Ovation TV said Monday its Journy streaming channel is available as part of Viazio’s Watchfree Plus package of free ad-supported programming.

Journy features shorts covering the intersection of travel with art and culture.

“Journy’s footprint continues to grow thanks to our exciting new distribution with Vizio,” said Will Marks, senior VP, Business Development and Digital at Ovation TV. “We are thrilled to share our exceptional programming with WatchFree+’s millions of users. As Ovation continues to add unique titles to the Journy library, SmartCast users will experience global travel and cultural experiences all from the comfort of their homes.”

WatchFree Plus is available on Vizio’s SmartCast platform.

“For years, Ovation TV has been focused on connecting audiences with the arts and entertainment they love, so we couldn’t be more pleased to welcome Journy to WatchFree Plus as Vizio strives to continue offering all of the content users want,” said Katherine Pond, VP of Business Development at Vizio. “We are excited to continue expanding our content offering on WatchFree+ with compelling content and artful storytelling like Journy’s to cater to the travel and cultural enthusiasts on SmartCast.”

Journey is now available on 300 million screens via Fire TV, Apple TV and iOS devices, plus via Roku, Xumo, Vewd, Samsung TV Plus, Vizio and Plex.

This month the cable television industry is celebrating Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month with several new programs and initiatives that recognize the contributions of Asian Americans.

This year’s celebration has taken on more significance in light of the recent escalation of hate crimes against AAPI communities across the country, according to industry executives. 

“It is critical during this uniquely important time in our society that we spotlight stories about people in the AAPI community who are making an impact and will continue to do so in the future,” Fuse Media CEO Miguel Roggero said. Throughout the month Fuse is running video interstitials spotlighting four changemakers -- singer/songwriter Dominic Fike, sex therapist and educator Sonalee Rashatwar, writer/comedian Kristina Wong and Congresswoman Grace Meng -- as part of its “Future Asian Pacific History Class of 2021” initiative.

MTV Networks will present a May 21 special, See Us Unite For Change, which will pay tribute to the Asian-American experience. Ken Jeong will host the special, which will air across the MTV Entertainment Networks and also stream on Facebook Watch. 

“We are outraged and deeply saddened by the escalation of hate crimes against AAPI communities and stand with them in the fight against xenophobia and bigotry,” said  MTV Entertainment Group Chris McCarthy said. “Hate against one of us is hate against all of us and by working together on a global scale, we can help end this senseless violence.”

Read Also: Ken Jeong to Host Asian-American Community Special on MTV Nets

Other networks celebrating AAPI Heritage Month on air include Cartoon Network, which is spotlighting four kids and the role their families play in shaping their lives as part of its Drawn to Ancestry series of monthly vignettes, and Ovation TV, which will air throughout May a daily, two-hour morning block featuring AAPI stories and talent. 

Ovation said it will again be collaborating with Charter Communications on the network’s Stand for the Arts Awards initiative.

The initiative, which recognizes local arts, cultural and educational organizations, is part of Ovation’s Stand for the Arts programs. 

Ovation is contributing $50,000 to support winning arts group in five Charter Spectrum markets.

“Together with Charter, we’re thrilled to provide support to community-driven art organizations, especially in times like these when they may need it most.” said Sol Doten, senior VP, content distribution marketing at the network. “Ovation encourages everyone to advocate for arts access in their community and to enjoy and support the arts in their own way throughout the pandemic."

The winning organizations are Artes de la Rose, Ft. Worth, Texas; The Baldwin Wallace Community Arts School, Berea, Ohio; Hawai’i Arts Alliance, Honolulu; SoundBites, Columbia, S.C.; and Writers & Books, Rochester, N.Y.,

“Even in this challenging time, these five local organizations are doing meaningful work, showing how access to the arts and arts education can bring diverse communities together and enrich the lives of their residents,” said Adam Falk, senior VP, State Government Affairs at Charter. “Charter is pleased to extend this partnership with Ovation for a fourth consecutive year and support the creative work of these arts organizations, as part of our commitment to invest and improve the communities we serve.”

