This week The Con Men start with a deep dive into the early days of color film and television, sparked by a discussion of The Wizard of Oz and how groundbreaking the transition from sepia to Technicolor really was. Dan and Adrian explore the strange technical tricks used in early filmmaking — including painted sets, body doubles, and bizarre makeup palettes designed specifically for black-and-white film.

From there the conversation spirals through classic cinema, Rocky Horror Picture Show trivia, Tim Curry appreciation, and the wild creativity of early Hollywood effects.

Eventually the guys land back in familiar territory, highlighting upcoming shows like Blue City Con and Missouri Comic Con, along with a surprisingly diverse guest list that proves modern conventions are far bigger than just comics.

Along the way they also reflect on nostalgia for classic television, variety shows, movie soundtracks, and the strange way pop culture becomes a time capsule for our lives.

Dan and Adrian break down the Mandalorian & Grogu preview, talk about why fandom sometimes turns toxic, and introduce a simple rule for judging movies:

Consider the premise.

"Is it a good film… or a good giant-fighting-robot movie?"

Rather than nitpicking every frame, the conversation centers on a bigger question: how should fans judge the media they love?

Dan introduces the idea of “consider the premise”:

Evaluating films and shows based on what they’re trying to be rather than what fans expect them to be.

The discussion explores:

• Why Star Wars works best as pulp adventure

• Whether modern trailers reveal too much

• The role of fan expectations in franchise fatigue

• Why The Mandalorian became a phenomenon

• The economics of streaming platforms and ads

• Convention culture and celebrity guests

• A detour into Galaxy Quest, Mission Impossible, and Vin Diesel’s D&D habits

Along the way the Con Men debate villains like Gul Dukat vs Khan, share stories from the convention floor, and explain why sometimes the best way to enjoy fandom is to simply remember it’s supposed to be fun.

The week The Con Men stumble from Deep Space Nine, into Picard, Discovery, and Admiral Vance’s… culinary revelations.

Then we pivot hard into 80s nostalgia, Galaxy Quest, Saturday morning cartoons, Mr. Rogers, Kevin Smith, and our most controversial segment yet: cinematic confession hour.

Some of the greatest films ever made? We’re not all convinced.

Plus — listener emails, five-star gratitude, and a legally ordained Dudist minister reveal.

This is The Con Men Show.

Storm of the century? Please. We’re talking about the con of the century.

This week on The Con Men Show, we trace Star Trek’s convention roots back to 1972, when 500 expected fans turned into 3,000 shoulder-to-shoulder Trekkies — and accidentally built the blueprint for modern con culture.

Then we boldly go into Starfleet Academy — Holly Hunter’s commandant chaos energy, contemporary slang in the 32nd century, Klingon hybrids, photonic cadets, and the fandom’s favorite pastime: “Is this even Star Trek?”

Spoilers. Opinions. Billy Shats. It’s all here.

🖖 Engage responsibly.

In this episode, The Con Men recap convention life from the inside — from guest relations duties and celebrity interactions to the real logistics behind running a successful show. The conversation drifts into underrated films, 90s soundtrack culture, and how streaming platforms quietly game subscription timing. The guys also talk Trek — respectfully, honestly — and close with a reminder about community, professionalism, and how to be a good human at conventions.

This week The Con Men kick things off with collector talk and Transformers: The Movie nostalgia before tumbling headfirst into a discovery: 1986 might be one of the most stacked pop-culture years ever.

From childhood-defining movies to “it was on HBO every weekend so we watched it 400 times,” we break down the difference between true classics and nostalgia classics — and accidentally map out future commentary and deep-dive content for the year.

We also talk con season kickoff energy, upcoming shows, fandom aging alongside franchises, and why sometimes you go into new entries of your favorite franchises wanting to love them… even when they make it difficult.

Plus:

• Convention season preview

• Guest excitement and circuit planning

• Star Wars and franchise fatigue vs franchise love

• The ongoing dream (and threat?) of Century Con

• The shocking low cost of buying our loyalty (breadsticks negotiable)

In this episode, The Con Men unpack the idea of “movies that lost their innocence” — not because the films changed, but because we did. From Dragnet’s jokes that flew over childhood heads to the cultural whiplash of Revenge of the Nerds, Bill & Ted, Big Trouble in Little China, and Cannonball Run, the conversation drifts through ratings systems, generational context, and how nostalgia collides with modern sensibilities. It’s a wide-ranging, funny, and surprisingly thoughtful look at why it’s okay to love flawed movies — as long as you understand why they’re flawed.

The Con Men Bounce from the death of the penny, into the metric system’s shipwrecked origin story, and why America refuses to measure things like a normal country. From there, the show veers into tabletop RPG war stories (including a near-fatal Alien RPG dice roll), Kickstarter confessions, and the strange poetry of declaring “intent to do harm” in Powered by the Apocalypse systems.

The back half of the episode becomes an enthusiastic deep dive into Central Carolina Comic Con, with a rapid-fire rundown of guests that reads like a Gen-X nostalgia starter pack: Doug Jones, Billy West, Tom Kenny, Mick Foley, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Lou Diamond Phillips, Lindsay Wagner, Lee Majors, John Schneider, and more. Along the way, Dan shares behind-the-curtain con stories (including Tom Kenny being an actual delight), while Adrian brings the fan-first perspective—who’s worth the wait, who’s genuinely kind, and why wrestlers are secretly all teddy bears.