Peter Bonerz

On his early interests; on overcoming stuttering; on performing in variety shows; on seeing Second City in Chicago and meeting Paul Sills

On performing professionally in improv with The Premise in New York City; on getting drafted into the Army; on joining the improv group The Committee in San Francisco; on his first TV part on The Addams Family (and not getting the series The Double Life of Henry Phyfe); on learning TV technique from Addams Family star John Astin; on learning not to improv lines (and upsetting the writers) but to improv "business"; on the importance of an audience in performing comedy

On the popularity of Bob Newhart's comedy albums; on meeting Newhart on the set of Catch-22; on getting hired on The Bob Newhart Show and the original premise of the show; on his Bob Newhart Show character "Jerry Robinson"; on the atmosphere on the set of The Bob Newhart Show; on the socializing of the cast; on the enjoyment of both acting and directing; on the "open set"

On why he wanted to direct; on a special effect he ordered for the episode "A Love Story"; on the decision to end The Bob Newhart Show; on the show's legacy

On working with Carroll O'Connor on Archie Bunker's Place; on acting on 9 to 5 and his disagreement over the direction the show was taking; on working on Suzanne Pleshette Is Maggie Briggs

On working with George Burns on George Burns Comedy Week; on creating effects on the sitcom E/R in front of a live audience; on working with show creator Diane English on Foley Square; on not seeing much of executive producer Mike Nichols on The Thorns

On the successful teaming of Diane English and Candice Bergen on Murphy Brown; on working with both English and Bergen; on a typical workweek in series TV

On the Murphy Brown episode "Full Circle," in which Murphy's learns of her mother's death (the episode was dedicated to the late Colleen Dewhurst); on the Murphy Brown episode "Uh, Oh, Part 2," and Bonerz's opinion of how Murphy's pregnancy affected the show as well as his opinion of then U.S. Vice President Dan Quayle's criticism of Murphy's single motherhood 

On what actor Grant Shaud brought to his Murphy Brown character "Miles Silverberg"; on the guest stars and recurring actors who appeared on Murphy Brown; on Rodney Dangerfield's correction to the writers when he guested on Home Improvement

On the emotions during filming of the finale episode of Murphy Brown; on TV series "legacies"; on his favorite TV, such as Your Show of Shows and The Wire ("it's in my view the best television ever made")

On the experience of directing Friends -- on the writing, the ensemble; on Friends playing internationally; on the Friends ensemble and their characters

On the Ross/Rachel kiss from season two's "The One Where Ross Finds Out"; on Tim Allen's demeanor and humor on the set of Home Improvement; on auditioning for sitcom Three Sisters (a return to acting for Bonerz)

On teaching at USC; on directing actors; on creating good morale as the key to leadership as a director

On how he feels about his own "celebrity"; on volunteering; on directing; on his sons; on his life achievements