TV’s power over us is the result of the intimate, consistent presence of thoughts, stories and situations that help us better understand life.

Unintentionally, this fall’s podcast theme became the immense power of representation in the media. Occidental College political scientist Caroline Heldman’s deep background in a scholarly and statistical approach to understanding the impact is rooted in her well-established theory “the Scully effect.” Heldman examined the rise in young women who pursued STEM careers during The X-Files original run and initial syndication.

Listen to Representation with Caroline Heldman here.

View Representation with Caroline Heldman on YouTube.

Next month, our Advanced TV Herstory episode is a chat with author/actor Doménica Feraud, about TV’s power over us. This time, we approach representation from a more generational perspective. We wander into rating which key turn-of-the-century series aged well and why. Doménica’s book offers fresh insights into how scripted and reality series prepared her for life, and other saucy bits.