Research Topics

Research

As an independent scholar, I have the autonomy and time to devote myself to topics that span media studies, American history, pop culture, and gender studies.  It’s a lifetime highlight to collaborate with smart people – women TV writers, women TV show runners, actors, college and law school professors, authors, and advocates – to further the podcast’s mission and my research.

Research takes me to places that connect me to the past. In 2025, I visited the Writers Guild Foundation Library in Los Angeles for an intensive review of scripts. Through their archive search process, scripts and boxes were waiting for me upon arrival. There’s a backstory in those records, and I learned a lot about the evolution of women characters in sitcoms and dramas.

Following up on a terrific tip from Mary Owen, daughter of Hollywood icon Donna Reed, I visited the archives at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. A few minutes of a taped interview with Donna Reed revealed insights into the difficulty of embedding early Second Wave Feminism on TV. Mary Owen found me through this website, and like her, I have contacted many of my interview subjects through their “contact me” pages.

My research is supported by shelves of physical (DVD) copies of series and made-for-TV movies. Podcast listeners know I read memoirs, autobiographies, and biographies, and it’s from them that I mention connections and trends that otherwise go unnoticed. 

How can you support my research?

  • Do you love TV and have opinions? Please share your thoughts about almost anything – from what series influenced you, most loved or hated women characters (and why), or your assessment of series today.
  • If you’re Chicago, L.A., or New York-based, it’s possible you know someone from the industry who is interested in sharing their stories and insights. We must capture these untold stories of Hollywood and TV women. First-hand accounts of television’s golden days help us understand the obstacles that were overcome and belatedly shine a spotlight on contributions.

Because Advanced TV Herstory’s audience is worldwide and spans people in the entertainment industry and academia, it holds a unique but powerful place in preserving and explaining television’s impact on society.

Topics

  • Evolution of women characters in sitcoms and dramas
  • Women show runners
  • Women writers for TV
  • Women directors and producers
  • Second Wave Feminism on TV
  • Third Wave Feminism on TV
  • How cable changed television
  • Comfort TV
  • Untold stories of Hollywood women
  • First-hand accounts of television’s golden days