Welcome to the 199th 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).
This week, we’re back to five full topics and the return of our Showrunner Spotlight segment in a big way as we’re joined by Ted Lasso duo Bill Lawrence and two-time Emmy winner Brett Goldstein as well as Jason Segel, as the trio discuss their new Apple comedy, Shrinking.
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Here’s how the full episode plays out.
1. Headlines
Phoebe Waller-Bridge, The Recruit, Cobra Kai, Doom Patrol and Titans, The Mosquito Coast, Vampire Academy and Succession lead the week’s TV headlines.
2. Rick and Morty co-creator fired
The good news in animation this week: The Simpsons, Bob’s Burgers and Family Guy have been renewed through the 2024-25 broadcast season. The bad news in animation this week: Justin Roiland, the co-creator of Adult Swim’s wildly popular Rick and Morty, has been fired and his voice roles in the adult-leaning toon will be recast. Disney also followed suit and ditched its overall deal with Roiland and removed him from both of his shows, Hulu’s Solar Opposites and the recently debuted Koala Man.
3. Change is coming to Grey’s Anatomy
Krista Vernoff, the former Grey’s writer who was plucked by Shonda Rhimes to take over showrunning duties after the creator decamped Disney for Netflix, is leaving the ABC medical drama and its spinoff, Station 19. Sources say Vernoff wants to focus on her own development after spending two chunks of her career in Shondaland. If Ellen Pompeo can do it, surely so can Vernoff.
4. Showrunner Spotlight
After a few weeks off, we’re back with an extended and super fun interview with Ted Lasso co-creator Bill Lawrence and two-time Emmy-winning star, writer and exec producer Brett Goldstein, making their third and second visits to TV’s Top 5, respectively; they are joined by Jason Segel to discuss their new Apple comedy, Shrinking. The trio open up about working with Harrison Ford (and his hats), their three-season plan for the therapy comedy and The Muppets, as we know Segel and Goldstein remain huge fans of Kermit and company. (Be prepared to laugh at Lawrence’s controversial thoughts on The Muppets, which may or may not have gone over well with Segel and Goldstein.) And yes, we’ve got your Ted Lasso update, too.
5. Critic’s Corner
As usual, every episode ends with Dan’s thoughts on what to watch (or skip) this weekend. This week, he weighs in on Peacock’s Poker Face, Hulu’s The 1619 Project, Paramount+’s Wolf Pack and Apple’s Shrinking.
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.
