'Shogun,' 'The Bear' primed for Emmys, Jeff Bridges back with 'The Old Man' | Streamed &...

[Music] welcome everyone to another episode of streamed and screened and entertainment podcast about movies and TV from Lee Enterprises I'm Terry liet's managing editor of the national Newsroom at Lee and co-host of the program with Bruce Miller editor of the Sous City Journal and a longtime entertainment reporter now we positioned ourselves as a movie and TV podcast but this is TV central this week I mean this is TV TV TV it's TV week it's the big Emy coming up but you know we had emys earlier this year but were just late and now this is actually the real time for emys they usually try to do it before the start of the new season so we're getting them now but you're gonna go when was that do I remember that show is it this season or is it last season so but they've already given out the creative EMS those were done last weekend and that's where we kind of got a snapshot of what could be coming this this Sunday Shogun just cleaned house house and it's like is this the only thing they watched you had a little problem finishing it off I know it so I'm assuming everyone that voted for Shogun didn't do what I did and and wait until 10 o'clock at night to start watching episodes and kind of plowed through it at a normal Pace because my problem was is I watched it late at night my eyes would get sleepy and they're all speaking Japanese so I couldn't I couldn't keep up with the the reading the subtitles yeah so it's a little bit you know in my defense it was really tough I I like the show I think we talked about this previously I enjoyed the show I thought it was good I thought it was very well done I mean from a technical standpoint storytelling and everything but it was 10 episodes and each episode was an hour I mean it's a lot to get through and I I don't know if if we needed 10 episodes of Shogun because it the way the Arc was on it like the first episode or two pretty good middle kind of got a little bit sluggish and then the last two or three episodes I thought were really really well done maybe if they gave me six condensed episodes I would have been just like this is the greatest show ever um but if you're asking me you know is it the best drama um I I don't know you know it was really well done I mean it's it's I'm glad it's not in the limited series now because I would I would really have a hard time figuring out you know what does it deserve but it's one of those little Prestige things that they say well look at the money they spent on the costumes and the sets look at the you know the Artistry of the whole thing look at how they're writing the ship and it's not a bunch of you know old Hollywood guys making this they actually have Japanese people involved so there's a lot of patting themselves on the back for doing the right thing but I think if you were and I that's a default where you just go well when I'm voting I'll vote for this because it I won't get in trouble for picking something off the beam you know it's not like I'm I'm picking some show that nobody watches and it has that that factor that you need to win so it's going to be big on Sunday you'll probably see hero the guy who uh the Japanese guy who plays the leading Japanese role and who kind of shephered this thing ever since he was a kid he's been an actor in Japan and um has wanted to do this and is now producing it and so there's a big kind of story there and stories go over extremely well he will probably win the show will probably win Anna awai will win you know so there's a whole herd there I don't know that a supporting actor will win there are nominees there I think they're pretty good for the the top ones and they probably get directing and writing too I will give it I I mean he was probably the most compelling actor in that whole series I mean I always thought that when he was on screen the best things were happening he just he just drew me in and and absolutely deserves the uh the best actor for a drama Terry he's one of the nicest people you'd ever meet he was before they aired this you know we had a chance to visit with them and and uh ask questions and he was just so sweet about everything and so grateful for everything that was happening with this and we really thought it was a oneand done it was this miniseries and then what next aay will be a well-deserved reward for sticking with it all these years I mean the thing the big question for me is will I actually commit to watching season 2 and that's I'm curious to see where it goes when it comes out what's the storyline is it picking up is it any of the same characters or is it just telling a whole news story in a different slightly different era I'm I'm curious about that because I'm not sure you know as I said with with my struggles getting through it just because of of you know it is I mean you've got to commit to to being awake awake and alert if you're going to read subtitles if you don't speak the native language and and it's just it's tough you know to find carve out the time for me to do it so I'm really going to have to think about it but at the same time it was good I wanted to see more you may go for the six episode format maybe you may go for eight so you know that's a way of keeping you in the fold six you could do I could easily because that's what I said is is you know the first couple awesome the last three were amazing it's just it I I felt like it it really kind of got bogged down in the middle I mean there was a lot a lot to tell and it just it got it it just felt sluggish to me after a while um you know and it was hard for me to commit the time to watch it but you know in somewhat related news the other one that a lot of people are talking about is in comedy and it's the bear which is is it really a comedy is it not that doesn't matter this year because they've already given it seven Awards right and the one that you were talking about when when this season debuted you know a year ago and you're like watch for it it's gonna happen jaim Lee Curtis is going to West best guest she did and she did because it's the even though it was the creative Awards this past weekend with you know music and and design and and casting and