In part two of a special black Hollywood roundtable, Team Supreme sits down with TV writers Tracey Ashley, Diallo Riddle, Bashir Salahuddin, and Angela Nissel to discuss how the black media landscape is changing.
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Of course. Love Supreme is a production of I Heart Radio. This classic episode was produced by the team at Pandora. Yo. Check it out, y'all. This is Fonte Fonticcolo back with this week's cure Less Classic. This week, we're gonna take it all the way back to February thirteen to Night Team for part two of our Black TV Writers round Table, where we chop it up with our good friends Tracy Ashley, Diallo Riddle, but Sheer Slid, Dame, my Brothers from Sherman Showcase, and Angela Nissel, who is getting a lot of love right now from her mention in Dave Chappelle's Moves Best Froom. So, uh yeah, Angie doing your thing. Love her. Listen. We sit down with them, we talk about how the black medi their landscape is changing, and we get into a whole lot more. So check it out cure Less Classic. Get into it, yeah, pie Hey. Last week Gonna Quest Supreme, I introduced you guys to four black writers currently working in Hollywood, Angela Missile, My Serious, Salahudine, Diallo, Riddle, and Tracy Ashley. Collectively, they've written for shows like Scrubs with Jimmy Fallon the last g and many many more. Hey, let's not waste any time. Let's get right back to the conversation. Um. So, like the old shows, the old black shows, let's say, like like the Jefferson's and What's Happening, did they have black writers or with you know, like the absolutely mostly very much mostly did not. It was incredible, Yeah, normally are actually just I just listened to a podcast he did and he talked about that. How I think he said the black the Black Panthers showed up at his at the studio because they were mad that they were They were like, this white man is writing this this story. Yeah, so I don't think they way there was some black authorship was the star usually had some level of ETO power. So that's the role which you got a script could then be like no, no, no, no no. But that's like the very last level. But right before that, there was nobody in that room. Briefly, on Sanford and Son, I know that Paul Mooney and Richard Pryor. Um we're brought into by the way A lot of people realize Sanford and Son was actually an import from the UK white people. What it was? How long was that on? This is before four days of BBC America, so we don't we have no idea. So of the four of you um getting fired, now, how many of you are always always aware of that always? How many of you are willing to truly sacrifice for the greater good? Now I know him. I know there's a load of questions because I know that usually a lot of nepotism and sort of the patriarchy, like the system of of starting out as an intern and then becoming a writer, then the head writer, and then next thing you know, your your network head head. I know that's very hard for black people to even fathom that situation. Usually you're worn out and tired after ten fifteen years of this bullshit. But how many of you are thinking past writer, head writer and showrunner too? I would like to run the network and especially all right, I would assume that for women, uh And I see this often. You know when I investigate the the culinary world, most women don't last in those high end uh, the kitchen situations because you have to really give like fifteen to twenty five years of your life in that situation, usually want to have kids and you retire after a while. So are you are you even thinking about in five I'd like to be president of the network, so that way I could really open doors. And I think that for us, I don't know any For us, the highest thing you can do is be a showrunner is to be somebody like a Kenya Bearris two. For I don't think too many writers actually want to. Yeah, that's a different tread that nobody has to a network. I would assume that now that Shonda Rhymes is kind of envy. Is she the besides Oprah the highest level where you could be in the game right now? And she runs her own production company, right, So Shonda Rhimes not even the eight steps away from Oprah hood. She goes on this role. My two stents would be she's as close to being somebody who has that network power without giving up the thing which is the reason we get up in the morn because we feel like artists. You want to go make art. I mean, I wouldn't you know. I know this, I know, and records were started by right, I think, But you know that's that's sort of a parallel thing in a sense of like, well, those guys were musicians and they said we got to got our own label. It does happen but you know, even with that, it was one guy that was really music and the other guy was the business. The show still get notes from a network, Yes she still has. Yes, does she honor all those notes? Who knows? Yeah? Yeah, Well hence me asking probably is willing to sacrifice because you know, like, but it's already has I want to be a musician and creative. But one woman president. There are black executives who right, some women it's coming, No, what's happening. That's why Roseanne, Roseanne happened because the black home was like, yeah, a black woman one It just you know, whatever you think of it, it's there. Well, I'm not saying hasn't happened. I'm saying who in this room is willing to how for are you willing to go in this this trek, in this journey of television being able to be fired? Yeah, I'm like again for me personally, I would love again for me if you just go to movies, if what my girlfriend and I were, if what me and my girlfriend's talk about is right, you know, And there hasn't been a black female half an hour comedy network showrunner, broadcast showrunner since the nineties. I mean I've been in this since two thousand two. I'm I can't give up. Now what else can I do? You know? And I like being able to help other younger people like Tracy come in and do you know so if it ain't me, it's going to be her hopefully. So I mean, I'm not giving up until I'm dead. What the hell? That's when you are gonna take me in? And sugar Dad, I think the I think the ability to create new shows, new characters, new environments. I think that's what you know, juvenile, you know what I mean, as opposed to the desire to have other people to bring us those things and be like, Okay, well you're gonna get a p M on Wednesday, Like I don't. I just think that that's a slightly different thing, you know, And maybe sometimes people will make that jump, you know, but you know, so what I'm feeling here is that the the there's a limit to your sky. No, I think they're saying to network executive and like, none of us if we were negative network executives, we wouldn't be able to write and create new characters network executives. And maybe one of them will become ahead of their network. I just you know. I mean, can I just say for me, it's like if you I'm not saying I'm not Picasso, but I'm saying if you were to Picasso said, you know, you really got to run a museum, man, And I'm a painter. Like, so I'm saying, like, that's the top who's willing to sacrifice? Who want to sacrifice to? Like I love doing that, but the creative And then he stopped being creative and be came President for the Greater Good to bring a susser, to bring