Welcome to another episode of TV's Top 5, The Hollywood Reporter's TV podcast.
Every week, hosts Lesley Goldberg (West Coast TV editor) and Daniel Fienberg (chief TV critic) break down the week in TV news with context from the business and critical sides, welcome showrunners and executive guests and provide a critical guide of what to watch (or skip, as the case may be).
This week, we continue to come to you remotely — via the wonders of Google Hangout and our incredible producers — as we do our part to keep a social distance in this uncertain time.
This week's five topics are:
1. HBO and HBO Max updates.
The latter finally has a launch date while the former had a busy week in news. This segment explores what the streamer may have to lean on without the unscripted Friends reunion and what content will actually be available at launch. Over at HBO, meanwhile, the cabler is rewarding the cast of Succession and solidifying Westworld's future.
The segment begins at the 3:46 mark.
2. Netflix's big gains.
The streamer reported its first-quarter earnings and, amid the quarantine, saw an eye-popping subscriber gain. But CEO Reed Hastings isn't putting on a happy face about it. This segment explores how Netflix finds itself better positioned than anyone to weather a long-term production shutdown.
The segment begins at the 12:24 mark.
3. A return to Pawnee.
In literally the week's best industry news, the cast of Parks and Recreation are reuniting for a one-off special. This segment is basically an excuse for us to celebrate some good news (and look at why this makes sense for NBC).
The celebration begins at the 16:31 mark.
4. Showrunner Spotlight: Greg Daniels.
The Office creator is back in May with not one but two new series — Amazon's Upload and Netflix's Steve Carell vehicle Space Force — and joins us this week for a deep-dive interview into both series. Upload, which has been in the works for years, originally started at HBO under the Michael Lombardo regime and was picked up to pilot by ousted Amazon head Roy Price. This interview explores the origins behind both shows, how long he sees his futuristic Upload running and why Space Force was the right time for him to reunite with Carell. Oh, and yes, we do ask about a possiblerevival/new take on The Office.
The interview begins at the 21:24 mark.
5. Critic's Corner.
As usual, every episode ends with Fienberg offering his thoughts on what to watch (or skip). This week, he weighs in on Apple's Defending Jacob and Beastie Boys doc, Showtime's Penny Dreadful and more.
Tune in starting at the 58:43 mark.
Coming next week: Hank Azaria joins us to talk about the final season of IFC's Brockmire plus a Showrunner Spotlight interview.
Hear it all now on TV's Top 5. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to never miss an episode. (Reviews welcome!) You can also email Goldberg and Fienberg with any topics or questions you'd like to be addressed in future episodes at TVsTop5@THR.com.
