Welcome to another 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 week in TV news with context from the business and critical sides, welcome showrunners and executive guests and provide a critical guide of what to watch (or skip, as the case may be).
This week, we’re coming to you from Pasadena, where the winter edition of the Television Critics Association’s press tour is winding down after an insanely busy crush of breaking news from streamers, cable and broadcast networks alike.
This week’s five topics are:
1. Disney’s big change.
There’s a new CEO in charge of the Mouse House. Bob Chapek will take over as CEO from Bob Iger, with the latter set to focus more on Disney’s creative endeavors — including Hulu and Disney+ — in his new role as exec chairman. So what does that mean for the average TV viewer? This segment looks at where Disney’s streaming businesses could stand to use Iger’s expertise.
The segment begins at the 2:54 mark.
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2. Dick Wolf’s $1B moves.
In the mega-producer’s second nine-figure deal in as many months, the mastermind behind all things Law & Order and Chicago solidifies his future — and those of his four NBC dramas — as he further solidifies his place in the TV history books. This segment is an analysis of why NBCU needs Wolf, what shows may very well be next for the procedural king and just how much he’s worth given his recent library pact.
The analysis begins at the 13:05 mark.
3. The unscripted boom on basic cable.
THR senior writer and Friend of the 5 Michael O’Connell joins the show this week for a segment looking at why basic cable networks like USA, TNT and Bravo (among others) are shifting their strategies away from scripted originals.
The discussion begins at the 19:22 mark.
4. Showrunner Spotlight: Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould.
In the second of our two-part interview, the Better Call Saul bosses open up about the season five premiere, what to expect from the rest of this season and, now that there’s an endgame in mind for the Breaking Bad sequel, what’s next. Gilligan also breaks some news during the interview and reveals that he’s working on an original scripted idea. And if you missed part one of the interview, listen to it here, starting at the 10:58 mark.
The interview begins at the 27:34 mark.
5. Critic’s Corner.
As usual, every episode ends with Fienberg offering his critical thoughts on what to watch (or skip) this week. Among the shows he weighs in on this week are FX’s Better Things, Dave and FX on Hulu’s Devs, plus Netflix’s I Am Not Okay With This, among others.
Tune in starting at the 59:41 mark.
Note: TV’s Top 5 will be off March 6. Our next episode will be March 13, featuring a Showrunner Spotlight Better Things’ mastermind Pamela Adlon.
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 Goldberg and Fienberg with any topics or questions you’d like to be addressed in future episodes at TVsTop5@THR.com.