all that stuff they did have some Awards it was kind of like those tertiary ones not quite best actor supporting but it was yeah she was amazing and that episode was just Bonkers off the- wall and and she nailed it yeah and and then the the guy who plays the the brother who's no longer with us he won too so there's two of the acting of prizes that they could get more than likely Jeremy uh White will win best actor I don't think though that his co-star will win best actress because she's going to be up against Jean Smart and I think Jean SM will have that one and then supporting H we'll see Evan Moss Back wck will probably repeat I don't know if it can go beyond that and others are nominated from the show every who's on the show is nominated it's such a great ensemble cast but I wish it would move to drama yeah yeah it's not it's it's it is a bit of a dark comedy but it is it's I feel it's more of a drama that has moments of levity than than being a true comedy you know slapstick and and another one which is kind of you know is it a is it a comedy is it more of a drama is it a dramedy it's it's the one that everyone else is talking about for the limited series and that's baby reindeer and that has already gotten a couple of awards but its big strength is in the acting writing direct so it could have a huge night I think it will I think it'll win limit series actor supporting actress I think it has a real shot but you know it's not predetermined well I guess it is determined because there's an envelope somewhere that has people's names in it right now and they're scratching it out right right exactly but who you know where do you see spoilers out there are there any any in particular that you might sneak it out like you know could Larry David get some love in the last season of kirb your enthusiasm he might but you know what when he plays himself I think that one of those things where they it's like Jerry Seinfeld they gave him one but they figure no more we don't need any more with that so I think they're they're kind of in a no a no Zone best supporting actress in a comedy Merill Streep is considered the Bigfoot there because she was in um murd in the building she could easily lose to Hannah einbinder who is the daughter of Lorraine Newman from Saturday Night Live who's the the the second the writer the young writer on hacks and I think they're seeing that that is kind of her year now the one we haven't even mentioned is Abbot Elementary and they've got a lot of nominations but I think they've had their moment I think they're going to go yeah maybe next year we'll come back to you but not this year is Aid Elementary pretty much the only traditional TV no I mean it's all it's all cable and streaming Giants now I mean you you look at a list of the preliminary winners now the early ones Shogun FX The Bear FX then we get a network one but it's Saturday Night Live and that's NBC and then you don't get anything until from the networks until the Oscars right it's the Oscar ceremony you know so it's Netflix it's uh Amazon and Disney and apple got a little something in there but networks good luck CBS they had that Billy Joel special that got cut off at the end I mean it's like specials are getting it for the networks but not series at all yeah it's yeah it's it's a tough time to be a uh a series it's like the voters the voters aren't buying any kind of uh network shows it's like no I think we'll go to these other ones who can give us some [Music] employment I don't watch Network TV I mean like I there's a couple shows here and there that I'll pick up but it's like I turn on network TV when I want to watch you know football on a Sunday or or or an occasional event thing but they do there are good shows and there are some good shows coming up for the next season that are good but yeah I don't know I you know I was Allin for American Ninja Warrior and that ended this week and I thought you know this could be one that they don't have to have as just a summer series they could throw it back on Dancing With the Stars is coming you see how they've created events that's what they're looking for but it it is a sad day because when you think about Network they used to always be the purveyors of the best Series yeah it's it's really changed I mean you know initially you had cable wasn't even eligible you had the cable Ace Awards they couldn't because it just didn't fall into the guidelines and and TV's changed so much I mean you know it used to be you were it was like 22 Episodes made a season and you know you had to pump pump those out all year and now it's you know like Eight Episodes and yeah sure that's that's fine that's a series well and six six that was a cancelled show the years before you know six episodes I don't think I got to know who the characters were by six yeah it takes me like it takes me that long just to figure out you know what's that guy's name again it was funny to um I was looking through some of the creative Awards and uh I think it was like how I met your father that that cancelled Hulu show got got a couple emys and I thought you know um I do remember the episode that that got a couple nods and I thought yeah that was actually a pretty good episode I watched the show um it was fine it wasn't great it wasn't like the original but I that's always that kind of Bittersweet moment if you're a program getting uh a Parting Gift a Parting Gift here's your statue you can put it on the shelf of wherever you're going next because you're not working on this show anymore and one of the the winners talked about please don't let this category disappear because uh there are very few that meet that requirement of being you know a a liveaction kind of film before an audience with you know lighting and whatever because they want to just do all those kind of mockumentaries for the most part it is I you know you don't even hear that anymore you remember you you turn on your uh your mustsee TV on NBC your C ABS or ab and and the the scene would open it would be that opening scene at the bar of shears and you'd hear like Ted dance and say you know cheers is filmed before live studio audience what's a dead studio audience yeah I know how I I hope it's live but you don't even hear that anymore because it's it's we've we've moved Beyond whether it's live laughter or canned laughter there's just it's just filmed I mean there's like no Studio audiences out there anymore well some of the ones that you know there is it's very easy to get tickets so if you go to Hollywood and you want to see a show and they're filming during the time Universal Studios has a booth where you can go and get tickets so there is an ability but sometimes there's shows that nobody's ever heard of and so they're not even to go and they bust in like prisoners to watch these things it shaves like minutes off of your sentence like you you got to watch some just God aul whatever and I survived you wear the p and the says I survived whatever made it through the whole run yeah no I I think Sunday show will be good it's being hosted by the shitz creek guys and they had to do all theirs by Zoom when they won so maybe there'll be a lot of fun with that as opposed to you know a huge if it's going to be at a theater or if it's going to be in a uh you know a Sound Stage or whatever it'll be a different a different vibe and we'll see how those two do right it'd be fun too I mean we don't know what'll happen but it would be fun if maybe they re you know bring the cast back together and maybe do a skid or something that that would be fun Katherine O'Hara is out there anyway she's pushing Beetle Juice Beetle Juice I it's done de they'll probably do like the episode that you didn't get to see of shit's cre where are they now or whatever I think they'll they'll ref reference it at some point but yeah so watch on Sunday night and you'll see I think business as usual I'm going to predict that but um I think you'll also see a different attitude because everybody is worried about the business that there isn't going to be enough work for everybody and I think that will be a theme through the um the acceptance speeches yeah who knows 10 years from now and the award for best AI generated program goes to oh Dark Day in television but you know beyond beyond the Emmy Awards I mean we are coming full steam ahead Into The Fall season and and uh we're we're heading back in programs are coming back and you have an interview with a very famous movie actor who's found another you know project but this is kind of like like so many you know who you to you wouldn't do if you were a big-time actor you would never do TV because TV is beneath you it's low budget they don't have good storytelling but everybody's doing it now because there's some great stuff streaming which is almost better than movies half the time well I told her I was going to do the interview and you asked me to ask about the dude and I dude yes and yeah it's for the Old Man starring Jeff Bridges and John lithco and I had a chance to talk to Jeff and Amy brenaman who plays kind of his helper in this whole thing he's a CIA operative who's trying to lay low throughout all of this but there's trouble and Afghanistan is blowing up and he's got to go and rescue somebody that's as much as I dare tell you because it would give away too much one of the things I you'll hear in the interview is I mentioned well they're all good except the second one and you know he's kind of taking it back the second one and he's not in the second episode you know naively I'm assuming that he doesn't think that one's as good because he's not in it but he had a lot to say about moving over to television and what that's all been about he was um sick during the first first series so it took him forever to get that thing off the off the dime and then now he's much better he's very active in this one he rides a horse he's in the back of a truck he's wrestling with people Here There and Everywhere he's in a cave so there's a lot for him to do and he loves it he's the thing that he's surprised by is that they have a different director every week he's not used to that when you make a movie you got the same guy throughout the whole thing so yeah so here's Jeff Bridges Amy brenaman for the old man the old man is a lot more active this year than he was the first year was there a reason for that or did you say I want to do a little bit more no that's just what happens you know in this uh series type thing you don't know what what the future holes in store you going in we didn't have an idea exactly where we were going were you surprised surprised when they said oh you're going to ride a horse then you're going to roll around in the back of a truck yeah yeah that's what's kind of wild yeah I love the surprise it's true well Amy when did they say to you and then you're gonna come in later in the show um I knew that and so I think I did a play or so I was like when am I coming back yeah I knew that and I knew that they we were just going to be in Afghanistan you know which um yeah no I think what's interesting for Zoe is that you know she continues to be sort of the the the audience or the one person who's not involved with this like history um you know decades long story so um so she's always a bit of the Observer and I think that with this structure even more because there's enormous things that happen that I was I don't know about but um then he comes back in to the world well Jeff how much of this do you know before you go into the season do you know the whole AR no nothing man really nothing and but again as the title uh implies I'm an old man I forget stuff no I I can't remember exactly I mean generally you know we are so blessed to have John Steinberg at the hell heets our showrunner and the writer of our show and he's such a good uh writer I'm always surprised and pleased with what he brings uh for us to carry out I feel like what we or what I was told anyway I don't know about you but sort of which is the only thing I really need to know about is like kind of big archetypal stuff right and so in the first one it's like okay Zoe goes from being disempowered to finding some agency in her life right and then in the second season it's like what is this relationship you know so it's almost like with the details of it are kind of less to me as an actor but it's like what is this Soul working on you know what's what's on her Marine I would worry that I would do something