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Somewhere along the way, the traditional sitcom shed its laugh track and gained as much complexity as its prestige drama counterparts. In this season finale episode, we discuss some of the best guests in the West, how streamers busted nearly 100 years of hierarchy, how sitcoms are no longer always sits or coms, and binges before binges. Shows featured include KIM'S CONVENIENCE, HART OF DIXIE, YOU'RE THE WORST, and PUSHING DAISIES. Thank you for listening!

Links:

Postcard Project - https://www.turnoutpac.org/

More Postcards - https://www.activateamerica.vote/postcards

A few more postcards - https://www.mobilize.us/

KIM'S CONVENIENCE Melee - https://screenrant.com/kims-convenience-season-6-canceled-cast-reactions/

PUSHING DAISIES' Set Designer Michael Wylie - https://www.pushing-pixels.org/2012/11/28/production-design-of-pushing-daisies-interview-with-michael-wylie.html

No Children - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Children

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Where have we been? Lost in the wilderness! Where have you been? But seriously, this penultimate episode is about the wide wilderness of grief, and the shows that have been brave and foolish enough to tackle the topic. We discuss our comfort shows, AI and dead celebrities, collective sorrow, and finding a way forward. Shows featured include GO ON, THE HANDMAID'S TALE, KIDDING, and TREME. As usual, spoilers ahead. And some melancholia.

Links

GBS/CIDP Foundation International - https://www.gbs-cidp.org

Melanoma Research Foundation - https://melanoma.org

Norm and Cliff Robots in Airports - https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/cheers-bar-robots-controversy

George Carlin AI Special? - http://tinyurl.com/CarlinDudesy

AI Brings Film Stars Back From Dead - http://tinyurl.com/DeadCelebsAI

Storytelling as a Way Through Grief - http://tinyurl.com/StorytellingGrief

Collective Bereavement - https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1054137315590745

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After a holiday hiatus, we are back to discuss double agents, digital and analog decryption, and international sexpionage. As Cold War kids, we recall the early shows about spies that made us wish we were young recruits. We also talk about famous honey traps throughout history and private lives made public (aka reality tv shows). Shows featured are: THE COMPANY YOU KEEP, KILLING EVE, THE AMERICANS, and SLEEPY HOLLOW. It's spoiler-ific.

Links:

March for Our Lives: https://marchforourlives.com/

Reality TV and Real Ethics: https://mediaengagement.org/research/reality-tv-and-real-ethics/

The History of the Honey Trap: https://foreignpolicy.com/2010/03/12/the-history-of-the-honey-trap/

SLEEPY HOLLOW Expose: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/sleepy-hollow-set-hellish-nicole-beharie-burn-it-down-1235508051/

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Ever since our friend Peter Mulvey floated the idea of "a month to lean up on," we've been trying to crack the code of time travel. This episode's series have done that, and then some, all in ways that nearly broke our brains. This hour we discuss meeting time travelers, the infinite darkness of the antihero, our favorite time jumping series, and those series we loved, but flew straight over our heads like a UFO flashing warning signals to the humans below. Shows featured are TRAVELERS, TIMELESS, DARK, and BODIES. Spoilers all over the place.

Links:

Civil Eats: https://civileats.com/

Is TIme Travel Possible?: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20231110-doctor-who-is-time-travel-really-possible-heres-what-physics-says

Bootstrap Paradox: https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a41600521/bootstrap-paradox/

Flatterland by Ian Stewart / How to Escape a Black Hole: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flatterland

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With two fortysomething ladies who enjoy a nice pinot gris as hosts, you might be clamoring for some crime content. Well, the wait is over. In this episode, we dig into some memorable deaths from television history, what social psych says about why we like to watch murder as entertainment, some of our favorite crime-centered dramas and documentaries, and how our brains adapt or maladapt. Featured shows include: MINDHUNTER, YOU, THE FALL, and UNFORGOTTEN. We tried this time, but we still spoiled.

Links:

End the rape kit backlog: https://www.endthebacklog.org/

Why Are Women Drawn [to True Crime]?: http://www.amandavicary.com/VicaryTrueCrime.pdf

Why Are Women Drawn [to True Crime]? #2:https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahwatts/2019/02/28/what-one-researcher-discovered-about-americas-true-crime-obsession/?sh=1810efa55e6e

Here's Why People Love True Crime Podcasts: https://backtracks-blog.com/heres-why-people-love-true-crime-podcasts/

TV's Bloody Bubble: https://www.theringer.com/tv/2021/7/9/22567381/true-crime-documentaries-boom-bubble-netflix-hbo

Amateur Sleuths: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/apr/25/internet-amateur-detectives-social-media-true-crime

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The "strong female lead," as represented across decades and within genres, defies typecasting. This episode's woman-led shows tell a cross-section of stories, some relatable and some unbelievable. We also select our favorite TV moms, pretend BFFs, and based-on-a-true-story tales. Featured series are THE CHAIR, OFFSPRING, HAPPY VALLEY, and GRACE & FRANKIE. We spoil!

Links:

National Network of Abortion Funds: https://abortionfunds.org/

Angela Kang Walking Dead Wiki: https://walkingdead.fandom.com/wiki/Angela_Kang

Billy Joel "The Stranger": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5ofVsxTPoc

Maternal mortality data: https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2022/p0919-pregnancy-related-deaths.html

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Whether you plan to pass out in a carb coma or have to herd Black Friday shoppers in the wee hours, we hope you have time for some rest and relaxation with the ones you love this week. We discuss the good and bad of finale tropes, some favorite sidekicks, shows we tried and failed to engage with, and cozy holiday viewing traditions. BLOODLINE, BROTHERS & SISTERS, INSECURE, and EVERYTHING'S GONNA BE OKAY are featured in this episode. Because we discuss endings, spoilers be.

Links:

Feeding America: https://www.feedingamerica.org/

Storytelling at Thanksgiving: https://www.chickasaw.tv/playlists/the-importance-of-storytelling/videos/thanksgiving-storytelling-from-a-native-perspective

Pew Center for Research: https://www.pewresearch.org/topic/family-relationships/household-structure-family-roles/

Vulture: Secret Hx of Television: Keeping Shows Cute: https://www.vulture.com/2015/06/vulture-secret-history-television-cousin-oliver-syndrome.html

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