Facts and Feelings
Ep. 190: ‘Dead to Me’ creator Liz Feldman and gay Mormon convert Dennis Schleicher
It’s that time of the year: The Unorthodox fundraising drive! Help us keep going strong in 5780 and beyond—donate here.
Our Jewish guest this week is Liz Feldman, writer and creator of Dead to Me, the new Netflix series starring Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini. She tells us about the Jewish elements of the hit “traumedy,” which was just renewed for a second season.
Our gentile of the week is Dennis Schleicher, who shares his conversion story. After coming out as gay as a teenager and leaving his family and their evangelical church, he ends up converting to Mormonism as an adult. (His book is called Is He Nuts: Why a Gay Man Would Become a Member of the Church of Jesus Christ.)
It’s the last week to fill out our listener survey for a chance to win an autographed copy of our forthcoming book, The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia.
Email us at [email protected] or leave a message at 914-570-4869.
Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get new episodes, photos, and more. Follow Unorthodox on Twitter and Instagram and join our Facebook group. Get your Unorthodox T-shirts, sweatshirts, and baby onesies here.
This episode is brought to you by Harry’s. Get a free trial shave set when you sign up at Harrys.com/Unorthodox.
Unorthodox is a smart, fresh, fun weekly take on Jewish news and culture hosted by Mark Oppenheimer, Stephanie Butnick, and Liel Leibovitz. You can listen to individual episodes here or subscribe on iTunes.
- UnorthodoxSesame ShtiselEp. 354: Grover does Passover, plus Ruth Markel on trauma and grandparent alienation, and Indian comedian Zarna Garg on learning from the Jews March 23, 2023
- UnorthodoxBunny BusinessEp. 353: Hen Mazzig on fighting antisemitism online and Gabriel Said Reynolds on teaching about Islam on YouTubeMarch 16, 2023
- UnorthodoxTuning InEp. 352: Jeremy Dauber on Jewish comedy and Mel Brooks, and Clueless’ Elisa Donovan on her acting—and writing—careerMarch 9, 2023
- UnorthodoxThe Whole MegillahEp. 351: Rethinking Purim, plus a visit to Shemesh Farms in Malibu, CaliforniaMarch 2, 2023
- UnorthodoxThreading the NeedleEp. 350: Ashley McKinless and Zac Davis on Jesuitical and Lent and traveling across the JEW.S.A. to Seattle February 23, 2023
- UnorthodoxNew WaveEp. 349: David Sax on ‘The Future Is Analog’ and William Finnegan on surfing February 16, 2023
- UnorthodoxUs PeopleEp. 348: Author Gabrielle Zevin on ‘Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow’ and a spirited discussion about Netflix’s ‘You People’February 9, 2023
- UnorthodoxReading TogetherEp. 347: Bill Deresiewicz on ‘The End of Solitude’ and audiobook narrator Julia Whelan on ‘Thank You for Listening’February 2, 2023
- UnorthodoxMemories, RevisitedEp. 346: On International Holocaust Remembrance Day, stories of survival, Jewish pride, and a baby naming to rememberJanuary 26, 2023
- UnorthodoxMoving MountainsEp. 345: Rina Raphael on the dark side of the wellness industry and ‘Weird Al’ drummer Jon ‘Bermuda’ Schwartz on parody perfectionJanuary 19, 2023
- UnorthodoxHitting the RoadEp. 344: Starting our journey ‘Across the JEW.S.A.’ with a visit to Wilmington, Delaware, plus viral Yiddish singing sensation Mendel Goldman, and Jonathon Stalls on walking across the countryJanuary 12, 2023
- UnorthodoxAn Unorthodox Christmas SpectacularEp. 343: CBS’s Faith Salie, gospel musician Donald Lawrence, a Jewish mall Santa, and moreDecember 22, 2022
- UnorthodoxBright LightsEp. 342: Celebrating Hanukkah with eight inspiring stories from the Jewish worldDecember 15, 2022
- UnorthodoxWork ItEp. 341: Isabel Kaplan on her novel ‘NSFW,’ and Tabitha Soren on her photography career December 8, 2022
- UnorthodoxTough TalkersEp. 340: MSNBC anchor Katy Tur and ‘The Last Boss of Brighton’ author Douglas CenturyDecember 1, 2022
- UnorthodoxBonus: A Conversation With Tablet’s Editor-in-Chief Alana NewhouseTalking ‘Brokenism,’ America, and moreNovember 25, 2022
- UnorthodoxTruly ThankfulEp. 339: Making challah with Molly Yeh, Michael Twitty on ‘Koshersoul’ cooking, and Shannon Sarna on ‘Modern Jewish Comfort Food’November 24, 2022
- UnorthodoxBuilding Bridges Ep. 338: Actor Eric Ladin on ‘Where the Crawdads Sing’ and Jewish summer camp, interfaith leader Eboo Patel on embracing religious diversityNovember 17, 2022