Can former Obama speechwriter’s ‘1600 Penn’ survive NBC? PODCAST INTERVIEW

Today’s Guest: Jon Lovett, co-creator, “1600 Penn,” podcaster, “Pod Save America”

 

Mr. Media is recorded live before a studio audience of former presidential speechwriters who went on to successful careers in television – I’m looking at you, Pat Buchanan, Ben Stein and Peggy Noonan. Waitamminit – they’re all Republicans! Damn! I hoped Jon Lovett isn’t listening yet… in the NEW new media capital of the world… St. Petersburg, Florida!

So… I was all set to ask Jon Lovett a bunch of predictable questions about making the transition from being one of President Obama’s speechwriters to producer of a TV show about a fictional president of a fictional country in a fictional world capitol…

… when the real-life actor who plays the son of said fictional president showed up on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” a week ago making his case on national television to play the overweight son of Han Solo in the new Star Wars movie. He was basically pleading with director J.J. Abrams for a job!

JON LOVETT podcast excerpt: “You want your show to succeed and to have the best lead-in possible. They have put as after ‘The Office’ and that is as good a lead-in as you can get… on NBC. We hope people are going to start finding the show. I think it is a sharp, funny show. Whatever else is going on around us, we hope people will be drawn to ‘1600 Penn.'” 

So… now I’m left having to ask Lovett about the appropriateness of Josh Gad, one of the stars of his Thursday night at 9:30 p.m. NBC show ‘1600 Penn,’ to be begging for work at a time when his existing gig is, unfortunately, struggling a bit in the ratings.

It’s already gotta hurt to see the show that preceded you, ’30 Rock,’ retire mid-season, and the one that followed you for all of two weeks, the bizarre drama, ‘Do No Harm,’ go in the tank to historic proportions before being yanked. And what does ‘1600 Penn’ have to look forward to? Being the lead-in for ‘Law & Order: SVU’ reruns and then the debut of ‘Hannibal’? Yikes!

1600 Penn Official NBC website • Twitter • Facebook • Download an episode of ‘1600 Penn’ from Amazon.com

Pod Save America Website • Facebook • Twitter •Wikipedia

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