We Disrupt This Broadcast

Peabody and CMSI

Who are the risk takers that help reinvent and reimagine the kinds of stories we see on TV? And how do they disrupt what we’ve come to expect on our screens and in our culture? We Disrupt This Broadcast, a podcast from The Peabody Awards and Center for Media & Social Impact, wants to answer these very questions. Produced and distributed in partnership with award-winning audio production group PRX and hosted by comedian Gabe González, We Disrupt This Broadcast explores how the minds behind critically-acclaimed TV shows are re-imagining the world and tackling the big issues that move us forward. From intimate interviews with award-winning TV creatives to real talk with experts and social movement leaders, join us as we explore the inner workings and cultural relevance of the shows that are changing all the rules and shaping our future. Listen to We Disrupt This Broadcast - dropping every three weeks. Available wherever you get your podcasts.

18hr 22min

Fellow Travelers creator and writer Ron Nyswaner joins Gabe González for a wide-ranging and intimate conversation. They discuss the joy of representing imperfect queer characters on screen, his personal connection to the AIDS crisis of the 80’s, and why queer history is American history.

October 10, 202440min 3sec57.59 MB

Thumbnail for "Dying for Sex: Liz Meriwether, Kim Rosenstock, and Emily Nagoski on Cancer, Caregiving, and Women's Sexuality".

Through their authentic and nonjudgmental depictions of death, women’s sexuality, intimacy and caregiving across one woman’s journey to find sexual pleasure after a terminal cancer diagnosis, the Peabody Award-winning FX on Hulu series Dying for Sex asks the question, “What does it look like to heal?”

May 28, 202648min 5sec57.65 MB

Thumbnail for "Jury Duty: Lee Eisenberg and Nicholas Hatton on Reality TV, Gentle Humanity, and Everyday Heroes".

Genre-bending reality show Jury Duty became a hit in its first season by inverting the typical reality TV formula of showing people at their worst to instead show at least one human who is an authentically good human. We sit down with creator Lee Eisenberg and executive producer Nicholas Hatton as they take us behind the scenes of the second season cast in a faux company retreat setting.

May 7, 202640min 49sec48.94 MB

Thumbnail for "In Living Color: Keenen Ivory Wayans on Fearless Comedy, Working with Family, and Letting Go of Ego".

Throughout its iconic four-season run on FOX, the Emmy Award-winning sketch series In Living Color, led by creator, performer, and writer Keenen Ivory Wayans, showcased comedy that unapologetically spoke to the Black experience, put the fledgling FOX network on the map, and introduced the world to legendary comedians, writers, and Fly Girls.

April 16, 202630min 17sec36.31 MB

Thumbnail for "Stax: Jamila Wignot on Stax Records, Soul Music, and the Threat of Black Business Success".

By interweaving the rise and fall of the iconic music label Stax Records with the Civil Rights Movement from the 1950s to the 1970s, Peabody Award-winning director Jamila Wignot spotlights the powerful intersection of social progress, joy, and critique that occurred through the Memphis record label that so greatly affected popular music.

March 26, 202644min 44sec53.64 MB

Thumbnail for "The Pitt: John Wells on the Pressure and Peril of the U.S. Healthcare System".

Through his dedication to accuracy, addressing urgent issues facing everyday Americans, and portraying compassionate characters trying to do good in the face of broken systems, Emmy and Peabody Award-winning creator, writer and producer John Wells (The Pitt, The West Wing, ER) gives us a new way of seeing the best of humanity in the worst situations.

March 5, 202635min 38sec42.73 MB

Thumbnail for "Spirit Rangers: Karissa Valencia and Joey Clift on Bringing Native Traditions to Life for a Younger Generation".

Through its striking visuals, lovable characters, and team of nearly a hundred Native creatives, the Peabody Award-nominated animated children’s series Spirit Rangers shows it’s possible to create kids’ TV that’s as disruptive as it is entertaining.

February 12, 202633min 19sec39.95 MB

Thumbnail for "Questlove on Cultural History, Black Genius, and the Revolutionary Power of Joy".

In the season three premiere of We Disrupt This Broadcast, we explore the vast oeuvre of the 2025 recipient of the Peabody Trailblazer Award, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, expanding on his passion for untold music history as seen in Summer of Soul, Sly Lives!, SNL Music at 50, and his upcoming HBO documentary on the legendary band Earth, Wind and Fire.

January 22, 202633min 39sec40.35 MB

Thumbnail for "Season 3 Trailer - We Disrupt This Broadcast".

