Inconceivable!

Inconceivable! is a show that tests our panelists’ knowledge of the nerdy, the useless, and the obscure. Each episode, two teams face off to answer diabolical questions about TV shows, comics, movies, books, games, and more. Host Dan Moren and scorekeeper/announcer Lex Friedman oversee the proceedings, doling out hard-earned points where appropriate.

Latest Episode: August 2, 2023 — Inconceivable! Episode 34

210 One Hour’s Worth of Radon

Welcome back to “Inconceivable!”, the show that tests two teams’ knowledge of the nerdy, the useless, and the obscure.

We recorded live in a spooky basement, as our panelists try to figure out siege engines and peppers, identify villains who have made their ways to other movies, and try to suss out what this podcast could have been called.

Read the show notes.

Previous Episodes

  • Game Show - Inconceivable! cover art
    February 1, 2023 — Inconceivable! Episode 33
    197 I Can Hear the Screams in My Head

    Welcome back to “Inconceivable!”, the show that tests two teams’ knowledge of the nerdy, the useless, and the obscure.

    We return after a long hiatus to ask our panelists to identify characters by their extremely long sobriquets, sniff out what doesn’t fit in a list, and decipher some mashed-up movie musicals. Glenn Fleishman, Shelly Brisbin, and Steve Lutz take on Kathy Campbell, Monty Ashley, and Annette Wierstra in a nail-biter for the ages.

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    February 16, 2022 — Inconceivable! Episode 32
    172 National Bola Association

    Welcome back to “Inconceivable!”, the show that tests two teams’ knowledge of the nerdy, the useless, and the obscure.

    In our latest installment, we quiz our panelists about fantasy geography, see if they can identify vehicles from fiction solely by their license plate, then round it all out with some movie/podcast mash-ups. It’s Antony Johnston, Jean MacDonald, and Jason Snell versus Kelly Guimont, Brian Hamilton, and Glenn Fleishman, and the stakes have never been higher.

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    November 10, 2021 — Inconceivable! Episode 31
    166 My Step-Dad is Aquaman

    Welcome back to “Inconceivable!”, the show that tests two teams’ knowledge of the nerdy, the useless, and the obscure.

    In our latest rounds of torturous trivia we question our panelists about musical end credits, actors who cross universes, and political/espionage movie mash-ups. Cicero Holmes, Shelly Brisbin, and Tony Sindelar take on Jean MacDonald, Glenn Fleishman, and Kathy Campbell in an epic game for all time.

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    February 17, 2021 — Inconceivable! Episode 30
    150 Can I Have A Ding Ding?

    Welcome back to “Inconceivable!”, the show that tests two teams’ knowledge of the nerdy, the useless, and the obscure.

    The querulous questioning quiz returns, as we make our panelists decipher book titles in a dead language; decide between wizards, swords, and aliens; and battle heroic smashed-up movies. It’s David J. Loehr, Julia Skott, and Monty Ashley versus Shelly Brisbin, Glenn Fleishman, and Kelly Guimont, and nothing riding on it but the whole game!

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    July 29, 2020 — Inconceivable! Episode 29
    136 I Really Should Have Studied My Dans

    Welcome to “Danconceivable!”, a rogue version of the show that tests two teams’ knowledge of the nerdy, the useless, and the obscure.

    For this special episode, Lex Friedman takes over the hosting reins with the help of scorekeeper Jason Snell and tries our panelists at their knowledge of Dans, where certain fictional terms are from, and, of course, mashed-up works of art.

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    June 3, 2020 — Inconceivable! Episode 28
    132 One of Those Great Cities With an Umlaut

    Welcome back to “Inconceivable!”, the show that tests two teams’ knowledge of the nerdy, the useless, and the obscure.

    We have questions, they (hopefully) have answers! This time we quiz our panelists about fictional cities, have them mash up TV shows and songs, and, of course, recite some verse. Antony Johnston, Jean MacDonald, and Tony Sindelar take on Brian Hamilton, Kathy Campbell, and Cicero Holmes.

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    April 22, 2020 — Inconceivable! Episode 27
    129 The Meatball is a Relic

    Welcome back to “Inconceivable!”, the show that tests two teams’ knowledge of the nerdy, the useless, and the obscure.

    It’s some of our most diabolical questions yet, as panelists try to identify cryptic cryptids, figure who uttered those memorable (or not so memorable) last words, and untangle some mashed-up Disney movies. Chip Sudderth, Quinn Rose, and Steve Lutz take on Kelly Guimont, Glenn Fleishman, and Liz Myles for the title.

