In this episode, Ashley is not enjoying the Klingons. (Could it be because she hasn’t met WORF?) Also, does not enjoying the Klingons mean you aren’t enjoying Star Trek? M. Foss continues her Saru Apology Tour, and wonders when—or if—Ashley will come to appreciate him. He might win her over if he promises to never run on camera again.

Here's the SNL sketch about the Papyrus font in Avatar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVhlJNJopOQ&t=3s

And here's an article about it: https://designforhackers.com/blog/papyrus-font/

Have you ever seen John Carpenter's The Thing? If not, M. Foss recommends watching the whole film (if you're into the scary stuff). If you don't have time to watch the whole film, you can get the point by watching this iconic scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2o2FRwn_hg

And finally, here's the TikTok about how the Star Wars films are incorrectly named: https://www.tiktok.com/@fake.disney.facts/video/6855402195291032837?embed_source=121374463%2C121451205%2C121439635%2C121433650%2C121404359%2C121351166%2C121331973%2C120811592%2C120810756%3Bnull%3Bembed_masking&refer=embed&referer_url=movieweb.com%2Fstar-wars-movies-wrong-titles%2F&referer_video_id=6855402195291032837

Enjoy!

In this episode, M. Foss and Ashley ponder the classic time loop episode and how a time loop works as a metaphor across a myriad of situations. Is it a metaphor for fandom and how we trust our beloved properties to get back on the horse if they tried a little something and it didn’t work? Yes. Is it a metaphor for this crazy ride we call life? Sure. Is it a metaphor for how Ashley felt about M. Foss not finishing (or even really starting) Succession? No, it’s not that. But feel free to tune in to hear how that all went down anyway. 

M. Foss accidentally uses an inappropriate (or is it?) slur to refer to Captain Gabriel Lorca (here's a hint: it sounds an awful lot like the word "horror") and Ashley absolutely knocks it out of the solar system with her take on Sarek's journey with guilt.

Content Warning: The "Urgent Care/Prescription" portion of the episode contains a discussion of death and dying. 

Good news for Tilly apologists (like M. Foss): Ashley is warming up to everyone’s favorite cadet. Bad news for fans of Saru (like M. Foss): we can’t say the same about everyone’s favorite Kelpian. Ashley still hates him. Also bad news for anyone who has ever seen The Original Series (like M. Foss): Ashley is all in on her choice of Harcourt Fenton Mudd as her favorite Star Trek character so far. But all these news items come with…you guessed it…CONTEXT. Join us to learn all about that context and much, much more.

For funsies, here’s an article you might enjoy about blasting past Star Trek’s final frontier: swear words on the show. We cannot be more amused by the URL. Happy reading!

https://ew.com/tv/2017/10/16/star-trek-discovery-fuck/ 

In this episode, M. Foss creates a rather robust list of things that “are Star Trek” or “are NOT Star Trek”…follow along to see if you agree or disagree! Also, a question for the room: can we truly invest in a character without the threat of the character’s demise on the table? Are life-or-death stakes the only ones powerful enough to break through our generational apathy and numbness? Join us as we try to work through our own answers, then leave us a comment on social media to continue the discussion!

A collection of the pop culture references from this episode for your enjoyment:

“He didn’t get out of the cock-a-doodie car!” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Br5umHOm3TM

“I have been and shall always be your friend.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39VR9YiiCDA

“Knew this was a one-way ticket.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejYuiUjJdcQ

“What are you waiting for, huh? What are you waiting for?” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IE1ZeXC4vtg

If universal law is for lackeys, and context is for kings, then Star Trek is for lovers and we're fully shipping Lorca and Stamets over here. In this episode, Michael Burnham provides us with valuable lessons about leadership. Also, M. Foss is on the edge of breaking down and sliding Ashley a few Trek Trivia answers under the console.

M. Foss and Ashley are back on the bridge with a fun but frank take on the hegemonic stifling of main character energy when said main character is Michael Burnham. We also tackle the topic of whether Klingons can be racist amongst each other (spoiler alert: they can). Finally, if you enjoy a classic "who's on first?" style exchange, then you won't want to miss this episode's quiz (it starts right around 30:25).

Welcome to the premiere of The TV Doctor, Season 5!

This time around, we're doing things a little differently. Think of Season 5 as a clinical trial. M. Foss has returned, but she's not alone. For Season 5, the TV Doctor will be joined by a very special "intern" for a very special mission: to boldly go where few have gone before and some have had little-to-no previous interest in going. One of us is an Admiral-level doctor specializing in all things Star Trek; the other is a cadet who has all the right stuff but is learning about Trek from scratch. Together, we're going to work our way through Star Trek: Discovery, in honor of its series finale.

Welcome aboard, buckle up, and let's fly.

Content warning: Between 9:25 and 10:35, there is a brief discussion of mental health/illness and suicide.  

Nothing says "summer" like a heaping helping of Food TV! Welcome to the cookout. Come get you a plate. Your auntie made the Over-the-Counter potato salad, so you KNOW it's fire. Oh, and your uncle is over there grilling up a BOMB Second Opinion. The cousins said they're gonna make a run later for some Urgent Care. Go tell them to grab a bag of ice while they're out there, okay? We're gonna need it, because this episode is HOT!

