The AMCA crew has taught me how to engage with media in more critical, thoughtful ways. Their coverage of Andor season 1 was phenomenal - I’m on my third re-listen now as I wait for season 2. They know how to critique Star Wars while still *clearly* loving the series and the work they get to do. Also, the five star runtimes make this a great podcast for long drives or cleaning sessions! Appreciate this crew for the work they do and the stuff they’ve taught me ❤️

Yet another podcast from the snowflakes on the left who read way too deep into everything.

I heard about this podcast from some other podcast. I don’t even remember which one. This podcast has made me a more thoughtful (and therefore better?) consumer of Star Wars media. I’ve been a Star Wars fan for as long as I can remember, but never really delved deeper into it other than looking to be entertained. After listening to about 50 or so episodes, thinking about the themes of Star Wars while watching and rewatching things I’ve seen a thousand times make me appreciate them even more. I really didn’t get Andor when I first saw it, but now as I’m finishing the Andor episodes, it’s very clear to me how good it is. Even the clone wars has me looking with a more critical and appreciative eye to see things I didn’t see before. So thank you Austin, Natalie, Rob, and Ali for all your hard work!

I found these guys due to a recommendation from someone in one of the Star Wars groups I follow in Facebook. I picked up with the beginning of the Heir to the Empire series review and have been hooked since! It is funny as I had just re-read the trilogy recently in 2024 for the first time since a teenager and was able to laugh and nod my head to the conversation. They are fans at heart and were able to hit the high points of the text, including how this was the beginnings of a larger universe outside of the original trilogy, with some references still in use even today! This team was also able to find the humor in points of the story that I also agree with and was able to laugh along to! I will be following this podcast going forward as I fully appreciate this team’s love of Star Wars and ability to both call out the seriousness, but also the humor, in our beloved franchise!

To my shame, it took me years to review this podcast despite it enriching my life every single episode. I love this show because of how seriously the hosts take Star Wars not only as a media property but as a text of the times, of the ever-dark days of American empire. They’re the only takes on Star Wars I vigorously agree with anymore, and best of all, they come from a place of wishing Star Wars was better than it is. I’m reminded of the line from “The Last Black Man in San Francisco”: you don’t get to hate it unless you love it. And this crew loves Star Wars. (I do disagree with their take on Hera code switching in Rebels though. That kind of thing where you switch into an accent wholly different from your own when talking to your parents and other immigrants happens ALL THE TIME. It moved me to see it with Hera. But that’s all!)

AMCA is oftentimes better than the Star Wars they’re covering. This show has become the barometer by which I measure all other podcasts.

First of all, this is an absolutely killer podcast. Secondly, Allie is absolutely right about how Maul and Obi reunion should go if it happens. I’ve been listening to your episodes in rough canonical order (starting with Kotor and moving forward) and it is a solid companion to the work and as another reviewer said deepens the experience. Caught up and we’re at Rebels! Sam Whitwer’s Maul basically single handedly made Maul one of my favorite characters in Star Wars. The Maul takes on the show, like all the others, are fire writ upon my ears. Love the Star Wars RPG shout outs and the books content also. Great way to learn about the extended universes; and love how you draw connections from the shows/movies to the EU/Legends and the RPG books and the novels. I didn’t realize that Maul was played by the same actor as the vampire in Being Human until this podcast; I’m not sure if yall mention it but it was because of you I googled it and found out. Worse the price of admission on its own. Thanks for the show!

I came to this show for their Andor episodes and have now started working my way through their backlog. Listening to their hot takes and key points and tangents feels like hanging out with friends and I find myself going back and actually re-listening to episodes, not because I forgot what was in them, but because they’re comfort food at this point.

This has been my #1 podcast since the Andor era when I hopped on. Loved Austin back at Giant Bomb, but the whole crew here is just so good together. This is what all pop culture media crit shows should be emulating. Always great insights and a ton of fun.

simply the best

Great podcast, been a longtime Star Wars fan and following Austin since the GB days and I always love the analysis. The Andor arc was fantastic!

Genuinely one of my favorite podcasts of all time!

I love this podcast I recommend

I got hooked by the Galactic Starcruiser episode, and now I’m going back to listen from the beginning. Appreciate y’all! Get well soon, Natalie!

It's only every 15 episodes or so, but the rest of the podcast is great too. It's worth listening to every episode to find those Patrick Jane filled moments. P.S. Kimball Cho forever #1 in our hearts! Update: For some reason they haven’t talked about The Mentalist since I wrote this review originally. Still a 5 star Star Wars podcast though. I’m holding out hope they are saving their material for a full Mentalist episode. Update 2: Several more mentions of The Mentalist in 2024! Still the best Star Wars podcast out there. Still waiting for the The Mentalist bonus episode.

