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Because It Was On — TV & Film
Because It Was On

Because It Was On is the ultimate podcast for sitcom lovers. BIWO is like that fancy film podcast, but for people who like to talk about that episode of ‘Saved by the Bell’ where Jessie gets addicted to caffeine pills. Join hosts Jessica and Zach as they explore the most memorable episodes of beloved television classics. With insightful analysis, Jessica and Zach unravel the social politics tucked into 22 minute TV shows. Tune in for engaging discussions and a nostalgic journey through the zany world of sitcoms.

Copyright: © 2023 Because It Was On

Latest Episodes:

Boy Genius: The Sitcom's Obsession With Special Little Boys Apr 14, 2023

Show notes

Need to get an A on your science project? How about reprogram your toaster? Do you need someone with a photographic memory to perform party tricks at your next mixer? Did you forget a calculator and need to multiply large sums stat? Do you need someone to perform surgery, land a plane, fix your car, and win Jeopardy for Kids? Have no fear, your local boy genius is here!
This week Jessica and Zach dive into the trope of the boy genius. By looking at Smart Guy, Malcolm in the Middle, and Young Sheldon this episode explores the gifts and struggles of living with a mini mega mind. Jessica and Zach review everything from the loneliness of the boy genius to the impact on the family to the socioeconomic elements at play. They also beg the question: Why are there so few girl geniuses?

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A Very Special Episode: The History of Sitcoms and AIDS Apr 07, 2023

Show notes

Jessica and Zach try something a little different and walk listeners through the history of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the 80's and early 90's through the lens of sitcoms. Each episode they discuss this week is an important time capsule for the public's understanding of HIV/AIDS from the early days with Mr. Belvedere to A Different World.
Shows discussed this week:
Mr. Belvedere
Designing Women
Golden Girls
Doogie Howser (We thought it was a sitcom)
A Different World

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What Happened to Roseanne? Mar 31, 2023

Show notes

Roseanne Barr has been in the public eye for over almost forty years and for the vast majority of that time she has marketed herself as a loud and abrasive proponent of center-left politics. Her show that bears her namesake is universally understood as a progressive working class text, tackling such issues as abortion, gay marriage, gender violence, and birth control. She ran for the Green Party nomination in 2012, doxed George Zimmerman, and has openly called for the execution of Wall Street Bankers....and in just a few short years she has turned into an icon of the right, doing pronoun jokes on something called "Fox Nation".
Roseanne was an incredibly important show for Jessica and Zach as well as many other people. So the question is...what the hell happened to Roseanne? Find out this week on Because It Was On!
CW: Transphobia, Domestic Abuse, Racism

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The Orchids and Gumbo Poker Club: Girlhood in Lizzie McGuire, iCarly, and Square Pegs Mar 24, 2023

Show notes

Boys, parents, homework, and bullies! Middle school and high school can be such a drag. This week Zach and Jessica talk about three shows about teenage girls and how iCarly, Lizzie McGuire, and Square Pegs all depict girlhood.
(I'm going to be perfectly honest with you: watching these shows sent us places. Strap in for probably our weirdest episode yet.)

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It's Always Sunny in Seinfeldia: Great Sitcoms About Terrible People Mar 17, 2023

Show notes

This week Jessica and Zach are talking about two shows that center around terrible people! Seinfeld and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia are two shows that are often compared to each other due to their amoral protagonists. An interesting question to explore, then, is what moral vision, if any, can be found lurking behind the many crimes of the protagonists of these two shows. Do sitcoms even have to have morals? Do they have to teach you lessons?
Youtube video referenced near the end about It's Always Sunny and HD: Captain Midnight's "HD TVs Ruined Sitcoms"

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A Gay Man Searches for Family in Ohio: The Forgotten John Goodman Sitcom Mar 10, 2023

Show notes

Before they did The Office, 30 Rock, Parks and Rec, The Big Bang Theory, and How I Met Your Mother Jessica and Zach have decided, for no discernable reason, to do Normal, Ohio, John Goodman's first project after Roseanne that only lasted seven episodes.
Normal, Ohio follows Butch, a gay man played by John Goodman, who returns to his titular hometown to reconnect with his family. It...is objectively terrible, but is an interesting time capsule for how gay characters have been depicted in American Comedy.
So join us as Jessica and Zach put on their flannel shirts and crack open a cold one and take a trip to Normal, Ohio.

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The Education of an Omnipotent Sociopath: Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Girl Power Mar 02, 2023

Show notes

The witch has long since been an icon for female power, repression, and queerness. Enter Sabrina the Teenage Witch where the biggest issue is finding the perfect date to prom and ruining your friends’ lives on the daily. Join Jessica and Zach as they gaze into the crystal ball and hope to crack their family secrets. They take a look at Hilda and Zelda and also reluctantly talk about their niece, Sabrina, because she is kind of the titular character of the show. All the while Jessica and Zach unpack a magic incel, debate which Harvey is supreme, and lament the aggressive heterosexuality in this text that will not budge.

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A Judge can't be with a Witch and other Lessons from Night Court Feb 24, 2023

Show notes

It's court...at night! Join Jessica and Zach as they take a journey through the municipal halls of Night Court as they try to better understand the NBC property that ran from 1984–1992 and has recently been dusted off on Peacock. It is a bizarre court where the rules are made up, the laws don't matter, and everyone involved should be disbarred.
Bonus that this episode features what is now Jessica's favorite sitcom episode ever: Season 3, Episode 5: "Halloween, Too". The episode from which we draw our title is a dead serious take on why a judge cannot date a witch. Jessica is obsessed.
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"Are You There, God? It's Me, Tim Allen": Sitcoms and Political Correctness Feb 17, 2023

Show notes

Folks the PC Police are everywhere! Or at least people and media figures whining about them. For decades now the term "political correctness" has proven to be a fascinating, amorphous concept where people of a certain political persuasion can dump all of their anxieties and societal grievances. Join us as Jessica and Zach suit up with their Antifa battle gear to go head to head with sitcom episodes rail against this (mostly) imagined enemy.
Episodes Featured on this week's show:
Murphy Brown
Last Man Standing
Toast of London
Roseanne
Peep Show

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That's On Periodt: Sitcom's Depiction of 'That Time of the Month' Feb 10, 2023

Show notes

Get the guest bedroom ready because this week Aunt Flo is coming for a visit! Jessica and Zach will be talking about the sitcom genre's depiction of periods from episodes where characters have their first period to episodes where men cower in fear at the dreaded PMS.
Shows discussed this week:
Everybody Loves Raymond
Roseanne
Black-ish
Married With Children
The IT Crowd
The Cosby Show
Follow us on social media:
TikTok (this is where we are most active!)
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Support the show

Please consider supporting the show on Patreon.

Follow us on social media:
TikTok (this is where we are most active!)
Facebook
Instagram

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