Joe Flanigan’s starring role as John Sheppard in the beloved space exploration series Stargate Atlantis has brought viewers joy for decades. The show ran for five incredible, action-packed years, often crossing over with the ten-year hit Stargate SG-1 during their overlapping seasons. The Stargate franchise means a lot to many people, with beautiful production design, fantastic characters and storylines, and a whole lot of heart, so I’ve been looking forward to speaking with Joe, especially since his background is unusual for someone in the arts. After starting out as an advance man for the White House and a stint at a magazine, he took up acting on a whim and ended up developing a real passion for it. But he also remains heavily involved in social matters and has been focusing on those topics more than ever since the wildfires and pandemic, so sitting down to hear his insights on not only Hollywood but also the state of the world was a very different and interesting experience.

Stargate Atlantis

Trailer: All Seasons
Streaming: Amazon | Hulu | Apple | YouTube | Fandango
DVD: Amazon | Best Buy

See

Trailer: Season 2 | Season 3
Streaming: Apple | Amazon

Simon Evans is the writer and director of the BBC's Staged, which ran for three seasons, filmed almost entirely over Zoom during the pandemic in a revolutionary approach to filmmaking. The series starred David Tennant, Michael Sheen, and Simon himself alongside a revolving door of guest appearances from an incredible lineup of actors such as Dame Judi Dench, bringing levity, laughs, and real joy to many people during an extremely dark time in a style that managed to feel both mainstream and experimental. Simon also has an extensive background as a theatre director, writer, and actor, including his original double bill The Vanishing Man / The Extinction Event, through which he captured his passion for illusion and demonstrated his skill as a magician, and his fantastic new production of Cyrano De Bergerac, starring Adrian Lester at the Royal Shakespeare Company. He's a multitalented artist and, in my humble opinion, a comedic genius, so it was brilliant speaking with him about the magic of live performance and growing alongside his surprise hit series.

Staged

Streaming: Amazon | Apple | BBC iplayer | Roku | BritBox | ABC iview

Extra: New Year's special | Outtakes

Cyrano De Bergerac

Trailer

What the play is about

Bringing the play to the stage

The Vanishing Man / The Extinction Event

Trailer

Performing a close-up magic trick

Other Productions

Killer Joe

The Dazzle

Bug

A Day in the Death of Joe Egg

The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui