Part satire, part black comedy, part drama, Succession is one of the most critically acclaimed shows in the world. Ahead of the premiere of the fourth and final season of Succession, Thomas Mitchell, Meg Watson and Osman Faruqi unpack what makes the show so great, and refresh us on where the Roy family is at before the stunning show comes to a conclusion. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Artificial intelligence is already being used to make incredible memes, hilarious videos and fascinating art. But what are the downsides, and how will AI challenge the world of art, and society and politics more generally? The Drop is a weekly show tackling the latest in the world of pop culture and entertainment. Join host Osman Faruqi and the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age's team of culture writers and critics along with interviews with musicians, actors, film makers and everyone involved in the world of culture. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you noticed a lack of prestige TV on your favourite streaming platforms lately? You're not alone. The good news is, some of the most critically acclaimed shows of the past few years are about to return, including Succession and Ted Lasso. Plus, a whole bunch of brand new series are set to drop in the next couple of months. On today's episode: our guide to best upcoming TV shows. The Drop is a weekly show tackling the latest in the world of pop culture and entertainment. Join host Osman Faruqi and the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age's team of culture writers and critics along with interviews with musicians, actors, film makers and everyone involved in the world of culture. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Academy Awards are just two weeks away. Will Everything Everywhere All At Once clean up? Could Top Gun: Maverick sneak ahead? Will Cate Blanchett pick up her third Oscar? Today on The Drop, a deep dive exploring the state of the race, who's likely to win and the potential upsets. Plus, an interview with Mandy Walker, the Oscar-nominated cinematographer behind Elvis. The Drop is a weekly show tackling the latest in the world of pop culture and entertainment. Join host Osman Faruqi and the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age's team of culture writers and critics along with interviews with musicians, actors, film makers and everyone involved in the world of culture. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gender neutral Oompa-Loompa's and banning the word "fat" are just some of the changes that will be made to Roald Dahl's classic children's books. The edits have sparked intense debate in the literary world, with Salman Rushdie condemning them as censorship while others have suggested that it's just about keeping up with the times. So what is really behind these changes, and what will their impact be? The Drop is a weekly show tackling the latest in the world of pop culture and entertainment. Join host Osman Faruqi and the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age's team of culture writers and critics along with interviews with musicians, actors, film makers and everyone involved in the world of culture. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Who is Fred Again? The 29-year-old UK musician sold out his surprise concerts in Australia in just a few seconds, demonstrating how massively popular he has become. But where did he come from, and what explains his meteoric rise? Rob Moran breaks down the Fred Again phenomenon, plus a survey of the pop music landscape in 2023 featuring Caroline Polacheck, Lana Del Rey and up and coming Australian acts. The Drop is a weekly show tackling the latest in the world of pop culture and entertainment. Join host Osman Faruqi and the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age's team of culture writers and critics along with interviews with musicians, actors, film makers and everyone involved in the world of culture. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oscar-award winning director Steven Soderbergh is the mastermind behind Ocean's 11 and its sequels, Traffic and Erin Brockovich. His latest film is Magic Mike's Last Dance, starring Channing Tatum and Salma Hayek. On this episode of The Drop, Soderbergh discusses why he returned to the world of male strippers, the upcoming Oscars and his thoughts on Top Gun: Maverick. The Drop is a weekly show tackling the latest in the world of pop culture and entertainment. Join host Osman Faruqi and the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age's team of culture writers and critics along with interviews with musicians, actors, film makers and everyone involved in the world of culture. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Reality TV shows come and go but one franchise has outlasted pretty much all of the others: Survivor. The series is nearly a quarter of a century old and is undergoing a renaissance. A new season of the Australian version of the franchise kicked off this week and it’s already being called the best ever. Today on The Drop, culture reporter Meg Watson on how Survivor has outlasted other reality TV shows. The Drop is a weekly show tackling the latest in the world of pop culture and entertainment. Join host Osman Faruqi and the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age's team of culture writers and critics along with interviews with musicians, actors, film makers and everyone involved in the world of culture. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australia's biggest music countdown is here, but does it still have the kind of cultural resonance it used to? On today's episode journalist Billie Eder dives into the data to look what it takes to get a winning song, and what we can expect in this year's countdown. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of the biggest movies in the world right now is about a robotic doll who goes on a violent rampage. The film is called M3GAN, and it’s part of a new wave of campy, self-aware horror movies that are becoming huge box office success stories. On today's episode, we explore how horror appears to be in the middle of a renaissance right now, thanks to an emphasis on fun, slick marketing, and a healthy dose of social and political satire. The Drop is a weekly show tackling the latest in the world of pop culture and entertainment. Join host Osman Faruqi and the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age's team of culture writers and critics along with interviews with musicians, actors, film makers and everyone involved in the world of culture. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Test is a sports documentary series that takes viewers inside the inner sanctum of the Australian men's cricket team, revealing candid conversations and behind-the-scenes tension. One of the show's breakout stars is batter Usman Khawaja. On this episode of The Drop, Usman Khawaja talks about his involvement in the show and why Australian cricket needs to confront its race problem. Also on this episode: The two co-directors of The Test, Adrian Brown and Sheldon Wynne. The Drop is a weekly show tackling the latest in the world of pop culture and entertainment. Join host Osman Faruqi and the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age's team of culture writers and critics along with interviews with musicians, actors, film makers and everyone involved in the world of culture. