Advanced TV Herstory: TV’s Funniest Women: Past, Present & Future

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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.

TV’s Funniest Women: Past, Present & Future

May 3, 2025

From Lucille Ball to Tina Fey, from Joan Rivers to Margaret Cho, women have been rewriting the rules of comedy for decades — and they're not done yet. Host Cynthia Bemis Abrams is joined by Lynn Harris, founder of Gold Comedy, to explore the legacy and future of funny women on TV. Together, they dissect the comedic influence of legends like Mary Tyler Moore, Moms Mabley, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus — and discuss why shows like SNL still present challenges for women today. With a nod to streaming, social media, and evolving industry gatekeepers, this episode dives into how women and non-binary creatives are shaping the next chapter of television comedy.

Background & Mentions

Gold Comedy – https://goldcomedy.com/

1.21 – Lucille Ball’s Humility & Pride
https://traffic.libsyn.com/advancedtvherstory/Lucille_Balls_Humility__Pride.mp3

6.15 – Presenting Margaret Cho
https://advancedtvherstory.libsyn.com/presenting-margaret-cho

11.1 – SNL’s Gilda Radner: A Life Celebrated in Film
https://advancedtvherstory.libsyn.com/snls-gilda-radner-a-life-celebrated-in-film

Book recommendations: Joan Rivers (1986) Enter Talking and Carol Burnett (2011) This Time Together

Learn more about Moms Mabley https://nmaahc.si.edu/moms-mabley

TV series Ellen (1994-98) S.4, e 22 The Puppy Episode https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xnty3f

WI Public Radio interview with Hacks creators https://www.wpr.org/culture/hacks-co-creators-on-their-emmy-winning-comedy-show

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