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The TV Doctor

The TV Doctor

By M. Foss

Television "prescriptions" to help cure whatever is ailing you.
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Nostalgia: The Pain From an Old Wound (Episode 12)

The TV DoctorNov 23, 2019

00:00
01:31:48
Homesickness: The HBCU Experience (Episode 36)

Homesickness: The HBCU Experience (Episode 36)

Homesickness is a funny thing, ain't it? Some of us feel it when we leave home for college. Some of us feel it when we leave college for the next thing. This episode is dedicated to those of us in that second camp: the ones for whom college is HOME, especially those of us who found home at an HBCU (Historically Black College/University). HBCUs are somewhat rare in the television landscape, but their stories are important and they deserve The TV Doctor treatment.

Please note: this episode does contain a discussion about a representation of sexual assault. If you would like to avoid this conversation, it begins around the 51:45 minute mark, and concludes by 53:15.


Jul 01, 202101:14:03
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: The Marvel Cinematic Universe, TV Edition (Episode 35)

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: The Marvel Cinematic Universe, TV Edition (Episode 35)

You know what every good television universe needs? A proper crossover episode, of course! Well, never let it be said that the TV Doctor doesn't give you what you need. In this episode, M. Foss welcomes legendary comic experts The Capeless Crusaders for a spicy conversation about WandaVision and Falcon and the Winter Soldier, in which we ponder both the inequalities in representations of trauma AND why your superhero outfit should never be baggy. Audiences assemble! P.S. Spoilers abound, so enter at your own risk.

May 17, 202101:45:08
Stockholm Syndrome: Law & Order (Episode 34)

Stockholm Syndrome: Law & Order (Episode 34)

In the [televised] criminal justice system, the majority of programs are considered especially heinous. In the world of podcasting, the dedicated host who investigates these vicious time-sucks is a member of an elite squad known as The TV Doctor. This is her episode about Law & Order. *doink doink*

Mar 26, 202101:26:52
Phantom Limb Syndrome: The Promise of the Premise (Episode 33)

Phantom Limb Syndrome: The Promise of the Premise (Episode 33)

Sometimes our favorite shows will try to convince us that we can't see what we KNOW we can see, or that we ARE seeing something that's not really there, like a phantom limb. Join the TV Doctor for a discussion of three shows that try to get away with this kind of okie doke: Married at First Sight, Basketball Wives, and 90 Day Fiancé.


P.S. I mentioned an article in the episode, but I forgot to cite it for you. It's called "Unruly Women and Carnivalesque Countercontrol: Offensive Humor in Mediated Social Protest" (2019) and the authors are Anne Graefer, Allaina Kilby, and Inger-Lise Kalviknes Bore. 

Feb 16, 202101:04:40
Hypnopompic Hallucinations: Hauntology and Atonement (Episode 32)

Hypnopompic Hallucinations: Hauntology and Atonement (Episode 32)

Join the TV Doctor as we graciously invite the poltergeist that was 2020 to stop haunting us. Our last episode of the year asks us to consider past, present, and yet to come, just like ya boy Scrooge (Dickens or Duck, take your pick). You'll be visited by three shows that speak to apparitions of atonement: The Umbrella Academy, Angel, and The Crown. Here's to a more meaningful haunting, and a happier future!

Dec 25, 202001:09:29
Keratoconjunctivitis Sicca: Tearjerkers (Episode 31)

Keratoconjunctivitis Sicca: Tearjerkers (Episode 31)

It's not that you've got something in your eye; it's that you just worked your way through The TV Doctor's list of recommended tearjerkers. It's okay to cry. Let it all out. There, that's better.

Dec 08, 202053:20
Dyschronometria: What day is it? (Episode 30)

Dyschronometria: What day is it? (Episode 30)

The TV Doctor is back after some time (a little bit of time? a long time? who's to say?) with some timeless questions: Why is it so difficult to wrap our heads around the concept of time? What can television do to center us in the here and now? And, most importantly, what day is it?

Nov 20, 202030:20
Hyperthymesia, part two: I May Destroy You (Episode 29)

Hyperthymesia, part two: I May Destroy You (Episode 29)

In this conclusion to my two-part conversation about the revelation that is I May Destroy You, my Second Opinion guest (the esteemed Elaine Welteroth) and I are joined by Elaine's husband, Jonathan Singletary, who provides an interesting Third Opinion from a man's perspective. We were all destroyed, yes, but you have to tune in to learn why destruction can be a good thing.

Sep 18, 202001:30:25
Hyperthymesia: I May Destroy You (Episode 28)

Hyperthymesia: I May Destroy You (Episode 28)

It might just be the best show of the summer. Hell, it might just be the best show of all time. When a show says "I May Destroy You," take it as a WHOLE trigger warning. There's so much to unpack here that it takes The TV Doctor and her Second Opinion (New York Times bestselling author Elaine Welteroth) TWO episodes to do it. Here's the first. And don't say we didn't warn you. You're gonna love it, but it may destroy you.

Sep 11, 202001:18:40
Iron-deficiency Anemia: Best TV Weddings Ever (Episode 27)

Iron-deficiency Anemia: Best TV Weddings Ever (Episode 27)

Dearest listener, do you take this podcast episode to be your downloaded and subscribed favorite? To positively review and rank? To laugh and to swoon? In long delays between episodes (blame COVID...I do) and House Calls on Instagram in the meantime, from this day forward, until a lack of internet do us part? You do? Then I now pronounce you ready for this episode! You may now hit the play button! [Please enjoy my countdown of the best television weddings of all time.]

Aug 12, 202043:37
Spontaneous Pneumothorax: Best TV Pilots Ever (Episode 26)

Spontaneous Pneumothorax: Best TV Pilots Ever (Episode 26)

What do superheroes have in common with a 9-1-1 operator, a Parent Trap-esque dating spree, an Evil Queen, and the 1970s sitcom What's Happening? They're all hints about the shows that made my list of the Best TV Pilots of all time! Can you use these hints to guess which shows I've chosen? You'll just have to listen to the episode to see if your guesses were right!

Jul 20, 202030:30
Depersonalization Disorder: Faith and Belief (Episode 25)

Depersonalization Disorder: Faith and Belief (Episode 25)

The TV Doctor returns for a third season, kicking things off with a journey through the way three shows tackle the greatest question known to humankind: what do I BELIEVE? From the non-denominational certainty of Proof, to the ironically irreverent treatment of organized religion in Lucifer, to the dreamy optimism of Star Trek: Discovery, join in for a conversation of how television presents ways for us to strengthen our beliefs by challenging them.

Jul 10, 202001:53:15
Emergency Room: Watchmen (Episode 24)

Emergency Room: Watchmen (Episode 24)

The representation of law enforcement on television is highly problematic, prompting some to call for it to be abolished along with the institutions it portrays. Others, like yours truly, instead recommend a change in the kind of representations we see (as well as more informed and critical consumption of television messages, of course). HBO's Watchmen has started that change, and it's the perfect place for us to begin our conversation about the television intersection where race/racism and the police meet. 

Jun 11, 202051:48
Levodian Flu: Boldly Go (Episode 23)

Levodian Flu: Boldly Go (Episode 23)

Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the TV Doctor podcast. Its continuing mission: to explore strange (yet familiar) new topics, to seek out new understandings about television texts and new connections for listeners, and to boldly go where thousands of podcasts have surely gone before, but in a totally new way. Ready to talk Trek? Well then...ENGAGE!
Apr 20, 202001:35:05
Rehabilitation: Here's to the Badasses! (Episode 22)

Rehabilitation: Here's to the Badasses! (Episode 22)

Cheers to the Badass! Let us salute the characters who are serving us toughness, intellect, respectability, success, bravery, empathy, and vulnerability. May we know them. May we be them. May we watch more of them on television. May we learn more about them in this week's episode.

Apr 06, 202001:30:55
Tonic Immobility: My Social Distancing Watchlist (Episode 21)

Tonic Immobility: My Social Distancing Watchlist (Episode 21)

This is not your average "what to watch while you self-isolate" list. Take a sneak peek inside The TV Doctor's A List (shows you REALLY SHOULD WATCH but just haven't done so yet) and B List (shows you REALLY SHOULD WATCH but probably never will, if we're being totally honest). Do you agree or disagree? Did The TV Doctor forget a show that belongs on this list? Stay tuned and find out!

Mar 23, 202032:60
Emergency Room: Love is Blind (Episode 20)

Emergency Room: Love is Blind (Episode 20)

If, like pretty much anyone who has Netflix, you've already heard of (or totally devoured) the "social experiment" known as Love is Blind, then why not hang out with The TV Doctor and friends for a spell as we chew it up and spit it out in all the ways you hadn't yet considered?  

