There are any number of LDS podcasts out there, but Pop Culture on the Apricot Tree is different. Most LDS podcasts focus on LDS topics and concerns (e.g., gospel scholarship). This one takes a different approach and addresses things that are not LDS. It focuses on pop culture products, specifically movies, TV series, and the occasional book, but discusses them from an LDS perspective. The resulting conversations are dynamic, interesting, and imbued with an LDS sensitivity.

The show is hosted by Liz Busby and Carl Cranney, who bring along different guests for each show. Busby tells The Season that these are very positive conversations: “Sometimes, I have no idea what we’re going to find to talk about, and then one of the guests helps me see the film in a different way than I did before. I’ve learned to find gospel principles in almost everything we watch, and I think it’s made me a better movie viewer.” The discussions that Busby, Cranney, and the others engage in are certainly enlightening. A particularly interesting aspect about them comes at the end, when shows are rated based on content, artistic merit, and gospel connections.

The podcast started in 2022 and included discussions that ranged from Encanto to Midnight Mass, from Hamilton to Howl’s Moving Castle. Season 2 has just been launched, and listeners can look forward to what Busby considers “some really fascinating episodes coming up.” These include discussions on Black Mirror, The Chosen, Arrival, the Pinocchio remakes, Where the Crawdads Sing, Bluey, a Mother’s Day special episode, and much more. So, if you’ve watched popular movies or tv shows and are a Latter-day Saint, make sure to give Pop Culture on the Apricot Tree a listen. You will no doubt enjoy it! – Gabriel González (new podcast episodes appear twice a month.)