Everything feels really heavy right now but, boy, is it a hard day to be someone whose world was shaped by the romantic comedy of the '80s, at the movies and every afternoon on TV

I just sent in the proofs and index to the 2nd ed. of The Media Studies Toolkit, coming soon. Added index entries for 2e include: Beyoncé, Carpenter, S., The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Spielberg, S., Swift, T., Wednesday, X (social media).

New Toolkit edition coming in February 2026 www.routledge.com/The-Media-St...

Disney cross-promoting Marvel and . . . General Hospital?! Another never thought I'd see it moment.

Got to do an interview about HER STORIES on the New Books Network podcast! newbooksnetwork.com/her-stories

The state can easily allow UWM to make long-term investments by funding the university system properly.

Gaggle of 15 year old boys in the house to watch the new Phineas & Ferb season. It’s a beautiful thing

Such a thrill to write about My So-Called Life and Winnie Holzman for @atpost45.bsky.social!

For @ehl.bsky.social, the voice of MSCL's creator, Winnie Holzman (who would go on to write the musical and film adaptation of Wicked), stands out. Holzman’s style has had an enormous & largely unrecognized effect on popular culture, especially on depictions of girlhood. post45.org/2025/05/the-...

VERY excited for this one . . . coming Thursday!

It’s sooooo good!

I graduated today! Can't thank my friends, family, and my advisor @ehl.bsky.social enough for all their support, joy, and care. Thank you all so much!

Strong final episode (before a bonus ep!) of Making: Stories Without End. So happy I got to explain my beef with the "OJ killed the soaps" narrative, one of my pet peeves www.wbez.org/making/2025/...

new piece on soaps with some thoughts from me www.ft.com/content/d4d8...

For Flow, I wrote this essay about the camera looks in Abbott Elementary and other comedies, and camera looks more generally going back to film comedian comedies and musicals. I connect these looks to the sitcom laugh track. www.flowjournal.org/2025/04/came...

This week's episode of Making: Stories without End is a great look at the place of Black actors, writers, and viewers for daytime soaps, plus a bit on the history of Black characters and storylines. Good stuff! www.wbez.org/making/2025/...

This is a really good TV history podcast with a critical edge and lots of great audio clips.

If you need a respite from, well, all of this, check out episode 2 of Making: Stories without End, all about the soaps' attention to "women's issues." W/ great cover image of Erica Kane! www.wbez.org/making/2025/...

First episode out today for Making: Stories without End podcast from @wbez.org! This one is mostly about the "mother" of daytime soap opera, Irna Phillips. If you like Chicago, broadcast history, soap opera, or listening to me you will enjoy it! www.wbez.org/making/2025/...

Trailer up today for new podcast from @wbez.org! You can hear me briefly in the trailer and in a few episodes of the show, launching April 8. Should be a great look at impact of soaps www.wbez.org/making/2025/...

The first of the (vast) coverage of new CBS soap, Beyond the Gates, that actually engages with the industry logics that CBS and P&G are employing. No surprise that they include value of soap streaming audience AND brand integrations, just like a proper 1930s radio serial. variety.com/2025/tv/news...

Glad to be part of some full fledged coverage of CBS' new soap, Beyond the Gates! www.nytimes.com/2025/02/05/a...

Nice to see that UWM alum Susan Kerns will be leading MKE Film

A lot of research goes into my podcasts. I'll post more photos of shelves, this one is special. Am truly grateful for the dozens of authors who've shared their work on Advanced TV Herstory, including @ehl.bsky.social @jmkarmstrong.bsky.social @drtvlotz.bsky.social

The line between TikTok and TV is pretty blurry. An essay by me on After Midnight with Taylor Tomlinson and many of my other FYP regulars in @flowtv.bsky.social. www.flowjournal.org/2024/12/tikt...

Excited to have made it to a panel with NBC Universal archivists talking about preparing Homicide: Life on the Street for steaming. AMIA conference here in Milwaukee

Strong recommend for fans of old school arcade games + artsy/kitschy mini-golf! www.cancanwonderland.com

Pounce the Panther came to our last faculty meeting of the year to congratulate our chair, Lane Hall, who is retiring. We will really miss his collegial leadership.

The Emmys coming right after the Globes is making this like the world’s most boring rerun

I think that may be the best episode of a daytime soap I’ve ever seen. Such a deep grasp of why we are watching. Wow. #GH

Not recommended: getting teen up and out the door to school first day after winter break

in other TV news, everyone in my house liked Hallmark's Round and Round, this year's Hanukkah movie. Long live the rom com!

trying to make sense of this Netflix data drop . . . has anyone seen any info on what they are considering an "hour viewed"? Is it literally a viewing hour or does X minutes constitute an hour? So many questions . . . deadline.com/2023/12/netf...

Moonlighting pilot is so ‘80s pilot-y in some rough ways but oh does David Addison still got it

just sent a student to the campus library to fetch the DVDs of Homicide: Life on the Street since they told me they are obsessed with finding the show after watching the making of documentary about "The Subway" in my class. Work done.

couldn't take the other place much longer; missed you all. Phew