Episode
Seth Freeman (Lou Grant / Brooklyn Bridge)
- Podcast
- Ian Talks Comedy
- Published
- Jun 27, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 3285
- Processing state
not_requested
Actions
POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/ian-talks-comedy-140290/episodes/seth-freeman-lou-grant-brooklyn-bridge/transcription-requests
Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/ian-talks-comedy-140290/seth-freeman-lou-grant-brooklyn-bridge.md
Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.
Summary
Seth Freeman joined me to discuss going backstage on Kukla, Fran & Ollie; Hop-along Cassidy; writing for his school paper; teaching math to inner city students so they gain pride; deciding to move to LA; becoming a gofer at MTM; being mentored by Gene Reynolds, Allan Burns, and James L. Brooks; Jeff Melvoin's book on TV writing; WGA Foundation for TV writers; knowing all aspects of TV production in case you become a producer; working on the TV show Brooklyn Bridge; CBS wants to spin off Lou Grant; MTM wants to make it a drama; his episode "Hostage", "The Cop"; pitching an episode then doing the research; writing an episode about message parlor girls, prisoners of conscience and the blacklist; "Rape" came from Allan Burns and his wife's charity work; writing a spec Bob Newhart and getting both sitcoms and dramas which made him what Lou Grant producers wanted; creating Lincoln Heights, getting an MA in public health right before COVID 19; CBS thought Lou Grant would be cancelled after 13 weeks; was eventually cancelled last minute because of Ed Asner's politics