Chris Tognotti Podcasts

In the early 90's, with the golden era of The Simpsons in full swing, Fox's rival networks were desperate to devise counterprogramming to bridge a seemingly insurmountable ratings and cultural impact gap. They failed miserably with a pair of evening cartoons made for basically nobody, Fish Police and Capitol Critters. Plus: a side of Scorch, starri…

Kevin and Chris go long on 1989's The Wizard, starring the likes of Fred Savage, Christian Slater, Luke Edwards, Beau Bridges, and the inimitable Jenny Lewis. Join for a magical road trip through the deserts, casinos, and Universal backlot tours of America, culminating in a video game showdown to shake the heavens—complete with the reveal of the ne…

Join Kevin and Chris on a trip into the annals of Canadian animation with Rock and Rule, a 1983 sci-fi dystopian flick featuring the vocal talents of Debbie Harry, Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, and Don Francks as deranged super rocker/demonic summoner Mok. This was Canada's first-ever English language animated feature, produced by Nelvana—you know, they of t…

No matter the season—whether it's hot szechuan soup weather, or time for a smooth, chilled pineapple pudding—it's always a good time for Kevin and Chris to dip back into the original Iron Chef series, which aired in Japan from 1993 through 1999, and was brought stateside via an iconic dub. Join the guys as they look back at a trio of epic clashes f…

Granny, at long last, 's gonna grab ya.

Subscribe at patreon.com/nowweknow for an exclusive bonus episode every month.

Shabooey! If you know, you know. Kevin and Chris looks back at the ill-fated DuckTales movie, featuring Scrooge, Webby and the boys, Launchpad (barely), and Rip Taylor as, surely, Disney's number one animated genie.

ch ch ch chris and kev, podcast rangers

Baseball is back, oh joyous day, callooh callay! To celebrate the return of America' preeminent stick-based sporting event, Kevin and Chris look back at Angels in the Outfield, the 1994 Disney movie that boldly asks: what if God would help you win baseball games, but not if it's a division clincher? Starring Christopher Lloyd, Danny Glover, Tony Da…

The Batman is here — Batman (1989) that is! Kevin and Chris revisit the Tim Burton classic, which more or less launched "moody Batman" in the hearts and minds of the American mainstream. Chris had never before seen this renowned classic, much to Kevin's finger-steepling delight. Starring Jack Nicholson, Michael Keaton, Kim Basinger, and of Arli$$ f…

For a momentous, celebratory 101st episode, Kevin and Chris revisit Blackbeard's Ghost, a 1968 live-action Disney comedy starring the inimitable Peter Ustinov as the selfsame salty pirate! Join the boys as they watch this master of his craft sashay, strut, and wail as only he knows how. Also, special guest appearances by a host of past guests, subs…

The Winter Olympics are upon us, and Kevin is getting us into the spirit with 1992 figure skating romantic comedy The Cutting Edge. Prepare to be whisked away by D.B. Sweeney, Moira Kelly, Terry O'Quinn, and as previously mentioned in our very first episode, Michael Hogan! And remember: Now We Know does two things well, and podcasting's the other o…

Closing out his time visiting for the holidays, bro of the show Evan Tognotti joins Kevin and Chris for a look back at largely memory-holed Steve Martin/Queen Latifah vehicle Bringing Down The House. Wholly unfunny and wildly racist, this 2003 "comedy" is perhaps valuable solely as a historical document of early-aughts Hollywood racism. Join the ga…

Kicking off Season Five—and celebrating the life of the late Sidney Poitier, Academy Award winner, knighted in the UK, onetime Ambassador of the Bahamas, and all-around man about town—Kevin brings forth Sneakers, a 1992 thriller starring Robert Redford and a stacked ensemble cast. A preemptive word of advice: never trust a man who says he's with th…

Ringing out the season, Kevin and Chris look back at The Santa Clause, a 1994 Christmas romp in which Tim Allen (I guess inadvertently) kills old St. Nick and hops into his place.

Merry Christmas! Callooh! Callay! Tucked far beneath your tree, in that little spot not even the light reflecting off the ornaments quite reaches... why, it's a present from your friends Chris and Kevin. A Christmas morning bonus episode! Aren't they just the best, you think, clasping your mug of cocoa in hand. Come along with us for a look back at…

This time, Kevin and Chris are joined by an extra special guest from clear across the United States — space guy, maple syrup maven, and all-around raconteur Dave Prosper! Dave brings with him tales of the seminal American anime localization Robotech, originally known as Macross in Japan. Full of intrigue, suspense, and a surprising amount of darkly…

This time Chris escorts Kevin back to the halcyon days of 1995, when syndicated cartoon powerhouse DIC—known to some in the industry as "Do It Cheap"—decided to import Sailor Moon, Japan's prototypical magical girl anime, to western shores. This was the first introduction little Chris had to the wide world of anime (or as Americans called it in tho…

Whether you're feeling celebratory, stressed, cozy, or stuffed, Kevin and Chris are here to share a Thanksgiving meal with you. The boys relive some memories of Thanksgivings past, and invite you to eat along with them!

