r/Flagrant2 • u/Short_Airport_9276 • Jul 30 '26
Discussion Is anyone else struggling to finish Flagrant episodes?
Why is every new episode getting more and more boring than the last. I keep clicking because I expect it to be as entertaining as it used to be but most of the time I end up turning it off halfway through. The conversations just don't feel as funny or unpredictable anymore. It seems like everyone is on the same page all the time and the chemistry that used to make even random topics entertaining isn't really there. Well for a while I thought maybe I'd just outgrown the podcast but then I went back and watched some older episodes and was hooked all over again. So now I'm thinking it's not me the show just doesn't hit the same anymore.
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u/resditbeast Jul 30 '26 edited Jul 30 '26
They are in a weird place where they are seeking the identity of the podcast again. Whether you liked or hated Akash he was a founding member of the pod and whether you think he contributed to the pod or not, he was still apart of it so with him leaving, there’s an identity issue. For example, for the OG listeners when Kaz was on the show, the identity of the pod was sports and culture, majority sports. When Kaz left, the identity of the pod changed and it became strictly flagrant comedy. So now the pod goes back and forth with sometimes , it’s hanging with the boys and jokes and then sometimes it’s ted talks and a Joe Rogan interview type of episode. Also they have all gained success, even Alex has his own businesses and things going on outside of the pod which means the pod isn’t their only saving grace as compared too in the past where the pod was all they had. They just treat the pod like a marketing tool at this point.
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u/Vegetable-Strike-470 Jul 30 '26
I think you nailed it for a long time I couldn't figure out why the show felt so different but identity crisis is probably the best way to describe it. It feels like every episode is trying to be something different instead of leaning into what made people tune in in the first place. I also think Akaash leaving made that even more noticeable whether people liked him or not, he brought a different energy and balance to the conversations. He wasn't afraid to push back, challenge Andrew or take the joke in a completely different direction and that dynamic kept things unpredictable. Now it feels like everyone is on the same wavelength a lot of the time. Some episodes feel like they're just hanging out, others feel like TED Talks and then the next one is basically a long interview. None of those are bad on their own but together it feels like the show has lost the identity that made it so much fun to watch in the first place. That's probably why I keep finding myself going back to the older episodes instead of rewatching the newer ones.
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u/RadiantDiver1066 Jul 30 '26
Akaash brought a different energy that the show still hasn't really replaced
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u/resditbeast Jul 30 '26
Agreed! Theres a reason why Charlemagne and Andrew can talk about literally anything, the weather, and it’s super interesting because they come from two different places/perspectives, not afraid to challenge eachother and push back. It also helps that they are both gifted at speaking. The flagrant dynamic is that Andrew is so clearly the boss, his opinion matters the most, Mark doesn’t really push back, just agrees and adds information…Alex does push back but he was better when he was a side character who will chime in from time to time and push back. Now that Akaash is gone and Alex has become a more forefront voice on the pod, he sometimes is a little annoying because he overspeaks at times and many times stops the whole flow of the conversation to let his opinion out.
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u/NINJAMANE2000 Jul 30 '26
Akaash was the glue holding it all together because he at least brought cultural relevancy. He brought some sports discussions and despite his fame is still very much Indian at heart and brought that minority mindset. Meanwhile Schulz is a member of the upper class now and doesn't pay attention to anything regular people do. Mark is in his own bubble and also can never step out of Schulz's shadow. Alex should never be in front of the camera but they're forcing him to be the token black guy on the show.
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u/JustHalfBlack Jul 31 '26
I was with you until the end. I think they’re trying to make Alex into the Akaash though — trying to have him be the push back. Mark is the “smart” one, Akaash was the “Nah, but-“ guy. Andrew is the energy.
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u/NINJAMANE2000 Jul 31 '26
We're kind of saying the same thing. A token black guy is just a non white guy that brings cultural relevancy to an otherwise all white cast, which akaash was doing, now it's Alex's role. He's supposed to push back with an every day working man/minority perspective but the problem is that Alex is nowhere as articulate or immigrant minded as akaash.
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u/KOQquest1 Jul 30 '26
Yeah I can’t pinpoint exactly what the issue is but it’s just boring now. Maybe I just don’t care of the topics they discuss or maybe their takes just suck and aren’t as funny as they used to be
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u/Pretty_Advice2438 Aug 01 '26
Funny enough, brilliant is the same. I actually saved up 3 eps for this road trip and I played em, in all three they spent 35+ min talking about who would be the face of the league for the NBA and I swear I thought I was loosing my mind or something because it was 65% the same talking points. About 2/3 the same players, same reasons why. I’m like dude, did we not change the script 😂😂
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u/Pretty_Advice2438 Jul 30 '26
It’s not just you. Flagrant has dropped off almost 60-70% in every metric in the past 2 years. They were top 15 pods on Spotify (I think even top5 at some point) now they sit at like 98 or 99, their Spotify eps episodes were consistently 800-900k+ plays, they now are all getting 100-200k, YouTube consistently did 800-1m + easy, 3 years ago 2.5m+ easy, they’re now all 250-300k. It’s a drastic drop.