Mar 15, 202001:54:45
Sprained Rotator Cuff: The Docuseries (Episode 19)

Sprained Rotator Cuff: The Docuseries (Episode 19)

Gimme a "DOCU"...gimme a "SERIES"...what's that spell? It spells: we're talking about the docuseries on this week's episode! From the awe-inspiring beauty of Planet Earth to the surprising depth and empathy of CHEER, we explore the sub-genre that reality-based programming wants to be when it grows up.

Mar 06, 202001:41:40
Emergency Room: The Circle (Episode 18)

Emergency Room: The Circle (Episode 18)

Don't worry that you're in the Emergency Room...you're under the capable care of The TV Doctor! It appears you have an acute case of SMOTS: Social Media on Television Syndrome. Your symptoms include blurry eyes (Where IS the line between reality and fiction online, anyway?) and text neck (which is a real thing...look it up), but our conversation about Netflix's The Circle should clear it all up in no time at all!

Feb 15, 202001:33:35
Vinegar Syndrome: The Art of (and IN) Television (Episode 17)

Vinegar Syndrome: The Art of (and IN) Television (Episode 17)

It's a question that has existed as long as the medium itself: can television be considered art? (Here's a hint: YES.) Now, here's a much younger question: how do we feel about art ON television? How does it impact the meanings we make and the positions we take as a result of being exposed to it? The gallery is open...

Feb 07, 202001:38:55
Synesthesia: Doing It Yourself (Episode 16)

Synesthesia: Doing It Yourself (Episode 16)

No need to grab a hammer, you won't need your hot glue gun, and put down that tape measure. The only thing you'll need for this episode about DIY-TV is a time and place to listen! Let's get all "home and garden" with it, shall we?

Jan 31, 202001:29:05
Capgras Delusion: The Curious Case of Celebreality (Episode 15)

Capgras Delusion: The Curious Case of Celebreality (Episode 15)

Celebrities: they're just like us (if by "like us," you mean they too freak out when their opportunities to embarrass and/or exonerate themselves on national television start to dry up)! In this episode, the TV Doctor ponders the nature of what the folks over at VH1 call "Celebreality" -- are they wearing masks on the show, or is it their real life face that hides the truth? Also, the word "portmanteau" is used...twice!

Jan 24, 202001:24:01
The Countdown! (Episode 14)

The Countdown! (Episode 14)

Who doesn't love a good countdown? It's the end of the year AND the end of the decade, and everyone wants to tell you about their Top 10 shows (Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, Mad Men...blah blah blah). The TV Doctor, however, wants to tell you about the OTHER Top 10 shows, the ones that everyone else snubbed, ignored, missed, or forgot. Can you guess which show will be The TV Doctor's Number ONE?

Dec 27, 201949:56
Dissociative Fugue Disorder: Sketch Comedy (Episode 13)

Dissociative Fugue Disorder: Sketch Comedy (Episode 13)

From Saturday Night Live to MADtv, from Key and Peele to A Black Lady Sketch Show, and a quick stop in Portlandia, this episode breaks the fourth wall between the audience and the stage in that television staple, the sketch comedy. In this episode, the TV Doctor considers the quiet revolution taking place on Comedy Central, the incredible burden of being critical of one's own family, and why having a Date Fact Checker could be a blessing and a curse.    

Dec 20, 201901:22:36
Nostalgia: The Pain From an Old Wound (Episode 12)

Nostalgia: The Pain From an Old Wound (Episode 12)

It's the Season Finale, so it's only right that we wrap up our first season with a fond look back at the way we were (and apparently, we were advertising executives on Madison Avenue in New York City, rock star flight attendants, and time traveling, crime fighting history enthusiasts)!

Nov 23, 201901:31:48
Narcissistic Personality Disorder: Does Teamwork Make the Post-Apocalyptic Dream Work? (Episode 11)

Narcissistic Personality Disorder: Does Teamwork Make the Post-Apocalyptic Dream Work? (Episode 11)

After weeks and weeks of The TV Doctor dragging  The Walking Dead around (like Michonne used to drag her zombie "pets"), it's finally time to learn what really motivates the Doctor's discontent. We're doing a Dead deep dive, y'all!

Nov 15, 201901:45:25
Osteoporosis: Aging on the Small Screen (Episode 10)

Osteoporosis: Aging on the Small Screen (Episode 10)

What does it mean that it's been 25+ years and The Golden Girls is still the "gold" standard when it comes to representations of older people on television? We'll also ponder why Ron Cephas Jones is such a national treasure, why we could never cancel Betty White, and why our love for Majel Barrett Roddenberry is written in the stars.

Nov 08, 201901:45:36
Necrosis: Shows That Go BUMP in the Night (Episode 9)

Necrosis: Shows That Go BUMP in the Night (Episode 9)

From Dracula and the Wolf Man to being exorcised or buried alive, there's tons of spooky fun to be had on the small screen. No need to go to the theater...just scoot a little closer to your viewing partner on that couch, and enjoy one or all of the bone tingling delights suggested in this week's episode.  

Nov 01, 201901:31:32
Insomnia: Chasing the Dream (Episode 8)

Insomnia: Chasing the Dream (Episode 8)

The TV Doctor gets a Second Opinion from a real live actor on the topic of shows that depict the chasing of dreams. The OTC is an assortment of feel good moments from Reality-Based programs, and in Urgent Care, the TV Doctor writes a prescription for herself...it might be unethical in the real world, but it's just fine in podcast land!

Oct 25, 201901:30:23
Deep Laceration: Jumping the Shark (Episode 7)

Deep Laceration: Jumping the Shark (Episode 7)

If you are a television show, there is only one fate worse than death: jumping the shark. You were once young and fresh and sexy, but then you ran out of interesting things to say, and you thought a gimmick would be the way to make people love you again. You were wrong. You jumped the shark, buddy, and now we're going to talk about you in ways you're not going to like.   

Oct 18, 201901:36:49
Deindividuation: It's not TV, it's HBO (Episode 6)

Deindividuation: It's not TV, it's HBO (Episode 6)

Have you ever wondered what the following items have in common: the Stanford Prison Experiment, Batman: the animated series, Tales from the Crypt, musculoskeletal radiology, and Jimmy Iovine? No? Well, The TV Doctor is here to connect it all for you anyway.

Oct 11, 201901:28:50
Addiction: The Spectacle of "Exploitavision" (Episode 5)

Addiction: The Spectacle of "Exploitavision" (Episode 5)

Exploitative television (TV that benefits from the pleasure we get from watching the hot messiness of others) is on the rise, and it's got us addicted, even when it's a show on the topic of addiction! Find out why Reality TV "stars" would sign up to be exploited; how Alicia Jay created a Giant Life on her own terms; and why Intervention is beautiful and toxic at the same time.

Oct 04, 201901:25:09
The Fever: LGBTQ-TV (Episode 4)

The Fever: LGBTQ-TV (Episode 4)

They say you should feed a cold and starve a fever, but this fever deserves to be fed! This week's shows are lighting a fire under antiquated notions of who should be represented on television and in what ways. We'll explore three shows that are turning up the heat on your screens and representing the LGBTQIA+ community with integrity, nuance, complexity, and love. 

Sep 27, 201901:19:22
Glossophobia: The Live Show (Episode 3)

Glossophobia: The Live Show (Episode 3)

Under typical conditions, a doctor getting a Second Opinion and performing some Urgent Care in front of a packed-house live audience would not be ethical or advisable. But this is The TV Doctor, so having a live audience is AWESOME! M. Foss offers up Designated Survivor as this week's Over the Counter recommendation, and then she's joined by a special guest at the Launch Party to discuss why Josiah "Jed" Bartlet from The West Wing is the POTUS we deserve (and why Olivia Pope and Don Draper is the 'ship we need to see)! 

Sep 20, 201901:26:05
Heart Palpitations: Dating Shows (Episode 2)

Heart Palpitations: Dating Shows (Episode 2)

The TV Doctor gets a Second Opinion from a Bachelor Nation expert, offers an Over the Counter recommendation for a show within a show...within a show, and sees a patient with problems in affairs of the heart in Urgent Care.

Sep 12, 201901:36:20
Pilot: The Doctor is in! (Episode 1)

Pilot: The Doctor is in! (Episode 1)

Welcome to The TV Doctor, where M. Foss (not a doctor on TV, but playing one in real life) is here to prescribe just the programming you need to heal what's been ailing you. 

Sep 05, 201929:00