Best of 2024 - Upcoming 2025 TV Season

Lisa and Dean ring out the old year reminiscing on their favorite tv shows of 2024 and what they are looking forward to in 2025. Ease your way out of the holidays and into the New Year with Killer Casting. In this episode of Killer Casting, host Lisa Zambetti and co-host Dean Laffin discuss their favorite shows and movies of 2024 and share what they are looking forward to in 2025. They talk about their busy schedules, including Lisa's casting and teaching projects and Dean's recent move. They cover various shows like 'The Diplomat', 'One Day', 'Shogun', and 'Blue Lights', as well as movies like 'Furiosa' and 'Twisters'. The duo also discusses upcoming releases like 'American Primeval', 'On Call', and 'The Pitt’, and exciting returns like 'Severance', 'The White Lotus', and 'The Last of Us'. They reflect on the challenges faced by the industry over the past year and share their hopes for the new year. 00:00 Introduction and Holiday Greetings 01:04 Busy Year Recap 02:10 Favorite Shows of the Year 03:51 The Diplomat: A Deep Dive 06:32 Gentle British Series 09:08 Legal Drama and Shogun 13:03 One Day: A Heartfelt Recommendation 16:16 Blockbuster Films and Mad Max Memories 20:24 Discussing Glenn Powell's Career 21:08 Exclusive Screeners: Wicked and Gladiator 24:08 Movies Missed in 2024 24:52 Exciting Releases for 2025 33:45 Anticipating The White Lotus and The Last of Us 34:51 Looking Forward to Alien Franchise and Poker Face 36:33 Wrapping Up and Looking Ahead   Subscribe to the Binge list and see the compilation of trailers of upcoming new and returning shows in 2025! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkRgJ8MuI8w

Lisa sits down with the creative team for “Brooklyn’s Way” a play she cast that is premiering at Theatre 68 in North Hollywood starting SATURDAY SEPT 7th, running through October 13th.  “Brooklyn’s Way” is a funny, sharp, painfully romantic story based on Sam Henry Kass' real life as a jaded television writer who is blindsided when he meeds a young, smart writer’s assistant on her way up in the world while he is determined to spiral down. Director Ronnie Marmo talks about why he wanted to producer this play. Sam talks about why he wrote it, and actor Jonathan Freeman talks about what it is like to play such an indelible role based on the actual playwright.  Please come see this special show! Details below. Tickets online at: www.theatre68.com Theatre 68 and Brooklyn's Way on NohoArtsDistrict.com! @nohoartsdistrict  https://nohoartsdistrict.com/noho-theatres/brooklyns-way/ Written by Sam Henry Kass Directed by Ronnie Marmo ✨️Theatre 68 presents BROOKLYN’S WAY… A world premiere production by critically acclaimed playwright Sam Henry Kass. Ronnie Marmo will be directing the irreverent dramedy that opens September 7 - October 13, 2024. 📍at Theatre 68 Arts Complex @theatre68artscomplex 5112 Lankershim Blvd. NoHo, CA 91601 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theatre68artscomplex 🎟 Friday & Saturday @ 8pm and Sunday @ 7pm General Admission: $25. (Preview: $20). Running time 80 minutes Tickets online at: www.theatre68.com For more information go to: www.theatre68.com 📖 SYNOPSIS They met on a studio lot. He’s a quirky veteran writer, emotionally fractured by his belief that he has “sold out” creatively… She’s a young and fierce writer’s assistant, intrigued by his talent, and fearful of his inability to avoid self-destructing. Two people now aligned forever, yet separated by life and the circumstance they both face. One needing desperately to confront his past, the other trying to define her future. "BROOKLYN'S WAY...." An impossible choice with life-long regrets and repercussions.   THE CREATIVES: 🎭 Amye Partain – Brooklyn @amyepartain Jonathan Brooks – Scoot Sam Henry Kass – Playwright Ronnie Marmo – Director / Producer @ronniemarmo Matt Richter – Lighting & Projection Design Casting Director - Lisa Zambetti @lisazambetticasting Taylor Abbay – Stage Manager @taylor.abbay Sandra Kuker-Franco – SANDRA KUKER PR - Publicity Theatre 68 – Producer @theatre68co   Instagram: @theatre68co Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theatre68co Twitter: @theatre68   Directed by @ronniemarmo Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ronnie.marmo Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RonnieMarmo.Actor Twitter: @realronniemarmo

Midsummer Media Mania: From House of the Dragon to Reality TV Lisa and Dean are back with a Mid-Summer check in on all they are watching and all they anticipate to watch this coming fall season. They dive into the most recent episode of Season 2 of "House of the Dragon", Lisa reviewes her current fav British show "The Responder" starring Martin Freeman, Dean gets super jazzed about the upcoming installment of the Alien franchise called "Romulus" and they tangent into all kinds of other things they have seen this summer.   00:00 The Call to Face Dragons 01:51 Welcome to Killer Casting 02:14 Catching Up on Life and Work 04:24 Discussing TV Shows and Movies 07:08 House of the Dragon Deep Dive 15:46 AI and the Future of Entertainment 27:55 Anticipating Alien Romulus 32:29 Amazon Prime Day Deals 33:22 The Responder: A Must-Watch Series 38:28 Reality TV Guilty Pleasures 43:50 Glenn Powell's Rise to Stardom 49:49 Unique Cinema Experiences 51:52 Upcoming TV Shows and Projects 55:04 Final Thoughts and Wrap-Up

Yes Chef!  Adam Shapiro from “The Bear” is HERE!  The hilarious actor (and pretzel king) Adam Shapiro is here! Well, not just here on Killer Casting, he was there at UCLA to speak with Lisa and her amazing senior acting students about his prolific career in film ("She Said", "Mank", "Steve Jobs",  television ("Never Have I Ever", "The Continental", "The Affair") and theatre.  Lisa asks Adam the secrets to his success, what his approach to “branding” is, and they tangent into a million other topics. Adam talks about working with director David Fincher (Lisa promptly faints), how he landed his role in the Broadway musical “Waitress”, and how Henry Winkler gave him the best advice of his career. Do not miss this great interview.    Find out more about Adam’s acting here where you can see his reel: http://shappy.net   Order Adam’s yummy pretzels here: https://www.shappypretzel.com https://www.instagram.com/shappypretzel/   Find out more about IAMA Theatre Company here:   https://www.iamatheatre.com   Follow Adam on his socials. https://www.instagram.com/shappyshaps/

The Netflix series “Baby Reindeer” written by Scottish comedian Richard Gadd based on the true story of a period in his life when he was stalked by a woman whom he gave a free cup of tea while working as a bartender in London, has been burning itself into the eyeballs and psyches of millions of people. Lisa was fascinated by the hit show’s unflinching honesty, style, structure and incredible performances by both Gadd and Jessica Gunning. Joining Lisa and Dean to break it all down is another incredible actor, David Rysdahl. You may remember David from this season’s “Fargo”, playing sweet “Wayne” the husband of Juno Temple’s “Dot”. His other credits include “Oppenheimer”, “Black Mirror” and he is currently shooting Noah Hawley’s new “Alien” series in Bangkok.  David shares his reaction to “Baby Reindeer” and the aspects of Gadd’s character “Donny Dunn” that he identifies with. David performed for years in New York as a clown and was part of the “alt” comedy scene. We talk about Hollywood predators, the insecurities of fame…and so much more. Join us for the conversation. You can read Dawn Glen’s insightful article about “Baby Reindeer” here:https://www.thecustardtv.com/netflixs-baby-reindeer-is-an-unflinching-look-at-abuse/ If you or someone you care about needs support contact In the U.S. RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) National Sexual Assault Hotline https://www.rainn.org/resources In the U.K. https://www.wearesurvivors.org.uk In Australia https://www.samsn.org.au Stalking Safety Planning resource: https://www.thehotline.org/resources/stalking-safety-planning/#:~:text=Help%20create%20a%20stalking%20safety%20plan&text=We%20are%20here%20to%20support,or%20chat%20at%20thehotline.org. Stalking Prevention Awareness https://www.stalkingawareness.org/contact/ Here are some of David’s favorite organization doing great work to help save the environment. Please check out https://www.urbanoceanlab.org/sandy-community-resilience https://www.greenwave.org

