The Spin-off

We're wrapping up four fabulous years of podcasting, but not before one final episode. The Spin-off crew reflects on the upfronts, Cannes vs Netflix, and the future of television.

WEB BONUS: Just in time for the Season 7 finale, we bring you a conversation about The Walking Dead, recorded at the annual gathering of the National Association of Television Program Executives. Michael Schneider sat down with Josh Sapan, the president and CEO of AMC; Gale Anne Hurd, the executive producer of The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead; and Colman Domingo, the actor who plays Victor Strand on Fear the Walking Dead.

People in the industry always joke about Netflix taking over. With Netflix adding more and more kinds of shows, plus movies, have those jokes officially turned to real fear? Plus, it's Emmy season! Oh wait, the Emmys aren't until September? With the amount of campaigning already going on, you wouldn't know it. And is another writers' strike looming on the horizon? 

For the third week in a row, Stephen Colbert has bested Jimmy Fallon in the ratings. The current president is no doubt part of the reason. And, in this year's pilot season, overall series orders are down this year, but networks are still dealing with a mid-season logjam.

Long-time TV reporters are finding their beats now apply to politics as the new POTUS continues to be obsessed with ratings. And looking to the year ahead, will broadcast streaming services like CBS All Access be able to break through?

Actors and long-time friends Brian Tyree Henry and Sterling K. Brown tell us how they first met (there were drag queens involved!), their evolving careers and why 2016 was a year that stood out and changed both of their lives. They both played memorable parts on FX shows -- Brown portrayed prosecutor Chris Darden in The People vs. O.J. Simpson and Henry introduced us to rapper Alfred "Paper Boi" Miles on Atlanta.

In our final episode of 2016, The Spin-off crew reflects on the year that was in television, and discusses the decision of ABC, NBC and CBS to skip out on the executive panels in the upcoming Television Critics Association press tour. They also talk about the recent ratings dip of AMC mega hit The Walking Dead. Plus, a holiday-themed Download segment.

In this bonus edition of The Spin-off, we share a panel discussion from the Paley Center, celebrating CBS' number one spot in daytime television for 30 years. This conversation was all about daytime game shows, specifically those CBS stalwarts The Price Is Right and Let's Make a Deal. Michael Schneider sat down with the show hosts and executive producers to talk about the special role of game shows within the world of television.

In the first episode since the election, The Spin-off crew contemplates the role TV news had in this year's presidential contest, and what TV might look like going forward. Plus, what's up with NFL ratings this year, and Dan's take on the newest Gilmore Girls revival on Netflix.

AMC's zombie drama The Walking Dead returned to huge ratings with its Season 7 premiere, but some fans are not crazy about the extreme violence that's now becoming commonplace in the show. And, after just a year on the job, Sean Atkins is out at MTV. Chris McCarthy will be taking over.

Married couple Marc Guggenheim and Tara Butters have separately written, produced and overseen multiple TV shows. Guggenheim produces Arrow and DC's Legends of Tomorrow on The CW, and Butters was one of the showrunners of Marvel's Agent Carter on ABC. She was also the executive producer of the ABC show Resurrection and Reaper on The CW. They tell us how they met, talk about the experience of working for rival superhero companies, and admit how, in the end, it all comes down to time management.

The Spin-off crew evaluates new fall TV, which in spite of a few stinkers, shows much more overall creative promise than in years past. Then, a look at the ratings from the first presidential debate, which were indeed very high, but need to be put in context.

The Spin-off crew sums up the summer. They talk about Olympics ratings, discuss why two hot cable shows are struggling in their second seasons and contemplate whether the myriad niche streaming services can ever offer them the TV line-up of their dreams. 

After years of being adored by critics but ignored by the TV Academy, the FX series The Americans is finally having its Emmy moment. Executive producers Joe Weisberg and Joel Fields tell us how their partnership is a match made in show-runner heaven, why they work so far in advance, and how collaboration is key to the success of the series. 

In the brief window between Comic-Con and TCA press tour this year, this Spin-Off crew gathers to talk about the most interesting moments at this year's Comic-Con and why marketing for cable shows has turned into a year-round event. 

“In life, if you're not 100 percent in on something, you need to take a deep breath and figure it out.” That’s what Steve Mosko told Michael Schneider during a conversation at the Paley Center, just two days after Mosko announced he would be leaving his job as chairman of Sony Pictures Television.

There won’t be any more Vinyl on HBO, even though there had been an earlier announcement of a second season. With that show gone and Game of Thrones wrapping up its season, there’s a lot of pressure on the forthcoming ‘Westworld. Plus, we’re at the height of Emmy campaigning, but will all that noise actually help any new shows snag a nomination?

How does Noah Hawley get so much writing done? He tells us he's discovered a “rift in the space-time continuum.” The novelist, screenwriter and TV writer-producer talks about his career arc and what he knows so far about the upcoming Legion and season three of Fargo, both on FX.

Jerrod Carmichael grew up loving multi-camera sitcoms, especially the ones on NBC. Now he’s created and stars in one of his own. Carmichael tells us why he opted to go the retro, multi-cam route to tell personal stories and tackle tough topics.

The Spin-off crew reports back from this year's network upfront presentations and Joe Adalian shares his biggest takeaways after spending four months investigating the current state of television. Plus, a shake-up at HBO. 

Matt Walsh and Timothy Simons play Mike McLintock and Jonah Ryan, respectively, on HBO's Veep. They tell us about the experience of starring in a show about a dysfunctional government in the middle of a crazy election year, and working in a new location with a new showrunner for Season 5.

Ben Winston never planned to pursue a career in American late night television, but when his good friend James Corden got the call and invited Winston along, he took the leap and moved across the ocean. He tells us how he first met Corden, how they've approached their first year of The Late, Late Show, and why he looks at YouTube numbers before the Nielsen ratings.

Michelle Ashford, creator of Masters of Sex and Empire showrunner Ilene Chaiken sit down with Michael Schneider to talk about their process of becoming TV writers and executive producers, and why they don’t typically call themselves "showrunners."

Why are viewers flirting with new shows but failing to commit? Then, we talk about the media's role, or not, in Donald Trump's rise from reality star to presidential front-runner.

In this special edition of the Spin-Off, we bring you a conversation between Michael Schneider and Fox chiefs Dana Walden and Gary Newman, recorded as a part of Paley Dialogues LA, hosted by the Paley Media Council.