Long before Franchise Detours began, the Rocky/Creed series was well on our radar. Following the Crooked Table Podcast’s (now Close Watch) monthly coverage of the Star Wars and Harry Potter films, “The Italian Stallion” was eyed as the next long-running, beloved series to take the spotlight. Alas, plans changed, and we didn’t enter the ring until now.

At last, we tackle the 1976 classic that is Rocky. One of only four franchise films to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, the film—directed by John G. Avildsen (The Karate Kid)—introduced Sylvester Stallone’s leading-man status and has left an indelible mark on the industry in the nearly five decades since it first hit the big screen.

Lauren Knight from That Movie Is Fine joins us to chat about the enduring legacy of Rocky. We’ll discuss how its themes still resonate today, why Stallone needed to write his own star-making project, and how the film lays the groundwork for what has become a decades-long character study. More about people than boxing, Rocky is so much more than a sports movie.

Join us to discover why Rocky still justifies the cultural phenomenon it created. We bet you’ll be jogging up the nearest staircase in no time.