Most television lovers have one: an episode that left an indelible imprint long after the credits rolled. But which made the cut for the six creative minds on The Envelopeโs 2026 Emmy Writers Roundtable?
For Megan Gallagher (โAll Her Faultโ), itโs the series finale of โThe Americans.โ Jonathan Glatzer (โThe Audacityโ) selected the pilot of โBreaking Badโ: โWhen those pants fly up in the air in the beginning, I was just like, โWhat in the hell?โ And I was completely sucked in.โ
Others went further back. Andrew Guest (โWonder Manโ) named โSeinfeldโsโ โThe Marine Biologist.โ Bruce Miller (โThe Testamentsโ) praised the pilot of โMy So-Called Life.โ And Sonja Warfield (โThe Gilded Ageโ) is still thinking about an episode from the third season of โthirtysomething,โ which featured the corporate-buyout storyline involving Michael Steadman (Ken Olin) and the spy posing as an office painter to listen in on his plan: โThe painter was a Black woman,โ Warfield said. โWhat struck me about that was that she was invisible to him. And in the end, sheโs wearing a suit, and he can see that she had all of the information.โ
Michael Patrick King (โThe Comebackโ) dug even deeper into the vault with โLucy Does a TV Commercialโ from โI Love Lucy.โ The memory of a tipsy Lucy trying to sell a health tonic known as Vitameatavegamin left such a lasting impression that, while working on โMurphy Brown,โ King got his hands on a copy of the script page with Lucyโs slurred spiel: โLucy didnโt improvise anything,โ King said. โThe writing on the side is โbats eyes, winks, slipsโ โ itโs all on the side in stage directions.โ
Of course, these writers are getting viewers talking with their own work too. Here, they discuss their series, the threat artificial intelligence poses to the entertainment industry, why producing TV shows in L.A. matters and much more. Read on for excerpts from our conversation.
Between the six of you, youโre touching on some powerful and risky themes in the series that youโre working on, whether itโs sexism, classism, delusional power, grief. Bruce, with something like โThe Testaments,โ what made you nervous about the themes you were exploring with teenage characters?
Miller: What really happens is so much harsher and worse and just unimaginably terrible that you canโt show it on television. … You canโt candy-coat it, but on the other hand, what do you show so that the audience gets the idea without not being able to watch the television show?
There were some scenes of molestation in the first couple of episodes, and the actors worked on it quite a long time. But in editing, we ended up cutting most of it out. The hard part on the show is that if youโre going to deal with these issues, you have to deal with them. You have to do it in a way that youโre not going to โ because Iโm very squidgy too โ look away and just turn off the television, because thatโs how we got in these problems in the first place.
Michael, youโve worked on shows like โMurphy Brown,โ โWill & Grace,โ โSex and the Cityโ and โThe Comeback.โ Was there ever something you were nervous about pitching or seeing how you would tackle a subject matter?
King: Itโs always the thing is, how are you going to find your wall, where you stop and think, โThatโs too farโ? โThe Comebackโ this season, the scary thought was, โWeโre going to tackle [artificial intelligence], which is great because itโs rich and itโs fear-based and itโs comic.โ But [in] the middle of the writing room, somebody said to [star] Lisa [Kudrow] and I, โSo whatโs the moral of the story for writers?โ And it stopped me for two days. I was like, โAm I supposed to divine an idea that gets everybody happy at the end?โ And so we talked about it, and finally we realized weโre just reporting from the front lines.
How are you feeling about this moment and the debate about AI? What are your fears about this, and what was it like working through some of that in the show?
King: Lisa is a very smart, almost scientific mind, and we didnโt want to go out there pretending something was going to happen, so we got a lot of information. And what we learned was itโs very far advanced, past what we even think. The joke is ChatGPT, but itโs further. But I always think: We thought reality TV was the end of narrative television when we did the first season of โThe Comeback.โ Then we went on to have what theyโre calling the second golden age of television, and reality TV just became this weird, tacky wing on the house. Iโm guessing maybe that could happen again where thereโs a weird, tacky AI wing that is just that kind of content, but people will still maybe be looking for well-made, handmade things.
Miller: If it solves climate change, it can have my job.
