Why Busy Philipps decided to do a talk show, and why Tina Fey came on board as executive producer

The New York Times

“Years ago, people had floated the idea of me doing a talk show, and I always sort of railed against it because I felt like I’m an actor, and that’s what I love,” says the former Cougar Town and Freaks and Geeks star, who has found a second wind on her sitcom-like Instagram Stories. But at some point, she said, “you have to lean into” what you’re good at. “Not that I’m not good at acting. I think I am, but it’s just so hard to do," says Philipps, whose four-night-a-week E! talk show Busy Tonight launches Sunday. Fey came on board after casting her on an unsuccessful sitcom project last year. Phillips is “so warm and instantly likable and refreshing when you talk to her,” Fey said. “I always sort of gravitate toward things that I myself would be interested in as a viewer. I felt like her presence is funny, natural and positive in a way — she’s not shying away from talking about difficult things in her life, or in the world.”