House of R

Mallory Rubin and Joanna Robinson are two of the most knowledgeable voices in fandom podcasting, and House of R gives them room to explore fictional universes with the depth those worlds deserve. The show is a spiritual successor to Binge Mode, their earlier podcast that built a massive following through exhaustive breakdowns of Game of Thrones and Harry Potter. House of R broadens the scope to cover Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Marvel, and whatever else captures their attention, with recurring formats like Deep Dives, Tropes Courses, Hall of Fame inductions, and Hype Meters. Mal and Jo bring an infectious enthusiasm to every episode that goes beyond simple fandom cheerleading. Their coverage of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms in early 2026 broke down individual episodes with the kind of detail — tracking character arcs, catching book references, analyzing visual storytelling — that rewards both casual viewers and obsessive fans. They've also brought in colleagues like Sean Fennessey and Chris Ryan for special crossover episodes and drafts. The show features a good mix of reactive coverage and evergreen content. One week it might be a breakdown of the latest episode of a running series, the next a nostalgic revisitation of a beloved franchise or a countdown of top moments from the previous year. Episodes can run long — often past 90 minutes for major Deep Dives — but the enthusiasm never flags. Mallory, who serves as head of editorial at The Ringer, brings institutional knowledge of every franchise she covers, and Joanna's journalism background ensures the analysis stays grounded even when the subject matter is pure fantasy.