Ovation TV said it signed a deal with BBC America that brings it the non-exclusive rights to all four seasons of the TV series Luther, starring Idris Elba.

The deal also includes six seasons of Death in Paradise.

Viewers will be able to watch both shows on Ovation TV during the fourth quarter of 2020.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

“With their consistent offering of high-quality programming, Ovation is always happy to partner with BBC Studios on acquisitions,” stated Scott Woodward, executive VP of programming and production for Ovation TV. “Luther and Death in Paradise are two standout titles that will fit in perfectly with our other premium mystery programming like Riviera and Agatha Christie’s Partners in Crime.

In Luther, Elba plays a maverick detective working for London’s Serious Crime Unit.

Luther is a BBC Studios and BBC America co-production for the BBC and distributed internationally by BBC Studios.

Death in Paradise follows Richard Poole, a detective inspector in for the U.K. police who gets transferred to a Caribbean Island. Poole, who hates the sun, sea and sand, investigates murders on the Island.

Death in Paradise is a Red Planet Pictures production for the BBC and distributed internationally by BBC Studios. Produced with the support of the Guadeloupe Regional Council.

Several cable networks are commemorating Juneteenth today (June 19) by offering movies, documentaries and specials in celebration of the holiday that marks the end of slavery in America.

Original programming recognizing the holiday includes National Geographic’s simulcast of ABC Network’s Juneteenth: A Celebration of Overcoming special, which examines the legacy of the holiday through the current lens of political and social unrest that has captured global attention, according to ABC News.

AMC tonight will premiere it’s Sherman’s Showcase:  Spectacular variety special, which will honor historic African-American icons both past and present, according to the network.

This Sunday (June 21), TV One will debut its original documentary series The Beat Don't Stop, which highlights the history and legacy of Washington DC.-based Go-go music.  

Other cable networks offering content to commemorate the Juneteenth holiday include:

--HBO will provide all nine episodes of its drama series Watchmen for free tonight and through the weekend on HBO.com and on demand. The series, which stars Regina King, is set in an alternate history where masked vigilantes are treated as outlaws.

--FX Networks will air a collection of African-American based films and series including Hidden Figures and Selma, as well as marathons of comedy series black-ish and Atlanta.

--Smithsonian Channel will offer a day-long lineup of award-winning Black History documentaries, airing chronologically from pre-Civil war through Obama’s presidency, including Civil War 360: Fight For Freedom; The Green Book: Guide For Freedom; Major League Legends: Hank Aaron; The Lost Tapes Malcolm X, MLK: The Assassination Tapes; and The Obama Years: The Power of Words.

--TNT, TBS and truTV will air feature films Black Panther and Just Mercy in primetime with limited commercials. Turner will also feature reflections from distinguished guests including actor Anthony Anderson, Senator Kamala Harris and comedian W. Kamau Bell who will talk about the personal impact these films had on their lives and the culture, according to the company.

--Ovation will air a 24-hour block of films, documentaries and specials that shine a light on the significant contributions of Black artists and activists who have advanced progress for all. Content featured include such documentaries as Beyonce: Queen B; Inside the Actors Studio Alfre Woodard and Prince: Kiss The Rain. 

Content distributors this week will get into the Halloween spirit early with the debut of several horror-themed shows.

Scary content targeted to kids are on tap to premiere during the week of Oct. 7 to Oct. 13, including the Oct. 11 debut of Nickelodeon’s Are You Afraid of the Dark?, and Hulu’s Little Monsters (pictured). Also on Oct. 12, Syfy debuts a more sinister rendering of the 1970’s Saturday morning children show The Banana Splits.

