How HBO Max Cooked Up a Stirring Tribute to Julia Child

Welcome to the 162nd episode of TV’s Top 5, The Hollywood Reporter’s TV podcast.

Every week, hosts Lesley Goldberg (West Coast TV editor) and Daniel Fienberg (chief TV critic) break down the latest TV news with context from the business and critical sides, welcome showrunners, executives and other guests, and provide a critical guide of what to watch (or skip, as the case may be).

Here’s how this week’s episode plays out:

1. The Slap
Will Smith is dominating the headlines but there was more to the Oscars than just The Slap. This segment looks at the highlights (and lowlights) of the Academy Awards as well as Dan’s thoughts on Slapgate 2022.

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2. Streaming Wars heat up
Disney+ is heading into battle as Obi-Wan Kenobi prepares to take on the Upside Down as the streamer’s latest Star Wars series is launching against Netflix’s Stranger Things. At the same time, HBO/HBO Max’s long-awaited Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon is going head to head with Amazon’s Lord of the Rings as both fantasy dramas launch within days of each other.

3. April TV preview
It’s baseball season! But with the calendar turning to April, there’s a huge wave of new and returning shows that are vying for your attention. This segment previews what to expect from hits like Breaking Bad and The Flight Attendant to new arrivals including Tokyo Vice and the star-studded Gaslit.

4. Showrunner Spotlight
Chris Keyser, the showrunner of HBO Max’s Julia, joins the show this week to discuss the complicated road that led to the Julia Child-focused series. Keyser, who co-chaired the WGA’s negotiating committee during its fight against talent agencies over packaging fees, opens up about how the conflict affected Julia and sank another show, State of Affairs, that he had in the works. The wide-ranging interview also sees Keyser weigh in on how the end of packaging fees has changed the industry. As for Julia, Keyser reveals what led to original star Joan Cusack dropping out, recasting the role of Child’s husband and how the HBO Max original explores timely subjects including racism, homophobia and women’s equality. Keyser, who created and served as showrunner on Netflix’s The Society, also discusses how the YA-focused series was “unrenewed” during the pandemic and how the unaired scripts for season two may finally come to light.

5. Critic’s Corner
As usual, every episode ends with Dan offering his reviews of what to watch in the week ahead. In this episode, he reviews Moon Knight on Disney+, Apple’s Slow Horses, Ken Burns’ latest for PBS and much more.

Hear it all now on TV’s Top 5. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to never miss an episode. (Reviews welcome!) You can also email us with any topics or Mailbag questions you’d like addressed in future episodes at TVsTop5@THR.com.