‘In the Know’ Co-Creator Brandon Gardner on Mixing Live and Stop-Motion Animation [Interview]

Peacock’s new animated workplace comedy, In The Know, follows the crew of NPR’s third most popular interview program hosted by Lauren Caspian, voiced by Zach Woods. Not only does Woods star as the neurotic nimrod at the center but is also co-creator along with Mike Judge and series showrunner Brandon Gardner.  

I spoke with Gardner recently about how the show came to be and what it was like incorporating live guest cameos with a stop-motion puppet. (Watch the full interview below.)

“The first idea was for an animated interview show,” began Gardner. “Then the second idea was setting it at a public radio station.”

“The stop-motion came up because Mike Judge had always wanted to do something in stop-motion,” he continued, “and the more we talked about it, it just felt very fitting for the world we were talking about creating.”

Gardner described the foot-tall puppets as “very twee” and “delicate” which he and Woods connected to the characters and their stories. “They seem like they are sort of representing the world that Zach and I have chosen to inhabit,” he added.

He also said they just really liked the idea of a stop-motion puppet interacting with a live interview guest. 

The six-episode first season of In The Know includes real live cameos from the likes of Hugh Laurie, Roxane Gay, Kaia Gerber, and more. Gardner explained how these interviews were achieved giving the guest very little context into what is happening behind-the-scenes.

“I would talk to them before they talked to Zach, and all I would tell them is try to treat it like it’s a real NPR interview.”

Watch the full interview with Brandon Gardner:

This direction and the freedom it comes with resulted in some truly rare exchanges between puppet host and live guest. Gardner revealed that the interview would last about an hour with Zach in character as Lauren. “We prepared questions and would’ve researched the guest, but nothing that happens is scripted.”

Gardner spoke about casting Mike Tyson for Episode 4, “Portrait of a Safety Rep on Fire.” They thought the juxtaposition between the famous boxer and Lauren would be an interesting dynamic.

“[Tyson] was so playful and sort of willing to treat the puppet like it was a real person, even to the point of giving him life advice.”

He expanded on the appeal of the untraditional format. “With all these famous people that do so many interviews, they’re all very media-trained and give concise answers repetitively, and there’s something fun about throwing them in for an hour with a puppet.”

“Hopefully,” Gardner expressed, “it gives them an opportunity to reveal aspects of themselves they don’t normally get to reveal in interviews.”

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In The Know Season 1 is currently streaming on Peacock.

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