Syndicated with Lesley and Ben

Lesley and Ben’s season on International TV continues with The Untamed, an ahistorical Chinese fantasy drama from Tencent Video. We’re joined by Nik Boylan of Legends of Laia and Athraplay, who has spent the last year becoming an Untamed expert. After our hosts flip out about the massive complex of historical sets and theme park attractions that the Untamed is filmed at, we learn about the Xianxia genre of Chinese fantasy and the bizarre path this show took to be adapted. Lesley, Ben and Nik faun over the commitment to the bit on display in The Untamed - with its costumes, wire work martial arts, high energy visual effects and campy dialogue. Truly, this is what tv was made for.We’re watching Season One, Episode One of the Untamed. We start with a climactic battle in the Nightless City where a series of sorcerer knights struggle to grasp a shadowy demonic magical object. The rogue Cultivator Wei Wuxian falls off a cliffside after a confrontation with Lan Wangji. 16 years later, Wei Wuxian is summoned back to the land of the living as part of a ritual preformed by Mo Xuanyu. Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji are reunited, but Wei Wuxian isn’t sure he wants Lan Wangji to see him yet.

Syndicated with Lesley and Ben is a twice monthly podcast about television, genre and storytelling in which your hosts watch one episode of a new show and explore the history of television one episode at a time. From family room sitcoms to space exploration shows, reality TV to procedurals and game shows, we’re going to cover it all and give you the context you need to understand the wonderful world of television and the stories we love. Our current season is International TV.

Our Logo is by Terra Bosart, the theme song is by Mandra Sigma and the show is edited by Jay Gagnon.