Enjoy these after-dinner mints:

Sydney’s omelet from The Bear:  https://www.allrecipes.com/how-to-make-the-omelet-from-the-bear-7560284  

Books by TWO TIME (!) James Beard Award winner Adrian Miller:

- Soul Food: The Surprising Story of an American Cuisine, One Plate at a Time https://adrianemiller.com/product/soul-food-paperback/

- The President’s Kitchen Cabinet: The Story of the African Americans Who Have Fed Our First Families from the Washingtons to the Obamas https://adrianemiller.com/product/the-presidents-kitchen-cabinet-paperback/

- Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue https://adrianemiller.com/product/black-smoke-hardcover/

Star Trek cookbook: https://shop.underground-books.com/book/9780671000226

Star Trek Cocktails: A Stellar Compendium  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/star-trek-cocktails-glenn-dakin/1137572000

Hungry for Answers, featuring Caroline Randall Williams, produced by Viola Davis (trailer) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dQV8dxOrw0

Last Supper Society: https://www.lastsuppersociety.com

Homegrown trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFz3OFs72Dc&t=116s

Finally, if you’d like to visit the restaurants you’ve seen on your favorite shows, check out this website: https://www.tvfoodmaps.com

Who doesn't want to wager one dollar or spin the wheel or get a Daily Double or offer their final answer or conquer Mt. Midoriyama? Everyone loves game shows, especially The TV Doctor. Join M. Foss for a countdown of the best traditional game shows of all time (and stay tuned for a future episode on the best reality-based competition shows).

Links to a few favorite game show moments, as promised:

The Double Dare obstacle course: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7wSdRquq8s

Pentatonix on The Sing-Off: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaIfu1Ni57o

Delilah on The Sing-Off: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMoF3K4UEsg

Have you ever felt like you were the only person in the world who watched (and loved) a show? Do you believe you are the sole member of the Official (insert disappeared show name here) Fan Club? Do you have a miles-long roster of shows that, in your opinion, were gone too soon? Well, The TV Doctor is here to let you know you are, in fact, NOT alone in your discontent. I too carry torches for the shows that were here one day, cancelled the next. I too hold grudges about the errors in judgment that led to the demise of shows that deserved better. Join me as I reminisce on the televisual victims of mediated malpractice.

NOTES:
Here's that episode of RockStar:INXS I mentioned during the Over-the-Counter segment. Enjoy! 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSQj8S6AEC8

Existing somewhere in the space between Empire and Annie Live!, the television musical is a  powerful elixir, capable of twisting up your entire emotional constitution with less than a minute of the ol' song-and-dance. You might think musicals are corny, but also...I don't know anyone who doesn't enjoy corn. It's corn! 

Spoiler season begins around the 34 minute mark, so soft shoe carefully past that point if you're unfamiliar with the show being discussed (Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist).

If you need a gut punch, here's the link to the scene from Glee I mentioned in the episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlWHTfrGhoY. And if that's not enough, here's Max from Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist singing "Anyone" (which I now know is the name of that song...special shout out to my Second Opinion): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_ctGtvz8bA&t=5s.

Speaking of my awesome Second Opinion Brandi Nicole, feel free to gag over her accolades and accomplishments here: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3759443/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0 .

And finally, please consider learning more about Progressive Supranuclear Palsy and supporting the research for its cure by visiting https://www.PSP.org.

Perhaps an episode all about series finales would make a proper show for the end of this current season. But you know what? The TV Doctor is a little superstitious. I'm not trying to end up like those shows that create a season finale only to discover they've been canceled and the season finale turns into the SERIES finale. I'm nowhere near finished! I have MUCH more work to do! I am not cracking my podcast's door and letting that bad cancellation juju in. So, we're just going to plunk an episode about television's greatest finales right here in the middle and go about our business next week and the week after that and so on until we're good and ready. Okay, everyone...as you were. Look alive!  

You know how they say you only hate something in others you also hate about yourself? Well, The TV Doctor is back with another "Physician, Heal Thyself" episode to try to prove that old saying wrong. We only hate when we're hate-watching, and it's all love, baby! Tune in if you want to know what show M. Foss loves to hate and hates to love more than all the others.

Join the TV Doctor on a journey into light, time, space, and place. Amongst the stars we go, with a raised fist! It's time to talk Afrofuturism, y'all!

NOTE: You'll notice a little voice in the background during my chat with my Second Opinion. That's her daughter, who was present during recording. If you find yourself distracted by it, find comfort in the knowledge that her little ears were open while the grown-ups were discussing liberation.

Instructions from the pharmacist:

Support here: https://supportourstory.com/the-burden

Watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyMAu1goIMU

Read this: https://bessiestringfieldbook.com

The TV Doctor's back again with another entry in the "Physician, Heal Thyself" series. This time, the TV Doc answers the question, "In which television show would you like to live?" (Hint: the answer is NOT Star Trek; pop in around the 05:05 mark if you want to know why not!) The real answer may surprise you, but only if you have never heard of Doug Forcett or Jeremy Bearimy.

CW // death and dying

If you're interested in Kenan Thompson's Emmy opening number mentioned in the episode, you can check it out right here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oH0HFxo1dCU

The TV Doctor returns for a fourth season with a new series: Physician, Heal Thyself. On this episode, the TV Doc answers the question, "What was your favorite show when you were a kid?" (the answer: The Cosby Show).  It's a complicated and controversial answer; luckily, the W. Kamau Bell docuseries We Need to Talk About Cosby is there to help those of us who grew up dreaming of becoming a Huxtable work through all our feelings. And the TV Doctor is here to help us work through We Need to Talk About Cosby.

CW // sexual assault; sexual violence

For those of you who are interested in the Hannibal Burress clip mentioned in the episode, you can watch it here: https://youtu.be/VMaAOImuea0

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.

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.

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*

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. 

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!

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.]

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!

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.

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. 

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.

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!

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?  

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.

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!

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...

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?

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!

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?

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.    

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)!

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!

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.

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.  

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!

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.   

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.

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.

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. 

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)! 

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.

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.