The Town with Matthew Belloni

Latest Episodes:

Bill Hader on Directing vs. Performing, Leaving ‘SNL,’ and Stefon the Movie Nov 12, 2026

Show notes

Live from UCLA, Matt is joined by actor, writer, and director Bill Hader to discuss his upcoming feature film directorial debut, ‘They Know’; why he made the movie independently; taking studio notes on ‘Barry’; finding the line between comedy and horror; why a Stefon movie never happened; going back to ‘SNL’; and more (01:33).

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Bill Hader

Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Stefano Sanchez

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

FYC: FX’s Adults visit https://fxnetworks.com/fyc

Peacock’s THE GOOD DAUGHTER stars Rose Byrne and Meghann Fahy.

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Hollywood’s Midterm Election Aftermath and James Gunn Out at DC Nov 10, 2026

Show notes

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss how the sweeping election results will affect the entertainment business at the local and federal levels, including if a federal film tax incentive is more or less likely to pass, how a new California governor and Los Angeles mayor will impact film production at the local level, and if Congress will look to investigate recent mergers like Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery (02:15). Matt finishes the show with a prediction about DC Studios following the recent exit of James Gunn and Peter Safran as co-CEOs (27:24).

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Lucas Shaw

Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Stefano Sanchez

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

FYC: FX’s Adults visit https://fxnetworks.com/fyc

Get tickets now: https://cliffboothfilm.com/

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Jason Blum on Film School vs. YouTube, Curry’s Next Movie, and the Fallout From Admitting Failure Nov 06, 2026

Show notes

Live from New York, Matt is joined by producer Jason Blum to discuss the explosion of young talent in the horror space; how YouTube has changed the path to success for young filmmakers; Curry Barker’s new movie, ‘Anything but Ghosts’; how to stay current and maintain good taste as you age; and the future of Blumhouse Atomic (02:15), before they finish the show with a lightning round of questions (28:20).

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Jason Blum

Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Stefano Sanchez

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

FYC: FX’s Adults visit https://fxnetworks.com/fyc

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Should Netflix Stop Trying to Be YouTube? Nov 04, 2026

Show notes

Matt is joined by Puck’s Julia Alexander to discuss why Netflix should stop trying to compete with YouTube, the real numbers behind their competition, why YouTube’s engagement dominance shouldn’t be compared to other streaming services, and what traditional Hollywood can and should do to combat YouTube (02:37). Matt finishes the show with an opening weekend box office prediction for ‘The Cat in the Hat’ and ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ (31:58).

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Julia Alexander

Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Stefano Sanchez

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

FYC: FX’s Adults visit https://fxnetworks.com/fyc

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The 2026 Hollywood Executive Power Ranking Nov 02, 2026

Show notes

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to revisit their executive power poll and determine the new top players in Hollywood (01:45). Lucas sticks around for The Call Sheet for an update on the 2026 box office draft (28:03).

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Lucas Shaw

Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Stefano Sanchez

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

FYC: FX’s Adults visit https://fxnetworks.com/fyc

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Zach Cregger on Comedy and Horror, Swearing Off IP, Pitching J-Law, and Handling Hollywood Power Oct 30, 2026

Show notes

The Town College Film School is back with a visit to LMU, where Matt sits down with filmmaker Zach Cregger ('Barbarian’, ‘Weapons’, ‘Resident Evil') to discuss his transition from comedy to horror, whether he prefers IP or original material, his philosophy on screenwriting, the benefits of working with smaller budgets, pitching Jennifer Lawrence on his new film, the difference between good and bad studio execs, and more (02:11).

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Zach Cregger

Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Stefano Sanchez

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

The Ringer is committed to responsible gaming. Please visithttps://fanduel.com/playwithaplan to learn more about the resources and helplines.

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Chuck Lorre on Surviving Sitcoms, Difficult Stars, Replacing Sheen, and Ghosting Scientology Oct 28, 2026

Show notes

Matt is joined by legendary showrunner Chuck Lorre to discuss his new memoir ‘Sitcom’, the heyday of network television, the decline of the general sitcom and if it can be revived, working with difficult people, how to build a perfect writers room, replacing Charlie Sheen with Ashton Kutcher on ‘Two and a Half Men’, working with Les Moonves, leaving Scientology (02:50). Matt finishes the show with a prediction about Universal Studios (31:55).

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Chuck Lorre

Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Stefano Sanchez

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

The Ringer is committed to responsible gaming. Please visithttps://fanduel.com/playwithaplan to learn more about the resources and helplines.

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Elon’s Skydance Bet, Netflix’s New Rival, and the YouTube Problem Oct 26, 2026

Show notes

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss why Elon Musk invested $1 billion in the new Skydance mega studio, if the new Hollywood superpower is a threat to Netflix, and if any streamer has a shot competing against YouTube (02:47). Matt finishes the show with a prediction about the World Series ratings (18:42).

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Lucas Shaw

Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Stefano Sanchez

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

The Ringer is committed to responsible gaming. Please visithttps://fanduel.com/playwithaplan to learn more about the resources and helplines.

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Lord and Miller on ‘Project Hail Mary’ Secrets, Losing ‘Solo’, and Good Studio Execs Oct 23, 2026

Show notes

The Town College Film School is back with a visit to USC, where Matt and Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw are joined by writers-producers-directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller ('Project Hail Mary', 'Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse', '21 Jump Street') to discuss making ‘Project Hail Mary’, how they work together as a director duo, why the 'Spider-Verse' movies take so long to make, the difference between good and bad studio executives, getting fired from ‘Solo’, their thoughts on the state of 'Star Wars', and more (01:57).

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Phil Lord and Chris Miller

Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Stefano Sanchez

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

The Ringer is committed to responsible gaming. Please visithttps://fanduel.com/playwithaplan to learn more about the resources and helplines.

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Why You Don’t Need a Major Studio to Release Your Movie Anymore Oct 21, 2026

Show notes

Matt is joined by Jason Brenek, CEO of Fathom Entertainment, to discuss why the creators of the new big-budget animated film 'Wildwood’ are bypassing a traditional studio to distribute and market the film with Fathom Entertainment instead. They get into the growing popularity of going to the theater for things other than first-run movies, like rereleases, digital creator–led projects, and sports viewing, and what the advantages are of skipping a traditional movie studio to distribute your idea independently. (00:43)

Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Jason Brenek

Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Jessie Lopez, and Stefano Sanchez

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

The Ringer is committed to responsible gaming. Please visithttps://fanduel.com/playwithaplan to learn more about the resources and helplines.

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