

The Writers Panel
Ben Blacker
The definitive insider's guide to our current golden age of television, Ben Blacker's The Writers Panel is an ever expanding anthology of live convention panels and intimate in-studio interviews with the writers, producers, and show runners responsible for all the shows you can't stop watching. Over the course of nearly 500 episodes and counting, The Writers Panel has sat across from guests such as Vince Gilligan (Breaking Bad), Amy Sherman-Palladino (Gilmore Girls, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele (Key and Peele), Liz Meriwether (New Girl), and Damon Lindelof (Lost, The Leftovers) to talk about the art and business of creating great television. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jul 29, 2025 • 59min
The Naked Gun
The Naked Gun writers Dan Gregor and Doug Mand (Chip n' Dale: Rescue Rangers) discuss the real stakes of a very silly movie, comedy fight scenes, not being referential, why Liam Neeson is integral to remaking The Naked Gun, having on hand an ungodly number of alt jokes, and more.THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION.Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, Re:Writing, where you'll also get weekly advice from the thousands of writers he's interviewed over the years, as well as access to exclusive live Q&As, meet-ups, and more: benblacker.substack.comCome see Paul F. Tompkins, Paget Brewster, Busy Philipps, Joshua Malina, Janet Varney, and more in The Thrilling Adventure Hour live in a city near you! https://thrillingadventure.live for details.SOCIALS:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/bablacker/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jul 22, 2025 • 42min
I Know What You Did Last Summer
I Know What You Did Last Summer writer/director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (Do Revenge; Someone Great) returns along with co-writer Sam Lansky to discuss their continuation of the 1997 horror film, modernizing a morality tale, playing plot Jenga, "trauma but make it popcorn," and justifying THAT TWIST.THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION.Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, Re:Writing, where you'll also get weekly advice from the thousands of writers he's interviewed over the years, as well as access to exclusive live Q&As, meet-ups, and more: benblacker.substack.comCome see Paul F. Tompkins, Paget Brewster, Busy Philipps, Joshua Malina, Janet Varney, and more in The Thrilling Adventure Hour live in a city near you! https://thrillingadventure.live for details.SOCIALS:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/bablacker/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jul 15, 2025 • 46min
James DeMonaco (The Home; The Purge)
James DeMonaco (writer/director, The Home, The Purge) discusses co-writing during lockdown, collaborating with Pete Davidson, the movie he passed on that got The Home made, advice from Francis Ford Coppola, and news of maybe a new Purge movie!THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION.Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, Re:Writing, where you'll also get weekly advice from the thousands of writers he's interviewed over the years, as well as access to exclusive live Q&As, meet-ups, and more: benblacker.substack.comCome see Paul F. Tompkins, Paget Brewster, Busy Philipps, Joshua Malina, Janet Varney, and more in The Thrilling Adventure Hour live in a city near you! https://thrillingadventure.live for details.SOCIALS:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/bablacker/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jul 8, 2025 • 28min
TV writer/novelist Stefanie Leder
Stefanie Leder (Faking It; Boo Bitch) discusses her debut novel, Love, Coffee, and Revolution, a coming-of-age/political adventure/rom com. the long road of writing the book, setting reasonable daily goals, the most important thing to getting published, why "TV is Jewish," and lots more.THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION.Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, Re:Writing, where you'll also get weekly advice from the thousands of writers he's interviewed over the years, as well as access to exclusive live Q&As, meet-ups, and more: benblacker.substack.comCome see Paul F. Tompkins, Paget Brewster, Busy Philipps, Joshua Malina, Janet Varney, and more in The Thrilling Adventure Hour live in a city near you! https://thrillingadventure.live for details.SOCIALS:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/bablacker/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jul 1, 2025 • 44min
Chris & Paul Weitz (Murderbot)
Chris Weitz and Paul Weitz (creators, Murderbot; American Pie; About a Boy) discuss working with actors and what Alexander Skarsgård brought to the titular role of Murderbot, who your audience is, writing and directing together after a two-decade break, and lots more.THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION.Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, Re:Writing, where you'll also get weekly advice from the thousands of writers he's interviewed over the years, as well as access to exclusive live Q&As, meet-ups, and more: benblacker.substack.comCome see Paul F. Tompkins, Paget Brewster, Busy Philipps, Joshua Malina, Janet Varney, and more in The Thrilling Adventure Hour live in a city near you! https://thrillingadventure.live for details.SOCIALS:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/bablacker/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jun 10, 2025 • 49min
I Don't Understand You
David Joseph Craig & Brian Crano (writers/directors of I Don't Understand You) discuss the personal story behind the movie, writing the truth vs writing honestly, scenes you need, who your competition is, why knowing actors is a good thing, poking the turkey, and more.THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION.Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, Re:Writing, where you'll also get weekly advice from the thousands of writers he's interviewed over the years, as well as access to exclusive live Q&As, meet-ups, and more: benblacker.substack.comCome see Paul F. Tompkins, Paget Brewster, Busy Philipps, Joshua Malina, Janet Varney, and more in The Thrilling Adventure Hour live in a city near you! https://thrillingadventure.live for details.SOCIALS:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/bablacker/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 20, 2025 • 42min
Leon Chills (Shadow Force)
Leon Chills (Shadow Force) discusses writing his way out of a low point, working things out in the first draft, his approach to action scenes, when to ask someone to read your script, and more. THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION.Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, Re:Writing, where you'll also get weekly advice from the thousands of writers he's interviewed over the years, as well as access to exclusive live Q&As, meet-ups, and more: benblacker.substack.comCome see Paul F. Tompkins, Paget Brewster, Busy Philipps, Joshua Malina, Janet Varney, and more in The Thrilling Adventure Hour live in a city near you! https://thrillingadventure.live for details.SOCIALS:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/bablacker/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 13, 2025 • 40min
Mike Drucker (The Tonight Show)
Mike Drucker (The Tonight Show; Full Frontal with Samantha Bee) discusses his new memoir, Good Game, No Rematch, writing his life through the lens of video games, how prose is different from stand up comedy, how his family responded to stories about them, discovering his emotional vulnerabilities, and more.Check out a live DEAD PILOTS SOCIETY this Sunday in LA, or stream on demand from anywhere!TICKETS HEREThe cast includes but is not limited to Peri Gilpin (Frasier), Isabella Gomez (One Day at a Time), Brandon Scott Jones (Ghosts), Jordan Rodrigues (Ladybird), Mary Beth Barone (Black Mirror; Overcompensating), Clancy Brown (Highlander; The Shawshank Redemption), Brendan Scannell (Loot), Caitlin Reilly (Dead Boy Detectives), Courtney Parchman (Sex Lives of College Girls; "Average Fashion Blogger"), and lots more.THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION.Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, Re:Writing, where you'll also get weekly advice from the thousands of writers he's interviewed over the years, as well as access to exclusive live Q&As, meet-ups, and more: benblacker.substack.comCome see Paul F. Tompkins, Paget Brewster, Busy Philipps, Joshua Malina, Janet Varney, and more in The Thrilling Adventure Hour live in a city near you! https://thrillingadventure.live for details.SOCIALS:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/bablacker/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Apr 29, 2025 • 38min
Sascha Penn (Power Book III)
Sascha Penn (creator/showrunner, Power Book III) discusses the value of non-industry experience to showrunning, the truth about reps, the storytelling muscle, advice for entering the business at this moment, and more.THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION.Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, Re:Writing, where you'll also get weekly advice from the thousands of writers he's interviewed over the years, as well as access to exclusive live Q&As, meet-ups, and more: benblacker.substack.comCome see Paul F. Tompkins, Paget Brewster, Busy Philipps, Joshua Malina, Janet Varney, and more in The Thrilling Adventure Hour live in a city near you! https://thrillingadventure.live for details.SOCIALS:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/bablacker/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Apr 8, 2025 • 28min
Jonathan Tropper (Your Friends and Neighbors)
Jonathan Tropper (creator, Your Friends and Neighbors, Banshee, Warrior) discusses writing a TV show closer in sensibility to his novels, the role of luck in a writing career, writing a non-action show, one key piece of advice about craft, and more.THE WRITERS PANEL IS A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION.Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, Re:Writing, where you'll also get weekly advice from the thousands of writers he's interviewed over the years, as well as access to exclusive live Q&As, meet-ups, and more: benblacker.substack.comCome see Paul F. Tompkins, Paget Brewster, Busy Philipps, Joshua Malina, Janet Varney, and more in The Thrilling Adventure Hour live in a city near you! https://thrillingadventure.live for details.SOCIALS:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/bablacker/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.