Deep in the heart of November, Kevin pulls a Thanksgiving classic out of his back pocket — 1987's Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, starring Steve Martin and John Candy, both at or near the height of their respective powers. Will Neal Page make it home by Turkey Time? Is Del Griffith really an honest man, or is he actually a witting, canny con artis…

Rounding out Halloween season 2021, Kevin and Chris are joined by three-time returning guest Evan Tognotti—the most prolific sibling in Now We Know history—to examine My Boyfriend's Back, a 1993 comedy/horror (kind of?) flick that bravely asks: what if a clingy loser won Traci Lind's heart simply by decomposing in her arms? Featuring several early …

Spooky season continues as Kevin and Chris gaze back, with longingly erotic, vampiric intensity, at Canadian TV series Forever Knight, which ran from 1992 to 1996. Centered on 800-year-old vampire Nick Knight, who joins the Toronto police force to atone for his past sins and depravities, this show has it all: Vamps! Unethical 12-step sponsors! Bise…

In a special spooky season bonus episode, Kevin and Chris look back at an oft-forgotten relic of early 90's Halloween animated specials — Tales From The Far Side, featuring macabre meanderings straight from the brain of Gary Larson. Come for the cow Bride of Frankenstein, stay for the saddest wolf in recorded history.…

Hot on the heels of Now We Know's look back at its spinoff series Count Duckula, the boys turn their gaze to Danger Mouse, the 1981 British cartoon hit that made David Jason (or at least his voice) a beloved companion of millions of children the world over. Featuring villainous toads, militarized washing machines, controversially Italian crows, and…

In the heart of Transylvania, in the vampire Hall of Fang-ya, there's supposedly not a single vampire zanier than Count Duckula. Kevin and Chris look back at the Thames Television children's cartoon—a spin-off of another Cosgrove Hall animated hit, Danger Mouse—which was a ubiquitous fixture on Nickelodeon in the late 80's and early 90's.…

Chris and Kevin are joined by four-time conquering guest Miranda for a look back at gothic horror classic Candyman—infamous on 90's elementary school playgrounds everywhere—on the occasion of the release of a brand new remake. All the stars are here—Tony Todd! Virginia Madsen! Kasi Lemmons! Xander Berkeley! So why not pop some popcorn, say Candyman…

With Chris disabused of some foundational misunderstandings in our earlier G.I. Joe cartoon series episode, Kevin returns to the well for the 1987 animated movie—sadly, not a theatrical release, but a familiar pick on the home video market. What follows is a rollicking, at times macabre tale of soldiers, secrets, spores, and the utter denigration o…

This time, Kevin and Chris are joine by first-time guest Rachel Beach to discuss Gallavants, a 1984 children's movie (technically, somehow, a Marvel movie?) combining cartoon ants, the voice of Optimus Prime, and a vernacular so pointlessly complicated you'll feel like a Scientologist by the end. Content advisory: this episode is intended only for …

Crash, boom, bang! It's the third installment of Now We Know's ballyhooed Commercials of the 80's and 90's series! This time Kevin brings forth a bevy of exciting, confusing, controversial, and memorable TV ads from his youth, some of which Chris remembers, and some of which are brand new. Time to fire up your cathode ray tubes gang, we're goin' ba…

Kevin and Chris enter the video zone in this inaugural installment of Video Games of the 80's and 90's. Fate calls upon Kevin to run a gauntlet of 11 video games across the NES and SNES — all of them "Chris classics," though some, perhaps, not actual classics. Also, a devout Indiana Jones fan calls the Now We Know hotline, and he's got a bone to pi…

With a Tony Scott-less sequel right around the corner, Kevin and Chris revisit 1986 high-octane thrill ride (and military recruitment propaganda vehicle) Top Gun, starring Tom Cruise and Tom Skerritt — the Toms. Also featuring Anthony Edwards, Val Kilmer, Kelly McGillis, and three gallons of artificial sweat. Prepare to enter the danger zone!…

Kevin and Chris return to a mystical jungle of their youths, complete with familial wolves, scolding panthers, smooth layabout bears, swingin' monkeys, and aristocratic, homicidal tigers. That's right, it's 1967 Disney animated film The Jungle Book, based on the 1894 Rudyard Kipling tome of the same name. Oh, there are also some vultures who kinda …

What time is it? Muppet time once more! This episode Kevin revisits the 1981 follow-up to the classic subject of a prior episode, The Muppet Movie ― it's The Great Muppet Caper, featuring the whole gang plus Charles Grodin, Diana Rigg, and a host of familiar faces in cameo roles. But does it live up to the first film's lofty standards?…

This time, Chris takes the wheel for a look back at a renowned classic of children's television, Jim Henson's Fraggle Rock. Join the guys for this trip down memory lane, alongside Gobo, Red, Mokey, Boober, Wembley, Doc, Sprocket, Convincing John, the adorable Doozers, and the ignoble Gorgs.

