank, making it the biggest hit of Brad Pitt's career. And now that the film is making its debut on Apple TV…

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Michelle Wolf: Trump, Riyadh, and Netflix Special ‘The Well’ 52:11

15d ago52:11

52:11

Michelle Wolf is probably best known for being the comedian who roasted Sarah Huckabee Sanders to her face at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in 2018. Seven years later, her only regret is that she wasn’t meaner. In this episode, Wolf reflects on how much—and how little—has changed since, from Donald Trump’s escalating attacks on comedians t…

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QT's Making A List, We're Checking It Twice (ft. guests Taron Egerton; George Clooney & Adam Sandler; Jon M. Chu) 1:58:26

21d ago1:58:26

1:58:26

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees Christmas on our mind as we enter December, and accordingly we deliver a sackful of great guests to you, our loyal and loving listeners. First off, Chris Hewitt goes to Taron Egerton's actual flat (smells divine... and the flat wasn't bad either) to sit down with him for a candid chat about his career,…

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The Shameless Plug #10: The Odyssey Odyssey 42:36

22d ago42:36

42:36

The new episode of The Shameless Plug is here, folks, and this month sees Chris Hewitt sit down with freshly-minted award winner, Empire editor Nick de Semlyen, to delve into one of the most special issues of Empire magazine in many a moon: our world exclusive first look at Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, for which Nick went on something of an ody…

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Tim Meadows: SNL, ‘The Ladies Man,’ and ‘DMV’ 50:47

23d ago50:47

50:47

Tim Meadows was once the longest-serving cast member on ‘Saturday Night Live.’ These days, he’s subtly stealing scenes as the third lead on a CBS sitcom, ‘DMV.’ But despite plenty of ups and downs over the course of his nearly 40-year career, Meadows seems to be at peace with his particular level of fame. In this episode, Meadows traces the arc of …

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There Can Be Only Dozens (ft. guests Simu Liu; Ke Huy Quan; Richard Linklater & Ethan Hawke) 1:51:41

28d ago1:51:41

1:51:41

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees Chris Hewitt sit down with two actors who star in animated movies (and ask them both about their favourite things to do in London). First, Simu Liu Zooms in to talk about new Netflix family flick, In Your Dreams, plus his own dreams, and the return of Shang-Chi to the MCU. [21:38 - 38:30 approx] Then, …

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Sebastian Maniscalco on Filling Arenas and Telling ‘Offensive’ Jokes 49:46

1M ago49:46

49:46

Sebastian Maniscalco is consistently one of the highest-grossing stand-up comedians in the country. With his Netflix special ‘Is It Me?’ and his autobiographical movie ‘About My Father’ co-starring Robert De Niro, he’s on the verge of finally becoming a household name. In this episode, Maniscalco opens up about doubling down on nostalgia and (mostl…

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Escape From Malcatraz (ft. guests Benedict Cumberbatch & Dylan Southern; Joel Edgerton & Clint Bentley; Ariana Greenblatt) 1:57:43

1M ago1:57:43

1:57:43

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees the podteam — Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, and James Dyer — play themselves as they discuss great 'as themselves' performances in the movies. They also run their collective eye over the week's movie news, including heartening Star Trek developments, review Train Dreams, Wicked: For Good, Playdate, and S…

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Patton Oswalt: Trump, Kimmel, and the State of Stand-Up Comedy 55:32

1M ago55:32

55:32

Patton Oswalt begins his latest stand-up special (‘Black Coffee and Ice Water,’ streaming on Audible Nov. 20) by reading a fake disclaimer about how he’s gone full MAGA in an attempt to avoid the authoritarian hand of Donald Trump. It’s a funny bit that also underscores the comedian’s very real fears about being an outspokenly anti-fascist voice in…

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All The Information Is On The Task (ft. guests Edgar Wright, Rosamund Pike & Isla Fisher, Michael Shannon) 1:58:03

1M ago1:58:03

1:58:03

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast would surely deserve to get a full fat five points from Greg Davies, the Taskmaster himself, as Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and John Nugent apply themselves wholeheartedly (some more wholeheartedly than others, it must be said) to deciding which Taskmaster contestant has appeared in the best fil…