Also dropping this week are several music-themed shows, including Netflix’s Oct. 9 competition series Rhythm + Flow and AMC’s Hip Hop: The Songs That Shook America (Oct. 13)

Below are video trailers and premiere dates for several shows debuting this week on cable networks and streaming services (for some videos, viewer discretion is advised):

Oct. 7 -- Primal (animation) -- Adult Swim

Oct. 10 -- Torn Apart: Separated at the Boarder (documentary) -- HBO

Oct. 11 -- The Birch (horror) -- Facebook Watch

Oct. 11-- Fractured (movie) -- Netflix

Oct. 11 -- El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (movie) -- Netflix

Oct. 12 -- The College Admissions Scandal (movie) -- Lifetime

Oct. 13 -- Inside The Actors Studio -- (Ovation)

Ovation Monday (July 9) released a first-look trailer at the final season of its original drama series Versailles, which debuts Oct. 6.

Season three of the series finds King Louis XIV (George Blagden) attempting to regain control of his own life, his precious Versailles, and France itself, Ovation said. But rebellion is in the air, and new challenges are brewing inside Versailles, as well as outside. 

Emboldened by his new favorite mistress, Madame de Maintenon (Catherine Walker), the king won’t relent in his quest for absolute power, convinced of his own divine powers. Meanwhile, Queen Marie-Thérèse (Elisa Lasowski) becomes intimate with her cousin, Louis’s archenemy Leopold (Rory Keenan), and Prince Philippe (Alexander Vlahos) suspects his brother is hiding a dark secret that only a mysterious prisoner in an iron mask can corroborate.

Ovation said Ovation Now, its authenticated OTT app, is now offered on Apple TV boxes (4th generation) and Android and iOS mobile devices, in addition to Roku players and Roku TVs.

The Ovation Now app was deployed on Float Left’s Flicast platform.

RELATED: Fragmentation Remains a Major Factor in OTT Video World

The app’s platform expansion enables Ovation subs to view the network’s live linear feed and a VOD library.

Starting today, those subs can connect to the app to watch the season two premiere of X Company, the series inspired by the true story of a top-secret Allied spy training facility, as well as episodes from The Wine Show, The Bletchley Circle, The Artful Detective, Landscape Artist of the Year, and Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, among others, Ovation noted.

MVPDs with rights to support the app include DirecTV/DirecTV Now, AT&T U-verse, Comcast, Verizon, Frontier, CenturyLink, Google Fiber, WOW! and RCN, as well as via more than 30 operators affiliated with the National Cable Television Cooperative.

The Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) has joined the parade poking the Federal Communications Commission for what many see as Google-friendliness on various fronts.

The Tom Wheeler-led FCC is hardly the first commission to generate speculation about the influence of the powerful search engine. One media wag, for example, once christened Julius Genachowski “Googlechowski,” suggesting he was a kindred regulatory spirit when it came to imposing network-neutrality regulations on Internet-service providers while not regulating edge providers. Genachowski told then-National Cable & Telecommunications Association president Kyle McSlarrow that the focus was not Google, but “the next Google.”

But with chairman Wheeler insisting edge providers are beyond the FCC’s regulatory reach, and proposing a set-top box regime that could give Google access to multichannel video providers’ set-top data, the chatter about this Google’s rise as a lobbying power inside the Beltway has become something of a drumbeat.

Beating that drum last week in a blog post, with accompanying cartoon, was the TPA, which illustrated a blog by its president, David Williams, with a cartoon (pictured) depicting a particularly telling renovation at FCC headquarters.

Asked about Wheeler’s alleged Google-centricity, a spokesperson for the chairman responded: “Chairman Wheeler’s proposals aim to give consumers access to increased innovation, improved access to critical communications networks and more competition. These policies — from preventing fast lanes on the Internet to opening up wireless airwaves for new mobile technologies — are intended to empower consumers rather than favor any particular company.”

— John Eggerton

NCTA Talks to NAB, Hopes Confabs Can Minimize Conflicts

The National Cable & Telecommunications Association and the National Association of Broadcasters often find themselves on opposites sides of policy arguments.

Next April, their main conventions also are in (partial) conflict. The next NAB Show is April 22-27 in Las Vegas, and NCTA’s next INTX: The Internet & Television Expo is April 26-28 in Washington, D.C.

