IndieWire's Turn It On

There aren't a lot of rock stars in the world of science, but Neil DeGrasse Tyson would be one of them. The astrophysicist has been on a mission to make science more accessible to the masses, with everything from his reboot of the classic Carl Sagan series "Cosmos" to his popular podcast Star Talk. National Geographic turned that podcast into a TV talk show, and now Star Talk is in the midst of its fourth season. IndieWire's TURN IT ON sat down recently with Tyson to discuss the state of science education in the country, his extracurricular pop culture activities and the real mission of "Star Talk."

When Ann Dowd won the Emmy this year for best supporting actress in a drama, critics and fans alike cheered the news. Dowd won for her work on "The Handmaid's Tale," but it felt like recognition for all of the work she had done over the years as a working actor. Cheering extra hard while watching at home was "Good Behavior" executive producer Chad Hodge, who knew he had Dowd as a secret weapon for his show.

When Ann Dowd won the Emmy this year for best supporting actress in a drama, critics and fans alike cheered the news. Dowd won for her work on "The Handmaid's Tale," but it felt like recognition for all of the work she had done over the years as a working actor. Cheering extra hard while watching at home was "Good Behavior" executive producer Chad Hodge, who knew he had Dowd as a secret weapon for his show.

For "Will & Grace" creators David Kohan and Max Mutchnick, the NBC revival is a welcome homecoming. They recently sat down with IndieWire's TURN IT ON to discuss the revival (and some of the new ideas they eventually tossed out), how they worked around the tricky series finale by tossing it out, touching on politics in a Trump age -- they have some thoughts about Mike Pence -- and how they feel like it will never get better than this.

Crackle's "StartUp" is a bit of a cross between Breaking Bad and Mr. Robot. The thriller, about a trio who run afoul of the FBI, gang leaders and the Russian mafia as they create a new darknet prototype, stars Adam Brody and Martin Freeman, and now Ron Perlman as a millionaire tech guru with a dark edge. Perlman discusses his new gig, how he's moved on from "Hellboy" and how his run for president may not be a joke.

Comedian Nick Kroll ("Kroll Show," "The League") has been pals since first grade with former "Family Guy" writer Andrew Goldberg. By junior high, puberty had hit Andrew hard -- while Nick was a late bloomer. Their friendship during those tough early days of adolescence is the inspiration behind Netflix's "Big Mouth." Kroll describes the show's origins, plus what it's like to work in comedy these days.

The new ABC drama Jason Ritter as Kevin Finn, a selfish and clueless man discovers he's the last of the 36 righteous on earth. Now, he needs to recruit the rest of a new batch of 35. Creators Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters explain the show's mix of comedy and drama, and stand-alone and serialized storylines — plus its core message: "Don't be a jerk."

ABC's “Ten Days in the Valley” marks Kyra Sedgwick’s return to television after her Emmy- winning stint on the police procedural “The Closer.” This time, Kyra executive produces and stars as Jane Sadler, an overworked single mother who's the executive producer of a popular TV cop drama. When her daughter goes missing, Jane’s world starts to implode and she doesn’t know who to trust. IndieWire's TURN IT ON recently sat down with Kyra Sedgwick to talk about her producing duties, and what brought her to the show.

Turn It On gathered the IndieWire TV team to get their thoughts on what to watch, new and returning, this fall. A lot of familiar titles will be found on broadcast TV, including the return of NBC’s “Will & Grace”; a prequel to “The Big Bang Theory,” CBS’ “Young Sheldon”; and the new “Star Trek: Discovery” also gets a one-night-only debut on CBS before moving to CBS All Access. Things get a little more original in the cable and streaming world, as filmmakers Neil Jordan, David Fincher, Peter Farrelly, Steven Soderbergh, and Spike Lee all have new TV projects on tap. Set your DVRs!

The characters on You're the Worst have always been a bit troubled, but the show's Season 3 ended with the kind of cliffhanger that changed everything. Turn It On sat down with creator Stephen Falk to discuss where things go from here, as "You're the Worst" reinvents itself. How will Jimmy and Gretchen interact, going forward? And will "Sunday Funday" ever return?