Original Geek
Two Gen X geeks who grew up hiding D&D dice from their parents now break down the franchises that built modern geek culture. Stand-up comic Steve Scarfo and Forever DM Jeff Shaw argue about Star Wars, Marvel, D&D, Star Trek, Fallout, comics, horror, and the shows everyone's actually watching — with comedy, sharp opinions, and zero gatekeeping. New episodes weekly. No homework required. 🎙️ New episodes bi-weekly. Subscribe, roll initiative, and embrace your inner geek.
Episodes
Some of the monsters know they're monsters. And they can't leave.
Book two of Dungeon Crawler Carl drops Carl and Princess Donut onto the third floor — and starts quietly asking a question the games we grew up on never did: what if the NPCs are aware? Jeff and Steve roll the d20 and let the dice decide how they review Carl's Doomsday Scenario — no plan, no idea what topic's coming until they're al...
Only one Spider-Man is allowed a 10 on Steve's scale. Jeff disagrees. Loudly.
The dice decide how we review Spider-Man: Brand New Day — we set the topic, the d20 sets the direction, and we don't know what we're saying until we're already saying it. This roll landed on the two best arguments in the movie: whether the Department of Damage Control is the darkest turn the MCU's taken yet, and just how rewat...
The first edition of the OG Call Sheet is here — the segment where we cast our favorite stories the way they were meant to be.
With a Dungeon Crawler Carl adaptation reportedly in the works at Seth MacFarlane's Fuzzy Door, Steve and Jeff go one-by-one through 13 characters and lock in their dream cast — from Carl and Princess Donut to Mordecai, Odette, and Elle. Expect a couple of eerie matches, at ...
A guy in his boxers. Crocs. A talking cat. Try recommending that to a normal person — they'll look at you like you've lost your mind. Then they read one page of Princess Donut, and they're in the cult too.
Steve and Jeff roll the D20 and let the dice pick the angle on Dungeon Crawler Carl, Book 1 by Matt Dinniman. Top-three characters, the odd-couple buddy-cop dynamic, the great info-dump debate — and why...
Dungeon Crawler Carl book 1 review — Steve and Jeff break down Matt Dinniman's LitRPG phenomenon, Princess Donut, and who should play Carl in Seth McFarlane's Peacock series.
The apocalypse will be televised. A guy in boxers, Crocs, and a leather jacket chases a cat into the street at 2:30 a.m. — and the world ends. That's page one, and somehow it only gets more unhinged from there. In this episod...
The rules of Random Review are simple: we set the topic, and the d20 sets the direction. We know what we're reviewing — we just don't know how. This time we handed the dice a post-apocalyptic novel and sat the author down to defend it in real time.
Steve and Jeff are joined by indie author Alex Grass for a review of Drek, his surreal, funny, end-of-the-world novel where a coroner ends up with the boogeyman on h...
Author Alex Grass joins us in the basement for the debut of Artists Alley — and he brought the whole shelf with him: Black River Lantern, Influencer, Drek, A Boy's Hammer, and the brand-new short story collection Infernal Tramps (out July 15).
We start by trying to define paranormal horror and immediately discover the category might swallow the whole genre. Alex traces horror's origins back to the late Victoria...
We rolled the d20 on Disclosure Day, Spielberg's new alien movie, and the dice picked our fights for us.
Roll one: the cold open that skips the close encounter entirely and throws you into Act 2 mid-chase, with Daniel already running and zero exposition to catch you up. Roll two: the train car climax — a practical-stunt escape sequence with a full John Williams score behind it. Two big action beats in a movie w...
How many alien movies has Steven Spielberg actually made? Ask three geeks, get three answers — and that's exactly the fight we pick this week.
With Disclosure Day finally in theaters, we put Spielberg's entire alien run under the microscope: Close Encounters, E.T., the new one, and the two movies nobody can agree on (looking at you, War of the Worlds and that Indiana Jones with the crystal skull). Steve holds t...
This week on Original Geek Random Review, Steve Scarfo and Jeff Shaw roll the dice and land in the smoky, shadowy world of Spider-Noir.
Nicolas Cage stars as Ben Reilly, a broken-down private investigator with a past life as The Spider, and somehow the whole thing works exactly because it lets Cage be Cage. We dig into the noir style, the Spider-Man twist, Janet as the show’s secret weapon, the midseason slowdo...
Is The Mandalorian & Grogu a true Star Wars movie event… or does it feel more like a Disney+ episode with an IMAX upgrade?