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australia's hip-hop has never been bigger and more diverse, and it's making waves around the world. But over the past few years police have been waging a battle against some of the most popular musicians in the country, in some cases stopping them from performing live. Last week things escalated, with police threatening to remove their music from streaming platforms like Spotify and YouTube. It's a fight reminiscent of the tension between groups like NWA and Tupac and law enforcement in the 1990s, but it's happening right here in Australia. Today on The Drop, writer and critic Mahmood Fazal unpacks the current state of Australia's hip-hop scene, why it's attracted so much controversy, and who will win: police or hip-hop? The Drop is a weekly show tackling the latest in the world of pop culture and entertainment. Join host Osman Faruqi and the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age's team of culture writers and critics along with interviews with musicians, actors, film makers and everyone involved in the world of culture. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In recent years ABC has struggled to reach younger audiences, on TV, radio and online. Lately, a few programming decisions have left many in the entertainment industry scratching their heads, wondering why the broadcaster seems so reluctant to back a new generation of talent, and what that means for the future of entertainment, news, and music. Today on The Drop, culture reporter for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald Meg Watson on the ABC's crisis with young people. The Drop is a weekly show tackling the latest in the world of pop culture and entertainment. Join host Osman Faruqi and the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age's team of culture writers and critics along with interviews with musicians, actors, film makers and everyone involved in the world of culture. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Everyone's favourite new social media app, BeReal, promises an unfiltered and candid insight into our daily lives. But does it live up to the hype? And is there really such a thing as authenticity on social media? Millennial writer Patrick Lenton and Gen Z journalist Carla Jaeger join The Drop to talk about our current social media landscape. The Drop is a weekly show tackling the latest in the world of pop culture and entertainment. Join host Osman Faruqi and the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age's team of culture writers and critics along with interviews with musicians, actors, film makers and everyone involved in the world of culture. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The biggest movie event of the year is finally here. Avatar: The Way of Water, James Cameron’s long awaited follow up to the highest grossing film of all time, has divided critics but audiences are watching it in droves. After 13 years was the wait worth it? Why did Avatar have almost no cultural impact despite breaking box office records? And is the new film worth watching? Culture reporter Meg Watson and Osman Faruqi discuss the good, the bad and the ugly of the new Avatar. The Drop is a weekly show tackling the latest in the world of pop culture and entertainment. Join host Osman Faruqi and the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age's team of culture writers and critics along with interviews with musicians, actors, film makers and everyone involved in the world of culture. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some of the biggest movies of the year are about to hit our screens over the next few weeks, including a billion dollar Avatar sequel, a Steven Spielberg drama, and a film starring Cate Blanchett in what is being described as her best ever performance. Today on The Drop comedian and film buff Gen Fricker joins the show to breakdown what to keep out eye out for at the cinema. The Drop is a weekly show tackling the latest in the world of pop culture and entertainment. Join host Osman Faruqi and the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age's team of culture writers and critics along with interviews with musicians, actors, film makers and everyone involved in the world of culture. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of TV’s best shows is about to wrap up its second season, and things are taking a dark and chaotic turn. Plus, the best new shows on TV right now - including Colin from Accounts, Slow Horses and Fleischman is in Trouble. The Drop is a weekly show tackling the latest in the world of pop culture and entertainment. Join host Osman Faruqi and the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age's team of culture writers and critics along with interviews with musicians, actors, film makers and everyone involved in the world of culture. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Taylor Swift announced her first tour in five years, fans went wild. But when tickets eventually went on sale the tour was plunged into chaos, with millions of fans locked out of the system. Ticketmaster, the company managing the sale, blamed unprecedented demand, but everyone from progressive congresswoman AOC to the US Department of Justice and even Swift herself think there’s something much bigger going on, and her fans are demanding answers. The controversy around this tour has highlighted the amount of uncertainty in the live music industry right now, including here in Australia, and put the focus on the giant corporations that control most of the market. The Drop is a weekly show tackling the latest in the world of pop culture and entertainment. Join host Osman Faruqi and the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age's team of culture writers and critics along with interviews with musicians, actors, film makers and everyone involved in the world of culture. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

NYT journalists Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey exposed Harvey Weinstein and helped spark the #MeToo movement. Now their story has been turned into a new film, She Said, starring Zoe Kazan and Carey Mulligan. Jodi and Megan are this week's guests on The Drop, and they share what it was like covering one of the biggest news stories in recent history, seeing themselves portrayed on the big screen, the role investigative journalism plays in society, and what it was like being tracked by ex-Israeli spies. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The White Lotus was never supposed to have a second season, but the Emmy-award winning series is back, with a new cast, a new location, and brutally honest read on sex and relationships in the modern age. On this episode of The Drop we dive into what made the show so good, and if its still worth watching. The Drop is a weekly show tackling the latest in the world of pop culture and entertainment. Join host Osman Faruqi and the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age's team of culture writers and critics along with interviews with musicians, actors, film makers and everyone involved in the world of culture. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.