TV Guidance Counselor

September 25 - October 1, 1976 Today Ken welcomes writer Susannah Breslin to the show. Ken and Susannah discuss being tall, Berklee, the odd isolation of neighborhoods, being anti-establishment, intellectualism, Charlie's Angels, hair goals, Farrah Fawcett, Jaqueline Smith, The Shazam Isis Hour, the original Saturday Night Live Not Ready for Prime Time Players, Dolly Parton's sisters, brunette as protest, The Jeffersons, Holmes and Yo-Yo, having four Real Dolls, how empathy can motivate you to do odd things, sex contracts, 20 years of covering the adult entertainment business, big budget pornography on Entertainment Tonight, sex robots, being a latch key kid, The 3:30 Movie, made for TV horror flicks, being on panel shows, Politically Incorrect, stand up comedy, being a control freak, The Post Feminist Playground, Jenna Jameson, The Mitchell Brothers, Roberta Findley, the false safety of parody, Star Trek, being in love with William Shatner, racist nerds, the varied experience exposure of television, Black Mirror, old man talk, hating progress, virtual reality, eXistenz, Little House on the Prairie, the horrifying mime episode, Monroe's assault on Too Close for Comfort, Johnny Cash, Variety Shows, Cherry 2000, Happy Days, Lavern and Shirley, Jackie Brown, The Golden Age, the long slow death of physical media, sad warehouses, looking for humanity, obscenity trials, the hunt for the most extreme, the President and the Porn Star, Japanese weirdness, pee pee tapes, connections made to be broken vs lack of connection made to be made, why Ken would never have Donald Trump on the show, being fueled by spite, what the hell the point of TV Guidance Counselor is, being sad to find out how lonely you were as a kid, but feeling happy when you realize you were alone together with a lot of other kids.

September 12-18, 1992 FALL PREVIEW ALERT! Today Ken welcomes writer, actor and all around quality human being Obehi Janice to the show. Ken and Obehi discuss Obehi's mic technique, Rugrats, Nigeria, Ken's love of Percey Rodriguez, how Jim and Pam can ruin insurance, Lowell, Jack Keroac's On the Road, going to boarding school in Greenfield, Brooklyn, Mill No. 5, Fanta, Nigerian Weddings, Nollywood, how comedy doesn't always translate, Haverhill, Riverdale, the weird nexus of pop culture that was 1992, having a real black night on a Saturday, Here and Now, Out All Night, Regina King, Malcom Jamal Warner's poetry, Boyz in the Hood, SNICK, Nevermind, Rober Urich, a cross country motorcycle trip, why there is always a God show, The Good Doctor, why autism shouldn't be used as magic, how the rise of nationally televised sports ruined America, niche programming, Mr. Rogers, Jim Henson, The Edge, In Living Color, Ken's love of Robert Townsend, SCTV, Spongebob, the early days of Reality TV, Great Scott, The Ben Stiller Show, Whoops!, Hanging with Mr. Cooper, Mad About You, Townies, loving Jenna Elfman, early bed times, Rags to Riches, ruining your eyes by reading in the dark, how the Bernie Mac Show is truly family friendly, the politics of drag and...(the recorder cuts out sadly, so the final 10-20 minutes of Ken and Obehi's chat have been lost to time)

February 14-20, 1981 Today Ken welcomes writer/showrunner Matt Nix to the show. Ken and Matt discuss 1981, Palm Springs, being a latch key kid, making a case for your show, watching things you'd never have watched, The Brady Bunch, niche shared experiences, a 60 share, Cagney and Lacey, Knight Rider, laser seat belts, M*A*S*H, being devastated by a show's cancellation, never meeting your heroes, the wonder of Bruce Campbell, a passion for TV, being shocked at how much you watched, spec scripts for WKRP in Cincinnati, meeting Sid Caesar, Spenser for Hire, watching shows filmed, having hope, old school Hollywood Publicists, knowing someone will love the industry, wanting to write ALL the shows, creative compulsion, Starsky and Hutch, how action has changed, Burn Notice, The Gifted, The Comedians, hardcore sci-fi, tech, allegory, Black Mirror, eternal torture forever, wanting to be Tesla, The Arrival, executive personalities, being the smart kid who does everyone's chem homework, Easter Eggs for long time fans, comic books, how Lost salted the earth, why Espionage is not a genetic condition passed on to children, who Burned Michael?, what parts of classic TV promotion to blow up, how being a working actor is a blue collar, middle class hustle, Wonder Woman, Green Acres, Gilligan's Island, Barney Miller, Mad Magazine, the wonder of parody, cringe humor, people you don't like being mean to each other, The Waltons and why we need something like that now more than ever, Sanford & Son, aspirational vs. laugh at shows, The Famous Teddy Z, Picket Fences, Northern Exposure, the politics of television, and why you can't put monster truck tires on a BMW.

