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Much like it's vampirical antagonist, AMC’s summer horror fare, "NOS4A2" recently began its second life. The show, based on Joe Hill's novel of the same name, about a 1938 Rolls Royce Wraith symbiotically linked to succubus Charlie Manx (Zachary Quinto) and his battle against Vic McQueen (Ashleigh Cummings), a young woman who has superpowers of her own, had its second season premiere last week and is once again available as a full season stream to those with the AMC Premiere subscription.

However last year, its future wasn't so certain. The premiere of season one garnered significant interest, with over 2 million viewers watching live, streaming, or watching through DVR, but as the season progressed, viewership was almost cut in half. The show's mixed reception slowly affecting return viewership, and the remaining fans were uncertain if they would ever see the conclusion of Vic's battle with Manx. However, that fear was quickly put to rest, as AMC decided to put season two into production before season one had even completed airing on cable.

So with newfound confidence, showrunner, and creator, Jami O’Brien knew she and her cast and crew had a rare opportunity to really dig into Hill’s work and begin expanding the mythos.

“The big difference with season two is that there is no mystery," said O'Brien. "[In season One, Vic] was learning what her powers were, what she could and could not do, she was learning who Charlie Manx is, [and] the audience was learning all these things along with her.” Perhaps this explains the mixed reception of Season 1. Often it could suffer from slower, but nevertheless important, episodes that had to explain these rules. O’Brien promises season two will excite on a regular basis. “With that mystery gone, it just means the show, right off the bat has more gas in the tank." Having screened the first five episodes, I couldn't agree more.

Shows can often find their legs in the second season. Many believe it's the perfect time for them to find their real voice with that first season of exposition out of the way, and the core audience established. O’Brien also knows that she and her writers were given a great opportunity to really focus on the shows’ strengths, and that includes catering the characters to the talents of "NOS4A2’s" (arguably) underrated cast.

“[In Season 1] we had most of the scripts written before anything was cast,” said O'Brien as she focused on one of the major draws of the show, the always charming, often twisted Zachary Quinto, as Manx. “Zach is amazing and explosive whenever he’s on-screen in season one. But at the end of the first season I [realized], we have the amazing Movie star/Broadway star, Zach Quinto… let’s put him to work”

Season 2, really finds its footing in the second episode, and the first two episodes are excellent companion pieces that reveal how layered the crux of the show can be. They feature excellent performances by Quinto and Cummings. It is a great reminder of why the show was renewed, and how those two can carry it for the remainder of its run (along with a terrific supporting cast). This season promises enough expansion, twists, and turns and fun-filled-horror that AMC and "NOS4A2" are known for, and let’s hope the audiences will return in greater numbers to pump some blood into the heart of the show for future seasons.

During our conversation with O'Brien, we discuss getting to the heart of Hill's original novel, the challenge in bringing iconic moments from the book to life, being selective with scares, why comparisons have been drawn between the show and Peter Pan, and much more.

Additional reporting by Michael Winn Johnson

"It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" co-creator and star Rob McElhenney talks with Chance Solem-Pfeifer about 14 seasons of changing yet not changing Mac, answering constant questions about his physique, and the new quarantine episode of his Apple TV+ comedy "Mythic Quest: Raven's Banquet." Plus, there's George RR Martin talk and McElhenney's overall advice for staying sharp and responsible as an artist.

"Chicken Run" (2000) turns 20 this week, and to celebrate, Chance and Noah are looking back at the filmography of Nick Park, the chief creative voice of Aardman Animation through its heyday. To understand the origins of Park's droll but heartfelt world, we rewind to the original, Academy Award-winning "Wallace & Gromit" shorts and discuss all the hallmarks of tactility—exploding fruit, precocious critters and nightmarish “steam folk” machines—that made Aardman movies so singular. After a full-scale celebration of “Chicken Run,” we also review “Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit” (2005) and “Early Man” (2018). 

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Kathryn Hahn is having a sustained ongoing moment and it's arguably been happening since 2013. That year, she starred in Jill Soloway's "Afternoon Delight," and while the response to that Sundance indie was muted, it arguably transformed her career, taking her out of supporting "crazy lady" comedic roles and into the place of lead in complex comedic dramas about female identity, desire and the yearning for much more. Hahn has become something of a muse for many female filmmakers and "Afternoon Delight" lead to terrific turns in Soloway's "Transparent," the overlooked, but short-lived series,  "I Love Dick," and lead roles in Tamara Jenkins' "Private Life," and HBO's "Mrs. Fletcher" series from director Nicole Holofcener and author Tom Perrota (known for writing the novels of "Election" and "Little Children"). Hahn's latest two projects couldn't be more different. One is HBO's "I Know This Much Is True" from director Derek Cianfrance alongside Mark Ruffalo. The other is "Central Park," an animated AppleTV+ show from the makers of "Bob's Burgers." In our hour-long chat, we parsed all these topics, most of Hahn's entire career, and even touched a little upon "Wandavision," the upcoming Disney+ Marvel series that she has a role in. 

Ryan Oliver is joined by Nick Allen (RogerEbert.com, Vulture, MEL Magazine, The AV Club) to look back on the directorial debut of Judd Apatow, starting from "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" all the way to his latest film, "The King of Staten Island."

