All input is considered when the boys go over the short-lived Short Circuit franchise. They disassemble the two films to see which parts fit together the best, discuss the rumored reboots and reappearances of Johnny 5, and lament over the many missed opportunities of turning this into a real franchise, before finally trying to make lightning strike again when they pitch their own ideas to make Johnny 5 come alive for Short Circuit 3!

The boys take a deep dive into the world of Saturday morning cartoons based on feature films and franchises. They determine which feature film qualities are most necessary for making an adaptation to an animated series by examining the numerous hits and misses attempted by the networks. Finally, they take their checklist and apply its criteria to see if any of the films they think should have had their own cartoons would pass the test!

In a first for the show, the boys examine a soon-to-be franchise that defined the mockumentary blueprint when they plug-in to This Is Spinal Tap. They debate whether or not there was an appropriate amount of plot and stakes in the film, or if the memorable set-pieces were enough to carry the story, and assess whether or not the editors selected the correct storylines to keep from the reportedly 100 hours of footage. Then they revisit some of Spinal Tap's numerous odd appearances over the years and discuss if they effectively added to the characters' discography, before seeing if they have the chops to turn a sequel up to 11, when they pitch their ideas for Spinal Tap 2!

The boys discuss the style of film-making that is hardest to make a worthwhile sequel to and try to figure out which elements are necessary for warranting more content by reviewing some of the best documentary sequels, and a few of the worst, and then use that checklist to determine if their favorite documentaries should have had sequels of their own.

The boys check in to one of the more complicated franchises they've covered when they check out The Shining. They compare the differences between Stephen King's book and Stanley Kubrick's film, and analyze some of the many interpretations and themes that fans and critics have proposed. They discuss which aspects and characters are most deserving of a sequel, determine if Doctor Sleep recaptured the right ones, and review the unrealized content that still lives on in the rumor mill, before finally taking their swings as caretakers of this franchise when they pitch their ideas for The Shining 3! Chapters: 00:00:00 Intro 00:10:26 The Shining 01:23:23 Doctor Sleep 02:01:45 Rumors 02:24:23 Nolan's Pitch 03:02:43 Chad's Pitch 03:35:16 Wrap-up

The boys compete for the title of "filthiest podcast alive" when they get down and dirty with John Waters' 1972 cult-classic, Pink Flamingos. They discuss how significant the midnight-movie circuit and the era was to the film's success, and decide which elements are necessary to recapture in a sequel, and if it's even possible to do so. They then review John's unrealized sequel script, Flamingos Forever, and try to take the lessons learned from that attempt when they pitch their own cinema atrocities for Pink Flamingos 2! Chapters: 00:00:00 Intro 00:18:15 Pink Flamingos 01:01:40 Flamingos Forever 01:35:42 Chad's Pitch 02:03:29 Nolan's Pitch 02:41:04 Wrap-up

The boys try to figure out whether it's good or bad advice to never meet your heroes by sharing some of their own personal stories.

This holiday season, the boys gift themselves the 2003 mega-hit Elf, starring an actor who was on neither of their Christmas lists. They consider whether its imaginative premise made up for its predictable plot points, and discuss additional ways in which the stakes could have been raised for a catalyst hero. Then they try to unwrap all the hang-ups that prevented this from having a sequel, and make a list of the possible ways in which a studio could take liberties in order to construct a new installment after all these years, before finally sticking their own original sequel ideas under the Christmas tree when they make their pitches for Elf 2! Chapters: 00:00:50 Intro 00:11:37 Elf 00:42:51 Rumors 01:05:28 Nolan's Pitch 01:33:09 Chad's Pitch 02:01:59 Wrap-up

Just in time for Thanksgiving, the boys buckle up and hit the road with the 1987 John Hughes comedy, Planes, Trains and Automobiles. They review how the straightforward story impacted its overall success and if its surprise emotional ending is its saving grace. They discuss a few ways in which this could have had an immediate sequel, and then evaluate the casting choices rumored to be considered for a remake before throwing out some suggestions of their own. They finally discover just how hard or easy retracing the simplistic and sentimental journey of the original is, when they pitch their own ideas for Planes, Trains and Automobiles 2! Chapters: 00:00:00 Intro 00:16:27 Planes, Trains and Automobiles 00:53:02 Rumors 01:08:58 Chad's Pitch 01:44:17 Nolan's Pitch 02:25:30 Wrap-up

