Mike White

This week on The Treatment, Elvis welcomes actor Bob Odenkirk, star of “Better Call Saul,” which is in its final season on AMC. Odenkirk also wrote the memoir “Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama” about his long and ultimately satisfying career in television. Next, Bomani Jones, host of HBO’s “Game Theory with Bomani Jones,” talks about the challenge in having nuanced conversations about the intersection of sports and culture. And finally, on The Treat, “Rutherford Falls” co-creator Sierra Teller Ornelas talks about the impact of the film “The Godfather” on her as a storyteller.

11 Juni 202258min

This week on The Treatment, Elvis welcomes comedian and director Jerrod Carmichael, who explores truth and honesty in his HBO special “Rothaniel” and his feature directorial debut “On the Count of Three.” Next,  Paula Pell, one of the stars of Peacock’s “Girls5eva” talks about coming into her prime as a performer in her fifties. And finally, on The Treat, director John Waters reveals the 1940s film that set him on his unique and outrageous career path.

4 Juni 202259min

This week on The Treatment, Elvis welcomes Robin Thede, creator and star of HBO’s “A Black Lady Sketch Show” to talk about the groundbreaking show’s cinematic look and multi-layered approach to comedy. Then “Rutherford Falls” co-creator Sierra Teller Ornelas joins us to discuss some of the absurd situations she has found herself in as a Native American that have found their way into the show. And finally, for The Treat, culture critic Gerrick Kennedy talks about the impact of Whitney Houston’s 1998 album “My Love is Your Love.”

28 Maj 202259min

This week on The Treatment, Elvis welcomes back Academy Award winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black. Black’s newest project is as executive producer and showrunner of the FX limited series “Under the Banner of Heaven,” streaming on Hulu. The series is adapted from Jon Krakauer’s book of the same name. Black won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for “Milk” in 2009. Black, a former member of the Mormon church, tells The Treatment about his own complicated relationship to the church and why he was drawn to the story. He says while he originally tried to adapt the book into a screenplay, the story was too complex to be condensed into two hours. And he says the series is a warning for people who don’t question documents written hundreds or even thousands of years ago.

21 Maj 202230min

This week on The Treatment, Elvis welcomes back Alex Kurtzman, co-creator, along with Jenny Lumet, of the adaptation of “The Man Who Fell to Earth” on Showtime. Kurtzman directed the film “People Like Us” and is the co-writer of several films, including “Transformers” and “The Amazing Spider-Man 2.” “The Man Who Fell to Earth” is an adaptation of the 1976 film starring David Bowie, which was an adaptation of the Walter Tevis novel by the same name. Kurtzman tells the Treatment that while he had reservations about adapting the cult favorite, he believed he and Lumet could bring something new to the story. He says star Chiwetel Ejiofor was an ideal actor to collaborate with because of their similarly cerebral approaches to the text. And he says the pandemic afforded him the time to deepen the music choices in the series.

10 Maj 202230min

This week on The Treatment, Elvis welcomes back actress Molly Shannon, who is currently starring in the Showtime series “I Love That for You” and has written a memoir “Hello, Molly!” Shannon, a “Saturday Night Live” alum, has also recently appeared in the HBO series “The White Lotus” and “The Other Two.” Shannon, who lost her mother and sister in a car accident as a young girl, tells The Treatment she began her memoir with the accident because it deeply impacted the direction of her life. She talks about the genesis of her SNL Catholic school girl character Mary Katherine Gallagher. And she says her father was her biggest cheerleader and her first acting teacher.

3 Maj 202230min

This week on The Treatment, Elvis welcomes back Emmy-winning actor Bill Hader, who is also the co-creator of the HBO series “Barry,” which has just returned for its third season. Hader also was a cast member on “Saturday Night Live” for eight seasons. Hader tells The Treatment one of the keys to the distinctive tone of “Barry” is taking away the idea of genre. He says the third season deals more directly with the consequences of several of the characters’ actions. And he explains why when writing the show, Barry is often the last character he thinks about.

26 Apr 202230min

This week on The Treatment, Elvis welcomes director Maureen Bharoocha whose newest film is “The Prank,” starring Rita Moreno. Bharoocha is also the director of “Golden Arm,” an arm wrestling comedy. Bharoocha tells The Treatment she wanted to transcend movie genres with “The Prank” and not just stay in the comedy or thriller category. She says part of the fun of featuring the legendary Moreno in the film was having the actress play a strict teacher, a character she never played before. And Bharoocha says her characters may have been inspired by her stubborn and strong grandmothers.

19 Apr 202230min