I Think You're Interesting

Latest Episodes:

Bill Nye, on becoming the Science Guy and Saving the World Mar 14, 2018

Show notes

If you don't hear the words "Bill Nye" and automatically fill in, mentally, "the Science Guy" (ideally with the exact right tune and rhythm from his old theme song), then you probably weren't alive during the 1990s, when Nye's series (Bill Nye the Science Guy, naturally) became a hit with kids, parents, and teachers throughout the country. A former engineer and stand-up comedian, Nye's ability to blend introductions to scientific concepts with goofy humor made him a favorite. Since that show left the air in 1998, Nye has become an evangelist for the joys of understanding the way the world works. Yet even as he's worked to continue educating everybody about science, science has become more of a hot-button issue than ever before, leaving Nye in the middle of political debates over climate change. Hence his new Netflix series, Bill Nye Saves the World, now in its second season. It's a talk show, sort of, but it's also a series filled with scientific demonstrations, reported segments, and comedy bits. It's like a variety show where everything revolves around science somehow. Nye joined Todd to talk about his evolution from engineer to entertainer, how he's felt landing at the center of political debates, and what engineering has in common with making a TV show.

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Designing the worst workplace in the world. (Only for a TV show. Don’t worry.) Mar 07, 2018

Show notes

Comedy Central’s Corporate is a deep, dark dive into American corporate life that is one of the most promising new comedies to debut in years. Set in the nondescript but completely soulless corporation Hampton DeVille, Corporate finds dark yet incredibly funny humor in the concept of just trying to survive within the sorts of corporate structures many of us work in every single day. The series was co-created by Matt Ingebretson and Jake Weisman (with series director Pat Bishop), and Ingebretson and Weisman also star. That’s notable because before Corporate, the two were mostly known for making and starring in web videos. They mark just the latest example of online talent crossing over into the television mainstream (if you can call Corporate “mainstream”). As the series prepares to air the last two episodes of its first season (it’s already been renewed for a second), Ingebretson and Weisman join Todd to talk about how to make a funny comedy with visual flair, why the horrors of corporate life are great fodder for a TV show, and what’s funny about the fact that we’re all going to die. (Trust us; it’s funny!)

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The "I Think You’re Interesting" Oscars Spectacular Feb 28, 2018

Show notes

Todd loves the Oscars, so this week's episode features not just one but two Oscar nominees from this year's crop. First, Todd talks with Vox film critic Alissa Wilkinson about the year's biggest prizes. Then he's joined by Julian Slater, the Oscar-nominated sound designer and sound editor of the action-musical Baby Driver. Julian tells Todd all about crafting the sonic world of one of 2017's most ambitious aural experiments, then he explains the difference between the Sound Mixing and Sound Editing Oscars' categories. The episode concludes with a discussion with I, Tonya editor Tatiana Riegel who joins from Berlin to explain why editors are so important to the filmmaking process. She also talks about balancing the many complicated tones of one of the year's most tonally adventurous movies.

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Love the look of Black Panther's Wakanda? Meet the woman who designed its costumes. Feb 21, 2018

Show notes

If you've seen Marvel's new movie Black Panther, you know that one of the best things about it is its use of costumes and sets not just to create the fictional world of Wakanda, but also to tell little stories about its history and culture in every single frame. Just looking at this movie, which opened to the second-biggest four-day box office in film history, is half the fun. That's why for the first episode in a post-Black Panther world, we wanted to talk to Ruth Carter, the designer of the movie's costumes, from that sleek superhero suit, to the Dora Milaje's battle gowns, to the plethora of other costumes that tell you, at a glance, which part of Wakanda certain characters are from. And that's to say nothing of the moments of high fashion, when T'Challa and his allies step out onto exciting spy missions. Though Black Panther is Carter's biggest movie yet, she's been designing costumes since the 1980s, having designed the costumes for almost every one of Spike Lee's films and received two Oscar nominations for her work on Lee's Malcolm X and Steven Spielberg's Amistad. Carter joins Todd to talk about telling the story of Wakanda through clothing, collaborating with great directors, and why every superhero movie is dependent on one workshop in Europe.

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Finding work — or just creating your own — as a deaf actor in Hollywood Feb 14, 2018

Show notes

Though 20 percent of the American population has some form of disability, just 2 percent of working actors represent that population on screen and stage. Is it any wonder so many roles for those with disabilities are played by actors without them? And is it any wonder that this discrepancy is causing more and more controversy and discussion? That's what makes the new Sundance Now series This Close so interesting. It's the first show in American television history to be created and showrun by two deaf writers, and those creators, Josh Feldman and Shoshannah Stern, also star as Michael and Kate, two best friends whose co-dependent relationship sometimes keeps them from building healthy relationships with other people (or, on the flip side, helps keep them from being burned by genuinely unhealthy relationships). The show is a fascinating little slice-of-life dramedy, but it's also an insightful look at what it means to be deaf in America, and the many different forms of experience within that community. It's the best kind of TV show, one that tells you a new story you maybe haven't heard quite this way. Feldman and Stern joined Todd to talk about their show, along with the series' director, Andrew Ahn. But they also talked about what non-deaf writers get wrong about the deaf experience and why it's so important for those with disabilities to tell their own stories.

