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.”

The film festival high in the Rocky Mountains has an amazing track record of debuting movies that end up as Academy Award nominees and winners; singer Snoh Aalegra is an unlikely R&B artist, having grown up in Sweden as the daughter of Iranian immigrants; finding the spirit at Ambient Church.

The actor's Emmy-nominated role in "When They See Us" and his latest solo stage show, “Latin History for Morons,” have important messages about Latino history; even Martin Scorsese's "The Irishman" can't convince movie theater owners to soften their stance on Netflix releases.

The actor already has Academy Awards for "Moonlight" and "Green Book," and now he has an Emmy nomination for "True Detective"; China is a huge and growing market for music streaming, but its biggest platform is under scrutiny by the government there.

A new report by the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative shows an absence of Latino actors and directors; director Gavin Hood on his new film, "Official Secrets"; the summer box office report card for the studios.

We visit with Ava DuVernay at her company Array where she's disrupting the old Hollywood system; NYT culture critic Wesley Morris; 'Jawline' documentarian; filmmaker Issa López and more...

The former publicist is creating her own empire as a director, producer and distributor, housed in a rehabbed compound on the edge of downtown L.A.; the future of the Spider-Man film franchise.

The documentary by Liza Mandelup follows a 16-year-old on his journey to become a successful live-streamer; how TikTok became a powerful platform for music and pop culture; filmmaker Sacha Gervasi and actor Peter Dinklage on their Emmy-nominated movie, "My Dinner With Hervé."

The first release from their Higher Ground production company is a documentary by Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar about the cultural struggles that surfaced in the takeover of a gutted GM factory in Ohio; the outsized influence of Colombian artists in the Latin music scene.

The filmmaker's latest is dark fairytale about a group of orphans, living on the streets amidst drug-related violence in their Mexican town; 'Chernobyl' has some present-day resonance; The Rolling Stones 1964 U.S. debut in San Bernardino.

Sian Clifford, who plays the sister of series star and creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge, talks about their off-screen friendship; we also hear from Waller-Bridge's real-life sister, Isobel, who writes the music for the show; Variety senior film writer Matt Donnelly on the Fall movie season.

Richard Linklater on Texas pride and getting political. Taylor McFerrin sings on his new album. Bruce Springsteen love on the big screen in "Blinded By The Light." "Luce" Filmmaker confronts assumptions around race and privilege. We remember Peter Fonda.

The actor had directed several movies and TV projects, but never anything as grim as the Showtime series, and it paid off with an Emmy nomination for him; Latinos in the entertainment industry speak out on recent events.