On this Original Geek Random Review, Steve Scarfo and Jeff Shaw roll the dice and review The Mandalorian & Grogu, breaking down the theatrical experience, the Disney+ problem, Grogu’s big Force payoff, the Hutt storyline, the pacing, and whether this story raised the stakes e...
⚠️ FULL SPOILERS for the series finale. Watch the episode first, then come back.
Episode 8, "Blood and Bone," had the hardest job on TV: end Butcher, Hughie, Starlight, and Homelander without short-changing five seasons of buildup. Did it stick the landing?
We Roll the D20 — it's a spoiler-heavy Random Review of THE BOYS series finale. Steve and Jeff break down the bloodiest, most satisfying send...
The boys are putting Gen V on trial. Jeff prosecutes the spin-off for the ultimate irony — a show that satirizes corporate franchise expansion… by expanding into a franchise. Steve defends it as legitimate universe-building that explores what Vaught does to young, hopeful lives. They agree on one thing: they wasted Marie Moreau. Guilty or not guilty? You decide.
🎙️ Original Geek — Gen ...
The Boys is over. We watched the series finale the day it dropped — and now we're Deconstructing the Cape.
Steve and Jeff dig into five seasons of Compound V and corruption, then break down the finale: the Deep's karmic end, Huey's "it just hurts to be human," Homelander's collapse, and whether the show stuck the landing or pulled a Lost. We put Gen V on trial in Geek Court, flash back to Mystery Men and a ...
A standalone Random Review — Steve and Jeff break down Marvel's Punisher: One Last Kill in under 20 minutes.
The dice gave us two prompts: the dog death in the opening and the PTSD representation throughout the special. Was the cold open mean-spirited or earned? Did Jon Bernthal's co-written script finally let Frank Castle move past the vengeance origin story the way Tom Holland's Spider-Man moved past Uncle Be...
May the 4th be with you… but we’ve got a problem.
In this special episode of Original Geek, Steve and Jeff put Star Wars on trial:
👉 Did George Lucas wreck the saga with the prequels?
👉 Or did J. J. Abrams and Rian Johnson finish the job with the sequels?
We break down:
Why the prequels killed the “magic” of the Force
How the sequels turned into pure nosta...
This week on Original Geek, we head into Hell’s Kitchen to talk all things Daredevil — especially Daredevil: Born Again on Disney+.
Steve and Jeff break down what’s working in the new series, why Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin is still one of Marvel’s best villains, how the Netflix version shaped the modern character, and whether the 2003 Ben Affleck Daredevil movie deserves a...
Why are stories about highly capable, hyper-competent characters so satisfying to watch?
In this episode of Original Geek, Steve and Jeff explore the oddly perfect geek culture concept of “competence porn” — the movies, shows, and characters we love because they’re simply really, really good at what they do.
Using Project Hail Mary as the centerpiece, they unpack why audiences a...
What happens when two Gen X geeks walk into their first convention since the 80s?
They realize geek culture didn’t just survive… it took over.
In this episode of Original Geek, Steve and Jeff dive into their experience at Northeast Comic Con, where they:
Met cast members from Galaxy Quest including Jed Rees and Patrick Breen
Took part in a live Random Review with actual actors fr...
Two Gen X geeks finally sit down with One Piece — and realize they've been anime fans since childhood without knowing it. Steve and Jeff review Netflix's One Piece Season 1 (no spoilers for season 2!), flashback to Star Blazers and Voltron, and go head-to-head in Geek Court over whether manga has officially surpassed the American comic book.
In this episode:
- One Piece random review — dice rolls, devil ...
Popular Podcasts
Betrayal Weekly is back for a new season. Every Thursday, Betrayal Weekly shares first-hand accounts of broken trust, shocking deceptions, and the trail of destruction they leave behind. Hosted by Andrea Gunning, this weekly ongoing series digs into real-life stories of betrayal and the aftermath. From stories of double lives to dark discoveries, these are cautionary tales and accounts of resilience against all odds. From the producers of the critically acclaimed Betrayal series, Betrayal Weekly drops new episodes every Thursday. If you would like to share your story, you can reach out to the Betrayal Team by emailing them at betrayalpod@gmail.com and follow us on Instagram at @betrayalpod and @glasspodcasts. Please join our Substack for additional exclusive content, curated book recommendations, and community discussions. Sign up FREE by clicking this link Beyond Betrayal Substack. Join our community dedicated to truth, resilience, and healing. Your voice matters! Be a part of our Betrayal journey on Substack.
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.