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    January 8, 2020 — Inconceivable! Episode 26
    123 Three of the Four Have Been to Space

    Welcome back to “Inconceivable!”, the show that tests two teams’ knowledge of the nerdy, the useless, and the obscure.

    In our latest episode, our teams test their knowledge of suspiciously similar spies, things that don’t fit a pattern, and classic ’80s sci-fi/fantasy/horror movies…with a twist. Kathy Campbell, Annette Wierstra, and Tony Sindelar face off against Antony Johnston, Jean MacDonald, and Erika Ensign for the crown.

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    June 5, 2019 — Inconceivable! Episode 25
    111 If Only We’d Ever Read a Book

    Welcome back to “Inconceivable!”, the show that tests two teams’ knowledge of the nerdy, the useless, and the obscure.

    This time around, our teams test their knowledge of fictional characters’ epitaphs, compound word games, and award-winning books and movies that share a common word. It’s Jean MacDonald, Scott McNulty, and Liz Myles versus James Thomson, Kathy Campbell, and Tony Sindelar.

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    April 10, 2019 — Inconceivable! Episode 24
    107 I Solved a Question From the Future

    Welcome back to “Inconceivable!”, the show that tests two teams’ knowledge of the nerdy, the useless, and the obscure.

    We’ve returned to quiz our panelists on a variety of topics, including books of chronological conveyance, a panoply of people with personas, and a slew of slapped-together sci-fi and spy stories of the screen. The “J Team”—James Thomson, Jean MacDonald, and Jason Snell—match wits against the “People with E in Their Last Names Team”—Annette Wierstra, Monty Ashley, Erika Ensign.

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    January 16, 2019 — Inconceivable! Episode 23
    103 Don’t Give Me Any Grife

    Welcome back to “Inconceivable!”, the show that tests two teams’ knowledge of the nerdy, the useless, and the obscure.

    After a long hiatus, we’ve assembled two teams to match wits when it comes to the first lines of well known books, decipher the origins of monstrous creatures, and identify some movies where a letter has gone missing. Quinn Rose, Scott McNulty, and Jean MacDonald face off against Brian Hamilton, Kelly Guimont, and Steve Lutz.

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    August 21, 2018 — Inconceivable! Episode 22
    93 The Whole Hasperat

    Welcome back to “Inconceivable!”, the show that tests two teams’ knowledge of the nerdy, the useless, and the obscure.

    For this episode, recorded live at the World Science Fiction Convention in San Jose, CA, it’s a North American face-off, as Team USA takes on Team Canada. The panelists must identify fictional foods, figure out what character a group of actors have in common, and play a little game of musical mash-ups. Helene Wecker, Adam Rakunas, and Navah Wolfe represent the U.S. while Warren Frey, Erika Ensign, and Steven Schapansky fly the Canadian flag.

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    July 10, 2018 — Inconceivable! Episode 21
    90 Random Tolkien Table

    Welcome back to “Inconceivable!”, the show that tests two teams’ knowledge of the nerdy, the useless, and the obscure.

    It’s a nail biter this time around, as our panelists try to identify movies of the NATO alphabet, attempt to determine which items come next in mysterious sequences, and decipher mashups of movies and…stores? Shannon Sudderth, Justin Michael, and Kathy Campbell tee off against rivals Antony Johnston, Aleen Simms, and Steve Lutz.

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    April 18, 2018 — Inconceivable! Episode 20
    85 Always Trust Mr. Peanut

    Welcome back to “Inconceivable!”, the show that tests two teams’ knowledge of the nerdy, the useless, and the obscure.

    Smug and acrimonious are the watchwords in this installment, as our two teams butt heads while trying to figure out the difference between medieval weaponry and dairy products, identify Star Trek movie scores, and expand some tricky abbreviations. Mikah Sargent, Alyssa Franke, and Chip Sudderth team up to take on Kelly Guimont, Brian Hamilton, and Liz Myles for bragging rights.

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    March 21, 2018 — Inconceivable! Episode 19
    83 I’m Hungry and I Like Cake

    Welcome back to “Inconceivable!”, the show that tests two teams’ knowledge of the nerdy, the useless, and the obscure.

    Recorded in front of a live audience at Emerald City Comicon 2018! Warning: This episode contains explicit language.

    Two teams of all-star authors face off for our second-annual ECCC show. They’ll have to tell us the difference between everything from medieval weapons to astronomical phenomena, figure out famous books with letters missing from the end and, oh yes, we made them sing. K.C. Alexander, Curtis C. Chen, and Alex Wells take on Eric Scott Fischl, Delilah S. Dawson, and Adam Rakunas while host Dan Moren and guest scorekeeper Glenn Fleishman try to keep everyone in line.

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    January 3, 2018 — Inconceivable! Episode 18
    78 There Are No Hamburgers in the Phantom Zone

    Welcome back to “Inconceivable!”, the show that tests two teams’ knowledge of the nerdy, the useless, and the obscure.

    In our latest episode, our panelists are challenged to remember the dying words of memorable characters, try to figure out which heroes we are unjustly maligning, and then play a round of TV and movie mashups…with a fresh twist. Liz Myles, Tony Sindelar, and Kathy Campbell take on Glenn Fleishman, Aleen Simms, and Jason Snell while Dan Moren and Lex Friedman attempt to (mostly successfully?) keep the peace.

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    September 27, 2017 — Inconceivable! Episode 17
    71 The Count Of Monte Brisco County

    Welcome back to “Inconceivable!”, the show that tests two teams’ knowledge of the nerdy, the useless, and the obscure.

    The show picks up a few new voices this week, who are immediately put to the test with their knowledge of time travel movies, a round of “what doesn’t fit?”, and finally decipher some strange books trying to ride on the coattails of a popular novel. Kathy Campbell, Antony Johnston, and Quinn Rose face off against Kelly Guimont, Glenn Fleishman, and Liz Myles, while host Dan Moren and scorekeeper Lex Friedman mediate.

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    August 16, 2017 — Inconceivable! Episode 16
    68 It’s Not All Horrible Childhood Memories

    Welcome back to “Inconceivable!”, the show that tests two teams’ knowledge of the nerdy, the useless, and the obscure.

    It’s a bitter rivalry this week, as our competitors must identify fictional watering holes, attempt to suss out repeat movie roles from their portrayers, and finally try their hand at some so(u)perhero puns. Mikah Sargent, Liz Myles, and Steve Lutz take on Kathy Campbell, Brian Hamilton, and Erika Ensign, under the watchful eye of host Dan Moren and guest scorekeeper Tony Sindelar.

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    May 9, 2017 — Inconceivable! Episode 15
    61 Inclined To Go For The Liquor

    Welcome back to “Inconceivable!”, the show that tests two teams’ knowledge of the nerdy, the useless, and the obscure.

    Our teams sing the body corporate as they try to identify fictional companies, then put their musical skills to the test as they play name that tune with movie scores. Finally, they roll the dice on a round of board game movie mash-ups. Host Dan Moren and scorekeeper Lex Friedman lay down the law when Liz Myles, Steve Lutz, and Marisa McClellan take on Antony Johnston, Brianna Wu, and Jason Snell in a battle for the ages.

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    March 23, 2017 — Inconceivable! Episode 14
    57 Spies, Pies, and Electronics

    Welcome back to “Inconceivable!”, the show that tests two teams’ knowledge of the nerdy, the useless, and the obscure.

    Recorded in front of a live audience at Emerald City Comicon 2017! Hear the audience gasp and applaud! Witness our attempts to share three microphones among seven people! Marvel at our host’s total inability to correctly use a $10 scoreboard!

    We’ve recruited several writers from the realms of science-fiction, fantasy, and horror to form two teams of first-time panelists. They’ll do battle with devious acronyms, attempt to find which of these things is not like the other, and try their hands at a Golden Age of Television edition of mashed-up movie plots.

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    November 9, 2016 — Inconceivable! Episode 13
    48 Don’t Read the Creepy Old Book

    Welcome back to “Inconceivable!”, the show that tests two teams’ knowledge of the nerdy, the useless, and the obscure.

    Recorded at the Now Hear This festival in Anaheim, California, our two teams of veteran panelists face off in front of a live (if small) audience, as they attempt to recall important—if arcane—instructions from movies, solve spooooooooky mashed up monster movies, and partake in a bit of movie literary mathemagic. Host Dan Moren and scorekeeper Jason Snell oversee the proceedings while Steven Schapansky, Monty Ashley, and Erika Ensign face off against Aleen Simms, Brian Hamilton, and Steve Lutz.

