THR's TV Producers Roundtable

Katie Dippold discusses the two-decade journey to creating Widow's Bay, the sleeper hit of the spring, intense Halloween parties and the semantics of show business. But first! Lacey Rose returns to discuss THR roundtables, Harrison Ford and early Emmy momentum.

The stand-up and podcaster brings actual laughter as she shares her thoughts on straight men who attend her shows, plane talkers, working with Amy Poehler and why she'd never do reality TV again — except maybe 'The Traitors.' 

The judge and executive producer of Mikey's favorite show pays a visit to talk about a heated elimination, the likelihood of another All Stars season, her days of caviar-tasting for Vogue and her upcoming book about how to be a better guest — like what to do when you're stuck sitting next to an asshole.

Stage and TV icon David Tennant swings by to talk about the second season of racy 80s dramedy 'Rivals,' his trip to the Criterion closet and the two biggest throughlines to his career: 'Doctor Who' and William Shakespeare. 

'Wonder Man' and 'Man on Fire' actor Yahya Abdul-Mateen II joins to discuss his recent spike in work, his evolving metric for success and potholes in New Orleans. But first, THR's Katie Kilkenny explains how both the writers' and actors' unions reached speedy deals with the studios after 2023's catastrophic strikes, what was won and lost in the negotiations and a rare west coast appearance of our beloved Scabby the Rat!

Celebrated screenwriter and showrunner Craig Mazin swings by to talk about his latest feature, 'The Sheep Detectives,' as well as the juggling act of making 'The Last of Us' for TV viewers and video game fans. Also, Mikey reveals a dark secret.

Mikey, Mia Galuppo and Lacey Rose discuss the millennial fixation with The Devil Wears Prada, where Miranda Priestly ranks among Meryl Streep performances and what aspects of the film aged better than others. Then, Aline Brosh McKenna, the screenwriter behind both the original and its follow-up, joins to talk about the sequel she never thought she'd write and tackling the much-humbled world of magazines.

Actress Linda Cardellini ('Freaks and Geeks,' 'Brokeback Mountain,' 'Dead to Me') joins to talk about HBO's 'DTF St Louis,' working with Miss Piggy and her career's horror pivot. But before that, THR critics Daniel Fienberg and Angie Han talk about the final season of 'Hacks,' the probably final season of 'Euphoria' and the final seasons that blew their minds — and broke their hearts.

Leslie Jones may be one of the highest energy working comedians, but, in this week's episode, she says she's rarely going above a five or six. She also talks about her vetoed SNL sketches, lessons from the Ghostbusters backlash and recently walking onto Ziwe's set... with zero awareness of Ziwe's rage bait schtick.

Actress Olivia Munn, star of Apple TV's 'Your Friends and Neighbors' pipes in to discuss why shea nearly quitting acting and how one of her best lessons came from an experience with a very bad director. But first, Mia Galuppo joins to talk about the 2026 films most likely to keep people going to theaters after the success of 'Project Hail Mary.'

Filmmaker, stand-up and former 'SNL' writer Julio Torres talks about sharing his 'Color Theories' in a new HBO special, getting heckled in the Hamptons and his potential amusement park with Tilda Swinton. That's after Dan Fienberg and Mikey debate TV reboots — or are they revivals? — with an analysis of Buffy's demise and a game of FMK.

Drew Goddard, the Oscar-nominated screenwriter behind 'The Martian,' has another space-set epic in 'Project Hail Mary.' He talks about writing the script with a massive budget in mind and his ABC hit 'High Potential.' That's after THR senior writer Chris Gardner and Mikey break down the history of Lisa Kudrow's 'The Comeback' — and why it's back on HBO after a 12-year break. 

Shrinking actor Michael Urie opens up about being the only Broadway actor not on the Gilded Age and legacy of Ugly Betty; That's after Vanity Fair's Rebecca Ford helps Mikey construct a mostly fool-proof ballot for your Oscar pool. #BRAZIL!

Kevin Williamson pipes in to talk about returning to the franchise with Scream 7, his biggest hits and working with the late James Van Der Beek. And, now that The Traitors and The Olympics are over, Daniel Fienberg joins Mikey to discuss what exactly is happening over on Peacock.

Connor Hines, showrunner of 'Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette,' joins to talk about the challenges of casting and executing his buzzy FX drama. That's after reporter Ashley Cullins, author of 'Your Favorite Scary Movie,' joins Mikey to dig into the history of the Scream franchise before its movie No. 7.

Comedian Taylor Tomlinson digs into the evolution of her stand-up with Netflix special Prodigal Daughter and her two-year tenure as a late-night host. But first, David Canfield returns to help Mikey understand allure (and Applebee's references) of CBS' Survivor.

Legendary comedy writer Paula Pell talks about her evolution from mothering sketch comedians to acting (Girls5Eva and, now, The Burbs) after Mia Galuppo joins to discuss that Marty Supreme speed bump and the history of messy Oscar campaigns.

Actress and comedian Sherry Cola discusses the perks of therapy — both in real life and on the new season of Shrinking. That's after David Canfield joins Mikey to live in Charli XCX's The Moment and examine the pop-star-to-Hollywood pipeline. 

Mia Galuppo mines the storied history of the Sundance Film Festival — Weinstein hitting screenwriters! Near plane crashes! Golden retrievers! — ahead of its last go in Park City; and Mikey interviews Judd Apatow about his new documentary (Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!), the late Rob Reiner and the state of the studio comedy. 

Filmmaker Nia DaCosta pipes in from London to talk about her spin on the 28 Years Later franchise — just don't call them zombies! —  after I Said No Gifts host Bridger Winegar pays a visit to discuss pressing Utah-set reality TV news and the state of comedy writing in 2026.

Actor Josh Charles swings by to discuss his new series, Best Medicine, and growing up on camera, after Lacey Rose joins Mikey to talk about the significance of Canadian hockey drama Heated Rivalry's surreal run atop the HBO Max charts and why it won't be part of the Emmy race.

Actor Simu Liu opens up about his Hollywood learning curve, racism in casting and his new spy series after a quorum of Hollywood Reporter staffers debate the merits (and cost) of the L.A. cake that Tom Cruise famously gifts his friends and associates every Christmas.

Comedian and actor Robby Hoffman, closing out a very good year with her Netflix special Wake Up, talks poverty, the irrelevance of political correctness and how she'd fare on The Traitors. That's after THR's David Canfield joins to debate the good and the bad of The Golden Globes and Mikey offers an obligatory take on the Warner Bros. sale.

Comedian Sarah Sherman visits to talk about her wild new HBO special (Sarah Squirm: Live + In The Flesh), John Waters core and being SNL's resident weirdo, after Lacey Rose and Mikey debate how Gwyneth Paltrow became a cultural obsession as the Goop goddess returns to acting in Josh Safdie's Marty Supreme.