June 30 - July 6, 1984 Today Ken welcomes comedian Emily Ruskowski to the show. Ken and Emily discuss how Ken's house isn't hoardery, Emily's fears of certain houses in her outreach social work day job, bed bugs, hotels, the year you were born, Phoebe Cates in Lace, the early days of High Definition Television, Living Single, being scarred by Blue Lagoon, Brandon Tartikof's rescue of NBC, The New Show, Joan Collins, period pieces, John Walsh in America's Most Wanted, hitchhiking, running a woman over with your car, Spags, finding out "which one of you bitches is my mother", Grease 2, the sad end of Jeff Conway, Michelle Pfeiffer, vocational schools, tweens, the 90s, official Michael Jackson gloves, Octopussy, Cagney and Lacey, Newhart, cocaine, Joan Rivers, women in comedy, recasting The Golden Girls, Ken's husky childhood, JD Roth, Fun House, Finders Keepers, MTV News, Real People vs. That's Incredible!, Vanessa Williams, Night Court, talking people off of ledges, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Roseanne, Cheers, being a big Ted Danson fan, The Dukes of Hazard, Webster, Ben Vareen confusion, and how Emily might be the world's biggest and most unlikely Boss Hog fan.

July 6-12, 1996 Today Ken welcomes comedian Brett Johnson to the show. Ken and Brett discuss Ken's stolen MIT Frat photo, all the strange stuff in Ken's house, the world's only just ok photo of Gillian Anderson, exclusive pull-outs, Dude Ranches, Lake George, growing up very religious, having your parents be in a cult, demonic roller coasters, spending High School in Kenya, Missionary tapes, McGee and Me, real life Mean Girls, D&D, Nu Metal CDs, The Gods Must be Crazy, being a TV Guide delivery boy, Zaboomafu, Wishbone, The Simpsons, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Indiana Jones knocking your teeth into your gums, Drew Carey Show, Who's Line is it Anyway?, The Bonnie Hunt Show, Monty Python, Mr. Bean, Coach, Unsolved Mysteries, Satanic Panic, Seinfeld, The Real World, Dream On, the nature of Documentary, Indonesia, Johnny Vegas: Who's Ready for Ice Cream?, TGIF, Step by Step, Family Matters, and the wonder of Don Johnson's Heartbeat.

January 6-12, 2001 Today Ken welcomes comedian and voice of the Google Home Mini Valerie Tosi to the show. (note, there is an audio issue with Valerie's mic for the first two minutes, but is resolved after that) Ken and Valerie discuss Lobster #2, The Garment District, fashion faux pas, tanning, gold hand me down prom dresses, Lynn Mass, Salisbury Beach, fighting robbers, being covered in Blood, Ken breaking a heroin dealer's fingers, calling the F.B.I., Sophomore year of High School, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the WB, The X-Files, Roswell, SNICK, hanging chads, TV Guide snark, pre-9/11 2001 mindsets, Ralph Nader's sex appeal, Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire?, all inclusive Mexican resorts, not flying until you're 30, having a Boston Red Sox tattoo, Jim Gaffigan's sitcom "Welcome to New York", Richard Hatch, Catherine Zeta Jones, the Mini Driver of the year vs. the Minnie Driver of the year, Geena Davis' nipples, Al Gore, Heather Locklear, Kelsey Grammer as McBeth, Brad Renfro's grand theft incident, Survivor, Jizzled Jawed Greg, Temptation Island, Mark L. Wahlberg, the value of a Dr. Evil Doll, This Old House, nailin' boards, The Golden Girls house, visiting shooting locations, The Sports Page starring Bob Newhart, The People's Choice Awards, Bette Midler, loving Anna Torv, Fringe, blackmailing Dana Gould, and giving up on Supernatural.

Today Ken welcomes the men behind the Found Footage Festival, Nick Prueher and Joe Pickett. Ken, Nick and Joe discuss Laura Palmer's corpse, revisiting your childhood home, Moonlighting, Cybil Sheppard, silk sheets, Divorced Dad Horny, tape trading, the Found Footage Festival, Waterbeds, News Bloopers, Joan Collins, angry "No"s, Silver Spoons, Beastmaster, HBO, Very Special Episodes, Diff'rent Strokes, Growing Pains, Mr. Belvedere, The Amish, thirtysomething, Sisters, Revenge of the Nerds, Tim Busfield, The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Punky Brewster, the mystery of Jeremy Reems, Hal Sparks' Treasure Mall, having Ken's Dad on the show, Bozo the Clown, seeing eye ducks, turning garbage into gasoline, Shelly Duval, Herve Valechez, Fairy Tail Theater, bloopers, Newhart, Good Day LA, SCTV's Cinemax season, the Batan Death March's relation to dog fashion shows, black boxes, foxy boxing, the depressing fear of The Incredible Hulk, The Hulk Out List, beauty pageants, Gimme a Break, hypnosis, Family Ties, Carol Burnett on Magnum P.I., Jake and the Fatman, William Conrad getting no respect, Benson, Child's Play the Game Show, Webster, and why "Step by Step" plays in the Sacred Hour.

November 14-20, 1987 Today Ken welcomes writer Dave Brusie to the show. Ken and Dave discuss Cheers, Rebecca vs. Diane, the socio-economic hierarchy of Cheers, academia, nicknames, Sledgehammer, the weirdness you missed, Small Wonder, The Edge, The Simpsons, David Merkin, being banned from In Living Color, parental rules, Troll Book Club vs. Scholastic Book Club, Elementary School, specialization, The Facts of Life, Sherrie Krenn/Austin, Golden Girls, Amen, Empty Nest, The News Adventures of Beans Baxter, Comic Relief, tape trading, being on a Gameshow, Celebrity Jeopardy, Newhart, major cast replacements, Family Ties, loving Michael J. Fox, the underrated comedic chops of Justine Bateman, Moonlighting, John Cleese, The Muppets, Muppet Babies, showing your kids things you loved as a kid, current kids' shows, Puffin Rock, Mr. Rogers, Just the Ten of Us, the early days of Saved by the Bell, Teacher Shows, The Charmings, Night Court, The Cosby Show, Mr. Belvedere, why there are always Hospital shows, and interviewing Big Bird.

July 27 - August 2, 1996 Today Ken welcomes writer and personality Ella Morton (Atlas Obscura) to the show. Ken and Ella discuss Boston's strange museums, ether dome, The Maparium, growing up in Australia, going to high school in Dallas TX, why TV lockers give you a false sense of hope, Dynasty, Beverly Hills 90210, The X-Files, John Safran, America's short lived obsession with Australia, cultural views of blackface, Michael Crawford on Some Mothers do 'ave em, hoping they might kiss, technology driven fan communities, online message boards, Xena, She Wolf of London, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Millenium, The Lone Gunmen, New Zealand, Peter Jackson, Forgotten Silver, Salem MA's weird tourist history, The Nanny, Round the Twist, sleazy three camera sitcoms, live episodes, musical episodes, The Drew Carey Show, how the main characters getting together ruins the show, Cheers, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Comic Books, Stephen Hawking, The Simpsons, Chris Carter's transgressions, Fish Police, My Two Dads, Kate and Allie, Women in Prison, learning how to be a better you through Captain Picard's example on Star Trek The Next Generation, The Howling III, Peter Boyle, why it's weird for teachers to hang out with their students, why it's irresponsible to let someone watch Battlestar Gallactica alone, Xena as pride, Sydney, how Halloween isn't a thing outside the US, Australian news bloopers, and why Ken won't shut the hell up about Fringe.

September 19-25, 1998 Today Ken welcomes friend and quality human being Sam Walsh to the show. Ken and Sam talk about lost recordings, the best Quaid, Innerspace, being attacked by dogs, having a "sausage pockets" look, Teenie Drinks, lactose intolerance, the odd relationship of Asian people and dairy products, Home Improvement, Tim Allen's wooden suit, Tool Time ladies, Chevy Chase, Fox's Target America, being horrified of America's Most Wanted, being murdered, growing up in Boston, being a Vietnamese immigrant, Everybody Loves Raymond, Ken's love of Jim Belushi, Russians on TV, The Miss America Pageant, Sci-Fi Channel movies, Dog Soldiers as formula, Weird Al, Florence Henderson, "Holding the Baby", The Simpsons, Mystery Files of Shelby Woo, Two Fat Ladies, 90s actors in 21st Century Religious films, WCW/WWF Monday Night wars, Ken's fear of mirrors in dark rooms, why Howard the Duck may be the best Marvel movie, Messiah of Evil, Penn & Teller, loving magic, Bram Stoker's Dracula, annoying actors, Mr. Bill hosting Mr. Bean, Mad About You, Blank Check, Third Rock from the Sun, UHF, Newsradio, Executive Decision, Steven Segal bait and switch, Fraiser, Booker T, Fright Night, sabotaging a roller coaster, going full TGIF, Frank Whaley, Dennis Farrena, Michael McKeon, and loving the Little League World Series.