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    September 28, 2016 — Inconceivable! Episode 12
    46 Dang, I Wish We Were Physicists

    Welcome back to “Inconceivable!”, the show that tests two teams’ knowledge of the nerdy, the useless, and the obscure.

    By your powers combined, this episode’s panelists take on a spate of trivia about the classic ’90s cartoon Captain Planet and the Planeteers, play a rousing round of What’s the Difference?, and manage to decipher a host of characters who are stranger (in fiction). Frank Wu, Lisa Schmeiser, and Steve Lutz take on Marisa McClellan, Scott McNulty, and Erika Ensign in a battle that will shake the ages, while Dan Moren and scorekeeper Lex Friedman try to keep a semblance of order.

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    July 6, 2016 — Inconceivable! Episode 11
    40 Sorcerel Realism

    Welcome back to “Inconceivable!”, the show that tests two teams’ knowledge of the nerdy, the useless, and the obscure.

    This month mash-ups of movie actors and Dungeons & Dragons classes are a critical hit, our panelists attempt to identify the critical difference between crazy sci-fi weapon names and crazy sci-fi spaceship names, and everybody’s a critic when it comes to one-star reviews of famous works of literature. Steven Schapansky, Erika Ensign, and Tony Sindelar face off against Kat Griffiths, Monty Ashley, and Liz Myles while host Dan Moren and scorekeeper Lex Friedman oversee the proceedings.

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    May 11, 2016 — Inconceivable! Episode 10
    36 This is How We Lost America in the First Place

    Welcome back to “Inconceivable!”, the show that tests two teams’ knowledge of the nerdy, the useless, and the obscure.

    And now for something completely…well, partially different. Team United Kingdom faces off against Team North America for a grudge match, the likes of which have not seen in at least two hundred years. They’ll need to suss out the true identities of characters who go by many names, test their knowledge of the length of TV show runs, and of course deal with our terrible pop music/nerd mash-ups. Joining host Dan Moren and scorekeeper Lex Friedman are Antony Johnston, Liz Myles, and Paul Cornell for the UK side, and Christa Mrgan, Guy English, and Aleen Simms repping the US and Canada.

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    March 16, 2016 — Inconceivable! Episode 9
    32 Intangibility is a Serious Problem

    Welcome back to “Inconceivable!”, the show that tests two teams’ knowledge of the nerdy, the useless, and the obscure.

    Think you can identify a movie from its final line? It’s harder than it sounds. Our panel tries their hand at that task, along with ferreting out fake superhero alter egos and Godzilla monsters, identifying extra obscure jargon, and playing a rousing game of “one of these things is not like the other.” Joining host Dan Moren and fill-in scorekeeper Jason Snell are Steve Lutz, Scott McNulty, Brian Hamilton, Marisa McClellan, Glenn Fleishman, and Brianna Wu.

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    February 3, 2016 — Inconceivable! Episode 8
    29 Laser Cars are Really Sweet

    Welcome back to “Inconceivable!”, the show that tests two teams’ knowledge of the nerdy, the useless, and the obscure.

    In our long-awaited return, our all-star panel tries to identify fake fantasy lands, mashes up robots (or not), and tries their best to turn acronyms into real words. Joining host Dan Moren and scorekeeper Lex Friedman are Kat Griffiths (Verity!), Mikah Sargent (Cartoon Cast), Erika Ensign (Lazy Doctor Who), Antony Johnston (Unjustly Maligned), Shannon Sudderth (The Audio Guide to Babylon 5), and Monty Ashley (Game of Thrones Flashcast).

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    November 4, 2015 — Inconceivable! Episode 7
    22 Cabaret of Fire

    Welcome back to “Inconceivable!”, the show that tests two teams’ knowledge of the nerdy, the useless, and the obscure.

    In our latest episode, our panel of panels susses out fake video game villains and knightly houses, plays a game of “What’s the magic word?”, and teases apart some mashed-up “classic” sci-fi movies. Joining host Dan Moren and scorekeeper Lex Friedman are Brian Hamilton (Game of Thrones flashcast), Liz Myles (Verity!), John Moltz (Speedy Arrowcast), Brianna Wu (Isometric), Chip Sudderth (Two-minute Time Lord), and Lisa Schmeiser (The Flash Flashcast).

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    August 25, 2015 — Inconceivable! Episode 6
    18 Harry Potter and the Odor of the Weasel

    Welcome back to “Inconceivable!”, the show that tests two teams’ knowledge of the nerdy, the useless, and the obscure.