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Julia Ducournau & Tahar Rahim On Alpha: An Empire Podcast Interview Special 24:35

1M ago24:35

24:35

Alpha is the third film from the brilliant French filmmaker, Julia Ducournau, following on from her titanic debut, Raw, and her raw follow-up, Titane (which won the Palme D'Or, no less!). A tale of an unusual epidemic and generational trauma, there's much going on above and below the surface, which we get into in this interview special, as Jamie Gr…

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Jenny Beavan: An Empire Podcast Interview Special 45:41

1M ago45:41

45:41

Nicholas Hytner's The Choral, a delightful drama set in 1916 Yorkshire, is in cinemas now, folks. It features costumes designed by the legendary Jenny Beavan, who is one of the best costume designers in the business. Nominated for 12 Oscars, winner of three, Beavan has worked with directors like Robert Altman, James Ivory, and George Miller across …

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Fred Armisen: SNL, ‘Portlandia,’ and ‘100 Sound Effects’ 54:55

1M ago54:55

54:55

Fred Armisen knows that nobody can ever tell whether he’s joking or not—and he doesn’t quite understand why. Despite being one of the hands-down funniest ‘Saturday Night Live’ cast members of all time, Armisen can, in fact, be pretty sincere when he wants to be. It’s a trait that shines through on his latest project: a painstakingly produced album …

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Daniel Day-Lewis, Sean Bean, & Ronan Day-Lewis On Anemone: An Empire Podcast Interview Special 50:02

2M ago50:02

50:02

Every year at the London Film Festival, Empire hosts a gala screening for a film that we particularly admire. This year's choice was Ronan Day-Lewis' Anemone, a drama that we called 'sad, absurdist, brooding, tender, and intense', and which marks the return to acting of the great Daniel Day-Lewis, father of Ronan and co-writer of the movie, after e…

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The Sound Of Burning Felt (ft. guests Jennifer Lawrence & Lynne Ramsay; Elle Fanning & Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi; Sean Bean & Daniel Day-Lewis) 1:51:46

2M ago1:51:46

1:51:46

Blimey, this week's episode of the Empire Podcast is star-studded, and then some. First, Chris Hewitt chats with Die, My Love star, Jennifer Lawrence, and director Lynne Ramsay, about unpredictability on set and receiving an email from Martin Scorsese; then, he has a crash course in Yautja from Predator: Badlands stars Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatan…

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The Shameless Plug #9: Stranger Things Has Happened 43:20

2M ago43:20

43:20

Another month, another issue of Empire, another episode of The Shameless Plug. This time, Chris Hewitt and Nick de Semlyen sit down to talk about how Stranger Things ended up on the cover of the world's biggest movie magazine, and nearly did so upside down. And they also talk about less strange things, including the stories behind the stories of th…

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‘Bugonia’ Writer Will Tracy: ‘The Onion,’ John Oliver, and ‘Succession’ 53:23

2M ago53:23

53:23

The new conspiracy-laden film ‘Bugonia’ has been described by critics and audiences alike as “bleak.” But the comedy writer who penned the script doesn’t see it that way. In this episode, Will Tracy shares how he went from ‘The Onion’s’ editor-in-chief to winning Emmys for ‘Last Week Tonight’ and ‘Succession’ to writing the mind-bending script for …

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Now It's Time For Halloween (ft. guests Edward Berger, Yorgos Lanthimos, Mary Elizabeth Winstead & Maika Monroe) 1:56:15

2M ago1:56:15

1:56:15

It's Halloween, folks, so this week's episode of the Empire Podcast is extra-spooky, with Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Beth Webb get way too invested in a listener question about the horror movie death that they would want for themselves. Just keep repeating: it's only a podcast, it's only a podcast, it's only a podcast. Elsewhere, o…

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Kenny Dalglish & Asif Kapadia on Kenny Dalglish: An Empire Podcast Interview Special 33:11

