Co-Host Lisa Arch joins us with our guest, Stan Zimmerman.

From a supportive teacher who first recognized his talent to writing some of television’s most beloved episodes, Stan Zimmerman’s journey is a testament to passion, persistence, and perfect timing.

He sets it all out in his new book 'The Girls: From Golden to Gilmore,’ which draws from journals he has kept religiously since college, offering a deeply personal look at a life lived inside television history.

In a conversation both heartfelt and hilarious, Stan reflects on how he took school theater as seriously as if it were big time show biz, because to him, it was. Theater kids were his tribe, and storytelling was already his calling.

That destiny led him to Hollywood, where in his early 20s, at meeting that had not gone well, on his way out the door, he pitched a Hail Mary Golden Girls story idea that launched his career. The episode he co-wrote with his writing partner, Jim Berg is titled “Blanche and the Younger Man.” It earned the team a Writers Guild nomination and carved the trailhead for a groundbreaking career path.

Working in the 1980s during the height of the AIDS crisis, Stan recalls how even in Hollywood many people were still in the closet, and that while building career relationships, on a show that would become a gay obsession, he felt pressure to hide his personal life.

We also hear stories that could only happen in show business: hanging out with Sandra Bernhard when an answering machine message from Madonna sparked the beginning of their friendship; witnessing Estelle Getty struggle with early-onset dementia on set, and later realizing that Betty White’s jokes to the studio audience, which he thought were at Estelle’s expense, may have been acts of quiet kindness, allowing Estelle space to recover her lines.

Stan reflects on the enduring legacy of The Golden Girls, a show whose cultural impact he couldn’t have imagined while he was in the writers’ room. He talks about passing on season one of Roseanne because of a five-year contract commitment, only to later campaign to join the writing staff. (The story behind the “13” on his shirt traces back to that turbulent chapter of his career.)

He explains how Roseanne was never about chasing laughs, a lesson that became clear when he later helped develop a Russian adaptation where producers kept asking why it wasn’t funnier.

Stan also discusses his longtime friendship with Dan and Amy Sherman-Palladino and how creative circles overlap in surprising ways that found him on the team creating episodes of The Gilmore Girls. And he shares a moving story about working on a Dreamgirls benefit show which almost derailed over stewing conflicts until Stan suggested that Sheryl Lee Ralph, Loretta Devine and Jennifer Holiday just talk, on stage, about their shared history… Suddenly, they were singing. Stan’s stories will inspire you to problem solve, dream and achieve.

In recommendations --

Lisa: The Later Daters on Netlflix

Weezy: Take That miniseries on Netflix

Path Points of Interest

Stan Zimmerman

The Girls: From Golden To Gilmore by Stan Zimmerman

Stan Zimmerman on IMDB

Stan Zimmerman on Wikipedia

Stan Zimmerman on Facebook

Stan Zimmerman on Instagram

Golden Girls: The Ultimate Fan Experience

Media Path Interview with Michael Fishman

Later Daters

Take That Documentary Series

From her first job right out of high school on a USO tour through Asia during the Vietnam War to Maude to screen queen classics, Adrienne Barbeau has costarred with snakes, rats, bugs, Swamp Things, a man-eating ape and Batman!

Adrienne joins us to talk about iconic roles, larger than life co-stars (like Rodney and Reynolds) and how at 80, she's doing everything BUT riding into the sunset.

At 19, she moved to New York City with a clear promise to herself: She would give theater her absolute all and settle for her backup plan, if need be, only at age 25. By then she was starring on Broadway as Hodel in Fiddler On The Roof with costar Bette Midler as Tzeitel.

Adrienne shares firsthand stories from the birth of Grease (MUCH edgier at its inception), where she originated the role of Rizzo. She recalls the electric audience response during previews, and how, fueled by that enthusiasm, producers pushed forward despite harsh critical reviews.

From there, Adrienne was discovered by Norman Lear and offered the part of Maude’s daughter Carol in the first All In The Family Spinoff. She found Bea Arthur to be an artist who exemplified collaborative grace, always putting the show ahead of any individual performance.

Adrienne opens up about her curious relationship with Burt Reynolds… in fact, a psychic saw her dating a man who was laying on a bearskin, even before she had met him or he had done that! She then shares stories from the chaotic set of Cannonball Run, where she was trying to take the work seriously while many cast-mates were mostly taking alcohol.

We talk about her collaborations with John Carpenter and George A. Romero. We delve into Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death (which turns out to have surprising literary roots in Heart of Darkness). We play a sizzling round of IMDB Roulette and hear about Adrienne's latest project, the short film Oddities.

The episode closes on a meaningful note as we say goodbye to Fritz in his final episode as co-host, and welcome Lisa Arch, who will be joining Weezy for our next episode.

In current media--

Weezy: Song Sung Blue, in theaters and streaming

Fritz: Marty Supreme, in theaters and streaming

Path Points of Interest:

Adrienne Barbeau

There Are Worse Things I Could Do by Adrienne Barbeau

Adrienne Barbeau on Wikipedia

Adrienne Barbeau on IMDB

Adrienne Barbeau on Instagram

Adrienne Barbeau on Facebook

Oddities

Adrienne Barbeau Amazon Author Page

Song Sung Blue

Marty Supreme

Even before he was “DJ Conner,” Michael Fishman was a working-class kid raised by, as he puts it, 'a farm girl from Virginia and an immigrant father'. That blue-collar pride still defines and inspires him today in the important work he's doing within the mental health space.

In this deeply personal and wide-ranging conversation, Michael takes us back to the moment his life changed forever: the Roseanne audition. While dozens of kids were asked to tell a joke, he was the only one who actually did, and that single moment opened the door to one of television’s most iconic families.

Michael reflects on his relationship with Roseanne Barr as one rooted in mutual support, advocacy, and honesty.

He opens up about the infamous National Anthem moment and the dark turning point that followed, when he (along with the entire cast) began receiving death threats, which unfortunately continue to this day.

With tactical training and a sober understanding of celebrity risk, Michael explains why public life can feel like living under a magnifying glass and how quickly admiration can escalate into rage and danger.

Michael describes himself as a “young witness” on a highly volatile set, inconspicuous because of his age, yet uniquely positioned to observe the power of a woman who was unafraid to say the hard thing, be a lightning rod, and push conversations forward long before it was fashionable to do so (stay ’til the end for a round of Roseanne 'Guest Star Roulette' where Michael fondly recalls a memorable appearances, by before-they-were-famous stars!)

Today, Michael calls himself a “kindness assassin.” His brand is authenticity, no filters, no fake persona, no algorithm-chasing, and he has intentionally built online spaces where people can breathe, be vulnerable, share and heal in community away from the constant churn of politics and vitriol.

He speaks candidly about navigating relationships with people whose views differ from his own, including Roseanne, and why he believes compassion does not require agreement.

His message is simple but urgent: find commonality, keep loving the person, and remember that meaningful change often comes from those willing to absorb the lightning.

From his child actor start to his director turn on the Roseanne reboot, to his life philosophies on trauma, mental health, and resilience, Michael leaves us with one powerful truth: You are not your scars. You get to define you.

In current media --

Fritz: Danny Collins, recently added to Netflix library

Weezy: Netflix original film, Jay Kelly

Path Points of Interest:

Michael Fishman Wikipedia

Michael Fishman IMDB

Michael Fishman Tiktok

Michael Fishman on Instagram

Michael Fishman on Facebook

The Safe Space Collective

Mclusive Media Production Company

Danny Collins

Jay Kelly