The TV Sect Podcast

Bells are ringing here at the TV Sect, Wedding Bells! In this two-parter episode we talk all about TV Weddings!

As our listeners know, Sierra recently got married, and, due to a series of unexpected twists and turns, ended up having a quintessential sitcom wedding. We break down what that is, and why it works so well.

Writer, podcaster, video maker Matt Baume stops by to chat with Moni about television’s first gay wedding which he spotlighted on an episode of his YouTube show Culture Cruise (spoiler alert, it’s probably not the episode you're thinking of), and how the representation of same-sex weddings and of LGBTQ characters on TV as progressed over the years. (35:33)

At the end of the hour, we realize we have so much more to say (we have yet to get to drama weddings at this point), so we decide to make it a two-part episode, like most TV weddings.

We’re back from our hiatus, and back to talking TV! Fall is here. It’s time for football, sweater weather, and Halloween nights. It’s also time for The TV Sect Podcast: Pumpkin Spice Edition.
This week were talking all about the shows that feel like fall, shows that just have that Pumpkin Spice aesthetic of a crisp autumn day, no matter what time of year the show takes place. We ponder on what makes a show feel Pumpkin Spice, what doesn’t, and why a show might choose to feel like a season. We also discuss Halloween episodes and specials.
In the devotional this week, Moni confesses to never finishing a quintessential Pumpkin Spice show, and Sierra has a desperate plea aimed at all Halloween marketing and commercial executives.

In this week’s episode, Sierra and Moni talk all about characters. What goes into creating characters for TV? What makes a character good, a character you want to watch week after week? What is it about your hero that makes you want to root for them?

We discuss all the things we think about when creating characters: Wants and Needs, Objectives, Tactics, Backstory, Motivations, Being Identifiable, Relationships, and Personality.
We also talk about villains and how villains have many of the same aspects as your hero, which leads us into the idea of the anti-hero and the concept of The Difficult Man in television and why aren’t there more Difficult Women?

In our devotional, Sierra testifies to her recent binge-watching of the show BROTHERS AND SISTERS and Moni brings forth further proof how television can save the world, or at least one man’s life, as she discusses the Netflix documentary LONGSHOT.

There are many heroes when it comes to creating the magic of TV, but not all wear capes - and this isn’t just a fashion choice. On this episode, we learn about and get to know one of those unsung heroes, a script supervisor!

First Sierra and Moni recap the Emmys. Yes, we know it was awhile ago, but we recorded when it was still fresh in our minds and hearts.

Then we dive in to the behind the scenes of making television and chat with Caryn Ruby, a script supervisor, and the creator and host of the podcast Script Supervisors: Unsung Heroes of Film & TV. Her podcast is a backstage pass to the process of filmmaking from one of the most difficult, little-known, and historically female department head positions on a film crew. Each episode features a short interview as well as a topic like Why You should Stop Calling Us “Scripty,” or What really happened with that Game of Thrones coffee cup? Compiled from conversations with over a dozen opinionated masters of the craft of script supervising with experience from low-budget independent films and commercials all the way to and including multiple Academy and Emmy-Award winning films and television shows.
Check out her podcast, it's amazing. Available wherever you get your podcasts.
And, as usual, we end our show with our devotionals of our cult-like love of TV.
And, in the spirit of the Emmys, a special thanks to my unstable internet connection for the audio dropouts and weird sound artifacts that made the audio on this episode a little wonky.

We’re back! After a long and unexpected hiatus, we are once again chatting all about our cult-like love of television. On this show, we catch up on the all the TV shows we’ve been watching, what we love about them, why we love them - you know, no big whoop. We cover a lot, from Abbott Elementary, to the Better Call Saul series finale (there are spoilers, but we warn you in advance), and we even set the way back machine to the ‘90s to rediscover One Tree Hill. Just two writers talking about their love of TV...for a little too long. You don’t have to listen all at once.