Bonus Episode: Will & Grace creators, Max Mutchnick and David Kohan, on Creating Mid-Century Modern (And How Ryan Murphy Helped)

When Will & Grace premiered on NBC in 1998, it was groundbreaking because of the sheer lack of queer representation on network TV. Since then, numerous sitcoms have increased LGBTQ+ visibility on TV, but rarely gay characters of an older generation. To fill that void, those same Will & Grace creators, Max Mutchnick and David Kohan, developed Hulu’s Mid-Century Modern to show that while a multi-camera sitcom with three gay male leads is rare, the stories they are telling are universal. Led by Nathan Lane’s Bunny Schneiderman, Mid-Century Modern finds undergarment tycoon Bunny inviting his two best friends—Jerry (played by Matt Bomer) and Arthur (played by Nathan Lee Graham)—to move in with him and his mother, Sybil (played by Linda Lavin). It is after the passing of one of their mutual friends that Bunny opens up his Palm Springs home. Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott chats with Nathan Lane, Matt Bomer and Nathan Lee Graham about Mid-Century Modern, how it came about, and why it’s so important right now. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this bonus episode, Will & Grace creators, Max Mutchnick and David Kohan, chat with Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott about how Mid-Century Modern came about, how a dinner with Ryan Murphy started it all, and the way Linda Lavin’s sudden passing during production impacted the new Hulu series. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What if Harriet Tubman came back to modern-day America to make a hip-hop album in order to continue her work as an abolitionist? That’s exactly the world Bob the Drag Queen creates in their new novel Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert. “It is the most remarkable story in American history,” Bob says of Tubman’s life. “Harriet Tubman sees how remarkable African American culture is, what it's become, how hip-hop has saved the nation, saved the world and she wants to take part in it.” In addition to the physical book, the audio experience of the novel is just as enthralling, complete with original music. “A part of Harriet Tubman’s story is music. [She] did use music in her work as an abolitionist.” And the music included in the audiobook is “the best music I've ever written. Easily. I am so proud of this book. I cry when I listen to this music.” And true to form, Bob, a past winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race, is creating a live show based around the book. “The book really is about freedom and what freedom means to you. We get to define what our freedom is... and in this book, Harriet is trying to help people get free.” Bob spoke with Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott about how the book came about how much it would take for him to return to RuPaul’s Drag Race. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ben Falcone isn't exactly known for making kid-friendly projects. His films with wife and frequent collaborator Melissa McCarthy are "R-rated quite often, but I do think there's a certain sweetness that we usually try to hit." And it's that sweetness he's bringing to his first kids' book, What's Scarier Than Thunder? "My secret goal is that it's something that kids will think is funny, but that parents will, too." The story follows Claire, who is afraid of thunderstorms. For future stories, Falcone sees many other things to be scared of: "Heights, first day of school, remember that one? Meeting someone new, auditions..." Another story he's actively involved with is the podcast Hildy the Barback and the Lake of Fire, which he created with McCarthy and Steve Mallory. "There's going to be a season two, so we're excited." And even though "the industry is clearly changing," Falcone says he believes in comedy. "Melissa and I, our big goal is to try to be a very small part of the bigger push to get comedies back in the theaters. I think it's so good for people to get together and laugh."See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When social media influencer Dylan Mulvaney, famous for chronicling her gender transition online in “365 Days of Girlhood,” posted a sponsored video promoting Bud Light, it quickly went viral, but not necessarily in a good way. “I would have never taken that offer had I known it would have brought me anything but joy.” She shares her experience in a new book Paper Doll: Notes from a Late Bloomer (March 11). “I felt so supported by the internet and in my life that I wasn’t really weighing the gravity of what working with a brand with that scope and that broader audience really meant.” But when the spotlight from “Beergate” shined on her, “there was this energy of, Do I just not talk about this? Do we pretend it didn’t happen?... No! The way that I navigate life is to share. Unfortunately, I’m addicted to oversharing and so I