Guest: If AI could do our jobs as writers, it would be doing it. Believe me, thereโs plenty of people who are trying to get AI to do our jobs and itโs not working. People look to storytelling for something very specific. And AI is collective information. You donโt go to a story for a collective point of view on the world, you want your point of view. And the thing thatโs magical about storytelling is the more specific you make your point of view, the more I connect with it. And thatโs something that collective information canโt do.
Gallagher: I heard somebody say something that made me feel a little bit better, which is that no matter how much AI learns, AI doesnโt have any experience.
Warfield: Itโs never had lived experience.
Gallagher: Exactly. Thatโs never going to happen. And if you donโt have any lived experience, and Iโm not saying it wonโt be a threat to our jobs in some level, in some ways, but … If you havenโt lived through something, how on earth can you tell that?
Warfield: But also, I just have to say, AI is not always right. In fact, itโs very, very wrong. And working on a historical drama, weโve had people Google things, and in fact they Googled something about Frederick Douglass being at this very important American event. And AI said he was there. Guess what? He wasnโt. In fact, he was literally in Europe. And itโs provable that he was in Europe. So on our show, which is a historical drama, we have a real historian who checks the database, who checks newspapers from the 1800s, and we have PhD candidates who also do that. So AI is not always correct.
King: I have one interesting story that we learned from the researchers, which is that AI only gives you stuff that youโre going to react to favorably.
Guest: It wants you to like it. And to keep using it.
King: Itโs only the humans that will kill a baby for a story. Itโs only the humans that will say, โThis is so painful, you wonโt like it.โ The AI at this point will only give you affirmations of your own power or things you like.
Glatzer: My own kid is 17 years old, he hates AI and finds it deeply uncool, and I think that is great. AI should find its place in the world and help what it can help. And stay out of what we do because what we do is the business of humanity, of chronicling it, of commenting upon it. And thatโs not where it ought to be.
Intuitively, audiences, like my son, are just feeling that. Like, โNo, I donโt want to hear about my life or hold up a mirror to my world by a machine that slices and dices and juliennes all of our experiences into some slop.โ Thereโs a real โ always will be โ genuine desire for authenticity, and that is the opposite of what AI provides. It would be great if it can solve climate change, that would be really, really fโ great. Unfortunately, itโs going to make it a lot worse first. … But in terms of the long game, I donโt see it as being a primary storyteller of the human experience. Thatโs our job.
Jonathan, you watched โSilicon Valley,โ which was much more of a comedy-forward satire on this world. And you didnโt necessarily want that tone for โThe Audacityโ because weโre at a different point with tech. Tell me about what you wanted this show to be and what you wanted it to have us thinking about.
Glatzer: There is an inherent question in our show in terms of, โDo we want these people who are dictating to us how we communicate with each other and how we engage as human beings, how we shop … political beliefs and our religion and everything, all the way to sex and masturbation?โ And by the way, theyโre watching it all. All of the things that we do interact with, itโs all being recorded. And thatโs part of why data centers are so big, is that they will not erase anything. None of that is great for banter between two characters. … These are just these things that, when youโre researching and telling stories about tech, can really weigh on you. And you donโt want to be frivolous about it, you donโt want to be glib about it. So I guess the way forward was to try to remind us of our own humanity, all 7 billion tech users, remind us that we need to hang onto that because otherwise weโre going to lose it. Weโre losing it already, the way that we communicate with each other. And of course, the irony is that these people who are notoriously bad at communicating themselves are the ones who are dictating how we in fact communicate to each other.
Sonja, many have said that the Gilded Age is back, with the robber barons of this era being the tech billionaires. In your show, George Russell engages in business practices that are unethical or potentially illegal.
Warfield: Thatโs not any different than whatโs happening right now.
Yet heโs not necessarily portrayed as a villain; heโs very much a family man. What has fascinated you about exploring a man like George Russell?
Warfield: We were very careful in Season 2 when there was a standoff with the union. We drew from history. Because there were robber barons who did engage the militia and have them shoot the workers. [Creator] Julian [Fellowes] said he did not want to do that. And so I said, โWell, letโs humanize these people.โ Because thatโs the difference. And what George originally tried to do was bring their โunion leaderโ to his house in New York on 61st Street and impress him. And so I said, โLetโs have George go to the workerโs house, the steelworkerโs house, and humanize him and see his family and his children and see how he lives.โ In that moment in Season 2, when George is supposed to give the order to shoot, he sees the son of the worker and decides heโs not going to. So I think bringing humanity to him โ which I donโt know exists in some of the oligarchs/billionaires today; they donโt necessarily see the humanity in their workers โ [to] see that humanity is what helps me write for George.
