Théo Evans is a PhD student in Cinema and Media Studies at UCLA with interests in digital culture, queer theory, and television. His current research examines media formats that stage behavioral experiments as entertainment, locating intersections between media constructions of an “authentic self” and social scientific discourses of behavior. Before beginning his PhD, he studied sociology at the University of Chicago. He also creates playful video essays for his YouTube channel.
Research and Creative Interests
Digital culture, reality-based media, television, queer theory, surveillance, neoliberalism, history of social science
Selected Work and Awards
(Forthcoming) “From Dupe to Accomplice: The Anti-Punitive Practical Joke in Bad Trip’s Hidden Camera Comedy,” New Review of Film and Television Studies, 2026.
“The Fuckboy as Entrepreneur: FBoy Island‘s Neoliberal Intimacy,” ASAP/J, 2024.
Education
MA, Social Science, University of Chicago
BA, Sociology (Minor in Media Arts and Design), University of Chicago