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Sundance TV has been killing it this summer. There’s the exciting, off-beat spy thriller Deutschland 83, the devastating and absorbing Rectify, and the network’s newest series: Up Close With The Hollywood Reporter. See, it’s this really fascinating show where Hollywood’s biggest stars come together to dish on embarrassing stories, crazy insider gossip, and what’s at the heart of their respective crafts.

Oh, wait…it’s not new at all. It’s just a TV version of The Hollywood Reporter’s addictive Roundtable series.

At its heart, The Hollywood Reporter is a trade magazine. That means it’s devoted to reporting on the deals, trends, and personalities that define the Hollywood film industry. About five years ago, the newspaper was rebranded as a glossy magazine with huge photo spreads and a new take on high-class gossip. So, how do you cover awards season in a way that seems simultaneously classy and informative? Well, one way is to produce star-studded roundtables that feature major contenders and beloved dark horse candidates for Emmy and Oscar nominations. You get these famous faces (and power players) in a room, put a camera on them, and ask them both the serious and the scintillating questions that get pop culture nerds in a tizzy.

Today, The Hollywood Reporter Roundtables are such an institution that they are seemingly produced year-round and have now been edited for cable television. Early roundtables were just simple conversations between Hollywood elite in a small room, but now, they are well-lit, gorgeously shot, and have a home on SundanceTV under the name Up Close With The Hollywood Reporter.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcJCTXs6s-4]

Upon first glance Up Close With The Hollywood Reporter is exactly like the Roundtables of old, except the series’ premiere episode — which covers the “Drama Actress Roundtable,” featuring Taraji P. Henson (Empire), Viola Davis (How To Get Away With Murder), Jessica Lange (American Horror Story: Freak Show), Lizzy Caplan (Masters of Sex), Ruth Wilson (The Affair), and Maggie Gyllenhaal (The Honorable Woman) — dives right into what the average television fan wants to know about: Cookie, sex, and nudity.

You get to hear Viola Davis talk about the discomfort she has shooting sex scenes on her juicy primetime show: “I don’t want to get thrown up against the wall anymore! I threw my back out!” And Taraji B. Henson retells the story of her first sex scene with Tyrese Gibson in Baby Boy. She reveals that when it came time to shoot, her male co-star was the one balking at stripping down in front of the crew.

Of course, these “sexy” stories are all told within a more serious context: each of these esteemed actresses is commiserating over how awkward it is to shoot sex scenes and how dismissive Hollywood can be if an actress isn’t sexy enough. The actresses also have a candid conversation about their early days and their dream roles. All in all, this talk is — as are all Hollywood Reporter Roundtables — a fascinating look into what’s beating at the heart of some of our favorite performances and pieces of art. It’s not just about delving into the mind of the artist, but questioning how does that passion survive within an industry plagued by its own greed and short-sidedness. You know, all within a clever structure set up by a media conglomerate to brand itself as being on the forefront of awards season coverage.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOf9AmKYRw8]

Now that these Roundtables are being edited for television, it’s startlingly clear how much showmanship is behind this supposed hard-hitting entertainment journalism. When you compare the finished episode of Up Close With The Hollywood Reporter with the original article, you can see that everything has been edited in its own way to either appeal to the reader or the TV viewer. Segments happen out of order and quotes are paraphrased in print form. So, this series also serves as a sneak peak behind the curtain of The Hollywood Reporter itself.

It’s been abundantly clear in recent weeks that entertainment journalism has to have the same polish as the shows and films being written about. Viral videos that show terrible, ill-prepared, and sexist interviews with the likes of Amy Schumer, Cara Delevingne, and the cast of Fantastic Four show that we do expect journalists and talent to be equally “on.” Up Close With The Hollywood Reporter is a shining example of what “good” entertainment journalism can look like. And, yeah, it’s as well-produced, well-prepared, and carefully edited as the best shows on television.

You can stream Up Close With The Hollywood Reporter here at Sundance.tv or on the Sundance TV channel on Sling TV. The network is available to stream in Sling TV‘s Hollywood Extra bundle.

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