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Welcome to Advanced TV Herstory, the podcast that connects the dots of TV & feminism and American politics & culture. We tell the stories of women in TV who have had a profound impact on the confidence and aspirations of generations of girls and women.

We highlight the pioneering journalists, talented actresses, and gutsy writers who challenged societal norms and provide historical context for their achievements within the cultural and political trends of the time. By exploring the past, we ensure that the struggles, triumphs, and milestones of these women are not lost to history.

Hosted and produced by television scholar Cynthia Bemis Abrams, Advanced TV Herstory is more than just a podcast. It is a research-based examination of the evolution of television and women in our society. Each episode is an opportunity to inspire listeners to believe in themselves, challenge norms, break barriers, and shape the future of television and our world.

Learn more and subscribe to our newsletter at www.tvherstory.com/.

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  2. Mrs. America & TV’s Dimensional Feminism

Mrs. America & TV’s Dimensional Feminism

May 3, 2020

TV writer and producer April Smith returns to chat with host Cynthia Bemis Abrams about layered storytelling, the politics of representation, and what it means to write truthfully in different eras of feminism.

They discuss Smith’s work on the 2020 Hulu series Mrs. America, which dramatized the women’s movement of the 1970s and the political resistance to the Equal Rights Amendment. Together, they also explore Smith’s legacy on shows like Lou Grant and Cagney & Lacey, where she wrote from within the male-dominated writers' rooms.

This episode explores:
  • Writing sexual harassment and power dynamics into scripts long before #MeToo

  • How producers and writers shaped the tone of early feminist TV

  • April Smith’s shift from television into award-winning historical fiction

  • The reality of being the only woman in the room—and what has (or hasn’t) changed

  • Insight into how Mrs. America created multi-dimensional portrayals of iconic feminists
Referenced works:
  • Mrs. America (Hulu, 2020)

  • Lou Grant episode on harassment https://youtu.be/I5mQzNo-nLM?si=rU6u5Fyre4XLWRA0

  • Lou Grant: The Making of TV’s Top Newspaper Drama by Douglass K. Daniel

  • Previous April Smith episode of Advanced TV Herstory:  Episode 3.25