Greetings From the Idiot Box

Allison Lips

Join Allison Lips and her guests as they discuss the good, the bad, and the wacky in the world of television!

  1. 10/13/2025

    Casting Director Joel Thurm Discusses His Career

    Joel Thurm joins TV Historian Allison Lips to talk about his career casting classic television shows and movies, such as Taxi and Grease.

  2. 10/06/2025

    Jay Leno is the Worst Person in the World

    TV Historian Allison Lips and Johnny Mac from Daily Comedy News explore all the reasons Jay Leno is terrible, such as taking care of his sick wife. Leno's comedy legacy may be murky, but he's not a monster and simply misunderstood.

  3. 09/29/2025

    Mark Malkoff on Johnny Carson

    Mark Malkoff joins TV Historian Allison Lips to talk about The Carson Podcast and his upcoming book Love Johnny Carson.

  4. 09/22/2025

    The Biggest Loser: Fit for TV?

    Mary Alice joins TV Historian Allison Lips to talk about The Biggest Loser and Netflix's documentary on the show, Fit for TV: The Reality of The Biggest Loser. We explore society's role in media depictions of obesity and the impact watching the show had on us.

  5. 09/15/2025

    Steve Winer Talks About His Career

    Steve Winer, who wrote for Late Night with David Letterman, Robert Klein, and The All-New Mickey Mouse Club, has a wide-ranging conversation with TV Historian Allison Lips about his career and more.

  6. 09/08/2025

    Blame Chuck Barris For Modern TV

    Adam Nedeff, author of Gong this Book, joins TV Historian Allison Lips to discuss Chuck Barris' bizarre and complicated legacy. If you want to learn more about the man behind The Gong Show, The Newlywed Game, Treasure Hunt, and more, you'll enjoy this Greetings From the Idiot Box episode.

  7. 09/01/2025

    Cheers to James Burrows' Legendary Career

    TV Historian Allison Lips and Steve Newvine discuss Jim Burrows' long career in television. Burrows directed episodes of "The Bob Newhart Show," "Taxi", "Frasier," "Friends," "Will & Grace," and "3rd Rock from the Sun" and co-created "Cheers."

  8. 08/25/2025

    1970s Comedy and TV Discussion

    TV Historian Allison Lips and Rob Kates discuss Richard Zoglin's book Comedy at the Edge, which covers the stand up revolution in the United States during the 1970s. We talk about George Carlin, Richard Pryor, Robert Klein, Jerry Seinfeld, and more!

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Join Allison Lips and her guests as they discuss the good, the bad, and the wacky in the world of television!

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