On April 8, 2026, at 4:15 p.m., the research colloquia for the 2026 summer semester will kick off with a lecture by Prof. Dr. Greg Elmer from Toronto Metropolitan University in Canada. The lecture, titled “Special Screening with Q’n’A: THE TV SHOW”, will take place at Linzer Straße 4 in Room 60.070.
What is the lecture about?
The TV Show is a provocative feature documentary that explores complex personal identities, online relationships, and political conflicts on a daily Youtube ‘TV show’. Rachel, the show’s host and central figure in the documentary, is a trans woman, unapologetic MAGA supporter, and Canadian resident. She is equal parts charismatic and controversial. Rachel’s show elicits strong opinions from her audience and guests — some viewers find it addictive, captivating and hilarious, while others express deep antipathy and distaste for its content. Many find it to be both humorous and offensive.
Launched during the pandemic, as a place where strangers could share their love of music and vinyl record collecting, the Rachel’s Ghost Youtube show later changed its format to broach more controversial social and political issues, along the way welcoming a more bombastic and YouTube savvy group of guests, influencers, and viewers. While Rachel’s MAGA politics and accompanying rejection of legacy media narratives serve as a starting point for many conversations on the show, a majority of The TV Show’s guests lean liberal, and a vocal daily guest is vehemently anti-Trump.
Tensions on The TV Show rise as arguments become more personal and partisan in the lead up to the 2024 presidential election. Regular guests quit or are disinvited from the show. Viewers comments become more aggressive and persistent, demanding more of Rachel’s attention. Critics begin to routinely disrupt the show. The annual award show is cancelled. Yet at the same time Rachel and her regular guests continue to insist that The TV show is first and foremost a comedic form of entertainment, a work of fiction, or at least a set of exaggerated exchanges amongst contrived online characters. But as the election results start to roll in and a second Trump victory declared, underlying truths are revealed and personal relationships tested, ultimately putting the future of The TV Show into jeopardy.
Bio:
Prof. Dr. Greg Elmer is Bell Media Research Chair and Professor of Professional Communication at the Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada. He is an experienced documentary filmmaker and media scholar. His research focuses on questions of media financialization, surveillance, and digital politics. Elmer is Director of the Infoscape Research Lab, a 15 year old unit that serves as a space for collaboration among faculty, post-docs and graduate students.
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