couldn’t not.” But with the book, a new podcast and other projects in the mix, Mulvaney is ready to focus on her ultimate goal: “This year, every decision I make is coming back to, Does this help me become a Broadway diva?”See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We've got new winners from Peacock's Traitors! Dolores Catania, Dylan Efron and Ivar Mountbatten spoke with Newsweek about sleuthing out the traitors and why this season was so chaotically wonderful. If you watched, then you know the actual traitors were a mess. Instead of murdering faithfuls, they all seemed to be going after fellow traitors. This made for a chaotic and messy game, sending faithfuls into a confused tizzy. But Dolores, Dylan, Ivar and and Gabby Windey somehow figured out that if they stuck together, they could just let the traitors sabotage themselves. This smart move led the four of them to win it all. (They'll split the $204,300 prize.) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

With Novocaine (March 14), Jack Quaid is stepping into his leading man era. "It's the first time I've seen my face prominently featured on a billboard or a poster, and that is so surreal." Quaid plays Nathan, an ordinary man who turns his unique condition—a genetic disorder that leaves him unable to feel pain—into a superpower to save his girlfriend from kidnappers. "It's gross and crazy and nuts, but really, over the course of the movie, he is kind of a new babe in the woods. He's just discovering the world for the first time in a lot of ways, and he has this longing for something more." This character, who Quaid calls "the sweetest character I've ever played," comes after a string of performances in films like Companion and Scream, where Quaid played anything but a nice guy. "Once you're unburdened from the idea of likability, you can really expand and go to some weird places." But he likes that Nathan is the opposite. "Nate we're trying to make a likable character. I like that he's a very heroic character in a lot of ways, because he's risking everything for this girl." Full Transcript: https://www.newsweek.com/2025/03/14/jack-quaid-midst-surreal-moment-novocaine-2039650.html See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The path to get Marvel’s Daredevil: Born Again made was a “wild” journey, says Vincent D’Onofrio, who plays Wilson Fisk aka Kingpin, the supervillain at odds with Matt Murdock aka Daredevil (played by Charlie Cox), a lawyer by trade fighting for justice. “Any time you’re involved with a project that people are digging, you just feel like you owe them so much and it really inspires you to do a great job and to do the best you can.” After a ferocious campaign from fans, Disney+ brought the series back—initially a Netflix original from 2015 to 2018. Playing a dark character isn’t really about “a love for evil” for D’Onofrio, but “a love for interesting.” As he says: “Do you remember that show Three’s Company? At the end of all those shows, it was always just a big misunderstanding, and that’s how I like to think about how I approach parts that are so far from me...you have to love your character, and if it’s a well-written character you fall in love with it, and then I just think, this is just a big misunderstanding. I’m actually not what people think. That’s the only way.” See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As a six-time New York Times bestselling author, Chelsea Handler knows the secret to a successful book is to stay true to herself. “All of my books are representative of where I am in my life at that time.” And “right now, where I am in my life is my feet are so firmly planted in the ground you cannot knock me over.” The comedian just released her seventh book, I’ll Have What She’s Having. “The point is to highlight how incredible your life can be when you don’t subscribe to doing what everyone tells you makes you valuable.” Between the book, her podcast Dear Chelsea and her stand-up—she has a new Netflix comedy Chelsea Handler: The Feeling and a Las Vegas residency, Chelsea at The Chelsea)—it’s clear Handler has written her own script to her career. “I feel really strongly and passionately, which I always have, that no one is in charge of me.” The former host of the late-night talk show Chelsea Lately says, “we all need a reboot for the talk show.” But in order to return to the format, it would have to “be the right set of circumstances.... I wouldn’t say never.” See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When America is under siege, it takes a special group to step up and face the enemy. Robert De Niro, Connie Britton, Angela Bassett and more star in Netflix’s limited series Zero Day trying to unravel the mystery of who is trying to bring the country to its knees. H. Alan Scott is joined by Naomi Ekperigin to break down all of the exciting twists and turns. Zero Day is now playing, only on Netflix.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.