Paul Corrigan and Brad Walsh are a pair of accomplished producers that have worked on some popular shows, such as Modern Family and King of the Hill. Currently they serve as Executive Producers, Writers and Co-Showrunners of the upcoming Peacock series, Ted, and we here at NTG had the distinct honor of being able to sit down with both of them to discuss the latest chapter in the life and times of Ted the Teddy Bear.
 
John Betancourt: I would love to know what inspired this series.
 
Paul Corrigan: Well, I mean, I think, you know, it's been a long time since anyone has seen Ted and I think there was sort of a pent-up demand to see what Ted can get up to again. And, you know, the movies explored, Ted and John as adults, basically, adults in years only, but adults, and we wanted to see like, what their life was like growing up, and what their family life and their home life was like, the years that formed them, sort of more than the years where they're fully formed. So, like, I think, that is what sort of spurred the conversation to get this project going.
 
Brad Walsh: I mean, I think was it was exciting to focus on a period of time that was unexplored for those characters. So, it freed us up in a lot of ways, because obviously, we have to be totally true to the project, and we have established characters. But there's also a lot of freedom there to develop new characters, and to go into new areas with stories because this is all unexplored territory.
 
John Betancourt: That leads me to my next question, what kind of challenges did you guys run into in assembling a prequel since you have to stay true to the future? But, you know, find the foundation in the past?
 
Brad Walsh: Sure, that was a challenge. I mean, tonally matching the show. And still bringing it back to the 90s is sort of… that's a shift, but you still want it to be consistent. So that was, that was a challenge. Luckily, Seth wrote the pilot, so he sort of set the stage in a way that was exciting to see and read. And suddenly, it was clear from the get-go, that was going to work. I mean, Paul, and I have written a lot of comedy, but no rated R comedy. So personally, it was that was a challenge just to sort of work outside our comfort zone a little bit, we maybe police ourselves almost naturally at this point, we've had to sort of stop that. They are often like, runs in rooms and bits and story ideas that don't wind up on network television that have to be toned down or just thrown away. And that happens a lot less frequently with a show like Ted, a joke run that you have in the room that seems completely irreverent and inappropriate winds up on the show.
 
Paul Corrigan: And one of the great things about it being a prequel is we were able to take a little bit of liberty with what's in the movies. So, you know, we could fudge things a little bit. But as long as we stayed true to the tone, and we didn't contradict anything outright, I think we were in pretty good shape.
 
John Betancourt:  Obviously, Ted is beloved, absolute popular franchise, and I'm sure folks are chomping at the bit to see it. But what are each of you most excited for audiences to experience when this premieres.
 
Paul Corrigan: I'm really excited to let people see the friendship when they were teenagers and sort of how sweet that friendship has always been, and how, you know, Ted is always there for John and helps John through his life. But I think in this, as Ted is sort of going to high school, you see John as a support system for Ted as well. I think that relationship is going to be kind of fun to explore.
 
Brad Walsh: Oh, yeah, I think there's an innocence to this show that isn't in the movies. And I think that'll be fun for viewers to see. I feel like this time of life when you're an adolescent. And this is actually the time that we were young as well. It was difficult to navigate for anyone and then navigating it with your best friend makes it a little bit better. So, I think, hopefully, people will laugh a lot, and then recognize that there's a heart at the center of this show.
 
John Betancourt: Last question that I have for you, gentlemen, today. What are each of you most proud of when it comes to what you've assembled here?
 
Brad Walsh: Well, one of the challenges going in was this… just the technical challenges here, and I don't want to pretend that I was in charge of the technical challenges, but I was excited to learn about how to handle that and how to navigate it going forward. So, I feel like I was… I'm proud…. I'm proud to now have that knowledge. Thanks to Seth and the team around him, and being able to, like just learn in his shadow was fun.
 
Paul Corrigan: I agree with that. And say, like, you know, from the writing staff, to the cast, to the crew that made all these things happen, the thing I'm proud of is being able to be part of that team, and to work with all these people who are kind of the best at what they do. And it was, it was humbling, and yet sort of exhilarating.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

Zyra Gorecki is a rising star in Hollywood, and Nicholas Gonzalez has popped up often in some popular shows over the past few years. But currently, they are both highly beloved courtesy of their work on the fan-favorite series, La Brea on NBC, a show that sadly is coming to an end. And to properly memorialize the wonder of their time on the show as Izzy and Levi, respectively, they were kind enough to sit down and discuss all things La Brea with us. 
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John Betancourt: What is your fondest memory of working on this show?

Zyra Gorecki: Oh, that’s such a beautiful thought. Listen, we’ve had three years of this, and I have truly so many beautiful memories of cast, crew, every single person that has worked on this, I cannot narrow it down to one. Like telling you to pick a favorite song!

Nicholas Gonzalez: Alright, that's yeah, I'm trying to think about too. I think it's, it's more just, we had so many times of where we were holed up, you know, staying out of the elements. Braving a lot of that together. And it was an adventure. You know, it's really hard to pinpoint. But I think it was those times when we came together under these circumstances that were really tough. You know, shooting conditions, a lot of times and just getting through that day, you know, you couldn't help but look left and right and be like, “Okay, we did it.”

Zyra Gorecki: I do have wait, I do have one story of Eoin… oh, wait, I don't… oh I can't tell that story. No, no, because it's in the future, rats!  I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry! It hasn’t happened yet! He was snoring. Snoring on camera.

John Betancourt: I’m curious what each of you learned from your characters over the past three years and what you took away from them?

Zyra Gorecki: I learned, don’t choose anger first. In my experience… I am not an angry person per se but if something happens like, anger happens, whatever, but to explore the other emotions first. Because Izzy is so good at that and so good at being mature, and understanding other people and the empathy, and it's like with the Izzy and Levi situation, like she was so incredibly understanding for this this huge betrayal and just talked to him like a person. Which is wild. At 16 years old, can you imagine?

Nicholas Gonzalez: Um, I think that for me, one of the biggest things that I think, is that Levi kind of… while he was a very logical and smart, I think he let his heart run ahead of him a few times and whether that was because of Eve and wanting to keep the family you know, obviously safe, he was spread pretty thin. Because there was a genuine love for Levi and Izzy and Josh, and you know the family. So, it was a… I think he kind of… I learned a bit along with him… that I think you just really have to kind of stop, stop yourself and not rush headlong into things like that, especially when you're letting emotions get the best of you.

John Betancourt: What has this incredible three-year journey meant to each of you?

Nicholas Gonzalez: For me, it's just… it's meant a lot because it took a lot of time away from our family, you know, as well, this, we had to create a family while still, you know, just letting everybody do their own thing and trying to live somewhere else. When everything you hold close in the world is on the other side of it, that was probably one of the toughest things about it, you know, for me and learning about you know, how resilient I think even just as actors that we can be, you know, put in the situation like we were in the first season, you know?

Zyra Gorecki: I am reminded every single time I talk about this show how truly grateful that I am to everyone who allowed me to do this, to make this, with people that I adore. Because this is my first show. This is the first big thing that I've ever done and for them to take a risk on me and go “Yep, we're gonna do this and we're gonna do three seasons of it.” That's wild. Absolutely wild, and I'm so incredibly grateful. Oh, and also to the people around me who… I had no idea what I was doing, and they were just like, “yeah,” like, Eoin. Like, Eoin truly took me under his wing and was like, “Listen, you don't know what any of these words mean? I understand that. Let me explain them to you whilst also not making you feel foolish” was wonderful.

This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity. The final season of ‘La Brea’ debuts on NBC on January 9, 2024, at 9p-10p ET/PT and will be streaming on Peacock, the next day.

Veronica St. Clair and Jack Martin are a pair of talented actors that are rising stars in the business, courtesy of their work on the NBC series, La Brea, where they play Riley and Josh, respectively. And well… with the end of the series on the horizon, we here at NTG were fortunate enough to speak with both of them about their experiences working on this series.
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John Betancourt: What are each of you going to miss the most about working on this show?

Veronica St. Clair: Jack. Working with Jack was seriously so fun. We had so much fun on set, honestly. But also, just like getting to work every day and like show up to like a normal set, like that every day as an actor, that's like what you hope to have. And we had the great gift of getting to do that every day. So, it was so fun. Like, every day getting a new email with a new script draft and reading and being like, “What are we getting up to this time?” It was always a fun surprise. And like, who knows what other projects we'll get to do in the future. But I doubt it'll be anything like La Brea. So, I am glad that this was our first like, big project. I learned so much on the show. And I am… I'm going to miss it.  

Jack Martin: Yeah, I mean, I agree with everything she said. I'm gonna miss Veronica. Oh, she’s not… she's not dead. I'm just gonna miss working with her on the show. (Laughter) And I'm gonna miss… you know, this was my first real acting role. It was also my first post grad job. It was so many firsts, for me. It's also the first time I've lived in a foreign country for three years. I mean, because of that, it's always gonna hold a special place in my heart. And it's like your first love, like, I'm always gonna think about it. I'm always gonna miss it. I mean, I'm gonna compare every role I ever do again, to this one.

John Betancourt: What are each of you most proud of when it comes to your work on this show?

Jack Martin: I mean…

Veronica St. Clair: I don't know… all of it!

Jack Martin: The growth. The amount of reps that we had, the amount of time that we spent, and that we not only, I mean, gave it our all 100% of the time, were professional, loved it. I mean, Veronica and I both put everything we had into the show. And we showed up and we did it no matter what was happening, no matter what the circumstances were. We put our all into it. And I think we only got better over time because of that. I'm really proud of that.

Veronica St. Clair: I couldn't have said it better myself. I have to just tag along and say ditto, ditto, ditto with everything Jack said. It was a great joy.

This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity. The final season of ‘La Brea’ debuts on NBC on January 9, 2024, at 9p-10p ET/PT and will be streaming on Peacock, the next day.

David Appelbaum is an accomplished writer and producer that has worked on some incredible shows, such as The Mentalist and NCIS: New Orleans. But David is best known for his work on La Brea on NBC. A show he created and where he serves as Showrunner and Executive Producer and with La Brea coming to a close, we here at NTG had the distinct honor of sitting down with David to discuss the end of this beloved series.
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John Betancourt: What does it mean to you as a showrunner and creator, to end this series on your terms.

David Appelbaum: It means a lot. You know, this has really been a labor of love for almost four and a half years, for me. Starting with just an idea, you know, it was just like the idea of a sinkhole opening, and now it's grown into three seasons, working with hundreds and hundreds of people, a show that’s seen by millions of people around the world. It's amazing. And I feel, you know, so grateful that I was given this opportunity. So, it's exciting, that we got to wrap it up, in a great way, but also, you know, a lot of emotions, it's been a real journey for me, personally. And I think, you know, for the fans too, to see where these characters have gone over, you know, 30 episodes.

John Betancourt: It’s safe to say that anyone that creates a story takes something away from that story when it’s finished. What did you take away from this show?

David Appelbaum: I think the biggest thing is just how to be a showrunner. You know, there's just so many demands that are put upon a showrunner, having a creative vision, overseeing a budget, overseeing visual effects, managing notes, and feedback from network executives and from studio, and from other producers, cast relations, there's just so many things that you have to be able to do. So, you know, being able to grow into that role. And understand the demands of it, I think if there's something that I take away from it, that I never had, this was the first show that I've created and run. So, I never had to do anything like this before, the only thing I had to do before was write scripts, which is just part of… which is just the beginning of what you have to do. So, I think all of those different aspects and those different roles are the things that I probably have taken away from it, and you know, knowing how to do it all at once.

John Betancourt: What are you most proud of when it comes to this show?

David Appelbaum: I think it's, you know, on a personal level, it's really friendships that I've made, the chance to work with people, you know, to meet people that I never would have had the chance to meet before. You know, the show was shot in Australia, and, you know, there’s friends I've made from around the world. So, I think it's really the relationships that I've taken with me, into whatever, whatever I do next, it's definitely been like, creatively fulfilling, to be able to have, you know, your own idea and your own show, be put out there. But more than that, it's just getting the chance to work with great people and the people you meet along the way.

John Betancourt: Last question I have for you today, how would you describe the final season of La Brea?

David Appelbaum: Epic. I think it's an epic journey, in terms of the scale of the show. You know, we have this this show that, you know, that there are no dinosaurs in 10,000 BC. So, just on a pure visceral level, it's epic. But also, in terms of like, the emotional journeys, that characters are going on, they’re epic, you know, they're really bringing them to their conclusion. So, I think everyone is, you know, we're bringing… everything is building to a great climax. So, I think definitely, it's an epic season of television. And it is, you know, it is a thrill ride. Like, that's how we've always designed the show, but now more than ever, I think, this season is one that, you know, really takes that to a new level.

This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity. The final season of ‘La Brea’ debuts on NBC on January 9, 2024, at 9p-10p ET/PT and will be streaming on Peacock, the next day.