NPR Podcast Invites Cristel Antonia Russell to Discuss Nostalgia TV

The NPR podcast, hosted by Meghna Chakrabarti, discusses the emerging trend of popular classic ‘90s TV shows with guests Eric Deggans, an NPR TV-critic, and Cristel Antonia Russell, Graziadio Pepperdine’s Professor of Marketing who studies how and why people enjoy consuming and re-consume entertainment.

WarnerMedia recently paid $125 million for the rights to place Friends on its streaming service for the next five years. Nostalgia reruns is a lucrative market and rising in popularity across all generations. Professor Cristel explains why these shows are making a comeback and why people are wanting to re-watch these shows. “Twenty-five years is a huge chunk of time to anyone. Nostalgia is a double-edged sword where a part of you wants to go back to these earlier times but a part of you is glad you are no longer an 18-year-old watching Friends. It allows people to reflect and realize how they have grown.”

Classic ‘90s shows provide a lens of how and in which ways society has changed. Viewers can look into the past and contemplate whether society has changed for the better. Watching the shows allows people to view a not so far history and relate to those times. Younger generations are able to view themes of that decade and realize why certain things have changed. To hear more, listen to the podcast: Nostalgia TV’s Takeover.