{"id":3764,"date":"2026-07-08T10:06:53","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T10:06:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=3764"},"modified":"2026-07-08T10:06:53","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T10:06:53","slug":"freakonomics-creator-stephen-dubner-is-launching-a-talk-show-with-guests-at-his-new-york-city-home-people-are-much-hungrier-for-substance-than-the-conventional-wisdom-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=3764","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Freakonomics\u2019 Creator Stephen Dubner Is Launching a Talk Show With Guests at His New York City Home: \u2018People Are Much Hungrier for Substance Than the Conventional Wisdom Says\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n<\/p>\n
\n

\nStephen Dubner, the journalist, podcaster and bestselling author behind the Freakonomics franchise, is getting in front of the camera with a self-financed TV-style talk show.<\/p>\n

Read more Pawe\u0142 Pawlikowski\u2019s \u2018Fatherland\u2019 to Open the 32nd Sarajevo Film Festival<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tDubner, host of the \u201cFreakonomics Radio\u201d podcast, is launching \u201cBetter in Person,\u201d described as \u201can indie TV talk show that bets on depth at a time when most media is optimized for speed and spectacle.\u201d New episodes will drop Tuesdays starting July 14 on the Freakonomics Radio Network YouTube channel. <\/p>\n

\n\tIn the new show, Dubner invites guests into his New York City home. But some of the most revealing moments happen elsewhere: in a chef\u2019s kitchen, a bookseller\u2019s store, a musician\u2019s rehearsal space and on the basketball court \u201cwhere a comedian works out his demons.\u201d Dubner said his goal with \u201cBetter in Person\u201d is to have conversations that are missing from today\u2019s media landscape.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWhen I started the Freakonomics podcast, I thought there was zero<\/em> chance we\u2019d someday be able to launder podcast money into making a TV talk show. Fifteen years later, I\u2019m convinced people are much hungrier for substance than the conventional wisdom says,\u201d Dubner said.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe first season of Dubner\u2019s show comprises 10 episodes. The lineup of guests \u2014 which Dubner says reflects the breadth of his curiosity \u2014 span the worlds of architecture, business, literature, sports, music, restaurants and more.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Season 1 guests on \u201cBetter in Person\u201d are: Danish architect Bjarke Ingels, founder, Bjarke Ingels Group; Hillary Sterling, executive chef, Ci Siamo; John Urschel, former NFL lineman, current MIT math professor; thriller novelist Harlan Coben; 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; and Michael Roth, president of Wesleyan University.<\/p>\n

Read more Malaysia-U.K. Rom-Com \u2018Finding Mojo\u2019 Unveils Release Dates, Min Lim Details Double Vision\u2019s Global Ambitions: \u2018This Is Southeast Asia\u2019s Moment\u2019 (EXCLUSIVE)<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI\u2019ll admit that I am greedy,\u201d Dubner added. \u201cI want to get to really know my guests. If \u2018Freakonomics Radio\u2019 is about how things work, \u2018Better in Person\u2019 is about how people work.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tFinanced and produced independently, \u201cBetter in Person\u201d Season 1 was shot using six cameras, with set design by Charlap Hyman & Herrero, graphics by Pentagram, and theme music by Michael Kiwanuka.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cBetter in Person\u201d is available starting July 14 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. An audio-only version of \u201cBetter in Person\u201d will be available in the \u201cFreakonomics Radio\u201d podcast feed as well as a standalone Better in Person feed.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cBetter in Person\u201d will leverage the existing fanbase of \u201cFreakonomics Radio,\u201d which reaches 2.5 million unique podcast listeners monthly, with additional audiences on 400 public radio stations and SiriusXM.<\/p>\n

\n\tDubner \u2014 who was a kid when he was first published, in Highlights magazine \u2014 started a rock band that was signed to Arista Records, but he quit music and got an MFA at Columbia University. He worked at New York magazine and the New York Times before leaving to write books full time. \u201cFreakonomics,\u201d co-authored with Steve Levitt, has sold millions of copies in dozens of languages since it was first published in 2005.<\/p>\n

