TV Guidance Counselor

December 29, 1979 - January 4, 1980 Today Ken welcomes fellow comedian Felicia Michaels to the show. Ken and Felicia discuss B.Y.O.W., Burbank, The Liar's Club, people's nerves, Charlie's Angels, fashion photography, OJ Simpson, Encyclopedias, growing up in Germany, missing cultural TV references of the 50s-70s, the Farrah poster, the hair, Mustangs, being a Kate Jackson, innovative technology, answering machines, car phones, Triads, working at a strip club, Sam Kinison, videophones, Sony Watchmen, Blade Runner, Y2K, Grizzly Adams, growing up in Colorado, collecting lunch boxes, The Monkees, Magnum PI, Hee Haw, stand up on TV, Star Search Wet T-Shirt contests, lace fingerless gloves, 80s comics on cocaine, Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Barney Miller, Disney Sunday Night/Wonderful World of Disney, marine biology, dolphines, horseshoe crabs, Goldie and the Boxer, multi-show crossovers, Mork and Mindy, Blanford's Beauties, Happy Days, bringing things back on ice, seeing Robby Benson, being an extra, Fever Pitch, Dune Buggies, head shops, smoking pot, SNL, popcorn, Rocky Horror, Drive-Ins, and what to watch on New Year's Eve

May 7-13, 1994 This week Ken welcomes fellow comedian and podcast host (I'm Listening: A Frasier Fan Podcast) Anita Flores. Ken and Anita discuss being live via satellite, The Stand, Sweeps Week, Rob Lowe's sex tape, play a deaf mute, GrapeVine, Mrs. Fields, Michael Chiklis, being programmed to, The Mommies, Mother's Day, classic TV Moms, Ken and Anita running Peacock and becoming very rich, ice skating, geeking out over celebrities, Nurses, Loni Anderson, Adam West, Nancy Kerrigan, Colbert, crying in public, the upfronts, not growing up with cable, Dollman Vs. Demonic Toys, Married...with Children in 3D, dysfunctional families, 30 Rock, Arrested Development, Bob's Burgers, Rip Torn, The Man Who Fell to Earth, Diagnosis Murder, Robin Leach, Tales from the Crypt, Dateline, fear of Ecstasy, To Catch a Predator, Melrose Place, Seinfeld, Pluto TV, The Boston Strangler, serial Killers, Must See TV, Frasier, Revenge of the Nerds IV: Nerds in Love, Smell-o-Vision, Garth Brooks, David Copperfield, Helen Hunt, Trancers, Jack Deth, magicians and models, going to Heaven and meeting god, and Jeering AND Cheering Andy Rooney at the same time.

This week Ken welcomes fellow comedian and podcaster Sovereign Syre to the show. Ken and Sovereign discuss having issues, SoapNet, shameful teenage love of Soap Operas, gameshows, talk shows, evening news, Generation X, growing up digital, stumble upon culture, The X-Files, missing Friends, Too Close for Comfort, Star Trek The Next Generation, conspiracy theories, Mad TV, Fox as the working class network, mainstream society catching up with how sex bomb Gillian Anderson is, being very very horribly old, Heavy Metal Magazine, sci-fi, Beverly Hills 90210, the trouble with True Crime, procedurals, the danger of people you know, medical problems, and anxious society, worst case scenarios, Drag, GLOW, Maron, biopics, period pieces, unnecessary boning in media, underdogs, fashion shows, the appeal of confidence, dealing with depression, Manhunter, Chris Elliot, the freeing nature of nihilism, how outfits affect your mood, murder, rebooting Murder She Wrote, why Living Single only works in the 90s (in a good way), Stranger Things, how technology is the new monster, wrestling with identity, trying to reverse engineer a handbook for life, being ok with being alone and independent, retreating to a place with simpler definitions, the beauty of restoration shows and Bronson Pinchot's love of Greek revival architecture.

SURPRISE! It's a Holiday bonus episode of TV Guidance Counselor. This week enjoy an hour of content packed into 30 dense minutes as Ken welcomes start of stage and screen Jane Seymour to the show. Ken and Jane discuss being a TV actor vs a movie actor, James Bond, East of Eden, Winning Golden Globes, Battle of the Network Stars, Steven Spielberg, Captains and the Kings, McCloud, Robert Conrad's fury, ballet, Kurt Russell's Tug-o-War injuries, Battlestar Gallactica, It's a Knock Out, avoiding a series, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, Lorne Greene, Amadeus, Emmy nominations, Time After Time, winning despite everything, Oh Heavenly Dog!, Head Office, period pieces, being a character actor, Lawrence Olivier, studying acting, the importance of hair, playing a real historical figure, guesting starring as a version of yourself on The Nanny, Morphine Woman, Funny or Die, Jimmy Kimmel, living a well rounded life, writing, painting, the connection with Open Hearts, and living a kind, purposeful life.

This week Ken welcomes actor, director, poet, author and painter Paul Michael Glaser to the show. Ken and PMG discuss getting lost in L.A., going to grad school, avoiding Vietnam, Boston Winters, doing theater in New York, tending bar, the CBS Milk Barn, under fives, Fiddler on the Roof, "Death at an Early Age", 1968, Charley, The Night James Brown Saved Boston, the union problem, Miami Vice, Starsky and Hutch, Running Man, Amazons, made for TV movies, playing Houdini, almost drowning in the water torture chamber, playing historical figures, the massive fame that came with a hit network TV show in the 1970s, Tevia, doing art for you, how boring film sets can be, re working stunt scenes, the nature of stories, shock humor, stand up comedy, social media, robbing society of our interpersonal skills, the book "Perfume", Band of the Hand, Richard Dawson, The Cutting Edge, casting Moira Kelly, painting, writing poetry, trying to get back to oneness, Kazaam!, working Shaq, consciousness, trying to find an understanding of why we're here, The Edge of Wimsey, and the power of contradiction.