his steelc to bring it. You know, Puncy Jones was a trumpet player and love scoring. But okay, but would he have kept doing that had the deal been selling like ten twenty million records? Like would he have a moment? And he jumped at it. Now we asked Jimmy jam the same thing, like would you want to stop creating music and producing just to you know, to to be in the front office and not being creative? And he said no, I didn't want to do that. So I understand That's why I was at I think was creatives just don't people don't think like that. I mean, you kind of do what you do just because that's I want to do that, like, but I will say that I think about it all the time though, so I you know, but I would say just really quickly. Ahead have to admit that that actually did cross my mind being at CBS and being on this show, because I was looking around at all the executives we developed over there. But you know, I just wanted to say really quickly that Kevin Hart is a starting is on network right now. The way the media landscape is changing between cord cutting, the seven, you know, there's I think I might be making this. I think there was like TV shows or something like that, or maybe let's say, if I'm wrong, let's say it's three hundred. That's the three hundred things everybody watching all that ship. So I'm saying it's a little bit of a different terrain in the seventies. I think they are definitely talented people now who are saying, look, I can just get an app on your TV the way that other people the Netflix has an app and you'll watch the basher network, and then that'll be the way that I, you know, corral the conversation and be able to give green light power to people. And I think that's already actually happening right now. There are people creating networks right now that utilize technology to be the people who are in charge. I'm scared for Kevin Hart though, because I wonder, I'm like, wow, how many people because there are so many outlets, how many people are going to the L O L network or whatever? I don't know. Maybe that's that's that's the next part of it, right It's like, so what is the other thing that's going to be created that you can be a boss and maybe not be a network exact it maybe not to be an app. I don't know. I hate to ask. This question is revolked a nationwide. It depends on what I don't think. I've yet to see where we get it get we get in North Carolina's who's your cable provider? We ship it has been brought providers. And it's not about the provider because it's on Comcast is on Time, Warner's on Charter. It's about the cities that they're in because it's not on it's not in the spectrum in New York City. And I still don't get it. Where will be like watch my show and fuse I'd be like, that's true. This is the only time in history, Like you can be at a restaurant sitting next somebody who is a fucking started on TV show you don't know who the they are, and somebody comes to an autograph, who are you? And I got a TV show on pal, I'm a I'm on the news is L O L and Actual network. He's buying studio space out in uh Chat's Worth, like he's he's doing this is happening. I went out there and saw the space like there, this is happening. One of them spread itself there and nothing be as with the with the whole like core cutting thing. Just in terms of the economics of TV. Yeah, I mean because to me it just doesn't seem like and I don't know how it affects like writers and actors and stuff, because like, yeah, people are cutting the cords, but they're still jacking you up to ask for the Internet. So the amount of the amount of people who watch each TV show has gone down, the amount of individuals who spend their day watching TV. It's it's fine. It's actually that number is consistent. So the people in this room will always have of friends and stuff because it's like we create content. It I will say you gotta have ten jobs, so I will say so, I want to say this. We are developing another show with I f C. You know, and uh, and we're very excited about The Contecutive, produced by John Legend, our composer. Fund take a little in the room. There you go. Um. One of the things that I noticed when I was talking to some of the some of the millennial assistants. I would be like, hey, so, how do y'all watch cable TV? You know, like because I have it? And they'd be like they'd be like, well, you know, uh, like none of them will actually pay for cable. One was like, some watch it once once it goes on Netflix. Somebody else was like, well, I never cut the cord because I never had a chord. I'm gonna put somebody on blast. I want to put somebody on blast. Who I live with, who I'm married watches and we watch every real house we watch all of those. We do not have cable in our house. Were watching all those shows every night on the TV in the living room. That's the question you should ask yourself. So I don't know it's the website special webs. Yeah, we watched every one of those and I'm like, this is we're evil. You got a fire stick. You ain't never got to lead a house. And the kids can't even understand paying for content. They don't even they content would we pay for. I don't pay for content. I use my mother's cable when I log in a time when nobody's paying for telling them they just paid for the box. Yeah, yeah, box, that's true. I wanted I got my apsode. You talk about millennials, my nephew, I guess we want to watch Handmaids Tell And so he was like, yeah, give us the He was like, I give you my Hulu pass. When I'm like, all right, and I pulled that ship and it was like five other profiles because oh, are do you consider internet based tvc aries real shows? Or Amazon? By the way, Hey, I'm on I'm on Netflix. Shout out Netflix, Let's go glow. But episode eight or whatever, the actual show the one. But can I just say something, but Amazon has some of the best terrible black movies listen in the world to watch every single one of them. Watching you watch the ones with your boy murder pain, Yeah, watch the shout out to the game, the one it takes place. I can do Detroit, Like he's in the plug plug to the plug to. We watched that one. Talking about I'm realized that it don't matter the level of money people spend on it. If it's available, Black people will watch that ships, Amazon will buy. It's a bunch of bad ballots on about it looked like the goddamn golf, like the bluff that type of level. Yeah, like that's the piece the bluff was. These movies have no sound, These movies have no DP. I'm sitting here in my living room watching a movie. It was like this whole scene is Sometimes you won't see a character for forty minutes, minutes, back up, and you'll be like, oh, he's still in the movie. That's content. But it's content. I'm watching it in the living room. Shout out Amazon and Amazon too. I think they do a good don't kill me for that because they watch they they don't listen to Okay Glowers. Netflix they have their black movies because like I watched, you know, because like that it's all this ship like the world is a algorithm. So like I watched, Yes, I watched the level. I see what should I watch? Netflix has Church plays Netflix there like there's a movie here on their laptop. Immediately, boy byes a movie written do you want Us Houston? If you want Good starring Windy Rakale Robinson song And in case you were wondering, there