A show about showbiz: Steven Levitan's comedy ‘Reboot' follows a dysfunctional cast

The Business

KCRW

Tv & Film

4.6 • 676 Ratings

🗓️ 7 October 2022

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Steven Levitan was still working on his ABC’s hit-show “Modern Family'' when the network decided to revive the sitcom “Roseanne” after a 20-year hiatus. But after finishing its 10th season, the show was canceled under a cloud of internal rift between cast members and turmoil with ABC executives. That incident made Levitan reflect on the industry. “It made me think about what an interesting situation it is for people to come back together again after many years, and [how] in this business, sometimes when a project ends everybody has high hopes about what's up for them next, and maybe there are some deep feelings about each other,” he says. From that reflection, Levitan used the behind-the-scenes drama as inspiration to create “Reboot.” Now, he talks about some of the challenges of launching the show, having Hulu as its home, and the joys of having his show live on a streamer versus network television. First, Kim Masters and Matt Belloni look into Apple’s decision to release the film “Emancipation” starring Will Smith, as well as the “Rust” civil lawsuit settlement.

Transcript

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0:00.0	From KCRW, I'm Kim Masters, and this is the business.
0:05.7	Modern Family co-creator Stephen Levitan is, of course, a veteran of network television,
0:11.2	and his new comedy series reboot is now streaming on Hulu.
0:15.3	For those less experienced players trying to figure out a transforming Hollywood,
0:20.0	it might be some comfort to know that even
0:21.9	Levitan is finding it harder than ever to navigate in the town. I think they've been rejiggering
0:27.8	all their different streaming services, and that's been a challenge to try to learn what to produce
0:34.0	for who and what everybody's looking for. And this business has never changed so much so rapidly, I think, in history.
0:41.9	It's just like it's reinventing itself every few months.
0:44.9	Stephen Levittan talks about the delicate chemistry of casting and why at this point
0:49.9	he can't see himself creating another network show.
0:53.5	But first we banter. stick around. It's the
0:55.8	business from KCRW. I am joined by my associate in banter. Matt Bellany. Hello, Matt. Hi there.
1:02.6	So Apple has decided, I'm sure after much deliberation, to release the Will Smith movie
1:08.9	Emancipation in December, which puts it into awards contention.
1:13.3	There was a lot of debate about whether that was going to happen after the infamous slap and
1:17.1	what they should do and whether they should hold it.
1:20.0	My opinion is that, you know, they just figured it's not going to change with the passage of time
1:24.7	as if it's the first Will Smith project to be released,
1:31.0	and then they may as well go for it. It costs money for it to just be sitting there.
1:35.9	And there may be that curiosity factor, and I'm sure there'll be a lot of debate and publicity.
1:40.8	I would think that Will Smith won't get nominated, but if the film is worthy, you know, who knows?
	...

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