When We Were Young podcast
133 episodes listed below
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WHEN WE WERE YOUNG takes a look back at different beloved parts of pop culture from our formative years (1980-2000), and decides if they hold up today.
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Chris, Seth and Becky turn nostalgic rewatches into candid arguments about comedy, character, craft and what survives an adult viewing.
When We Were Young returns to formative pop culture with nostalgia fully admitted but never allowed to settle the verdict. Chris, Seth and Becky revisit screen favorites ranging from Indiana Jones sequels to the 1990s comedies of Chris Farley, Mike Myers and Adam Sandler, mixing…
Wayne of Wayne's World might be cool or the joke; you get to pick a side.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A nostalgic Mike Myers bonus that asks when pop taste really locks in.
This mini-sode uses So I Married an Axe Murderer to ask a sharper question: when did a taste in pop culture actually lock in? The hosts land on 1997 as the moment a lot of favorites hit at once, with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Scream 2, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Romy and…
A Karate Kid talk that turns 80s nostalgia into work, life, and memory lessons.
The discussion opens with Karate Kid, then moves outward into mentorship, aging, and the way 80s pop culture keeps finding new life. Chris Clues, the author of Raised on the 80s, gives the conversation a steady center as he shifts from movie references to practical lessons about…
A sharp look at Bateman's insecurity, grooming rituals, and the joke of trying to project control.
American Psycho is framed less as a greatest-hits horror watch than as a close look at Patrick Bateman's routines, insecurity, and the odd way ordinary habits can feel harmless right up until they do not.
A funny, memory-rich look at when *NSYNC started feeling like more than a generic pop act.
The episode follows *NSYNC as it shifts from a tightly managed pop act into a group with more personality, with No Strings Attached, Bye Bye Bye, and the video choreography marking the break point.
A conversational revisit that treats youth, aging, and subtext as the point.
This episode uses Death Becomes Her to think through youth, aging, and the familiar joke of wanting time to stop. It is strongest when Madeline, Helen, and Ernest come into focus through what they do, not through speeches about what they mean.
A sharp Backstreet Boys discussion that keeps the nostalgia honest and the debate lively.
The episode treats Backstreet Boys against the show's usual four questions about originality, uniqueness, sex appeal, and being everything. The talk stays brisk as it moves from the group's place in the bubblegum boy band wave to blunt notes on production, vocal texture, and why…
A nostalgic, funny look at a movie that became a lesson before it became a reference.
The Karate Kid gives the panel the kind of subject it handles best: a movie that sits halfway between cultural touchstone and private memory. It begins with the familiar training mantra, then turns toward sibling rules, first-viewing blind spots, and the strange way a childhood…
A funny, memory-led look at why Indiana Jones felt like required viewing.
The episode keeps returning to Indiana Jones as a childhood marker, not some untouchable relic, and that choice gives the discussion its shape.
NPR critics Linda Holmes, Glenn Weldon, Stephen Thompson and Aisha Harris argue about this week's release.
The hosts dig into Mike Myers' breakout run, with Wayne's World as the main focus.
The panel opens with the movie’s training mantra and treats it like a challenge.
The hosts of 'When We Were Young' conclude their trilogy on 90s comedians with an in-depth look at Adam Sandler, exploring his SNL career, iconic sketches like 'Canteen Boy' and 'Opera Man', and films such as 'Billy Madison' and 'Happy Gilmore'.
Chris, Seth, and Becky open by treating boys’ toys as a way into childhood sorting.
Chris, Seth, and Becky tackle *Scarface* with the kind of half-joking, half-serious energy the movie almost requires.
The panel opens by turning *NSYNC into a pop-memory test.
Chris, Becky, and Seth move from Raiders into the Indiana Jones sequels.
The hosts interview Chris Clues, an author and speaker who draws life and work lessons from 80s pop culture.
The hosts of When We Were Young explore Chris Farley's comedy career, from his iconic SNL sketches like Matt Foley and Chippendales to his film Tommy Boy.
The episode opens with When We Were Young asking whether Backstreet Boys still clear the show's four question pop test.
The show opens on a gleefully ominous New Year greeting and goes straight into the film.
The hosts of When We Were Young discuss the 1992 dark comedy Death Becomes Her, exploring its themes of aging, beauty, and mortality.
The hosts explore girls' toys from the 80s and 90s, focusing on Barbie, Jem, Cabbage Patch Kids, and My Little Pony, while critiquing gender marketing and sharing personal anecdotes about play and societal pressures.
The mini-sode comes out of a Mike Myers recording session that left more on the table than expected.
Chris, Seth, and Becky cover Indiana Jones Part 1 with a focus on Raiders of the Lost Ark, the franchise’s 1981 launch, and the line from Seth that gave the episode its title: “it’s not the years, honey, it’s the mileage.” They trace the character back to George Lucas in 1973, the serials that inspired him, and the casting path that nearly put Tom Selleck, Bill Murray, Jeff Bridges, or Steve Martin in the lead.