is a line in the movie where she says, boy back spoilers. Brow is not in that one, yo. You know who's keeping like twelve of them? Know who was in can that I was going to tell is not in that way. That's the saddest thing is that all those movies there is always one person and who's like a little too big like that motherfucker's right. Didn't you have your own TV show when you saw John Amos and the Watermelons? You're like the Watermelon that's that's a revie. It's a real movie. You'd be like Villica Fox is yo independent that you know, how did the conversation to go down? But it has doing some money? Yeah, listen, it's I know that Mutgages is doing the first You could either you could not get paid or you can get paid. Boy By so much? What was the September Room. I mean, it's it's good, bad, but it's sequels to movies. You didn't know. It's like, oh five complain they get they have like Twin four. Oh yeah, yeah, that wasn't sequel to that ship they called. Yeah I was. Twin was one of the first, like no bullshit, ab I was one of the first movies I can remember. I was in college. This is my firstman year at Central, and they marketed twa like it was a wrapout. They came to campus. Yeah, one of the producers came to Harvard and was talking to us. They came, there is a four. I just made that ship up. Damn, clear off your schedule, checking out, check that out. I love that stuff. That sounds great. Yeah. Yeah, my favorite black little clicking power. Damn, he's Clifton Power. We came all the way back to teach you seven. Right, I'm thinking shot that out with the Clifton Powers, the gangster. He's in everything. He's in everything, and yeah, he'll be like in like a murder Pain movie and then you'll see that nigging like Black Panther three. It's like he has a wide range, you know what. He likes to work. Yeah, I would give him that. Every day he wakes up like I'm going to somebody's set. Somebody's putting in front of the cab of the day. So like as writers like, tell us what shows do y'all like that are like Rick and Morty, y'all like, Yo, this is great writing. Yo, sell me no, no no, no, I hear that. I think what Fonte said about the audience is true. I don't think you should. I don't think it's smart when you watch it, however you feel about it, just the real ship. Rick and Morty's on the only show I know that it is as funny as it is and also still has jokes that have layers for like people who are nerves but you don't need but you don't need to. I'm about to segment. Will be watching that and be like, oh my god, they just went into the conspiracy thing. Yes, but I just laughed. I didn't know that. Okay, So I don't know if I mean, someone told me we can watch Rick and Morty the ship, watch Baskets too. I was about to do it another one, by the way, really funny, not trying to be like like just hard, hard jokes. What do you think about that I'm having? And yeah, just like not every bad woman gets my love. I mean I tried to. I tried to support the girl Jessica and her Brooklyn. Jessica Day was on the Daily show My Lord watch two Funky Girls. Wait what is it? But she had a show on Netflix and I it was a movie. But white guy, Yeah it was a movie. It was too millennially new Brooklyn for me. I think it so you were too open. Maybe I see black board. I like to go with two black what's your favorite show? Don't do that because the first one to come to mind is family, Guy, Please don't judge me. Really watch television? Yes, yes, ye too much? As this weird. Most people I know that are in the TV world, like almost fitted it's there. It's beneath them to watch television. Every act you have to, Ye, you gotta watch. I think interestingly enough, most of what I watched is drama lately. I mean like that kids, the kids, the second the kids go to bed. I watched a lot of depressing dark adults. Stuff to around okay, around the room. What are your what's your to go to shows? Well, right now I'm actually getting caught up can't live without No, I'm getting caught up on fear of the Walking Dead. I mean I'm not gonna um dam uh. I read the comics you could only name one. All right, give me, give me your your your guilty pleasure. I'm ashamed to admit I watched this show. I can't quite go there. Say it just We're all gonna be honest, just say just put up your Netflix real quick, just say it. You know what? Um, I know it when blah blah blah. I can tell you when the gold Girls on my asses on the couch watching that ship. Great show. Yeah, Golden Girls, pleasure show that you know. The Real Housewives are like reality black in Chicago. I don't feel proud about. I'm gonna tell you what's on my direct TV right when something's on that you're ashamed to say that you watch? What is that show? Okay? Listen, I've never seen so I don't want to watch it regularly. I know because I just pulled it up. But I was like, I know I watched something. My guilty pleasure is actually the show called the nineteen eighties. The deadliest decade is the time Discovery I D which is the best channel. Wait, what the hell is that? Okay? If that come? Investigating Discovery is basically like a twenty four hour, forty eight hours date. Like every show is about like people who are merry killing one another. So it's always like they were the perfect couple. It seemed they had everything until she showed up missing after the boat trip. Like that's basically and they have this one show called The Deadliest Decade. The thing I like about it, on top of like marriages falling apart, which is perversely fantastic to me, is all the old footage. Like I could actually watch old footage on YouTube all the time. Like, so last night I was watching uh As It Happened footage from uh L a TV news shows of the north Ridge quake, you know, like I just like to watch, like, oh, how do we react in the moment that it was announced that John Lennon died? You know what I mean? Like because I like the old like graphics and I like, you know, like the grainy footage and like, you know, the best part to me in Cocaine Cowboys is like when they show like you know, like Miami footage of like like when they're like, there were three people found dead in this apartment tonight, like you know, and you're just like the footage itself is scary because it's like, why is this so dark? And like Grainy and Cocaine. God Boys too is the one that hustling with the Godmother. That was of course about It's a pointed with that answer, for that's the real discovery. Still believe the Kardashians. You can't live without you know, what's what's your start? Treking Space nine? But okay, go to show that. I watched way too much of man Um. I watched a ton of Uh damn, I'm so sorry. I honestly I watch a lot of Family Guy. I think it's still to this day a court cutter. So I gotta wait for the sleepment to other Ship. But yeah, every time when it comes on TPS and then you watch it on adults, I'm saying I love that show. I think that shows. I think I like, I like, what's you watching? Guilty Pleasure show, Rupaus Race. Yeah? Did I just say though that those people are incredible after funniest and they have And I'm from a conservative muscle family. So we had the Houselord Thanksgiving and my father was like, what in the brother, I've made so many mistakes And I was like, fine, okay, lot, I will be I will admit I will sit binge watch shows I watched. I bench watched RuPaul's drag Race. But the thing I'm watching now is the Americans. I'm watching that. Everybody says it's good, it's really good, it's great. I've been here because I only want it's great. And but my guilty pleasure is I have to admit love and hip hop, the one with Alanna or the one with Stevie J and Atlanta, that's the one. Wait want, She's already been on it, she already had broke up with her wants, and now a back to gather. Go ahead. I don't, yeah, go ahead. I don't know because I watched way too much TV. Right now, I'm just looking forward to the Ozark. So like anything that Jason Bateman and to me is generally good. I don't say I'm rest of development because I love this year with the drinks in society. I didn't. I didn't like. I was just I think to me, like Breaking Bad was like the pinnacle of white Man goes into scary dok territory, like ship like that was I was guilty pleasure. Staying on adult Swim Robot Chicken. That's not a guilty. Somebody who enjoys marijuana yeah, that's just And as a black, black, black black person, it's like, wouldn't it would be my guilty pleasure because people want to expect this off. I like like a white boy, Like every reference, I feel like it's for me because I'm like, did ten minutes on he Man? I'm like that's yeah, yeah. Yeah. By the way, he Man is on Netflix right now. That she is so good, so good? No, no, I mean the cartoon I'm Killing Eve. I watched Killing Eve. I remember when Dolf Landing played man find me? What's that killing killing Evero? Soandro and uh oh, I just started just in order did on that. So it's good. It's good. You really enjoyed it. The season one is impeccable. Fanto uh did join I'm watching right now. I'm working with Snowfall. Yeah, Walter Mosley right that he is writing on like a lot of that's incredible. Season one is like Dress is one of my favorite movies of all time. Yeah, and Glow is like Glow. I watched that. I watched him made still but I'm like glowing out already. I'm just like I'm done. It's no way to boot like that, no way, Like you gotta have Hulu. Right, excuse me, Bill, I'll call you thank you. No, no, no, he's saying he got it, he got to hook. I thought we couldn't mention who. They'll give you this who past work. They don't stream podcasts on the Yeah, yeah, I pulled out on that. I was like, I'm good on that ship. Um, well that's the only thing I pulled out on TV show. But no, man, that joint. Um, I guess my guilty pleasure your real rap bro like ninety Day fiancece Man. It comes on like Bravo, It comes to one on channels. It is basically a show about holes overseas finessing military niggas in the States where it's real fantastic. Well, I mean we can call it what's no No, not that sex work. No no, no no, they're not sex workers, but well some of them are. Some of them really are, like they just want to move. It's just like they're hustling niggas for green cards. It is that's allowed, yeah Trump, Yeah, And I guess maybe that makes it not coming from ship is another real truth. That's what's sad is like I watch a lot of dramas and I watched a hell of I probably watched too much news MSNBC. If you can name like the first five people on a lot of MSNBC, like I can, you probably got a problem. I do have a problem, and I could name him so passionate. I love her. I kind of had a because she's like she's like her work wife. I love her saying no, no, no. I like how like punchy she is. Yeah, she's just like she'll put like one arm back and she'll be like, what do you think about help on the board. I'm like, she's already hid the show. She loves the show. She's such as to this, She's like, my bff, I were really high brought up to you guys because I didn't think no, we didn't think it was a safe I've seen her stand up by how she took some hicks and some dope as ways, Like she's like, what do you mean didn't you didn't know that he's from Canada? What did you think he was from? Oh? Yeah, that was a great day. Was great? Remember that bad it's the ok then fought with bo Jack. I've been trying to go so good okay, okay, but she was incredible actually that she was like a perfect the perfect vision. Really she that was my celebrity friend. She told me she is coming on. Uh is she cool? Secrets, she's happy, Okay, secrets, something's about to happen, like, okay, four months, I'll support it. You can see her in the Andre Leon Tally documentary if you just happened to go by miss her. She's on that. She wanted to drop that because it's a really dope documentary. Wait, have ever ever told my Andre Leon Tally joke before? No? No, so much. I've seen a documentary it's not about him. No. Once there's a about to Andre Leon Tally with the with the that for hating and his get up and it's like, uh Russell's ex wife, and I think, and I thought it was jay Z. I thought he was happy to and I hit him up, like, yo, that's saying that's a weird you hit up J about this business. You know many times he's been mad at. But a picture of J and like this weird fucking hat though, Yeah, a real picture, but if you look at it, you can google it and see like it looks more like jay Z ben Andre And I was just like, I was like interested in the choice of coat, Yeah there, sir, and he was like, that's not me and didn't talk to me for like three months. And yo, am I the only one that watches HDTV like around my wife, Property Brothers been on the Yeah, yeah, that's my property Brothers, House Hunters, Honey International, House International, I watch the Regular House. What's the one with the flip? Is it flip my house? It's none of that. Okay, I'm here. I'm sorry. It does look like jay Z see see it's not gonna be okay, us he didn't talk to me for three months for that ship. That's all right, bill with me? What do you watch? What do I watch too much of? What's your show that you binge out for? I'm gonna go last, okay, I'm just hey, hey, you didn't watching? I plan on being watching Better Call Sauce season four like in a few weeks. Okay, it's how do you feel about Better cross Off? I love it. I love it now. I'm here and talk that it's better than Breaking Bad. I'm here and talk. I'm watching the different Dorrey musics on that. Yeah, not on Better Call, so I don't think less. He hasn't showed up yet. I'm like behind the episode or two. Yeah, I'm behying a few, I'm just in the middle. Three. So it's it's a different show. So I'm not really judging it by breaking bad standards because it's not about Walter White. It's not about you know, some dude becoming a meth dealer. It's but it's about it. It's about you know, Jimmy turned into Saul. So it's a different journey. Now, what's your guilty pleasure? I spent way too much time watching The Fresh Prince Bell Are class. You don't understand how much time I spend watching You feel guilty for the time. Okay, I know a guilty pleasure show. I hear. I have not watched it, but I hear that it's like perfect guilty pleasure. Reverend runs new show. I tried to watch that scripted yall scripted. They tried to take his reality show and make it a real show, make it to a real show. So he's not playing he's playing himself. But he has another name for I'm about to say, shout out to you. Is it no black ones? Right right? This show got really really I'm gonna come in the bubble black the damn I've not watched one frame, so you can google who you