that would be negated in a later episode you know where you go that you know that is sort of in a way the kind of downside as an actor normally when you get a script right name you look at it and you say oh this is setting up this down the line now we don't really know setups so we find out things that oh it's interesting I was setting up this thing that I didn't even know about but it's happening now and it's interesting to go back and look at the setup and I said oh that's not bad like it was very unintentional but life is that way too but I'm also I am Jeff bres is my my hero and my mentor in every way but I have done wor serious television than you have oh that happens all the time it's like I have a brother like what the hell it's so wild but it's very lifelike right right Jeff do you like do you like the way television unfolds or I do it's very fresh and like you know Amy's much you more experienced at it but it's for me uh yeah it's very uh very refreshing I went in with a lot of uh uh trepidation you know whether I was going to dig it or not because when I started out it was always you know movies you know were more important and better done and so forth and my father Lloyd Bridget is who had a hit series in the 60s seot you know he had several series Hardy were and he was disappointed that it was kind of rushed and didn't give the quality because he also had done Bel so I I was concerned about that but then I started to see you know some of the great product coming out of television and I said don't be ridiculous man you know checking out and so uh you know I'm so glad I did because it's proven that it's no different than making movies as far as uh care and the the the people that have been assembled I mean know we've worked with some just great cat as right a and the directors and and the directors they're all this is something new to me too all the directors are different each show and the camera people are all different and uh I've dug every one of them theyve just been cast so well everything except for episode two episode two I don't know that you're in it that much but let me just say that when you say episode two season two yeah you're you got you're not in it oh but yeah but you let me just talk about aliia uh shock cat who is one of our partners in this thing she is so remarkable and I love you know you look at the have you seen her stuff a I mean you know and it's just remarkable and so exciting it adds a whole new level to everything but this allows you to revisit a character um and Amy you've had that experience how many times but Jeff have you ever wanted to revisit a char you've done perhaps in the movies where you go oh I want to go back I just did it with Tron oh in Tron yes darl always playing the main guy but my guy gets to come back and it's wonderful to be a part of that whole thing do you like that though coming back and saying oh what what happened to this one of course of course it's fun would the dude ever come back I'd be up for I don't think the brothers would be the brothers aren't down for that well try something different right oh I also like um uh you know I ran a theater company for years I like company I like when when people stay together for a while and almost every movie or or play as in finite things if it's a good experience it's like let's do it again and it's very hard to reassemble just because of life being life but you know companies in in uh in television exist over time you know and so we always joke that we've you know we've not each other come this is our fifth year in iversary honey years ago yeah we only done two really so we've just gotten to exist over time and covid and illness and Don would say um yeah strikes but you know the fall of Afghan the actual fall of Afghanistan was during the shooting of this you know so the world keeps happening that and we're sort of dialoguing with it in an interesting way did you actually be like these characters that where you keep these secrets where you go holy man how do you keep that secret I could never do it I'm a terrible Secret Keeper oh yeah it's me too when I find out and get some information about this show I really wanted to tell Sue my wife about it you know but she says no no I'm watching it as the thing so I can't tell her she wants to see it unfold as it as reviewer yeah when you look at this how long can this go I I I have like a seven-year contract but I think Jeff's contract is only three years so I don't know what's going to be happening um I will say Steinberg know thinks like um think in my view thinks like a playright like he really has always seen this as a three act play so we don't know if there's a season three but certainly certainly The Way season two ends Jeff that is not the end of the story that's the beginning of a whole other chapter of a story like what we're talking about here where it's leading John has leaked some of and it's just shocking yeah that last scene so I'm like I if there isn't a season 3 this is like not great ending of the story if you're you know if you're lucky when you're working on a project for me anyway this is the case when it starts doing you you know you're not doing it you're not trying to F it starts to telling you what it wants you know and that's what's happening on this one the story it's and John doesn't know he doesn't know morphing and going and what the what the show doesn't want you might try something and you go no you won't stay it's this this is what it is you know so it's fascinating to be a part of that artistic momentum yeah how does John lith Go's um method of of acting fit with yours are you are you three all together in this or is it a different kind of a situation for me I mean I was only with Jeff really the whole season one so I was just I feel like we were just Golden Retriever puppies in a box it was very physical and the characters are physical and we are physical people um and John I really hadn't worked with that much but you know I was thinking Jeff the um you know the end of of episode five when we're in the kitchen when you're washing your hands that was a that was a scene that needed some some massaging that the the the words didn't quite make sense and I really always treasure that