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.”

Simmonds stars in the new film, "Wonderstruck" and Harvard is featured in the Deaf West Theatre production of "Our Town"; Netflix will spend $8 billion on content in 2018; low budget horror films like "Happy Death Day" are a bright spot for movie studios.

Mexican jazz drummer Antonio Sánchez has made a career of composing for film ("Birdman") and TV ("Get Shorty"). His new album is called "Bad Hombre"; WSJ reporter Ben Fritz discusses the Weinstein Company's possible sale to Colony Capital; Film producer Emily Best on the power dynamics that foster a culture of abuse in Hollywood.

"Lore" creator Aaron Mahnke reveals how he adapted his horror legend podcast into a new Amazon TV show; country music artist Jason Aldean performed last night for the first time since the Las Vegas shooting. We hear from one person who was at the show; and New York Times film critic Manohla Dargis puts the Harvey Weinstein story of alleged sexual misdeeds into the context of Hollywood history which has kept men in positions of power, women marginalized and many silenced.

Why did Ronan Farrow, a reporter for NBC News, publish his story about Harvey Weinstein in The New Yorker?; over the past 25 years, Geoff Elliott and Julia Rodriguez-Elliott, co-producing directors of A Noise Within, have built a respected, classical repertory company from the ground up; musician Rostam breaks down a song from his first solo album since leaving the band Vampire Weekend.

Agnes Varda and JR travel through their native France to photograph their fellow citizens in the documentary, "Faces Places"; IMAX is trying to lure audiences to its new virtual reality experience centers; experimental opera director Yuval Sharon is among this year's MacArthur Fellowship honorees.

Published reports of Harvey Weinstein's predatory behavior spotlight the non-disclosure agreements that prevent whistleblowers and victims from telling their stories; Brandon Micheal Hall is the lead in ABC's new comedy "The Mayor." He's happy to combine politics and rap in his first big acting gig.

Veteran actor Joe Morton talks about his stage portrayal of the late comedian and activist, Dick Gregory; producer Amy Ziering, whose documentary "The Hunting Ground" was distributed by The Weinstein Company, wants to make a film about sexual harassment in Hollywood; can The Weinstein Company survive without Harvey?

The published report of Harvey Weinstein's history of sexual harassment begs the questions: How did his behavior go unchecked for so long? And how are Democratic politicians trying to distance themselves from Weinstein?; Larry David's "Curb Your Enthusiasm" once helped exonerate a murder suspect. The story is told in the documentary, "Long Shot."

Filmmaker Brett Morgen's "Jane" uses never-seen footage that National Geographic had stored for decades; there are more than usual women among this year's nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; from Amish country to Hollywood, and classical piano to Dolly Parton: the evolution of singer-songwriter Our Lady J.

Lukas Nelson learned a lot from his dad, Willie, but he's making his own musical way; David Geffen has pledged $150 million for the planned new building at the L.A. County Museum of Art; movie studios are increasingly trying to limit what critics can divulge in a review.

Tom Petty recently finished a 40-year anniversary tour with his band. L.A. Times pop music critic Mikael Wood joins us for a remembrance of the music icon's career; in the wake of the mass shooting at a music festival in Las Vegas, NPR music critic Ann Powers talks about country music's complicated relationship with gun culture.

The Pasadena Playhouse marks its 100th anniversary with a collaboration on "Our Town" with Deaf West Theatre; some outdoor concert venues are using a pre-screening process for ticket buyers similar to what the TSA uses at airports.