FTVM 150 Screenings

Pee-Wee’s Playhouse (S1, E1)

Examines legacy children’s television through a postmodern lens, highlighting interactivity, absurdity, and camp to teach media literacy. Main event: Pee-Wee welcomes viewers to the playhouse, introduces the characters, and triggers the audience interaction with the secret word 'fun'.

Hill Street Blues 1.2 'Presidential Fever'

Represents the birth of quality television with serialized storytelling, ensemble cast, and moral ambiguity; a turning point in TV realism. Main event: Captain Furillo manages a hostage crisis under political pressure while internal conflict brews at the precinct.

NPR Segment on Hill Street Blues

Provides context on how Hill Street Blues broke TV conventions and paved the way for complex TV narratives. Main event: N/A – commentary segment discussing Hill Street Blues’ influence, not a narrative show.

The Sopranos, Pilot (S1, E1)

A foundational show of the post-network era and HBO’s ‘quality TV’ brand, blending mob drama with psychological depth. Main event: Tony Soprano begins therapy after a panic attack, revealing his double life as mobster and family man.

The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, 'The Stop Sign' (S1, E1)

Highlights DIY digital media and the rise of Black indie voices, specifically Issa Rae’s early work before mainstream success. Main event: J has an awkward social encounter at a four-way stop, setting the tone for her character’s world.

Insecure, 'Insecure as F**k' (S1, E1)

Demonstrates the HBO-ification of web content, offering a polished, culturally specific portrait of contemporary Black womanhood. Main event: Issa performs at an open mic while reflecting on her relationship with Lawrence.

Miami Vice, 'Brother’s Keeper'

Embodies the aesthetic shift in 1980s television: cinematic visuals, pop music integration, and stylistic storytelling. Main event: Crockett and Tubbs team up to bring down a major drug dealer in a climactic shootout.

Twin Peaks, 'Northwest Passage' (Pilot)

Showcases auteurism and surrealism in TV, blending mystery, horror, and melodrama in a way that reshaped narrative expectations. Main event: Agent Dale Cooper arrives in Twin Peaks to investigate Laura Palmer’s murder.

Tropes vs. Women in Video Games – Part 1

Damsels in Distress: Critiques gender tropes in video games, particularly how female characters are often rendered passive objects to motivate male protagonists. Main event: Anita Sarkeesian outlines how classic and modern games reuse the 'damsel in distress' trope.

Leisure Suit Larry (1987) Walkthrough

Used to illustrate early representations of gender, sexuality, and adult humor in digital media and how games sexualize and stereotype women. Main event: Larry attempts to 'score' in a series of awkward, outdated, and sexist dating scenarios.