“Generation: The media we love & how it shapes us” is a podcast series from Connecticut Public. Each season tells the origin story of a beloved cultural touchstone, asks what keeps it alive across generations, and explores how it shapes who we’ve become.
From the creators of "Generation: Barney" and “Generation: Gilmore Girls” comes "Generation: Baby-Sitters Club”. This season we revisit “The Baby-Sitters Club” book franchise and ask what it means 40 years later. Over five episodes, we learn about how the paperbacks shaped the world of children’s publishing, from the writers and editors who brought them to life. We hear from creators and actors about how it’s reaching new audiences through graphic novels and on-screen adaptations, and why we cherish these stories that take the tender years between elementary school and high school seriously.
In season two, "Generation: Gilmore Girls" revisited the popular TV series and asks why it still resonates 25 years after its premiere. We learn how the show shaped some of the actors who worked on it, the fans who watch it, and the place that inspired it. It’s about the television that comforts us and helps us become who we are, from the state that inspired the whole phenomenon: Connecticut.
In season one, "Generation: Barney" explored the media we loved as kids and how it shapes us. It’s about the purple dinosaur, but it’s also about music and love and backlash and toys and nostalgia. Most of all, it’s about the television that helps us become who we are, from the station that helped launch “Barney” into the world.
Learn more about the podcast at ctpublic.org/generation (http://ctpublic.org/generation).
To support more journalism like this, visit ctpublic.org/donate (https://donate.ctpublic.org).
Marketing support provided by The Podglomerate.
Generation: Baby-Sitters Club | The BSC Takes The Screen
Host [Host Name] interviews child actors, showrunners, and critics about adapting beloved books to screen and the cultural impact of media for girls.
6 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT
Generation: Baby-Sitters Club | Jean's Great Idea
Host Jean Smith explores the enduring legacy of "The Baby-Sitters Club" and its impact on readers and publishing.
8 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT
Generation: Baby-Sitters Club | Trailer
Host Genevieve Gross explores the enduring impact of "The Baby-Sitters Club" on a generation, revealing its cultural significance.
4 Aug 2026TRANSCRIPT
S3 Sneak Peek: New Season, New Generation
Host [Host Name] interviews [Guest Name, Credential] about how a tween-created childcare cooperative inspired a beloved book series and its adaptations.
16 Dec 2025
Generation Gilmore Girls: Welcome to Stars Hollow, Connecticut!
Every year, fans travel to Connecticut to get a taste of Stars Hollow. No, the town doesn’t exist. But it is inspired by very real places. Those places have even been shaped by the show. In this episode, we explore which parts of Connecticut inspired "Gilmore Girls" creator Amy Sherman-Palladino. We’ll road trip with you to discover your own piece of Stars Hollow – and to see how the real life places compare to the Connecticut on the show. Parents, a heads-up: audio contains a few bleeped explicit words.
9 Dec 2025
Generation Gilmore Girls: Play it again, Amy!
25 years after its premiere, "Gilmore Girls" lives on because of its fans. Those fans have created a special community – one that feels a lot like the small town of Stars Hollow in the show. What is it about "Gilmore Girls" that inspires people to come together? And what can it teach us about what we’re missing in our daily lives? “Gilmore Guys” podcast host Kevin T. Porter, cast member Yanic Truesdale, and Firelight Festival organizer Jennie Whitaker reflect on the special fandom that is keeping the show alive on television screens and in our hearts.
2 Dec 2025
Generation Gilmore Girls: Oy, with the Gilmores already!
"Gilmore Girls" premiered on The WB in October 2000 and it’s still finding new fans 25 years later. In this episode, we’re on a mission to find out how "Gilmore Girls" found its audience, while staying true to itself – from its "Gilmore speed” delivery, its pop culture-packed references, and its complicated female characters. Hear why it resonates from actor Keiko Agena, who played Lane Kim on the show, and fan and "Ginny & Georgia" creator Sarah Lampert.
28 Oct 2025
Generation Gilmore Girls: Trailer
Pour your coffee and grab your red vines… The trailer for Generation Gilmore Girls is here! A three-part podcast about the TV we love and how it shapes us. Coming December 2.
2 Oct 2025
Sneak Peek: New Season, New Generation
The team behind Generation Barney is back with something new. This season, we take a look at one of the most famous shows set in Connecticut. Meet Generation Gilmore Girls, a three-part podcast about the media we love and how it shapes us.
17 Dec 2024
Purple-Colored Glasses
Barney Stinson and Dr. Jeffrey L. Gardere explore why the purple dinosaur's values remain a comfort for many decades after his initial impact, offering a unique perspective on nostalgia and personal growth.
10 Dec 2024
Kid Bopz
Barney's songwriters and the kids on the show reveal how their catchy, repetitive tunes teach toddlers valuable lessons while sparking parental memories of ear-piercing torture.
3 Dec 2024
Purple Dino Puppeteers
Industry experts and former Barney puppeteers share their experiences as young viewers and how the purple dinosaur impacted their lives and careers.
26 Nov 2024
Purple Capitalism
Barney & Friends co-creators share the untold history of 'Purple Capitalism,' where beloved characters fueled a multi-billion-dollar merchandising industry.
19 Nov 2024
Love 2 Hate
Kids all over the world loved Barney. But even though Barney loved everybody, not everybody loved him back. Some parents found the character pretty annoying. Other grown-ups took things a step further. In some cases, the Barney backlash even got violent. That extreme reaction from adults? It can tell us a bit about our culture today — and how much our identities can get wrapped up in the things we love and hate.
This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp (https://www.betterhelp.com/). Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/DINO (http://betterhelp.com/dino) and get on your way to being your best self.
This episode is sponsored by MasterClass. Learn from the best to become your best. Head over to masterclass.com/DINO (http://masterclass.com/DINO) for the current offer.
For more info on Generation Barney, visit ctpublic.org/barney (https://www.ctpublic.org/podcast/generation-barney).
Support the show: https://www.ctpublic.org/donate (https://www.ctpublic.org/donate)
See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.
12 Nov 2024
Toddler TV
In the 90s, preschoolers went nuts for “Barney & Friends” — and that’s kind of by design. The people behind the show put a lot of thought into every detail, from the word choices in scripts to the behaviors Barney modeled. Barney spoke to kids in a language they could understand. And those little ones? They were also central to the creation, and evolution, of the show. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/DINO and get on your way to being your best self.
12 Nov 2024
Dinosync
For years, two men brought Barney to life. In this episode of Generation Barney, meet Bob West and David Joyner, the two men who together created the iconic purple Dinosaur.
28 Oct 2024
Trailer: Generation Barney
Generation Barney is a seven part podcast about the media we loved as kids and how it shapes us.
Inside a recent episode
Generation: Baby-Sitters Club | The BSC Takes The Screen
Published 6 Oct 2026 · Transcript excerpt
[…] It was the first time that I was in a all girls space. where we were working our minds, bodies, and spirits off. And the showrunners and critics who grew up with the series. I definitely grew up feeling defensive about how much I liked The Babysitter's Club. This was the first adaptation that was made by people who had grown up reading the books. We ask what it means when media for girls gets dismissed and why these beloved shows and movies aren't getting wider recognition. I think that stuff that's for girls is often seen as being kind of niche, whereas stuff that is for boys that age is Star Wars, you know, and is seen as being sort of huge and global and for everyone. […]
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