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.”

In our fourth and final dispatch from Telluride, The Frame host John Horn interviews Ethan Hawke and musician Seymour Bernstein. Hawke directed the documentary, "Seymour: The Introduction," chronicling Bernstein's devotion to teaching students to love music and overcome creative pitfalls. Telluride also saw the premiere of "The Imitation Game," a film about the WWII British code breaker Alan Turing (played by Benedict Cumberbatch), which already has Oscar buzz. We spoke with the film's writer, Graham Moore, both before and after the first public screening of his first produced screenplay. And we also chatted with the film's Norwegian director, Morton Tyldum, debuting his first English-language feature.

In our latest podcast from the Telluride Film Festival, The Frame host John Horn talks with the acclaimed director Alejandro González Iñárritu, who, with "Birdman," takes a somewhat lighter approach from his previous films such as "Biutiful" and "Amores Perros." In the dark comedy, Michael Keaton plays a film action hero who's trying to establish his artistic credibility on Broadway.

In our second dispatch from the Telluride Film Festival, "The Frame" host John Horn interviews Jon Stewart. The "Daily Show" host makes his feature directing debut with "Rosewater," the story of Iranian-Canadian journalist Maziar Bahari (played by Gael Garcia Bernal), who was arrested and tortured while covering Iran's 2009 presidential election.

"The Frame" crew is in Colorado covering the 2014 Telluride Film Festival. In this first festival dispatch, "The Frame" host John Horn moderates a Q&A with the cast and filmmaker behind "Wild." Hear Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, director Jean-Marc Vallée ("Dallas Buyers Club") and author Cheryl Strayed talk about bringing her book to the big screen. "Wild" Q&A photos by Merrick Chase

Today on The Frame, we hear from 'Training Day' director Antoine Fuqua about his unfinished Showtime documentary on Suge Knight and how he got the news the rap mogul had recently been shot six times. Then, we talk to director Xavier Dolan at the Telluride Film Festival where his feature, "Mommy," is screening after winning the Jury Prize at Cannes. We also hear from 27-year-old Brad Colburn on how he amassed a following of people who watch him play video games online, (Yes, that's a thing.) Plus, why the Converse shoe brand is paying for up-and-coming musicians' studio time.

In our second podcast, we discuss TV's biggest night, the 66th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards. Then we meet "Mad Men" writer/producer Tom Smuts, who is organizing a bike ride to the Emmys with a group of fellow nominees. Singer/Songwriter Dan Bern performs two songs riffing on the nominees for the Best Comedy Series and Best Drama Series Emmys. We take a listen to Lauryn Hill's song "Black Rage," which she released in response to the turmoil in Ferguson, Missouri. Finally, La Santa Cecilia and the Yuval Ron Ensemble mash-up their influences.

Our inaugural podcast looks at how artists respond to social and racial strife; the odd couple of Zach Galifianakis and President Obama wins a Creative Arts Emmys; and the roots of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles phenomenon.