Inside “The Residence”: Creator Paul William Davies on Crafting a White House Whodunit

The Residence, produced by Shondaland for Netflix, is the much-anticipated whodunnit that is Shonda Rhimes’ second show set in the White House. The first, of course, was another beloved, Kerry Washington-led Scandal, which dealt in the shadowy world of Washington’s Olivia Pope, the queen of fixers. Now Rhimes and her collaborator Paul William Davies return to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue to follow Uzo Aduba’s Cordelia Cupp, a world-famous detective and obsessive birder,

Best of 2024: “Agatha All Along” Creator Jac Schaeffer on Setting off Marvel’s Witching Hour

Agatha All Along creator Jac Schaeffer explores the witchy side of the Marvel Universe just in time for Halloween. The timing of the show’s release is a happy accident for Schaeffer, who also directed the first two episodes. In bringing the titular witch, Agatha (Kathryn Hahn), back from WandaVision, Schaeffer and her team have made a series with a playful spookiness centered on an irresistible Hahn,

“Agatha All Along” Creator Jac Schaeffer on Setting off Marvel’s Witching Hour

Agatha All Along creator Jac Schaeffer explores the witchy side of the Marvel Universe just in time for Halloween. The timing of the show’s release is a happy accident for Schaeffer, who also directed the first two episodes. In bringing the titular witch, Agatha (Kathryn Hahn), back from WandaVision, Schaeffer and her team have made a series with a playful spookiness centered on an irresistible Hahn,

“The Perfect Couple” Showrunner Jenna Lamia on Meghann Fahy’s Mesmerizing Merritt Monaco

In part one of our interview with The Perfect Couple showrunner Jenna Lamia, she discussed adapting Elin Hilderbrand’s novel, character development, and writing the script. Now we move on to some of the specifics of how Lamia stuck the landing, delivering a satisfying whodunit on the picturesque island of Nantucket, the playground of the uber-wealthy Winbury clan.

In the final shot of the penultimate episode of The Perfect Couple,

“The Perfect Couple” Showrunner Jenna Lamia on Her Nicole Kidman-led Whodunit on Nantucket

When showrunner Jenna Lamia set out to bring Elin Hilderbrand’s beloved novel The Perfect Couple to life, we were just getting reacquainted with our obsession with mystery and drama. The limited series format, which has seen success in shows like Big Little Lies, Nine Perfect Strangers, and The White Lotus, ushered in an era of mystery, scandal,

“House of the Dragon” Showrunner Ryan Condal on the the Women Vying for Power in Westeros

For those who haven’t watched House of the Dragon since its debut in 2022, the show is based on George R.R. Martin’s book Fire and Blood. The story chronicles the early days of the Targaryen dynasty in the time of Aegon the Conqueror, a forefather to the much-beloved Game of Thrones heroine Daenerys. The new series has developed its own enthusiastic fandom, one that was thrilled to see the premiere of new weekly episodes as of June 16th of this year. 

“Silo” Creator Graham Yost Unseals the Secrets of Season 1

Graham Yost had his work cut out for him when he set out to tackle author Hugh Howey’s apocalyptic sci-fi trilogy series “Silo,” all of which are set in the titular structure (none of Howey’s books are actually titled “Silo”) and deal with the society that lives within it’s 144 heavily monitored floors. The denizens of the Silo live in a claustrophobic brutalist tower outfitted with retrofuturistic touches that include clunky computers, a large screen in the cafeteria showing what appears to be a denuded,

“Dr. Death” Showrunner, Executive Producer & Stars on Season 2

In the second season of the celebrated Peacock series Dr Death, the show takes on another doctor featured on the hit Wondery true crime podcast, “Miracle Man,” Paolo Macchiarini. The story is of the world-renowned surgeon (played here by Edgar Ramirez) celebrated for his groundbreaking work in regenerative medicine and organ transplantation, but ultimately disgraced by his misconduct, dangerous practices, and web of deceit.  

His rise and fall are,

Best of 2022: “House of the Dragon” Co-Creator & Co-Showrunner Ryan Condal on Season One & Beyond

It’s that time of year—we look back on a few of our favorite interviews from 2022 in our annual year-end list.

The first season of House of the Dragon has come to a close as an unqualified success. The premiere saw the largest single-day viewership for a series debut in HBO’s history and continued to land consistently in the top five titles streamed across all platforms through its last episode.

“George & Tammy” Creator Abe Sylvia on Crafting a Complicated Love Story

It’s a story that’s been on Abe Sylvia’s mind for a while. The screenwriter of The Eyes of Tammy Faye and writer/producer of such television series as Dead to Me and Nurse Jackie has always had a soft spot for country music. Blame it on his Oklahoma upbringing. And that’s why Sylvia found the story of George Jones and Tammy Wynette too good to resist.

