The Writers Panel

Rodney Barnes (Winning Time; American Gods; Runaways) on the patience to rewrite. PLUS: WGA negotiating committee member Yahlin Chang (The Handmaid's Tale; Supergirl) on the union's proposals around episodic television.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.comSOCIALS:Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.socialTwitter: twitter.com/benBlackerFacebook: facebook.com/tvWritersPanel Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this craft-centered episode, Matt Williams (co-creator of Home Improvement, Roseanne, and more) discusses collaborating with non-writers. PLUS: Shoshana Sachi (Doom Patrol; Dead Boy Detectives) talks about trying to do creative work while on strike.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.comSOCIALS:Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/benblacker.bsky.socialTwitter: twitter.com/benBlackerFacebook: facebook.com/tvWritersPanel Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this craft-centered episode, Karen Graci (Hailey's On It!, Tuca and Bertie, The Harper House) talks about point-of-view.Plus: "Bitter Script Reader" Adam Mallinger (Superman & Lois) with do's and don'ts for networking on the picket line.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: https://benblacker.substack.comSOCIALS:twitter.com/BenBlackerfacebook.com/tvWritersPanel Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Marc Bernardin, Treadstone; Star Trek: Picard, shares insights on world building, discussing the process and challenges of creating a strong narrative, understanding the rules and politics within the story's world, and the importance of simplicity in storytelling. The guest also explores the impact of world complexity on the audience and highlights the excitement for the Lazarus Project, a British show that incorporates time travel and spies.

X-Men, X2, and Watchmen screenwriter David Hayter discusses thinking in pictures, how he came to write X-Men, structure, writing fight scenes, and screenwriting's toll on your brain.PLUS: WGA strike captain Gabriel Garza (The Flash; The Winchesters) with tales from the picket line!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: https://benblacker.substack.comSOCIALS:twitter.com/BenBlackerfacebook.com/tvWritersPanel Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Author Mallory O'Meara (The Lady From The Black Lagoon) returns to talk about her new book, Girls Make Movies, why she wrote a guide for young people interested in film, its many, many iterations, being an "author" and being a "writer," and why the draft is not the book. PLUS: Tze Chun (EP/showrunner of Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai and EP/co-showrunner with Boots Riley of I'm a Virgo) on what to wear on the picket line, why he's so well-dressed, and the vibe of his writers' rooms.Girls Make Movies is out today! Visit Mallory's website for all ordering options, including signed copies! https://www.malloryomeara.com/girls-make-moviesHere's the really fun playlist Mallory made for Girls Make Movies: https://tinyurl.com/GirlsMakeMoviesTHE WRITERS PANEL IS NOW A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION.Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, 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: https://benblacker.substack.comSOCIALS:twitter.com/BenBlackerfacebook.com/tvWritersPanel Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A special episode today, as Ben Blacker chats with the creators of Cheers: Glen Charles, Les Charles, and James Burrows. They discuss the TV comedy landscape in 1982 and now, who at NBC didn't get the show, Taxi, Phyllis, discovering the cast's special talents, the pressure following Shelley Long's departure, and lots more.Before that interview, though, an excerpt from Ted Danson and His Friends From Work, a live streaming special that Blacker produced in 2020. The show featured cast reunions of Ted Danson's shows and movies, from Three Men and a Baby to The Good Place, and ended in a 45 minute Cheers reunion, featuring the Charles brothers, Burrows, Danson, Rhea Perlman, Woody Harrelson, Kelsey Grammer, Kirstie Alley, John Ratzenberger, Bebe Neuwirth, and George Wendt, as well as a fan-question from Tina Fey!And before THAT, a short but important conversation with Adam Conover (Adam Ruins Everything), who is a WGA Board Member and is on the contract negotiating committee about who forms the WGA's strategy, what sympathetic execs can do to help (without getting fired), how pre-WGA writers can pitch in, and what gives him hope that the WGA will win this fight,By the way! Les Charles wants you to know that the name of the episode that he couldn't recall in the conversation is "Old Flames," which is episode 7 of season 2 and was written by the late, wonderful David Angell.THE WRITERS PANEL IS NOW A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION.Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, 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: https://benblacker.substack.comSOCIALS: twitter.com/BenBlackerfacebook.com/tvWritersPanel Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The WGA is on strike. In today's episode, WGA Board Member and showrunner/creator John Rogers (Leverage; The Librarians) talks about why, what's at stake, how negotiations broke down, and how long this might last.Plus: new WGA member and former Teamster Danielle Nicki has some heartfelt words of encouragement.THE WRITERS PANEL IS NOW A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION.Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, 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.com SOCIALS:https://twitter.com/BENBLACKER https://www.facebook.com/TVWritersPanel  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andor creator Tony Gilroy (Rogue One; the Bourne movies; Armageddon) discusses on getting hot on a project, writing vivid scenes, the incremental building of a series, his early resume including The Cutting Edge and Dolores Claiborne, and his disparate influences.But first: the WGA is on strike. In the first of many conversations with working writers on strike, Ben Blacker chats with M3gan writer Akela Cooper (Star Trek: Brave New Worlds; Luke Cage) about her hopes, fears, and why we're taking this action.This interview with Tony Gilroy was recorded before the WGA strike began.THE WRITERS PANEL IS NOW A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION.Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, 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.com SOCIALS:https://twitter.com/BENBLACKER https://www.facebook.com/TVWritersPanel  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mrs. Davis co-creator and showrunner Tara Hernandez (Big Bang Theory; Young Sheldon) discusses learning as an assistant, backing into sci-fi, how she and Damon Lindelof pitched the show, and how many Popes is too many Popes.THE WRITERS PANEL IS NOW A COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION.Follow and support the show by subscribing to Ben Blacker's newsletter, 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.com SOCIALS:https://twitter.com/BENBLACKER https://www.facebook.com/TVWritersPanel Special thanks to Jordan Katz. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.