Are Movie Stars Dead?

This episode is nothing but hot takes! In a world drowning in opinions, Sam and friends serve up their spiciest ones — the kind that spark debate, start drama, or are just too real to admit out loud. TV writer and producer Kara Brown (Swarm, She-Hulk, Grown-ish) joins to argue that spoilers aren’t actually bad — and she means it. But not so fast: Sam’s own team member and resident contrarian Beau Delmore steps in with the rebuttal. It’s heated. It’s hilarious. It’s your safe space for bad opinions. Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week. The Sam Sanders Show is a production of KCRW and Sam Sanders Productions.  

How is entertainment changing with our current political moment?  Hollywood networks are scrapping trans storylines, DEI pipelines set up after 2020 are shutting down, and the conservative universe is thriving online. Are big studios chasing Donald Trump voters like the last time he was elected? Or is the chokehold of social media influencing how everyone else does business? Sam unpacks it all with two journalistic all-stars, Taylor Lorenz of User Mag and Bloomberg's Lucas Shaw.  Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week. The Sam Sanders Show is a production of KCRW and Sam Sanders Productions.

Marsai Martin became a star at just 9 years old on Black-ish. Now 20, she’s holding her own opposite Viola Davis in the new action thriller G20. Sam talks with Marsai about growing up in Hollywood, why she avoids “Black pain” roles, and how her Texas upbringing keeps her grounded. Plus, her mom Carol joins the conversation to share the family values that helped Marsai thrive in the spotlight. Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week. The Sam Sanders Show is a production of KCRW and Sam Sanders Productions.

For millions of people, the soundtrack of their lives is curated by Spotify. The streaming giant has made it easier than ever to listen to music, but journalist Liz Pelly argues that it’s also devalued music in our culture and the artists who make it. Her new book is called Mood Machine: The Rise Of Spotify And The Costs Of The Perfect Playlist. Liz breaks down how the streaming service changed the music industry. Then, KCRW DJ and host Novena Carmel shares how she thinks about music in a world dominated by algorithms.  Catch Novena’s sets everyday on KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic. Liz Pelly’s book Mood Machine: The Rise Of Spotify And The Costs Of The Perfect Playlist is out now.  Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week. The Sam Sanders Show is a production of KCRW and Sam Sanders Productions.

The Star Wars Holiday Special, The Brady Bunch Variety Hour, and Rob Lowe singing with Snow White at the Oscars have gone down in history as some of the worst TV ever made. Bruce Vilanch is the man behind them all. He recounts his biggest TV flops in his new book It Seemed Like a Bad Idea at the Time. Sam chats with Bruce about how those infamous TV moments were made, how writing TV comedy has changed, and what it’s like to write for awards shows. Plus, Bruce shares advice for aspiring writers. It Seemed Like a Bad Idea at the Time is out now.  Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week. The Sam Sanders Show is a production of KCRW and Sam Sanders Productions.

With her debut novel Detransition, Baby, Torrey Peters made history as the first openly trans writer to be published by a major publishing house. Now, she’s back with a new book that makes the case that we’re all living the trans experience. It’s called Stag Dance, and it challenges how we think about gender and explores transness not as an identity, but an invitation. Torrey and Sam dive into trans representation, the power of writing things that make people uncomfortable and how trans art can flourish, even in today’s political climate. Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week. The Sam Sanders Show is a production of KCRW and Sam Sanders Productions.

Are movie stars a thing of the past? Paul Scheer (actor, comedian) and Amy Nicholson (LA Times film critic) – co-hosts of the Unspooled podcast – join Sam to break down why Hollywood stopped making true stars. Gone are the days of Denzel, Julia, and Tom – now it’s all about franchises, streaming, and social media clout. So who’s to blame? Studio execs afraid to take risks? IP-obsessed filmmakers? Too many TikTok dance challenges? Sam, Amy, and Paul get into it all – and then put on their Hollywood exec hats to pitch their own foolproof plan to revive the capital-M Movie Star.  Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week. The Sam Sanders Show is a production of KCRW and Sam Sanders Productions.

Is reality TV in trouble? Seasons are shorter, fresh stars are hard to find, and production is down. Sam digs into the drama with Rachel Lindsay (former Bachelorette, host of Morally Corrupt and Higher Learning) and Ryan Bailey (host of So Bad It’s Good). They break down whether the reality TV bubble is bursting, how social media changed the game, and why execs keep making the same mistakes. Plus, they dish on contestant horror stories and debate whether unionizing could save the industry.  Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week. The Sam Sanders Show is a production of KCRW and Sam Sanders Productions.  

This Oscars weekend we have a bonus episode on a topic that really irks Sam – bad wigs on the big screen. Here to break down what’s going on is Hollywood hairstylist and wigmaker Dawn Dudley. Her work has been seen in A Star is Born, Rob Zombie’s The Munsters, HBO’s Westworld and tons more. She breaks down what’s really happening on Hollywood sets and says it’s often not the hairstylist’s fault.  Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week. The Sam Sanders Show is a production of KCRW and Sam Sanders Productions.

Kari Ferrell became a viral sensation in 2009 after her small time cons gained international attention. She was living in Brooklyn, working at Vice News when she was exposed and dubbed “The Hipster Grifter.” Sam chats with Kari about what led her to become a scammer, why the media became so obsessed and her road to redemption. Kari Ferrell’s new memoir You'll Never Believe Me: A Life of Lies, Second Tries, and Things I Should Only Tell My Therapist is out now.  Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week. The Sam Sanders Show is a production of KCRW and Sam Sanders Productions.