If you watched this year's Superbowl, chances are you (and 123 million people) saw my guest Tony Robinette in the Dunkin Donuts commerical starring Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez, and a slew of other cameos. That high profile spot capped off an incredible year of work for Tony, who has defied all odds to become one of the busiest actors in Hollywood (who you may not have heard of...yet). Despite two entertainment industry strikes, in 2023 Tony booked several TV shows including Ryan Murphy's Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, NCIS, Tacoma FD, Waco: The Aftermath and Nightcourt. In those projects, Tony toggled between boisterous comic performances to heart breaking dramatic characters. How did he do it? Join our conversation to find out how Tony got his start, how he stays so busy, how he keeps a positive mindset and how he juggles not one but five (?) agents! Tony also takes us behind the scenes of that crazy DD commercial!    Want more Tony? You can watch his work here https://www.tonyrobinette.com Follow him here https://www.instagram.com/thetonyrobinette/ And get coached by Tony here: https://www.workingactorscoach.com  

📍Well look who took time out of his busy schedule coaching A-List actors like🤩 Bradley Cooper, Michelle Williams, Kerry Washington, Brad Pitt, Salma Hayek and Austin Butler to sit down with Lisa and talk about the craft of acting, 🎭 the Oscars 🏆and also the new edition of his book 📖 “Fine on Acting: A Vision of the Craft”, none other than legendary acting teacher Howard Fine!  Howard and Lisa gab about all kinds of things that are on their minds these days about process, technique, and elements that help make actors better at their art. Howard gives all kinds of nuggets of wisdom and shares stories about working with A-list actors on their award-winning performances. You can get a copy of Howard’s book here. It is truly a must have resource for any actor or any acting teacher. https://amzn.to/4a2xOUN Want to study with Howard or his master teachers? Check out his programs here: https://www.howardfine.com #acting #actors #actingclass #actingcoach #oscarwinningperformance #hollywood #craftofacting #actingtechnique 

Sometimes Lisa needs to remind herself why she ever wanted to do casting in the first place and it is because of incredible casting directors like her mentor Emily Schweber 💕who exposed her to artists like the filmmaker Andrea Pallaoro. Both Emily and Andrea are her guests today to talk about a very special project. Lisa assisted Emily on casting Andrea’s first film the evocative award-winning “Medeas” starring Catalina Sandino Moreno…and now years later comes Andrea’s third film, also cast by Emily that is getting all kinds of acclaim, “Monica” starring Trace Lysette, Patricia Clarkson, (both giving 🏆Oscar worthy performances) Emily Browning, Josh Close and Adriana Barraza.  🌸“Monica” is an intimate story of a woman who returns home to care for her dying mother. A mother who due to a terminal illness, the passage of time, and other factors, doesn’t recognize her own child. Or does she? It is a film so universal that many people can relate to it — the fractures that split up a family, abandonment, healing old wounds, coping with the end of life, finding your way back to your past…and yet the film also is a very very unique look of the journey of a very particular woman.  Andrea’s filming style is extremely distinct in its nuance, pacing, and framing. You are not going to see a standard two-shot, or easy transitions between scenes. He lets the audience sit with the people in this world, in their silent thoughts, in their private moments, uninterrupted.  Emily and Andrea tell Lisa about the challenges of casting “Monica” and how they want the audience to experience the film, its revelations and ultimately the redemption of the characters.  You can find “Monica” on Hulu, AMC, and many other streaming platforms. 

