Treva Silverman, Joke Whisperer
Treva Silverman, who wrote for “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and other hits, is adored and admired by fellow comedy writers and actors alike.
The indomitable Shari Lewis and Lamb Chop with Mallory Lewis, Nat Segaloff and Sarah Breger
Famed ventriloquist and creator of the iconic puppet Lamb Chop, Shari Lewis was one of the few women to run her own television production company at a time when most women were shut out of the industry. Lewis and Lamb Chop entertained generations of children with their many television shows, including specials about Hanukkah and Passover. Mallory Lewis, Emmy Award-winning performer and daughter of Shari, and TV writer-producer Nat Segaloff, join Moment editor Sarah Breger for a conversation about Lewis’ stage and TV career, how Judaism influenced her work, the challenges of being a businesswoman in a male dominated field and how she and her puppet became iconic stars loved by millions. Mallory Lewis and Segaloff are the authors of the forthcoming book Shari Lewis & Lamb Chop: The Team That Changed Children’s Television.
This program is in celebration of Jewish American Heritage Month.
The Villainous Mrs. Maisel
After her fallout with Shy Baldwin at the end of Season 3, the two-part Season 4 premiere still refuses to make Midge the villain of her own show.
Staff Picks: From ‘Mrs. Maisel’ to ‘Of Mice and Men’
What we’re reading—and watching—this week.
Aimee Bikel Remembers Ed Asner
Aimee Ginsburg Bikel was the wife of the late Theodore Bikel, the renowned actor, folksinger and activist. She reflects on her friendship with actor Ed Asner, best known for playing Lou Grant on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, who passed away on August 29.
Staff Picks: Hunters, Hemingway and Harlem
What we’re reading—and watching—this week.
Jewish Pioneers in Television: The Next Generation with TV Historians Walter J. Podrazik and Harry Castleman
TV became the preeminent communication force in society from the 1960s onward, with Jews at the creative and business forefront. Walter J. Podrazik and Harry Castleman continue their entertaining survey of the medium’s history with a focus on influential figures such as Fred Silverman, Brandon Tartikoff, Barry Diller and Sumner Redstone and the groundbreaking shows they brought to the screen such as Seinfeld, Happy Days, Charlie’s Angels, Hill Street Blues, The Cosby Show, The Simpsons and The Big Bang Theory plus made-for-TV movies and miniseries such as Roots. Their achievements paved the way for the growth of cable, and eventually streaming.
Mayim Bialik Is Back—Though Was She Ever Really Gone?
It feels like Mayim Bialik is everywhere. She is talking about mental health on her new podcast “The Breakdown with Mayim Bialik”; she is hosting...
The New Black: Nice Jewish Bad Boys
For some younger, hipper members of the hat-conscious, ultra-Orthodox crowd, the old black is also the new black.
But in the Israeli-made streaming series The New...
Sonny Fox: Kids’ TV Host’s Life Saved in a Nazi POW Camp
New Yorkers of a certain age remember Sonny Fox as the ruggedly handsome, dimple-chinned TV host of Wonderama and Just for Fun. Fox was a...
Bridgerton: The Unexpected Mirror to Orthodox Dating Life
On the surface, Netflix’s Bridgerton does not seem like the type of show “nice Jewish boys and girls” should be watching. The series, based on...
Hawkeye Pierce: An Appreciation
B.F. Pierce is a brilliantly developed, multifaceted character, perhaps best analyzed by M.A.S.H.’s Army psychiatrist, the Jewish Dr. Sydney Friedman (played by Alan Arbus). The doctor’s observation that “while anger turned inward becomes depression, anger turned sideways is Hawkeye Pierce.”