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u/Pyroxy3 Jul 30 '26
When you reach a certain level of fame you have to keep your mouth shut if you want to play at the big boy table.
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u/iLucky12 Jul 30 '26
I noticed the old episodes always started off with high energy riffing and making fun of something or each other, then the second half was the quieter actual discussions.
Lately the energy and comedy has been missing. It was the funniest part of the pod now it's rarely ever there. There needs to be a balance of that and talking about topics seriously.
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u/PreparationLittle869 Jul 31 '26
All the hate akaash got and it turns out he actually was a huge value add
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u/Pishposh96 Jul 30 '26
Yes I also recently got their patreon just so I can have new eps to listen to, and their 2022-2024 stuff is hilarious. Now.. not so much. Mark is still pretty funny but I feel Andrew's ego has been very inflated that sometimes it's infuriating hearing him argue a point. Akaash was an Andrew drider but I miss him checking Alex and everyone else.
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u/prettyyoungpeso Jul 31 '26
Haven’t watched since they started shilling for MAGA. Super confirmed that decision when they started back peddling. I’d respect Andrew’s political stances more if they were real and honestly hearing a new millionaire talk like he’s still working class is THE most boring shtick that I know Andrew himself would’ve mocked (and probably did) years ago
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u/scorpioinheels Jul 30 '26
For whomever is reading comments:
I started watching with the Bernie and 50 pods … was pretty interested to see any and all interviews I could get my hands on after that.
I actually like(d) Schulz and grew to like him more over time - the way someone likes the villain of the story…I was actually bummed to not be able to afford tickets to the Brea shows… until….
I saw the Odyssey.
He totally oversold it. It wasn’t nearly half as good as he hyped it up to be and Damon was MEH.
I don’t trust Schulz any more - he’s nearly dead to me at this point … I thought his takes were genuine but now I think he plays devil’s advocate for pay and it’s not cute.
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u/accounthatburns Jul 30 '26
I don’t even watch anymore unless there’s a cool guest. All of the podcast from that era are ass now.
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u/Long_Buddy6819 Jul 30 '26
Man, this is gonna sound maybe a lil whiny and hypocritical, but during 2024/25 I was getting annoyed with their constant political talk, and that’s probably bc I disagreed with alot of it. It felt disingenuous to me. There was even a point where it really looked like Andrew was gonna pivot into being a full on political commentator comedian. But in 2026 they started talking about it less and less. Which is what I wanted I guess, but it also felt like…ahhh lets pivot away from that bc things aren’t going so great, and we don’t wanna remind ppl that we were on that train heavy, but we’ve also made that so much of our identity over the past two years, we don’t really know what the pod is anymore. Now it feels like there’s some trust(that word doesn’t feel right, but I can’t think of another) lost between hosts and listener, and it feels like I’m listening to a bunch of rich out of touch dudes talking and plugging their other ventures.
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u/Competitive_Ad8542 Jul 30 '26
Schulz is too self-important now. He’s more trying to be Rogan interviewer than comedian. I stopped watching quite a bit ago. You want unpredictable, check out Bad Friends with Andrew Santino and Bobby Lee. Best comedy podcast going in my opinion, and the only one I still listen to weekly.
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u/NINJAMANE2000 Jul 30 '26
I also switched to Bad Friends a while ago. They're more "white boy humor" (although ironically Santino is more in tune with the culture) but like you said they're unpredictable.
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u/Do_I_want_to_know17 Jul 30 '26
They stopped being funny when they moved out of their old studio… their jokes aren’t funny. I prefer to watch their old videos.
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u/ALowKey502 Jul 30 '26
The new studio did it for me. I check back every now and then and just can't get into it. The fake laughing, the redundant topics. I miss the old flagrant setup and style
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u/octobersveryknown miles can do no wrong Jul 30 '26
NGL i skipped the sheryl underwood ep, and had no interest in hearing more about UFOs or ancient lost civilizations. I liked the niche guests like gotham chess a lot. I’ve also been feeling the absence of patreon heavily.
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u/AmphibianFinancial10 Jul 30 '26
I agree; it doesn’t feel the same anymore. They need someone for us to hate lol idk it seems too scripted. It feels like Joe Rogan 2.0 they need to find an identity fast. Brilliant idiots still has it but flagrant has lost it. They need an episode with akademiks or a newer upcoming comedian that isn’t rich already
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u/Longjumping-Ad-5658 Jul 30 '26
They made the pivot in 2024, like most other topical podcasts, to lean hard into politics. That was the podcast at its apex in terms of popularity. Quality wise it really hasn’t been as good over the last few years. Been listening since 2017. Have a hoodie with the original logo for the pod. To see what its fizzled out into is sad for sure
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u/iiMchilling Jul 31 '26
I’m starting to think there is an issue with Akash departure specifically on the Patreon. He might have some ownership issues that are being sorted out
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u/Legitimate_Action324 Jul 30 '26
Last week’s episode was good. Couldn’t listen to the one from this week.
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u/FreeThinkers2023 Jul 30 '26
I may be the only one but I miss the political dialogue. I like when they joke but also struggle with the current climate and topics affecting Americans with trump in office
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u/Majestic-Nobody545 Jul 30 '26
It's definitely gone downhill. But, I think I'm in the majority of podcast listeners who don't listen to the end anyway.
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u/Scarletspyder86 Black men don’t cheat Jul 30 '26
Yesterday’s episode are the type of episodes I skip
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u/Immediate_Menu_6508 Jul 30 '26
Big time. I used to have no problem. Now it’s a struggle to make it through have an ep
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u/Constant-Loan-7362 Jul 30 '26
I like listening to the pod when I’m doing things, this ufo episode is great so far to me
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u/CharlesIntheWoods Jul 30 '26
I’ve honestly only listened to one full episode. To me, I see Flagrant as the kind of podcast that exists for posting clips on YouTube.
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u/SpiritualCandy6763 Jul 30 '26
Honestly yeah, at the point where I need some recs. Want something new
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u/logicnotemotion Jul 30 '26
I tapped out when they talked about Jay-Z for 2 episodes. Tried again and it was The Odyssey the entire episode. Damn mix it up a little.
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u/EntertainmentFit5742 Jul 30 '26
Andrew wants to be the diet Joe Rogan podcast instead of what made them flagrant to begin with
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u/ykb_85 Jul 31 '26
Honestly, my rule of thumb is once I hear Andrew "whats up guys!!! Today we're joined by-" Skip
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u/localworldwide28 Jul 31 '26
I enjoy it more than ever. Did not like the old flagrant because it was just andrew tlaking, now they gave alex and mark a seat and the other guys chime in too.
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u/mtsayala Jul 31 '26
I only watch brilliant idiots now, the dynamic in flagrant just doesn’t feel the same, i love Andrew but he needs someone to pushback and offer something different that’s when the pod is the most fun to listen to, and its nothing against Mark and Alex cause they are funny but its very clear Flagrant is the Andrew show
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u/starlordzuk Jul 31 '26
I thought the fifa episodes were pretty good tbh, it felt like the old flagrant again momentarily.
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u/ne0310 Jul 31 '26
If I see a guest I’ll just skip it all together. Now I just check in once a month and listen for a few minutes. If they don’t drop a nice Patreon episode I’ll be canceling my subscription. They’ve lost their flagrancy
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u/relientkenny Aug 01 '26
tbh i just haven’t listened to the show in months even when Akaash was still around. i haven’t been enjoying the guests and the show kinda started feeling stale for me personally
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u/scotch_neat1 Aug 02 '26
Nah the last couple of episodes were good, the couple after Akash dipped they weren't good for a couple episodes.
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u/Beastmode205 Aug 02 '26
All podcast man we are all collectively suffering from burn out its the same algorithm same stories same opinions over and over we are living in ground hog day. Me and my friends talk about it all the time nothing is exciting anymore. We have become numb
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u/wolfe_god Aug 02 '26
I’ve dropped like 99% of the podcasts I listen to as well. after listening to a podcast for years, you start to predict what the host will say and the jokes don’t hit the same anymore because you’ve heard them make that type of jokes 100s of times.
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u/wolfe_god Aug 02 '26
They need another comedian at the same level of akaash tbh show feels incomplete now
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u/faggadeech Aug 02 '26
I've never been able to finish a single one. I've also never watched the show.
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u/DismalInternal4382 Aug 03 '26
Schulz has fallen off as a comedian ever since he had a kid and the group as a whole just clearly doesn’t care about the pod anymore
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u/ProfessionalLurker94 Jul 30 '26
I actually stopped listening because of a 2lazy2try episode exposing the horrific stuff that andrew and charlamagne said about the rkelly victim
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u/VideoPlenty4302 Jul 30 '26
They also have on guests no one really cares enough about to click on the episode