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...

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 talk...

We’re back for part two of our Valentine TV Gifts episode! (Yeah, we know, it’s later than we promised, and March, but we had some technical issues (we managed to clean up most of them), and shouldn’t the love last all year long?) In this episode, we continue to share shows we would wrap up with bows and give as gifts. We take a moment to remember Betty White and all the amazing gifts she’s given us both in television and in life. And, we share one very special gift with our...

It’s February and with that is Valentine’s Day, the time to share gifts of love. As you all know, we love television, and TV is our love language, so we thought instead of chocolates or poems (because trust me, no one wants to hear our bloody awful poetry) we thought we would share our gifts of TV shows we love, and would love for you to watch. And, as usual, Sierra and Moni get so wrapped up in talking about TV that they run WAY over time, and have to create another two-parter episod...

Part 2 of our TV Weddings Episode! Sierra and I continue to talk way too long all about TV weddings - the ones we loved, the ones that didn’t work for us, and the ones that were just too darn hard to watch. We discuss the differences between comedy and drama shows when it comes to the big day, and how it really all comes down to character development for a TV wedding to really work. Also, Sierra gets assurance that Game of Thrones is not the show for her. In our devotional, Sierra...

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 sho...

It’s Thanksgiving Time, and as with any holiday, here at the TV Sect, we have time-honored traditions of watching our favorite Thanksgiving themed episodes! Sierra and Moni wax nostalgic about all their favorite Thanksgiving episodes and discuss how comedy and drama shows approach the holiday differently. They also talk about the problematic history of Thanksgiving, how television is changing how it represents the holiday, as well as the importance of having Native voices telling the stories...

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 sea...

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet” True, Will, very true, but that doesn't mean you wouldn't pass it over because of the name. Would you drop over $5 for a fancy coffee at Cargo House (aka Starbucks)? Today we look at Titles. Every writer knows how difficult it is to come up with a name for your script. Sometimes talking it out helps, so that’s what we are doing. Talking all about Titles of TV shows and thoughts about what works,...

This week we talk about food on television. Not that we don’t love a good binge of British Bake Off, but we’re talking food as part of a scripted show. Food is an essential part of life, so should it be for our characters on TV, but it’s so much more than set dressing. Food is a language, one that is full of reveals, secrets, and metaphors. We talk about how the choice of food in a script should never be random because what someone eats, or doesn’t eat, says so much about them. We also discus...

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 ...

Today’s show is all about Comfort TV! What is comfort TV? Why do we need it? And what makes it so darn cozy? We've got some answers! In this episode, we discuss the shows that bring us comfort, why they do, and how TV gets us through difficult times. I interview Suzanne Gundersen, the founder of Transformed Connections. She joins us to talk about stress relief and self-management techniques, including how watching our favorite shows can help us heal. Bonus for screenw...

Welcome to The TV Sect! A podcast dedicated to the cult-like love of television. We’re your hosts, Moni Wood and Sierra DuCharme-Hansen, two emerging TV writers, expert TV watchers. Come share in our devotion to the Cult of TV, as we explore all the sacred things of scripted television. In each episode, we highlight a different aspect of a TV series and explore how it influences a show’s cultism. From teasers to tags, characters to costumes, aliens to zombies, and everything in between. Let u...