Glatzer: Thatโs a lot of what weโre dealing with too, is just humanizing the people who are villainized otherwise and reminding them of their own humanity. Also, their fallibility is something that, at least in the Silicon Valley realm, they have lost touch with โ the idea that they could make mistakes.
Warfield: Because they live in this bubble where everyone is telling them how fantastic and amazing they are, and theyโre all just together and theyโre insulated.
Megan, even with the title โAll Her Fault,โ youโre challenging viewers to think about our own gender bias and how we view things. What were the conversations like in the room about the gender expectations and the way you wanted to subvert them?
Gallagher: God, the gender themes in โAll Her Faultโ are massively important. And we had a small, intimate writersโ room where pretty much everyone was parents. And so after a few days of getting to know each other, it very quickly devolved into, โGโ it, my husband does that all the time,โ or whatever, that kind of thing. We also had a lot of men in the room who were really good sports and were great. Pretty much every woman I know between the ages of about 35 to 55 who has kids and is married, every single one of them that I know has dropped their kid off at school and sobbed in the parking lot before going to work. And the sentence I always hear when we catch up is, โI literally donโt understand how this is supposed to get done.โ And itโs just this idea that women who are now firmly in the workplace, and more or less expected to be and want to be โ I was raised wanting to be into the work world, I wasnโt raised wanting to be a mother only โ but weโre still the default parent. Generally speaking, weโre still the ones that know the names of the teachers and names of the doctors, and [responsible] if someone needs to go to the dentist and the soccer uniform has to be clean for Saturdayโs game. … Every single woman I knew, pretty much, was in this position. It hasnโt been a front-and-center theme that really has been tackled [on a TV series]. And of course, the kidnapping as a genre motor was a great excuse to break all that wide open.
Michael, in addition to โThe Comeback,โ you made โAnd Just Like That…,โ which was revisiting the โSex and the Cityโ characters at a different stage in life. It was interesting to see the conversations happening about these characters because viewers felt like they had a better sense of where the characters would be at this stage than maybe you did or what you gave us. What was that like for you?
King: The result was in a direct contrast to my interest; my interest is evolution. Thatโs the only thing Iโm interested in. I want to see where they are, what is happening. And what happened was, it was really well made, but it wasnโt their Carrie. … The great news is that you created characters that people love, so much so that they want to see them again. And then if they behave [differently], they would say, โThatโs not my Miranda.โ And I was like, โBut itโs my Miranda because I wrote her, but I understand itโs not what you want to see.โ Itโs an interesting trick, because in order for us to do anything, you donโt want to repeat or freeze-dry anything; why bother if youโre not going to shake it up? But then you have to be pretty aware that you could be shaken up too by the reaction, which is not exactly what you expected. Even though you stand behind it, you go, โWow, thatโs a surprise. I thought that they would be interested in 57-year-old women who still hadnโt figured everything out. And instead they wanted them to be 35 and still allowed to be lost.โ
Andrew, how about fan expectations from the Marvel universe โ what were you nervous about?
Guest: Working for Marvel comes with a lot of baggage. And you canโt really win no matter what you do. One of the nice things was this character, Simon Williams, was lesser known. So I didnโt feel like there was a ton of feelings about it. But certainly when it came to the tone of the show, being concerned that the fans were going to be like, โWhat is this show? Why are they doing monologues about Shakespeare for 10 minutes in this episode?โ And the truth was the fans were thrilled. They want Marvel to try other things. Theyโre so excited. And I feel like it shared some DNA with what makes a Marvel show a Marvel show. And allowed us to really just do our own thing, which was really nice.
An issue thatโs generating a lot of discussion in the industry is production in L.A. How important is it to you? What are we losing by not having it as a training ground in the same way as maybe when you came up?