On this episode, Ryan Oliver is joined by Kathia Woods (Cup of Soul Show, Philadelphia Tribune, Awards Watch) and Ronda Racha Penrice (Zora, NBC THINK, Atlanta Journal Constitution) to discuss the latest Spike Lee joint - "Da 5 Bloods" - while spending the bulk of the discussion looking back at the more underrated and under-appreciated films in Lee's four decades of filmmaking.

All shows and episodes are a part of The Playlist Podcast Network—which includes The 4th Wall, Be Reel, Indie Beat, and more—and can be heard on iTunes, AnchorFM, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, and iHeartRadio. To listen on this page, you can stream the podcast via the AnchorFM embed below or up top. Follow us on iTunes, and you’ll get this podcast as well as our other shows regularly. Be sure to subscribe, and drop us a comment or a rating as we do appreciate it. Thanks for listening.

Some cinematic properties are lost in production-limbo for ages, and yet, when the films are finally released, the timing could not have worked better for them.

The Creator and author of "Artemis Fowl," Eoin Coffer, has jokingly stated that the film would be finished two years after his death. Luckily, he didn’t have to wait that long.

But while the film took almost twenty years to make; those twenty years were very kind to the project. Disney was able to secure the rights, the studio was able to distance itself from Harvey Weinstein, and there was a change in director from Lawrence Guterman to the legendary Sir Kenneth Branagh. Finally, because of a delay due to the Disney/Fox merger, and with recent complications arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, the film will hit Disney+ Friday, June 12th, in what is perhaps the perfect platform for this movie.

"Artemis Fowl" stars Ferdia Shaw (grandson of the great Robert Shaw) as the title character, Lara McDonnell, Nonso Anozie, Colin Farrell, and returning to work with Branagh after "Murder on the Orient Express," Josh Gad and Judy Dench. It follows the story of a wunderkind, a self-proclaimed child-criminal genius who must breach the barrier between the world of man, and the world of Irish mythology to save his father from magical peril.

Perhaps "Artemis Fowl" being an adaptation of Eoin Colfer's beloved fantasy novels is precisely why Branagh is a great choice to direct. He is no stranger to literary classics turned cinematic, and not simply because of the myriad of Shakespearean adaptations. The filmmaker has "Frankenstein," "Cinderella," "Murder on the Orient Express," and even more contemporary literature like "Thor" that help comprise his filmography. It's apparent that Branagh has a deep love for literature of all kinds and it's what helps fuel his adaptations.

What's even more distinct about Branagh's adaptations is how he strikes a balance between traditional folklore ("Thor," "Artemis Fowl") and the contemporary. "Artemis Fowl," specifically, thrives on introducing this fabled world all while making it more accessible and relevant to its target demographic. However, audiences of all ages will be able to find something in this adventure they’ll enjoy, and it will undoubtedly speak to children everywhere, even if they have never read a single page of the novels.

During our conversation with Kenneth Branagh, we not only discussed his love of literature and adaptations but his collaborations with Christopher Nolan and Kevin Feige, how he fostered a welcoming set for "Artemis Fowl's" child actors Ferdia Shaw and Lara McDonnell, how he selects which of his directed projects to star in, what we can expect from his upcoming "Death on the Nile" and much more.

Additional reporting by Michael Winn Johnson

Rebecca Hall talks about her role as an emotionally closed-off physicist in Amazon Prime's humanist sci-fi series "Tales From The Loop" with the Deep Focus host Rodrigo Perez. Hall is also making her directorial debut with the upcoming film "Passing," starring Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga. It's an adaptation of Nella Larsen's 1920s Harlem Renaissance novel, which explores the practice of racial passing, a term used for a person classified as a member of one racial group who seeks to be accepted by a different racial group. But for Hall, it's a complicated story for her to reckon with the legacy of her own complicated family -- a bi-racial grandfather and mother who grappled with some of the same issues of identity. We also talked about her approach to acting, her career, her many roles, working with Christopher Nolan, and much more. It's a long, hour-long podcast, so buckle in, and hopefully, you'll enjoy it. 

Like everything, it's been a strange world for the film industry in the midst of COVID-19. On this long-belated episode, Ryan Oliver is joined by Playlist Managing Editor Charles Barfield, and the former hosts of Playlist Podcast Adjust Your Tracking - Erik McClanahan and Joe von Appen - to discuss the state of theatrical moviegoing. We speculate on if theaters will hit their proposed July release date, in time for Christopher Nolan's "Tenet," and if it's the right thing to do. We also discuss how the industry is adapting amidst the pandemic (such as PVOD and selling titles to other streaming services) and further cementing co-existence between theatrical and digital. It's a broad topic with no easy answers, but the discussion remains thoughtful.

He’s been called the Lizard King, the Iceman, the Dark Knight, and is perpetually applying for the post of your Huckleberry. Val Kilmer is one of the most fascinating and elusive screen presences of the last 40 years. In the wake of Val's new memoir, Noah and Chance chronicle the highlights of a roller-coaster career from 1985 to present. The questions are as high-minded and dire as Kilmer’s work: was Val the most talented actor of his generation? And if that’s true, why was he done making relevant work by age 45? We certainly acknowledge there are far more important things in the world right now, but we hope you’ll come along with us when you can, at least from "Real Genius" to "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang."