The defining problem of contemporary television is trust: Can you believe what you see on television, does television treat people fairly, is it healthy for society?
TV has gone back to basics, relating to middle class family with real characters, less make-up and simple shots. I feel as an actor it is a delight to work in such shows.
Can you imagine watching 'All in the Family' and having an outlet like Twitter? Where you could discuss it while it's happening? I think that would be a really interesting thing.
I'm obsessed with 'Girls.'
The problem, when comparing contemporary television to television in 1974, is that TV has become not just bad but sad.
It's the cable shows that are really the most interesting - 'Mad Men,' 'Breaking Bad,' those shows are really the premiere shows on television right now.
There's no mistaking the fact that some of the best longform fiction out there now is in American television. 'The Wire' and 'Deadwood' and 'The Sopranos.'
Many TV shows these days have rural flavor, but in terms of content, they are all family politics.
I like the show [Factor] because it's horny, but it's not skeevy. Where else are you going to get that nowadays?
I've never seen 'Mad Men.' I've never seen 'Breaking Bad.' I've never seen 'The Sopranos.' These sort of seminal shows.
Theatre has always been better disposed to colourblind casting than telly or film. Given that most television is contemporary, and it reaches 56 million people, I am disappointed there still isn't more representation.
Not to toot our own horn, but when 'The Sopranos' was on, it was as good as any movie that was coming out in the theater. I think that goes for a lot of shows today.
I love that 'Black-ish' is a pretty traditional sitcom, structurally. It functions like the sitcoms from the '80s and '90s that I grew up with.