Read more Ghosts, Grief and a Vanishing Highway: \u2018The Ink Stained Hand and the Missing Thumb,\u2019 From India\u2019s Yashasvi Juyal, Arrives at Karlovy Vary<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Stephen Dubner, the author and podcaster behind the Freakonomics franchise, is getting in front of the camera with TV-style talk show ‘Better in Person.’<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3763,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[3091,3092],"class_list":["post-3764","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-digital","tag-freakonomics","tag-stephen-dubner"],"yoast_head":"\n\u2018Freakonomics\u2019 Creator Stephen Dubner Is Launching a Talk Show With Guests at His New York City Home: \u2018People Are Much Hungrier for Substance Than the Conventional Wisdom Says\u2019 - Relocation Observer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=3764\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u2018Freakonomics\u2019 Creator Stephen Dubner Is Launching a Talk Show With Guests at His New York City Home: \u2018People Are Much Hungrier for Substance Than the Conventional Wisdom Says\u2019 - Relocation Observer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Stephen Dubner, the author and podcaster behind the Freakonomics franchise, is getting in front of the camera with TV-style talk show 'Better in Person.'\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=3764\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Relocation Observer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-08T10:06:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=3764#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=3764\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2243ff062b31c5195cd0d9f83884e83e\"},\"headline\":\"\u2018Freakonomics\u2019 Creator Stephen Dubner Is Launching a Talk Show With Guests at His New York City Home: \u2018People Are Much Hungrier for Substance Than the Conventional Wisdom Says\u2019\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-08T10:06:53+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=3764\"},\"wordCount\":611,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=3764#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/ee12a47e49216244bd4926ac1f110d32.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"Freakonomics,\",\"Stephen Dubner\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Digital\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=3764#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=3764\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=3764\",\"name\":\"\u2018Freakonomics\u2019 Creator Stephen Dubner Is Launching a Talk Show With Guests at His New York City Home: \u2018People Are Much Hungrier for Substance Than the Conventional Wisdom Says\u2019 - Relocation Observer\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=3764#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=3764#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/ee12a47e49216244bd4926ac1f110d32.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-08T10:06:53+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2243ff062b31c5195cd0d9f83884e83e\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=3764#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=3764\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=3764#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/ee12a47e49216244bd4926ac1f110d32.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/ee12a47e49216244bd4926ac1f110d32.webp\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":563},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=3764#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"\u2018Freakonomics\u2019 Creator Stephen Dubner Is Launching a Talk Show With Guests at His New York City Home: \u2018People Are Much Hungrier for Substance Than the Conventional Wisdom Says\u2019\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Relocation Observer\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2243ff062b31c5195cd0d9f83884e83e\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"\u2018Freakonomics\u2019 Creator Stephen Dubner Is Launching a Talk Show With Guests at His New York City Home: \u2018People Are Much Hungrier for Substance Than the Conventional Wisdom Says\u2019 - Relocation Observer","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=3764","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"\u2018Freakonomics\u2019 Creator Stephen Dubner Is Launching a Talk Show With Guests at His New York City Home: \u2018People Are Much Hungrier for Substance Than the Conventional Wisdom Says\u2019 - Relocation Observer","og_description":"Stephen Dubner, the author and podcaster behind the Freakonomics franchise, is getting in front of the camera with TV-style talk show 'Better in Person.'","og_url":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=3764","og_site_name":"Relocation Observer","article_published_time":"2026-07-08T10:06:53+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=3764#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=3764"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/#\/schema\/person\/2243ff062b31c5195cd0d9f83884e83e"},"headline":"\u2018Freakonomics\u2019 Creator Stephen Dubner Is Launching a Talk Show With Guests at His New York City Home: \u2018People Are Much Hungrier for Substance Than the Conventional Wisdom Says\u2019","datePublished":"2026-07-08T10:06:53+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=3764"},"wordCount":611,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=3764#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/ee12a47e49216244bd4926ac1f110d32.webp","keywords":["Freakonomics,","Stephen Dubner"],"articleSection":["Digital"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=3764#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=3764","url":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=3764","name":"\u2018Freakonomics\u2019 Creator Stephen Dubner Is Launching a Talk Show With Guests at His New York City Home: \u2018People Are Much Hungrier for Substance Than the Conventional Wisdom Says\u2019 - Relocation Observer","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=3764#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=3764#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/ee12a47e49216244bd4926ac1f110d32.webp","datePublished":"2026-07-08T10:06:53+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/#\/schema\/person\/2243ff062b31c5195cd0d9f83884e83e"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=3764#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=3764"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=3764#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/ee12a47e49216244bd4926ac1f110d32.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/ee12a47e49216244bd4926ac1f110d32.webp","width":1000,"height":563},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=3764#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"\u2018Freakonomics\u2019 Creator Stephen Dubner Is Launching a Talk Show With Guests at His New York City Home: \u2018People Are Much Hungrier for Substance Than the Conventional Wisdom Says\u2019"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/","name":"Relocation Observer","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/#\/schema\/person\/2243ff062b31c5195cd0d9f83884e83e","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/relocationobserver.com"],"url":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3764","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3764"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3764\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3763"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3764"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3764"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3764"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}