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RSSJoe Flanigan
Joe Flanigan’s starring role as John Sheppard in the beloved space exploration series Stargate Atlantis has brought viewers joy for decades. The show ran for five incredible, action-packed years, often crossing over with the ten-year hit Stargate SG-1 during their overlapping seasons. The Stargate franchise means a lot to many people, with beautiful production design, fantastic characters and storylines, and a whole lot of heart, so I’ve been looking forward to speaking with Joe, especially since his background is unusual for someone in the arts. After starting out as an advance man for the White House and a stint at a magazine, he took up acting on a whim and ended up developing a real passion for it. But he also remains heavily involved in social matters and has been focusing on those topics more than ever since the wildfires and pandemic, so sitting down to hear his insights on not only Hollywood but also the state of the world was a very different and interesting experience, and I’m pleased to share our conversation today.
Stargate Atlantis
Trailer: All Seasons
Streaming: Amazon | Hulu | Apple | YouTube | Fandango
DVD: Amazon | Best Buy
“Colonel.”
“Colonel.”
“Colonel.”
“Colonels.”
“Colonel.”
“Colonels.”
“Seriously?”
Still one of the best moments in 17 years of Stargate 🤣
Classic!
Joe Flanigan! Yay! He’s such a cool guy.
“I’m sorry you feel that way and god forbid the IRS takes a closer look at you”
Jesus Christ I’d be scared to work in politics if that’s how they handle annoyance! Great episode.
I like that these never feel like “interviews.” It’s just two friends or colleagues shooting the breeze. It seriously blows my mind that you’re talking to most of your guests for the first time cause you’ve got this instant comfort and familiarity with everyone. Like don’t get me wrong, I love podcasts like Dial the Gate but those always feel like fans being excited to do interviews. This is much more relaxed like a natural conversation between friends. I love it.
Aah I’m liking the mix of nostalgia and casual chat here. Off to check out your other episodes!
Oh wow it was interesting hearing his comments about RDA. Jack O’Neill started out as a much more serious character and then went increasingly off the rails over the years until he was more of a caricature and it honestly got a bit tiring. I always appreciated that Joe made Sheppard a fun character but without RDA’s brand of silliness. He wasn’t some uptight soldier barking orders and had a sense of humor and casual attitude but also (as he said) took the content and the weight of the story and situations they were in seriously, whereas RDA would be going off script cracking jokes and acting like a child even in the most inappropriate situations. Sheppard was a more believable leader in that way but still felt like a cool normal guy. I never realized Joe had to fight for that at the start of the series. Makes me appreciate him even more!
Can we all agree that this guy is a class act? He abandoned his own burning house to help other people in the fires. Come to think of it, RDA was out there supporting people too. SG just has classy people all around!
I’m a big fan of interviews that are actual laid-back conversations like this and not just question after question to check them off a list. Its nice that you get your guests talking and then just give them space to take things in whatever direction they want. I find it a lot more enjoyable to listen to. Definitely subscribing!
Not gonna lie, I wasn’t expecting him to be so articulate about policy and global stuff. that’s definitely changed my feelings about him. Looking at his insta now and omg I’m crying he’s so good hahaha
word cannot describe how much I miss the Sheppard/McKay dynamic. Joe and David played off each other SO damn well. I know 5 years isn’t a short run but I would’ve watched SGA for 5 more.
YEEEEES. I’ve been saying forever that scifi and sociopolitical issues go hand in hand. I mean hello, haven’t we all seen old school Star Trek and even Star Wars? If science fiction isn’t the space for social commentary, what is?
They recently announced a new installment in the Stargate franchise!!!!! I know you talked to Joe literally right before they released the news but would’ve loved to hear his thoughts on that XD
This was such a nice surprise seeing Joe Flanigan pop up on here! He still has that same calm, thoughtful vibe as Sheppard. Seriously felt like catching up with an old friend lol
Feel like Joe is one of the most intelligent, real people in the industry. I like how unimpressed he is by all the self importance and drama haha
You do such a good job with these. I know Joe’s a seasoned speaker and all but everyone you talk to seems super comfortable with you and obviously enjoys themselves. I’m really hoping you can bring on more scifi icons and maybe fantasy too.
This was such a treat as a Stargate addict ever since Children of the Gods first aired.
Wow defnitely not what I was expecting from an actor interview! I’m really impressed by how well spoken he is and how much he has to say about all the insanity going on in the real world right now. I feel like I should be more surprised but for some reason it doesn’t shock me from the way he played Sheppard that he once worked in the White House 😅
Favorite episode so far! Joe’s always got a great vibe and interesting things to say.
WTF his first agents told him not to do Stargate and then wouldn’t get him other projects??! Thank the gods he didn’t listen. I can’t imagine anyone else as Sheppard.