With a brand new motion picture reboot upon us, Kevin looks back at the 1995 Mortal Kombat movie, the blood-soaked fighting game's first adaptation for the silver screen. All your favorites are here! Kano, Liu Kang, Raiden, Johnny Cage, Scorpion, Sonya, MORTALLLL KOMBAAAAT!

Once upon a time, as little eight-year-old Chris languished in a bed at Marin General Hospital with an inflamed appendix, he by happenstance caught an episode of the 1990's Ruby-Spears Mega Man cartoon series on a small TV in the upper left corner of the room. Will this video game adaptation bring him as much comfort now as it did back then? There'…

Avast ye sea dogs, Captain Kev is here with a tale of piracy, alien worlds, treasure hunting, and foul creatures known as "monkeybirds." This time it's early 90's Hanna-Barbera cartoon The Pirates of Dark Water, which ran for three seasons, and boasts a robust voice acting cast featuring, well, the same 20 people who basically do every cartoon.…

This time Kevin and Chris revisit one of the all-time feel-good shows in radio history—and public radio, to boot. It's Car Talk, hosted by the irrepressably upbeat Tom and Ray Maggliozi for a staggering 35 years. Whether you give a damn about cars or not, the men known to NPR listeners as Click and Clack are sure to bring a smile to your face.…

Don't worry, listener, Kevin and Chris aren't the ones who need help—but Rock n' Roll Hall of Famer Ringo Starr is another story! This time the guys revisit the 1965 Beatles film Help!, starring Starr, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison, amid a globetrotting series of failed, mischievous attempts on the former's life. Also stars the d…

For the final episode of Season Three, Kevin and Chris tackle a hyper-challenging video game from the latter's youth — Zombies Ate My Neighbors for the Super Nintendo, 48 grueling levels of B-movie horror schlock. Strap on your water gun, your weed-whacker, a few cans of soda, some popsicles, a martian ray gun, and maybe some footballs, and join in…

Kevin revisits Connections, a 1978 ten-episode miniseries created and hosted by British science historian James Burke, which examines the sinew between history, technology, and human understanding. He and Chris watched and discussed three episodes this time around — “The Trigger Effect,” “Eat, Drink, And Be Merry,” and “Yesterday, Tomorrow, And You…

Returning guest Brian joins Kevin and Chris to ring in the new year with 1994's video game film adaptation Double Dragon. Join your favorite hosts as they dish on Jimmy and Billy Lee, Alyssa Milano as leader of the Power Corps vigilantes, Robert Patrick as industrialist ghoul Koga Shuko, and the inimitable Bo Abobo. Also: Viennetta is coming back! …

Now We Know tickles your ears with some new bonus content! This time, the guys played through Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure, the 1989 LucasArts point-and-click PC game with which little Chris spent many an hour. If you decide to play along, be careful — it is surprisingly easy to "choose poorly" in this one.…

Cozy up with Kevin and Chris with a look back and one of their shared childhood loves, 1979's The Muppet Movie. From the music to the journey to the yuks along the way, Kermit and company have you covered.

Kevin and Chris execute their first remote podcast of a long summer season, and are joined by a returning guest, Kevin's sister Colleen! This time it's The Mask of Zorro, a movie that was pretty significant for Colleen, not least of all thanks to Anthony Hopkins snuffing out candles with some cracks of his whip.…

This time we're looking back at something both of them loved as adventure-hungry kids — The Adventures of Tintin, the classic comic series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé which was adapted into an animated series in the early 90's. This episode covers the animated versions of three Tintin adventures: The Crab With the Golden Claws, The Shooting Star, a…

Woooooould youuuuuuuu... like to swing on a star? This question and more are daringly posed by Out of This World, a late 80's sitcom featuring a half-alien teenage girl, her mysterious alien powers, her scenery-chewing uncle Beano, celebrity mayor Doug McClure, and regular drop-ins from the disembodied voice of Burt Reynolds.…

The year is 1993. The reign of Family Double Dare, the inheritor of classic Double Dare's legacy for the previous three years, is coming to an end. And so, Nickelodeon brings forth a new competitive game show, equal part genius and horrifying in design: Legends of the Hidden Temple. This show was a well-oiled disappointment machine, with about 3/4t…

Kevin takes the reins for a look back at the 80's cartoon classic G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, a show which to some people's surprise (Chris) does not feature an individual character named Joe! There's a bunch of them apparently, and they're ready to face off against the nefarious warlord and subliminal messaging expert Cobra Commander.…

Kevin and Chris return for part two of their deluxe Final Fantasy 7 retrospective, with the shiny new PS4 remake right around the corner. Will Cloud unify the fractured corners of his mind? Will Sephiroth be stopped? And will we ever truly comprehend the infinite mystery of Pandora's Box?