December 2-8, 1978 This week Ken welcomes producer/actor Nancy Valen (Heavenly Kid, Hull High, Baywatch) to the show. Ken and Nancy discuss Ken's great creative idea, being a latchkey kid, learning from television, growing up in NYC, moving to Florida, Queens, Sesame St, Mr. Rogers, culture shock, Miami Vice, Heavenly Kid, Loverboy, SOAP, Richard Mulligan, Fonzie, being able to suppress being starstruck, Ryan's Hope, Garth Brooks, being on Jay Leno, TV Land, Farrah Fawcett, Dick Van Patten,Windmill Entertainment, Black Scorpion, Baywatch, Tim Van Patten, directing, Hull High, musicals, Riverdale, Welcome Back Kotter, Cheers, Rhoda, Good Times, Love Boat, All in the Family, Brandon Tartikoff, Little House on the Prairie, The White Shadow, Made for TV movies, Cindy Williams in Suddenly Love, divorce, Lou Grant, Newhart, video vs. film, to binge or not to binge, Knotts Landing, Dallas, storytelling, Q*Bert, Space Invaders, being obsessive, Three's Company, Taxi, John Ritter, The Jetsons, living in the future, Bing, Charlie's Angels, transcending your time, Friends, The Valentine's Day episode, Saved by the Bell, Kathy Ireland, Variety Shows, The Brady Kids, Barney Miller, checking in on Abe Vigoda, HBO's quality television, committing to a show, and using your connections to binge 24.

Today Ken welcomes TV veteran and author of the new book "Tuesdays with Ted", Russ Woody. Ken and Russ discuss Burbank, wildfires, worshiping television, Ted Danson, Becker, Cheers, seeing the top of your head, Dick Van Dyke, Working at MTM, Newhart, St. Elsewhere, comedy vs. drama, Barney Miller, multi-cam sitcoms, how hard it is to tell a story in 19 minutes, bad people on TV, Cybill, Roseanne, Cosby, insane stand up comedians, how remarkable it is that anything good ever gets made in Hollywood, Green Acres, Tom Poston, Absolutely Fabulous, The Royle Family, US remakes of UK shows, network censors, Jacob's Ladder, Norsemen, Liam Neeson's improv, Toast of London, working in a writers' room, navigating personalities, Dabney Coleman, Slap Maxwell Story, winning people over, living with depression and anxiety, empathy, perspectives, the solitary nature of writing, Murphy Brown, being perfect like an orange, Jay Tarses, mentors, George Clooney, sticking up for people because you can, treating people right, cost benefit analysis, Ken's respect for Bonnie Hunt and a P.A. who's never had a tomato.

September 7-13, 1991 Today Ken welcomes librarian, podcaster and best all around Margaret H. Willison. Ken and Margaret discuss shortened versions of your name, feminine flowers, post it notes, ribbons, splitting the bill, The Appointment Television podcast, Northern Exposure, Homicide Life on the Street, Highlander the Series, Twin Peaks, The New Leave it to Beaver, Murder, Murder She Wrote, Permeable vs. Impermeable, Amateur vs. professional, Bringing Up Baby, Who's that Girl?, screwball comedies, Totally Hidden Video, being a family of nerds, Larry's thievery, classic radio, model train people, pretending to be somebody else, alter egos, Spaulding Grey, Herman's Head, Avonlea, Anne of Green Gables, Little House on the Prairie, Judy Bloom vs. Beverly Cleary, being a Private Eye, focus groups, Colombo, The Charles Stuart Murder case, Rescue 9-11, the late Mayor Menino, sidescrapers, cults stealing babies, The Last Prostitute, Night Court, Quantum Leap, The Simpsons, pop culture blind spots, The Office, Poirot, being accused of thievery, why Ken is a monster, Ferngully, yuppie aspirations, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Dragnet, The Ultimate Challenge, and the Legend of Spanky Spangler.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! It's a super sized 2019 Halloween Special. This year Ken welcomes back Lamont Price, Sam Furst (Monsters are Good) and Rachel Reid to the show. We watch the first three Halloween episodes of Roseanne (Season 2, 3 and 4) and discuss it and all things Halloween.

April 23-29, 1994 This week Ken welcomes comedian Ethan Marsh to the show. Ken and Ethan discuss swingers, Jason Alexander's commercial work, John Candy's death, George Wendt in "Hostage for a Day", what Tammy Faye Baker watches, talk shows, getting your pet spayed or neutered, having a lawyer father, growing up in rural New Hampshire, SNICK, Clarissa Explains it All, Roundhouse, Ren & Stimpy, Dunkaroos, Malcolm X, The Fresh Air Program, Dick Sweat, the power of truck liners, Dollar Bill's, The Mommies, tub time, Judge Shows, The Movie Loft, TV38, pre-ordering Honey I Shrunk the Kids on VHS using identity fraud, teenie weenies, MTV Unplugged, Living Single, Grace Under Fire, Mario Van Peebles, Lifetime comedy specials Dana Gould appeared on but doesn't remember, Blaxploitation, Pam Grier, Ed McMahon is EVERYWHERE, The Fresh Prince, ken getting fired from Newbury Comics, modern country, getting outside your comfort bubble, solving problems, gun violence, simulcasts, Zach Galifinakis on late night TV, Beverly Hills 90210, The B.A.G. and his rap career, Home Improvement, cool teachers, Sons of Anarchy, TGIF, Boy Meets World, and repackaging history however you want.