got better to look at? Not for nothing, but you know, I want to see Diggie. Sorry, there is molesters. You are you too? That's what I suspects. What do you? What do you been there? I like Toe's arc um watching Orange controversial for some reason this season, right, yeah, Dark, is that what happened? I think they need to kind of wrap it up. I think this next season need to have y'all seen Have y'all seen Wentworth? Yes, yes, that's all I'm saying what I thought you might have said. Because it's Australia's it's so damn same year. Came out the same year too, Australia's Orangers and New Banks. Okay, okay, anybody it's with Gomera, No watch person, Amazon, isn't it? Yeah, it's on It's on Netflix. I think season wanted to on Netflix. And it's basically The Wire, but like how The Wire would be, it takes place in Italy and it's basically Sicilian. Mom. Yeah, Mom, watching tonight, we're doing sounds. That ship is fucking dope. So it's based on a book like the like Nari Times Love. It's better than you know what I'm saying, Broke. You said, Narco is pretty good now, better than the moor Is Whipping Narcos. As it's based on a book. It's a real story about the Camoral crime fan more like the guy that wrote it. Yeah, comre just like some one more and like the author that wrote it, like the nigger had to go like in hiding and ship like he's still more. So it's like, is this your porn? You've been big man, But it's not what you spent. It's a guilty pleasure more as hard as nails. I think I know what you're guilty pleasure, but what is it? Me? Yeah, Riverdale right now, but yeah, that's archies. But if archies were so good, yeah girl, if the Archies were gossip girl, it's so that's good. I watched, I hate, I watched, I hate how good it is? This is good? Alright, Oh, my guilty pleasure. I know you're you're a regular joint. I've been watching a cartoon on Netflix called big Mouth right now. I pulled out of that one too. I was just like, I can't but it's just stupid to me. It's like, I guess it's like y'all watching those. To me, it was I was just worried. To me, the slope was kind of slippery because it's like, Okay, these are teenage genital you're talking and I know it's animated. No, I'm dead. And I was just I was like Angel and it was it was it was too close to you. No. No, the one episode like girls, it's Genitalia. It's like like the girls, and so it was one episode where like the girls vagina and I was just like, dude, I can't do this. I am happy that the girl's vagina is getting as much time as the boy's masturbation episode that I was very, very pleasantly surprised. I think that got a second season too. My guilty pleasure, though, I'm with Diallo because I've watched too much Discovery. I d Wives with Knives because I'm I literally called Discovery. I d The White on White Crime Channel and then just watched like three hours of it. You'll be hooked? Is it better than Smart People? My show? My doesn't feel the show I think it came on. I d was Naked and Afraid. If you all will watch, that's your grant. I didn't watch it because you know, does anyone here watching Disenchantment? I watched it in the bathroom, and in the last three days I've been watching in the bathroom because I can't. It's no windows in the hotel for me to do what I do, So I put it on my phone and watch the Disenchantment show up the bathroom. It's Mac Groening's read what I'm saying. We have no bamathroom? Uh series? Uh with What's from nothing? Uh? Abby? Oh there you go, a right happy from rock City. Okay, It's it's like an animated The Simpsons, macrowning right backgrowning? Yeah, and what's the nama? Yeah? I never was that, like really trauma was Actually it was good. And you can't paw on the law and order. You watch exactly got good? You got good taste. I'm co signing mad shit on this side, all right, fighting Damn, you gotta answer the question. Yeah. I was like, you guys are so uh well rounded with your choices, Like I'm barely keeping up with all the own stuff, Like I just gotten the Queen Sugar. I'm not watching Sugar. I'm not doing that. Are you watching good? Here's the thing though, man, fucking Angel needs to talk every and Eva actually told me that they spend twice the budget money and post uh turning up trying to adjust because he whispers anyway, yeah, every green Leaf that what else am I missing on? Own? That's a that's a drama. Isn't there a third? Love is too big on? I gave it an that's the talent, but the serious drama thing that's on the level of Queen Sugar and Greenleaf Ship? Man, how could I forget y'alla fix My Life? Popular one nigger? Ya? That's pretty great? Oh my god, because the greatest part about it is like after every show, it's like, since appearing on and y'alla picks my life, ship has gotten exponentially worse. Yeah, it's like the end of every show she never picks. Yeah, it's great. It's almost like she she tells them more specific reasons to hate each other. You don't like him because he reminds you your mama who you like? Can I pitch something? I haven't I have a at a pitch? No, No, here's I'll open up to the room. Is there a show because you've mentioned two to seven again, Is there a show that Netflix can pluck out of the past, out of the black past, and do like the serious, the serious version Archie to Riverdale, Seven Family Matters living in Chicago, in Chicago with a black nerd. Yeah, that was like the whitest black show. This is all about what happened to Judy. Oh yeah, yeah, how she went upstairs and talking about her going into porn. I'm talking about the why did you care to went upstairs? And then they never did, like all right, that's it. Yeah, that was it. That was like alf the summer alf got canceled, but they ended on a cliffhanger. Technically, technically the end of ALFA is the scientists dragging on and he's like, Willy still man, y'all show didn get on the air, and somebody pitched alf and got rich. There's a they say that was They said ALF is hands down the angriest, nastiest, most toxic set in the history of the Dad was on crack and the negative wrote it was your dad, your dad real crack and Small Wonder was the worst. Let's can't wait the old Small Wonder. That was what weird. I'm gonna make a little girl may just google alf that crack. The writer for I also did a boy from the Basketball Diaries that movie, um the movie that remember the movie, but and he was about it was about a writer that and like his life was all sucked up. He was the guy that wrote alf he was a drug addage ship. Yeah, oh that makes sense, all right, My no, my guilty. I will stick with what I really think yours is. I will say that if I'm in bed and I don't feel like reaching for the remote and there's a Kardashian marathon, I won't rush to change the channel, like I'm just too lazy. When I was on folon because like it reminded me of living in l A. You know what I'm saying, Like like you see the freeways, you see like you'll be like, oh she just looking all that sense like it was. It was like a little postcard from home, regardless of who they were talking. It's only like three episodes and then I gotta stop, Like I find myself getting sucked in. The show is not popular because it sucks. You know, it's a good show. The reason it's super popular because it's like, but I feel super guilty for watching it. We'll take one last break and then