{"podcast":{"title":"Pop Culture Happy Hour","slug":"pop-culture-happy-hour-755082","podcast_index_feed_id":755082,"rss_url":"https://feeds.npr.org/510282/podcast.xml","website_url":"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510282/pop-culture-happy-hour","image_url":"https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2022/09/23/popculture-happyhour_tile_npr-network-01_sq-8f7dd7b8b06bf1f4d5c063f3752b7b60979624b4.jpg?s=1400&c=66&f=jpg","author":"NPR (podcasts@npr.org)","episode_count":300,"summary":"Trying to keep up with the latest in pop culture? We’ve got you covered. The Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast helps you find the best new binge-worthy tv shows, movies, music, and videogames. Join hosts Linda Holmes, Aisha Harris, Stephen Thompson, and Glen Weldon four episodes a week - plus a rotating cast of guest pop culture enthusiasts. It’s your fix for reviews, recommendations, and recaps of the pop culture everyone is talking about. From lowbrow reality TV to Oscar-winning movies to the stuff in between, we take it all with a shot of cheer. On the Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast, we watch everything so that you never miss anything. Make your happy hour even happier with Pop Culture Happy Hour Plus! Your subscription supports the podcast and unlocks a sponsor-free feed. Learn more at plus.npr.org/happyhour","last_synced_at":"2026-07-06T14:21:10.681112+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/pop-culture-happy-hour-755082"},"episode":{"title":"Mortal Kombat II and What’s Making Us Happy","slug":"mortal-kombat-ii-and-what-s-making-us-happy","published_at":"2026-05-08T07:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/pop-culture-happy-hour-755082/mortal-kombat-ii-and-what-s-making-us-happy","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/pop-culture-happy-hour-755082","url":"https://www.npr.org/2026/05/08/nx-s1-5814848/in-mortal-kombat-ii-fatality-meets-fan-service","audio_url":"https://tracking.swap.fm/track/XvDEoI11TR00olTUO8US/prfx.byspotify.com/e/play.podtrac.com/npr-510282/npr.simplecastaudio.com/f75261d2-0860-4d61-91c1-a78a2b997ff2/episodes/3a19acd4-85f5-4155-94d8-73391cbc6dfa/audio/128/default.mp3?awCollectionId=f75261d2-0860-4d61-91c1-a78a2b997ff2&awEpisodeId=3a19acd4-85f5-4155-94d8-73391cbc6dfa&feed=QGMNw0q1&t=podcast&e=nx-s1-5814848&p=510282&d=1293&size=20690278","summary":"Mortal Kombat II brings back more of the unforgettable characters you might have grown up eviscerating. Based on the ultra-violent video game franchise, it centers the story on warrior princess Kitana (Adeline Rudolph) and washed-up action star Johnny Cage (Karl Urban). And of course, there’s fighting. Lots and lots of fighting. Follow Pop Culture Happy Hour on Letterboxd at letterboxd.com/nprpopculture Subscribe to Pop Culture Happy Hour Plus at plus.npr.org/happyhour See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy","meta_description":"Mortal Kombat II brings back more of the unforgettable characters you might have grown up eviscerating. Based on the ultra-violent video game franchise, i…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1293,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/pop-culture-happy-hour-755082/episodes/mortal-kombat-ii-and-what-s-making-us-happy/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/pop-culture-happy-hour-755082/mortal-kombat-ii-and-what-s-making-us-happy.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}