The Treatment

This week on The Treatment, Elvis sits down for a conversation with graphic novelist Adrian Tomine, whose recent work inspired the film “Paris, 13th District.” Next, a conversation with TV creators, writing partners, and partners in life,  Michelle and Robert King, whose current TV dramas include “The Good Fight” and “Evil.” And finally for The Treat, MUBI podcast host Rico Gagliano talks about why the, at times, bleak Wim Wenders film “Wings of Desire” gives him hope.

This week on The Treatment, Elvis sits down with New York Times columnist Frank Bruni to discuss Bruni’s memoir, “The Beauty of Dusk: On Vision Lost and Found” and how he approaches writing. Next chef and restaurateur Neal Fraser tells about his immersive dinner-theater experience “Revive: Los Angeles” currently at the downtown LA event space Vibiana. And finally on The Treat, graphic novelist Adrian Tomine explains how Mike Leigh has helped his storytelling.

This week on The Treatment, Elvis sits down with music journalist Danyel Smith, whose newest book is “Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop.” Next, director Simon Curtis talks about his most recent film, currently on Peacock, “Downton Abbey: A New Era,” a continuation of the beloved TV series. And finally, “Late Night with Seth Meyers” host Seth Meyers tells us why a short story by George Saunders keeps his writing honest. 

This week on The Treatment, Elvis welcomes actor and director Ben Stiller, whose newest project as director is the Apple TV+ series "Severance." Then actress Chloë Sevigny speaks about her latest role as a mother in crisis in the Hulu true crime series “The Girl from Plainville.” And finally on The Treat, music journalist and author of “Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop,” Danyel Smith tells us about the Midnight Star album that brings it all back.

This week on The Treatment, Elvis welcomes Seth Meyers, host of NBC’s “Late Night with Seth Meyers.” Meyers talks about how the show has changed for the better since the pandemic began. Next, “We Own This City” writer and producer David Simon explains how we’re continuing to lose the drug war. And finally, on The Treat, menswear designer Emily Bode talks about the vintage clothing items that inspire her.

This week on The Treatment, Elvis welcomes actor Bob Odenkirk, star of “Better Call Saul,” which is in its final season on AMC. Odenkirk also wrote the memoir “Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama” about his long and ultimately satisfying career in television. Next, Bomani Jones, host of HBO’s “Game Theory with Bomani Jones,” talks about the challenge in having nuanced conversations about the intersection of sports and culture. And finally, on The Treat, “Rutherford Falls” co-creator Sierra Teller Ornelas talks about the impact of the film “The Godfather” on her as a storyteller.

This week on The Treatment, Elvis welcomes comedian and director Jerrod Carmichael, who explores truth and honesty in his HBO special “Rothaniel” and his feature directorial debut “On the Count of Three.” Next,  Paula Pell, one of the stars of Peacock’s “Girls5eva” talks about coming into her prime as a performer in her fifties. And finally, on The Treat, director John Waters reveals the 1940s film that set him on his unique and outrageous career path.

This week on The Treatment, Elvis welcomes Robin Thede, creator and star of HBO’s “A Black Lady Sketch Show” to talk about the groundbreaking show’s cinematic look and multi-layered approach to comedy. Then “Rutherford Falls” co-creator Sierra Teller Ornelas joins us to discuss some of the absurd situations she has found herself in as a Native American that have found their way into the show. And finally, for The Treat, culture critic Gerrick Kennedy talks about the impact of Whitney Houston’s 1998 album “My Love is Your Love.”

This week on The Treatment, Elvis welcomes back Academy Award winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black. Black’s newest project is as executive producer and showrunner of the FX limited series “Under the Banner of Heaven,” streaming on Hulu. The series is adapted from Jon Krakauer’s book of the same name. Black won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for “Milk” in 2009. Black, a former member of the Mormon church, tells The Treatment about his own complicated relationship to the church and why he was drawn to the story. He says while he originally tried to adapt the book into a screenplay, the story was too complex to be condensed into two hours. And he says the series is a warning for people who don’t question documents written hundreds or even thousands of years ago.

This week on The Treatment, Elvis welcomes back Alex Kurtzman, co-creator, along with Jenny Lumet, of the adaptation of “The Man Who Fell to Earth” on Showtime. Kurtzman directed the film “People Like Us” and is the co-writer of several films, including “Transformers” and “The Amazing Spider-Man 2.” “The Man Who Fell to Earth” is an adaptation of the 1976 film starring David Bowie, which was an adaptation of the Walter Tevis novel by the same name. Kurtzman tells the Treatment that while he had reservations about adapting the cult favorite, he believed he and Lumet could bring something new to the story. He says star Chiwetel Ejiofor was an ideal actor to collaborate with because of their similarly cerebral approaches to the text. And he says the pandemic afforded him the time to deepen the music choices in the series.