We Disrupt This Broadcast is back for a 3rd season of in-depth conversation with the creative geniuses behind critically acclaimed entertainment shows, and investigating the ways they are disrupting old narratives and changing culture.

January 15, 20262min 24sec2.88 MB

Thumbnail for "Adolescence: Stephen Graham and Jack Thorne on Boyhood, Masculinity and the Manosphere".

Through its unflinching one-shot episodes and deep examinations of parents and children wrestling with online influences, the Emmy-winning mini-series Adolescence examines the rise of misogyny among teen boys and young men.

October 16, 202540min 1sec47.98 MB

Thumbnail for "Bonus: American Masters: Creative Spark - How Natasha Rothwell’s Life Brought Her to “The White Lotus"".

This week, We Disrupt This Broadcast shares an episode of American Masters: Creative Spark. How do today’s masters create their art? American Masters: Creative Spark presents narrative interviews that go in-depth with an iconic artist about the creation of a single work. Each episode offers a unique window into the world of art and the creative process of artists and cultural icons across a wide range of disciplines, from music and comedy to poetry and film.

September 25, 202534min 34sec41.48 MB

Thumbnail for "Mr. Bates vs. The Post Office: Patrick Spence, Gwyneth Hughes, and Nick Wallis on Dramatizing the UK’s Biggest Scandal".

Through its gripping, fact-based, emotional portrayal of the real-life British Post Office scandal, the wildly popular, Peabody Award-winning series Mr. Bates vs. The Post Office asks, “Can dogged collective action win out against government corruption?”

September 4, 202543min 17sec51.9 MB

Thumbnail for "Fantasmas: Julio Torres on Art Surviving in Late-Stage Capitalism".

In his absurdist, expressionistic, Peabody Award-winning sketch series Fantasmas, writer, creator, and performer Julio Torres creates a world where people need “proof of existence” to rent apartments, elves sue Santa for labor violations, and not only do hamsters have gay bars, but they’re quickly replaced by a hamster CVS. Through Torres’ trademark sense of wit and magic, this series asks the question, “Can art survive late-stage capitalism?”

August 14, 202533min 21sec39.99 MB

Thumbnail for "Out of My Mind: Amber Sealey on Disability Representation and Why Accessibility Matters".

The funny, charming, and incisive Disney+ movie Out of My Mind tells the story of Melody, a young, nonverbal girl with cerebral palsy in the early 2000s who struggles to be heard in a school environment determined not to listen to her. It boldly asks the still-timely question, “What would it take to make education truly accessible and inclusive for every student?”

July 24, 202530min 16sec36.29 MB

Thumbnail for "Sharon Horgan and Oona Metz on Coercive Control, Empowerment, and Storytelling".

With its unvarnished exploration of the love between sisters, the Peabody Award-winning series Bad Sisters asks, “How far will women go to break free from the damage and control of patriarchy?”

July 3, 202539min 53sec47.82 MB

Thumbnail for "Pachinko: Soo Hugh on Family, Korean History and Finding Home".

We speak with showrunner Soo Hugh, creator of the Peabody Award-winning series Pachinko. Across space, time, and language, across decades and countries, the bold and beautiful storytelling of Pachinko asks the universal question, “What is home?”

June 12, 202534min 40sec41.57 MB

Thumbnail for "We Are Lady Parts: Nida Manzoor on Punk Music, Not Selling Out and The Burden of Representation".

We talk with multiple Peabody Award-winning writer and showrunner Nida Manzoor about her series "We Are Lady Parts," which asks the question, “What does punk music have in common with the experience of being a Muslim woman?”

May 22, 202535min 13sec42.23 MB

Thumbnail for "Hacks: Jen Statsky and Margaret Cho on Women Hacking the Comedy Business".

The Peabody Award-winning series Hacks asks the question, “What can women of different generations of comedy learn from each other?”

May 1, 202539min 34sec47.44 MB

Thumbnail for "Andor: Tony Gilroy on Oppressive Regimes and Popular Revolutions".

We talk with Peabody Award-winning writer and showrunner Tony Gilroy about his Star Wars series Andor, which asks the unnervingly timely question, “How is a revolution born?”

April 10, 202536min 1sec43.19 MB

Thumbnail for "Severance: Ben Stiller & Adam Scott talk Severance, Corporate Abuse and Keeping our Humanity".