This show has it all folks. Trenchant analysis, glorious tangents, and an appreciation for the messy drama. It's one of the few podcasts that can consistently make me laugh out loud, and it's been a heartening flame in uncertain times. I often listen to it on the way home from my best friend's place; it's the perfect way to cap off a good evening. The source of that strength lies in the hosts. Individually they all seem like insightful, funny people, but the chemistry that they bring to this show is off the charts. They've got just the right overlap and dispersion of interests and personalities to really drive a good podcast. End of the day, this show works because of Rob, Natalie, Austin, and Ali. Check it out, if you haven't already.

Have been listening to these folks for a number of years now on different shows/outlets. Their rapport is excellent. I can’t match the wittier/thoughtful reviews, but I second all of what they say! Definitely a show worth adding to your rotation.

5 Star Run Times

Yay.

It’s a great show! If you like the “Roadwork” episode of Just King Things, this is the show for you!!

F Dave Lang

Whether this group of pop-culture gourmets continues its march through the Filoni Zone or dives head-first down a rabbit hole into a 20-year old video game, they serve it up deep and juicy.

Their commentary on the movies was excellent. Stuck with the whole way. Great podcast. My favorite podcast.

You won’t find a better pop culture podcast out there. The show knows what it is from the first episode. I’m indifferent to Clone Wars and most of Dave Filoni’s time on Star Wars. But i like that the hosts don’t shy away from their own politics and the politics of Star Wars. I’d love if the hosts would drop a reading list when they mention academic papers or nonfiction work they reference. Also 1000% subscribe to their patreon bonus episodes. You can enjoy the show without them but I think they’re really high quality and allows everyone to be a little more free wheeling with their discussions.

What if u took the 4 funniest most insightful podcasts hosts of all time and then made them slog through like 50 episodes of the most watch the most oscillating in quality show of all time

People that understand what makes Star Wars cool, dumb (but cool), dumb (bad), and bad with the ability enjoy it for what it is and could be. Think the opposite of every hot take YouTuber or influencer. Nuanced conversation about a subject and series that people rightly (and not so rightfully) care wayyy too much about. Myself included. When a new episode drops I love to wait till later in the night, make a drink or two and listen while I do small house chores while my fiancé is in bed. I’ll normally wake her up from the other room I’m laughing so hard.

Such a fun exploration of the Star Wars prequels, the clone wars cgi show and now Rebels. Even when the content is lacking the analysis is fantastic, even explaining all the sports references I don’t get.

The AMCA crew is so smart and entertaining that I would even listen to them talk about a children’s cartoon that I don’t watch from a franchise that I used to love but that is currently in it’s floppiest flop era.

litmus test of a good podcast host is whether or not you'd want to get a beer with them. every host on this show passes that test

I never really had any interest in the prequel era of Star Wars, or in the animated shows. But a friend suggested this podcast after I watched Andor, and I devoured their episodes on it. Now I’ve listened to the whole catalog, and get excited when a new episode drops. Love it!

Hilarious and insightful!

AMCA is an absolute joy. I loved the crew from Waypoint already but never had any interest in watching the cgi Star Wars shows - in fact, I still don’t. I still love this podcast, and you may also. Don’t want to watch the animated shows or even follow along? Try the Andor watch-along series, which originally brought me in. Don’t like the new canon? Listen to their KOTOR playthrough with Dupps Polo and the rest! Only interested in the movies? Try listening to the Solo or prequel review podcasts! You will never find a better group of sharp, intelligent, funny, and kind people to listen to about all things Star Wars. Five star podcast, five star run time!

Great blend of respect and irreverence for the source material. It’s interesting, funny, and at times heartwarming. 10/10 would listen. Let me know when you guys are Star Wars LARP NPCs. Update: With the advent of Andor, this has moved from top 5 to my favorite pod in a roster of dozens. I move things around on my calendar to watch and listen as soon as this drops every week. It rips so hard.

I play “bug or insect” nearly daily 😂

Just a real delight to listen to and their banter, especially in times when I’ve felt really lonely, has made me feel less so and that’s an understated but really important thing. Also the Obi-Wan show was a hate crime and I appreciate the people of this show recognizing that.

Show is elite. Highly recommended for anyone who has grown up watching and engaging with Star Wars content. The consistency with which the gang brings energy and thoughtful criticism is honestly inspiring. Yoda is Magic Johnson.

This is the podcast to listen to on this big, dumb, fun franchise. Plus they rate weird little freaks. 5 stars for 5 star runtimes.

As a devoted fan of The Clone Wars and Rebels, this podcast breathes new life into episodes from the previous decade. But the camaraderie and joy present in the hosts as they talk about whichever episode they watched is why I eagerly anticipate my every other week dose of AMCA.

