Hollywood Reporter TV Critics Pick the 10 Best Episodes of 2020
A revelatory 'Ramy' installment, a bravura chapter in an otherwise uneven 'Fargo' season, and superb samples of 'Lovecraft Country' and 'Pen15' were among the year’s highlights.
'TV's Top 5': 'Pen15' Duo on Season 2 and Navigating Pandemic Problems
During this week's podcast, hosts Daniel Fienberg and Lesley Goldberg also preview what to expect from Sunday's live and virtual Emmys (what could go wrong?!) and explore 'Stumptown's' cancellation.
'Pen15' Season 2: TV Review
Maya Erskine, Anna Konkle and Sam Zvibleman's delightfully awkward Hulu comedy continues to evolve beyond its thirtysomethings-in-teenage-drag gimmick.
Artios Awards: 'Succession,' 'Pose,' 'Dead to Me' Among Casting Society TV, Theater Nominees
The winners in these categories and the feature film nominees, set to be unveiled on Jan. 2, 2020, will be revealed at the 35th annual awards ceremony in New York, Los Angeles and London.
'PEN15' Writers Dissect the "Incredibly Isolating" Scene From a Key Episode
Emmy-nominated scribes Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle reveal how they triggered Anna the character with jealousy and some "motherly advice [that] becomes devastating."
Critic's Notebook: 'Good Boys' and the Rise of the Gritty Middle-School Comedy
Recent big- and small-screen depictions of tween life aren't just funny. They're shrewdly examining how kids are growing up faster than ever before.
'PEN15' Co-Creator Maya Erskine on Casting Her Own Mother and Season 2 Plans
The actress-producer-writer, who stars on the Hulu series alongside fellow co-creator Anna Konkle as 13-year-old versions of themselves, talks about the logistical challenges of acting opposite younger castmates and the surprising viewer reaction to the masturbation episode.
'PEN15' Stars/Creators on Reliving Middle School: "It's a Freak Show That We Wanted to Expose"
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter In Studio, Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle open up about their weird, raw, hilarious and at times emotionally taxing TV show.
'PEN15' and 'Ramy' Renewed for Second Seasons at Hulu
Both comedies join previously picked up 'Shrill' as the streamer continues its comedy hot streak.
'Pen15' Star Maya Erskine Discusses "Significant" Role as Romantic Lead in 'Plus One'
The romantic comedy from producer Ben Stiller and filmmakers Jeff Chan and Andrew Rhymer made its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 28.
How Hulu's 'PEN15' Is Putting the Spotlight on an Underrepresented Community
"As an Asian American it felt like I never in a million years would have been able to play this role," co-creator and star Maya Erskine says.
Critic's Notebook: 'PEN15' and the Resurgence of the Horny Teen Nerd Girl
The rise of TV's erotically charged dorky girls is lifting the veil on the inner lives of young women who were never the sexless killjoys pop culture imagined them to be.
'PEN15' Creators Want Hulu Comedy to Remain in Seventh Grade for Season 2 (and Beyond)
Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle tell The Hollywood Reporter about their creative collaboration, what was too traumatic for the first season, and what they want to include in season two.
How 'PEN15' Tackles Every Awkward Middle School Moment (Including Masturbation)
Co-creators Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle tell The Hollywood Reporter how they made one executive so uncomfortable he became nauseous during the pitch for their series, which puts an R-rated spin on middle-school awkwardness.
'PEN15': TV Review
Incredible performances make Hulu's comedy — in which a pair of adult actresses play middle-schoolers — intriguing, but it feels too much like a sketch stretched into a series.