As seen on TV

Go backstage at an audition of The Bachelor or learn how the NBC chimes came into existence. This week, it's all about television.

CBC Radio · Posted: Apr 21, 2017 1:02 PM EDT | Last Updated: October 13, 2017

Bachelor Jake Pavelka presents a ring to Vienna Giraldi after the final rose ceremony on the season finale of "The Bachelor: On the Wings of Love." THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-ABC, Mark Brendel (The Canadian Press/AP-ABC, Mark Brendel)

This week, a repeat of one of our favourite episodes, from April 2017.

Six podcasts about TV

FULL CANADIAN BROADCAST VERSION:

1. Twenty Thousand Hertz

"The chimes were everywhere. They were so popular they even appeared in some pop songs." — Dallas Taylor on the popularity of the NBC chimes.

They're only three simple notes, but the NBC chimes didn't just define a television network, they defined a generation. Find out where they came from and the impact the sound has had on our current media.

2. Why Oh Why

"On The Bachelor a man can fall in love at first sight. They can be direct about wanting a future." — Andrea Silenzi on the appeal of The Bachelor.

Host Andrea Silenzi goes to an audition of The Bachelor to talk to aspiring contestants and learn what the reality show phenomenon is really all about.

3. Only Human

"We know that putting Ray Bans on Tom Cruise can sell a lot of sunglasses. [Kaiser Family Foundation] wanted to see if that same idea could work to correct public opinion." — Only Human

In 1991, Jennifer Jako had a one night stand with a high-school friend. It was the only time she'd ever had sex without a condom. She contracted HIV and spent years trying to debunk misconceptions, including the stigma behind her pregnancy.

4. Memory Motel

"For many people it's a time machine with one destination: childhood." — Terence Mickey on The Wonder Years.

From the theme song to the Super 8 home movies in the opening credits, The Wonder Years is steeped in nostalgia. Titi Nguyen's parents never spoke of the life and war they'd fled in Vietnam, so she turned to The Wonder Years to make sense of her story.

5. Life of the Law

"I've always been so impressed by lawyer commercials on TV. And by impressed, I mean totally confused." — Producer Sean Cole

Since the US Supreme Court first allowed lawyers to advertise in the 1970s, the practice has skyrocketed, often with shoddily-produced results. Are tacky lawyer commercials bringing down the profession, or simply making it more accessible to those who might not otherwise know an attorney?

6. Grownups Read Things They Wrote As Kids

"I'm not gonna urge you to see it. Don't see it because you're curious. Humans are too curious." — Chris on Red Shoe Diaries.

A teenage girl gets next level after watching a made-for-TV erotic drama.

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