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For decades, we didn't take television seriously. We saw it as ephemeral, as "chewing gum for the eyes," as, literally, furniture.

And then, around the turn of the century, things started to change. There was The Sopranos. The Wire. And, at the same time, shows like Big Brother and The Amazing Race. For Emily Nussbaum, it was Buffy the Vampire Slayer that forever changed her take on television.

And now... the president is a TV character.

This hour: A serious appraisal of television with The New Yorker's television critic.

GUEST:
Emily Nussbaum - Television critic for The New Yorker and the author of I Like To Watch: Arguing My Way Through the TV Revolution

Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.

For decades, we didn't take television seriously. We saw it as ephemeral, as "<a href="https://quoteinvestigator.com/2013/11/30/tv-gum/">chewing gum for the eyes</a>," as, literally, furniture.
And then, around the turn of the century, things started to change. There was&nbsp;The Sopranos.&nbsp;The Wire. And, at the same time, shows like&nbsp;Big Brother&nbsp;and&nbsp;The Amazing Race. For Emily Nussbaum, it was&nbsp;Buffy the Vampire Slayer&nbsp;that forever changed her take on television.
And now...&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wnpr.org/post/without-tv-theres-no-trump-0">the president is a TV character</a>.
This hour: A serious appraisal of television with&nbsp;The New Yorker's television critic.
GUEST:
<ul>
<li>Emily Nussbaum&nbsp;- Television critic for&nbsp;The New Yorker&nbsp;and the author of&nbsp;I Like To Watch: Arguing My Way Through the TV Revolution</li>
</ul>
Join the conversation on&nbsp;<a href="https://facebook.com/ColinMcShow">Facebook</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/wnprcolin">Twitter</a>.
Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.

The Colin McEnroe Show is public radio’s most eclectic, eccentric weekday program. The best way to understand us is through the subjects we tackle: Neanderthals, tambourines, handshakes, the Iliad, snacks, ringtones, punk rock, Occam’s razor, Rasputin, houseflies, zippers. Are you sensing a pattern? If so, you should probably be in treatment. On Fridays, we try to stop thinking about what kind of ringtones Neanderthals would want to have and convene a panel called The Nose for an informal roundtable about the week in culture.

<a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/the-colin-mcenroe-show/about">The Colin McEnroe Show</a> is public radio’s most eclectic, eccentric weekday program. The best way to understand us is through the subjects we tackle: Neanderthals, tambourines, handshakes, the Iliad, snacks, ringtones, punk rock, Occam’s razor, Rasputin, houseflies, zippers. Are you sensing a pattern? If so, you should probably be in treatment. On Fridays, we try to stop thinking about what kind of ringtones Neanderthals would want to have and convene a panel called <a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/tags/the-nose">The Nose</a> for an informal roundtable about the week in culture.

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