Advanced TV Herstory

About Advanced TV Herstory

Connect the dots of TV and feminism to American culture and politics with host Cynthia Bemis Abrams. Interviews with top names - in front of and behind the scenes - offer insights into TV that has shaped American culture and influenced the world. Check out episodes featuring interviews with women in television like Annie Potts, Margaret Cho and Kim Fields, TV directors, showrunners and writers, as well as academics and authors. Television veteran writers Georgia Jeffries, Victoria Riskin and April Smith are featured in episodes that explain storytelling as a writing craft. These discussions will forever change how you watch TV. Explore issues of race through interviews with academics Robin Means-Coleman and Charlene Regester, and influencer Karly Beaumont. Ever since the #MeToo Movement of 2017-18, Cynthia has highlighted key episodes and events surrounding sexual harassment - fictional and real life. With listeners around the world, Cynthia celebrates the progress of representation in media and captures the stories and insights that make TV a powerful storyteller and mirror of truth. In 2025, Cynthia started revealing more about the book she and a colleague are writing. Subscribe to our monthly newsletter at www.tvherstory.com. Promise, your data will never be sold.

Publisher

Cynthia Bemis Abrams

Category

society & culture · tv & film · tv & film

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

25 Jun 2015

Latest episode

28 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

181 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   28 Sept 2026

   Representation with Caroline Heldman

   Host Cynthia Bemis Abrams speaks with Caroline Heldman, PhD, about the power of media to shape cultural change and the political imagination. They explore how television, streaming, film, advertising, social media, and AI influence who audiences see as leaders, experts, protagonists, and decision-makers. Heldman explains her work developing "The Scully Effect" as it related to representation of women in STEM fields. Further, she stresses the importance of both quantitative and qualitative representation, the impact of inclusive storytelling on career aspirations, and continuing gaps affecting women, people of colour, LGBTQIA+ people and those of differing physical abilities and size. Resources noted: The Geena Davis Institute for Gender in Media — Research and practical resources for representation in entertainment and advertising, including the “Be It, See It” message. https://geenadavisinstitute.org/ (https://geenadavisinstitute.org/) Stacy Smith at USC — Professor and Founder of the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative https://an nenberg.usc.edu/faculty/stacy-l-smith (https://annenberg.usc.edu/faculty/stacy-l-smith) Dr. Martha Lauzen at SDSU — Media representation research. Common Sense Media — Media research and guidance for families and educators. https://about.commonsensemedia.org/ (https://about.commonsensemedia.org/) Caroline Heldman’s forthcoming book — The Presidential Gender Penalty: From Victoria Woodhull to Kamala Harris. https://www.bloomsbury.com/ca/presidential-gender-penalty-9798216392248/ (https://www.bloomsbury.com/ca/presidential-gender-penalty-9798216392248/) Advanced TV Herstory episodes mentioned: 1.10 (2015) Hill Street Blues' Davenport & Bates https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/1c37565a-dcb6-4b5a-833c-a877c306c407.mp3 (https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/1c37565a-dcb6-4b5a-833c-a877c306c407.mp3) CONNECT WITH CYNTHIA and ADVANCED TV HERSTORY Monthly Newsletter - https://cynthiabemisabrams.com/ (https://cynthiabemisabrams.com/) Website - https://cynthiabemisabrams.com/ (https://cynthiabemisabrams.com/) Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/advancedtvherstory/ (https://www.instagram.com/advancedtvherstory/) YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@advancedtvherstory (https://www.youtube.com/@advancedtvherstory/featured) LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthia-bemis-abrams-5046573/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthia-bemis-abrams-5046573/) PRODUCTION Podcast Editing - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariloumarosz/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariloumarosz/) Video Editing - https://nivialopez.com/ (https://nivialopez.com/) Music by Jahzzar - https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jahzzar/ (https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jahzzar/) TIMESTAMPS [00:37] Introduction: Caroline Heldman, PhD [03:47] Representation of women, girls, and others [06:17] The Scully Effect [09:34] Research and resources on inclusivity in media [11:43] Quantity and quality of representation [14:12] Representation of race [16:43] The impact of AI and social media [21:51] Statistics on porn and AI [27:11] Federal and state legislation [30:06] Change, social movements, and double standards [33:40] A backlash to progress [36:02] Influential TV women [38:49] Upcoming book: Presidential Gender Penalty

2. 

