Denzel Washington Is The Greatest Actor Of All Time Period

Denzel Washington Is The Greatest Actor Of All Time Period, sometimes abbreviated to DWITGAOATP, is a weekly podcast co-hosted by W. Kamau Bell and Kevin Avery. Designed to highlight and canonize the career and cultural significance of actor Denzel Washington, the show reviews each of his films, discusses "Denzel news," and interviews filmmakers associated with and inspired by his work. As the show has evolved, it has also expanded to include discussions on the state of black film and diversity in media. The show is produced by Earwolf.
Background.
Co-hosts Avery and Bell first met as stand-up comics in the San Francisco Bay Area, and Avery would later serve as the head writer for "Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell". They had frequently connected over their shared fandom of Denzel Washington films, which led to the concept of the podcast being created when both comedians were searching for new projects after the cancelation of "Totally Biased".
Bell explained the motivation for creating the podcast as follows:
The first episode of the show was released on November 2, 2014, and new episodes are generally released on Thursdays. The initial goal was to review Washington's films in mostly alphabetical order, although in practice guest hosts and topical conversations have resulted in that order being changed many times.
Beyond focusing on Washington's career alone, the podcast has also expanded to include discussions on the role of black actors and filmmakers in Hollywood and in media in general. Bell explained in an interview how the premise of the show connects with this added focus: "There's stuff about how hard it is to be a working black actress in Hollywood, because you see [Denzel] and where are all these black actresses that you see in one movie? Why aren't they working more? So we end up bleeding into other issues."
Format.
Reviews and ratings.
Bell, Avery, and guest hosts all provide a rating on a 1 to 5 star-rating scale for each film reviewed. The ratings system is based on a speech from the movie "Malcolm X", as follows: "Been Took" (1), "Led Astray" (2), "Hoodwinked" (3), "Run Amok" (4), and "Bamboozled" (5). Occasionally, a 6-star rating of "This is what he does!", created based on a fan suggestion, is also given. As of June 2016, the average ratings given by Bell and Avery are 3.45 and 3.83 respectively, while guests have collectively given an average rating of 4.43.
Interviews and guests.
The show has featured several comedians, actors, and filmmakers as guest hosts. It also features interviews with actors and filmmakers who have collaborated with Washington as well as other notable figures in black film and media. Guests are generally asked to list their top 5 favorite Denzel Washington films, in order. A guest choosing more than five films for their list known as "Cooglering", as guest Ryan Coogler did so by including multiple films tied for one spot. Notable interviewees and guest hosts include:
Recurring themes and lore.
Denzelishness.
Some of the common characteristics and features of Denzel Washington characters are described in the podcast as components of "Denzelishness." These include: the Denzel walk ("sideways stroll with the confidence of a man who just had a shot of tequila"), Denzel humor, the Denzel lip, unaffected badassery, and the "Glory" tear (referring to an iconic scene where Washington's character cries a single tear in that film).
Periodization of Washington's career.
In the show, Avery and Bell periodize Washington's films into four distinct phases: the "Glory" Era, the "He Got Game" Era, the "Man on Fire" Era, and the Old Man Action Era. The latter is the current era of his filmography, and includes such films as "The Taking of Pelham 123" (2009), "The Book of Eli" (2010), "Safe House" (2012), and "The Equalizer" (2014).
Fan community.
Fans of the podcast are known as "Denzealots", and several have appeared as guest hosts or interviewees on the show. The Denzealots.com webpage and Twitter account are both created and maintained by fans (Igor Rusinov and Liz respectively, who have both been interviewed on the show). Fans also regularly participate in conversation with Bell, Avery, and each other on [Twitter]], and create various memes associated with jokes and themes from the show.
Merchandise for the show includes a T-shirt featuring the show's acronym (DWITGAOATP), and one featuring the terms from the 1 to 6 rating system.
Reception.
The podcast debuted at #81 on the iTunes US podcast charts, and reached #57 the subsequent week. In November 2015, it was selected as one of "Ten Podcasts Every Black Woman Should Hear" by "Essence" magazine. It was also selected as a "must-listen" podcast by "The Offing" magazine.
The A.V. Club's recurring Podmass feature has highlighted the show five times in its best-podcasts-of-the-week column between 2014 and 2016, for episodes featuring a review of "A Soldier's Story", an interview with David Alan Grier about "A Soldier's Play", a review of "Mo' Better Blues" with guest Ava DuVernay, a two-part interview with Spike Lee, and a discussion of an article on "The Black Film Canon" with "Slate" writers Aisha Harris and Dan Kois.
Bell and Avery were highlighted in a list of innovative podcasters by "Fast Company" in February 2015.