The Worst of All Possible Worlds
The Worst of All Possible Worlds

The Worst of All Possible Worlds

Josh Boerman, A.J. Ditty, and Brian Alford

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Episodes

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The first and only podcast bringing you weekly case studies in the pop culture of a dying empire. Every Wednesday, co-hosts Josh, Brian, and A.J. dissect an artifact of popular culture, breaking down how its narrative choices reflect or subvert the reactionary political project. From video games to movies to theater to an apparently infinite supply of evangelical Christian radio drama, we expose the machinations of the worst of all possible worlds in order to figure out how to build a better one. Also, we have bits.

Recent Episodes

237 - The Trump Prophecy (2018)
APR 22, 2026
237 - The Trump Prophecy (2018)
THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall   HEADS UP: Tickets to our Brooklyn live show on May 24 are on general sale now! To get your tickets, go to Littlefieldnyc.com   In 2011, as he sat in his recliner in the liminal state between asleep and awake with Fox News blaring, an Orlando firefighter named Mark Taylor received a message from God: the man yelling about the devaluation of the dollar on TV right then would be the next president of the United States, serving for this nation as Benjamin Neteyahu had for Israel. Four years later, when Donald Trump announced his candidacy, a woman named Mary Colbert and her husband Don cited this “prophecy” to convince evangelical Christians that they should back him, conveniently raising their own profiles in the process. While evangelical support for Trump has remained overwhelming and steadfast since then, events within the past few weeks have raised serious questions about the durability of Trump’s appeal to Christians. This week, Josh and Brian read the 2017 book The Trump Prophecy and watch its bizarre Liberty University-backed 2018 film adaptation of the same name to try to figure out how evangelicals coalesced behind Trump so quickly and strongly, why the state of Israel is such a pervasive rallying point for them, and whether things can ever change for a group of people willing to believe in a fire lieutenant and self-titled prophet who also goes by the name Shakina Kami. Media referenced in this episode: The Trump Prophecies: The Astonishing True Story of the Man Who Saw Tomorrow...and What He Says Is Coming Next by Mark Taylor (Defender Publishing, 2017) The Trump Prophecy dir. Stephan Schultze (ReelWorksStudios, 2018) TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com
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28 MIN
236 - American Psycho (feat. JP Brammer)
APR 15, 2026
236 - American Psycho (feat. JP Brammer)
HEADS UP: TICKETS ARE NOW AVAILABLE FOR OUR MAY 24 LIVE SHOW IN BROOKLYN, EXCLUSIVELY AT PATREON.COM/WORSTOFALL JP Brammer (¡Hola Papi!) and the lads throw on their raincoats, dance to Huey Lewis and the News, and commit some mild homicide as they cover both Bret Easton Ellis’ original book and Mary Harron’s film adaptation of the trials and tribulations of Patrick Bateman: American Psycho. Topics include Ellis’ rage-bait politics, Christian Bale’s hardbody, and what it means when a significant portion of a population aspires to be Patrick Bateman. JP Brammer: Substack // Bluesky // Instagram Media referenced in this episode: American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis. Vintage. 1991. American Psycho. Dir. Mary Harron. 2000. “An 'American Psycho' Drama : Books: The flap surrounding Bret Easton Ellis' third novel flares again. NOW is seeking a boycott of his new publisher. Other observers raise questions of censorship.” by Elizabeth Venant. Los Angeles Times. December 11th, 1990. “Bret Easton Ellis on American Psycho, Christian Bale, and His Problem with Women Directors”. Movieline. May 18th, 2010. "Bret Easton Ellis on Talking Porn With Kanye, a New Novel, and (Yes) Trump" by Corey Seymour. Vogue. April 16th, 2019. “On Adapting American Psycho” by Mary Harron. London Review of Books. February 28th, 2024. “Phil Collins webchat – your questions answered on prog rock, self-doubt and Miami Vice.” The Guardian. October 19th, 2016. Music/audio used in this episode: Martha Reeves & The Vandellas - Dancing In The Street 緑茶:日本の伝統茶道 - Nhạc Jazz Không Lời Huey Lewis & The News - Hip To Be Square Phil Collins - Sussudio Genesis - In Too Deep Genesis - Mama Genesis - That's All Genesis - Home By The Sea LilMati - Air Conditioner Fan Hum.wav jzielke011 - Urban Rain 01.wav TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com Interstitial: “Salve & Salve” // Written and Performed by A.J. Ditty
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156 MIN
235 - Beast Games from MrBeast Season Two: StrongSmart (feat. Kill the Computer)
APR 8, 2026
235 - Beast Games from MrBeast Season Two: StrongSmart (feat. Kill the Computer)
THIS IS A PREVIEW. FOR THE FULL EPISODE, GO TO Patreon.com/worstofall June and Caleb from Kill the Computer meet the lads for another round of stacking blocks in Beast City as they cover the second season of MrBeast’s nightmare of a game show: Beast Games: Strong/Smart. Topics include the improvements to the games themselves, the professionalism of Jeff Probst, and what it means to model yourself as a philanthropic savior while actively taking money from some of the worst people on the planet. June: Twitch // Patreon // Bluesky Caleb: Bluesky Kill the Computer: June and Caleb talk about the ways in which internet culture spills out into the real world; good and bad. Patreon // Apple Podcasts // Spotify Ill Conceived: A podcast about natalism. Hosted by Josh Boerman (The Worst of All Possible Worlds, Traditional Scrench) and June Sternbach (Western Kabuki, The Onion) Patreon // Spotify // Apple Podcasts Media Referenced in this Episode: Beast Games: StrongSmart. Amazon Studios. 2026. “Gov. Stein approves $15 millions grant for filming Beast Games second season” by WITN Web Team. WITN First Alert. September 11th, 2025. “In 'Beast Games,' contestants get buried alive before heading to Saudi Arabia” by Jim Halterman. LA Times. February 11th, 2026. “MrBeast ‘Beast Games’ Hits 50 Million Viewers in 25 Days, Amazon’s Biggest Unscripted Show Ever” by Selome Hailu. Variety. January 16th, 2025. “MrBeast: If You Want To Be Liked, Don’t Help People! I Lost Tens Of Millions on Beast Games…But I’m Worth $1 Billion!” The Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett. February 20th, 2025. North Carolina Department of Commerce Film Industry Grants “Prime Video Gives Two-Season Renewal to Global Hit Competition Series Beast Games.” Amazon Press Release. May 13th, 2025. “The REAL Tea on Beast Games (with Michelle the Human Calculator)”. Wait, Say More with Eric Cheng. January 15th, 2026 TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com Interstitial: “2 People Play Hopscotch for $2,000,000” // Written by A.J. Ditty // feat. David Armstrong as “MrBeast”, Eleanor Philips as “Contestant 1/Chandler”, and A.J. Ditty as “Contestant 2/Young Jimmy/Planet Jimmy”
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31 MIN