Welcome to the 168th 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. Headlines
News about The Prince of Tides, Allison Janney, Jeff Daniels, Minx, Julia, Pachinko, Peacemaker, Dead to Me, Cobra Kai, The CW, James Cordon and Netflix lead another busy week in TV headlines.
2. Peacock spreads its feathers
The last bell has rung for the streamer’s Saved by the Bell update as the platform’s approach to its scripted originals appears to be evolving to more…premium fare that may not be a program that could also double on NBC. Case in point: Peacock’s recent orders, including a Pete Davidson semi-autobiographical comedy, updates of Pitch Perfect, Ted and Field of Dreams, plus the upcoming Queer as Folk, Vampire Academy and Damon Lindelof’s Mrs. Davis.
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3. May TV preview
With the deadline for Emmy eligibility this month, it’s no surprise that May is packed with high-profile launches, including The Kids in the Hall, The Essex Serpent, Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Staircase, Hacks, The Time Traveler’s Wife, Stranger Things, Girls5eva, I Love That for You, Angelyne and the series finale of This Is Us.
4. Showrunner Spotlight
Jessica Biel, the exec producer and star of Hulu’s true crime limited series Candy, joins the show this week for an interview about her killer new role and how she related to Candy Montgomery. Biel reveals how she prepared for the role and navigated filming the nonlinear story as well as how the production found the right wig and glasses that helped transform her into a 1980s housewife. Biel also opens up about her production company, Iron Ocean, her transformation into a prolific producer behind Freeform’s Cruel Summer, USA’s The Sinner and Hulu’s Candy. She also addresses the decision to transform Cruel Summer into an anthology with an entirely new cast for its second season, and touches on her love of BoJack Horseman.
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 HBO Max’s The Staircase, Hulu’s Candy, Paramount+’s Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and 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.
