The Substance

196: Team America: World Police feat. Justin LaLiberty

April 01, 2026

Happy Don't Believe Anything You Read On The Internet Day, everyone!Today we continue our April Fool's Day tradition of covering a silly movie (and then realizing that it's got more substance than audiences may think at first). 20 years ago Trey Parker and Matt Stone were pissed off at how America was recklessly engaging in conflicts around the world and decided to express their frustrations with puppets and some incredible action set pieces. If only that was relevant now...Joinin...

195: Substantive Cinema | 28 Years Later feat. Brandon Streussnig

March 23, 2026

On this episode we reflect on the reality that we must die, and in order to live we also must love. And it's a discussion on (ostensibly) a zombie movie that a 20+ year later legacy sequel! When the teaser trailer for 28 Years Later dropped, it seemed clear that the film wouldn't be a safe, mindless retread of previous material looking to cash in on fan nostalgia. It was visually striking, poetic, foreboding, and promised a dark, brutal world that not only has experienced a viral outb...

194: The State of the World, Spiritual Check-Ins, and the Road to 200 feat. Editor Dave

March 09, 2026

We are creeping up on Episode 200 so we sat down with (former) Editor Dave to talk about the State of The Substance as well as doing a bit of a spiritual check in as we look back on the road that has lead us here and look forward to where we are headed post #200!Shoutouts:Wake Up Dead ManThe Wild RobotProject Hail Mary by Andy WeirThe Weight by Melissa Mendes28 Years Later: The Bone TempleLaurie Strode Trap House podcastFollow Dave:InstagramSubstackFollow Us:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...