2M ago33:11

33:11

If you can hear a high-pitched squealing noise in the background of our latest interview special, that's just Chris Hewitt vibrating with excitement. For this podcast puts him in the room with one of his all-time heroes, Liverpool FC icon Kenny Dalglish, who is the eponymous subject of Asif Kapadia's latest documentary, which is out today (October …

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Alex Borstein: ‘MADtv,’ ‘Family Guy,’ and ‘Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ 56:53

2M ago56:53

56:53

Most people probably don’t realize Alex Borstein is the same actress who broke out on ‘MADtv,’ has been voicing Lois Griffin on ‘Family Guy’ for 25 years, and won two Emmys for her role as Susie Myerson on ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.’ And yet, while she may still not be a household name, she has slowly but surely put together a more accomplished an…

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We've Gone And Caught A Sniffle (ft. guests Nia DaCosta, Jeremy Strong, Rebecca Ferguson & Kathryn Bigelow) 1:59:22

2M ago1:59:22

1:59:22

This week's Empire Podcast sees Chris Hewitt struggle with the enunciation of one word in particular (you'll have to listen to find out which). Incredibly, it's not 'Howl-o-ween', which is just one of the many things discussed by Chris and his three colleagues of such lethal cunning, Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Ben Travis. They get their teeth in…

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SNL’s Leslie Jones: Lorne Michaels, Donald Trump, and ‘Life Part 2’ 51:07

2M ago51:07

51:07

Leslie Jones has been a comedic force of nature for nearly 40 years. And in her new stand-special ‘Life Part 2’ (streaming this Friday, Oct. 24 on Peacock), she displays more bravado and confidence on stage than ever. In this episode, Jones breaks down everything that went into getting to this moment in her career, from controversial breakout perfo…

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Diane, Drew And The Greatest Poster Ever (ft. guests Rebecca Miller, Channing Tatum & Kirsten Dunst, Mason Thames & Madeleine McGraw) 1:59:53

2M ago1:59:53

1:59:53

This week's Empire Podcast sees Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara and James Dyer pay tribute to two cinematic greats who left us this week: the legendary Oscar-winning actress, Diane Keaton, and Drew Struzan, the artist who defined posters, and people's walls, for decades. Struzan's work inspires this week's question, which asks our trio to identify the g…

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‘John Candy: I Like Me’ Director Colin Hanks 46:15

2M ago46:15

46:15

By all accounts, John Candy was such a decent and kind person that when Colin Hanks set out to direct the definitive documentary about his life and career, he knew there wouldn’t be any “dirt” to uncover. In the words of Candy’s friend Bill Murray, “I wish I had some more bad things to say about him.” But ‘John Candy: I Like Me’ (streaming now on A…

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Wish You Well (ft. guests Greta Lee & Jodie Turner-Smith; Robert Aramayo; Gillian Anderson) 1:45:37

3M ago1:45:37

1:45:37

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees Alex Godfrey display his versatility as an interviewer, going from utter chaos with Tron Ares stars Greta Lee & Jodie Turner-Smith [22:46 - 34:31 approx] and Gillian Anderson [1:33:01 - 1:43:53 approx] to a heartfelt and passionate chat with Robert Aramayo, star of this week's excellent drama, I Swear,…

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The Shameless Plug #8: Wicked Panna Cottas 45:11

3M ago45:11

45:11

In this month's Shameless Plug, the show in which Chris Hewitt sits down with Empire editor Nick de Semlyen to do a deep dive into the latest issue of Empire, Chris Hewitt sits down with Empire editor Nick de Semlyen to do a deep dive into the latest issue of Empire. Which, for the first time in our history, has a musical on the cover, Jon M. Chu's…

4M ago1:58:53

1:58:53

In one of those bumper-sized guest-filled jamborees in which we specialise, this week's Empire Podcast sees John Nugent sit down on Zoom to interview Eddington star, Joaquin Phoenix... or does Joaquin Phoenix interview John Nugent? All will be revealed. [18:52 - 35:59 approx] Elsewhere, Chris Hewitt has a lovely chat about The Life of Chuck with co…