Stephen Dubner, the journalist, podcaster and bestselling author behind the Freakonomics franchise, is getting in front of the camera with a self-financed TV-style talk show.
Dubner, host of the “Freakonomics Radio” podcast, is launching “Better in Person,” described as “an indie TV talk show that bets on depth at a time when most media is optimized for speed and spectacle.” New episodes will drop Tuesdays starting July 14 on the Freakonomics Radio Network YouTube channel.
In the new show, Dubner invites guests into his New York City home. But some of the most revealing moments happen elsewhere: in a chef’s kitchen, a bookseller’s store, a musician’s rehearsal space and on the basketball court “where a comedian works out his demons.” Dubner said his goal with “Better in Person” is to have conversations that are missing from today’s media landscape.
“When I started the Freakonomics podcast, I thought there was zero chance we’d someday be able to launder podcast money into making a TV talk show. Fifteen years later, I’m convinced people are much hungrier for substance than the conventional wisdom says,” Dubner said.
The first season of Dubner’s show comprises 10 episodes. The lineup of guests — which Dubner says reflects the breadth of his curiosity — span the worlds of architecture, business, literature, sports, music, restaurants and more.
