On today's show:

A TV Series About How Money Connects Us All

If you're at all familiar with writer/director Adam McKay's recent films, you know he takes on dense, serious topics, but mixes in a bit of comedy.  There was his 2015 film, "The Big Short," about the lead-up to the subprime mortgage crisis, and then last year's "Vice," about former vice-president Dick Cheney. Now there's the eight-part Amazon Prime series he's executive produced (along with "Planet Money" co-founder Adam Davidson), called "This Giant Beast That is the Global Economy." The series is hosted by Kal Penn, the actor probably best known for his roles in the "Harold and Kumar" movies and in TV shows such as "House" and "How I Met Your Mother. " He's also pretty well known for taking time off from acting to serve in the Obama Administration. Penn spoke with The Frame about what he learned from hosting "The Giant Beast " and why it's different from anything he's ever done.