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"Narnia was not up to code": The Magicians' Lev Grossman on building fantastical worlds Feb 07, 2018

Show notes

Few fantasy series of the past 10 years have had the reach of Lev Grossman's Magicians trilogy, beginning with The Magicians in 2009, continuing with The Magician King in 2011, and concluding with The Magician's Land in 2014. The books, which attempted to blend the fantastical elements of books like Harry Potter and the Narnia series, garnered warm reviews (including from Todd), then were quickly scooped up to be turned into a TV series before the books had even completed the publication process. The process of adaptation took many years and several false starts, but the (excellent) TV show version of The Magicians finally debuted in December 2015 on Syfy, and it has gone on to forge its own identity — similar to the books but also separate from them. That made it a great time to talk to Grossman, whose books are probably more visible than ever but who also has to deal with readers who come to his books knowing the characters better for their TV versions, who have slightly different personalities and sometimes even different names. Grossman and Todd talk about learning to stop worrying and love your TV adaptation, his happiness that his books were all published before the TV show began, and his ideas for how to build a compelling fictional world, whether fantastical or realistic.

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Justina Machado is giving one of TV's best performances. Here's her acting advice. Jan 31, 2018

Show notes

"I have people that are not Latino arguing with me about what we’re like," Justina Machado says about two-thirds of the way through her chat with Todd. The actress, who joins ITYI to talk about the latest season of her Netflix sitcom One Day at a Time, has been giving superlative performances for two decades now, with a career that encompasses everything from the live episode of ER to an Arsenio Hall sitcom to the classic HBO drama Six Feet Under. But it's One Day at a Time that has given Machado a part that lets her show off all she's capable of. In any given episode, she might play the highs of being a hugely accomplished working mom, or the crippling lows of depression and PTSD. She gets to deliver wisecracks that bring instant laughter and long monologues that will wring tears. She gets to do anything and everything and a little bit of what's in between. That's why Todd wanted to have her on, but their conversation very quickly ranged from talking about One Day at a Time to talking about women of color finding work in Hollywood, while trying to avoid taking roles that are simple stereotypes, as well as what Machado has learned from getting to work with Rita Moreno (a pioneer when it comes to Latina actresses) on One Day at a Time. And lest you think that sounds too heavy, know that every answer Machado gives is punctuated by her amazing laugh — one of the best in show business.

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How Hans Zimmer found the music of the ocean Jan 24, 2018

Show notes

Blue Planet II is one of the most stunning visual achievements of the year. The new BBC America nature documentary takes viewers deep beneath the waves to observe strange creatures and the delicate balance that keeps the world's largest habitat in harmony. The miniseries is also a huge sonic accomplishment in representing the sounds of the sea. Crackling icebergs, creatures scuttling along the seafloor, and water washing along — they all contribute to a show that sounds like nothing else. Much of that is thanks to the music, composed by the team of Jacob Shea, David Fleming, and Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer. The series' musical themes evoke the undulation of the waves and the beauty of the undersea habitat. What Zimmer describes as the ocean's "epic" quality is evident throughout. Zimmer, Shea, and Fleming joined Todd this week to talk about writing the series' music, and after that conversation, he talks with series producers Orla Doherty, Mark Brownlow, and James Honeyborne about how the series captured some of the most dazzling images of the ocean ever put on film.

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The best film and TV performances of 2017, according to our critics panel Jan 17, 2018

Show notes

Awards season is once again upon us. We’ll soon know which films and performances have been nominated for the Oscars, and the Golden Globes are receding into the past. But let’s talk about what’s really important: Which performances from 2017 did our panel of critics like most? Todd is joined by Vox film critic Alissa Wilkinson and Buzzfeed’s Alison Willmore to discuss their favorites. The list (across film and television) is wide-ranging, from Star Wars: The Last Jedi to the little-seen Chilean film A Fantastic Woman. Along the way, the three talk about how hard it can be to describe a great performance, whether Adam Driver breaks the new Star Wars movies, and who gave the best performance in Get Out.

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Phil Rosenthal created Everybody Loves Raymond. Now he hosts a food and travel show. Can we have his life? Jan 10, 2018

Show notes

Phil Rosenthal is one of Todd’s favorite people within the TV industry to talk to, because he loves making television — whether he’s writing it or starring in it. He's probably best known for creating the Emmy-winning series Everybody Loves Raymond, starring Ray Romano. The show ran for nine seasons, winning the Emmy for Best Comedy Series twice, and it has gone on to a healthy life in reruns. Rosenthal spent several years after Raymond left the air creating new sitcom pilots, translating Raymond for the Russian audience (which he covered in the very funny documentary Exporting Raymond), and trying to get his dream project off the ground. Now, not only is that dream project happening, but it’s in its second season on Netflix. Somebody Feed Phil follows Rosenthal as he travels the world’s great cities, looking for their most delicious dishes, whether it's incredibly spicy soup in Bangkok or an unexpectedly tasty taco (made from “a part of the cow” rarely eaten in America, Rosenthal says) in Mexico City. He joins Todd this week to talk about his show, why not having a poker face is great for making a food show, and which comedies he loves on TV right now.

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