Best Brian Koppelman Podcasts (2025)

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Pizza - Billions - Brian Koppelman 27:48

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30d ago27:48

27:48

🎙️ In this special Restaurant Fiction episode, we sit down with legendary writer, director, and producer Brian Koppelman (Billions, Rounders, Ocean’s Thirteen) for a wide-ranging conversation that’s as satisfying as your favorite slice of New York pizza. 🍕 We dive into: The soul of diners and why they matter How food scenes can drive a story The re…

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John Arnold on Trading, Energy, and Evidence-Based Philanthropy 1:04:45

2h ago1:04:45

1:04:45

John Arnold built his fortune in energy trading by surrounding himself with smart people, maintaining emotional detachment, sensing market imbalances through first-principles analysis, and focusing with laser intensity on a single niche until he dominated it completely. Now he's applying that same analytical rigor to philanthropy, where he's discov…

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Theodore Schwartz on Neurosurgery, Consciousness, and Brain-Computer Interfaces 57:34

20d ago57:34

57:34

Get tickets to the CWT live show at 92NY with David Brooks! Theodore Schwartz stands at the pinnacle of neurosurgical expertise. With over 500 published articles, 200 pieces of commentary, and 5 patents to his name—effectively producing a scholarly work every two weeks for three decades—Schwartz spent most of his career at Weill Cornell Medicine, w…

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Jack Clark on AI's Uneven Impact 1:02:40

1M ago1:02:40

1:02:40

Few understand both the promise and limitations of artificial general intelligence better than Jack Clark, co-founder of Anthropic. With a background in journalism and the humanities that sets him apart in Silicon Valley, Clark offers a refreshingly sober assessment of AI's economic impact—predicting growth of 3-5% rather than the 20-30% touted by …

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Kenneth Rogoff on Monetary Moves, Fiscal Gambits, and Classical Chess 1:00:34

1M ago1:00:34

1:00:34

Harvard economist Kenneth Rogoff approaches global finance with the same strategic foresight that made him a chess grandmaster. Author of the new book Our Dollar, Your Problem, Rogoff doesn't sugarcoat America's future: he foresees a significant inflation shock within a decade, far more severe than the post-COVID bout. When this second wave hits, h…

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Chris Dixon on Blockchains, AI, and the Future of the Internet 1:02:51

2M ago1:02:51

1:02:51

Chris Dixon believes we're at a pivotal inflection point in the internet's evolution. As a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz and author of Read Write Own, Chris believes the current internet, dominated by large platforms like YouTube and Spotify, has strayed far from its decentralized roots. He argues that the next era—powered by blockchain te…

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Ian Leslie on McCartney, Lennon, and the Greatest Creative Partnership of All Time 59:22

2M ago59:22

59:22

It’s Beatles day! In this deep dive into one of music's most legendary partnerships, Ian Leslie and Tyler unpack the complex relationship between John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Leslie, whose book John & Paul: A Love Story in Songs examines this creative pairing, reveals how their contrasting personalities—John's intuitive, sometimes chaotic approa…

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Jennifer Pahlka on Reforming Government 54:08

2M ago54:08

54:08

Jennifer Pahlka believes America's bureaucratic dysfunction is deeply rooted in outdated processes and misaligned incentives. As the founder of Code for America and co-founder of the United States Digital Service, she has witnessed firsthand how government struggles to adapt to the digital age, often trapped in rigid procedures and disconnected fro…

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Sheilagh Ogilvie on Epidemics, Guilds, and the Persistence of Bad Institutions 59:11

2M ago59:11

59:11

Sheilagh Ogilvie has spent decades examining the institutional structures that shaped European economic history, challenging conventional wisdom about everything from guilds to marriage patterns. In her conversation with Tyler, she reveals how studying pandemic responses from the Black Death to COVID-19 provides a unique lens for understanding deep…

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Ezra Klein on the Abundance Agenda 1:08:40

3M ago1:08:40

1:08:40

What happens when a liberal thinker shifts his attention from polarization to economic abundance? Ezra Klein’s new book with Derek Thompson, Abundance, argues for an agenda of increased housing, infrastructure, clean energy, and innovation. But does abundance clash with polarization—or offer a way through it? In this conversation, Ezra and Tyler di…

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Carl Zimmer on the Hidden Life in the Air We Breathe 51:43

3M ago51:43

51:43

Carl Zimmer is one of the finest science communicators of our time, having spent decades writing about biology, evolution, and heredity. His latest (and 16th) book, Air-Borne: The Hidden History of the Life We Breathe, explores something even more fundamental—how the very air around us is teeming with life, from pollen to pathogens to microbes floa…

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Gregory Clark on Social Mobility, Migration, and Assortative Mating (Live at Mercatus) 1:23:14

4M ago1:23:14

1:23:14

How much of your life’s trajectory was set in motion centuries ago? Gregory Clark has spent decades studying social mobility, and his findings suggest that where you land in society is far more predictable than we like to think. Using historical data, surname analysis, and migration patterns, Clark argues that social mobility rates have remained la…

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Ross Douthat on Why Religion Makes More Sense Than You Think 1:13:38

4M ago1:13:38

1:13:38

Sign Up for the Boston Listener Meet Up For Ross Douthat, phenomena like UFO sightings and the simulation hypothesis don't challenge religious belief—they demonstrate how difficult it is to escape religious questions entirely. His new book, Believe: Why Everyone Should Be Religious makes the case for religious faith in an age of apparent disenchant…

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Joe Boyd on the Birth of Rock, World Music, and Being There for Everything 1:00:42

5M ago1:00:42

1:00:42

Sign Up for the Boston Listener Meet Up Joe Boyd was there when Dylan went electric, when Pink Floyd was born, and when Paul Simon brought Graceland to the world. But far from being just another music industry insider, Boyd has spent decades exploring how the world's musical traditions connect and transform each other. His new book And the Roots of…

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New York Comic Con - Celebrity Chef Edition 26:00

5M ago26:00

26:00

Celebrity Chefs from The Food Network, Netflix's Great British Bake Off, Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations, and New York acclaimed Graphic Novelist adorn the Restaurant Fiction Stage Hungry for more culinary adventures through the lens of your favorite TV shows and movies? You've just savored another episode of Restaurant Fiction, where we dish ou…

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Scott Sumner on Monetary Rules, Blooming Late, and the Death of Cinema 1:08:14

5M ago1:08:14

1:08:14

Scott Sumner didn't follow the typical path to economic influence. He nearly lost his teaching job before tenure, did his best research after most academics slow down, and found his largest audience through blogging in his 50s and 60s, in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. Yet this unconventional journey led him to become one of the most influe…

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Conversations with Tyler 2024 Retrospective 58:05

6M ago58:05

58:05

Donate to Conversations with Tyler Give Crypto Other Ways to Give On this special year-in-review episode, Tyler and producer Jeff Holmes look back on the past year in the show and more, including covering the most popular and underrated episodes, fielding listener questions, reviewing Tyler’s pop culture picks from 2014, mulling over ideas for what…

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A Christmas Story: Food in 3 Acts 7:50

6M ago7:50

7:50

Yo, Christmas fans! 🎄 Ever wonder what’s on the menu in A Christmas Story? 🍗 From turkey disasters to Chinese roast duck, we’re diving into the iconic eats that make this holiday classic so deliciously unforgettable. Whether you’re vibin’ with the nostalgia or just here for the food talk, this episode’s got all the festive flavor. Hit play, grab yo…

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Paula Byrne on Thomas Hardy’s Women, Jane Austen’s Humor, and Evelyn Waugh’s Warmth 54:42

6M ago54:42

54:42

Donate to Conversations with Tyler Give Crypto Other Ways to Give What can Thomas Hardy’s tortured marriages teach us about love, obsession, and second chances? In this episode, biographer, novelist, and therapist Paula Byrne examines the intimate connections between life and literature, revealing how Hardy’s relationships with women shaped his por…

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Stephen Kotkin on Stalin, Power, and the Art of Biography 1:26:25

6M ago1:26:25

1:26:25

Donate to Conversations with Tyler Give Crypto Other Ways to Give In his landmark multi-volume biography of Stalin, Stephen Kotkin shows how totalitarian power worked not just through terror from above, but through millions of everyday decisions from below. Currently a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution after 33 years at Princeton, Kotkin brin…

