KCRW's THE SPIN-OFF: Listen to TV Guide Magazine's Showrunners Panel from Wondercon

Following up on my post about this year's TV Guide Magazine Showrunners Fan Favorites panel at Wondercon Anaheim, we've taken the audio and posted it as a bonus edition of KCRW's "The Spin-Off" podcast!

The panel included:

Brannon Braga (Star Trek: TNG/Voyager/Enterprise; 24; Cosmos and Salem)
Kerry Ehrin (Moonlighting, Friday Night Lights, Parenthood, Bates Motel)
Adam F. Goldberg (Still Standing, Breaking In, The Goldbergs)
Dan Harmon (Sarah Silverman Program, Rick and Morty, Community)
Alex Hirsch (Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack, Fish Hooks, Gravity Falls)
Peter Horton (actor; Grey’s Anatomy, Brimstone, The Philanthropist, American Odyssey)
Graeme Manson (Flashpoint, Being Erica, Orphan Black)

The discussion kicked off with an attempt to get the panelists to answer that always tricky question: What exactly does a showrunner do?

Listen below!

Scenes from Wondercon 2015: Showrunners, Lightsabers, Cosplay and More

Another fun Saturday (always during Easter weekend though, what gives?) at Wondercon in Anaheim, and Team TV Guide Magazine was there in force. My colleagues Rich Sands, Damian Holbrook and Rob Moynihan all moderated several panels, our photo guru Geraldine Agoncillo was there documenting it, and I got to once again moderate our annual "TV Guide Magazine Fan Favorite Showrunners Panel."



And it was a good one this year -- as I noted, the cross section of drama/comedy/thriller/sci-fi/animation looked a lot like your DVR. Here's who we had:

Brannon Braga (Star Trek: TNG/Voyager/Enterprise; 24; Cosmos and Salem)
Kerry Ehrin (Moonlighting, Friday Night Lights, Parenthood, Bates Motel)
Adam F. Goldberg (Still Standing, Breaking In, The Goldbergs)
Dan Harmon (Sarah Silverman Program, Rick and Morty, Community)
Alex Hirsch (Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack, Fish Hooks, Gravity Falls)
Peter Horton (actor; Grey’s Anatomy, Brimstone, The Philanthropist, American Odyssey)
Graeme Manson (Flashpoint, Being Erica, Orphan Black)



Rob wrapped the panel up here. Among the takeaways:

Thanks to Twitter and Facebook, today's showrunners are more accessible than ever before, which sometimes comes as a blessing and a curse when you have fans voicing their opinions. "You're the face of every mistake," Hirsch said. "The more visible you are, the more crazy people are mad at you." Goldberg added that he oftentimes feels like his show's writers are in a bubble when crafting the season, so he embraces social media because, "I can find out what people like and know what people are responding to."

Collider has a nice roundup of the panel here. Among the highlights:

The panel discussed what it means to be a superstar showrunner; making noise and pushing boundaries; Harmon’s big move to Yahoo; how Hirsch gets away with a show that’s one of the most dense animated series ever seen on a children’s network; how social media has changed the game; the premiere of American Odyssey and Anna Friel’s committed performance; how Manson keeps track of every clone and personality while constantly bringing in more; how it’s impossible to shock people anymore; their take on remake mania; where Goldberg gets the content for Erica; the breaks that got them to the next level; and what we can look forward to this next season.

Another nice mention of the panel here by Mr. Rhapsodist.

More pics from the panel:









And how about some pics from the rest of Wondercon:


Alex Hirsch signs posters for "Gravity Falls" fans after the panel.


Lightsabers! Many, many lightsabers.


Yeah, OK, guys, a bit disturbing.


Live makeup demonstration


The Ice King!


Posters!


Outside the convention center

Re-Animated: Mickey Mouse, Miss Piggy, "Gravity Falls" and More Get Zombie-fied

The creative minds at Disney TV Animation -- now celebrating its 30th anniversary -- do great work. "Phineas and Ferb," "Gravity Falls," "Fish Hooks" and so many more, have been favorites of the Blogger Kids for years. But in their down time, the animators are just as creative, and every once in a while they showcase their talents via a gallery inside their Glendale headquarters.