    For our first show recorded live and in person, our panels tell us the difference between warlocks and wizards, identify Terry Pratchett deities and sci-fi sports, and do a little bit of fantasy casting. Husband-and-wife team Scott McNulty and Marisa McClellan (with third wheel David Loehr) go up against husband-and-wife team Steven Schapansky and Erika Ensign (with third wheel Steve Lutz).

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    July 21, 2015 — Inconceivable! Episode 5
    15 Vampire Or Not

    Welcome back to “Inconceivable!”, the show that tests two teams’ knowledge of the nerdy, the useless, and the obscure.

    Obscure 1990s vampires! Batman villains! … High school chemistry? Those are just a few of the things that we quiz our panelists on this month. Lisa Schmeiser, Guy English, and Erika Ensign take on Chip Sudderth, Aleen Simms, and Steve Lutz, while host Dan Moren and scorekeeper pro tempore Jason Snell oversee the proceedings.

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    June 4, 2015 — Inconceivable! Episode 4
    12 Twelve Angry Clowns

    Welcome back to “Inconceivable!”, the show that tests two teams’ knowledge of the nerdy, the useless, and the obscure. As ever, host Dan Moren and scorekeeper/announcer Lex Friedman are on hand to oversee the proceedings, doling out points where appropriate.

    This month Antony Johnston, Brianna Wu, and Jason Snell take on Liz Myles, John Siracusa, and Shannon Sudderth in an epic battle, the likes of which has never before been seen. Jargon! Anthropomorphic animals! Team ups! Really easy questions! Math! We’ve got it all! And now you can have it too.

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    April 30, 2015 — Inconceivable! Episode 3
    9 Mogo is Displeased

    Welcome back to “Inconceivable!”, the show that tests two teams’ knowledge of the nerdy, the useless, and the obscure. As ever, host Dan Moren and scorekeeper/announcer Lex Friedman are on hand to oversee the proceedings, doling out points where appropriate.

    Our fantastic panelists this month are Christa Mrgan, Guy English, Maddy Myers, David Loehr, Liz Myles, and Tony Sindelar, and we test them on knowledge of bizarre jargon, Game of Thrones deaths, and monstrous movie puns. Ghostbusters’s lasting impact, Sean Bean impressions, and the unlikely members of the Green Lantern Corps are just a few of the highlights of our latest episode, against a backdrop of laughter…and learning.

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    March 12, 2015 — Inconceivable! Episode 2
    3 Mansplained to Doom!

    Welcome back to “Inconceivable!”, the show that tests two teams’ knowledge of the nerdy, the useless, and the obscure. As ever, host Dan Moren and scorekeeper/announcer Lex Friedman are on hand to oversee the proceedings, doling out points where appropriate.

    This month, join panelists Shannon Sudderth, Monty Ashley, Erika Ensign, Steve Lutz, Brianna Wu, and John Siracusa as they try to identify arcane jargon, pick out which of these things is not like the other, and decipher punny nerd clues to familiar phrases. Are Monty’s answers trustworthy? Have you consulted your physician about Orcrist? Do any of these questions meet with John’s approval? Find out, on the latest episode of Inconceivable!

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    February 9, 2015 — Inconceivable! Episode 1
    1 Serious Nerdery

    Welcome to the first episode of Inconceivable!—a show that tests our panelists’ knowledge of the nerdy, the useless, and the obscure. Each month, two teams will face off to answer diabolical questions about TV shows, comics, movies, books, games, and more. Host Dan Moren and scorekeeper/announcer Lex Friedman oversee the proceedings, doling out hard-earned points where appropriate.

    To launch the show, we handpicked a roster of some of our favorite Incomparable panelists to compete for your amusement. Join Scott McNulty, Georgia Dow, Lisa Schmeiser, Tony Sindelar, Erika Ensign, and, of course, Jason Snell as they identify arcane jargon, test their knowledge of classic books of fantasy and sci-fi, and explore the colliding worlds of mashed-up movies.

    (From the people who bring you The Incomparable, Game Show is a new podcast featuring panels, pundits, and more! Rather than being a single weekly game, this podcast contains several different games (with different hosts) rotating through from week to week. What they all have in common is chat, humor, and fun. To subscribe to Game Show, use this RSS feed: feeds.theincomparable.com/gameshow. We’ve got more game shows on the way, so keep watching the skies!)