Ben Blacker

Hahahaha

i do not know if this justifies the URGENT

Are we allowed to rewatch a beloved show without doing a podcast about it?

a man in a white tank top is talking to a woman and says i 'm a funny guy . Alt: Angel in a white tank top is talking to a woman and says i 'm a funny guy .

Amazing how much better the second ep looks. 101 was not without ambition, + 102 seems to have the budget and maybe a more capable director to pull it off.
Angel is actually interesting in these eps too in that they’re not yet writing for Boreanaz. He’s kind of miscast for the character as written!

a woman in a white shirt says hey i 've died twice .. Alt: a woman in a white shirt says hey i 've died twice ..

SMG is truly special. Even in this pretty straightforward pilot story, she plays so many notes.

a woman is sitting down and says meow . ALT: a woman is sitting down and says meow .

It’s been at least 15 years since I’ve watched an episode. Though prior to that it was in heavy rotation.
Anyway, great 2-part pilot! Gets out the mythology and rules cleverly and efficiently. Every character clear and has stuff to do.
Dated looking but TV wasn’t modern yet!
Also, Angel is just 🙄

a man and a woman sitting next to each other with the words and afterwards i get a cookie Alt: Buffy and Giles sitting next to each other with the words and afterwards i get a cookie

Accidentally started a Buffy rewatch.

If you want to check out The Thrilling Adventure Hour, this is your chance.
VERY FEW tix remain to the final shows of our 20th anniversary tour.
Links here: thrillingadventure.live
Starring @pftompkins.bsky.social @hallublin.com @joshuamalina.bsky.social @busyphilipps.bsky.social +more!

I'm off doing @thrillingadv.bsky.social things the next couple of weeks, so no new Writers Panel pods. I do, of course, have time to watch as many horror movies as possible. In this week's Re:Writing newsletter, some recs for your spooky viewing season: benblacker.substack.com/p/terror-mes...

How nice! Maggie's the best. And I'd say it to her face!
Your podcast seems great. Will check it out. You've had some of my friends on!

the symbolism of “Trump destroying the White House for a overpriced luxury vanity project, during a government shut down, days after a historically-large mass demonstration against his regime called “No Kings”’ would be rightly viewed as laying it on a little thick if it was in a work of fiction

In today's Writers Panel, the showrunners of DMV discuss pitching + selling the show, what they look for in samples when staffing, how comedy has changed since Friends and How I Met Your Mother (where each began), keeping inspired + more.
Listen: benblacker.substack.com/p/dana-klein...

I'm not much of a fan of folk horror that takes place in a pre-modern age. These people didn't know what atoms were, I'm supposed to be shocked and horrified that they believe in the God of Weird Sticks? If I had their education, I'd probably believe in the God of Weird Sticks, too.

Truly, tell me, how is this different than Jewish and gay people and Romani people being dragged away by Nazis? And didn’t we have some fairly clear agreement to never let that happen again?

Fatiha absolutely killed me. But Stevie Martin the dark horse most insane person on that season.

Oh shoot. I didn’t know about this. Thank you!

Look, I’ve tried for my whole career to champion writers, but post-season baseball, Survivor, Taskmaster, and GBBO are all running at once, and I dunno y’all…

Sean Connery is a red strapped outfit. He's very hairy.

William Shatner as Captain Kirk. He's in a black strapped outfit and has a smooth chest.

before and after hegseth's directive

treat every creative you meet like they are successful, fulfilled, and making a living at what they say they do. talk to everyone like they're a pro. don't assume they're struggling just because you don't know their work. this will change the tenor of your conversations.

SHANE BLACK is back on the Writers Panel today to talk about his new movie, PLAY DIRTY, adapting Donald Westlake, how he pushes through imposter syndrome, respectful but playful actors, how production is just “shopping for ingredients” +lots more.
benblacker.substack.com/p/shane-blac...

I need a procrastination project, so you’re getting a #TVwriting resources thread!

Podcast episodes, articles, blog posts (mostly podcast episodes), organized by subject, for as long as I can maintain it.

Off we go...

1/?

I always thought when it was time for a mid career change of profession there would be professions left.

Nothing lives rent free in my head. I am a gray matter slumlord.

Yes sir we're chanting "Release the Earhart Files"

Love this for him.

Been using a new first word in Wordle all week and it feels like I’m having an affair.

#76 Still much to determine A free Friday edition with everything you need to know for MLB's final weekend

the final weekend of the MLB season really matters. read up on what's at stake in today's *free* issue of The Bandwagon with @zcrizer.bsky.social bandwagon.substack.com/p/76-still-m...

I mean, she was really fun to write.

Working on a new draft of a script and realized I can excise an entire character to make the story better. But doing so made me... sad? Like, I miss her?

Writing is weird.

DHS is barely 20 years old. It was thrown together by a bunch of unsupervised interns in the chaotic wake of 9/11 (that's barely an exaggeration if you read about how inexperienced so many of its creators were).

It can easily be disassembled as well.

We don't have to live like this.