The NAB Show is far bigger than INTX, with a reported 103,012 attending and 1,874 exhibiting this past April. The NCTA doesn’t report INTX figures but predicted at least 8,000 would attend the May gathering in Boston. A non-NCTA source told The Wire about 6,500 attendees and 170 companies ended up being there. But when INTX is in NCTA’s hometown of D.C., the attendance numbers rise as government figures can attend easily.

NCTA officials recently thanked speakers who helped out at NCTA and said they were working to minimize conflicts resulting from the schedule clash. (INTX booked its D.C. date in 2010.) How so? Mainly by working with the broadcasters’ group on when to book key public-policy speakers, NCTA senior director of communications Joy Sims said.

NAB executive VP of communications Dennis Wharton confirmed the effort at convention comity, saying, “We are working closely with our friends at NCTA to make sure FCC commissioners and other public policy folks can attend both the NAB Show 2017 and INTX.”

If only Congress could be so cooperative.

— Kent Gibbons

‘Versailles’ in NYC: Ovation Sends French Fare to Ad Agencies

To promote the Oct. 1 premiere of costume drama Versailles, Ovation TV is sending a French street-food truck to New York City ad agencies this week. On Monday it’s at MediaCom USA, Mindshare, Maxus and Meta, 498 Seventh Ave.; Tuesday, it’s at OMD at 195 Broadway; Wednesday, Carat at 150 E. 42 St.; Thursday, Mediavest and Starcom at 1675 Broadway; and Friday, UM, Initiative and BPN at 100 W. 33 St., per the network.

Bon appétit!

Amazon's decision to launch the 10-episode third season of Fashion Fund,a showcase for designers, as a free video series, rather than offering it on fee-based Amazon Prime, is being watched to determine if Amazon is testing the waters for future ad-supported programs available to everyone. 

The  show, which debuted last week, also escalated Amazon's alliance with Conde Nast Entertainment, which produces Fashion Fund as well as the news/magazine series The New Yorker Presents.

Some analysts suggest that the show could mark the first steps by Amazon, an increasingly significant media company, to built a roster of ad-supported shows that are widely available beyond the Amazon Prime audience.  Amazon Fashion is expected to launch an online retail shop that sells items from the Fashion Fund candidates.

This year's series will feature 10 up-and-coming designers as they compete for $400,000 in prizes plus a mentorship. In this reality show format, Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour and Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) chair Diane Von Furstenberg -- herself no stranger to cable selling channels -- evaluate designers.

Amazon is close-mouthed about why it is making the show available free to anyone who logs into Amazon.com rather than limiting it to customers who pay the $99 annual Amazon Prime fee and get access to plentiful video content. In a comment to Re/code, an Amazon spokesperson said the "show has strong interest  from advertisers," an indicator that the commercials embedded into the Fashion Fund programs are aimed at trend-seeking, high-spending customers.

The previous two seasons of Fashion Fund ran on the Ovation cable network in 2014 and 2015; it debuted on Hulu as an original series in 2012. The migration from streamed to linear back to streamed distribution itself offers a template for how programming may be presented to viewers.

Amazon has previously offered video shows for free, but usually just teaser samples of series available to Amazon Prime customers. Its plans for ad-supported programming will be closely watched as the company seeks to leverage its mercantile relationships into its growing media business. 

Pasadena, Calif. -- Television may be in its Golden Age given the multitude of quality programming, but veteran actors speaking Tuesday at the Television Critics Association Winter tour said content on the small screen is far from perfect.

Cable TV outlets  -- and to a certain extent digital streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon – have opened up numerous opportunities for writers with diverse backgrounds and stories to create more quality shows and series than ever before, according to veteran producer Norman Lear.

Lear, the producer of such classic series as All In The Family and The Jeffersons, who will make a guest appearance on Ovation’s new talk show Rough Draft with Reza Aslan, added that he has a hard time keeping up with all the great shows.

