Seth Freeman (Lou Grant / Brooklyn Bridge)

Seth Freeman (Lou Grant / Brooklyn Bridge)

From Ian Talks Comedy by Ian Fermaglich

June 27, 2026 · 55 min · Season 1 · Episode 319

About this episode

Seth Freeman discusses his experiences in TV writing and production, including his work on Lou Grant and Brooklyn Bridge, as well as his educational efforts.

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

People in this episode

Host: Ian Fermaglich

Guest: Seth Freeman

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: WGA Foundation, CBS, MTM, Bob Newhart

Books & works: Lou Grant, Brooklyn Bridge, Rape, Lincoln Heights

More episodes of Ian Talks Comedy

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Ian Talks Comedy podcast page.