we'll finish our last sepiade and then we gotta wrap up the show famitized right. Yes, it sounds like you're like sample that part. This is written by Michael McDonald Darryl Hall. There's not stuff that's awful, but it sounds like they're all right, Michael mcnell, really right. I believe every day I guess stuff. Okay, count the negatives. Here we go, right, you can't each other up? Alright? Shut? I was like, shut up. That's that's that they were painting right exactly. Y they were Timmy Day shout out the original m Looked at the Rainbow. Yes, that's my one of my favorite records, when the best records ever made. My final question is already is Hollywood running out of ideas with all these No, I'm just outside of the studio. I've just seen a sign for Magnum p. I see that's that's new ideas. But if they think they can make more money on a reboot, we are the We are sellers and networks are buyers, and we go in and we pitch a new idea. Say I want to pitch Black Girl Lives in a pinball machine. They'll say say no, They're going to go through the whatever bath they used to see which one's going to bring in more money. So it's not that we don't have boots and that already has a building, it's already been successful, has been on the air for like nine seasons. I haven't seen one episode, but like anytime, like I'm at home and I turned on CBS on a Friday night, you'll see Hawaifi. But that's a reboot and it's been on for nine season. Most of those guys were on Lost, they just on the Hawaii and they just they're like another show coming, y'all. Have you feel it still a toxic night on television? Um So, actually no, I don't think so because it isn't Blue Bloods on Friday too. I feel like CBS has a bunch of dramas on Friday and they have all they're all successful, and Friday night in the lay up night, like that's the boot up nights Saturday Night is I think. I think what it is that CBS knows their audience. They're all really old. They have not cut they don't even know what cutting the cord is about, and so they're just like this shows about the cops and then this other shows about more cops. On Hawaii, so like they like cops, cops in hospitals. Everything is like a lazy trend to like like they all saying we were an HBO girl was successful, so they try to make everything like that. Roseanne has been a successful reboots and now you see all these reboots coming. But the other part of that equation I think is also the TV viewers are just a lot older than people think they are. So are we ready for the Martin reboot? Is that going to happen? They were talking about, Yeah, trust me, some things just need to be left alone. Sometimes you just fun it up when you just bring it back, like Roseanne, she sucked that up. Was like I'm saying, it would have been good to it was. I I didn't want to go against Cosby back when they were like going at you know you never watched it, catch it back. That's the show I love. I know this family hold on always wanting to see a black version. You watched they explained how the white guy wouldn't kiss a black girl back in the day, adopted a white girl a black girl. You try a DJ between you mean on the episode when j J. That's the things that they had kid, that's why. I think that's why they why they had him adopted black Girl, and they hadn't gotten to that yet. There were so many original characters that I thought was dope that there were still a part of the show they brought back, that they were still getting couple. Yet I felt like they were treating that Black Girl on the show is like a mask. That was yes, and I was like, she is because she's on different strokes. Oliver on Rady Bunch, like just the Mr Dn the Bundies have another child at the seven. Yeah. Yeah, anytime a baby showed up on a sitcom, that's when you noticed then and Nelson, Winnie and Nelson. I didn't know she was great, but she absolutely was an injection of all right, we need some new character. But then what was it was a mistake. I mean like I didn't understand that up they brought the I was like not because even like it was either if you knew what SI comes about the end when like a baby showed up or when bump a Rood Robinson when he showed up. It's like I was gonna say when Colonel Taylor married Lisa, but you know that was that happen? Oh my god, why do you remind me? Yeah, that was uncomfortable. Then she got pregnant and it was like, oh, you're all really doing that. Actors were uncomfortable. They were like reading that script like what yo, I hate you right now, that nigga, that nigga Clarence so one one word, that one place where that rule does not work with on Living Single, he showed her he was he was in the early seasons as like one of the kadidious assistants or something like, oh wow, okay, I didn't watch The Living like that, but I forgotten underrated show. That show was so underrated. I didn't watch another thing like that. Now. My assumption was that show was so good, and I was like, but I didn't watch a lot of TV like in the nineties, like I was just always this in music. I was saying that Living Single was was it was underrated because my assumption at the time was about to get a bunch of new shows like this and that was wrong and it wasn't because that Friends, that show is so good. Yeah, but that shows I think that shows personally better than Friends. Shout Outley Bowser. Yes, that at least beginning, I mean Friends, I will admit towards the middle of Handband on that show, Overton, Overton and funny. Man, it was funny. A little too much like your mama. He's always do this print joke like maybe I'm just like my mama. Yeah, a little too much like your mama. Big he was hilarious. Sequence, but Eric Alexander I thought was big. I didn't called her big legs, and I haven't called her big legs. Her name was big Legs, big less. Wait a minute, Okay, I'm learning the learning, all right. So I've learned, uh these past two hours that uh that what we learn Oh yeah, what we learned? Yeah, we got to get back. Yeah. So I've learned that, uh that reboots are not a good idea, but you guys are pitching new ideas, are ignoring uh, And I'm also getting the feeling that we won't overcome. What did you learn? Oh man, I learned that. Um well, it's hard to say because I've known everyone pretty much for a while. But but but now, I mean, I just I hope what I hope people see. It's just how long it takes to achieve your dream. I mean, just from knowing Angie from Okay Player and like knowing where she's come from, and then just watching these cats like go through Yeah, yeah, like they from they started with a web series and the message like an old seven y yeah, even before fallon, and like just seeing how long it takes too actually gained some ground and this ship man like forever. Yeah, it's it's it's a testament that's just hard working, just perseverance. What did you learn? I learned there needs to be a slew of domestic writing workshops for women, especially the black ones, especially when it comes to comedy. I kind of already knew that, but I just wanted to reiterate that to the world because I got Angel in my life who tells me this all the time, But how are you on your journey? And well I got these two gigs from Quest of Supreme, so I haven't been necessarily working on my dreams like I should have. But I think after we've done this marathon and