   13 Sept 2026

   Linda Kelsey on Lou Grant, MASH & Acting

   Minnesota-born actor Linda Kelsey reflects on her television career, including her role as reporter Billie Newman on Lou Grant (1977–1982) and her guest appearance on M*A*S*H in 1976. She discusses her Golden Globe and Emmy nominations, her work across television, and how the writers and directors of Lou Grant tackled controversial social topics that helped give the series lasting cultural significance. Linda and Cynthia discuss Billie Newman’s importance as representation of women in the male-dominated field of journalism post-Watergate, her on-screen relationship with Margaret Pynchon, and her off-screen connection with Nancy Marchand. Linda revisits the controversy surrounding Ed Asner’s political statements and the show’s cancellation, then shares her enduring passion for acting—especially live theater, where the immediate response of an audience makes every performance unique. RESOURCES MENTIONED Book — (1996) Lou Grant: The Making of TV’s Top Newspaper Drama by Douglass Daniel. Advanced TV Herstory episodes - TV Writer April Smith on Lou Grant, Cagney & Lacey and Storytelling (2017) https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/646f4a94-f444-4ab9-b351-058a23238b0f.mp3 (https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/646f4a94-f444-4ab9-b351-058a23238b0f.mp3) Mrs. America and TV's Dimensional Feminism (featuring April Smith in 2020) https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/e0f75b62-4be6-4857-9a15-cf9fe3f5465c.mp3 (https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/e0f75b62-4be6-4857-9a15-cf9fe3f5465c.mp3) CONNECT WITH CYNTHIA and ADVANCED TV HERSTORY Monthly Newsletter - https://cynthiabemisabrams.com/ (https://cynthiabemisabrams.com/) Website - https://cynthiabemisabrams.com/ (https://cynthiabemisabrams.com/) Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/advancedtvherstory/ (https://www.instagram.com/advancedtvherstory/) YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@advancedtvherstory (https://www.youtube.com/@advancedtvherstory/featured) LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthia-bemis-abrams-5046573/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthia-bemis-abrams-5046573/) PRODUCTION Podcast Editing - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariloumarosz/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariloumarosz/) Video Editing - https://nivialopez.com/ (https://nivialopez.com/) Music by Jahzzar - https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jahzzar/ (https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jahzzar/) TIMESTAMPS [01:14] Introduction: Linda Kelsey [03:38] Leaving Hollywood for Minnesota [06:05] Working in the theater [10:01] Lou Grant (1977-1982) [11:47] Becoming Billie Newman [17:45] Representation of working women [23:32] Day by Day with Julia Louis-Dreyfus [24:49] M*A*S*H" and the evolution of Margaret Houlihan [28:44] Women writers and harassment [34:35] Storytelling and real-life issues [38:19] Nancy Marchand, Mrs. Pynchon & Katharine Graham [41:09] Ed Asner, Ronald Reagan, and the "Lou Grant" cancellation [47:17] Billie Newman's TV legacy Linda Kelsey, Lou Grant, Billie Newman, women in television, women journalists on TV, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, M*A*S*H, Ed Asner, Nancy Marchand, television history, classic TV interviews, female representation in media, live theater, Advanced TV Herstory

3. 

   5 Aug 2026

   Killing Eve: Queering the Thriller

   Host Cynthia Bemis Abrams interviews Dr. Clare Sears about her upcoming book on Killing Eve for Wayne State University Press’s TV Milestone Series. Dr. Sears explains why Killing Eve qualifies as milestone television. The series created groundbreaking queer representation and framing within the traditional spy thriller genre. Further, Sears explains how Killing Eve's creators subverted the cat-and-mouse thriller to stage desire, obsession, and power in ways TV rarely allows women characters to inhabit. They also explore the show’s lasting impact on contemporary television and the series's fandom's focus on every detail. Wayne State University Press https://wsupress.wayne.edu/ (https://wsupress.wayne.edu/) Clare Sears, PhD https://claresears.com/ (https://claresears.com/) Past Advanced TV Herstory interviews from TV Milestone authors: Women of the Americans, featuring Linda Mizejewski https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/e1a3d34b-bfb6-4e03-848e-bf067e98f87e.mp3 (https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/e1a3d34b-bfb6-4e03-848e-bf067e98f87e.mp3) Murder She Wrote, Lansbury & the Power of Cozy Mysteries with Bridget Kies https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/bc08ce87-33ed-465f-904e-8ce604b5f9d2.mp3 CONNECT WITH CYNTHIA and ADVANCED TV HERSTORY Monthly Newsletter - https://cynthiabemisabrams.com/ (https://cynthiabemisabrams.com/) Website - https://cynthiabemisabrams.com/ (https://cynthiabemisabrams.com/) Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/advancedtvherstory/ (https://www.instagram.com/advancedtvherstory/) YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@advancedtvherstory (https://www.youtube.com/@advancedtvherstory/featured) LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthia-bemis-abrams-5046573/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthia-bemis-abrams-5046573/) PRODUCTION Podcast Editing - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariloumarosz/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariloumarosz/) Video Editing - https://nivialopez.com/ (https://nivialopez.com/) Music by Jahzzar - https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jahzzar/ (https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jahzzar/)

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