Brian Leif Hansen (‘In the Know’) reveals why stop-motion puppets are perfect for stories about public radio [Exclusive Video Interview]

Brian Leif Hansen has several theories as to why “In the Know” was envisioned as a stop-motion animated show. “I think what really fits the NPR sort of theme is this slightly old-fashioned, tactile way that feels very much like that could be performed by puppets,” he tells Gold Derby during our Meet the Experts: TV Animation panel (watch the exclusive video interview above). He elaborates that doing a stop-motion program had always been something that co-creator Mike Judge had wanted to achieve. “The real reason why it’s puppets is because Mike Judge always wanted to do a puppet show. He originally started with stop-motion but felt like it was too difficult and too expensive so he moved into 2D, but that’s probably why it became stop motion.”

“In the Know,” which is currently streaming on Peacock, centers on Lauren Caspian (Zach Woods), the third most popular host on National Public Radio, and the neurotic staff that help the show run as smoothly as they can. The show was created by Woods, Judge and Brandon Gardner. Woods and Judge previously worked together on the show, “Silicon Valley.” The show also stars Caitlin Reilly, J. Smith Cameron, Carl Tart, Charlie Bushnell and Mike Judge.

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The fact that the series has a lot of improvisation shouldn’t be a surprise considering the extensive background both Woods and Gardner have in improv. Hansen says that it doesn’t make animating the show any more difficult. Rather, it actually enhances what they’re able to animate. “It’s really nice to have something alive to animate because that’s really all you have as we all know the characters mainly comes from the piece of dialogue and if you have great dialogue, you have it much easier to create a great character. If anything, it made it a little bit more fresh so it was easier to work with.”

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