My Favorite Episode With Michael Schneider

Emmy winner Julia Louis-Dreyfus knew how important it was for "Veep" to end with a bang -- and is proud that they pulled off a memorable finale. On this edition of the podcast, we talk to Louis-Dreyfus and Tony Hale, both of whom are Emmy nominated this year for their roles as President Selina Meyer and her bag boy, Gary Walsh, on "Veep." Louis-Dreyfus chose an "All in the Family" episode, while Hale picked a famous "Carol Burnett Show" sketch. We talk about their inspirations, what makes them break on camera and why it's so hard to say goodbye after seven seasons of "Veep." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Emmy-nominated "Orange is the New Black" actress Laverne Cox admits she lived the Samantha lifestyle in late '90s New York City, which is one of the reasons she was a huge fan of HBO's "Sex and the City." On this edition of the podcast, we talk to Cox as she wows us with her in-depth knowledge of all things "Sex and the City," as well as the legacy of her Netflix series, and her favorite installment of "Orange" as well. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

RuPaul remains a huge fan of "The Golden Girls" and rewatches the classic TV sitcom often. On this edition of the podcast, we talk to "RuPaul's Drag Race" stars RuPaul and Michelle Visage about their favorite episodes of TV. RuPaul went classic, with a hysterical Season 2 episode where Dorothy discovers her date is actually a priest. And Michelle goes more recent, with a moving Season 2 episode of "Pose." We sat down with RuPaul and Visage to discuss their recent talk show, their early TV crushes, and what they've learned after a decade of "RuPaul's Drag Race."  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"I'm Sorry" creator and star Andrea Savage was a huge fan of the late 1990s/early 2000s CBS sitcom "Everybody Loves Raymond," which mined its writers' real home lives for stories, much as "I'm Sorry" now does. Savage's favorite episode is "Marie's Sculpture," which first aired in 2001. On this edition of the podcast, we talk to Andrea Savage about that "Raymond" episode, as well as how real her TruTV comedy can get, how relatable it is to fans, and even what we can all learn about marriage from her show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Better Call Saul" star Bob Odenkirk marvels these days at how good television has become, and he puts recent sitcoms like Hulu's "Pen15" right along some of his all-time favorites, such as the British "The Office" and another britcom, "The Royle Family." On this edition of the podcast, we talk to Bob Odenkirk about the comedies the influenced him over the years, his mixed feelings about being a producer and where he thinks "Better Call Saul" is going. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Drunk History" creator and host Derek Waters is a child of the 1980s, and was an obsessive TV fan growing up. Among his favorite TV series was the groundbreaking half-hour "The Wonder Years." Waters' pick is the pilot episode of "The Wonder Years," which first aired after the Super Bowl in 1988 and went on to win the Primetime Emmy award for outstanding comedy series that year. Plus, we talk about our mutual love of collecting TV Guide magazines, and what's next for "Drunk History." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hugh Grant has become good friends over the years with John Cleese. But long before he ever met the British comedy icon, Grant was a fan from the very beginning of Cleese's legendary 1970s comedy "Fawlty Towers." On this edition of the podcast, we talk to Hugh Grant about his love of "Fawlty Towers," how he's still learning how to stream TV, how his Amazon limited series "A Very English Scandal" still feels resonant today, and why he'd like to ban all social media.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Patty Jenkins has become a celebrated director for films such as "Monster" and "Wonder Woman," as well as her recent TV limited series "I Am the Night." But she's also a huge comedy fan. Jenkins' pick for favorite episode is "Summer Holiday," the 1984 series finale of "The Young Ones," a surrealistic British sitcom that aired in the UK on BBC2, and here in the states on MTV. Jenkins discusses her love of alternative comedy, the year 1984, and even her new "Wonder Woman" sequel.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Niecy Nash first hit it big as a comedic actress on shows like "Reno 911." But the short-lived HBO series "Getting On," which mixed comedy with plenty of drama, gave Nash a chance to show off another side of her acting skills. Based on a British series of the same name, "Getting On" earned Nash two Emmy nominations for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series. We talk with Nash about her two Emmy contenders -- the Netflix limited series "When They See Us" and her TNT series "Claws" -- and began by talking about her favorite episode of TV ever, the first episode of "Getting On." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Marisa Tomei was walking through the East Village in Manhattan late one evening when she came across Natasha Lyonne, an old friend since their days starring together in the 1998 film "The Slums of Beverly Hills." Lyonne was shooting "Russian Doll," her Netflix comedy that has become a critical hit. Tomei was an immediate fan. On this edition, we talk to Tomei about his favorite episode of TV (the pilot to "Russian Doll"), as well as her recent turn as Edith Bunker on Jimmy Kimmel and Norman Lear's "Live in Front of a Studio Audience." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jimmy Fallon believes "Taxi" may be the perfect sitcom. "The Tonight Show" host watched a lot of TV as a kid and gravitated toward the golden age of late 1970s sitcoms like "Barney Miller" and "Mary Tyler Moore." But "Taxi" was one of his all-time favorites, and in particular, the episode "Jim's Inheritance," from late in the show's run. In this edition of the podcast, we recap that episode, as well as discuss sitcoms in general, new tweaks he's making to "The Tonight Show" to keep things fresh, and what he misses most about living in Los Angeles. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For Eva Longoria, the "Desperate Housewives" pilot was a masterclass in how to create and launch a TV show, and she says she still uses what she learned from that experience as a producer launching her own shows. That includes ABC's new sudsy drama "Grand Hotel," about the last family-owned hotel in Miami. Roselyn Sanchez stars, and also joins us to discuss her favorite episode of TV ever: The pilot to Lifetime's (and now Netflix's) "You." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"The Conners" star and executive producer Sara Gilbert picks the hour-long very special "Family Ties" episode from 1987, "A, My Name is Alex." In the episode, Alex's friend Greg is killed in a car accident, leading to Alex's survivor's guilt that he was supposed to be in that car as well. Eventually he sees a therapist, and the episode morphs into a stage play as Alex recounts his life and the people in it. We sat down with Gilbert to discuss that "Family Ties" episode, as well as the tough transition from "Roseanne" to "The Conners," and also her new production company with Tom Werner, as well as her decision to leave her CBS daytime show 'The Talk." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Not only is Topher Grace a "Saturday Night Live" superfan, he even got the opportunity to guest host an episode in 2005. Now one of the stars of Nat Geo's limited thriller series "The Hot Zone," Grace stopped by the podcast to discuss his favorite episode of TV ever — a 1991 Saturday Night Live edition hosted by Steve Martin. Plus, we talk about his recent dramatic turns in "Blackkklansman" and "The Hot Zone," and, of course, whether there will ever be a "That '70s Show" reunion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"GLOW" star Betty Gilpin is sometimes mistaken for "Killing Eve's" Jodie Comer, so it makes sense that she is drawn to that BBC America show and its complex relationship between Eve (Sandra Oh) and Villanelle (Comer). Her pick for favorite episode is the Season 1 finale of "Killing Eve," titled "God, I'm Tired," which ends with the characters confronting their mutual obsession — and how it leaves them doing things you might not expect. We talk to Gilpin about "Killing Eve," and how "GLOW" is mixing things up as it returns for a third season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pamela Adlon, now the star and executive producer of FX's critically acclaimed "Better Things," literally grew up on television. As a young actress she appeared on series such as "The Facts of Life" and "The Jeffersons." She remembers fondly that era's habit of doing cheesy "very special episodes," including the "Good Times" episode "The Evans Get Involved, Parts 1 and 2." The two-part episode, which aired in Season 5 on September 21, 1977, featured the introduction of Penny, played by Janet Jackson. On this edition of the podcast, we talk to Pamela Adlon about classic TV, growing up in the business, her big animation voice-over career and the long term plan for "Better Things." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott Foley hasn't just starred on iconic TV series like "Felicity" and "Scandal," he's also a child of television. Now the star of ABC's comedy caper "Whiskey Cavalier," Foley says it's a throwback to the glory age of comedic action dramas like "Moonlighting" and "Hart to Hart." That era of course, also boasted some of his favorite family sitcoms, including "Mr. Belvedere," "Family Ties," and "Growing Pains." On this edition of the podcast, we talk to Scott Foley about "Growing Pains," and why he particularly remembers one moment, featuring a character named Boner. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Natalie Morales ("The Middleman," "Parks and Recreation") now stars in the NBC sitcom "Abby's," from Mike Schur and Josh Malmuth. "The Leftovers" is on top of her list of favorite TV series, and her favorite episode is "International Assassin," from Season 2. We talk to Morales about how Justin Theroux is almost too good-looking; directing for the Duplass brothers; how she's making history with her lead role on "Abby's," why she hates the term "stan"; and even why Cardi B should star in a reboot of "The Nanny." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ian McShane is known for playing larger than life characters on series such as Starz's "American Gods" and HBO's "Deadwood," which is set to return in May as a two-hour movie. When asked to pick a favorite TV episode, however, McShane chooses the Season 2 episode "Barbershop" from FX's "Atlanta," and praises series creator Donald Glover for taking him to a world he's less familiar with. McShane also loves HBO's "High Maintenance," and shares how the "Deadwood" movie is a "love letter" to the series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lance Reddick didn't have any grand designs on becoming an actor — actually, he wanted to be a musician. But the star of "Bosch," "Corporate," "Fringe," "The Wire," and countless other fan favorite series, couldn't get enough of "Star Trek" as a kid. On this edition of the podcast, we talk to Lance Reddick about his favorite episode of TV ever, the classic "Star Trek" installment "Space Seed," and the actor's unusual path to fame. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices