TV Confidential with Ed Robertson
Film, TV & Pop Culture
About
TV CONFIDENTIAL: A radio talk show about television brings you lively conversations every week with the stars, writers, directors and other creative people behind the scenes of some of America's most popular shows. An engaging blend of talk and entertainment, TV Confidential often compares today's programs with those of the '50s, '60s, '70s and '80s.
Episodes
- Lee Goldberg on his original series of novels based on Monk
TVC 736.4: While we're on the subject of TV tie-in novels, we thought we'd bring you an encore presentation of our August 2011 conversation with New York Times bestselling novelist and Edgar Award-nominated television writer and producer L…
- Lee Goldberg on his original novels based on Monk and Diagnosis Murder
TVC 736.5: From August 2011: New York Times bestselling novelist Lee Goldberg talks to Ed and Tony about the popularity of his Monk novel series; why he ended the Diagnosis Murder novel series after eight books; and how he and William Rabk…
- Raymond Burr wins his first Emmy for Perry Mason
TVC 735.3: From May 2014: Tony, Donna, and Ed take us back to May 6, 1959, the night on which Raymond Burr won his first Emmy Award as Best Dramatic Actor in Perry Mason (CBS, 1957-1966).
- Emmy Award-winning producer Charles Floyd Johnson on his path to becoming a writer
TVC 735.4: Ed welcomes Emmy Award-winning producer Charles Floyd Johnson ( The Rockford Files, Magnum, p.i., Quantum Leap, JAG, NCIS, Red Tails, John Lewis: Get in the Way ). Charles is also one of the six authors whose work is featured in…
- Charles Floyd Johnson on learning how to become vulnerable on the page
TVC 735.5: Emmy Award-winning producer Charles Floyd Johnson talks to Ed about his successful battle against cancer in 2020, and how his journey, in many ways, makes him a "poster child" for early detection. He also discusses the importanc…
- Charles Floyd Johnson, John Lewis, and Red Tails
TVC 735.6: Emmy Award-winning producer Charles Floyd Johnson talks to Ed about how he came to work on the groundbreaking PBS documentary John Lewis: Get in the Way ; why Red Tails , the award-winning feature motion picture about the Tuskeg…
- How Movin' On grew its core audience because of its early time slot
Please enjoy this preview of our upcoming conversation with Barry Weitz, co-creator and co-executive producer of Movin' On (NBC, 1974-1976), and Kathy Bird, author of Sundance Turns 50: The Amazing Legacy of Movin' On . In this segment Bar…
- The Art of Writing TV Tie-in Novels
Please enjoy this preview of our upcoming conversation with David Spencer, the author of The Novelizers: An Affectionate History of Media Adaptations and Originals, Their Astonishing Authors, and the Art of the Craft —a deep dive into the…
- Don Sainte-Johnn with a peek inside the world of Top 40 radio
Please enjoy this preview of our upcoming conversation with Hall of Fame radio broadcaster Don Sainte-Johnn . For more than twenty years, Don was one of the voices heard every day on KFRC, The Big 610 in San Francisco, the powerhouse stati…
- Why Quincy Jones was "the people groover"
TVC 734.1: Part 2 of a conversation that began last week with music journalist A. Scott Galloway about the life and legacy of producer, composer, arranger, and musician Quincy Jones . Scott not only interviewed Jones at the time of the rel…
- 50 Years of Wonder Woman on TV
TVC 734.2: From May 2012: An encore presentation of our conversation with Mike Pingel , author of Channel Surfing : Wonder Woman , everything you wanted to know about the classic TV series starring Lynda Carter and Lyle Waggoner. April 202…
- Kathleen Bradley takes us backstage at The Price is Right
TVC 734.4: Ed welcomes back Kathleen Bradley , the first African-American model to join ranks with Barker's Beauties on The Price is Right , and the actress known around the world as the voluptuous Mrs. Parker in the 1995 cult comedy Frida…
- Kathleen Bradley and The Love Machine
TVC 734.5: Kathleen Bradley shares a few memories with Ed about performing all over the world with The Love Machine , the popular female soul group of the 1970s (including the night when she experienced a wardrobe malfunction on live TV wh…
- Remembering Kimberly Johnson
TVC 733.1: From March 2014: Kimberly Johnson, daughter of Russell Johnson, joins Ed, Tony, Donna, and guest co-host Bill Funt as TV Confidential remembers the life and career of the actor known around the world as The Professor on Gilligan…
- More with Kimberly Johnson and Bill Funt
From March 2014: Kimberly Johnson, daughter of Russell Johnson, joins Ed, Tony, Donna, and guest co-host Bill Funt as TV Confidential remembers the life and career of the actor known around the world as The Professor on Gilligan's Island .…
- The "sound hooks" of Quincy Jones
TVC 733.4: Music journalist A. Scott Galloway joins Ed for a special appreciation of the life and legacy of Grammy Award-winning, Emmy Award-winning, and Tony Award-winning producer, composer, arranger, musician, and Renaissance man Quincy…
- Quincy Jones, Oliver Nelson, and Michael Jackson
TVC 733.5: Music journalist A. Scott Galloway talks to Ed about the collaboration between Quincy Jones and Oliver Nelson on the film score for The Pawnbroker , the first film for which Jones composed music (the conversation particularly fo…
- Denise Nicholas, author of Finding Home
TVC 732.4: Ed welcomes Denise Nicholas, the Golden Globe-nominated actress known to television audiences for her starring roles in Room 222 and In the Heat of the Night , and the author of Freshwater Road , the critically acclaimed novel t…
- Denise Nicholas on "finding a way in" as a writer
TVC 732.5: Actress and novelist Denise Nicholas ( Room 222 , In the Heat of the Night, Freshwater Road ) talks to Ed about working with Sidney Poitier as a director three times (and how she particularly relished the comedic roles she playe…
- Nick Leisure, director of the new action thriller Golden
TVC 732.6: Ed welcomes director and producer Nick Leisure. Known for crafting grounded, character-driven thrillers with strong visual language with performance-driven storytelling, Nick developed his cinematic style combines from his exper…
- Actor and director Wayne Péré
TVC 731.1: TV Confidential commemorates the recent passing of Chuck Norris by bringing you an encore of our conversation with Wayne Péré, the actor known to fans of Walker: Texas Ranger as the villainous Victor LaRue. At the time we spoke…
- How Wayne Péré approaches playing villainous characters
TVC 731.2: From November 2018: Actor and director Wayne Péré talks to Ed about his approach to playing villains in movies and on television (including a few more memories of playing Victor LaRue on Walker: Texas Ranger ); his approach to p…
- More with Wayne Péré
TVC 731.3: From November 2018: Actor and director Wayne Péré talks to Ed about how he sometimes creates his own back story for the characters as he prepares to play them; and the difference between playing a fictional character and a chara…
- Sheree J. Wilson on making a sequel (and prequel) to Easy Rider
TVC 731.4: TV Confidential commemorates the recent passing of Chuck Norris by bringing you an encore of our conversation with actress and producer Sheree J. Wilson ( Dallas, Walker: Texas Ranger ). At the time we spoke to Sheree in Septemb…
- Sheree J. Wilson, Chuck Norris, and Walker: Texas Ranger
TVC 731.5: From September 2013: Sheree J. Wilson shares a few memories of starring with Chuck Norris on Walker: Texas Ranger , including how the series had struggled to find its footing early on, including several changes in production sta…
- Sheree J. Wilson, Larry Hagman, and Dallas
TVC 731.6: From September 2013: Sheree J. Wilson talks to Ed about her close friendship with Larry Hagman in the twenty years after Dallas left the air, including traveling with Hagman and his family on many occasions, and spending quality…
- Michael Preece on directing Dallas and Walker: Texas Ranger
TVC 731.7: TV Confidential concludes its remembrance of Chuck Norris by bringing you a clip of our 2012 conversation with longtime television director Michael Preece (Dallas, Walker: Texas Ranger, The Streets of San Francisco, MacGyver ).…
- Robert Illes, Sanford and Son, and Fernwood Tonight
TVC 730.4: Part 2 of a conversation that began last week with two-time Emmy Award-winning writer and producer Robert Illes ( The Carol Burnett Show, Sanford and Son, Fernwood Tonight, Lily, Silver Spoons, Sister, Sister ). Bob's memoir, Fu…
- Robert Illes, Carol Burnett, and Captain and Tennille
TVC 730.5: Emmy Award-winning writer and producer Robert Illes talks to Ed about working with producer Alan Thicke behind the scenes of Fernwood Tonight ; writing for Toni Tennille, Daryl Dragon, and John Byner on the Captain and Tennille…
- Robert Illes, Sister Sister, and Funny is Money
TVC 730.6: Emmy Award-winning writer and producer Robert Illes talks to Ed about meeting and sometimes writing for many of the iconic performers that he grew up watching on TV as a kid; working on his own for the first time after a twenty-…
- Robert Illes, author of Funny is Money
TVC 729.1: Ed welcomes two-time Emmy Award-winning writer and producer Robert Illes ( The Carol Burnett Show, Sanford and Son, Fernwood Tonight, Lily, Silver Spoons, Sister, Sister ). Bob's memoir, Funny is Money , is a humorous, irreveren…
- Robert Illes, Bill Cosby, and Stanley Ralph Ross
TVC 729.2: Emmy Award-winning writer and producer Robert Illes talks to Ed about how he and James Stein got their first big break in television when they wrote the weekly monologue for comedian Bill Cosby on The New Bill Cosby Show (CBS, 1…
- How George Burns Influenced Many TV Comedy Writers
TVC 729.3: From March 2016: Tony, Donna, and Ed discuss the influence of comedian George Burns on two generations of TV comedy writers. George Burns died on Mar. 9, 1996 as part of This Week in TV History.
- Stefanie Powers on sharing her passion for conservationism
TVC 729.4: Ed welcomes back renowned actress, author, and conservationist Stefanie Powers ( Hart to Hart , The Girl from U.N.C.L.E ., One from the Hart ). The United Nations recently honored Stefanie as an Agent of Change in recognition fo…
- 50 Years of Family
TVC 726.5: From March 2016: Tony, Donna, and Ed remember the premiere of the Emmy Award-winning drama Family (ABC, 1976-1980) as part of This Week in TV History.
- A Century of Joe Franklin
TVC 726.6: From February 2014: Ed and guest co-host Phil Gries welcome Joe Franklin, the legendary TV talk show host whose popular weekday talk show, Joe Franklin's Memory Lane , not only aired every day on New York television for more tha…
- Joe Franklin's Most Influential Guests
TVC 726.7: Ed and guest co-host Phil Gries play more of their conversation with legendary TV talk show host Joe Franklin. Our conversation with Joe originally aired in February 2014, eleven months before his passing in January 2015. Thursd…
- The Infectious Personality of Barry Morse
TVC 728.1: Part 2 of a conversation that began last week with authors, playwrights, and producers Anthony Wynn and Robert Wood. Tony and Bob's latest book, Two for the Road , chronicles the lifelong love story of Barry Morse and his wife o…
- Neil Sedaka and Aldon Music
TVC 728.2: TV Confidential remembers Neil Sedaka, the Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, and pianist who sold millions of records worldwide and who wrote or co-wrote more than five hundred songs for himself and other artists in a car…
- Neil Sedaka, Harvey Lisberg, and Captain and Tennille
TVC 728.3: Our remembrance of Neil Sedaka continues with clips from our conversation from March 2024 with legendary music manager Harvey Lisberg about "Is This the Way to Amarillo," the Sedaka-penned song that became a huge hit in 1971 for…
- The Rise of Pro Basketball in Philadelphia
TVC 728.4: Ed welcomes back actor, author, and documentary filmmaker James Rosin . Jim wrote, produced, and directed Philly Hoops , a deep dive into the early years of one of the NBA's most storied franchises, The Philadelphia Warriors (no…
- Will Chamberlain's 100-point game
TVC 728.5: Actor, author, and documentary filmmaker James Rosin talks to Ed about Wilt Chamberlain's historic 100-point game for the Philadelphia Warriors, which occurred on Mar. 2, 1962 in Hershey, Pennsylvania (the Warriors beat the New…
- The Philadelphias SPHAs and the Harlem Globetrotters
TVC 728.6: Actor, author, and documentary filmmaker James Rosin talks to Ed about how the Philadelphia SPHAs, the first professional basketball team in Philadelphia, were also one of the best teams on the East Coast during the first part o…
- Tribute to Rob Reiner
TVC 727.1: Tony Figueroa and Donna Allen join Ed for an expanded edition of This Week in TV History that remembers Rob Reiner, the Emmy Award-winning actor and writer and Academy Award-nominated director and producer who died tragically on…
- Rob Reiner, The Smothers Brothers, and The Rockford Files
TVC 727.2: Tony, Donna, and Ed discuss Rob Reiner's experience as a staff writer for The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (CBS, 1967-1969), as well as some of Reiner's notable "non-Meathead" roles on television, including his guest appearance…
- Rob Reiner, Castle Rock, and Seinfeld
TVC 727.3: Tony, Donna, and Ed discuss Rob Reiner's production company, Castle Rock Entertainment, which produced, among other things, the long-running sitcom Seinfeld ; the role that Reiner played in bringing Michael McKean and David L. L…
- Rob Reiner: Extra Portion
TVC 727.3a: Tony, Donna, and Ed discuss some of the lighter moments between Mike and Archie on All in the Family ; why it was notable that many episodes of All in the Family took place on a Sunday; and how Rob Reiner created Norman Lear wi…
- The Love Letters of Barry Morse and Sydney Sturgess
TVC 727.4: Ed welcomes back authors, playwrights, and producers Anthony Wynn and Robert Wood. Tony and Bob worked closely with actor Barry Morse on numerous projects during the last thirteen years of Barry's life, including the publication…
- Barry Morse and The Performing Arts Lodges of Toronto
TVC 727.5: Barry Morse biographers Anthony Wynn and Robert Wood talk to Ed about how Morse helped start PAL, the Performing Arts Lodges of Toronto (the Canadian equivalent of the Motion Pictures Actors Home in Woodland Hill, CA), shortly a…
- Barry Morse, June Lockhart, and Barbara Bain
TVC 727.6: Barry Morse biographers Anthony Wynn and Robert Wood share some behind-the-scenes stories about the benefit productions of Love Letters from 1995 (featuring Barry Morse and June Lockhart) and from 1999 (with Morse and Barbara Ba…