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The Perfect Family Holiday Meal 7:00

6M ago7:00

7:00

Restaurant Fiction breaks down the Thanksgiving holiday and meal at the Titus residence from the hit show Titus staring comedian, Christopher Titus. Hungry for more culinary adventures through the lens of your favorite TV shows and movies? You've just savored another episode of Restaurant Fiction, where we dish out the stories behind the most iconi…

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Russ Roberts on Vasily Grossman’s Life and Fate 1:01:41

7M ago1:01:41

1:01:41

In this crossover episode with EconTalk, Tyler joins Russ Roberts for an in-depth exploration of Vasily Grossman’s Life and Fate, a monumental novel often described as the 20th-century answer to Tolstoy’s War and Peace. Russ and Tyler cover Grossman’s life and the historical context of Life and Fate, its themes of war, totalitarianism, freedom, and…

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Neal Stephenson on History, Spycraft, and American-Soviet Parallels 47:19

7M ago47:19

47:19

Neal Stephenson’s ability to illuminate complex, future-focused ideas in ways that both provoke thought and spark wonder has established him as one of the most innovative thinkers in literature today. Yet his new novel, Polostan, revisits the Soviet era with a twist, shifting his focus from the speculative technologies of tomorrow to the historical…

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Los Angeles Comic Con 2024 Screenwriter and Producer Panel 53:02

7M ago53:02

53:02

Step right up and join the fun as Restaurant Fiction dives into the wild world of fictional restaurants, bars, and clubs on TV & film! 🍿✨ We’re bringing the flavor to LA Comic Con 2024 with an epic panel featuring the brilliant *Mickey Fisher* (*Extant*, Reverie*), the legendary **Dan Jinks* (*American Beauty*, Pushing Daisies*), and the imaginativ…

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Episode 6 - A Gospel Woman 31:38

7M ago31:38

31:38

https://www.patreon.com/Witch_Hunt This episode tells the story of Martha Corey, the fourth person accused of witchcraft. She was the wife of Giles Corey who is famously known for being crushed under a door while asking for “more weight”. The accusations against Martha marked the beginning of a dramatic escalation of the hysteria. The first three w…

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Christopher Kirchhoff on Military Innovation and the Future of War 56:38

7M ago56:38

56:38

Christopher Kirchhoff is an expert in emerging technology who founded the Pentagon’s Silicon Valley office. He’s led teams for President Obama, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and CEO of Google. He’s worked in worlds as far apart as weapons development and philanthropy. His pioneering efforts to link Silicon Valley technology and startup…

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Musa al-Gharbi on Elite Wokeness, Islam, and Social Movements 49:03

8M ago49:03

49:03

Subscribe to Pluralist Points on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts Musa al-Gharbi is a sociologist and assistant professor at Stony Brook University whose research explores how people think about, talk about, and produce shared knowledge about race, inequality, social movements, extremism, policing, and other social phenomena. His new book, We Ha…

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How Fictional Restaurants, Bars, & Clubs in TV & Film Reflect Real-World Culture & Trends 7:58

8M ago7:58

7:58

Why do we care so much about the fictional restaurants, bars, and clubs in TV & Film. Well, I (Monis Rose) answer the question alongside, Chris Hudson, amazing sound master and producer. Hungry for more culinary adventures through the lens of your favorite TV shows and movies? You've just savored another episode of Restaurant Fiction, where we dish…

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Tom Tugendhat on Modernizing the UK and Political Reform 50:26

8M ago50:26

50:26

Tom Tugendhat has served as a Member of Parliament since 2015, holding roles such as Security Minister and chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee. Before entering Parliament, Tom served in in Iraq and Afghanistan. He also worked for the Foreign Office, helped establish the National Security Council of Afghanistan, and served as military assi…

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Kyla Scanlon on Communicating Economic Ideas through Social Media 1:05:04

8M ago1:05:04

1:05:04

Kyla Scanlon has made it her personal mission to bring economics education to a larger audience through social media. She publishes daily content across TikTok, YouTube, Substack, LinkedIn and more, explaining what is happening in the economy and why it is happening. Tyler calls her first book In This Economy? How Money & Markets Really Work a “goo…