“House of the Dragon” Co-Creator & Co-Showrunner Ryan Condal on Season One & Beyond

The first season of House of the Dragon has come to a close as an unqualified success. The premiere saw the largest single-day viewership for a series debut in HBO’s history and continued to land consistently in the top five titles streamed across all platforms through its last episode. The show was renewed before the second episode of the series even aired. 

House of the Dragon is a prequel to Game of Thrones—created by George R.R.

“Winning Time” Showrunner Max Borenstein on Crafting an American Epic

Before Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty showrunner Max Borenstein sat down to write the show’s pilot episode, executive producer Adam McKay gave him one simple note: “Have fun with it.” Crammed with boisterous performances, Winning Time (its season finale aired this past Sunday, May 8, and is now renewed by HBO for a second season) does offer fun to spare but the series also brims with drama as it chronicles the betrayals,

“The Man Who Fell to Earth” Creator Jenny Lumet Turns an Iconic Alien Tale Into a Modern Epic

The new Showtime limited series The Man Who Fell to Earth is inspired by the 1963 novel and subsequent 1976 cult classic of the same name. Highly anticipated, it is created by award-winners Jenny Lumet and Alex Kurtzman, of Star Trek Discovery and Strange New Worlds. In this story, Chiwetel Ejiofor stars as an alien called Faraday on an urgent mission to save his homeworld. He tracks down genius scientist Justin Falls (Naomie Harris) who somehow holds part of the secret to saving both his world and ours.

“Vikings: Valhalla” Creator Jeb Stuart on Bringing a Little “Die Hard” Energy to the 11th-Century

Jeb Stuart’s Vikings: Valhalla, opens on a massacre in England. The victims, this time, are Vikings — a colony of Scandinavian descendants living on English soil since their raiding forebears put down unexpectedly peaceful roots. But a couple of generations down the line, King Aethelred (Bosco Hogan) is angrily denouncing an alleged Viking problem to his complicit nobles, and in what comes to be known as the St. Brice’s Day massacre, murders them all. 

Best of 2021: Director Barry Jenkins Mixes Beauty and Brutality in “The Underground Railroad”

This interview is part of our highly subjective, decidedly non-comprehensive “Best of 2021” year-end list. It was originally published on May 12. 

The Underground Railroad has been a long time coming in Barry Jenkins‘ imagination. As a kid growing up in Miami’s rough Liberty City neighborhood, the writer-director pictured literal railroad tracks running beneath the earth. Fast forward to 2014, when Jenkins thrilled to Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and secured adaptation rights even before he’d finished promoting his Oscar-winning Moonlight movie.

How The “Dopesick” Creative Team is Shining a Light on the Opioid Crisis

Hulu’s new limited series Dopesick is about the origins of the national opioid epidemic. No matter what you think you know, Dopesick will open your eyes to a new level of brazen overreach and hubris on the part of Big Pharma. The series, which stars Micheal Keaton, examines ways in which the drug company Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family made billions by introducing the highly addictive drug OxyContin, leading to an unprecedented nationwide struggle with opioid addiction.

“Maid” Showrunner Molly Smith Metzler on Creating Compelling Gut-Punch TV

How do you dramatize poverty, abuse, systemic misogyny in a TV show without creating a series of lectures, or a documentary? This was one of the challenges facing Maid showrunner Molly Smith Metzler when she set out to adapt author Stephanie Land’s best-selling memoir “Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive.” Through ten episodes, Metzler’s show, starring a phenomenal Margaret Qualley as Alex, manages to deliver a riveting portrait of a young mother fleeing an abusive relationship with her young daughter and trying to make ends meet in Washington as a maid.

Emmy-Nominated “Mare of Easttown” Creator Brad Ingelsby on Bringing a Murder Mystery Home

The excitement was high in the Ingelsby house this past July 13. Like many in the television industry, writer/producer Brad Ingelsby and his family were watching this year’s Emmy nominations. He had good reason to tune in. Mare of Easttown, the HBO Max original series Ingelsby had created, had plenty of awards buzz. The series focuses on a somber small-town Pennsylvania detective (Kate Winslet) struggling with a deep personal loss as she works to unravel a murder mystery.

“Doc McStuffins” Creator Chris Nee on The Future of Children’s Programming

There are few people on the planet who are in a better position to talk about what’s working, and what still needs work, in children’s programming than Doc McStuffins creator Chris Nee. Like so many great ideas, Nee came up with Doc McStuffins, a series about a six-year-old girl who is a doctor to her stuffed animals and toys, while in the shower. Yet the impetus for the beloved series was her own life and her son’s struggles with asthma.

“Solos” Creator David Weil on the Power of the Monologue

“It was funny, on lunch breaks, to see Ewoks running around.” That observation, from showrunner David Weil, who created the current series Solos for Amazon, might evoke a couple of different responses: “Ewoks? Running around at lunch? There has to be a good story behind that.” And: “Lunch breaks? Were there still formal ‘lunch breaks’ during lockdown?”

Both observations speak to the genesis of the show, which Weil, who previously created Hunters for Amazon,