Decoder Ring is the show about cracking cultural mysteries. In each episode, host Willa Paskin takes a cultural question, object, or habit; examines its history; and tries to figure out what it means and why it matters.
Paper dolls were a ubiquitous part of children’s lives for decades, and then they mostly disappeared.
36 min
102
The Basement Affair
What are the real reasons people go on reality TV?
40 min
103
Clown Panic
The clown has existed in various forms for thousands of years, what changed and made us suspect and fear them?
35 min
104
The Johnlock Conspiracy
Decoder Ring explores the Johnlock Conspiracy, a fan theory about the BBC TV show Sherlock positing the inevitability of a gay romance between Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson.
49 min
105
The Laff Box
What happened to the laugh track? For nearly five decades, it was ubiquitous, but beginning in the early 2000s, it fell out of sitcom fashion. What happened?