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Italian Cinema, Toto, and Bread with Adriano Farano 26:36

9M ago26:36

26:36

In this episode of Restaurant Fiction, we sit down with acclaimed baker Adriano Farano of Pane Vivo in Paris, France. Together, we dive deep into the legendary performance of Italian actor Toto in *Misery & Nobility*, exploring his comedic genius and the film’s cultural impact. But the conversation doesn’t stop there. We also take a profound journe…

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Tobi Lütke on Creating Shopify for Americans as a German in Canada 54:04

9M ago54:04

54:04

Tobi Lütke is the CEO and co-founder of Shopify. 20 years ago, he was just a German coder who emigrated to Canada to launch some ecommerce platform with another German. Now he’s the world-renowned thought and tech leader who has revolutionized online shopping for billions. He’s also the creator of many open-source libraries like Liquid, Active Mer…

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Philip Ball on the Interplay of Science, Society, and the Quest for Understanding 1:11:56

9M ago1:11:56

1:11:56

Register for our LA Listener Meetup Philip Ball is an award-winning science writer who has penned over 30 books on a dizzying variety of subjects. Holding degrees in chemistry from Oxford and physics from the University of Bristol, Ball's multidisciplinary background underpins his versatility. As a former editor at Nature for two decades and a regu…

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Nate Silver on Risk-takers, Politicians, and Poker Players 59:45

10M ago59:45

59:45

In his second appearance, Nate Silver joins the show to cover the intersections of predictions, politics, and poker with Tyler. They tackle how coin flips solve status quo bias, gambling’s origins in divination, what kinds of betting Nate would ban, why he’s been limited on several of the New York sports betting sites, how game theory changed poker…

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Breaking Bread with Restaurant Fiction 15:50

10M ago15:50

15:50

Another get-to-know Restaurant Fiction episode where we spill the beans on some episodes never before heard as we sit down with our music supervisor and editor Christopher J. Hudson. Hungry for more culinary adventures through the lens of your favorite TV shows and movies? You've just savored another episode of Restaurant Fiction, where we dish out…

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Paul Bloom on the Psychology of Children, and the Morality of Empathy and Disgust 59:13

10M ago59:13

59:13

Paul Bloom is a renowned psychologist and writer specializing in moral psychology, particularly how moral thoughts and actions develop in children. But his interests and books explore a wide range of topics, including the science of pleasure, the morality of empathy, dehumanization, immoral vs moral punishments, and our feelings about animals and r…

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Alan Taylor on Revolutionary Ironies and the Continental Civil War 57:06

11M ago57:06

57:06

Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Alan Taylor is Tyler’s pick for one of the greatest living historians. His many books cover the early American Republic, American westward expansion, the War of 1812, Virginian slavery, Thomas Jefferson, the revolutionary settlements in Maine, and more. He’s currently the Thomas Jefferson Chair of History at the Unive…

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The Lakeside Supper Club with Author J. Ryan Stradal 27:20

11M ago27:20

27:20

Hungry for more culinary adventures through the lens of your favorite TV shows and movies? You've just savored another episode of Restaurant Fiction, where we dish out the stories behind the most iconic fictional eateries. Don't let the journey end here: 🍽️ **Subscribe**: Never miss an episode. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and join us as …

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Brian Winter on Brazil, Argentina, and the Future of Latin America 58:12

11M ago58:12

58:12

Register for the DC Listener Meetup It’s not just the churrasco that made him fall in love with Brazil. Brian Winter has been studying and writing about Latin America for over 20 years. He’s been tracking the struggles and triumphs of the region as it’s dealt with decades of coups, violence, and shifting economics. His work offers a nuanced perspec…

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The Most Important Part of a TV show and Film 11:30

11M ago11:30

11:30

I, the host, me...Monis Rose...cook up and talk about why the fictional restaurant, bar, and club in TV & Film is THE most important part of the story and the world. Hungry for more culinary adventures through the lens of your favorite TV shows and movies? You've just savored another episode of Restaurant Fiction, where we dish out the stories behi…