Mitchell Hadley, author of Darkness in Primetime
Original Airdates: Nov. 21-24, 2025
TVC 715.1: Ed welcomes back author, essayist, novelist, and TV historian Mitchell Hadley (The Electronic Mirror, ItsAboutTV.com). Mitchell’s latest book, Darkness in Primetime: How Classic-Era TV Foresaw Modern Society’s Descent into Hell, is a series of essays that shows how certain episodes of such classic series as The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, Star Trek, and The Prisoner, as well as some of the live dramas that originally aired on Studio One, Playhouse 90, and Kraft Television Theatre—all of which were originally written and broadcast in either the 1950s or 1960s—not only envisioned a society of 24/7 surveillance, thought control, disinformation, persecution, and loss of freedom, but portrayed those realities in ways that are disturbingly similar to the world that we currently occupy. Darkness in Primetime is available wherever books are sold through Throckmorton Press and Amazon.com.
Patrick McGoohan (left) as Number Six, with Colin Gordon as Number Two, in “The General”
The Prisoner, “The General,” and One
Original Airdates: Nov. 21-24, 2025
TVC 715.2: Mitchell Hadley, author of The Electronic Mirror and Darkness in Primetime, talks to Ed about how “The General,” Episode 6 of The Prisoner (ITC, 1967-1968), the classic allegorical series created by Patrick McGoohan, discusses the dangers of rapidly accumulating a vast amount of knowledge—without any understanding of what that knowledge really means. Also in this segment: Mitchell discusses One, the dystopian novel by David Karp from 1953 that Karp subsequently adapted for television in 1955 as an episode of Kraft Television Theatre. Darkness in Primetime is available wherever books are sold through Throckmorton Press and Amazon.com.
Glenn Ford in The Brotherhood of The Bell
Why The Brotherhood of the Bell still packs a wallop
Original Airdates: Dec. 19-22, 2025
TVC 719.2: Part 2 of a conversation that began a few weeks ago with author, essayist, novelist, and TV historian Mitchell Hadley (The Electronic Mirror, ItsAboutTV.com). Mitchell’s latest book, Darkness in Primetime: How Classic-Era TV Foresaw Modern Society’s Descent into Hell, is a series of essays that shows how certain episodes of such classic series as The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, Star Trek, and The Prisoner—all of which were originally written and broadcast in either the 1950s or 1960s—not only envisioned a society of 24/7 surveillance, thought control, disinformation, persecution, and loss of freedom, but portrayed those realities in ways that are disturbingly similar to the world that we currently occupy. Topics this segment include a look at The Brotherhood of the Bell (CBS, 1970), a made-for-TV movie starring Glenn Ford (adapted for television by David Karp, based on his novel The Brotherhood of Velvet, about a secret society that is bent on world domination) that is also a variation of the classic tale of Faust; and “Susan B. Anthony, I Love You,” an episode of Petticoat Junction from February 1970 that, whether by design or not, has a storyline that is reminiscent of Lysistrata, the classic Greek play by Aristophanes.
Why not every TV series needs a final episode
Original Airdates: Dec. 19-22, 2025
TVC 719.3: Mitchell Hadley talks to Ed about “The Running Men,” an essay that Mitchell recently wrote for ItsAboutTV.com that makes the case for why it’s not necessary for every television series to have a final episode that resolves the premise and ties up any other loose ends. Ed agrees with Mitchell, but adds that the influence of social media on today’s TV landscape makes it impossible for show runners to avoid producing a series finale without upsetting the fan base. Mitchell’s latest book, Darkness in Primetime: How Classic-Era TV Foresaw Modern Society’s Descent into Hell, is available wherever books are sold through Throckmorton Press and Amazon.com.
