Fill Me In

This week, Ryan is sad and Brian is grumpy. What does that mean for Fill Me In? Another week of random banter about whatever happens to come up. Many questions about math, music, and "Stayin' Alive,"…

This week, Ryan and Brian are delighted to welcome Kate Chin Park and Will Eisenberg to the studio for a conversation about woodworking, pie-baking, and even a bit on crosswords. (Will and Kate const…

This week, Ryan and Brian ARE IN THE SAME PHYSICAL SPACE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN TEN YEARS AND THAT'S MORE OVERWHELMING THAN ANYTHING YOU CAN IMAGINE! All that, plus a contest puzzle from Kate Chin Par…

This week, Ryan and Brian welcomes the mastermind behind Daily Crossword Links (and reigning Lollapuzzoola Champion) Matt Gritzmacher! Anyone looking for new crosswords to try (especially if you thou…

This week, Ryan and Brian consider the legacy of The Phantom of the Opera, the responsibility of Yu Darvish, and the squishability of something that is both wet and soft. All that plus a contest puzz…

Don't tell Ryan, but this week, Rachel Fabi and Neville Fogarty break into the studio and coerce Brian into the longest episode of Fill Me In ever! And to make it even stranger, it has more puzzle co…

This week, Ryan and Brian conceive of a new crossword game show, discuss what foods may and may not survive the five-second rule, and take a deep dive into ass.

You can still get the puzzles from Lol…

This week, Ryan and Brian conclude Season Seven without having achieved "the arc" (which was apparently to have made a movie?!) -- and Ben Zimmer shows up to talk us through the highlights of Lollapu…

This week, Ryan and Brian race through the podcast in part because it's way later than when they normally record, and in part because Zoom put up a timer midway through the call and everyone got scar…

This week, the Fill Me In studio is invaded by barnacles! Or actually, just one barnacle -- THE Barnacle, a.k.a. Ben Zimmer, linguist to the stars. There's still some baseball and sandwich talk, but …

This week, two randos wander into the studio and start talking like they're running a tournament or something. Oh wait, it's just Brooke and Sid here to talk about Lollapuzzoola, the greatest crosswo…

This week, Ryan records without a microphone, opens the Viewer Mail bag without snapping, and essentially ad libs the entire show without a script. All that plus a contest crossword, which you can do…

This week, Ryan and Brian seek value in Taylor Swift, Usain Bolt, Bojack Horseman, and the musical Wicked, and struggle pronouncing words like "restaurant" and "comfortable." All that plus a new cont…

This week, Ryan and Brian read some Viewer Mail poetry, separate the good (puzzle) from the bad (website) with the #NYTXW, and SEE what they can SEE. All that plus a contest crossword, which you can …

This week, Ryan and Brian go APE, marvel at a thrilling Saturday puzzle, and duplicate each other's brilliance in under three minutes. All that plus a new contest crossword, which you can download at…

This week, Ryan and Brian get lost in musicals and movies (though not musical movies), and finally interrupt the uselessness with a Thunder Round on the past week of AVCX puzzles! Included are works …

We are utterly ecstatic to welcome a special guest interview this week with the one and only Shannon Rapp (a.k.a Norah Sharpe)! Shannon brings news of the St. Louis Crossword Tournament (#stlxwt), a …

This week, it's a double dose of Syracuse hosts as Rachel Fabi joins Brian on the show. They explore XW Stats, a fantastic new site all about individual statistics on the #NYTXW, ponder the differenc…

This week, Ryan and Brian talk sandwiches, clubs, a handful of famous people no one talks about anymore, Scott Weiss's latest Anti-Match Quiz, and a strong week of puzzles. All that plus a contest cr…