The TV That Made Me: Dr. Pimple Popper

The star of Lifetime’s Dr. Pimple Popper: Breaking Out shares the shows that help define her.

"Originally, I didn’t really know what the allure was," says Dr. Sandra Lee, better known as "Dr. Pimple Popper," referring to the subject matter of her own series, Lifetime’s Breaking Out (which returns for a second season April 20), and the now-notorious video clips that built her social-media persona. "I didn't even know [pimple-popping videos] were a thing until I started posting about it. And as a dermatologist, you’d think that I would know this was a thing. But being that I'm not personally a ‘popaholic’ — I'm more like a born-again ‘popaholic’ — now I get it."

So, what is the allure of watching these (often gross) dermatological procedures that Dr. Lee performs on her patients?

"I think it’s a combination of things," she says. "I think the show definitely taps into the fascination of what could happen to our skin. It's medical. And you're just curious as to what causes people to let things grow to this size. But also, interestingly, I think there's a level of satisfaction that people get. A lot of people watch my videos [and my show] as their bedtime stories before they go to sleep. It helps them sleep better and helps them unwind after a busy day.

"I think it's also akin to watching a really scary movie or riding a roller coaster. There's a rush, but in the end, there tends to be a happy ending. You're still alive, and things are put back in their place. It's a little dopamine hit."

Dr. Lee says she happens to watch a lot of TV herself. "I mean, I grew up in the ‘80s and the ‘90s. I'm probably the TV generation," she says. "I didn't grow up with a cell phone, so I watched a lot of TV, especially when I was a kid. I just found out that our Saturday morning cartoons are not even around anymore! I can't believe it. That's what we would do every Saturday morning."

We asked Dr. Lee to share some of the TV projects that help define her.

My first favorite show as a kid: Little House on the Prairie

I mean, I had a lot of favorite shows, but I think one I would return to even when I was a little bit older — in my 20s or so, a comfort show — is Little House on the Prairie. It was just feel-good TV. There's always a positive message. And because the kids were about my age, I could relate to them in that sense.

Shows that were formative for me as a teen: Facts of Life, Silver Spoons, The Cosby Show

Those sitcoms mirrored my trials and tribulations as a pre-teen and teenager. They have the same issues, and I related to them. The Cosby Show, certainly. Back then it was a very big deal.

Shows that are must-watch weekly viewing for me: Pluribus, Severance

So many shows these days are released all at once, not on a weekly basis, but I watch all the current things. I really like Pluribus, and I really like Severance. I’m pretty current.

I don't really like having to wait for the next week’s episode. I'll tell you, the worst wait was for Severance season two. I was so upset that it was going to take that long, because you forget what happened. But that was such a good show. That first season, oh my gosh, that cliffhanger was like — it’s one of those that will stay seared in your memory, the way it made you feel.

And I do watch reality shows, but those kinds of things I watch when I’m folding laundry or doing some work, multitasking.

A TV genre I can’t get into: Dating competition shows

I don't really get shows like The Bachelor. I mean, I get that it's kind of like a game show. But I feel like, Why are all these women fighting over this one guy? I just find that strange. I don't really watch Love Island, either.

Now, The Traitors I like, but I feel like it’s a show I could never do. Actually, I was on The Weakest Link [a special episode featuring TV doctors, both real and actors], and people got mad at me that I was sort of conniving, but I'm like, “It's a game show!” But I was so dumb. Let me just tell you, [the questions are] not written on the screen. They just ask you, and so, it's kind of hard to process. I just felt like a total doofus.

The show I can watch over and over: Hoarders

I joke that I'm one catastrophe away from keeping all my toilet paper or something like that. I feel like I could be on the edge. But let me clarify by saying, I know where everything is! I'm hoarding, but I know where everything is. Also, I am a digital hoarder, which has allowed me to hoard without people seeing it.

The show I love that may surprise people: Naked and Afraid

I just can't imagine how these people walk around naked with sharp rocks everywhere. And I don't know how you live out in the wilderness. That’s probably [the mindset of] why people watch my show, too, but I just can’t believe people walk around like that.

The show I’m embarrassed to say I’ve never seen: MacGyver

I always reference it. If I fix something randomly, like use chewing gum instead of tape, I say, “I MacGyver-ed it” … but I've never actually seen the show. I can imagine his [Richard Dean Anderson] face. He kind of had longish hair and a Bee Gees–type haircut. But I've never watched the show. I’ll also reference the show when I describe things to some of my patients, especially my older patients. Sometimes when I mention him to the young people, I'm like, “You don't even know who that is, do you?”