recordings in l A, it's time she did a stand up you did at uh we were there for Ruth's picnic Um when Tarik did this comedy thing, right, she did like five minutes I recorded it. Yeah, we we still got to talk about but I recorded it, and I'm not like a stand up for me, nothing like that. I just recorded it and I watched it, like you just gotta write some jokes her like her. No, I'm dead, She's gotta write some jokes like her. But every had come from under that when she stepped on stage. The one thing I will say, and I mean we talked briefly, her command of the stage is really fucking dope. When you stepped on stage, people listening like you had them at every word. There was just no jokes. But like, but you had good premises, like you had no No, I mean you had that thing. You had a thing where you would like talking about living in l A as a black woman in l A. Which was like a funny premise, you know what I mean. But it just you're on the right path. Talk about that time out time Now. We've been here for a hundred plus episodes, and the common theme that we've learned from every artist we ever interviewed on the show is that the wisdom and the knowledge come from the failure part. I'm listening. I'm listening. I'm listening. Now you're quiet. I'm just saying that we've we've got every comedian has gone through this, Dude, I secretly go through this, even the world that I occasionally get I understand. Angel came to my first ever comedy show, and I was nervous for that. She was sitting in your bravorite person. I am because no one I know has ever seen me get on stage. You're doing you're doing this time? But I mean you've been here for those smoke too much? Weak? Are we? Are we doing that? Are we doing that? I would like something. My My point is that, yes, in order for you to get better, you have to keep doing it. Yeah, you gotta start in the mail room. So I think you're on the right path. Now, She started out like I mean, she, have you been on stage since the Roots picnic? Anyway? What else have you learned? That? That's good? I'm done. You gotta do this weekly. I don't have no more. Is the comedy act the theater is still a thing in l A Or is that like a thing of the past. There's many open we can maker. I would love to here. Now, Okay, let's do it natural. I'll go with you. This will help you, This will help in a lot of areas. You gotta start the sweating. Okay, but the fact that they're listening to that, he's saying that they were listening. Yeah, that's really your your half. That's half always half the battle, right, so huge. I know a lot of comedians who are funny, but they can't hold that audience. Okay, so that's something that they listened to. You did you learn thing I did. I learned that when I work a long day, maybe I shouldn't come to the pothead. I got something right, No, no, no, actually I did learn that from you guys. I didn't realize that writers go through the same kind of long hustle comedians go through. I did not realize how long the fight that was, and I don't think that's interesting. Did not realize that the grind is the same, Like, yeah, can I just I learned, I'm going to be real. I'm gonna let you go last year, we're going in there. Okay. Uh what I learned? Uh? Man, I learned that I learned that Donald Gluver was brought on not know this. I'm gonna yes, I knew were I say, I've heard I've never heard that, and I know people room like I got a great two fer line. I got a great Uh, I got a great line for you to free letter no no shout out. I learned this fact jan the nbill Cosmy bought NBC RIGHTA. I learned this fact to him. It was one of my favorite songs. And when I asked about it because I got to know Jeff, Tina's husband who does the music for the show, he explained to me that, yes, Donald wrote this, and then also explained that, you know, he was I'm agreeing with the way y'all looking yo, the way y'all side unless you are in the writer's room. I'm just I've heard people say you write to all of Twick's rhymes and and it's like they say that. I'm like, you're an electrician. How the hell do you know? Said? I got another question now, I was about to let the show go. How uh how small is the world as far as like writer's rooms are concerned? Like, oh I heard stuff about uh that particular show, and like like is the writer's room versus writer's rooms? Like how fast this news travel about certain shows? You can travel real fast. If they're their friends who work on shows, you'd be like, oh man, that how mofucker came in there? And he he told someone, so you you you fired? You know, like all that talk, you know, Okay, without naming is there a just is there? It was Neil Simon, My gossip is old. Is there a list of shows that's like, uh, the top three shows I know never to ever approach or to go to, Like you've heard that work for. Yes, there's a game of thrown is literally two guys and their staff writers. So that's like one of the smallest rooms there was producers you know, are showrunners that people say not to work for. But I will also say that when Meth and Red got canceled, it was the shot black writers heard around them just show because again at this point, I'm the only black writer in the room. You were you wrote on that show you No, No, No Again, it was literally traveled around so because from what I hear, and again this has passed down the line, but there was there was a room full of white writers and meth and Red didn't like what we was being written and someone they were like, yeah, he shoved him in the face, and they were like and methem Red called it a mush and then he mushed him in the face. They were teaching them about yeah, and so I was like, and they were like, you just don't come to Hollywood and we give you a show, and you mushed people. And so for the next seven weeks, I could you know, what I heard was rappers coming to Hollywood, mushing people. They don't so ship and then I'm the one black person where I'm like, I didn't wish anybody while you're looking at me. I've never even heard that word, sam. So I also learned not to believe everything I hear when it comes from Jeffridge. Would you learn? I learned two things. I learned that Stephanie Rule listens to q ls. That's that's pretty fun. Um. I also learned that how Lindon is still alive and man Ron Glasses and so, you know, shout out to how wherever you are um and able to go to heed he just recently died, and shout out to the guys who make it to the nineties. I love that documentary. The fact that mel Brooks and Carl Rhiner are still buddies and they still hang on the afternoon, that's amazing to me. Soosh Bill arn I learned that if I ever want to get a show in the air, don't take it to HBO unless I have like a decade to waste. You would think that with Netflix and the way that streaming, I think that's changing. I do think things are changing. I think our experiences we were still a little bit unique and and and what you are for the course, well, you know, you know what, man like, I had a homie that was working on they were doing a um, they were doing a Lewis and Clark. It was supposed to be. It was it was like three or four years they developed that. That's that's the one that took eight years, right, Yeah, and Clark took eight years to develop. And I had a homie that was working he was in that show and they was just like nah