The Anthropocene Reviewed: John's podcast reviewing facets of the human-centered planet (2017)

project history · status: completed · last event: milestone (2026-02-13) · last mentioned: 2026-10-13

John's idea of reviewing facets of the human-centered world on a five-star scale began as a joke with Hank in 2017 and became his podcast The Anthropocene Reviewed, whose first episode came out in January 2018. Vulture named it one of its favorite podcasts, and by the end of 2020 John had put it on hiatus.

Parts: John: make at least ten episodes of The Anthropocene Reviewed podcast in 2018 (2018) · John: write 11 more episodes of The Anthropocene Reviewed in 2019 (2019) · John: there should be new episodes of The Anthropocene Reviewed podcast in 2021 (2020)

Told alongside: John asks viewers to come see the brothers' Minitour in Madison and Minneapolis (2019) · John asks viewers to donate to P4A 2026 at projectforawesome.com/donate for perks (2026) · John's New Year video of his Auld Lang Syne review, a possible yearly tradition (2020) · P4A 2026 edition · Hank's star-rated reviews of things not normally reviewed, borrowing John's Anthropocene Reviewed idea (2017) · SciShow: launch of Hank's science channel (2011)

About: The Anthropocene Reviewed (podcast)

date	event	what	video
2017-11-02	proposed	Reminded of his idea for a channel reviewing not things but ideas of things, John says he was going to call it The Anthropocene Reviewed.	Hank Reviews Everything 00:00:08
2018-01-02	announced	The Anthropocene Reviewed began as a joke between Hank and John, but John has decided to actually do it.	BRING IT IN 2018 00:01:14
2018-01-30	launched	The first episode of John's new podcast The Anthropocene Reviewed, reviewing facets of the human-centered planet on a five-star scale, is out now.	Hank, I Have Some Advice 00:02:41
2018-11-06	looked back	John says he started his podcast The Anthropocene Reviewed in an attempt to pay more sustained and careful attention.	Taking a Year Off 00:02:26
2019-01-01	milestone	John met his 2018 goal of ten episodes of his new podcast The Anthropocene Reviewed, making eleven; it was more work than imagined but more fun.	How to Make Goals, Not Resolutions 00:01:40
2019-03-26	milestone	John says Vulture named The Anthropocene Reviewed one of its favorite podcasts.	Optimism and Spider People: Question Tuesday from the Looking for Alaska Set 00:00:58
2019-04-16	proposed	The description says maybe someday The Anthropocene Reviewed will do live shows to benefit Partners in Health. (hedged)	Doing Somethings video description
2019-05-07	looked back	John's reviewing happened at the beginning of the age of everyone reviewing everything, a wave he has ridden profitably if at times uncomfortably his whole adult life; his fascination with reviews led to his podcast The Anthropocene Reviewed.	How I Read and Why 00:00:39
2019-06-11	looked back	John started writing in a quieter, safer place: The Anthropocene Reviewed podcast, reviewing facets of the human-centered planet on a five-star scale, from scratch-and-sniff stickers to Taco Bell breakfast.	Why I Haven't Written a New Book 00:02:28
2019-07-19	milestone	John will do The Anthropocene Reviewed and the brothers a live Dear Hank and John; Hank calls it a Minitour.	In Which Hank Consumes the Juice of Over 400 Gushers 00:03:01
2020-09-01	milestone	After a year of expanding and revising podcast reviews and writing new ones, John announces The Anthropocene Reviewed will be a book, his first nonfiction book.	get the show on 00:00:58
2020-12-29	paused	The other creative projects John could not name in January meant The Anthropocene Reviewed, which he successfully put on hiatus, though he misses it.	Looking Back at My 2020 Goals 00:00:37
2020-12-31	milestone	In the podcast's first-ever one-review episode John reviews Auld Lang Syne, the song now most associated with New Year's Eve.	Auld Lang Syne: The Anthropocene Reviewed 00:00:00
2021-01-26	milestone	John gives sycamore trees four and a half stars.	The Sycamore Tree: The Anthropocene Reviewed 00:09:24
2021-04-27	restarted	A new podcast episode comes out on Thursday (29 April 2021), about Penguins of Madagascar and the smallpox vaccine.	What is my new book about? creator comment
2021-05-14	looked back	Hank recalls that on the Turtles All the Way Down tour John told him his idea of rating facets of the human-centered world on a five-star scale.	This Vlogbrothers Stat Blew My Mind 00:01:30
2021-05-18	looked back	John tells Hank the book started with him: in sprawling conversations about our human moment and belly laughs on a tour bus during a cross-country road trip; so much of John's work and life starts with Hank.	Saying What I've Needed to Say to Hank for a While 00:02:50
2021-05-25	looked back	Marveling at five-star reviews of everything, John told Hank he had once had an idea to review Canada geese; Hank said: The Anthropocene Reviewed.	The Anthropocene Reviewed, Animated 00:10:02
2021-08-24	outcome	The final episode, maybe, of John's podcast The Anthropocene Reviewed comes out on Thursday. (hedged)	It's My Birthday. I Gave Myself This Video. 00:00:00
2021-11-09	looked back	John says he has about one idea every five years: Vlogbrothers in 2006, Crash Course five years later, The Anthropocene Reviewed five years after, and he awaits his fourth. (playful)	Hank Green's Million Dollar Ideas 00:00:00
2026-02-10	milestone	John says the 19th Project for Awesome starts in three days, but its fundraiser is already live with P4A-only perks such as a new episode of his podcast The Anthropocene Reviewed.	I Was a Teenage Dirtbag 00:00:00
2026-02-13	milestone	John brings back his podcast The Anthropocene Reviewed only for the P4A, with an episode reviewing the Galapagos Islands and Kurt Vonnegut's novel Galapagos, for a $10 donation.	Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! 00:24:03
2026-10-13	looked back	John says many people on his tour asked why he hasn't written a sequel to The Anthropocene Reviewed; he wants to ask why they want a sequel to his least commercially successful project. (playful)	My Lungs Are on the Outside of the Body 00:01:09