On Tuesday night, the Disney Television Animation crew unveiled their latest display: "Re-Animated: The Zombie Show." A mix of beloved Disney characters zombified, and some original creations (and mashups) as well. Disney TV Animation opened the event -- doubling as a celebration of their 30th anniversary -- with a cocktail reception. Here are some highlights from the show:


(It's hard to tell in this photo, but Zombie Mickey is devouring another Mickey.)


(Oh, Miss Piggy, what happened?)


(The "Gravity Falls" kids do the "Thriller" with a new friend!)


("Gravity Falls" has tackled zombies on the show, so it only makes sense it would be a popular subject at this display.)


(You always knew this was how Scrooge McDuck would end up.)


(Zombie-fied "Phineas & Ferb" characters, as drawn on sandwich napkins!)


(This may be my favorite of all, and I hope they turn it into a real book. A twisted take on "Winnie the Pooh.")

COMIC-CON: Scenes from San Diego

As I continue my week of Comic-Con recaps, here are a few images from my five days in San Diego. Above, a personal highlight: Meeting "Grunkle Stan," the cranky star of Disney Channel's fantastic animated series "Gravity Falls." (Creator Alex Hirsch is the voice behind the character, and holding the puppet.)


Cosplay!


When unrelated causes run into each other, things get awkward. Here, the Bible fan wasn't quite sure he understood the issues behind the Keystone Pipeline protesters. Comic-Con!


The TV Guide Magazine Comic-Con yacht! Behind it, the "Treasure Seeker" pirate ship.


Swordplay at the convention center.


More cosplay!


The Walking Dead booth channels the show's prison setting.


Adventure Time's Ice King doubles as a convention center booth.

"Some Kind of Monster": Spooky Art by Disney TV Animation Artists

(DISNEY CHANNEL/RICK ROWELL)

Not too far from the Blogger Kid's school, the newly Disney Television Animation building in Glendale houses some extremely creative folks -- so creative, in fact, that when they're not creating the shows seen on Disney Channel, Disney XD and Disney Junior, these artists and producers are busy creating more art.

That's the basis for "Some Kind of Monster," a fall art gallery at the Disney TV Animation building, spotlighting art from artists, execs and staff on shows like "Phineas and Ferb," "Gravity Falls," "Fish Hooks" and "TRON: Uprising."

The Blogger Kid and I had an opportunity last week to visit the Disney TV Animation offices and take a look at the spooky-inspired art during a reception for "Some Kind of Monster." Among the items were works by the creators of our two favorite animated shows: "Phineas and Ferb's" Dan Povenmire and Jeff “Swampy” Marsh, as well as "Gravity Falls'" Alex Hirsh. Some pics:


Alex Hirsh of "Gravity Falls" shows off a piece inspired by his show, "The Most Terrifying Monster of All." (DISNEY CHANNEL/RICK ROWELL)


Povenmire and Marsh of "Phineas and Ferb." (DISNEY CHANNEL/RICK ROWELL)


Mitt Romney as Roger Doofenshmirtz, by Dan Povenmire.


"Little Monster," a tribute to Lady Gaga.



"Shut Up. Everything Is Fine," by Matt Chapman. (That's a variation of Zeus, Dipper and Mabel from 'Gravity Falls.')



"B. Flores," by Josh Parpan


"2 Ghouls for 1 Buoy."


"Sick in the Head," by Lauren Rondou.

My Latest from TV Guide Magazine

In case you missed it, some of the recent stories I've worked on for TV Guide Magazine over the past month:

Exclusive: Chuck Lorre Unveils Censored Vanity Cards for His New Book
First look at Two and a Half Men exec producer Chuck Lorre's new book, a collection of his famed vanity cards. We posted one of the cards that was censored by CBS. Lorre, who combed through countless vanity cards to choose his favorites for the book, admits he was stunned by some of the ones he hadn't read in years. "I was surprised to see how seemingly open I was to sharing my thoughts and experiences," he says. "I didn't have a good censor at the time, I was just sort of spilling it all out. I probably should have used that time to see a therapist or something."

