Comedy

Harrison Ford costars in the series "Shrinking." Seasons 1, 2 and 3 are streaming on Apple TV, and it's been renewed for a fourth season.

As Hacks returns for its fourth season, we listen back to archival interviews with stars Smart and Einbinder, and with series co-star and co-creator Downs. Originally broadcast in 2021 and 2024.

We celebrate the NBC mockumentary by listening back to archival interviews with Carell, Gervais, Jenna Fischer, John Krasinski, Rainn Wilson, Mindy Kaling and executive producer Greg Daniels.

Amer grew up in Kuwait, where he enjoyed a comfortable life — until the first Gulf War forced his family to flee to the U.S. His Netflix show Mo is in its second season. Originally broadcast in 2022.

Paul W. Downs co-created and stars in the HBO Max Series 'Hacks'. The series centers on Deborah Vance (played by Jean Smart), a veteran comedian whose career is waning. In response, Deborah's manager (played by Downs) brings in a Gen-Z comic named Ava (Hannah Einbinder) to help freshen up her act. Along the way, Hacks explores themes of sexism in comedy and the nuances of "cancel culture" — as when some of Deborah's old offensive jokes resurface.

David Bianculli offers an appreciation of the star of Newhart and The Bob Newhart Show, who died July 18. In 1998, Newhart told Terry Gross that his signature stammer was not an affect.

Stand-up comedian, actor and author Michelle Buteau. She stars in the new movie "Babes" alongside her real-life friend, Ilana Glazer. It's a comedy about friends who have grown up together and confide in each other as they take different paths toward motherhood. Michelle Buteau also stars in the semi-autobiographical series "Survival Of The Thickest," which has been picked up for a second season on Netflix.

Einbinder co-stars with Jean Smart in the HBO Max series Hacks. Her new Max special is Everything Must Go. Einbinder grew up in a comedic household — her mom, Laraine Newman, is an original SNL cast member. Being funny was "the main currency in our home," she says. "It was a love language for sure."

Busy Philipps, co-stars in the series "Girls5eva," which begins its third season next month on Netflix. It's just one of the Tina Fey projects Philipps has premiering this year. She's also in the new movie musical version of the 2004 film "Mean Girls." Busy Philipps spoke with Fresh Air's Ann Marie Baldonado.

Olyphant is best known for portraying lawmen in cowboy hats. He reprises the role of deputy U.S. marshal Raylan Givens in the sequel Justified: City Primeval. Originally broadcast July 18, 2023.

In her new memoir, Leslie F*cking Jones, she reflects on growing up as a military brat, performing in comedy clubs in a male-dominated field and joining the cast of SNL in 2014, when she was 47 years old. When it comes to getting laughs, Jones is committed to physical comedy — even if it sometimes results in injury.

Nancherla's starred in TV shows like BoJack Horseman and Master of None, and written for Late Night with Seth Meyers. She recounts her struggle with depression in the memoir, Unreliable Narrator.

Sterlin Harjo says society has a tendency to be "very precious with Native people." The third and final season of the irreverent series dropped recently. Originally broadcast Sept. 19, 2022.

Olyphant is best known for portraying lawmen in cowboy hats. He reprises the role of deputy U.S. marshal Raylan Givens in the sequel Justified: City Primeval, based on Elmore Leonard's novel.

Jesse Armstrong is Succession's creator, showrunner and head writer. In the past, he has been reluctant to reveal much about Succession's plot lines or the characters' motivations. But with the finale behind us, Armstrong is ready to talk. He spoke to Terry Gross, along with Frank Rich, an executive producer of the series.

The Emmy-winning actor, who died in 2017, is the subject of a new MAX documentary, Being Mary Tyler Moore. She spoke to Terry Gross in 1995 about the ups and downs of her career and personal life.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus is best known for playing Elaine on the hit comedy series Seinfeld, but her credits also include SNL, The New Adventures of Old Christine and the HBO series Veep. Along the way, she's won 11 Emmy awards. In the new movie, You Hurt My Feelings, Louis-Dreyfus plays a writer whose world is turned upside down when she learns that her husband hates the novel she's working on — despite his reassurances to the contrary.

Bloom talks about writing songs for Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and losing her musical collaborator Adam Schlesinger, who died from COVID-19 complications in March 2020. She stars in the Hulu series Reboot.

Critic at large John Powers reviews the third season of the acclaimed Hulu comedy-drama series, Ramy.

Reservation Dogs is the first and only TV series where every writer, director and series regular is Indigenous. Part comedy and part drama, the FX series streaming on Hulu follows four teenagers who long to escape the dead ends they face living on a reservation.