By examining the bleak, satirical lens of the dystopian corporate psychological thriller Severance, this episode asks the question, “How can our humanity survive in a world driven by corporations determined to snuff it out?”

March 20, 202539min 23sec47.22 MB

Thumbnail for "Mo: Mo Amer on Immigration, Palestine, and Reppin H-Town".

By digging in with Mo creator and star Mo Amer on his touching and hilarious portrayal of a Palestinian family seeking asylum in Houston, Texas, this episode answers the question, “What do we gain from portraying the immigrant experience with honesty and levity?”

February 27, 202538min 36sec55.51 MB

Thumbnail for "Shrinking/Ted Lasso: Bill Lawrence and Brett Goldstein on Masculinity, Mental Health, and Forgiveness".

Through the lens of the hilarious and heartbreaking comedies Ted Lasso and Shrinking, this episode cracks open modern masculinity in America by examining the changing norms of what it means to be a man, the value of therapy, and what it means to engage in forgiveness.

February 6, 202540min 23sec58.07 MB

Thumbnail for "Season 2 Trailer - We Disrupt This Broadcast".

We Disrupt This Broadcast is back for another season of in-depth conversation with the creative geniuses behind your favorite Peabody Awards-recognized TV shows and how they are disrupting narratives and changing culture

January 30, 20252min 18sec3.31 MB

Thumbnail for "Bluey: Creator Joe Brumm on Why Play is Essential to Shaping Good Humans".

Through the powerfully disruptive force of the Peabody Award-winning series Bluey, we explore the question with creator and writer Joe Brumm, “How and why does an animated children’s show about talking dogs make us laugh, cry, and be better humans?”

December 12, 202442min 15sec60.75 MB

Thumbnail for "Judy Blume Forever: Don't Put Judy Blume in the "Nice Lady" Box".

WDTB Executive Producer Caty Borum interviews Judy Blume, the legendary author who pioneered young adult literature for several generations. They discuss her books, the Peabody-Award-winning documentary based on her remarkable career (Judy Blume Forever), her uncensored thoughts on book bans, and how empowering preteen and teen girls through storytelling plays a role in our collective liberation.

November 14, 202432min 29sec46.71 MB

Somebody Somewhere stars Bridget Everett and Jeff Hiller sit with host Gabe González to discuss the critically acclaimed show, the beauty of finding your creative community, queer life in small town America and why it’s never too late to chase your dreams.

September 12, 202428min 11sec40.53 MB

Gabe González interviews Bobby Wilson and Ryan Redcorn - writers on the two-time Peabody Award-winning show Reservation Dogs that has disrupted the way Native people are represented on TV.

August 8, 202431min 33sec45.37 MB

By combining her sharp humor with a laser-focus on the realities of life as an actress and mother - showrunner, writer, director and actor Pamela Adlon is letting us know that standing in our truth is how we take back our power.

July 11, 202436min 7sec51.94 MB

Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker talks about the ways in which technology heightens our very human flaws and explains how satire and dystopianism are closely related.

June 13, 202436min 38sec52.68 MB

Ramy creator and star Ramy Youssef talks about the inspiration behind the show’s memorable characters and how saying you believe in God is one of the edgiest things you can do as a millennial.

May 9, 202431min 31sec45.32 MB

Thumbnail for "Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary) Schools Us on Optimism".

In this intimate yet lively conversation, Abbott Elementary’s Quinta Brunson talks Black 90s sitcoms, tackling tough issues with humor and the enduring power of optimism.

April 11, 202432min 10sec46.26 MB

Thumbnail for "Damon Lindelof (Lost, Watchmen) on Collective Trauma and Healing".

Watchmen & Lost creator Damon Lindelof talks about grief, religion and his creative process.

April 11, 202432min 34sec46.83 MB

Thumbnail for "Trailer – We Disrupt This Broadcast".

We talk to the brains behind Peabody Awards-recognized TV programs and how their shows are shaping our culture and reimagining the future.

April 4, 20242min 17sec3.28 MB

Fellow Travelers: Series Creator Ron Nyswaner Gets Us Hot for Queer History

October 10, 202440min 3sec

Host Gabe González speaks with Ron Nyswaner, creator of Peabody-Award winning historical romance, Fellow Travelers. In a far-reaching, in-depth conversation, Gabe and Ron discuss the evolution of gay identity, how to write complex queer characters, and why foot-licking scenes are an important part of getting young folks interested in queer history. After their interview, Gabe dives deeper into the history of queer representation on TV with documentary filmmaker and professor Katherine Sender.