Exclusive: The Amazing Race Producers Line Up New Reality Project at A&E
Fresh off their ninth Emmy win for outstanding reality competition series, The Amazing Race executive producers Bertram van Munster and Elise Doganieri have set up what could be their next show, a reality series currently in the works at A&E.

Watch My Show: Last Resort's Shawn Ryan and Karl Gajdusek Answer Our Showrunner Survey
In this age of ambiguous TV heroes, it's clear in ABC's new thriller Last Resort that Submarine Captain Marcus Chaplin (Andre Braugher) and executive officer Sam Kendal (Scott Speedman) — forced into exile after demanding confirmation of orders to fire their weapons — are the good guys. The show's real intrigue comes from trying to figure out who the bad guys are. Co-creators and executive producers Shawn Ryan (The Shield) and Karl Gajdusek (Dead Like Me) answered our showrunner survey to explain why we should book a trip to the Last Resort.

Exclusive: Jimmy Kimmel's Head Writers Give the Backstory to This Year's Emmy Gags
Jimmy Kimmel Live! co-head writers Molly McNearney (who in her spare time is also Kimmel's fiancée) and Gary Greenberg gave us some exclusive tidbits on how this year's Emmy laughs came together, from the opening sketch to Kimmel's Tracy Morgan/Twitter stunt.

Exclusive: Garry Marshall Eyes a Return to TV with Fox Project
Three decades after Garry Marshall dominated TV with the likes of Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley and Mork & Mindy, he's just sold a new TV project to Fox with his son Scott Marshall.

Network Honchos Survey the New TV Season
The next few weeks will be rough for the networks, as they parse what works — and what doesn't — among this year's crop of new shows. We asked the five broadcast network heads, plus a few key cable bosses, to give us their thoughts on what will big on the small screen -- including their picks for sleeper hit, stars to watch, the show they'd love to steal from another network, and more.

Nicki Minaj and Keith Urban Join Mariah Carey and Randy Jackson on American Idol
My take on the long road to finding a new crop of judges for American Idol.

This Year's Emmy Awards Burning Questions
Heading into this year's Emmy awards, some of the races to watch.

Network Q&A: AMC's Charlie Collier on Breaking Bad, Mad Men and His Big Year
AMC is having a moment. Breaking Bad ended the first half of its final season with some of its best ratings ever, while AMC's top-rated The Walking Dead returns on Oct. 14. With so much going on, AMC president Charlie Collier talked to TV Guide Magazine about his network's fortunes.

Exclusive: Community's Donald Glover Develops New Sitcom at NBC
It looks like Donald Glover will be engaging in some extracurricular work outside of Greendale Community College. The Community star, who plays former high school quarterback-turned-air conditioning repair annex recruit Troy Barnes, is developing a new show for NBC with 30 Rock co-executive producer Matt Hubbard.

Watch My Show: Guys With Kids' Jimmy Fallon and Charlie Grandy Answer Our Showrunner Survey
For his leap into primetime as an executive producer, late night host Jimmy Fallon partnered up with his former Saturday Night Live colleague Charlie Grandy (as well as Amy Ozols) to create the new NBC sitcom Guys With Kids. Fallon and Grandy explain why these Guys are dolls.

Exclusive: Producer Change at the Top of Fox’s Ben and Kate
Fox's new comedy Ben and Kate, which is already earning early positive buzz from critics, will move forward without two of its executive producers. Garrett Donovan and Neil Goldman, who joined the comedy in May as showrunners, have departed to focus on their own series development.

Exclusive: Animal Planet Renews Call of the Wildman for Season 2
Yi yi yi, Animal Planet's "Turtleman" has just snapped up a second season renewal. The network ordered 20 more half-hour episodes of its new hit series Call of the Wildman for air in 2013.