because all three of us you know we've we we all respectful of the process but but there is a moment where it's like this is not quite you know ready to go and that I really I feel like we were all feeling the same thing had different ways of going about it but um and we were right and it got better and it's the tone that the directors and starts say up in Warren Littlefield our real great producer creates this atmosphere of letting the artists do their thing and I'm so supportive and uh we're all you know working together on this that yeah I talking about John and whether our acting Styles match or how I they fit they kind of fit his acting they fit me likeing love you know all the actors have approach it in a different way depending on what their experience has been in the past and John and I have a lot of experiences to share we both come from Showbiz family so there's that whole thing and also uh and I don't even well it's a combination between unconscious and and conscious but you know we're playing dear friends right who've known each other for a long time and just generally I find actors so willing to open their hearts and be close and be be friends both John and I you know I don't like I say I don't think it was the conscious thing like we've got to be friends let's get into this sh you know it wasn't like that we just kind of leaned into it naturally and I find actors do that do you Amy that's just we enjoy like like a a company working together I'm not alone in this you know but you you and you and um John and I I feel this way Alli is the same way it it it's so not neurotic or power hungry a healthy actor will do that right and an unhealthy actor an erotic actor or a vain actor or teranoid actor we've all seen that too and I think that because John and Jeff are so healthy as humans they're happy people they have nice I mean it's you know they we're together day after day so it's like oh so then it just becomes about doing good work and being supportive of one another but you know there's no power trips there's no you know and I think given Jeff's sta stature and John's stature you know people come in I see the day players like what's it going to be like and it's so warm and it's so you know which is not to say if if the we we struggle to get things right nobody's afraid to to to feel passionately it's not like we're on eggshells with one another but it's always about getting the scene right thanks for for That interview always good to hear Jeff brid's voice one of my favorite actors you know Amy brenaman uh she's been around for a long time she's done a lot of movies a lot of TV of course but one of the first uh movies like big movies that she did and had a had a really co-starring uh uh appearance was heat uh opposite of Robert DeNiro she she played his love interest if you recall from that film way back wow you know isn't isn't it funny how there are ones like Renee Russo um you can pick them off and they all were kind of the girlfriend of interestingly television helps them Elevate to their own character I mean it's fascinating to see that that kind of parade of girlfriends of then they also say these days you know some 60 70 year old guy is not going to have a 50 or 60y old girlfriend so there's that whole is this really right should we be doing this but she she had a nice run too recently on The Leftovers on HBO yeah she's had a lot of U of strong you know what Judging Amy she was the lead on that forever and she says she likes doing theater so that's another option you know but it's you know I saw the name like when I when I was looking to see who you had interviewed this week uh when you were sending me the audio and and you know of course I was expecting Jeff Bridges but then Amy brenman is like oh I remember her from heat she was and that was that was such a long long time ago and I had just just watched that movie again I I kind that's one of those movies where when I want to watch a movie that I've seen a million times but it never gets old for me and it's such a long movie but I I just love that movie it's it's the shootout scene is really sure the the bank heist and oh it's just and and Pacino and and dairo not to go off on a tangent here but but you know dairo and Pacino I remember that being the the selling point it's like the two of them are together and they're only together for like five minutes on screen I mean because they're going in opposite paths and you know they just kind of cross briefly in the middle and then at the end and that's it but yeah Amy Bram and heat as as Ed who uh was Robert Dao's love interest in that so now you're you're recommending that as the offshoot to watch this week yes so you know watch the old man then watch Heat and then watch the big Labowski and there you go you've got lots of of options there with Jeff Bridges Amy brenman and uh you know younger and uh older couldn't you see though Jeff Bridges he had in one of those uh seasons of Fargo yes he but I can see him in so many things I mean I could see him in Fargo I could see him showing up on like you know the earning show as a as an executive producer uh on that program I could see I could see him doing anything like you he just he could just step into anything he just all he has to do is he has to trim his beard a little bit cut his hair a little bit right because that's what he always does you know and then he lets it grow out again so he just you know he's got to get into a look whatever look is is required for the program or the movie and then he can kind of sail into something else he's just such a dynamic multi-purpose whatever you give him it just works he's in his Sam Elliott phase of life right now I wonder whether his wife thinks of it though you know she has to live with this this character for how long you go all right I think it's time let's cut the hair right exactly it's like you need to get back to work CU you need a haircut I don't need the dude at the house just lying around doing nothing all day I want to have Tucker bring me Tucker yeah oh yeah there's another one that's a good movie too so all right well on that note thank you again for listening and we will be back again next week with another episode of streamed and screened