Happy New Year! It's my first interview author of 2024, and today I speak with Saul Austerlitz, a freelance writer whose work has been published in the New York Times, Esquire, Vanity Fair, and Rolling Stone. He is an adjunct professor of writing and comedy history at New York University, and the author of Generation Friends, Just a Shot Away, Sitcom, Another Fine Mess, and Money for Nothing. He joins me today to talk about his new book, Kind of a Big Deal: How Anchorman Stayed Classy and Became the Most Iconic Comedy of the Twenty-First Century.

Listen to hear the how Adam McKay and Will Farrell created some of the most memorable scenes in the film, how the film uses the character of Veronica to comment on the male dominated newsroom culture, and why the early 2000s spawned so many great comedy films. Follow Saul's Substack called Hope in the Dark.

Books mentioned in this episode include:

• Wild and Crazy Guys: How the Comedy Mavericks of the '80s Changed Hollywood Forever by Nick de Semlyen
• Freaks, Gleeks, and Dawson's Creek: How Seven Teen Shows Transformed Television by Thea Glassman
• The Deluge by Stephen Markley
• The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

Films mentioned in this episode include:

• Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy directed by Adam McKay
• Monty Python directed by Terry Jones & Terry Gilliam
• Don't Look Up directed by Adam McKay
• Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues directed by Adam McKay
• Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie directed by Adam McKay
• The 40-Year-Old Virgin directed by Judd Apatow
• Superbad directed by Greg Mottola
• Marvel Cinematic Universe
• Star Wars Franchise
• Bridesmaids directed by Paul Feig
• Bottoms directed by Emma Seligman
• Barbie directed by Greta Gerwig
• City Lights directed by Charlie Chaplin
• The Shop Around the Corner directed by Ernst Lubitsch
• Wes Anderson Netflix shorts
• Rushmore directed by Wes Anderson
• Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby directed by Adam McKay