The boys pack their bags and prepare for a long night at Camp Crystal Lake when they head off to explore Friday the 13th. They discuss which elements of the original were the most critical for creating a franchise and explore the multitude of ways in which they could've continued after killing their antagonist. They hike through the numerous plot trails blazed by the sequels and determine which ones were scenic and which ones were too hazardous for audiences, all in an effort to track down the perfect blueprint for the slasher sub-genre. They then take all of their newly acquired skills and attempt to craft their own sequels for Friday the 13th part 13! Chapters: 00:00:00 Intro 00:10:13 Friday the 13th 00:52:28 Friday the 13th part 2 01:35:02 Friday the 13th part 3: 3-D 02:08:54 Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter 02:48:06 Friday the 13th part V: A New Beginning 03:31:57 Friday the 13th part VI: Jason Lives 04:09:32 Friday the 13th part VII: The New Blood 04:37:40 Friday the 13th part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan 05:09:45 Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday 05:56:59 Jason X 06:18:36 Friday the 13th (2009) 06:47:23 Rumors 07:22:22 Nolan's Pitch 08:05:25 Chad's Pitch 08:44:12 Wrap-up

The boys reacquaint themselves with a critically despised cult classic from the 90's when they unearth Encino Man. They try to determine why there was such a chasm between audiences and critics, and pinpoint the film's most crucial factor to its eventual success. They speculate over who the protagonist should have been, and offer potential ways to groom the story into something a little bit more presentable. Then they commiserate over the difficulty of how to write a new story for a caveman who has lived in modern times for the last 30 years, all while trying to recapture the tone of the original, and decide if this is a franchise that has more juice to wease, when they present their ideas for Encino Man 2! Chapters: 00:00:00 Intro 00:11:01 Encino Man 00:54:51 Rumors 01:04:21 Chad's Pitch 01:25:18 Nolan's Pitch 01:48:57 Wrap-up

The boys hit the links with a franchise that contains one of the most popular comedies of all time, and also one of the most hated sequels of all time, when they tee up Caddyshack. They attempt to locate exactly where this franchise was shanked into the rough and debate which elements were good enough to make the cut. Then they discuss whether this is a franchise better suited for a remake, and if any of its characters are even worth bringing back, before trying to make the best of a bad lie when they take their swings at pitching a Caddyshack 3! Chapters: 00:00:00 Intro 00:14:48 Caddyshack 00:46:10 Caddyshack II 01:08:50 Rumors 01:18:10 Nolan's Pitch 01:40:57 Chad's Pitch 02:03:38 Wrap-up

The boys tune-in for a mid-90's dark comedy that starred and marked the turning point for one of Hollywood's biggest stars at the time, when they set their dials on The Cable Guy. They try to unravel the real reason as to why this was such a failure with critics and fans, discuss if it is possible to make the antagonist the star of the film, and question whether the screenwriting rules that were broken were intentional. They then take their best attempts at finding the sweet spot when they pitch their treatments for The Cable Guy 2!

It's film criticism, city-style, when the boys stalk the streets of the Death Wish franchise. They discuss how to sustain a franchise that was born out of moral ambiguity and how to repeatedly bring back a character that suffered such great personal loss. They then act as judge, jury, and executioner for all four sequels, plus its remake, and have some surprising verdicts about which choices were justified and which ones were repeat offenses, before finally taking the franchise into their own hands when they pitch their ideas for Death Wish 6!

Before the boys take on their next franchise, they discuss the history of the production company behind it, the iconoclastic 1980's studio, Cannon Films. They share which films and franchises were their favorites, as well as which films they think should have been made into franchises. Nolan unveils his Cannon Films concept generator, and they speculate whether something like Cannon could ever exist again and what it might take to make that happen.

The boys analyze a movie that stayed clean of becoming a franchise for 20 years when they shoot up Trainspotting. They determine if the sequel had as much character as heroin, James Bond, or the original film, and if it properly balanced a dramatic ensemble-cast story, gave satisfactory character arcs, and answered the question as to "why now" all these years later. They debate over what the appropriate amount of time should have been for a sequel relapse, as well as how much content this franchise can produce before experiencing an overdose, and then cook up their own ideas for a Trainspotting 3!

Inspired by the hit soundtrack from their forthcoming franchise discussion, the boys talk about some of their favorite soundtracks that they had in their collections and then suggest 5 songs each for what they would include on the official The Franchise Lives original podcast soundtrack!

It's the same show with a new twist when the boys try pitching a sequel to their first non-franchise film, Groundhog Day. They examine which traits of the beloved original need to be recaptured, and which ones will make it hardest for creating a sequel 30 years later, before jumping into the loop themselves to see if Groundhog Day 2 is an idea that needs to be relived!

The boys sink their teeth into a nostalgia-packed franchise that has thus far only spawned one sequel when they take on Gremlins. They discuss which rules the screenwriters broke, and which ones they adhered to, and speculate whether the novel tone of the existing movies hindered their ability to produce more sequels. They debate whether or not this franchise should hatch a new movie after 30 years of relative dormancy and expose the difficulties of writing a compelling new sequel when they pitch their ideas for Gremlins 3!

Coming off the sugar rush that was the Halloween franchise, and prior to their unboxing of the Gremlins franchise, the boys share their criteria for what constitutes a holiday movie and explore if it's even possible to come up with a form of measurement that is objective. They then discuss which holidays they think are underrepresented on the silver screen, brainstorm plots for those holidays, and reveal what they would make if they had the means to produce their own holiday movies!