Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud

'Ted Lasso' started out strong – winning awards, massively loyal audiences, and critical acclaim. But later seasons struggled to capture the same magic. Now season 4 is here, with Ted, played by Jason Sudeikis, taking on the challenge of coaching a women's football team. Commotion guest host Amil Niazi chats with TV critic Roxana Hadadi and sports journalist Signa Butler about the legacy of 'Ted Lasso,' and if this latest season recaptures the show's glory days.

Plus, BTS have decided they won’t submit their comeback album, ARIRANG, for the 2027 Grammy Awards. They released a statement that said, “We hope our music can be heard and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language.” Many critics saw this as a rejection of the Grammys newest category: Best Asian Pop Music Performance. Professor Michelle Cho talks about the delicate identity politics surrounding this story, and why fans are standing behind the seven-member K-pop group.

With each summer comes the race to crown the definitive song of the season. But when you look at the songs dominating the discourse this year—from Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” to Olivia Rodrigo’s “the cure” to Charli xcx’s “SS26”—the vibe is not very fun-in-the-sun. Music journalists Emilie Hanskamp, Carl Wilson, and Reanna Cruz explain why, in the world of pop music, this summer has been a real bummer.

There’s a month of summer vacation left, which means there’s still time for a good old Canadian road trip. Who’s in the car, where are you going and, most importantly, what audiobook are you listening to? Audiobook enthusiasts Jael Richardson, Arizona O’Neill and Nathan Maharaj share their suggestions with host Elamin Abdelmahmoud.

Film critics Rad Simonpillai and Kristy Puchko, and culture writer Maura Johnston chat with Elamin Abdelmahmoud about Tom Holland’s latest turn as Spider-Man, the return of Johnny Depp to the Hollywood spotlight after years of scandal and controversy, and the career of musician Glen Hansard who died this week at the age of 56.

It’s not often you hear someone call director Christopher Nolan’s screenwriting “abysmal.” And that’s just one of many critiques translator Emily Wilson had for Nolan’s adaptation of The Odyssey. Her review has caused quite a stir online, partly because Nolan credits her work with helping him write the adaptation. Adam Nayman and Soraya Nadia McDonald join Elamin Abdelmahmoud on Commotion to discuss what Emily Wilson’s gets right and wrong about Christopher Nolan’s work.

Plus, Montreal’s Fantasia Film Festival is considered to be the largest genre festival in North America - and this year it celebrates its 30th anniversary. Elamin is joined by Montreal film critic Justine Smith - who is also one of the festival’s programmers - to briefly look back on the legacy of Fantasia Fest and some of the big Canadian films premiering at the event this year.