I’m a big fan of SG-1 but preferred the tone and characters of SGA. Everyone was great but Flanigan and Hewlett pretty much made the show. Doesn’t matter how many times I rewatch it, their love/hate friendship is the best.
lol Joe’s snark about the world right now is everything
I was always hesitant to get into Stargate because I’m a total trekkie and never warmed to the idea of traveling to other worlds through a portal rather than a spaceship. Then I happened to catch an episode where Joe Flanigan had to fight a sadistic parasitic version of himself in a dream and I was instantly sold LOL. Went back to catch up, watched all of SGA and SG1 and now they’re two of my favorite shows. So thank you Joe!
The way he said ‘I totally understand, find someone else’ lol.
Haha I never thought about how hard it must’ve been for them with RDA doing whatever the hell he wanted. I can totally see that though. But I’m glad Joe didn’t compromise on playing Sheppard his way either and obviously it worked out for the best!
I think I generally go for shorter podcasts but that was surprisingly solid for a longer episode. It felt like a nice genuine conversation and JF really knows his stuff, which is cool.
Joe’s performance in the episode where he’s mutating into the wraith bug hybrid is one of my favorites in the franchise. He was so good.
Oh man, I’ve loved all your episodes so far and found some great new shows and actors to follow but it’s so nice to hear you do an ep with Joe Flanigan!! Love this!!!
I know these are audio first and foremost but any chance of video versions on youtube at some point?
Heh I like that you were both aware how far that tangent went but you still gave him space to just talk it through and keep it natural. I’m really liking this series! Hope to hear more from other stargaters and similar shows from you.
You’re doing great work with these interviews! And now you’re even bringing on people I love from way back!
They don’t make great ensemble found family shows like this anymore. TV doesn’t feel as inviting and relatable these days. Shows like Stargate made you feel like part of the family.
I love how relaxed these conversations are, just two people talking casually and having a nice time instead of rushing through a bunch of interview questions.
Holy crap, he found out his dad died in the middle of filming a scene?! Makes me rewatch that episode differently 🙁
Great episode! Someone please tell me Joe will make an appearance in the new Stargate installment?!
I came for the Stargate Atlantis talk, but ended up really appreciating Joe’s perspective on politics. Way more thoughtful than I expected.
It’s always nice hearing actors talk about life outside of Hollywood. I can’t believe that story about his dad though jesus 😭
Well that was very different from your other episodes so far! You’ve been doing so much with English/Welsh artists that I was surprised to see Joe Flanigan show up. MOAR please! I’d kill to hear you talk to other space show stars like Claudia Black.
*gasp* are you shifting from Welsh crime to classic scifi??? i love your other episodes, they’ve introduced me to some great series (Hidden is SO good), but ngl it’s so nice to see someone whose name and face ive know for so long from one of my favorite series on here.
This is def a heavier episode than others you’ve done but I’m liking the introspection and real talk 🙂
Plus Flanigan is always a cool guy to hear from. Especially with everything happening today.
I’m so thrilled to see Joe Flanigan on your guest list. Big fan!
Met him at a convention once. He’s so chill and friendly and down to earth. Now I love him even more, knowing he’s so outspoken about how crazy the world has gotten!
This is so funny because I literally just discovered the Stargate franchise decades late and have been binging it like crazy for the last month.
She did a good job letting him talk instead of cutting him off. I feel like most shows just hurry the actors along to the next question, epsecially if they’re going off topic, but she just let him do his thing and it worked. I’m checking out some other eps too and that seems to be the theme. She just gets people talking and then lets it go wherever so it feels more natural than some other interviews. I’m digging that.
What a cool cat!
Everyone’s talk about Joe, and that’s fair because Joe Flanigan rocks, but the host is really chill and cute too.
I heard he intentionally botched the technobabble early on so they would foist it onto poor David Hewlett instead, and now that image makes me laugh every time they’re in a scene together with Rodney going on and on about the science of it all 😆
always like hearing joe flanigan talk. thanks for featuring him. i know you probably don’t/cant take requests but id love to see other actors and showrunners from the 90s/2000s like farscape, bsg, star trek, buffy etc. esp since thats your genre and you know like everything about it. bet youd have some good talks with those folk! thanks.
I always liked Sheppard as a character but this made me really like Joe. I didn’t know he was so involved in serious issues. Honestly I think the only thing I really knew was that he lost his house in the wild fires a while back which was horrible. But I had no idea he was so down to earth and outspoken about our crazy politics. That’s pretty awesome.
okay so the backstage stuff was cool and all but hearing Joe talk politics is just FIRE. the man should have his own Daily Show type of series where he can just rip on the administration and state of the planet.
Oh hi Joe Flanigan! Guess I’ll go rewatch Atlantis for the hundred and first time 🥳