We Disrupt This Broadcast

Latest Episodes:

We Are Lady Parts: Nida Manzoor on Punk Music, Not Selling Out and The Burden of Representation May 22, 2025

Show notes

Executive Director of the Peabody Awards and resident musician Jeffrey Jones talks with Nida Manzoor, creator and writer of the Peabody Award-winning We Are Lady Parts and the action comedy film, Polite Society. They dive deep into the show’s delightful use of punk music; Nida’s musical inspirations, as well as teaming up with her siblings to write hilarious songs for the show; the joy and burden of representing muslim women on-screen; and the classic dilemma many artists face: staying true to themselves or selling out. The conversation continues as Jeff speaks with stand-up comedian and host of Hulu’s Muslim Matchmaker, Yasmin Elhady, on the role of comedy in disrupting stereotypical depictions of Muslim women.

Hacks: Jen Statsky and Margaret Cho on Women Hacking the Comedy Business May 01, 2025

Show notes

Host Gabe González sits down with Jen Statsky, co-creator of HBO’s Peabody Award-winning series Hacks. We talk with Statsky about the complex relationship between the show’s two central characters - and their stark generational divide and friendship, while delving into broader themes of the complex history of women in comedy and the importance of female mentorship. In our second interview, the pod’s executive producer Caty Borum speaks with the ultimate Gen-X comedian, Margaret Cho, about how she’s maintained an outspoken, hilarious comedy career through various waves of American progress and regression, as well as how she’s mentoring up-and-coming queer and Asian comedians today.

Andor: Tony Gilroy on Oppressive Regimes and Popular Revolutions Apr 10, 2025

Show notes

This week on We Disrupt This Broadcast, we’re talking about one of the most thrilling and politically thoughtful shows out right now - Andor. Peabody Awards Executive Director Jeffrey Jones talks with Andor creator and showrunner Tony Gilroy about the ideologies explored in the Disney+ series in the Star Wars story universe. They dive into how revolutions are formed, what pushes someone to become a revolutionary leader, and how studying historical revolutions informs Gilroy’s creative journey. Jeffrey then joins host Gabe González to unpack what can be learned from Andor as a tale of a fascist, authoritarian state, as well as how audiences might react to the show in the current political climate.

Severance: Ben Stiller & Adam Scott talk Severance, Corporate Abuse and Keeping our Humanity Mar 20, 2025

Show notes

Host Gabe González takes a dive into the unsettling corporate world of the Peabody award-winning show Severance. Through the dystopian and satirical concept of splitting one’s consciousness into an “innie” (work self) and “outie” (home self), Severance explores the lengths corporations will go to dehumanize its workforce and the ways in which workers alternate between accepting these degradations and fighting back. To take a closer look at these themes, Gabe chats with Severance executive producer and director Ben Stiller, in addition to actor Adam Scott, who portrays Severance’s protagonist Mark. Finally, to break down the theme of a dehumanized workplace, Peabody Awards executive director Jeffrey Jones speaks with professor of sociology Dr. Allison Pugh about her book The Last Human Job: The Work of Connecting in a Disconnected World.

Mo: Mo Amer on Immigration, Palestine, and Reppin H-Town Feb 27, 2025

Show notes

Comedian, writer and actor Mo Amer joins host Gabe González to talk about his Peabody-award winning show Mo. The show is a heartfelt yet hilarious glimpse into the lives of a Palestinian-American family waiting to be granted asylum in the US. The show explores grief, trauma, and our complicated immigration system while also depicting Amer’s deep love of his hometown, Houston, Texas. They talk about Amer’s comedy roots, his personal experiences as a refugee as well as writing season 2 of his show in the wake of October 7th and its aftermath. Following their conversation, Gabe considers broader questions of immigration and its representation on TV with Saket Soni, a labor organizer and human rights strategist working at the intersection of racial justice, migrant rights, and climate change.

Shrinking/Ted Lasso: Bill Lawrence and Brett Goldstein on Masculinity, Mental Health, and Forgiveness Feb 06, 2025

Show notes

Jeffrey Jones, Executive Director of the Peabody Awards, dives into the topic of men’s mental health with guests Bill Lawrence and Brett Goldstein. Bill Lawrence is the showrunner and creator of the Peabody-award winning series, Scrubs and Ted Lasso, as well as the current Apple+ hit Shrinking. His series have a central focus on the importance of male friendships in redefining traditional masculinity and on the importance of community to healing and building healthy relationships. Brett Goldstein is a writer, performer, and comedian who writes and stars in Ted Lasso as the gruff but bighearted Roy Kent and co-created Shrinking with Bill Lawrence and appears in the second season as the drunk driver responsible for the death of the protagonist’s wife.

Season 2 Trailer - We Disrupt This Broadcast Jan 30, 2025

Show notes

We are back for season 2. Join us as we talk to the risk takers that help reinvent and reimagine the kinds of stories we see on TV and who disrupt what we’ve come to expect on our screens and in our culture. We Disrupt This Broadcast, a podcast from The Peabody Awards and Center for Media & Social Impact is produced and distributed in partnership with award-winning audio production group PRX and hosted by comedian Gabe González. We Disrupt This Broadcast explores how the minds behind critically-acclaimed TV shows are re-imagining the world and tackling the big issues that move us forward. From intimate interviews with award-winning TV creatives to real talk with experts and social movement leaders, join us as we explore the inner workings and cultural significance of the shows that are changing all the rules and shaping our future. Listen to We Disrupt This Broadcast - back for its second season on February 6th. Available wherever you get your podcasts.

Bluey: Creator Joe Brumm on Why Play is Essential to Shaping Good Humans Dec 12, 2024

Show notes

In this episode of We Disrupt this Broadcast, Gabe González introduces us to the Peabody Award-winning series, Bluey, an outstanding animated children’s show that has become renowned as the best family co-viewing experience. WDTB Executive Producer Caty Borum interviews creator and writer Joe Brumm about how he developed a series that is funny, heartwarming, realistic (despite its dog characters), and tackles some of life’s toughest issues in each 7-minute episode. They discuss the power of play in the lives of children (and adults), the strategy to make both parents and kids laugh and why it’s important to have a girl character lead the show. Gabe then chats with The Read host and podcasting legend Crissle, a vocal Bluey fan, about what makes the series so disruptive, changing the way we see children’s television.

Judy Blume Forever: Don't Put Judy Blume in the "Nice Lady" Box Nov 14, 2024

Show notes

In this episode, we ask the question, “Why is normalizing the experiences of adolescence, especially for young girls, so disruptive?” Caty Borum, WDTB Executive Producer and Executive Director for the Center for Media & Social Impact, interviews legendary author and disruptor Judy Blume, author of Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret, Blubber, Forever, and the center of the recent Peabody Award-winning documentary about her life, Judy Blume Forever. Caty and Judy discuss her inspiration, using writing to find a way to a better life, puberty as a time to celebrate girlhood, and finding community through fighting book bans. After their interview, Caty speaks with Chelsey Goodan, author of Underestimated: The Wisdom and Power of Teenage Girls, about the untapped power of teenage girls and the importance of feeling seen.

Fellow Travelers: Series Creator Ron Nyswaner Gets Us Hot for Queer History Oct 10, 2024

Show notes

Host Gabe González speaks with Ron Nyswaner, creator of Peabody-Award winning historical romance, Fellow Travelers. In a far-reaching, in-depth conversation, Gabe and Ron discuss the evolution of gay identity, how to write complex queer characters, and why foot-licking scenes are an important part of getting young folks interested in queer history. After their interview, Gabe dives deeper into the history of queer representation on TV with documentary filmmaker and professor Katherine Sender.

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