Saturday geek-out with host Jesse Blaze Snider ranting, raving, and rallying against the greedy streaming empires that jacked up prices, diluted beloved franchises like Marvel and Star Wars with endless mediocre spin-offs, and delivered a meh Stranger Things Season 5 finale that left fans feeling robbed after years of hype. In 2026, with Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, Max, Paramount+, and the rest gouging wallets (ads tiers starting at $8–$12/month, ad-free pushing $18–$25+, bundles hitting $20–$45), Jesse makes the fiery case for flipping the script: ditch the subs, save hundreds a year, and dive into the massive free buffet of Tubi, Pluto TV, Freevee, The Roku Channel, Kanopy (library card magic!), Hoopla, Crackle, Xumo, Sling Freestream, and more. This is the revolution for real fans who want entertainment without the corporate BS – stay cool, stay free, stay alive!

On episode #287 of Coolest Alive, Jesse dives into the unhinged chaos of Bobcat Goldthwait’s 1988 stand-up album Meat Bob, a raw snapshot of the comedian’s manic ’80s peak where high-pitched rants, absurd stories, and pitch-black humor collide in pure punk-rock comedy energy. Recorded live during the era of HBO specials and chair-burning late-night appearances, it captures one of the wildest, most unpredictable voices in stand-up at the absolute top of his game.

On Episode #286 of Coolest Alive, Jesse dives into the quirky 2022 comedy-drama Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game, a true underdog story set in 1970s New York where a passionate writer takes on a 35-year citywide ban on pinball, proving it’s a game of skill, not gambling, and ultimately helps lift the prohibition with one dramatic city council demonstration. Funny, heartfelt, and loaded with authentic vintage machines, it’s a love letter to a forgotten piece of American pop culture that’ll make you want to find the nearest silver ball.

On Episode #285 of Coolest Alive Jesse dives into the 1987 graphic novel Batman: Son of the Demon, the dark, romantic, and wildly influential story that sees the Dark Knight in an uneasy alliance, and secret marriage, with Ra’s al Ghul and his beautiful & intelligent daughter, Talia al Ghul as they battle a global terrorist threat, only for personal tragedy and impossible choices to reshape Batman’s legacy forever. Packed with espionage, emotional gut-punches, and gorgeous prestige-format art, it’s an underrated classic whose ideas about family and heirs would later redefine Batman canon.

On episode #284 of Coolest Alive, Jesse dives into the stunning 2022 animated sequel Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, a Shrek-universe adventure that follows the legendary feline hero as he faces down his own mortality (and a terrifying whistling wolf) after burning through eight of his nine lives. With jaw-dropping painterly animation, hilarious fairy-tale chaos, surprisingly deep themes about living fully, and one of the coolest villains in recent animation history, it’s a wild, heartfelt ride that became a massive sleeper hit for good reason.

On episode #283 of Coolest Alive, Jesse dives into the blistering, riff-heavy world of Silvertide’s one and only full-length album, Show and Tell, the 2004 debut from a bunch of Philadelphia kids who channeled pure ’70s sleaze and swagger into early-2000s hard rock gold. Packed with gritty hooks, arena-sized choruses, and that raw, reckless energy that made tracks like “Ain’t Comin’ Home” instant classics, it’s a criminally underrated record that should’ve launched them into the stratosphere but still rips just as hard today.

In this special Christmas gift episode of Coolest Alive, I invite you all into my world like we’re brand-new best friends kicking it on the couch. I’m spilling everything: all my phantoms, obsessions, favorite movies, comics, albums, books, games, and hidden gems that have shaped who I am. This isn’t just a list; it’s me handing you the keys to my soul, sharing the stuff that lights me up so we can rebuild that beautiful monoculture we lost, the one where we all vibe on the same wavelengths, turn each other onto new fire, and go “oh, you love THAT too? Yup, did we just become best friends?” Whether you’re already riding the same wave or ready to dive in because I swear this changes everything, this episode is about coming together through the art, stories, and sounds that make life worth living. Grab a drink, get comfy, and let’s bond over the greatest shit ever made, my gift to you, so we can all be on the exact same page in 2026 and beyond. Welcome to the family, coolest ones alive.

Hosted by Jesse Blaze Snider, "Coolest Alive" brings you FIVE brief NON-SPOILER RECOMMENDATIONS every week! With Music on Mondays! Animation on Tuesday! Comic Book Wednesday! Live-Action Thursday! And WildCard Friday! Today's episode is a heartfelt recommendation of Jesse's "favorite pastime": playing pen-and-paper RPGs with his friends & brothers! Specifically, what he thinks may be the greatest & most versatile fictional world of all-time, RIFTS. (Highly Recommended!)