SmartLess Podcast – "Noah Hawley"
Hosts: Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, Will Arnett
Guest: Noah Hawley
Date: December 1, 2025
Episode Overview
In this lively, in-depth conversation, the SmartLess trio welcomes prolific writer, director, and producer Noah Hawley, best known for showrunning and adapting Fargo for TV, helming Legion, and—most recently—developing the highly anticipated series Alien: Earth. The discussion spans Hawley’s unique approach to adaptation, writing process, experiences in television and film, and personal perspectives on family and creativity, all laced with the show's trademark humor and banter.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Noah Hawley’s Background & Move to Austin
-
[07:35 – 08:18]
- Hawley introduces himself—born in NYC, lived in San Francisco and L.A., but now resides in Austin, TX, after marrying a seventh-generation Texan.
- “I married a seventh generation Texan. I didn’t read the fine print.” (Noah, 07:43)
-
Transition to the industry:
- Hawley’s transition from novelist and paralegal in family court (helping abused/neglected children) into film and TV writing.
- “Writing fiction was a way to process and escape… in a band, you’re tied to these three filthy, penniless men…fiction writing was a way to…I could just do it myself.” (Noah, 28:33)
2. Family, Children, and Work-Life Balance
-
[11:12 – 13:13]
- Discusses how his kids relate to his work—son is more outgoing and interested in set visits, while his daughter is more reserved.
- Shares a moving story about improvising a scene with his son on Alien: Earth:
- “We had a good time, and it comes across [on screen].” (Noah, 13:13)
-
Incorporating parenthood into his work:
- “I can’t separate my identity as a parent from the stories I’m telling.” (Noah, 29:53)
- Notes parenting themes across Fargo S4 and Alien: Earth.
3. Alien: Earth – Adapting a Sci-Fi Icon
- [13:24 – 20:11]
- Hawley discusses the approach to adapting Alien for television.
- Did not rewatch the movies, but tried to access how the film lives in his imagination and what feelings it evokes.
- “You have to invest in dozens of hours about characters who don’t die…so what is it if it’s not a two hour survival story?” (Noah, 14:33)
- Describes themes as: “Humanity is trapped between nature and technology—and they’re both trying to kill us. That feels like the moment we’re living in.” (Noah, 15:00)
- Creature design process explained: function follows story; conceptual discussions turn to collaborations with Weta.
- “We go into a design process with the folks at Weta…” (Noah, 19:36)
- Hawley discusses the approach to adapting Alien for television.
4. The Writer’s Room & Creative Process
-
[17:44 – 18:27]
- Hawley explains his leadership style:
- Uses the room to “help me think out loud” rather than cede storytelling.
- Delegates thematic explorations, then integrates discoveries.
- Hawley explains his leadership style:
-
On ideas and time management:
- “Where does my brain want to go today?” (Noah, 31:07)
- Treats new ideas gently—avoids looking at them directly at first: “When an idea is new, you don’t want to look at it directly, you want to side-eye it. You’re like, it’s fragile.” (Noah, 31:55)
5. Fargo – Taking on Iconic Adaptation
- [33:15 – 38:41]
- Recaps how Fargo TV adaptation originated as an incoming call from FX, with the Coens agreeing to back it if they liked the script.
- Asks: “If you’re adapting the movie without actually any of the characters, then what are you doing?” (Noah, 34:43)
- Defines Fargo as a “state of mind” more than a place—enabling the anthology.
- Describes finding the show's visual tone—inspired by Coen brothers—by eliminating “half the edits,” using long takes:
- “Nothing makes something feel like television more than cutting to dialogue every time someone talks.” (Noah, 38:54)
6. Influences, Comedy, and Style
- [39:51 – 40:49]
- British comedy shaped his sensibility—Goon Show, Monty Python, Hitchhiker’s Guide, Alan Arkin and Peter Falk in The In-Laws.
- “That explains everything about me.” (Noah, 40:41)
7. Directorial Growth & Challenges
- [43:36 – 47:42]
- Progression from editing and recutting others’ work to directing, focusing on finding the emotional tone and being comfortable improvising on set.
- “You’re on set, and they go: what’s next, boss? And you don’t know…” (Noah, 46:10)
8. On Film vs. TV, and Mediums
- [53:05 – 56:09]
- Discusses writing and directing Lucy in the Sky. Recognizes differences in creative structure between film and TV.
