STEPHEN DUBNER, CREATOR OF FREAKONOMICS, LAUNCHES BETTER IN PERSON -- A NEW PREMIUM VIDEO TALK SHOW

Shot in Dubner's own living room, on his own terms, the 10-episode pilot season features architect Bjarke Ingels, novelist Jennifer Egan, comedian Gary Gulman, chef Hillary Sterling, Barnes & Noble CEO James Daunt, Rabbi Angela Buchdahl, and more.

NEW YORK, July 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Stephen Dubner, the journalist and bestselling author who built Freakonomics Radio into one of the biggest podcasts in the world, today launched Better in Person, an indie TV talk show that bets on depth at a time when most media is optimized for speed and spectacle.

New episodes will drop on Tuesdays starting today on the Freakonomics Radio Network YouTube channel.

Back when the media industry treated podcasting like a curiosity, Freakonomics Radio helped prove that well-produced, nonfiction audio could sustain a mass audience. Now he's doing it again, with cameras.

Guests visit Dubner's home in New York City, but some of the most revealing moments happen elsewhere: in a chef's kitchen, a bookseller's store, a musician's rehearsal space, and on the basketball court where a comedian works out his demons. "I'll admit that I am greedy," Dubner says. "I want to get to really know my guests. If Freakonomics Radio is about how things work, Better in Person is about how people work.

Dubner has built a reputation as a great interviewer — curious, prepared, generous, funny, challenging — and his goal is to create a kind of conversation that is missing from today's media landscape.

Financed and produced independently in a model closer to film than to traditional television, Better in Person reflects creative risk-taking that is rare in today's media landscape. It's a show featuring dynamic guests and a host who can follow the conversation wherever it leads, without any agenda or sales pitch.

"When I started the Freakonomics podcast, I thought there was zero chance we'd someday be able to launder podcast money into making a TV talk show," Dubner says. "Fifteen years later, I'm convinced people are much hungrier for substance than the conventional wisdom says."

The show was shot on six cameras, with set design by Charlap Hyman & Herrero, graphics by Pentagram, and theme music by Michael Kiwanuka.

Better in Person is available starting today with new episodes dropping on Tuesdays. The show is available to watch on YouTube or listen to on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, SiriusXM, and other streaming platforms.

Season One

The pilot season has 10 episodes, with a guest list reflecting the breadth of Dubner's curiosity: architecture, business, literature, sports, music, the restaurant world, and more. Rather than chase celebrity, he chases people who are known simply for being great at what they do:

• Bjarke Ingels, founder, Bjarke Ingels Group
• Hillary Sterling, executive chef, Ci Siamo
• John Urschel, former NFL lineman, current MIT math professor
• Harlan Coben, thriller novelist
• Angela Buchdahl, senior rabbi, Central Synagogue
• James Daunt, CEO, Barnes & Noble
• Gary Gulman, stand-up comedian
• Jennifer Egan, Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist
• Warren Zanes, author and member of The Del Fuegos
• Anne Pasternak, director, Brooklyn Museum + Michael Roth, president, Wesleyan University

A Built-In Audience

Better in Person launches with a substantial distribution runway. Freakonomics Radio reaches 2.5 million unique podcast listeners per month, with additional audiences on 400 public radio stations and SiriusXM. That audience skews educated, politically diverse, and multigenerational. An audio version of Better in Person will be available in the Freakonomics Radio podcast feed as well as a standalone Better in Person feed.

About Stephen Dubner

Stephen has been writing since he was a child. (He was first published in Highlights magazine.) He started a rock band that was signed to Arista Records, but he quit music and got an M.F.A. at Columbia University. He worked at New York magazine and The New York Times before quitting to write books. Freakonomics, co-authored with Steve Levitt, has sold millions of copies in dozens of languages. He lives with his family in New York City.

For screeners, interview requests, or additional information, contact Steve Hirsch at [email protected].

SOURCE Better in Person