What is said about it

43 statements, by date (the events above are the turns of the thread; these are the details).

2018-04-24 · This Video is about Red Eyed Tree Frogs? — announcement: John's new podcast The Anthropocene Reviewed tries to look at the world this way; a new episode is out on Thursday, details in the doobly-doo. — 00:03:17
2018-08-14 · Question Tuesday: Secrets & Primes — John, who wrote half an episode of The Anthropocene Reviewed about it, calls pineapple pizza peak Anthropocene, for better and for worse. — 00:02:27
2018-08-14 · Question Tuesday: Secrets & Primes — John says he really loves making The Anthropocene Reviewed. — 00:02:33
2018-11-13 · HAIRMERGENCY! — recommendation: John thinks it helps to acknowledge feeling overwhelmed, prioritize the most important relationships and remember what matters, which is not whether The Anthropocene Reviewed comes out on time. (hedged) — 00:03:08
2018-12-07 · BABIES! The 2018 Project for Awesome is here… — announcement: John lists P4A perks, from the P4A commemorative coin and a poster to secret episodes of Dear Hank and John and The Anthropocene Reviewed. — 00:03:04
2019-01-01 · How to Make Goals, Not Resolutions — John: The podcast has been good for forcing John's brain into quiet contemplation amid the loudness everywhere. — 00:01:56
2019-01-01 · How to Make Goals, Not Resolutions — announcement: John wants to write another 11 episodes of The Anthropocene Reviewed. — 00:03:12
2019-01-29 · Do You Believe in Miracles? — recommendation: John wrote a lot about Wimbledon and penalty shootouts in the latest episode of The Anthropocene Reviewed; a new episode comes out in two days. — 00:03:23
2019-02-19 · Battling Apathy and Searching for Meaning on Question Tuesday — announcement: John says Harvey is one of the subjects of the next Anthropocene Reviewed. — 00:01:27
2019-02-19 · Battling Apathy and Searching for Meaning on Question Tuesday — John: Asked for more frequent Anthropocene Reviewed episodes, John says it takes him an entire month to write one. — 00:01:27
2019-09-24 · I, Too, Dislike It — In a comment John says poetry, the Microcosmos and The Anthropocene Reviewed are the kind of projects they are trying to focus on. — creator comment
2019-10-30 · this is a video about pineapples. — John: Summarizing his Anthropocene Reviewed episode, John says pineapple pizza was invented in 1962 in Canada by a Greek immigrant inspired by Chinese cuisine to put a South American food on an Italian dish. — 00:00:29
2019-10-30 · this is a video about pineapples. — recommendation: John points to the Anthropocene Reviewed episode on pineapple on pizza, linked below. — 00:03:24
2019-12-03 · We Are Cats Now, I Guess? — announcement: John: A limited-edition signed vinyl of The Anthropocene Reviewed is also a P4A perk. — 00:01:26
2019-12-20 · Reading the First Chapter of A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor — ask: Hank invites viewers to see live Dear Hank and John, live Anthropocene Reviewed and other weirdnesses with John in St. Petersburg, Raleigh and Atlanta in early January; tickets are in the description. — 00:03:43
2020-02-11 · 1,100 Days: A Mental and Physical Health Update — John thinks exercise has been good for his writing: he couldn't write The Anthropocene Reviewed without seeing the body-mind and consciousness-nature duality he had created as total BS. — 00:02:26
2020-02-14 · Ending The Great Airplane Seat Debate — ask: Hank invites viewers to come see Dear Hank and John live and The Anthropocene Reviewed live. — 00:03:33
2020-02-18 · wintry mix — John: For years John has wanted to review wintry mix for The Anthropocene Reviewed as a thoroughly Midwestern precipitation: practical, unlovely and unpretentious. — 00:01:13
2020-03-10 · A Strong but Fleeting Flavor: A Reunion Video — John: Asked about writing poetry, the brothers joke that they write poetry all the time, besides SciShow Tangents, and podcasts like The Anthropocene Reviewed. (joke) — 00:01:30
2020-04-14 · books that help — recommendation: John loves Lulu Miller's Why Fish Don't Exist, also out today: what The Anthropocene Reviewed wants to be when it grows up, a personal search for meaning, history of taxonomy and life of David Starr Jordan. — 00:01:03
2020-05-26 · you'll never know — recommendation: John: In a pinned comment John recommends Kurzgesagt's lovely animation of part of The Anthropocene Reviewed. — creator comment
2020-08-18 · what's wrong with taking the back streets? — announcement: In a comment John says there will be a big-ish announcement about The Anthropocene Reviewed next week (week of 24 August 2020), so there has never been a better time to start listening. — creator comment