Miller: Iโve been on shows that have shot in Los Angeles and Iโve been on shows that have shot outside of Los Angeles. I just think you overshoot a place [as a location]. Growing up, every single show, no matter where it was set, was in Southern California. And the quality of the light and the quality of the hills and all that stuff, itโs just shot out. I donโt think it has anything to do with the crews. I think when you work on set, theyโre astonishing. I think as a location, though, itโs pretty shot out. As a place to go on stage, thereโs no place better. You canโt get Bastard Amber [lighting] gel at 4 in the morning in Toronto.
Is there something a mayoral or gubernatorial candidate should say about this moment that would make you vote for them?
King: Hollywood works when you let it. I shot โThe Comebackโ on [the] Warner Brothers [lot]. It was a show about Hollywood in Hollywood. And if you could see the crew coming to work a mile from their house, it was just the happiest crew in the world. … Itโs a big industry. And entertainment is almost Americaโs gross national product. So you better start guarding it better.
Guest: Having just shot in Los Angeles on two different projects, I can tell you that the crews are unmatched. And getting to see them be thrilled to continue to do the jobs they do is just fabulous. And โWonder Manโ is about this town. Itโs about people who come here with dreams of doing this job. And for every crew member, every department head, it was personal. It was their story. And they imbued all that into making that show. We got to set a whole episode in Pacoima. When was the last time a Marvel show did that? The other thing about this city is thereโs also so many people who may not be working in entertainment who are affected by the loss of work in entertainment. And to me, itโs really sad to see. Because the writing advice I used to give 15 years ago was move to L.A. first and then figure it out. And I donโt say that anymore.
What do you say?
Guest: God. I donโt know.
King: Move to Pacoima.
Miller: When I entered the business was so long ago, itโs meaningless, my advice. How to get into the business? I took a Conestoga wagon out here.
Michael, what advice do you give?
King: That thereโs no one whoโs going to have your journey, so try to just believe your own unfounded drive and see where it gets you. Because if you look around, everybodyโs journeys are completely different. I think itโs tough that thereโs no pipeline right now. … Thereโs no 23 shows on that need 16 writers.
Guest: That go 10 months out of the year.
King: That go for 25 episodes where you always are in the room with โ โOh, thereโs 12 people.โ Three will survive. Itโs like โThe Hunger Games.โ
Warfield: I just gave someone advice, which was, โJust be open to wherever itโs going to take you.โ I know a young woman who is an aspiring writer and sheโs graduating this month. And she plans on moving to L.A. And I said, โBut be open if thereโs a job in New York or theyโre building studios in New Jersey.โ Because again, 15, 20 years ago, I would have said, โCome to L.A., make relationships,โ all of that. But thereโs so many different ways that this younger generation can be connected where we couldnโt. We had to be here. Anythingโs possible, and you just have to be courageous and see where it takes you.
Glatzer: I think courageous is probably it. Because [itโs] also a little insane to come here … a little delusional. Figure out what your voice is, and thatโs the thing that you got to ride. There will always be a thirst for originality and something that hasnโt been done before. And to stay true to yourself along the way. You donโt lose your soul doing that.
Gallagher: If youโre talking about giving advice, youโre usually talking to somebody whoโs in their mid-20s or early 20s whoโs getting started. I just remember being that age and thinking that Hollywood was this thing that was about who you knew. And 25 years out from that … everyone I know who has sustained a career in this industry wasnโt connected to anybody and didnโt get into some magical party. They just put their head down and worked really hard. Now, the industry is so rough these days, and working really hard is not a guarantee of anything. But of everybody that I know who has managed to sustain a career, it really is just about hard work. And I find that a comfort because it makes me feel like Iโm more in control of my situation.
Miller: But the most fun part of it, I think, is work. You sit down with a writer, you say, โI know itโs hard, but every single person you work with, someone said to them at some point in their life, โYouโre not going to make any money out of this, you should do something else.โโ Youโve got a whole business full of people, someone said to them, โI know youโre really good, but youโre never ever going to make a living doing that.โ And they said, โEh, Iโll do it anyway.โ I mean, thatโs an incredible community of people. You may be nervous about getting into it, but it is the community of people who were nervous to get into it. I love that about our business. Itโs just a bunch of people who just decided not to listen to their parents.
The 2026 Emmy Writers Roundtable: Megan Gallagher, from left, Michael Patrick King, Jonathan Glatzer, Andrew Guest, Bruce Miller and Sonja Warfield.