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 with actors Annie Potts, Margaret Cho, Stepfanie Kramer of Hunter, Kim Fields of Facts of Life and Living Single, and daytime's Cady McClain. 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.

Murder She Wrote, Lansbury & the Power of Cozy Mysteries

Jun 5, 2025

Why do cozy mysteries still dominate the mystery genre, decades after their prime? Cynthia Bemis Abrams welcomes Prof. Bridget Kies of Oakland University for an insightful conversation exploring the long-running impact of Murder, She Wrote (1984–1996) and the enduring appeal of the cozy crime...

Pioneer Women Writers of TV with Annie Berke, PhD

Oct 10, 2023

In this engaging episode of Advanced TV Herstory, we explore the groundbreaking contributions of women writers in the early days of television with special guest Annie Berke, PhD. As the author of Their Own Best Creations: Women Writers in Postwar Television, Dr. Berke delves into the pivotal roles these women played...

Women of The Americans

Apr 14, 2022

Cold War espionage with an 80s feminist touch - The Americans (FX, 2013-2018) gave us a new form of anti-hero in Elizabeth Jennings, played by Keri Russell. Cynthia and guest author Linda Mizejewski discuss the award-winning series' women, its commitment to accuracy and the bold approach of depicting spies as real...

TV's Single Women Caregivers and Gimme A Break!

Aug 23, 2018

In taking a look at Jeanine Furino's book All the Single Girls, the lead character single woman caregiver has evolved over 60 years. This episode looks at its historical context of 50s and 60s society as well as 1981's Gimme A Break!, which re-introduced us to a mammy character. Dr. Jennifer Fuller of Miami University...

Tending the Fandom

Jul 26, 2018

Women writers & directors bring a distinct lens to their jobs, so too have Dorothy Swanson and Liz Prugh led fan movements in ways that have benefited many. Hear more about how Swanson's "Viewers for Quality Television" grassroots efforts organized fans in the 80s & 90s to encourage and save excellent programming. Liz...