“I live a life, and probably you all do, where people are constantly saying, `You mean you haven’t seen …?’ and they mention a show that’s been on for 10 years,” he said.

But Lear also cautioned that today’s TV environment is too politically correct to fully grasp the complexities of today’s world. “I don’t think the narrow point of view serves the American people well,” he said. “I don’t think the bumper sticker quality of news and discussion helps us understand.”

Roles for women in today’s TV environment have also expanded to include superheroes like CBS’ Supergirl, but Lindsay Wagner -- star of the 1970s series The Bionic Woman -- says she’s concerned about whether those characters are sending the right message.

“I am concerned when I see … that a lot of the modern day ideas of a female superhero is just yesterday’s male hero in some tights and maybe a pushup bra,” said Wagner, who is starring in UP network’s original movie Love Finds You In Valentine.

“The whole point of having a woman in a leadership position of any kind is to hopefully bring the feminine wisdom to whatever they are attempting to do, the feminine aspect of intelligence,” she added.

Other highlights from Tuesday’s TCA panel sessions:

--ESPN will ramp up its 30 For 30 series of documentaries with an five- part series chronicling the life and ultimate downfall of O.J. Simpson, according to ESPN senior vice president and executive producer Connor Schell. The development of the series -- which will air on ESPN in June after first airing later this month at the Sundance Film Festival -- comes amid FX’s February scripted series about the Simpson’s murder trial dubbed The People V. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.

Schell said OJ: Made In America provides additional context about what outside racial and social-economic issues impacted Simpson's life as well as his infamous murder trial.

“One of the things that [producer Ezra Edelman] does masterfully here is give you context with this story,” he said. “Over the five parts, you really understand the social history of the City of Los Angeles in the period that we’re talking about, the relationship between the black community in L.A. and the police department. The context that Ezra is able to provide allows you to view the events of 1994 through an entirely new lens, and I think it’s what makes this film that he’s created really extraordinary.”

--Outdoor Sportsman Group networks CEO Jim Liberatore defended the network’s hunting-themed programming from critics who questioned whether the network glorifies the killing of animals. The network last month debuted Carter’s W.A.R., which follows hunter/conservationist Ivan Carter as he looks to protect Africa’s wildlife from poachers.

“Hunters and poachers are two completely different animals ... but hunting and conservation are the same. If you understand the principles of game management, you understand what is going to happen if there isn’t hunting managing the number of animals versus the number of people in these African nations,” Liberatore said. “It’s easy to think that we’re killing endangered species. Hunters are not killing endangered species.”

Keep up with all the happenings from the TCA tour at our TCA news site.

Ovation TV will examine the high stakes world of art collecting in a new original series debuting in October.

The series, Art Breakers, debuts Oct. 4 and features two top art advisers -- Miller Gaffney and Carol Lee Brosseau – as they seek to find the hottest artists, and commission show-stopping works, said network officials.

 “Miller and Carol Lee didn’t get to be the top art advisors for nothing. They’re young, in demand and know the art world inside and out,” said Scott Woodward, executive vice president of programming and production for Ovation TV in a statement. “In this series, Ovation viewers will get a ring-side seat as they take us along on some of their most challenging assignments.”

Story Monster TV will produce Art Breakers for Ovation, with Alex Duda, John Rieber and Emerlee Nelford serving as executive producers.

Emphasizing its dedication to the arts, Ovation rolled out a slate of new docu-series and specials that it hopes will appeal to its target upscale viewers.

The network, which posted year to year ratings gains in 2014, will look to build on its viewership numbers with the launch of several new series across several genres including art, music and fine dining, according to Scott Woodward, executive vice president of programming and production for the network.

“We want to produce compelling artistic content for the network and program the very best in music and dance, fashion film and storytelling,” Woodward said. “We will continue our commitment to produce original content with our returning series as well as new content coming up.”

