Episodes 171
Avg. Duration 1h 3m
Activity Active
Apple Rating 4.9 (210)
Since Nov 2019
Latest Episode May 2026

Publishing Details

Schedule
Every 2 Weeks
Format
Episodic
Hosting
rss.libsyn.com

Contact & Outreach

About This Podcast

Andrew Heaton and an army of nerds plunge deep, deep into films, books, and TV shows to ask: what's science fiction really about? What is The Twilight Zone really exploring? What are the underlying themes of Star Trek? What is the worldview of Star Wars? Also sometimes Heaton performs comedy on other planets.

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Recent Episodes

Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die

May 11, 2026 53m

Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die is a scrappy sci-fi story about time travel, causality, and whether humanity can be trusted with knowledge of its own future. Henrique Couto returns to unpack the…

The Friendly Hivemind of Pluribus

Jan 13, 2026 37m

"Pluribus is the Borg Collective, but polite and friendly." So says Brian Brushwood, who rejoins the show to discuss Vince Gilligan's latest program, starring Rhea Seehorn.

This is How the World Ends: Apocalypse in Science Fiction

Nov 04, 2025 1h 36m

Science fiction tackles the end of the world again and again, sometimes hopefully and sometimes utterly devoid of it. Josh Jennings joins in this expensive episode to discuss the many, many fates of…

"Scream" meets "The Truman Show": The Cabin in the Woods

Oct 14, 2025 1h 14m

In the film "Cabin in the Woods" the grizzly deaths of several archetypical characters are stage-managed by office workers in order to quench the bloodlust of ancient, pagan gods. The film is…

Let's Argue About the Prime Directive

Sep 15, 2025 50m

The Prime Directive orders Starfleet officers to refrain from interfering in pre-warprdrive civilizations. It is a doctrine of cultural non-interference... But is it actually a good idea? Scottish…

The Last Starfighter

Jul 08, 2025 1h 11m

In "The Last Starfighter" (1984) a young man has his sword-in-the-stone moment playing an arcade game which propels him into heroic intergalactic adventure. Brett Weaver joins to discuss the movie,…

Women Can Electrocute You

Jun 16, 2025 51m

In Naomi Alderman's "The Power" women all over the planet suddenly develop the ability to shoot electrical shocks, to the point of lethality. The natural order is entirely inverted, with men easily…

Time Loops

May 20, 2025 59m

Getting thrown back to the same place in time, repeatedly, with little you can do about it has become an awesome sub genre in scifi. From Groundhog Day, to The Endless, we discuss time loops and…

Holy Space Capitalism of the Feringi

Apr 01, 2025 1h 21m

Star Trek's Feringi are intergalactic traders, merchants, entrepreneurs, and feckless shysters. How did they get to be space capitalists when the Federation outgrew the concept of money altogether?…

Cheating with a Sexbot

Mar 05, 2025 1h 6m

In "Subservience" Megan Fox plays a robot servant who goes off the rails, seduces her owner, and tries to kill his wife. Henrique Couto joins to discuss the ethical implications of cheating on your…

"Alien" is Dudes Afraid of Getting Knocked Up

Feb 07, 2025 1h 13m

Fresh after seeing "Alien: Romulus," Dickie Lynch and Heaton discuss Ripley Scott's "Alien" franchise: the creepy aesthetics of H. R. Geiger, the deepest fears of the movie, the alien seeding of…

A Canticle for Leibowitz

Jan 16, 2025 1h 10m

It's three centuries after the apocalypse, and a small Catholic monastery in the desert is collecting and safeguarding whatever pre-calamite artifacts it can, to preserve knowledge until civilization…

A. I. As Monkeypaw Slaves

Dec 16, 2024 59m

How has A. I. been portrayed through history in science fiction, and what's it going to look like as it keeps getting better? Stone Lynch and J. C. Campbell join to discuss.

A Clockwork Orange's Secret Extra Chapter

Nov 14, 2024 1h 18m

Anthony Burgess wrote his dystopian novel "A Clockwork Orange" in 1962, but two different versions appeared on either side of the Atlantic. The American version stops at chapter twenty, whereas the…

Faster Than Light Travel in Sci-Fi

Oct 07, 2024 1h 13m

The universe is really, really big. Like huge. Really really really huge. Prompting science fiction to come up with workarounds so everyone isn't stuck on the same boring 'ol planet. Dickie Lynch…

Stay Your Age Right Now Forever

Sep 03, 2024 1h 14m

Drew Magary's book "The Postmortal" explores a scenario in which a vaccine is made for aging. Whatever age you take it at, you are paused there indefinitely. How does that effect marriage,…

All The Gods Suck, Except "Circe"

Aug 05, 2024 1h 23m

Madeline Miller's "Circe" novelizes the mysterious character from the Odyssey who turns men into swine, but also helps Odysseus get home. The book shows the feckless, narcissistic nature of the Greek…

"1984" According to Julia

Jul 15, 2024 58m

George Orwell died way back in 1950, and his estate has never allowed anyone to canonically (or legally) contribute to the immense worldbuilding of "1984"... Until now. Sandra Newman recently wrote…

The Zen of Robots

Jan 04, 2024 32m

Season Finale! In which we talk about how to use sci-fi robots for helpful psychological thought experiments. Support the show! www.patreon.com/alienating ATA Survey: …

Much Ado About Garak

Dec 04, 2023 1h 1m

Star Trek Deep Space Nine's Elim Garak is a simple, unassuming character. But also a spymaster. Why is he so beguiling, and what's his character arc? Andrew Young joins to discuss.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does Alienating the Audience have?

Alienating the Audience has published 171 episodes since November 2019, covering topics in Comedy, Fiction.

Is Alienating the Audience still active?

Alienating the Audience is currently active with new episodes every 2 weeks. Average episode length is 1h 3m.

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