2020-08-18 · what's wrong with taking the back streets? — John: An Anthropocene Reviewed episode discusses the monumental circle drawings of Japanese artist Hiroyuki Doi, who began drawing after his brother's death because circles relieved his grief. — 00:00:29
2020-09-01 · get the show on — John: For two and a half years John has written the podcast The Anthropocene Reviewed, reviewing facets of the human-centered planet on a five-star scale, from a bacterium to Taco Bell breakfast. — 00:00:00
2020-09-01 · get the show on — John says the podcast is really about hope and whether it is justified, people being wonderful and horrible, and humans being too powerful yet not powerful enough to reshape the climate beneficially. — 00:00:29
2020-09-01 · get the show on — John says the response to the podcast, especially the recent quite personal episode he was more worried about sharing than anything, has been overwhelming and generous; he thanks listeners. — 00:01:27
2020-09-01 · get the show on — John says, as he discussed on the latest podcast episode, the three years since Turtles All the Way Down was published have been long and at times very challenging. — 00:03:24
2020-10-15 · Civilization and the Lies We Love — John wrote about this lie for his podcast The Anthropocene Reviewed, but it turns out to be even more interesting and false than he first understood. — 00:00:00
2020-10-15 · Civilization and the Lies We Love — announcement: The description says the whole video is a revision of The Anthropocene Reviewed episode on civilization. — video description
2021-01-12 · My 2021 Vision Board — John: This week's (week of 11 January 2021) board says to review lemmings, as John is a semi-professional reviewer of the Anthropocene interested in lemmings. — 00:01:17
2021-02-16 · A Lovely Winter Walk — John says in an Anthropocene Reviewed episode that the light-soaked days are coming, and he really believes it. — 00:02:19
2021-04-27 · What is my new book about? — announcement: John: It is John's first nonfiction book; most reviews are adapted from his podcast, some are new. — 00:01:27
2021-04-27 · What is my new book about? — ask: John asks podcast listeners who know what the book is about to tell him in comments, since he can't figure out how to talk about it. — 00:02:55
2021-05-11 · I am a small boat. It's Question Tuesday. — John: Many emails from Anthropocene Reviewed listeners resonate with John, but he won't discuss them: people write with such raw emotion that he wants to protect it. — 00:01:27
2021-05-11 · I am a small boat. It's Question Tuesday. — announcement: John: Parts of the book that wouldn't have worked on the podcast: most notably the picture parts, and also the wintry mix parts. (playful) — 00:02:28
2021-05-14 · This Vlogbrothers Stat Blew My Mind — Hank: On the Turtles All the Way Down tour John told Hank his idea of star-rating facets of the human-centered world; Hank made Hank Reviews Everything in four minutes and never thought about it again. — 00:01:35
2021-08-24 · It's My Birthday. I Gave Myself This Video. — John: The episode is about a drawing sketched by cosmonaut Alexei Leonov in March 1965, shortly after he very narrowly survived the first spacewalk. — 00:00:00
2021-08-24 · It's My Birthday. I Gave Myself This Video. — John: Leonov's life was fascinating, but the episode is mostly about why we make art and what we give up to make it. — 00:00:29
2021-08-24 · It's My Birthday. I Gave Myself This Video. — John: Working on The Anthropocene Reviewed has been incredible, but John thinks he is ready to go back to writing fiction, maybe, after a long pause. (hedged) — 00:00:58
2021-08-31 · The Woman Who Invented Stuffed Animals — John first learned about Steiff while researching the history of teddy bears for an Anthropocene Reviewed essay, which he links. — video description
2021-11-16 · Orbital Sunrise: The First Art Made in Space — announcement: The description says the video is adapted from the podcast The Anthropocene Reviewed, also a book, available signed with a bonus zine. — video description
2022-04-08 · Hank and John Discover Chippy Butties — recommendation: John: Asked for a podcast to learn from, John names 99% Invisible, Radiolab, Invisibilia and Throughline, after Hank jokingly suggests The Anthropocene Reviewed. — 00:01:58 · also in: John and Hank Hanging Out but they Keep Getting Younger and More Pixelated
2024-09-27 · Is It 2010? IT'S A PARTS VIDEO — John says they made a vinyl of The Anthropocene Reviewed, probably no longer available; he isn't selling it, it just makes him happy that it exists. (hedged) — 00:04:45