The Frame

We continue our series on how police are depicted on TV with the creators of “COPS,” the longest-running reality show in TV history. Creator John Langley tells us about the show’s genesis and why it continues to be so popular; the Latino Comics Expo is unofficially known as the “Latino Comic-Con"; Comedy Central says Larry Wilmore's show failed to gain traction with viewers.

From refugee athletes to individual profiles, Olympics mini-docs are a big part of the broadcast and have been since the 1970s. NBC Sports' Jimmy Roberts joins us from Rio where he's reporting on his 16th Olympics; Part 2 of our look inside the Sundance Directors Lab, where eight budding filmmakers are encouraged to take risks and seize the opportunity of a lifetime.

We visit the Sundance Director's Lab where Robert Redford and a group of industry pros mentor up and coming filmmakers. Variety's chief TV critic Maureen Ryan breaks down the CBS news coming out of the Television Critics Association press tour; Colburn Conservatory of Music graduates endure stressful mock auditions to prepare for the real thing.

Actress Taraji P. Henson opens up about the career path that led her to her Emmy-nominated role of Cookie Lyon on the hit Fox show, "Empire"; amid the bad reviews for "Suicide Squad," we look at the unsustainable — but enduring — Hollywood business model of taking big swings at expensive movies in hopes of finding a franchise.

In our #CopsOnTV series, writer-producer Cheo Hodari Coker reveals what he learned about the LAPD while producing the police drama, "Southland," and how that connected with his experiences as a black man; the bad news/good news of NBC's Olympic ecosystem: broadcast viewership is down, but online streaming is booming.

In the first of a continuing series of conversations, former "Law & Order: SVU" executive producer Neal Baer says studios and networks want police to be depicted as heroes; how soon will virtual reality become a big thing in entertainment?

Stuntwoman and "American Ninja Warrior" contestant Jessie Graff teaches host John Horn some tricks of her trade; the opening ceremony for the Summer Olympics has become a job for film directors; Aubrey Plaza's amateur basketball team, the Pistol Shrimps, has quite the following.

The comic actress' star-turn in "Ghostbusters" and another Emmy nod for "SNL" have her primed for bigger things; fans of the kids' show 'Doc McStuffins' are worried about the future of one of the few kids' shows with a black lead character; DanceSafe provides education and and even drug-testing at raves, but its hands are tied by a federal law.

Artist and animator Jorge Gutiérrez discusses the creative inspirations of the U.S.-Mexico border and the painting spree that led to his gallery show; HBO, Netflix and NBC face the press at the Television Critics Association; screenwriter, producer and former studio chief James Schamus makes his directorial debut with "Indignation."

Director Marc Osborne didn't want to make a straight-ahead adaptation of "The Little Prince," so he came up with a novel approach; "Equity" is the rare movie about Wall Street that stars and is made by women; Claire Boucher, aka Grimes, dissects her song, “Kill V. Maim.”

"Mockingjay" director Francis Lawrence admits he reads reviews; Pasadena Playhouse takes a risk with "Stop Kiss," a show about a lesbian love affair; Beyonce’s least known collaborator goes by the name of Boots; and how did Mike Tyson end up with a TV cartoon?

Five musicians were charged with adding music to Bob Dylan lyrics from the 1960s for a Showtime documentary (pictured); country singer Ty Herndon challenges Nashville conservatism; Lily Amirpour on her quirky “A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night”; vocal lessons from a metal singer.

The producer of "The Graduate" talks about working with Nichols; why Sandra Oh went from “Grey’s Anatomy” to producing a crowd-funded animated film; was Atari’s “ET” one of the worst video games ever made?; and musician George Clinton spills all the funk in his new memoir.

NBC has decided to shelve its development deal with Bill Cosby for a new sitcom that was slated for next year; comedian Alonzo Bodden talks about Cosby's legacy; director Amir Bar-Lev on “Happy Valley," his new feature documentary about the Penn State/Jerry Sandusky scandal.

Disney has mounted "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" (pictured) at the La Jolla Playhouse as a Broadway tryout; The "Music & Memory" program provides iPods as therapy for victims of Alzheimer's disease; Like reading? Try 200 books in six months as an awards judge.

The director of "Banksy Does New York" (pictured) talks about how the elusive street artist took the Big Apple by storm; NBC had no comment today on the status of its planned Cosby show as rape allegations swirl around him; and Hollywood prepares to use virtual reality as the next tool for storytelling.

E. Max Frye and Dan Futterman spent years trying to get the screenplay for “Foxcatcher” (pictured) just right; Gael Garcia Bernal plays an Iranian journalist in “Rosewater”; a section of the Berlin Wall has become a work of art in L.A..

Cindy Lauper on why she was fearless about writing her first Broadway show; What would happen if Hasbro buys DreamWorks Animation?; Pete Nowalk talks about creating "How to Get Away with Murder"; Jill Soloway on the first time she saw a set being built for a script she wrote.

"The Daily Show" host (far right) talks about his film directing debut, "Rosewater"; how is the LGBT community faring in depictions on television?; Jake Gyllenhaal tells us about the first time he realized he wanted to act; and singer Perla Batalla recalls her family-run record store that is gone, but not forgotten.

Hilary Swank talks about her unglamorous role in “The Homesman" (pictured); Mexico's most acclaimed filmmakers criticize the handling of a student massacre in their homeland; the grandson of General George S. Patton on how filmmaking can help veterans deal with PTSD; and Amazon unveils its next slate of TV shows.

The director on why "Interstellar" is his "most aggressive" attempt at a family blockbuster; how a high school teacher works the arts into the classroom; the butler from “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” becomes King Lear; Jon Stewart tells us about the first time he bombed as a stand-up comic.

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art gets a collection (including a Monet, pictured) valued at $500 million; Herbie Hancock talks about the Thelonious Monk Jazz Competition in L.A.; James Marsh's 'Theory' tells the Stephen Hawking story; and the AARP puts on its second film festival in L.A. (Did you know the "R" no longer stands for "retired"?)