KCRW's THE SPIN-OFF: "Better Call Saul" Producers and Stars Talk About Their Successful First Season (LISTEN)

On March 26, I moderated a panel for Television Academy members about AMC's new hit series "Better Call Saul." After screening the Season 1 penultimate episode "Pimento," I sat down with the show's stars and creators to discuss the successful "Breaking Bad" spin-off. (Read Deadline's recap of the panel here.

We discussed the show's origins, its timeline (including the possibility that "Better Call Saul" may eventually invade the "Breaking Bad" timeline) and got plenty of hints that Walter White and Jesse Pinkman may eventually show up.

"Better Call Saul" is, of course, the Breaking Bad spin-off about the backstory of how two-bit lawyer Jimmy McGill became Saul Goodman, played by Bob Odenkirk. There are other familiar faces from Breaking Bad in the show as well, notably Jonathan Banks who plays the memorable Mike Erhmantraut in both shows.

Recently, AMC hosted an event for Emmy voters where Michael Schneider moderated a panel discussion with Bob Odenkirk and Jonathan Banks, as well as executive producer Vince Gilligan, co-creator Peter Gould and writer Thomas Schnauz. There were other members of the cast there too, including Michael McKean, who plays Jimmy's older brother Chuck, as well as supporting players Rhea Seehorn, Patrick Fabian and Michael Mando.

We turned the audio into a special bonus edition of KCRW's "The Spin-Off." Listen below!

Conan O'Brien and Ricky Gervais Yuk It Up at the TV Academy; Plus: Here's Something You Didn't Know About Conan

Quite possibly the greatest thing I learned at the TV Academy on Tuesday night? Conan O'Brien's assistant is on a dodgeball team named "The Arsenio Balls."

O'Brien was at the TV Academy theatre in North Hollywood to interview Ricky Gervais on stage and screen an episode of Gervais' Netflix comedy "Derek." I came to see two modern-day comedy legends riff with each other. And while much of the conversation was a serious dissection of the state of comedy (fascinating to hear as well), the two did indeed manage to crack each other up numerous times.



Gervais: "I'm surprised they pay me format fees for The Office. it's just an office!" Conan: "You don't have to take the money."

Gervais to Conan: "I can't wait for your breakdown!" Conan: "I just got picked up through 2018, I can start now."

The two also had some laughs at the audience, which had some typically bizarre questions and observations. One guy, who had freelanced frequently for O'Brien's TBS talk show "Conan," told the host he brought a gift of a six pack every time he worked there. Did O'Brien ever get the beer? "No!" O'Brien then riffed on his assistant, who had left the screening early to, yes, play a game with the "Arsenio Balls."

Live from the TV Academy Theater: FX's "Fargo" Holds an Emmy Panel (PICS)

Moderate an Emmy panel for one of the best new shows on TV, FX's "Fargo"? You betcha! On Tuesday night, Maria and I headed over to the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in North Hollywood, where I conducted a Q&A with stars Billy Bob Thornton, Allison Tolman, Colin Hanks and Bob Odenkirk (above) as well as actor Keith Carradine and executive producers Noah Hawley and Warren Littlefield.



(Above, me and Billy Bob.) Conversation ranged from how Hawley came to create a new series that featured the tone of the "Fargo" feature but focuses on new characters. We also touched on the accents required to play Minnesotans; the cold weather up in Calgary, where the show shoots; why Billy Bob decided to return to television; and much much more.



One of the best highlights was hearing about the true overnight success story of Allison Tolman. This is her first real TV role -- and it's a big one. She was still working in an office when she was cast.



Meanwhile, we all got a good laugh when it finally dawned on Billy Bob why the names "Keith and Allison" sounded so familiar to him. (Keith Allison was in the band Paul Revere and the Raiders.) It had been bugging him for months, and he finally figured it out on stage.



Empty Academy theater before the panel



Cell phone pics by Maria; professional pics by Patrick McElhenney/FX

Below, here's video of FX's Eric Schreier introducing me, then me introducing the panelists:

Revealed: What's Now Engraved on the Bottom of Every Emmy Award

(Pic: Kevork Djansezian / AFP/Getty Images)

I saw this great pic of Emmy winning "Breaking Bad" creator Vince Gilligan in the Los Angeles Times the other day, and the bottom of his new trophy caught my eye. What was all that wording on the very bottom?

I asked, and it turns out they're the TV Academy rules for the protection of the Emmy statue. They used to just be on a sticker, but now they are engraved. Here's what it says:

RULES FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE EMMY(r) STATUETTE

1. The Emmy(r) statuette is the property of and all rights are reserved by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

2. The Emmy(r) statuette may not be reproduced or used in any commercial manner unless otherwise permitted by the Academy, it being understood that possession of the same is solely for the benefit of the recipient and the recipient's heirs or successors in interest.

3. If a recipient or the recipient's heir or successor in interest proposes to sell or otherwise dispose of the Emmy(r) statuette, such persons shall be obligated to return the statuette to the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences which will retain the same in storage in memory of the recipient.

And that's One to Grow On.

Giant Mike With Kiefer Sutherland

On Monday I moderated a panel at the TV Academy in North Hollywood featuring Kiefer Sutherland and the cast and producers of Fox's "Touch." Creator Tim Kring, Sutherland, executive producer Carol Barbee and castmates Gugu Mbatha-Raw and David Mazouz were all on hand to talk about the show's evolution from stories about unusual connections to a more mythology-based drama.