Fox Lands New Comedy From Bill Lawrence and Creator of $#*! My Dad Says
Cougar Town creator Bill Lawrence is partnering with Justin Halpern — the writer who turned his Twitter feed into the short-lived CBS sitcom $#*! My Dad Says — to develop a new comedy at Fox.

Man of the Year: Jimmy Kimmel on the Emmys, Oprah and Going Head-to-Head With Leno and Letterman
My big Jimmy Kimmel cover story: It's hard to believe that Kimmel has much time to sit down anyway — or eat or sleep, for that matter. The ABC late-night host is in the middle of the biggest year of his show, and, quite possibly, his life. So far in 2012, Kimmel has made nice (and become pals!) with Oprah Winfrey; hosted the White House Correspondents Dinner to great reviews (including high marks from the president); was tapped to host the 64th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards; subsequently scored the show's first-ever Emmy nomination for variety series; and even got engaged to girlfriend Molly McNearney, the show's co-head writer, while on vacation in South Africa. "And," he quips, "I'm pregnant."

How Primetime Is Getting A Little Bit Country
Analysis: Nashville, the city, and Nashville, the country music industry, are expecting big things from Nashville, the new fall drama from ABC. The serialized drama, which stars Connie Britton as an country singer juggling her home life and struggling to remain a relevant artist, might not have made it on the air a few years ago. But just as country music is moving toward the mainstream, the mainstream is gravitating toward country music — and TV execs, hungry for audiences, are eager to tap into country's loyal fan base.

MTV Explains Why The Situation and His Jersey Shore Pals Had to Go
G-T-Later! Jersey Shore is still a ratings smash, even though audience levels have dipped from its 2011 high. But MTV programming executive vice president Chris Linn tells TV Guide Magazine that it was time for the show to retire anyway.

Robin Williams Looking to Return to TV, Teams With David E. Kelley For Comedy
Shazbot! Robin Williams could be making a return to TV, where he famously got his start 30 years ago as the lovable alien from Ork on Mork & Mindy. The actor is in talks to team up with writer David E. Kelley to develop The Crazy Ones, a comedy about an aging but brilliant advertising exec.

The Inside Story on How NBC Landed Michael J. Fox
Backstory: It's back to the future for the sitcom king, who once again feels up to the task — and is returning to TV in a big way. NBC, where Fox became a superstar in the 1980s as young conservative icon Alex P. Keaton on Family Ties, has given a rare 22-episode guarantee (before a lick of film is even shot) to a new sitcom based on Fox's life.

Watch My Show: Up To Speed's Richard Linklater and Speed Levitch Answer Our Showrunner Survey
For his first foray into episodic TV, director Richard Linklater (Dazed and Confused, School of Rock) has partnered with a true original: Eccentric tour guide and historian Timothy "Speed" Levitch. Their new Hulu series Up to Speed is an unconventional travel show that follows Levitch as he explores unusual attractions across America — such as the "luckiest subway grate" in New York and the "shoe gardens" of San Francisco.

Watch My Show: Gravity Falls' Alex Hirsch Answers Our Showrunner Survey
It's The X-Files meets Twin Peaks — but animated, and for kids. Disney Channel's Gravity Falls may be unlike any other cartoon out there. Jason Ritter and Kristen Schaal play Dipper and Mabel Pines, siblings who are forced to spend the summer with their eccentric great-uncle in a town where very weird things happen. Creator Alex Hirsch says he conceives each episode like a "little movie," as the show explores its versions of urban legends. We asked him to scare up some reasons why we should investigate Gravity Falls.

Summer Movie Blockbusters Still Rule on Cable
Analysis: FX is known mostly for its original series, from Sons of Anarchy and Justified to Louie and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. But as much as 80 percent of the cable network's schedule is still devoted to theatrical movies — which is why FX execs have been on a blockbuster buying spree again this summer.