(Not) live from New York—it’s Intelligentsia's season finale! This week, we break down the legacy, chaos, and cultural chokehold of Saturday Night Live—from its scrappy 1975 debut with Lorne Michaels and the “Not Ready for Prime-Time Players” to the comedy powerhouse that launched icons like Eddie Murphy and Tina Fey.

We debate whether SNL still hits, make the case for our all-time casts, revisit legendary hosts and less than legendary musical guests, and pitch our own unhinged sketch ideas. Plus: the show’s massive impact on politics, pop culture, and what the future looks like post-Lorne.

You asked for it: this week, Intelligentsia dives into the dark, weird, and wildly fascinating world of serial killers for our “listener’s pick” episode. We trace the history—from Jack the Ripper to America’s “golden age” of murderers like Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, and John Wayne Gacy—and unpack how they became cultural obsessions. Where the true crime girlies at?

We also get into Hollywood’s fixation on killers (Dexter, Monster, American Psycho), the psychology behind psychopathy and trauma, and the bigger question: why can’t we look away? Dark history, pop culture, and true-crime brain rot—welcome in.

From AIM away messages to the algorithm, the Intelligentsia squad is unpacking the evolution of social media—and how it went from harmless fun to full-blown industry. We revisit Myspace and THE Facebook, then dive into how platforms reshaped connection, identity, and influence for those of us who came of age in the social media era

Plus: social media’s impact on TV, politics, and fame (The Social Network, reality TV rivalries), and a candid conversation with content creator AJ Hernandez on what it actually takes to be an influencer today and where it’s all headed next.

Bonus content! A little quip about the Intelligentsia's true feelings about bad service in a restaurant.

From first sips to daily rituals, we’re diving into all things coffee—how we take it, why we love it, and how it became a global obsession. We trace coffee’s journey from Ethiopian goat herders to European Enlightenment fuel, break down how it’s produced and consumed around the world, and debate the essentials: hot vs. iced, and Dunkin vs. Starbucks.

As always, we’ll chat iconic coffee moments in pop culture, our favorite small chain coffee spots, and why coffee might be the ultimate social glue—from work catch-ups to “let’s grab a coffee” culture.

Therapy is having a moment—and we’re unpacking all of it this week. A warning though: apparently we’ve got a lot of baggage, so it’s a long one. We break down how therapy evolved from the ancient Greeks to Freud and modern-day CBT, we share our own experiences, debunk common myths, and spotlight iconic on-screen therapists like Dr. Melfi and Robin Williams’ Oscar-winning performance as Dr. Shaun McGuire in Good Will Hunting. Then we get into the bigger picture: why millennials and Gen Z are leading the therapy movement, the male loneliness epidemic, and whether everyone really should be in therapy. Hot takes ahead!

This week, the Intelligentsia is gearing up for a workout — reluctantly. We're talking about the evolution of working out from OG fitness icons Charles Atlas and Jane Fonda to SoulCycle, Barry’s Bootcamp, and the Peloton boom, and how we’ve gone from in-person community to at-home everything, and now back into the pilates studio. We swap our own fitness journeys, call out a few iconic pop culture workout moments (Brooke's Butt Buster, anyone?), and ask: what do we actually want from a workout now? Plus, we bring in three real live NYC fitness instructors for an inside look at the post-pandemic scene, what’s changing, and where NYC fitness culture is headed next. So, put your mind to it, go for it, get down and break a sweat with us!

It’s no secret that Intelligentsia is a millennial podcast, so this week we are unpacking what it actually means to be a millennial - and we’re going to take our sweet time doing it! (It’s a long one.) We’re diving into the generation that grew up analog, came of age online, and somehow ended up burnt out, overeducated, and still splitting rent. From being told we could “have it all” (lol), we unpack the reality of millennial life—plus how we stack up against Gen Z, Boomers, and the forgotten middle child, Gen X. Then we are asking you to indulge us in our full nostalgia spiral: from the Nickelodeon glory days, SNICK, slime, and the absolute bangers that raised us. This one is equal parts cultural deep dive and group therapy. Millennials, this one’s for you. (pssst, they’re all for you!)