Like many of us during the pandemic, UW Communication associate professor Dr. Timeka Tounsel and her colleague Dr. Ashleigh Greene Wade (Digital Studies, University of Virginia) found themselves streaming a lot of television. As the two rewatched older favorites, a stark contrast emerged. Whereas the 1980s and 1990s media landscape often centered Black girls’ stories, those representations largely disappeared in more recent programs, as the new millennium pivoted toward reality television and shows focused on adult characters.
“We wanted to investigate that, because it just became so glaring to us,” Tounsel says. This glaring disparity sparked a series of text messages between the two scholars, eventually leading to the creation of the Lost Credits podcast, which premiered earlier this year.
While traditional academic papers offer deep analysis of media texts, Tounsel and Wade knew this conversation needed a more dynamic medium if it was to reach a broader audience. “One of the things that was important to us was to be able to talk to people who weren’t in college… and engage them,” Tounsel explains. Audio storytelling provided a vibrant format where they could play sample clips and allow listeners to hear for themselves the cultural texts Tounsel and Wade were critiquing. It also enabled the hosts to provide context and scholarly insights about these iconic shows, and contribute a media studies perspective to conversations already unfolding on social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and X.
A central theme of the podcast’s first season is the concept of “Black girl disposability,” which Tounsel defines as the devaluation of Black girls as performers. The inaugural episode highlights Lark Voorhees, who played Lisa Turtle on the popular NBC sitcom for teens Saved by the Bell (1989-1993). Despite her immense early success, Voorhees faced a precipitous career decline and mental health crises without adequate industry support, and was later excluded from the show’s recent streaming reboot.
For Tounsel, these Hollywood narratives reflect the broader systemic issues that shape the representation of Black girls. “There’s a direct correlation between how everyday Black girls are treated in U.S. society and how Black girl celebrities, actors, performers are treated within Hollywood,” she notes. While modern streaming platforms have provided some initial visibility, Tounsel points out that this representation is rarely sustained, with shows featuring racially diverse casts frequently canceled after just one season.
Lost Credits has strong ties to the UW Department of Communication. Tounsel was adamant about hiring a UW student to work on the project, ensuring they received paid, hands-on experience. As a result, the entire first season was edited by recent UW Journalism and Public Interest Communication alum Taylor Richmond.
Going forward, the podcast will serve as a pedagogical tool inside the classroom, allowing students to gain experience in both textual interpretation and audio storytelling. Tounsel is already incorporating the series into courses like Black Cultural Studies. In future, she envisions designing a class in which students collaboratively design a season of the podcast.
Lost Credits’ second season will continue to amplify marginalized voices, this time focusing on the film industry. Tounsel says the ultimate takeaway for listeners is simple, but profound: “Black girls have had a much bigger impact on US popular culture, US television culture, than most people realize.” Thanks to Lost Credits, this impact is being given the credit it deserves.
To explore the episodes and learn more, visit lostcreditspod.com.