Why subscribe?

Deep Trouble is the newsletter from comedian, writer and culture critic, Ashley Ray. Diving into the latest deep trouble on the internet, in culture and with whomever will talk to her. Deep Trouble is a place to dive into things beyond a 300-character post.

A place for me to write deep dives into topics and other events that interest me. If you’ve been a fan of the pod or newsletter, you already know I love to do this!

If you’re new here, Deep Trouble will be more stuff like this:

Read

• The Dueling Docs Series - On Wisecrack this week, I mentioned that the best way to understand how a documentary might be manipulating you is to watch as many as you can! In this long-running series, I watch multiple docs on the same topic and compare them for you.

• The Murder of Laci Peterson vs. American Murder - This is one of the best examples of a documentary creating a manipulative narrative and it’s a favorite in the Dueling Docs series. I almost thought Scott Peterson was innocent until I interviewed Beth Karas and she walked me through the case!

• The Problem with Below Deck and the Case for Reality TV Unionization - Oh, I will still be talking about reality TV. Don’t worry about that.

• Documentary Recommendations! - Did you miss the old ones?

  • 2022

  • 2023

  • 2024

• Weird Personal Stuff!

  • Why do I own a Skin Fridge?

  • What happened when I tried to go on 52 first dates in a year (these posts will be migrating over to Deep Trouble!)

  • Why Dov Charney Owes Me Money!

  • Racism

• My Hot Culture Takes

  • I saw Slave Play twice just so I could tell you what’s wrong with it!

  • Why I think we’re entering a new era of cults

  • Yes, I’m Polyamorous (someone on Twitter thought it was a bit)

Listen

• Podcast episodes similar to these, but not just about TV:

  • The Curious Case of Natalia Grace - I sat down with CourtTV reporter Beth Karas to talk about The Curious Case of Natalia Grace! The lies, the truth and everything she learned working on the documentary released last year. We talk about the second season here.

  • Seth Rogen and Roxane Gay on 90 Day Fiancé - Like I said, I will never stop talking about reality TV.

  • Jason Mantzoukas - I am still willing to talk to him about whatever he wants.

  • The Truth of the Golden Bachelor with Laci Mosley! - I had to talk with the Scam Goddess herself when I found out the first Golden Bachelor was a dog.

  • The Grey’s Anatomy Scammer - Anatomy of Lies on Peacock is a great documentary about the woman who scammed her way into the Grey’s writers room and this looks at her impact on the narrative.

  • Seeking Sister Wife and What’s Really Real on Reality TV - Does that guy with three wives really looking for a fourth? Well, I am always happy to figure out what’s TV and what’s real.

If that sounds good to you, welcome to Deep Trouble! If not, well, I understand.

I will still be talking about TV and doing reviews by request over on Patreon! That’ll be TV I Say now. You’ll get two review posts and a podcast episode about everything I’m watching and like every month. If you only want TV takes, there’s still a place for you.

Deep Trouble is bringing you more long-form written pieces, podcast episodes, hot takes and funny culture pieces. I hope you’ll stick around!

-Ashley

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