Among the new series slated to debut on the 54 million subscriber network in 2015 include the Aug. 2 debut of On the Record with Mick Rock, which follows the legendary photographer as he interviews such musical artists as Josh Groban, Kings of Leon and Flaming Lips; the June 14 premiere of SouthernUncovered with the Lee Bros., which follow culinary experts Matt and Ted Lee as they explore and uncover unique cuisine and culture; June 7 debut of The Da Vinci List, which chronicles game-changing figures in within an artistic genre; and the October launch of Art Breakers, which focuses on Powerhouse art dealers Miller Gaffney and Carol Lee Brosseau as they work through the high-stakes and higher price-tag world of art collecting.

On the specials front, the network on May 17 will air a documentary special that takes a behind the scenes look at Isabella Rossellini’s one woman show Green Porn Live!,  while in November the network will air a Young Marvels special that will check in on eight exceptionally gifted children profiled in the freshman series of the same name.

Series in development for 2016 include Street Art Revival, The Gavel, Art Therapy and One Man’s Trash, said network officials.

Ovation TV has acquired the UK-based hit home makeover series 60 Minute Makeover,  the network said Wednesday.

The series from ITV Global Entertainment will feature a team of design specialists who have just one hour to transform three rooms, the network said. The series will debut on the network March 10, according to Ovation.

“60 Minute Makeover has been a popular daytime series in the UK for some time ... its high-energy theme of revamping run-down and tired rooms in just an hour, to the surprise and delight of the home owner, really draws viewers in and provides the kind of artistic inspiration we like to feature on our channel,” commented Scott Woodward, EVP, Programming and Production for Ovation TV in a statement. “We think US viewers will quickly become addicted to this clever approach to a popular TV show genre.”

Arts network Ovation will launch four new and returning series in 2015 as it celebrates increases in distribution and ratings in 2014.

The network will look to strike a chord with music fans with the March 18 premiere of new series On the Record With Mick Rock, which features the legendary rock music photographer as he visits culture capitals with music artists like Josh Groban and Kings Of Leon, said network officials.

A second new series, American Canvas, will premiere Feb. 25 and will explore art and cultural gems hidden in such cities as San Francisco, Austin and Miami with personality David Holmes (pictured).

The two new series will join returning series The Art Of and The Artful Detective on Ovation’s lineup.

The programming announcements come as the network hits the 52 million subscriber mark, a 23% increase compared to the same period in 2013. In addition, the network’s primetime household ratings are up 32% compared to 2013’s numbers, according to network officials.

“It’s very encouraging that even in the challenging and ever-changing media environment we’re in now, an independent network like Ovation can thrive,” said Scott Woodward, senior vice president of  Programming and Production for Ovation. “Being the only network dedicated to the arts differentiates Ovation as a unique offering on the cable line up, and our original programming is helping us further define our identity and broaden our appeal with viewers.”

TVGN has named Pam Bertino as its new senior vice president of content distribution, the network said Thursday.

In the newly created position, Bertino will lead affiliate sales and marketing efforts for the network, which will be rebranded as POP in early 2015. She will report to David Wisnia, president of business operations for TVGN.

Most recently, Bertino served as senior vice president of content distribution at Ovation, leading the network’s content distribution efforts.

“Pam is a seasoned sales executive with significant experience negotiating multi-platform content distribution agreements,” said Wisnia in a statement. “Her leadership, combined with the affiliate sales and marketing team we’ve built over the past year, is a great addition to the network as we prepare to launch POP in early 2015.”

Jodi Lipe has joined Marketing for Ovation, as the new SVP for America’s only Arts Network, where she will manage all consumer efforts through branding, partnerships and social media platforms.

“I personally love the arts and entertainment and to be able to lead the marketing efforts for America’s only Arts network, at this time in the network’s evolution, is both meaningful and exciting. I’m looking forward to building upon the great foundation that Liz and the Ovation team have worked very hard to establish over the past seven years, said Lipe.

After working as EVP for two popular women’s lifestyle brands, POPSUGAR and ShopStyle, Lipe has led marketing campaigns for many different companies, including Cisco’s Flip Video, Current TV, AMC-TV, Viacom, Excite.com and Cartoon Network.

