This hour we discuss episode recaps and why we need them. We talk about why they're so popular, what makes them useful, and what their prevalence can tell us about the current TV landscape. Plus, we learn about why we have trouble remembering all the TV we watch, and we take a look at the evolution of the “previously on” television recap sequence.

GUESTS:

Dr. Wilma Bainbridge: Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at The University of Chicago.
Alison Herman: Television critic for The Ringer
Genevieve Koski: Senior TV Editor for New York Magazine
Jason Mittell: Professor of Film and Media Culture at Middlebury College, who has written numerous books about American television

Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!

Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol, and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.

Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Read after watching: How episode recaps became part of our TV experience