In case you haven't seen it, Sutherland plays Martin Bohm, a widower and the single father to Jake (played by Mazouz), an emotionally challenged 11 year old who won't speak and refuses to be touched. But we soon discover that Jake is trying to communicate via a series of not-so-random numbers. Mbatha-Raw plays social worker Clea Hopkins, who is assigned to monitor Jake and place him in foster care. And Arthur Teller (Danny Glover) is the eccentric professor who tells Martin that his son has a mysterious gift. Things are about to move fast as the show's grand mythology starts to unravel, starting with something that happens to Teller in last week's episode.

But OHMIGOD WHY AM I SO HUGE NEXT TO KIEFER?!

Emmy Wrap: Strong Show, Repeat Winners

The ratings were up for Sunday night's Primetime Emmy Awards, which is about all that CBS -- which telecast this year's show -- could ask for. According to early numbers, the Emmycast averaged 13.3 million viewers and was up about 10% in key demos. Not bad, considering it went up against a highly rated Giants/Cowboys game on NBC.

Neil Patrick Harris was a hosting sensation, and is earning nothing but raves for his turn as the Emmys' master of ceremonies. (It helps that he comes a year after the disasterous performance by five reality show hosts.) On the flip side, "30 Rock" and "Mad Men" both repeated their wins for outstanding comedy and drama, respectively. Those awards are well deserved... but didn't provide much suspense for Emmy viewers. It's the first time both categories provided back-to-back wins since 1983 and 1984, when "Cheers" and "Hill Street Blues" won both years.

As usual, I was backstage in the "deadline press room," watching the show and furiously scribbling notes. In a tux. Oh, the glamour.

Here's some Variety coverage:

'30 Rock,' 'Mad Men' Take Top Emmys

What A Non-Difference A Year Makes

The Nerds Take Over the Emmys

'Amazing Race,' 'Daily Show' Roll A Seven

Winning Thesps Cross Genres

2009 Emmys: Complete List of Winners

How I Met Ted... And Barney, Robin, Lily and Marshall Too

(Photo: Mathew Imaging/WireImage.com)

The cast, creators, director and producers of "How I Met Your Mother" gathered Tuesday night at the TV Academy to talk about the show, share anecdotes and reveal a few secrets to an overflow audience of fans. And I got to be the moderator.


Pic by Danielle Turchiano.

It was nerve-wracking at first -- I've gone to plenty of these kind of events, and the moderator frequently blows -- but I did my homework, asking a mix of questions about how the show is produced and constructed (it was a TV Academy event after all, and craft questions are welcome) as well as questions about characters, plot lines and little things that uberfans obsess about on the web.


Pic by Danielle Turchiano.

The cast -- in particular, Neil Patrick Harris -- were lively and played along, even though this is probably about the 20th panel discussion they've participated in for the show. (Alyson Hannigan was probably the least chatty, but to be fair, she's several months pregnant and was a little uncomfortable that night. She was super friendly back stage.)


Pic by Danielle Turchiano.

You may have already read about the best moment of the night: Near the end of the panel dicussion, Neil Patrick Harris jumped up, said he needed to pee -- and dashed off the stage. One problem: His mic was still on, and the entire crowd exploded in laughter as we heard him tell a stage hand he was heading to the bathroom. To be honest, I think Harris was well aware of what he was doing -- he's a pro, and knew it would get a big laugh. And indeed it did, and led to countless writeups on blogs and in papers.

Harris was also out there afterward, signing magazines and photos for fans. A real class act.


Pic by Danielle Turchiano.

But they were all great -- Cobie Smulders (Robin) answered several of my questions in depth, and always kept eye contact with me. Jason Segal (Marshall) doesn't seem that far removed from his Judd Apatow and "HIMYM" characters. Josh Radnor (Ted) appears to be the most introspective of the bunch. And Hannigan (Lily) also seemed nice and down to earth.

I've been busy -- and have been getting home late -- the past few nights, and haven't had a chance to recap the event myself. (And I couldn't exactly take notes while I was up there on stage.)

But thankfully, several other accounts have popped up on the Internet. Check out Danielle Turchiano's coverage of the panel.

The Hollywood Reporter also did a nice write up (well, except, ahem, they never mention the moderator -- wonder why!) here.

And TV Week has a decent recap here. Alas, again, no mention (ahem) of the kick-ass moderation!

And here's a YouTube clip from the evening; and yes, this video ends with me mentioning NPH's and Josh's "junk."

How You Helped Me Moderate a "How I Met Your Mother" Panel

CBS' "How I Met Your Mother" is one of our favorite TV series here at Franklin Avenue HQ, which makes it all the more cool that I was asked to moderate this week's TV Academy panel on the show.

Stars Josh Radnor, Jason Segel, Neil Patrick Harris, Alyson Hannigan and Cobie Smulders will be there, along with creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas, and director Pamela Fryman, among others. I know, like you, I wanna know more about the goat, or when the next Marshall/Barney slap will transpire.

I've already put together a pretty lengthy list of questions... but figured I'd open it up to you guys for a few more suggestions. So, "HIMYM" fans, any burning questions out there? Anything you've wanted to know, but have no way of asking? Post your questions in the comments below.

This Tuesday's event is free for TV Academy members and one guest (membership card and ID are needed), and seating is first-come, first served.