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.”

Liz Feldman talks about her series that stars Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini and walks a fine line between comedy and tragedy.

The novelist and comic book creator co-wrote the novel with Terry Pratchett, but they couldn't get a production going before Pratchett's death in 2015. The current Amazon series fulfills their dream.

The actress stars as a harsh talk show host in the new movie written by Mindy Kaling.

Craig Mazin talks about his HBO miniseries that challenges our knowledge of the 1986 nuclear meltdown in Russia; record labels are in for a windfall, but how much will artists see?; "Godzilla" lives to romp and stomp again.

Her book is the basis for the Hulu series that stars Aidy Bryant as a young woman who defies being defined by her weight; a stringent abortion law in Louisiana could threaten TV and film production there; veteran pop music critic recounts Elton John's 1970 U.S. debut.

Randall Park and Ali Wong had been talking about making a romantic comedy for years and it's finally come to pass; with William Morris/Endeavor going public, the talent agency's finances are under scrutiny.

The former Texas Congressman's run for the U.S. Senate is documented in an HBO documentary that provides insight into his current presidential campaign; a recap of the Cannes Film Festival; "Echo in the Canyon" owes a lot to "California Dreamin'."

John Horn and Los Angeles Times film writer Jen Yamato are your guides to the Summer movie season. Guests include Kumail Nanjiani ("Stuber"), Olivia Wilde (director of "Booksmart") and Emma Thompson ("Late Night"). With the Elton John biopic coming up ("Rocketman"), we'll hear from the pop music critic who covered Elton's 1970 U.S. debut in L.A. And John reports from the trade floor at CinemaCon where vendors pitch the food and drinks they're trying to get into concession stands.

Why Icelandic artist Ragnar Kjartansson made a 12-hour version of the final aria of Mozart's beloved "The Marriage of Figaro"; Harvey Weinstein and his former studio's board members reach a tentative $44 million settlement with the women who've accused him of sexual misconduct; and art writer Jori Finkel on what inspires artists.

The most lucrative season for studios and cineplexes is usually filled with action films and sequels, but scary movies are making big inroads; a new study indicates that LGTBQ representation in movies improved in 2018; the guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela in their element.

The actress went behind the camera for the teen girl comedy, which marks her directing debut; an Amazon TV series and a movie starring Kristen Wiig have canceled plans to shoot in Georgia because of the state's new abortion law; singer, songwriter and guitarist Steve Gunn.

The TV series co-creators, Sarah Schneider and Chris Kelly, talk about their offbeat family comedy; can the video app TikTok take over music streaming?; recreating 1969 in "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood."