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 writer and actor is the son of Eugene Levy, and they are the co-creators and co-stars of the series, "Schitt's Creek"; John Horn reports from the Sundance Film Festival; a new dance performance inspired by horticulture.

Could Linda Perry be the first woman to win a Grammy for Producer of the Year?; a preview of the 2019 Sundance Film Festival; the host and executive producer of KPCC's podcast "The Big One."

Film critic Claudia Puig talks about the odds for Alfonso Cuarón's biopic about his childhood in Mexico City; the actresses from "Roma" — Yalitza Aparicio and Marina de Tavira; Hannah Beachler ("Black Panther") is the first African-American to be nominated for production design.

The pianist and composer talks about and performs music from the movie about Don Shirley; what were the most streamed songs and albums of 2018?

"The Apprentice" creator Mark Burnett is the subject of a riveting, comprehensive story in The New Yorker; Sony Music is reportedly dropping R. Kelly; Isabella Rossellini is the ringleader of an animal circus!

The playwright talks about his latest production, which revolves around a man going through a divorce and an epic mid-life crisis; the band Los Texmaniacs has a timely remake of a Woody Guthrie song about farmworkers.

The much-hyped Fyre Festival seemed to good to be true —and, as a new Netflix documentary shows, that was sadly the case; YouTube's struggles to police user-generated content; the influential artist and critic Manny Farber.

The 21-year-old singer who prefers to remain anonymous is nominated for Album of the Year and Best New Artist; NBC Universal joins the crowded field of streaming services; the Spanish singer Rosalía is putting a fresh spin on flamenco.

The company led by Benjamin Millepied is presenting its first full season in its new home in L.A.'s Arts District; a former Weinstein Company film, "The Upside," won the box office this weekend. What has become of all the former Weinstein properties?; generations of African-American harpists bond over their connection to a pioneer of the genre.

The remake with Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga is the only movie nominated in all 11 guild and film society award competitions; Merrill Markoe and Megan Koester chat about their audiobook, "The Indignities of Being a Woman"; the venerable country-swing band Asleep at the Wheel is still rollin' along.

Series creator Michael Schur and one of the show's key writers, Jen Statsky, talk about the ways that the cast and crew take their own research and turn it into a hit show; John Lasseter was ousted from Pixar over inappropriate behavior, and his hiring at another studio has created a furor.

In 2018, for the first time in the 90-year history of the Academy Awards, a woman was nominated for cinematography. Why did this recognition take so long?; L.A.-based singer/songwriters recently gathered in Topanga Canyon to share their works; on Song Exploder, Yo-Yo Ma deconstructs one of his signature Bach performances.