In Conversation With

Each week, Observer senior entertainment reporter Brandon Katz and Hollywood Reporter contributor Jean Bentley highlight the new Netflix titles they're excited about. Recent guests: Daniel Fienberg from The Hollywood Reporter, Joanna Robinson from Vanity Fair, and Megan Vick from TV Guide.

This week, The Hollywood Reporter speaks with Josh Gad, co-creator and star of 'Central Park' — Apple TV+’s new animated musical comedy. The Broadway vet discusses the exhaustive work of mounting multiple musical numbers in each episode, collaborating with different composers, and the tricky process of remotely producing a cartoon during lockdown.

Hosted by: Michael O'Connell

Produced by: Matthew Whitehurst

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Hollywood Reporter speaks with J.K. Simmons about his work on Apple TV+’s limited series 'Defending Jacob,' in which he plays William "Bloody Billy" Barber, a man who is serving a prison sentence after a grizzly murder. The Oscar-winning actor spoke to THR about crafting complicated "bad guys," working opposite Chris Evans, and how this character compares to his first memorable role as an inmate, on the critically acclaimed series 'Oz.'

Hosted by: Rebecca Ford

Produced by: Matthew Whitehurst

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, The Hollywood Reporter checks in with M. Night Shyamalan, director and executive producer of 'Servant' — Apple TV+’s psychological thriller about a young couple whose already-unusual life is turned upside down with the arrival of a mysterious nanny. The filmmaker, who most recently wrote and directed movies 'Split' and 'Glass', talks about ceding some artistic control to other directors and drawing inspiration from the new talent he recruited for the series: "I want new voices to kind of shock me and wake me up."

Hosted by: Michael O'Connell

Produced by: Matthew Whitehurst

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For Pride Month, The Hollywood Reporter talks with Ryan White, director, and executive producer of 'Visible: Out on Television' — Apple TV+’s five-part documentary series about the history of LGBTQ people being reflected in the media. The filmmaker, whose docs include 'The Keepers', 'Ask Dr. Ruth' and 'The Case Against 8', talks about inheriting the long-gestating project, enlisting a small army to find archival footage, and rushing back from Malaysia to Los Angeles to interview Oprah Winfrey.

Hosted by: Michael O'Connell

Produced by: Matthew Whitehurst

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Hollywood Reporter chats with Rob McElhenney, co-creator and star of 'Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet' — Apple TV+’s satire of the oft-dysfunctional video game industry. The multihyphenate explains how the cast and crew pulled off a quarantine special, remotely filmed and produced in the spring, and how he’s rethinking his workplace comedy at a time when many offices aren’t reopening. Plus, he talks about taking his other comedy, 'It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia', into a record-breaking 15th season.

Hosted by: Michael O'Connell

Produced by: Matthew Whitehurst

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Hollywood Reporter chats with Michelle Dockery, who stars in Apple TV+’s limited series 'Defending Jacob', as a mother whose 14-year-old son is accused of murdering his classmate. The actress speaks with THR about getting into the mindset of a woman who loses faith in her son’s innocence and how she was able to shake off the emotional weight of the role when shooting was finished. Plus, the former 'Downton Abbey' breakout reveals if she’d consider returning to a long-running TV show and her hopes for someday starring in a musical.

Hosted by: Rebecca Ford

Produced by: Matthew Whitehurst

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to In Conversation With, a Hollywood Reporter podcast produced in partnership with Apple TV+.  In each episode we sit down with the creators and stars of some of TV's most compelling shows and hear more about what went into bringing these stories to life.

Hosted by: Rebecca FordProduced by: Matthew Whitehurst

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Hollywood Reporter sits down with Gugu Mbatha-Raw, star of The Morning Show — Apple TV+’s debut drama that premiered in 2019. The actress, who broke out in the films Belle and Beyond the Lights, revisits her season one arc of playing Hannah Shoenfeld and discusses the feedback she’s gotten on the series’ depiction of sexual assault and suicide. Plus, she talks about getting back to her artistic roots while staying at home.

The Hollywood Reporter sits down with Gugu Mbatha-Raw, star of The Morning Show — Apple TV+’s debut drama that premiered in 2019. The actress, who broke out in the films Belle and Beyond the Lights, revisits her season one arc of playing Hannah Shoenfeld and discusses the feedback she’s gotten on the series’ depiction of sexual assault and suicide. Plus, she talks about getting back to her artistic roots while staying at home.

Hosted by: Michael O'Connell

Produced by: Matthew Whitehurst

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices