From Grantland Critic To TV Writer: Andy Greenwald Discusses His Journey To ‘Legion’

For the most part, there is a clear divide between the media and what the media covers. Because of this, when a reporter makes the transition from member of the media to becoming part of the industry they were formerly paid to cover, it’s an interesting story. What makes it especially interesting is when the reporter in question is as big a name as Andy Greenwald and when the transitioning show is as subversive as Noah Hawley’s Legion.

Greenwald is perhaps best known for his work on Bill Simmons’ now defunct sports and pop culture site, Grantland. However, he started by writing Friday Night Lights recaps for Vulture in 2009. “My first piece for Grantland was the big Grantland launch in June of 2011,” Greenwald said in an interview with Decider. “I never looked back from there. So, I was the full-time critic for basically the entire run of the website.”

Last year, Greenwald further made a name for himself by hosting the after shows for HBO’s Game of Thrones and USA’s Mr. Robot. Both After the Thrones and Hacking Robot serve as star-studded deep dives into two of television’s most-discussed series. Greenwald explained that he approached these projects as less of a trained critic and more as a fan. “When I was a TV critic, I wrote about TV because I really loved it. I really care about storytelling and how it works in the medium. So, that enthusiasm is something I think translates really well with something like an after show because what we’re really doing is sort of taking a collective excitement over something and then trying to stumble it into a halfway rational conversation,” he said.

However, Greenwald noted that though he tailored his discussions on After the Thrones and Hacking Robot to be more positive than critical, neither HBO nor USA spoke to him about being overly critical. “I feel like there’s space carved out where you can be enthusiastic, skeptical, engaged without tipping one way or the other into criticism,” he said.

In the middle of last December, Greenwald announced a big career shift on Twitter. Shortly after leaving Grantland (and the closure of the site), Noah Hawley approached Greenwald with an opportunity to work on a project that would become Legion. It was the realization of one of Greenwald’s passions, to write for television instead of about it. However, what makes this transition so much more interesting is the show Greenwald left the world of TV criticism for.

Legion is a prime example of the complexities of peak television. It’s a genre show constructed unlike any other currently-running superhero show with a plot that’s almost proudly complicated. “I think one of the reasons I was so excited to work with Noah is because I am a fan of the TV he makes, and the reason I am a fan of it is because he treats the audience like adults, and there isn’t too much hand holding,” Greenwald said. “One of the luxuries of the current television where everything is serialized, we don’t really have to do those heavy exposition dumps or repeat things in the beginning of every episode because [if] people are watching them, they’re generally now binge-watching them.”

To prepare for working on Legion, Greenwald was asked to watch Paolo Sorrentino’s film The Great Beauty. Though there is very little action, the film, according to Greenwald, acts as an immersive journey through someone’s emotional experience and inner life. “Knowing we were going to be doing something like that sort of … gave us permission to not worry too much about it because you sort of have the trust. It’s jumping in a car with a driver you trust to know where you’re going,” he said. “So in that sense as much as the audience will sort of trust where Noah’s taking people, those of us who work for him are kind of feeling the same way.”

When asked about the challenges that come from writing for television instead of about it, Greenwald talked about the importance of surveying the television landscape. The writer explained that TV critics are “really able to do that from a ten thousand feet like forest perspective. When you’re making TV, it’s really hard to see anything but the trees. You’re making the decisions that will ultimately lead to that forest, but you’re really caught up in those smaller moments, and it’s sort of harder to step back and get that larger perspective.”

He also praised the collaborative nature of his new job. “The type of writing that is journalism or criticism can be lonely, and so far it’s been really exciting to be in the trenches with other people and sort of working together to build something good out of diverse ideas,” he said.

As someone who was paid to watch, write, and think about television, Greenwald has some specific ideas about what cliches shows should avoid. When asked if he had any TV pet peeves, Greenwald did not disappoint. “Oh my god, yes! So many. I’ve written columns about this, and then you work in TV and you realize they’re hard to avoid,” he said. “My number one — number one at this point — is that I really never want a character to say out loud ‘I’m not a bad person’ or ‘Am I a bad person?’” Some of Greenwald’s other least favorite TV cliches are monologues in the mirror (especially about whether the character is a bad person), surprise T-bone car accidents, and deep spiritual eye contact with wild animals. However, there’s a chance we may seen those cliches on Legion. “I was a small cog in a much bigger more impressive machine, so if there are those things, I accept either credit or blame,” he said.

Greenwald also spoke about how he’s seen the television landscape evolve during his time as a critic. “I did not write about The Sopranos, I did not write about The Wire, but I did get to write about Mad Men, which was enormously impactful for me and a great experience,” he said. “I was also there to recap the last season or so of Breaking Bad, and I think that was one of the more remarkable times I had professionally, especially in the last six episodes or so. I wasn’t getting screeners, so I was staying up late writing these heart-in-throat recaps, and it really felt like I was sort of with the pulse of the country … In some ways, it felt like the best of what TV can be.”

When asked about how he thinks television will change, Greenwald pointed to limited resources and the necessity for shows to push boundaries. “I’ve talked to some people I respect, and there is sometimes a pessimism because the expansion of scripted entertainment seems almost entirely out of control,” he said. “There doesn’t seem to a cap on how many original series can be put into production, but the truth is I think there is a cap on talented actors, on directors, on production coordinators, on good work off scripts. So I am concerned about seeing those things strained. I would rather live in world with 200 A-plus shows than 450 C-minus to B-plus shows.”

“One thing I’m excited about is seeing … how far things can be pushed in the direction shows like Legion and The Young Pope are pushing them in terms of your experience, in terms of trusting someone to take you on a journey that may be uncomfortable or surprising at times,” he said. “This is something Noah’s always said to me as well is that ‘TV should always be entertaining.’ Note that the relationship we have with TV is different than the relationship we have with movies because a movie you pay for. It’s one thing, you can watch it and walk out of. TV comes into our homes whether we want it or not. It’s a much more intimate relationship.”

Greenwald also expressed his excitement over the changing landscape of half-hour series. “Half hours can sort of step back and be more emotional. [They] can be in some ways more surprising because you don’t know what’s coming at you. I’m thinking about everything from — of course everyone mentions Louie when they have that conversation. I really like, obviously Girls is back, Pete Holmes’ Crashing is coming up and One Day at a Time on Netflix. I keep thinking about it. I just don’t know how they pulled that off.”

Though Greenwald will continue to contribute to The Watch, The Ringer’s pop culture podcast, professionally he sees himself moving full time into writing for TV. “I still get to do my podcast with Chris Ryan a lot. I’m very happy to continue doing that, but I’ve worked on three different TV projects now. One of which is public, that you guys know about is Legion, and I’ve really enjoyed the experience,” he said. “That’s what I’m committed to, and hopefully they’ll be more stuff that I can make public soon, and hopefully people will like it.”

Stream Legion on FXNOW