Comedy

Nick Kroll and John Mulaney talk about comedy, puberty, and hosting the Independent Spirit awards on Saturday, honoring the year's best independent films.

Maria Semple's new comic novel is about a stressed-out wife and mother who starts every day with a mantra. She tells Fresh Air's Sam Briger that the book was inspired by her own experiences as a mom.

Comic and actor Louis C.K. created and stars in the new HBO comedy series Lucky Louie. C.K. has been a writer for David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Chris Rock and Saturday Night Live. He also wrote, produced and directed the film Pootie Tang. Lucky Louie airs Sunday nights at 10:30 p.m. ET on HBO, following Entourage.

David Mandel, the Emmy-nominated writer, director and executive producer of the HBO series Veep, discusses the current season of the show, his work on SNL and the 2016 presidential election.

On HBO's comedy Veep, Tony Hale plays Gary Walsh the loyal, put-upon, anxious aide to Selina Meyer, vice-president turned president. It's a part he relates to.

On the Netflix series, Ellie Kemper plays a woman who was kidnapped by an apocalyptic Christian cult leader and was rescued after living for 15 years in an underground bunker. Now free and forging a new life in New York City, Kimmy has to make up for lost time.

Critic David Bianculli says the commentary, questioning and ridicule of Jon Stewart, Larry Wilmore, John Oliver and Bill Maher help keep news outlets — and news-makers — honest.

Ballers feels like the football equivalent of the hip-hop world of Empire, and The Brink is reminiscent of Dr. Strangelove, but has its own modern take on the nonsense of war.

Forte tells Fresh Air about landing a job on Saturday Night Live and learning on the set of Nebraska that acting is "all about commitment."

The Web series centers on a pot dealer who bikes around Brooklyn delivering to clients. Katja Blichfeld and Ben Sinclair say they drew on their experiences and friends' generosity to make the show.

The show, in its fourth season, was created by David Crane, who worked with LeBlanc on Friends. TV critic David Bianculli says its brand of satire is particularly timely and laugh-out-loud funny.

Stewart talks about his future hosting the show known for its political satire. "It is unclear to me," he tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross. "The minute I say I'm not going to do it anymore, I will miss it like crazy."

Josh Thomas, 27, stars in the show geared toward 20-somethings on the new cable channel Pivot. He talks about coming out to his dad via text message and dealing with his mom's suicide attempts.

The host of The Soup co-stars in the thriller Deliver Us From Evil. "I felt like a 12-year-old getting to be in an action film," McHale tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross.

The finale of the Fargo TV series airs Tuesday. The characters are different, like a deputy sheriff played by Allison Tolman. But writer Noah Hawley says the Coen brothers told him he "nailed it."

Netflix's women-in-prison series, based on a memoir by Piper Kerman, returns Friday. Fresh Air listens back to interviews with Kerman and series creator Jenji Kohan.

The British import Doll & Em is another inside-Hollywood comedy from HBO; Emily Mortimer and her real-life friend Dolly Wells play outsize versions of themselves.