Welcome to episode 5 of from TV Top 5 , The Hollywood Reporter’s TV podcast.
Weekly, Host
Leslie Goldberg (West Coast TV Editor) and Daniel Feberg (Chief TV Critic) breaks down the latest TV news with context on business and key aspects, welcomes showrunners, executives and other guests, and provide key guidelines for viewing content (or skipping, as the case may be).
This week’s episode looks back at a historic week in Hollywood’s labor war as performers’ union (SAG-AFTRA) joins writers’ union to picket line over use of artificial intelligence and royalties and other core issues. Plus, the Emmy nominations are in, but it’s unclear if the September show will be able to go ahead without the writer and cast.
Here’s the episode:
1. Headlines
Reneé Rapp, Fox’s Fall Schedule, Warner Bros. Television’s The exodus of executives and a slew of new hosts headlining the headlines this week.
2. Actors on strike
For the first time in more than six decades, two of Hollywood’s biggest unions will strike together as the Performers Guild joins screenwriters on picket lines led by sitters.
3. Emmy nominations
Vote results are The annual Emmys and the Television Academy honor three of HBO’s most popular shows as Nominees of the Year, poised to once again top the charts. Does the academy have room for loser shows like Reservation Dogs or even HBO’s Somebody Somewhere ?
4. Bob Iger’s performance is less than ideal
Disney CEO signs a new two-year deal to stay in charge of the mouse House passes , then followed up on the deal with a press interview where he fanned the flames of WGA and SAG-AFTRA, while also calling his linear networks (ABC, FX, Freeform) non-“core” assets. Wow.
5. Critic’s Corner
As usual, we wrap up with Dan’s thoughts on this week’s new returning series. In this episode, he talks about FX’s What We Do in the Shadows, Apple’s The Afterparty, Max’s Project Greenlight and FX Returns Justified, among others.
Hear It All Now on TV’s Top 5 . Be sure to subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss an episode. (Comments welcome!) You can also email us any topics or mailbag questions you’d like addressed in future episodes at 2026TVsTop5 @THR.com. 75
