WHAT WENT WRONG

Sad Boom Media

What Went Wrong covers Hollywood’s most notoriously disastrous movie productions, digging into the behind-the-scenes insanity of everything from massive flops to record-breaking blockbusters. In each episode, hosts Lizzie Bassett and Chris Winterbauer dive into a new film to explore the mind-blowing (and sometimes numbing) reasons why making a movie is nearly impossible (especially a good one). Produced by David Boman.JOIN OUR PATREON FOR 'WWW' BONUS CONTENT!

  • 1 hour 22 minutes
    Bad Santa

    When 'Bad Santa' hit theaters in 2003, audiences got a filthy, chaotic Christmas classic. What they didn’t get was the movie director Terry Zwigoff or producers the Coen Brothers intended to make.


    In this episode, Chris and Lizzie uncover how Bob Weinstein became the real villain of 'Bad Santa'—seizing Zwigoff’s cut, alienating the Coens, and waging war on anyone who tried to protect the film. Plus: why Billy Bob Thornton was nowhere near the first choice to play Willie, and why Zwigoff’s controversial director’s cut is the Christmas miracle you absolutely need this year.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1 December 2025, 8:00 am
  • 1 hour 39 minutes
    The Iron Giant

    We are who we choose to be, and if Brad Bird hadn't chosen to be a pain in the ass, we'd never have The Iron Giant. This week, Chris & Lizzie are joined by Alex Steed of the You Are Good podcast to explore the complex history of The Iron Giant. From children's stories to profound loss, The Iron Giant's journey to our homes was one of falling apart and coming back together again.


    *Please note that today's episode includes mention of suicide and domestic violence.


    *CORRECTIONS: Chris mispronounces composer George Bruns' name as "Burns". The first Disney animated film to extensively use CGI was "The Great Mouse Detective" (1986).

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    24 November 2025, 8:00 am
  • 1 hour 23 minutes
    The Curious Case of Grey Gardens (with Watch What Crappens)

    When the Maysles brothers showed up at Grey Gardens, they thought they were filming a quick piece on Jackie O’s quirky relatives. Instead, they uncovered Big and Little Edie Beale—an isolated mother-daughter duo living in shocking squalor, feeding raccoons in their attic, and completely frozen in time.


    In the second episode of Out of Frame, Lizzie and Chris are joined by Watch What Crappens hosts Ben Mandelker and Ronnie Karam to unpack the wild behind-the-scenes story of the 1975 documentary ‘Grey Gardens’. Discover how the film survived production chaos, what became of the Beales afterward, and how two women behind the camera ultimately saved the entire project.


    Each episode of Out of Frame investigates the darker, more obscure corners of Hollywood history and shines a light on the offscreen lives of some of our favorite onscreen stars.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    21 November 2025, 8:00 am
  • 1 hour 22 minutes
    Toy Story
    There’s no 'Toy Story' without Pixar, and there’s no Pixar without… Steve Jobs. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the first computer animated feature film ever, Chris and Lizzie dive into the story behind 1995’s absolutely miraculous 'Toy Story'. Find out why an early version of Woody made Disney almost pull the plug, how Tim Allen changed Buzz Lightyear, and why George Lucas let Pixar slip through his fingers for only $10M.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    17 November 2025, 8:00 am
  • 18 minutes 41 seconds
    [Bonus Preview] Frankenstein (2025) Review
    Lizzie and Chris discuss Guillermo Del Toro’s newest film, “Frankenstein” - Del Toro's approach to adapting his favorite book of all time, Jacob Elordi's last minute casting, and where it ranks in the Del Toro filmography.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    14 November 2025, 8:00 am
  • 1 hour 28 minutes
    Heat
    What if you got a do-over on the score of a lifetime? Would you take your shot, or walk away? Join Chris & Lizzie as they infiltrate the incredible crew behind 'Heat' and learn how Michael Mann was finally able to pull off his sprawling LA crime drama yet still ended up getting robbed…

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    10 November 2025, 8:00 am
  • 1 hour 34 minutes
    The Last of the Mohicans
    Michael Mann meets his match in one of the most dedicated method actors of all time: Daniel Day-Lewis. Join Chris and Lizzie as they chronicle Mann’s obsessively detail-oriented 1992 historical epic ‘The Last of the Mohicans’. Find out how on-set strikes and last-minute firings caused turmoil behind the scenes, and why ‘Dances with Wolves’ inspired Russell Means (Chingachgook) to join the cast… but not for the reasons you might think.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    3 November 2025, 8:00 am
  • 17 minutes 2 seconds
    [Bonus Preview] Deep Cuts: October 2025

    Chris, Lizzie, and David dive deep answering some of our audiences most piercing questions followed by a discussion about the relationship between creative control and financial interest in filmmaking.

    For the full episode join the $5 tier subscription or above on Apple Podcasts or Patreon at Patreon.com/whatwentwrongpodcast.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    31 October 2025, 7:00 am
  • 1 hour 24 minutes
    Halloween
    Paint your leaves yellow and orange and scatter them across the yard, because it's springtime in Pasadena and Halloween is coming to town! Chris & Lizzie plumb the depths of the real Michael Myers, how John Carpenter's career was saved by UK audiences, and why you should never show anyone your movie without music.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    27 October 2025, 7:00 am
  • 1 hour 9 minutes
    The Mysterious Death of Natalie Wood (with Daisy Eagan)

    When Natalie Wood drowned in 1981 she was only 43 years old. Thanks to films like ‘West Side Story’, ‘Rebel Without a Cause’, and ‘Miracle on 34th Street’ she was an icon, but she’d been out of the spotlight for almost a decade. Wood was in the midst of filming her comeback, ‘Brainstorm’, when she, her co-star Christopher Walken, and her husband Robert Wagner took their yacht out for Thanksgiving weekend. What happened that night depends on who you ask… and when you ask them.


    Join Chris, Lizzie, and special guest Daisy Eagan from Strange and Unexplained for the first episode of our bonus series 'Out of Frame' where we’ll investigate the darker, more obscure corners of Hollywood history. In this episode we’ll find out if Wood’s death sank her final film, or if ‘Brainstorm’ had something to do with her death.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    24 October 2025, 7:00 am
  • 1 hour 19 minutes
    The Blair Witch Project
    In 1999, a found footage documentary showed audiences the terrifying last days of 3 intrepid filmmakers before they disappeared forever. Thanks to the popularity of the film, their mothers received condolence calls and police offered to reopen their case - there was just one problem… they were actors and they were very much alive. ‘The Blair Witch Project’ shattered box office records thanks in no small part to its brilliant viral marketing campaign. But while studios made millions, its incredibly talented young stars were essentially left for dead.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    20 October 2025, 7:00 am
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