Bringing together a level of excellence across genres and formats of television programming, Walt Disney Co. offers the kinds of unforgettable characters and riveting storytelling that pull in audiences and keep them watching.
In conversations with Variety, stars, series creators and producers from ABC, Disney+, Hulu, 20th TV and other Disney-related entities detail their favorite parts of creating extraordinary work.
Scrubs
When the “Scrubs” revival premiered in February of this year, it became one of the highest-rated shows on Disney+ and Hulu. The reboot reunited Zach Braff (J.D.) and Donald Faison (Turk), as well as Sarah Chalke (Elliot) and fan favorites John C. McGinley (Dr. Cox) and Judy Reyes (Carla).
The original characters, who audiences have always loved, are back, but the revival isn’t just about nostalgia. J.D. has stepped back into the hospital older and more reflective, while Turk is just as quick with a joke as he’s ever been. “We all knew we didn’t want to just do a nostalgia baby thing,” says Braff, who directed the pilot episode. “We wanted to bring a new audience in, which is one of the wonderful things that’s happening on Hulu, as you can see how many people are going back and starting the show who have never watched ‘Scrubs’ before.”
The show speaks to the core of who these characters are and what they’ve experienced. Whether it’s an episode about burnout, dealing with aging parents or losing a patient, viewers see the real cost of being a caregiver and how that stacks up over the years. “Scrubs,” which was the highest-rated comedy telecast on any network last season, was renewed in April and will return for a second season this fall.
The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox
Amanda Knox, the media fixture who was accused, falsely convicted and later exonerated of murdering her roommate, captivated the public on two continents in the early aughts. Two decades later, Knox is hauntingly portrayed by Grace Van Patten in Hulu’s limited series, which follows Knox’s days as an American student studying abroad in Italy and a woman facing criminal accusations.
Van Patten and the show’s executive producers, including Knox and Monica Lewinsky, carefully dissect the ways a young girl became isolated as the world judged her and convicted her before she ever stood trial.
It’s no accident that this miniseries feels like it could have happened in present day. “She was such a lightning rod that I thought, ‘You know what? We’re trafficking in a lot of misinformation right now in our culture and political dialogue.’ I thought it was really a very timely story to try and excavate,” says creator K.J. Steinberg, who did years of research on Knox’s case.
Paradise
Sterling K. Brown’s portrayal of Xavier Collins hits all the right notes, as viewers see him contend with the intrigue and hidden agendas that make this Hulu series a unique political thriller, that also serves as an examination of what power really means and who should have it.
Speaking of the show’s success and popularity, Brown, who is also a producer, says it’s a “testimony to the performers, a massive testimony to our writers. They’ve crafted something really, really beautiful. Even though Season 1 and Season 2 are different, somehow, they fit together.”
Season 2 introduced two new cast members, Shailene Woodley and Thomas Doherty, both of whom were fans of the show before joining. “They’ve managed to make [Season 2] bigger, more intense somehow,” says Doherty.
Wonder Man
In a world in love with superheroes, “Wonder Man” dares to treat the genre differently. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II portrays Simon Williams, an actor and stuntman who comes to have some unusual abilities and tries to make sense of how he will deal with his identity now that he has powers. With its stylized cinematography and clever action sequences, the series debuted to strong critical acclaim upon its premiere, with audiences loving Abdul-Mateen and Ben Kingsley’s on-screen dynamic.
“The challenge was to make it unlike any other Marvel show or movie, and to try to find a surprising groundedness to not just the aesthetic, but the entire story that we’re telling,” says director and executive producer Destin Daniel Cretton, who co-created the show with Andrew Guest. “It is a Marvel show. It is a show about a superhero with powers. But at its core, it’s about a young kid who was an outcast at school, who found a connection to movies through his connection with his dad, and has been chasing and craving that connection his entire life. It’s really just trying to chase that humanity of the story.”
“Wonder Man” has been renewed for Season 2 at Disney+.
Dancing With the Stars
For over 20 years, “Dancing With the Stars” has been a show synonymous with tremendous showmanship and live performances combined with sheer physical strength. Entering its 35th season this fall, the weekly dance contest continues to stand alone in the ratings. “We have been on a rocket ship climb season by season, almost week by week,” co-host Alfonso Ribeiro shares. “Last season, we broke the record for Nielsen, where it was six straight weeks climbing on one another, the No. 1 show at the beginning of the season and climbed for six straight weeks.”
“DWTS” brings out the best in not just the celebrity competitors and their pro partners, but also those behind the camera — everyone from the costume department to camera crew. “It’s a well-oiled machine,” says pro-turned-judge Derek Hough. “The grips, the camera operators, every single person, they’ve been a part of this for 20 years.”
In so many ways, this level of excellence is exactly what fans are craving on TV and social media nowadays — every aspect of the arts working at their best to tell meaningful stories. “It’s just so extraordinary that 20 years ago, this ridiculous idea of a show for ballroom dancing with celebrities,” adds Hough. “Who would have known that this show would have been a perfect show for this time for social media where we are now?”
The Bear
“The Bear” set an award-winning standard from the outset when it premiered on FX on Hulu in June 2022. Over four seasons, the series’ storytelling about family, grief and ambition gets richer with each complicated character gripped by their quests to make something of their lives.
Fans of the comedy-drama have followed the Berzatto family centered on Jeremy Allen White’s character, Carmy, running his restaurant alongside, Ayo Edebiri’s character, Sydney, struggling to prove herself as a chef. Plus, there are powerful standalone episodes with supporting characters such as Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), Marcus (Lionel Boyce), Tina (Liza Colón-Zayas) and Sugar (Abby Elliott).
“What’s so unique about the show is that each episode plays with format kind of differently,” Elliott says, crediting creator Christopher Storer. “There’s just different ways of telling the story.”
The Testaments
Based on Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale,” the Hulu follow-up gives shocking new perspectives to Gilead and centers on three young women who uncover the truths that have been hidden from them. Ann Dowd gives another monumental performance and reprises her “Handmaid’s Tale” role as Aunt Lydia.
While creator Bruce Miller gives viewers an innovative look at themes of girlhood, survival and rage that raise new questions for both fans of the previous series and new audiences, it’s the acting ensemble that fearlessly shows the power of female friendships.
“My way into that mindset of Agnes was a connection that I had not only with Lucy [Halliday] and Ann, but with Mattea [Conforti] and Rowan [Blanchard] as well. That friendship helped me feel very secure in my power as Agnes,” says lead star Chase Infiniti.
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