- On project selection: “Some of it is how long you want to live with it…Is there enough there for me to live with for that length of time and do I have enough to say.” (Noah, 55:36)
9. Pitching in Hollywood
- [61:08 – 63:38]
- Hawley describes the art of pitching—making execs feel the tone of the show through charismatic storytelling and creative sizzle reels.
- “If I’m charismatic and I’ve got good timing, you’ll go, ‘Oh my God, that’s amazing, I want to see that!’” (Noah, 61:24)
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- On adaptation:
- “It’s about thinking about how that film lives in my imagination, and how can I create those same feelings in an audience by telling them a different story?”
— Noah Hawley, [14:33]
- “It’s about thinking about how that film lives in my imagination, and how can I create those same feelings in an audience by telling them a different story?”
- On leading a writer’s room:
- “I don’t tend to let the room tell the story. I tend to go in there and say, ‘Here’s where we are.’”
— Noah Hawley, [17:44]
- “I don’t tend to let the room tell the story. I tend to go in there and say, ‘Here’s where we are.’”
- On parenting and storytelling:
- “I can’t separate my identity as a parent from the stories I’m telling.”
— Noah Hawley, [29:53]
- “I can’t separate my identity as a parent from the stories I’m telling.”
- On creative inspiration:
- “When an idea is new, you don’t want to look at it directly. You want to side-eye it. It’s fragile… and after a few days or a couple of weeks, you go, ‘Okay, now I see a little more clearly.’”
— Noah Hawley, [31:55]
- “When an idea is new, you don’t want to look at it directly. You want to side-eye it. It’s fragile… and after a few days or a couple of weeks, you go, ‘Okay, now I see a little more clearly.’”
- On pitching:
- “It’s fascinating that this visual medium is still rooted in the oral storytelling tradition.”
— Noah Hawley, [61:24]
- “It’s fascinating that this visual medium is still rooted in the oral storytelling tradition.”
Lighthearted Banter
- Will’s quip about Jon Hamm’s TV omnipresence:
- “This month it’s a new goddamn Ham vehicle.” — Will Arnett, [36:29]
- On Will playing the lead in a “white trash Dynasty” show:
- “I see you as the lead on that, Willie.” — Jason Bateman, [42:52]
- Golf jokes & aging:
- “The audience is aware that the three of us are not in our 20s, okay? …I get a little tie-tie right now at 3.” — Jason Bateman, [04:15]
- “How many golf games do you have scheduled this week, including yesterday?” — Will Arnett, [68:49]
Timestamps for Important Segments
| Segment | Timestamp | |-----------------------------------------------|-----------------| | Intro of Noah Hawley | [07:31] | | Discussing Alien: Earth adaptation | [13:24 – 20:11] | | Parenting, family & influence on work | [11:12 – 13:13], [29:46 – 30:31] | | Writer’s room philosophy/process | [17:44 – 18:27] | | Fargo adaptation process & Coen brothers | [33:15 – 38:41] | | Directing & transition from writing | [43:36 – 47:42] | | Pitching & sizzle reels for execs | [61:08 – 63:38] | | Star Trek Movie That Never Happened | [64:32 – 66:43] | | Reflections on age, success, creative drive | [67:23 – 68:21] |
Additional Highlights
-
Star Trek film “What Might Have Been”
- Hawley almost wrote/directed a Star Trek film with an original concept, but studio regime changes ended the project.
- “I was gonna move to Australia…And the first thing they did was kill the original Star Trek movie.” (Noah, [65:30])
-
On working with family
- Detailed his son’s cameo on Alien: Earth and how including him made for a special day and authentic performance.
-
Creative Versatility
- Novel writing, songwriting, and TV showrunning all inform each other.
Tone
The episode was warm, funny, and intellectual, with the hosts engaging Hawley in thoughtful yet relaxed conversation, often flipping between insightful industry discussion and playful teasing typical of SmartLess.
Summary
This SmartLess installment offers both a masterclass in creative adaptation and a portrait of Noah Hawley as a family man, genre-bending storyteller, and unpretentious creative force. His reflections on the craft—balancing structure and play, honoring legacy while pushing boundaries, processing the world through story—make for a conversation as thoughtful, surprising, and layered as Hawley’s work itself.
For fans of smart TV, filmmaking, or simply great creative conversations, this episode is can’t-miss, encapsulating both the wit of the SmartLess trio and the vision of a true modern auteur.