The Interview

We’re off for Thanksgiving weekend, but we are excited to bring you a great episode of the Modern Love podcast.

Stories of romantic love are everywhere, but the actor, singer and comedian Bridget Everett says great friendships deserve our time and attention, too. Not just onscreen, but in reality.

On the HBO Original series “Somebody Somewhere” (now in its third and final season), Everett stars as Sam, a character inspired by the actor’s own life. She tells the Modern Love host Anna Martin about how heartbreaking, hilarious and central platonic friendship is in the fictional world of the show, and in Everett’s own relationships.

Everett also reads a Modern Love essay called “When Your Greatest Romance Is a Friendship,” by the novelist Victor Lodato. Lodato was in his 40s when he accidentally found his “person” and became the platonic life partner of an artist in her 80s who lived across the street.

“Somebody Somewhere” is now streaming on Max. To listen to more episodes, please search Modern Love wherever you get your podcasts.

We’re off for Labor Day weekend, but are excited to bring you a great episode of The Book Review podcast. As part of The New York Times Book Review’s recent 100 Best Books of the 21st Century project, podcast host and Book Review editor Gilbert Cruz has been interviewing some of the authors whose books appeared on the list. In this episode, he talks to Jennifer Egan about her Pulitzer-winning novel, “A Visit From the Goon Squad.” They discuss the early challenges the book faced in finding an audience, the meaning of its title and Egan’s initial reluctance to decide whether the book was a novel or a story collection.