it um. Look, I think that's changed a lot because you know, for the first time, Netflix got more nominations in HBO. I think. I think, I think the industry is changing. I got a bunch of parties in ways. You know, I'm I'm actually to go back to your point earlier. I'm becoming more of a student of how people consume. So I'm finding out that like v O D doesn't really count towards your ratings, but people watching on the app does, Like, so maybe stay on the people on the tech side to make sure that the app doesn't crash when too many people are trying to watch the show through the app. Like, there are a lot of ways the technology and the in the and and the content creation or colliding. And I think it's smart for all creators to educate yourself. Man, well, I guess doesn't count towards ratings. It's complicated like the apps. And uh, I saw a chart and we actually have a meeting next week at UH I have c on this, but like there is a chart that shows you, like which things count actually towards your ratings and which things are lovely but they do not. Oh, man, I guess what we should go? We should ask y'all, like for young writers trying to come up, like what would you say to him? We should but hang on, so uh suk, Steve, can you tell us what you learned that Steve is not on the MIC. I know this at IT I learned Steve Mandel. I don't like to be the only white guy in the room. You can Steve, gave you your platform, you're not here. I actually just learned through texted my services will not be needed on the last o G do to something somebody in the sad room snitching about some ship. Hilarious, No real. The thing that I learned is that Fante has really shitty tasting TV. I'll watched by nay by myself. Thank you very much, y'all. What your question? Oh? No, just um for like young writers trying to get into the game, Like, what would y'all tell them? I mean other than like start years ago? But go to Harvard, Go to Harvard. You know what I'm saying. I don't know that's that's real quick. I think that I always tell oll people. I'm like, you know, right every day, get good at writing. If you're if you claim to be a writer, then you should love doing it. You know what I'm saying. Nobody puts a gun to your head and says, hey, make music. You know what I'm saying. Like it because you just do it, because that's what you want to do. You'll get good at it. You know, over time and and and and always you know, stays with yourself. And and that doesn't necessarily mean you got to write a show about a person who grew up in your hometown who came to Hollywood to try to be a writer because I always say, George Lucas didn't grow up flying spaceships, like whatever isn't you know your interests? Like write it right it all the time. Don't ask everybody that you know to you know, read you constantly. Like once you write it and it's really really good. Be happy that anybody reads anything that you give them. And please give them at least a couple of weeks even months to read it, because I think everybody in this room has had that person who's like, hey, man, you you read it. Yeah, I sent it to you at five pm. You know, like that's the thing. To read the scripts so hard. It took me even like I was just like, man like, it took me a while to learn how to read scripts. And even the best writer may have terrible advice for how to fix your scripts. So at the end of the day, you have to believe in it. You have to know how to fix it. I tell people, you know, when young writers asked me all the time, I say, you know, you've got to be really hard in your work, like extremely hard in your work. Make sure people who read it are not gonna be nice about it. But people who have good taste, but then also really make something because nobody wants to read the script, like I'd rather you send me a link to some ship I can watch and let me see how good you are, because I'm not about to read ten pages. Make something, make something. I would say, don't don't steal ideas, don't steal like like you know some young writers who go, oh, I like that, I'm going to write that, but that's already on. You know what do you like what you're saying? What are you passionate about? And Shonda Rhymes did say that and she said, don't steal, don't steal? Its crazy? Um, all right, well say something or my tripper, did you say something and you had no advice making? My advice actually would be if you want to be in a writer's room, it's to not only get good at writing, but you should maybe take an improv class if you're not good at being around people, because you can't. And by the way, that's my always my biggest advice, especially in comedy, my biggest advice for people who want to come up no matter what they want to do direct, act right anything. If you haven't done that much and you're still figuring out what you want to do. Take an improv class because you'll be around other people who have similar interests and then at some point you'll figure out, well, that person has an eye for something, this person is a better writer than an actor, and this person is a star in the making. You'll you'll create a network of people. Me and but Shier's first four way into this thing was just doing a sketch show with our friends, you know, for for no money at a theater and wow, we looked up one day and by the way, that was a hell of a sketch group. Our very first foray into anything was the form of a six person sketch group. I look back on who is in that sketch up was me and Basher? Why it's an that Robin thed and and Andrew Yarborough and nobody had done anything where we thought why it was the star because he had written, He had written on a season of King of the Hill. He was the start of the group because of that. So there you go. So yeah, I think writers, especially people want to get into TV film get so caught up in the How did right and I have to put interior exterior of this business is managing people and getting along with other people in personalities. And you can't read that in any books. I would say, work on your people skills too. Okay, well we learned a lot. That's good. Um okay, so I think we wrapped up our special Hollywood shuffle uh episode. You'll fix my freestyle, right, you'll fix my freestyle and the edit never asbout one take. We all got it. So by the way, yeah, ladies and gentlemen to my uh nine nerds. Oh look look you just step in the room. Boy, bye bye boy. Did you learn anything? Alright? Hilarious? Well, when you have a u oh wait, time out, I forgot y'all think I'm I'm bugging. I can't let this moment go by without a moment of oh god, yeah you make um Yes, I'm sorry, Bill, I gotta do this next. So let's go jump street, let's go come on now, uh one more time? One ways? Right, I don't know that should know? Is that? More like said I did you sell a little moonlighting? My advice? I got that one? Yeah, oh second, second, second, last one. Alright, alright, i'nna be happy. That was angry. That was a great way to spend three minutes. Thank you. Sorry, you know, I'm just wanting to be yeah before. By the way, that was the spokesperson for Cracker. My show on What's Love Supreme is a production of My Heart Radio. This classic episode was produced by the team at pandoram. For more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the I heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.