I’ve got a lot of podcasts in my rotation because I spend a lot of time driving for my job but I look forward to new AMCA episodes more than any other. Great commentary, great analysis, and great personalities! I highly recommend subscribing to their Patreon as well!

AMCA is the reason I am as big of a Star Wars fan as I am. It completely rewired my brain when it comes to how I think about the franchise, and media in general. And on top of all that, it’s just such a fun listen. The only pod I listen to on 1x speed because I don’t want the episodes to end!

If you are like me, and you’ve watched some movies and seen a show or two of STAR WARS, be not afraid. These clowns — all of them, even Rob — can make anything fun to listen to. I listen even if I have never seen a single episode of these CG animated shows and probably never will. But these goofs are consistently refreshing and enheartening to hang around if you’ve any investment at all in Disney’s troubled money machine, going in. What you get from these absolute schweens is more than the stan culture chaff you’d expect from a podcast about a children’s TV show (since expanded to include several other, different children’s TV programs). It is more like the winsome masochism of community talk radio around a venerable, hangdog professional league sports team. The war between diminished expectations and well-remembered joy is eternal, and informs every episode. That’s very much the spirit of the project: speaking frankly on the shortcomings of the oft-perplexing Star Wars ouevre they’ve chosen to hold dear, gassing it up for the fun of it, riffing on the bad plays, and allowing themselves to be won over by small victories. It’s a warm vibe. Maybe that’s Rob letting his Bears heart leak into this. But it’s apt. If nothing else, listening to the Andor episodes in order is essential. It will, for nerds, replicate the ecstatic and surreal feeling of following a championship season from a sports team you taught yourself not to expect anything from: We’ve been here before -> wait, is something happening here -> I think something might be happening here -> oh wow, it’s happening -> okay but they can’t go all the way? -> oh wow they are going -> oh my god they did it. What a rush.

This is an excellent podcast about Star Wars, analyzing mostly a children’s cartoon through a deep critical lens.

Great

“I want Natalie’s brain.” Yes. 100%. No truer words has been said. Also good Star Wars discussions.

The only podcast I am willing to spend money on for Patreon. Easily the best Star Wars pod I have ever come across. Draymond is Vader. Kenny is C-3PO. Charles is Dexter Jettster. Ernie is Obi Wan. Shaq is Chewbacca.

After lots of hours of listening, I am still getting fresh takes that I might not have considered otherwise. Keep it up, please!

this isn’t just the best star wars podcast, it’s one of the best media analysis podcasts in general. it’s apparent how much love, co-host chemistry, and well-crafted, deep analysis go into each episode. they plumb the depths of a variety of star wars shows and movies, and are able to make a great media analysis podcast about a range of star wars shows and movies. whether the underlying star wars content they’re discussing (shows, movies, game) is fantastic, pretty good, or sometimes meh, the podcast they put out is always top notch. when the subject is something artful and moving like Andor, this show deepened my appreciation so much more that it felt like a gift, that I could watch a show like Andor and get that much more out of it. This podcast can be genuinely moving. It’s also consistently well thought-out and always hilarious. And when they’re discussing something that’s just alright, or even sometimes bad (a few episodes of the TV shows, but not too many), the way they discuss it makes it clear that they aren’t just “hating,” but rather their critique comes from a place of appreciation and hope for what could have been, some unrealized potential. I don’t think any star wars fan could listen and in good faith think that these people don’t have great appreciation for star wars. after all, they chose to dive this deeply into all the stories! Everyone on the show is firing on all cylinders, and together they are putting on a master class in media criticism. It’s not pedantic, but it’s rich and informative. It’s hilarious and sometimes goofy, but not silly. And it’s never dismissive or smug or taking pleasure in “hating” or whatever. I’m so glad I started listening even if I don’t watch all the TV episodes. You can listen along just for great conversations about the types of stories and ideas that are possible in the star wars universe. I want to thank Ali, Austin, Natalie, and Rob all so much for the hours of entertainment. 🙌 This should be the exemplar of what the podcast format can offer to media.

AMCA consistently delivers sharp analysis and criticism touching on every aspect of the Star Wars universe. If you’re looking to listen to four very smart folks talk about Clone Wars, Andor, and Rebels beyond “laser sword go brrrr”, look no further. FYGH

It’s a fun pod but like in the latest episode they kinda though the sith and maul are better than obi wan as a Jedi . Real weirdo kind of morals and optics in this group. Also the tobacco phlegm voice of one of the cast members is kinda grating.

This podcast is an instant recommend for any kind of Star Wars fan! It is the only podcast that makes me laugh out loud in my car. Come for imagining better futures for a galaxy far far away and stay for padme’s fit reviews, the jedi’s secret royal rendezvous, sith apprentice dooku issues and all the fantastic little freaks they love to love along the way.