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The following podcast contains explicit language.

I'm Dana Stevens, and this is the Slate Culture Gab Fest, Bondage Trousers Edition.

It's Wednesday, June 5th, and on today's show, we'll talk about the new USA Network show, Graceland, about a group of young undercover agents sharing posh, real-world-style digs on the California coast. Also, we visited the new exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum about punk's influence on couture. We'll talk about it with Slate's fashion dweyan, Simon Dunin. And finally, Slate's new music critic Carl Wilson will join us join us to talk about the phenomenon of critical hatred. When is it okay to just say, I can't stand this song, book, movie, etc.? Joining me as Slate's culture critic, June Thomas. Hi, June. Hey, Dana. And because Stephen Metcalf is again out this week, we'll be joined by a rotating roster of three different guests to come. This week, the USA Network is premiering a new series called Graceland, loosely based on a true story about a group of young federal agents, FBI, DEA, and customs agents, who all share a fabulous house at an undisclosed location on the California coast.

I keep reading about how Graceland for the USA Network is a departure from what they're calling the blue sky shows.

It's hard to imagine to me why this extremely sunny show about a bunch of beautiful people at a beach house doesn't count as a blue sky show. But I want to talk to the two of you about what that genre is and how this show fits into it. So we're joined for this segment by Meredith, who is a staff writer at the L.A. Times. Hello, Meredith. Hi, guys. Hey. Thanks for coming in.

Thanks for having me.

So you want to take it away with the Blue Sky Show hypothesis? who is a staff writer at the LA Times. Hello, Meredith. Hi, guys. Hey. Thanks for coming in. Thanks for

having me. So you want to take it away with the Blue Sky Show hypothesis? Yeah, sure. So USA has been the

number one cable entertainment network for the past seven years, basically because they've stuck very

religiously to this formula, which is basically procedural shows, which are strongly episodic in nature. You can jump in

at any time. They tend to take place in these sunny or otherwise picturesque settings, and they have

people that have interesting jobs. You know, there's a concierge doctor to rich people in the

Hamptons. There's a decommissioned spy. So it's all these kind of cheerful settings, and they

tend to be shows also. They don't have a large ensemble cast. They're usually sort of two-handers.

But this is a departure not only in that it's a little darker and grittier in terms of the subject matter, but it's also a large ensemble cast.

Granted, they're beautiful.

But it's also a large ensemble cast, and it grows increasingly more complicated and dark as the show progress.

And there is somewhat more of a serialized nature to the story, right? I mean, there's some things suggested in the pilot that we don't really understand mysteries that will unfold later in the season. Yes, for sure. The main character, Paul Braggs, is this, or one of the two main characters, is this guy Paul Braggs who's sort of this mysterious FBI agent. And he has this kind of mystique around him. And as the show progresses,

...