Fresh Air: Remarkable TV

5.0 (1)
ARTS

This is a collection of interviews with television showrunners and creators who are responsible for keeping you on the couch long after the popcorn bowl was emptied. Hear from the creators of your favorite bingewatches: Breaking Bad, The Wire, The Sopranos, and more.

10/29/2025

Fresh Air: Remarkable TV Trailer

Want to know more about the people behind the television shows responsible for keeping you on the couch long after the popcorn bowl was emptied? In this collection you will hear from the creators and showrunners of some of the most beloved and significant bingewatches: Breaking Bad, The Wire, The Sopranos, and more. Subscribe to Fresh Air+ to get exclusive access to this and other collections. Plus, you'll get exclusive Fresh Air+ archive episodes every Sunday, and sponsor-free listening for all available episodes. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

25 sec
06/05/2023 • FRESH AIR+ ONLY

Jessie Armstrong, "Succession"

We talk about HBO’s Succession with the show’s creator, Jesse Armstrong, and show runner and executive producer, Frank Rich. Succession is about 3 siblings vying to succeed their elderly father as powerful CEO of the family conglomerate.

42 min
02/23/2022 • FRESH AIR+ ONLY

Quinta Brunson, "Abbott Elementary"

In the sitcom Abbott Elementary, Quinta Brunson stars as a rookie second grade teacher in an under-resourced, majority Black public elementary school in Philadelphia.

37 min
11/18/2014 • FRESH AIR+ ONLY

Norman Lear, "All in the Family"

The legendary television writer talks about All in the Family, getting involved in politics, and how his storylines addressed subjects like racism.

25 min
08/13/2013 • FRESH AIR+ ONLY

Jenji Kohan, "Orange is the New Black"

Orange Is the New Black's showrunner explains how a story about a privileged white woman and criminality allows her to tell "really fascinating tales" of black women, Latinas, old women and criminals. Kohan also created the Showtime series Weeds.

38 min
03/09/2010 • FRESH AIR+ ONLY

Vince Gilligan, "Breaking Bad"

Vince Gilligan created the Emmy Award-winning drama Breaking Bad, starring Bryan Cranston as a high-school chemistry teacher who becomes a meth dealer to secure his family's finances. Gilligan told David Bianculli why he chose Cranston for the role -- and why he thought Breaking Bad was different from every other show on TV.

18 min
09/22/2008 • FRESH AIR+ ONLY

Matthew Weiner, "Mad Men"

Mad Men creator Matt Weiner, joined here in 2008 by Mad Men stars Jon Hamm and John Slattery. “Mad Men” is set in the fiercely competitive world of Madison Avenue ad execs in 1960s New York.

30 min
03/06/2008 • FRESH AIR+ ONLY

David Simon, "The Wire"

David Simon, creator and executive producer of HBO's series The Wire, talks about his career and the genesis of the show. Simon wrote many of the episodes — and some story lines come from his former job as a police reporter for the Baltimore Sun.

40 min

See All (14)

TRAILER

Fresh Air: Remarkable TV Trailer

Want to know more about the people behind the television shows responsible for keeping you on the couch long after the popcorn bowl was emptied? In this collection you will hear from the creators and showrunners of some of the most beloved and significant bingewatches: Breaking Bad, The Wire, The Sopranos, and more. Subscribe to Fresh Air+ to get exclusive access to this and other collections. Plus, you'll get exclusive Fresh Air+ archive episodes every Sunday, and sponsor-free listening for all available episodes. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

10/29/2025

•

25 sec

Fresh Air from WHYY, the Peabody Award-winning weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues, is one of public radio's most popular programs. Hosted by Terry Gross and Tonya Mosley, the show features intimate conversations with today's biggest luminaries. Subscribe to Fresh Air Plus! You'll enjoy bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening - all while you support NPR's mission. Learn more at plus.npr.org/freshair And subscribe to our weekly newsletter, Fresh Air Weekly, to get interview highlights, staff recommendations, gems from the archive, and the week's interviews and reviews all in one place. Sign up at www.whyy.org/freshair

4.3 (35464)

BOOKS
Historians and reporters take us back to pivotal moments in the U.S. that have had long lasting reverberations: from the winners and losers of the financial crisis, to presidential legacies, to the fall of the Comanche Nation.

4.5 (2)

ARTS
Hear from the cast members who've made Saturday Night Live a comedy institution for 50 years. This collection features comedy legends who regularly inspired Monday morning watercooler conversations. People like Tina Fey, Leslie Jones, Tracy Morgan, John Mulaney, the Lonely Island, and more.

1.0 (1)

ARTS
A little-known secret about Fresh Air's staff: they're fervent pet parents. This is a collection celebrating cats & dogs, and how (and why) they behave like they do.

5.0 (1)

ARTS
These directors, writers, and creators bring a singular vision to their famous films. From legendary auteurs like Martin Scorcese and Spike Lee to newer voices like Chloe Zhao and Ryan Coogler, these filmmakers are making an imprint on the medium.

3.0 (2)

ARTS
Award winning authors discuss their craft and some of their classic works. From Stephen King (after his near fatal accident) to National Book Award winner Hilary Mantel, to remembrances of greats like Updike and Philip Roth.

4.8 (5)

ARTS

View Subscription FAQs

This is a collection of interviews with television showrunners and creators who are responsible for keeping you on the couch long after the popcorn bowl was emptied. Hear from the creators of your favorite bingewatches: Breaking Bad, The Wire, The Sopranos, and more.