Based in Santa Monica, Lipe will report to Liz Janneman, EVP, Network Strategy.

“Jodi is both a strategic and creative brand builder with a proven track record building, leading, and executing for brands across a variety of categories,” said Janneman.  “We are delighted to have her on board as an integral part of our senior management team.”

Currently residing in Santa Monica, Lipe lives with her husband, son and dog.

Jon Hamm (Don Draper on AMC’s 1960s ad-agency drama Mad Men, a role for which he is in the running for an Outstanding Lead Actor In a Drama Series Emmy tonight) and Daniel Radcliffe (best known as Harry Potter in the movies) play two versions of the same character – one older, one younger – in the dark Russian-based comedy, AYoung Doctor’s Notebook, which returned for a second season on Ovation on Tuesday, Aug. 19. New episodes of the BBC-produced series air Tuesdays at 10 p.m. To help promote the series return, Hamm (who is an executive producer of the series) did a round of interviews in New York City on Aug. 13, including one with Multichannel News. With some editing, here is how it went.

Q. Tell us about A Young Doctor’s Notebookand Other Stories, the second season of this series.

Jon Hamm: It’s called A Young Doctor’s Notebookand Other Stories because we kind of ran out of source material and we had to dip into some of his other stories. But we did that to kind to broaden the world a little bit and bring more of the revolution into the narrative. And it worked, in my opinion. It’s an interesting world, I think. Most people’s connection with revolutionary Russia is probably Dr. Zhivago, and that’s it. So it’s a world that I think not a lot of people know about, so it’s a nice jumping off point. And I think the writers wisely decided that that’s a fun sandbox to play around in a little bit, and they were able to do that. We have two sides of the same coin with Daniel and myself and that character, and it’s also interesting to look at in many ways as a sort of mirror image of season one, where Daniel’s character is then spiraling into addiction and my character is sort of making his way out of it, whereas the positions were reversed in season one.

Q. I think this is one of those shows that it’s maybe hard for the audience to know what to expect, so how would you describe it?

JH: I think it would be: it’s dark, it’s gory, it’s funny, it’s weird. But it’s interesting. Part of what makes watching television these days so exciting is that there exists things like this, and they get made, and they get shown, and people can seek them out and watch them.

Q. There seems to be a bit of a moment now for period medical pieces, with The Knick going on now [on Cinemax].

JH: We did it first! We did it first. Soderbergh, cribbing on our idea. I watched The Knick, I thought it was fantastic and very interesting and very evocative. They had a little more money to play with than we did. And I think you’re right there is a bit of a moment right now for the turn of the century medical. Part of it is just playing with all those awesome instruments like saws and hooks and eye gougers, ugh.

Q. Is there a reason why maybe there’s a look back at that?

JH: I think part of it is what I was talking about a little bit – at least in the television medium it’s an underexplored time and people don’t have a working knowledge. Maybe the Sixties was that before Mad Men came along and people said, ‘Well, I’ve never thought about that period in American history and oh my gosh.’ And then this show came along and kind of redefined it for a lot of people. People don’t know much about what happened at the turn of the century, especially in New York City. I remember reading the book Gangs of New York and learning about post Civil War New York City and then following up and going to the city museum and looking at maps of the city and what the city looks like. It’s no version of the city you think of as New York City. It was not a frontier town but it was very old timey. I think that turn of the century sensibility – is more people have one foot in the modern world and one foot very much in the old world, especially in Russia. When you’re way, way, way out in Russia you might as well be in the 16th century because that’s the technology that they’re dealing with

Q. Give us the high concept pitch about why to watch the show.

JH: I should be better at this by now, at distilling this into a sound bite, but I don’t have one. Maybe its weirdness is its attraction, the fact that its difference is its attraction. It’s not like anything else on. It’s certainly not like The Knick, other than there are amputations and blood. It’s got humor, it’s got sadness, it’s got really beautiful performances, myself excluded. Great cast. Really, really smart writing, clever funny. And fart jokes.

Q. Why did you want to do a second series of A Young Doctor’s Notebook?

JH: Part of it was that it was received so well. I was pleasantly surprised. We kind of did this, I don’t want to say on a whim because everyone got paid and we did this very much as a business proposal, but we were hoping that people would see it, we didn’t want to just navel gaze for four episodes. So we were incredibly delighted when it was received as well as it was. I believe it was at the time Sky Arts' number one thing in the thing. So you go great, now what? And obviously success breeds success. So we did [a second season]. And it was a challenge – an exciting challenge, though, because we were able to kind of work off of the template of the first one and at least know what we were getting into and it was easier to maybe structure a four-episode arc and what will it be, and where will we end up. The revolution is sort of ramping up, and what’s it going to be like? That part was exciting.

And you know, it was fun to go back. Part of the joy of TV is getting to hang out for a little while and play that character for a little while. I did Don Draper [on AMC’s Mad Men] for eight years, eight seasons basically. And I’m glad it’s over, I’m glad it’s in the rear view in many ways, but it was exciting while it lasted, to be able to do that for that long. I think any of my contemporaries, whether it’s Bryan [Cranston] or Tina Fey or any of those folks that have played these people that we identify them so readily with, would say, yeah, it’s a blast, and it’s also nice to have it in the rear view.

Q. It’s also nice to be able to do these stories in a compact way.

JH: Yeah, significantly shorter chunks. Which I knew was sort of the U.K. model of television. They don’t make long running. I mean they do, they have their Coronation Street or East Enders or whatever it is. But if you look at The Office or you look at Spaced or A Touch of Cloth or these other ones, Rev., they’re these little short runs. And it’s more interesting for me as an actor but also as a viewer to kind of – the meal seems more filling that way?

Q. Do you want to do more in that vein?

JH: I’d love to. I’m glad that American TV is sort of falling into that model, as well. Mad Men was 13 [episodes], and I think Orange is the New Black is 10 or something like that. It’s exciting. And it also gives you more time to do other stuff, which is also fun.

Q. What about more of A Young Doctor’s Notebook?

JH: I don’t know. We would have to get very creative with what we’re adapting from. It would be a challenge for our writers. Our writers – Mark Chappell, Sean Pye and Allan Connor -- are tremendously talented guys, very, very clever. So I bet they could rise to the challenge. But part of it is that we have a very busy star. Mr. Radcliffe is a busy boy.

Q. Have you seen him in The Cripple of Inishmaan [note: the Broadway run of the play ended on July 20]?

JH: I saw it over [in London] when we were shooting, or actually before we started shooting I got a chance to see it. That should also be highlit, by the way, the fact that he was doing a full-length production of Cripple of Inishmaan while we were shooting this show. Suffice to say I did not complain about being tired. I’d have no leg to stand on.

Q. O.K., here’s the set piece question: do you ever wish you could go back in time and intervene in young Jon Hamm’s life and if so where and when and what?

JH: I’ve been asked this question and I think the answer is no. First of all, I’ve been a teacher also and I remember trying to tell young kids that they were doing the wrong thing and 100% of them told me I was stupid and to shut up. So I think that’s most young people’s response to older people giving them advice: shut up, you don’t know what you’re talking about.

Q. But this would be you to you.

JH: Right, so maybe that would have a little more weight to it. But I don’t know. I doubt it would. I think that is the nature of being young is to make mistakes and hopefully learn from them. I think that’s the larger lesson, to learn from your mistakes and don’t keep repeating them.

Q. Have you done that well?

JH: Boy, I hope so. I hope so. Life is long and mistakes are many.

Q. If not another short-form TV project, what is next for you and would you want do get back to something longer running?

JH: I don’t think there’s a good answer to that. First of all I wish I had 500 things to choose from but I don’t. But we’ll see. There could be five different versions of the next five years of my life and I think I’d be pretty happy with all five of them. What I’m trying to say is I’m very easy to please.