Imogen Poots is a highly accomplished actor that has appeared in some important projects over the course of her career, such as the powerhouse film Green Room, and the iconic horror feature, 28 Weeks Later. Currently, she stars as Autumn Rivers in the Prime Video series, Outer Range, and we here at NTG were honored to sit down with her to discuss season two of this magnificent series.

John Betancourt: I would love to know, what it means to be part of a show that is so ambitious storytelling wise.
 
Imogen Poots: Oh, it means so much to me, I think shows that are completely their own breed and not feeling that pressure to conform are few and far between. I think original content is harder than ever to get off the ground and get people to have faith and put money behind those ideas. So, it's really cool to be a part of something that very much was a risk, but seemed to connect with a lot of people. And yeah, I'm very proud of that. It’s cool.
 
John Betancourt:  You bring up a very good point that I'd love to follow up on. Why do you think this is a series that resonates so well with audiences?
 
Imogen Poots: Well, I think on the one hand, it's because people were sort of hungry for something which didn't feel like anything else. And also, I think, just the questions regarding all of these conundrums and queries that we all have, within humanity, things we really know nothing about, we don't really know what's going on. So, with parallel universes, and, you know, nature and time and the unknown, and our past, I mean it's all something that's very, very relatable to a lot of people. And then I also think on the flip side, if you're a fan of, which I am, of something like Twin Peaks, where it's just kind of… there are potential mysteries to be solved or clues that you may regard or discard. And there's a kitschiness to it, which I always really love that with, certainly with sort of sci fi movies and things.

John Betancourt: Now you do some heavy lifting in season two acting wise, and I’m very curious how you handle such gravity mentally, since Autumn has been through it.
 
Imogen Poots: Yeah, it's just tough. And I think it's that real specific place of feeling very relaxed and feeling very focused. But the actors in this cast are so insane that like, any scene, you get to be in with one of those actors, it's like, all you have to do is be present. And truthful to the moment. I mean, it's just, it's like a crazy caliber of, of talent in the cast.
 
John Betancourt: I’m also curious, what you hope audiences take away from season two from a depth standpoint?
 
Imogen Poots: I hope that they feel… there's more of an emotional engine generating throughout season two, and I hope that they themselves consider, you know, time. (Laughs) I think, I mean, I think season one was a setup of so many ideas. And season two is an exploration of those things. And in terms of what people like take away from it, I guess it's just about, it'd be fun if people spoke about it, what do you think is actually going on? And also, what could potentially happen? Because it opens itself up to that potential. And, yeah, it's sort of, you know, about how humans behave under pressure. And always in the face of sort of a desire or hunger for something greater. This notion that you could somehow transgress or transcend even humanity because of… it's very, it's very dark. So, I hope it teaches people some stuff.
 
John Betancourt: Last question I have for you today, what are most excited for audiences to experience in season two? Without any spoilers of course.
 
Imogen Poots: I think… there's something about the American West, the myth of the American West that I've always found… I've probably fetishized it, you know, I obviously, am English, and I grew up always with this fascination of the American West and, and the more I learned about it and read and saw, of course, there's also a real sinister side to that myth as well. And I think it's interrogating these ideas, interrogating masculinity, faith, power, the importance of family, and where you're from. I think all of those themes are in the show and those are quite cool to ponder.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

Charles Murray is an accomplished writer and producer, who has worked on some incredible productions, such as Luke Cage. Currently, he serves as the Showrunner of Outer Range on Prime Video. And we here at NTG had the distinct honor of sitting down with Charles to discuss the highly anticipated second season of this series.
 
John Betancourt: This is a really ambitious season of storytelling. I mean, I am in awe of how much stuff was accomplished in it. I'm very curious as a showrunner, what went into the decision to create such an ambitious season?
 
Charles Murray: We felt like we had to kind of cover season one. And then project forward. Right. And so, when you're doing this kind of serialized storytelling, you know, I am a student of (Steven) Bochco and (David) Milch. And those guys packed every episode, so it was just instinctive for me to go,” how much can we put to an episode without getting confused? And how much can we put in an episode without fatiguing people?” And so, in that regard, it was like, I kind of wanted to get an audience to a place where they stand up to go to the kitchen, but they can't really. (Laughter) You know what I mean? It's like, “Wait, just pause it. No!” You know? And once that conversation happens, I feel like we got ‘em.
 
John Betancourt: I'm also curious as to what kind of what message specifically, you kind of hope that the audience pulls away from this particular season.
 
Charles Murray. The truth hurts, but sometimes you can't get around it. You know. And especially if you've been keeping it from people for a long time, you can't expect to be absolved, for finally telling it when you can't do anything else.
 
John Betancourt: What are you most excited for audiences to experience in season two, period?
 
Charles Murray: I'm really excited for them to experience the show, because I feel like… it's a roller coaster. And at the same time, when the roller coaster comes to an end, hopefully you want to get back and take another ride.
 
John Betancourt: What are you most proud of when it comes to your work on this show?
 
Charles Murray: I'm proud of the fact that as the kid of two steel workers in Gary, Indiana, I get to do what I told them I wanted to do when I was nine years old. You know, and this is just a part of, my story, is telling stories and you know, and I get to work with people who are absolutely amazing at their craft, and we get to build something that will be here long after I'm gone. And, you know, it's when… there are times when what we do… your side, my side, all of the sides. We forget about all of the people who wish they could do what we're doing and don't get to do it. And so, when I think about the work that I do, I'm always thinking about when I was that person who was on the outside, and how I get to do this and hopefully inspire other people to do. So that's, that's kind of my takeaway in a bigger sense. You know, the show. Yeah, watch the show. I hope you love this show. It's great. You know, but at the same time, you know, you have to think inside and outside as a writer, as a showrunner. And so, I think a lot of times, we forget, we are the inspiration of people who come to do this next. And so, I hope to continue to inspire folks to do it next.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.​

Michelle Paradise is a highly accomplished writer and producer, who currently serves as the Co-Showrunner of Star Trek: Discovery on Paramount+. Recently, Michelle attended SeriesFest: Season 10 in Denver, and we here at NTG were fortunate enough to sit down with her to discuss the farewell season of Discovery.
 
John Betancourt: I would love to start by knowing what it means to you personally be essentially the shepherd of Star Trek: Discovery’s farewell tour.
 
Michelle Paradise: Oh my gosh. I don't think I can put it into words. You know, the show means so much, to me personally, it means so much to everyone who's worked on it. It launched the new, you know, all the new Trek that's happening. And it's been the flagship show for Paramount+, and CBS Studios. And I know what it means to Alex (Kurtzman) and so to be entrusted with that is huge, and a privilege. And you know, we didn't know it was going to be the last season, but every season we go in, we know that, that we want that season to be even better. And so, when we did find out that it would be our last season, in doing that last bit of it, to wrap it all up, it was just so important that we got it right. And anyway, it's been huge.
 
John Betancourt: I was very surprised to see that there's a lot of intermixing of faith in season five of the show, as kind of an underlying theme. Which Star Trek hasn't done a whole lot of but I'm very curious as to what was the decision or went into the decision to kind of explore faith a bit in a world where it may not be necessary, so to speak?
 
Michelle Paradise: Well, I think it kind of comes out of the themes that we're exploring this season, themes of purpose and meaning. And for some individuals, faith comes into it. And you know, Star Trek is not and wouldn't ever be a religious show, per se. But I don't know that you can explore personal meaning without also having faith as a facet of that, because it is so important to some folks. And whether that's faith in a being, or faith in oneself, or faith in one's partner's, faith in one's crew. And, you know, we're really looking into that, particularly with Culber’s arc this season. And he felt like a natural character to explore that with, and I'm really excited with --- Wilson (Cruz) was just incredible with that season. And I'm really excited for where that goes. And as the next few episodes starts to come out, we'll see a bit more with that in a really cool and Star Trekkie kind of way.
 
John Betancourt: Last question that I have for you today, what do you ultimately hope the legacy of Star Trek Discovery is going to be?
 
Michelle Paradise: I hope ultimately, it's one where you know, 20 years from now, 30 years from now, or longer, as with The Original Series, people look back and feel like they can see themselves. Feel, continue to feel inspired, continue to feel empowered. And you know that that as more Trek comes, you know, that we have had the privilege of helping to launch all of that and, and it's amazing, and there's so many wonderful new shows coming out. You know, I just, I hope that people look back and see, you know, what we've done with it and what we strived to do, and that they're really… that they continue to enjoy it many years from now.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

If there is one word to describe Jane Seymour, it would have to be, legend. For Jane has been involved in countless iconic franchises, and is genuinely beloved by fans everywhere and of course, she continues to grace our screens with her incredible presence. In fact, she currently stars as Harry Wild in the smash Acorn TV hit series, Harry Wild, and recently at SeriesFest, we had the distinct honor of sitting down with Jane to discuss the show’s upcoming third season. 
 
John Betancourt: What does it mean to you to have fans embrace this show the way that they have?
 
Jane Seymour: Oh, very exciting, especially since you know, the takeaway is that people are now curious about reading. People that never read. And the other thing that I really love is that people in the literature world and professors of literature are all coming up to me saying how much they love it. So, you know, I mean, it's obviously it's a spoofy kind of, comedy, but people love it. And it's intelligent and amusing and it’s a really good thriller. I never know who did it. I can never figure it out. That’s the genius of Jo Spain. She is a hidden element, because in Ireland and in England, she's a number one, you know, crime novel writer. 
 
John Betancourt: Last question that I have for you today. Without spoiling anything, what are you most excited for everyone to experience here in season three? 
 
Jane Seymour: Oh, well, we have definitely got some new elements, coming up. You know, there's possibly a mysterious other person around that Harry's not sure about and Samantha Mumba comes in as Fergus’ mom who's come back and is causing havoc. We don't know whether to trust her or not, what her motives are, and what she's up to. And then I think the crimes are even more bizarre. (Laughter) But then, Fergus and I, we really… we've really got a good detective agency going now. And my son continues, to be completely useless. But, you know, what can I tell you, he's a guard. (Laughter)
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.