Lisa woke up this morning realizing she is WAY behind on her Oscar nomination watching! Like, she has only seen “Barbie”. So to psych herself up to watch all the rest of these performances for all the Best Acting awards at least, Lisa sits down with Oscar savant Paul Sullivan, who has seen EVERY best picture nominee since 1943, to discuss the task she has ahead of her. Paul gives Lisa a little preview on what he thinks of all the films this year, and weighs in on all the performances (and he may or may not do a few impressions)…Paul also takes us down the rabbit hole of past Academy Award winners and compares them to this year’s hopefuls . (btw, humble brag, Lisa cast nominee Colman Domingo in a film years ago, so she is already rooting for him without seeing him in “Rustin” yet, is that wrong?). Will Lisa be able to set aside her existential angst about these award shows in general before the big ceremony? Tune in to our pre-game chat to find out. (Note, yes, you will hear the moment that their dog Eleanor knocks over a big flower pot in the yard and gets a snootful of mud, we didn’t have the energy to edit that out).      

She IS awake ! ... and so are we!  Well folks it is time for all one-eyed polar bears to make their way off to that ice cave for a big long snooze, because Issa, Jodie, Kali, Finn and team … including Fiona ( I gut coyotes and polish my rifles on New Year’s Eve for fun) Shaw are delivering us from the darkness of our wildest conspiracy theories, into the light (see what I did there?) of clarity. Well, maybe ...did this most watched season of True Detective of all time tie up all the loose ends flapping around the Ennis permafrost? Almost! Listen to Lisa and Dean break it all down for you.  But wait !  This week we are joined by fellow podcasters Sarah Callen and Jennifer Han. Like Lisa and Dean, Sarah and Jen have been recapping this series on THEIR fantastic podcast titled ‘TV & Us. Check them out here https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/tv-us/id1681955735 or wherever you get your pods. Your Dynamic Duo (squared) will dig into the finale like one of Qavvik's pups eating their reindeer kibble .. and reassemble it in one easy to digest TV dinner of explanatory goodness. I could go on here with the Shownotes (sez Dean) but why not just ‘go on’ on the pod ! Holy rolling oranges Batman ... to the Ice Cave ! 🎶 Nah nah nah nah  nah nah nah nah naaaaah ... LINKS TV &Us The podcast created by today’s guests Jennifer Han and Sarah Callen https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/tv-us/id1681955735 https://open.spotify.com/show/0dTz1JYqqoQ8S8UbcVFOVO?si=61329f4da3934c97 “Lawless,” a ProPublica Local Reporting Network project by the Anchorage Daily News that reveals how indigenous people in Alaska are denied public safety services, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting and Public Service https://www.propublica.org/series/lawless Is this Navarro ? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3srZfRSUf0 Joel Montgrand’s own podcast on First Nations talent in tv and film  is called ‘Actors and Ancestors’  check it out here https://www.actorsandancestors.com/ Issa deconstructs the Finale episode https://slate.com/culture/2024/02/true-detective-season-4-night-country-finale-ending-explained.html?fbclid=IwAR1pc5s7SE-js62VcK1aLr2IUWKjTtCOXRL5gGp-w0BK6BtEEqmsXvHgXrg#lsthmfese5rflf1a92e Screenrant ask: Is Wind River better than True Detective ? 😱 https://screenrant.com/true-detective-night-country-wind-river-movie-taylor-sheridan/ RECAPS https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a46820836/true-detective-season-4-ending-explained/ https://www.vulture.com/article/true-detective-night-country-recap-season-4-episode-6-part-6-finale.html https://screenrant.com/true-detective-night-country-episode-6-finale-recap/#navarro-leaves-but-keeps-her-promise-to-danvers https://www.slashfilm.com/1519971/true-detective-night-country-finale-spiral-reveal/ https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/true-detective-season-4-episode-6-finale-release-time-and-recap/ https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-recaps/true-detective-night-country-episode-4-recap-otis-heiss-jodie-foster-john-hawkes-1234959256/ https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/18/arts/television/true-detective-season-4-episode-6-recap-stories-are-stories.html https://www.theringer.com/2024/2/18/24076909/true-detective-night-country-season-4-episode-6-finale-recap