The creators of Cheers
05/16/23 • 117 min
1 Listener
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.com
SOCIALS:
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.com
SOCIALS:
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Previous Episode
Strike Talk with John Rogers
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.
Next Episode
Girls Make Movies' Mallory O'Meara + Tze Chun on strike
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-movies
Here's the really fun playlist Mallory made for Girls Make Movies: https://tinyurl.com/GirlsMakeMovies
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.com
SOCIALS:
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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