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.
05/303/2025
In 1994, Margaret Cho made TV history as the star of All-American Girl, the first network sitcom with an all-Asian-American cast. In this conversation with Ashley Pacini of The Reel Women and Cynthia Bemis Abrams of Advanced TV Herstory, Cho reflects on the series’ groundbreaking legacy and how representation in Hollywood has (and hasn’t) evolved.
The discussion explores:
Cho also shares advice from her decades in comedy, writing, and production — offering insights for anyone working toward greater diversity and equity in entertainment.
09/01/2020
The topic of Hollywood Blacklisting has recently added a chapter - the impact it had on the budding TV industry, and more specifically, women.
Researched and backed by FBI files of author/scholar Dr. Carol Stabile (University of Oregon), this 4 episode series mentions names of talented women whose careers were maliciously ruined with the publication of Red Channels. Trumped up accusations, which later the FBI admitted were unfounded, were accepted as proof enough to break contracts, withdraw offers and freeze out women who otherwise would have changed the look, sound and depth of TV's first decade.
Episode 3, featured a frank conversation with author and scholar, Dr. Charlene Regester (of the Univ. of NC Chapel Hill) about how racism further changed the course of early TV.
8/16/19
This 4 episode series examines anti-communism/McCarthy-ism blacklisting 's impact on the careers of women who likely would have changed the look, depth and sound of TV.
Cynthia and author/scholar, Dr. Charlene Regester of Univ. of North Carolina have a frank conversation about how racism, stereotyped roles and Jim Crow laws delayed TV's depiction of African American life by more than a decade. This adds to the story of a previous podcast episode about TV's Single Women and how even in the 1980s, a TV series cast a black woman as a household domestic.
8/9/19
The topic of Hollywood Blacklisting has recently added a chapter - the impact it had on the budding TV industry, and more specifically, women.
Researched and backed by FBI files of author/scholar Dr. Carol Stabile (University of Oregon), this 4 episode series mentions names of talented women whose careers were maliciously ruined with the publication of Red Channels. You’ll also hear from another author and scholar, Dr. Charlene Regester. In episode 3, listen in on our frank conversation about how racism, Jim Crow laws and segregation further changed the course of early TV.
8/2/19
The topic of Hollywood Blacklisting has recently added a chapter - the impact it had on the budding TV industry, and more specifically, women. Researched and backed by FBI files of author/scholar Dr. Carol Stabile (University of Oregon), this 4 episode series mentions names of talented women whose careers were maliciously ruined with the publication of Red Channels.
Stabile delivers quotes, right from FBI files she's requested for more than a decade, that assert that many of the charges and allegations that smeared these progressive women were unfounded or made up.
You’ll also hear from another author and scholar, Dr. Charlene Regester. In episode 3, listen in on our frank conversation about how racism, Jim Crowe laws and segregation further changed the course of early TV.
7/26/19
How did cable TV transform into a powerhouse for original programming and reruns that shaped narratives about and for women? In this episode of Advanced TV Herstory, host Cynthia Bemis Abrams is joined by scholar, author, and podcaster Dr. Amanda Lotz to unpack the financial and cultural shifts that revolutionized women’s television.
From Lifetime and Bravo to HBO and TV Land, Cynthia and Amanda explore the channels and series that championed female-driven stories. Learn how mergers, syndication, and legal battles like the Fox v. Bones case influenced the creation of shows like Sex and the City, Hot in Cleveland, Girlfriends, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Dive into the financial incentives behind cable’s evolution and its role in amplifying women’s voices on screen.
5/13/19
Host Cynthia Bemis Abrams explores the evolution of cable TV and its pivotal role in elevating women’s voices on screen. Joined by media scholars Dr. Amanda Lotz and Emily L. Newman, the discussion highlights the birth of cable channels like Lifetime, Hallmark, OWN, and Oxygen—spaces dedicated to telling women’s stories.
They delve into the business side of cable, examining how bundled services, programming needs, and financial models influenced the creation of female-focused networks. From Oprah Winfrey’s OWN to the Hallmark Channel, discover how money, mergers, and marketing shaped the media landscape for women.
5/5/19
We need to be smarter consumers of media! This 400 level session on the evolution of cable (tech + the business structure) features insights from author, scholar, podcaster Dr. Amanda Lotz.
5/1/19
