Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1533763
ent variations of those pretty fast, and they're really fun to do." Is the show shot on the NBC lot? It has the look of a working hospital. "Yes. I believe that the pilot was shot in a different location — maybe a hospital set somewhere else — but the subsequent episodes were all shot on the lot. As far as I know, there might be some location work, but not on mine. They've replicated this hospital on the studio a lot. It's also a really fun place to shoot things because they've made things very efficient. The production designer, Elliot Laplante, she also worked on American Auto and, before that, on Superstore." What does the schedule look like? "You get four days of prep, and five days to shoot. And then I get two days to work with the editor, which is general- ly enough time because the editor will submit their editor's cut to each director. Then I get two passes, and I really love to sit with Christian or any editor when I get the chance, since we've been able on this show, in a post-COVID world, to sit in-person. For the past few years it's been on Zoom. There's been more of an opportunity to go and sit in-person again, and be in the room and work on the edit. And that's been really great." Do you know the camera and editing systems being used? "I think it's an Avid, and I think it's an (Arri) Alexa? I'm, again, very grateful and reliant to Jay Hunter, our DP, because he can walk me through the technical as- pects, and what's helpful and what's not, especially when there's something spe- cific that needs to happen in an episode. We did one…where there's security-cam footage, so it was like, 'Do we need a different setup for that?' We talk through those things in prep. He always thinks ahead and loops me in, or kind of asks, 'What are you thinking for this scene? We could go with something like this.'" The episodes all come in around 22-minutes in length. Is it a challenge to stay within that timeframe? "I think you're always aware of pace. I'm always aware of pace. The scripts are longer than what ends up on the air, and when I turn in my director's cut, it's always a little bit longer than the allotted timeframe, because I'm not necessarily the one who has to make those tough decisions about what will ultimately be cut. I like to show everything that I think is good to the producers and to the net- work so that they can see what we have and then, unfortunately, they have to make the harder decisions of what needs to cut out so we can make that timeline." Do you have a favorite episode or sequence? The hot-dog scene was hysterical. "Honestly, from each episode, I think there are parts that I love. I love the same one — the hot dog/mannequin. I love the Christmas dance sequence. I really loved doing it and I love how it turned out. I love the cat sequence. Those were all a little complicated, and those challenges are really fun. I feel like anytime there's some- thing that's a little more complicated, you spend more of your time working that out in prep, but it can be so rewarding when you're shooting it or when you see the end result. I love the hot-dog guy!" What's next for you? Do you have anything lined up for the months ahead? "Well, first of all, I would love to come back for Season 2, and that's my hope. I know they've been renewed. They were renewed after just a few episodes in January, so I was really happy about that news. As for my own career aspirations, I love working in comedy. I'd also be interested in some more dramatic material, as long as there's always some kind of little bit of comedic hook or some kind of thing to dig into. I love working in television, but I'm also very interested in working in features in the future. I just love material that feels smart and funny, with a sense of optimism, but without going too saccharin. That's kind of what I'm most interested in making, and whether that's for TV or film, that's kind of my hope going forward. And I'd love to be directing pilots — kind of more involved in a project from the outset." www.postmagazine.com 13 POST MAR/APR 2025 Each episode is shot over five days on the NBC Universal lot.