Want to Cancel ‘The Drama’? You’re Missing the Point

The Sam Sanders Show

Want to Cancel ‘The Drama’? You’re Missing the Point

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Published on Apr 7, 2026, 2:30:00 PM
Total time: 00:36:20

Episode Description

Note: This episode contains spoilers! 

A24’s ‘The Drama’ has pissed off many moviegoers. 

The film, directed by Kristoffer Borgli, follows a newly engaged couple played by Zendaya and Robert Pattinson. The trailer gives rom-com vibes, until a shocking confession threatens to end their relationship.

This movie (and the discourse around it) raises a lot of tricky questions: What does a movie studio owe to the public? How provocative should a mainstream film ever be? What kind of movie star is Zendaya? Sam dives into all of this with Amy Nicholson, film critic at the ‘Los Angeles Times’ and co-host of the ‘Unspooled’ podcast.

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The Sam Sanders Show is a production of KCRW and Sam Sanders Productions.

More about The Sam Sanders Show

The Sam Sanders Show from KCRW is your guide to entertainment. Find out what makes your favorite artists tick, dissect the trends that shape our culture, or just make sense of that random meme you can’t stop thinking about. Join us every week to unpack the pop culture we love.

Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week.

Sam Sanders is an award-winning podcast and radio host. He’s been named best podcast host by both The Ambies and the iHeart Podcast Awards. He was one of the founding hosts of The NPR Politics Podcast and the host who launched both It’s Been A Minute from NPR and Into It from Vulture.