Welcome to Primetime, a podcast about the power of television and how it affects and reflects our culture. In the first season, host Todd VanDerWerff, Vox’s critic at large, explores the American presidency on TV: stories about how presidents have used TV to further their political ambitions, and how TV has used the presidency to achieve its own goals. From ... Show More
May 2019
Why Washington can't escape The West Wing
When The West Wing was on the air, during the Clinton and Bush years, a lot of liberal viewers were pining for a Democratic president with a strong sense of right and wrong — someone like President Bartlet. His fictional administration made for great entertainment, an idealistic ... Show More
25m 35s
May 2019
24's twisted relationship with the war on terror
24 premiered less than two months after the 9/11 terror attacks. That timing — and the show’s subject matter — affected the way a lot of important people, at the highest levels of United States government, think about terrorism, torture, and America’s role in the world.
Music cr ... Show More
23m 6s
May 2019
The fictional presidencies of Hillary Clinton
Fictional women in power on TV have a lot in common with Hillary Rodham Clinton. Characters on The Good Wife, Scandal, House of Cards, Commander in Chief — the list goes on and on. On this episode, we examine these characters to find out what they reveal about us and our attitude ... Show More
19m 20s
Jul 2024
What Can TV Learn From Podcasts?
The double bounce of an election and the Euros has led to some very successful podcasts achieving even bigger numbers. Many of these podcast hosts are also part of the TV coverage, so how does one format bleed into the other, what can TV learn from podcasts, and should podcasts r ... Show More
43m 22s
Aug 2023
The Real Housewives of Today, Explained
Taking cues from striking actors and writers, reality TV stars are lobbying for better treatment from networks like Bravo and Netflix.
This episode was produced by Siona Peterous and Hady Mawajdeh, edited by Jolie Myers, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by David Herman a ... Show More
26m 22s
Jan 2020
The Daily Show Podcast Universe Episode 1: These American Lies
Introducing The Daily Show Podcast Universe, a five-episode miniseries, each episode a parody of a popular podcast or podcast genre. Subscribe HERE or search for "The Daily Show Podcast Universe" to hear them all.
In this episode listen to These American Lies, hosted by Desi Lydi ... Show More
16m 53s