Jim Hill and Eric Hersey celebrate their 100th episode of the Epic Universal Podcast with listener reviews, a surprise surprisingly heartfelt message from the Broadway cast of Wicked, and a look at the latest developments at ...
A new à la carte Express Pass option has Universal fans debating the future of line-skipping, while fresh surveys hint at bigger strategic shifts in Hollywood and Orlando. Jim and Eric break down what a single-ride upcharge c...
Jim Hill and Eric Hersey race through breaking Universal news before Eric hits the road, covering everything from a surprising park entry tech failure to visible demolition at Islands of Adventure. They also dig into new deve...
Jim Hill and Eric Hersey return with a jam-packed, news-heavy episode as they break down a wave of updates from across Universal Parks and beyond. From Epic Universe expansion permits and annual passholder strategy to Hallowe...
A first-hand review of Universal Horror Unleashed in Las Vegas, as Jim Hill and Eric Hersey explore Universal’s bold attempt to bring Halloween Horror Nights to a permanent, year-round venue. Recording from the Luxor, the duo...
Jim Hill and Eric Hersey record on-location from Universal Studios Hollywood as Eric experiences the park for the very first time. From the iconic tram tour to Super Nintendo World, WaterWorld, and a close-up look at the new ...
Jim Hill and Eric Hersey look at the past and future of Universal’s Fast & Furious presence in the parks, just as Universal Studios Hollywood prepares to debut its new Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift coaster. Along the way, t...
Jim Hill and Eric Hersey kick off a packed episode of the Epic Universal Podcast while preparing for an upcoming trip to Universal Studios Hollywood. Along the way, they dig into current park news, new Wizarding World treats,...
Jim Hill and Eric Hersey unpack Universal’s latest ticketing survey, the studio’s continued confidence in Wicked, and the surprising Epcot-inspired expansion that reshaped Universal Studios Hollywood in the late 1980s. NEWS •...
Jim Hill and Eric Hersey dig into Universal’s latest infrastructure plans, unpack Epic Universe updates, and then travel back to the late 1980s to reveal how The Land Before Time quietly reshaped the home video industry. NEWS...
Jim and Eric kick things off with breaking news from Universal’s Fan Fest - yes, there are now multiple colored Yoshis roaming around. From there, they dig into Universal’s bold Mummy 4 release date, Wicked’s Peacock debut, M...
Jim and Eric kick off this week’s show with a mix of snarky social media, surprising Super Bowl ads, and listener-driven questions before pivoting into a deep historical dive. From Universal’s well-timed trolling of Disney to...
This week, Jim Hill and Eric Hersey connect the dots between an MTV-inspired TV phenomenon and one of the most ambitious nighttime stunt shows ever staged at a Universal theme park. From Brandon Tartikoff’s “MTV Cops” brainst...
This week, Jim and Eric shift from breaking Universal news into a fascinating look back at how the company perfected the art of staged chaos. From the official confirmation of a Fast & Furious coaster to high winds halting Ep...
Jim Hill and Eric Hersey kick things off with a generational pop culture moment before diving headfirst into a packed episode of Universal news, park planning, and studio history. From a newly announced Rockford Files reboot ...
Jim and Eric kick off this week’s show with listener-driven updates and fresh speculation from the Universal parks beat, before pivoting into a deep historical dive on one of the strangest and most memorable effects ever stag...
Recording on New Year’s Eve for a show that drops just as 2026 begins, Jim Hill and Eric Hersey cover a full slate of Universal news, rumors, and unexpected updates before shifting into a classic Jim Hill history lesson. The ...
This holiday week episode of the Epic Universal Podcast was recorded on Christmas Eve, which means Jim and Eric are juggling last minute shopping, customer service horror stories, and a surprisingly full slate of Universal ne...
Jim and Eric kick off this week’s show with a very on-brand travel mishap from Jim’s latest Hallmark-fueled road trip, then pivot back to the stuff you came for - Universal news, theme park weirdness, and one surprisingly dee...
From queue changes to construction walls to nighttime lagoon testing, the parks offer plenty to parse this week. The guys then pivot from the Epic Universe lagoon to Universal’s classic monsters, using the buzz around Guiller...
Jim kicks off this week’s show with a wild winter travel saga involving airport shutdowns, missing donuts, and a 3 a.m. pickup run that somehow beats the incoming snowstorm. From there, he and Eric dive into a new Universal s...
Jim and Eric unwrap a very different kind of holiday story this week: the wild, demanding, and downright unbelievable making of How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000). Fresh from Jim’s trip to IAAPA and holiday visits to the U...
On this episode, Jim Hill and Eric Hersey dig into the latest Universal Orlando updates before turning to a deep-dive tribute to Jay Stein — the visionary who transformed Universal’s backlot tour into a spectacle factory and ...
Jim Hill and Eric Hersey trace the ambitious — and ultimately ill-fated — vision for Universal’s Dark Universe, from the scrapped sequel to The Mummy to Tom Cruise’s push to reinvent himself as the studio’s modern Van Helsing...
