Cue the Sun!

In 1998, the recording industry was thriving. But the company pressing more compact discs than anyone else in America wasn't a record label…it was an internet company: America Online. The AOL Disc was a marketing coup—hugely successful. It’s not an overstatement to say that it’s ... Show More

Esperanto is what linguists call a “constructed language.” It isn’t attached to a nation or a region, and it didn’t evolve from another language over time. Instead, nearly 150 years ago, someone decided to sit down and design the whole thing from scratch. That someone was L. L. Z ... Show More

In 1932, the Women's House of Detention—New York City's first women's prison—opened in the heart of Greenwich Village. It was opened to make "wayward" women quiet, private, and properly feminine. And the building had one unique feature originally meant to be a sort of kindness—a ... Show More

Why are we so attracted to stories of people suffering on television? And what happens after the cameras turn off? In our final episode, Jonathan explores the origins of reality TV and uncovers his family’s shocking connection to a very early reality TV game show. Angelina is an ... Show More

However you define it, reality TV is a giant in the world of entertainment. From soap operas to game shows and the hazards of dating, it seems almost any genre can find a home in reality television. But how did we get here? How did this global phenomenon begin? In part one of thi ... Show More

Reality TV is dismissed as guilty pleasure, low brow... even trash. But whether you want to admit it or not, you probably have heard of Snooki, Lisa Vanderpump or Kim Kardashian. Over the past 30 years, reality TV has become a place to see the social and political moment play out ... Show More

<p>Looking to justify your reality TV habit? Listen in as we explore why this genre deserves to be taken seriously, with both its positive and frightening impacts on our society and psychology. Topics covered: -The history of reality TV—how the format and drama originated -Behin ... Show More

Sociologist Danielle J. Lindemann joined the pod to talk about her book, “True Story: What Reality TV Says About Us.” Reality TV is a cultural product, and just like any other cultural product, it can tell us so much about ourselves, our social roles and expectations, our values, ... Show More

hi besties, on this week episode i answer some of your burning questions and deep dive into the masterpiece that is eternal sunshine.