Bustle

Samantha Rollins

Bio
Samantha Rollins is the Senior TV Editor at Bustle, overseeing coverage of all things television on the site. She takes special joy in analyzing the complex dynamics of The Bachelor, discovering random foreign TV shows on Netflix, and breaking down the finer points of why Hannibal was the most underrated show on TV (RIP). She has previously worked for Vulture, The Week, and The New York Times, and is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. In her free time, she enjoys playing the violin, checking out museums, and of course, sinking into the couch and watching loads of TV. Follow her on Twitter @SamanthaRollins.

10 Holiday Gifts For Pop Culture Lovers Who Have Seen & Read Everything

We all have that friend: the one who has read the latest buzzy book before you can even put your name down for it at the library. The one who has been listening to Lizzo since her debut album, Lizzobangers, or who was telling you that Love Island is…
By Samantha Rollins

Jenny Slate On Love, Loneliness, & Giant Dogs

If you ask, Jenny Slate will tell you her deepest fears. She'll even paint you a detailed picture of her anxiety, which she imagines as a bad animal who lurks behind trees in the dense forest of her mind. Her voice will morph into a gravelly squawk…
By Samantha Rollins

How The 'Temptation Island' Showrunner Convinces Couples To Date Other People — On TV

Would you and your partner participate in a social experiment to see if you're truly meant to be together? What about if it involves being separated and dating other people, and every aspect of the entire experience is filmed, edited for dramatic…
By Samantha Rollins

The Definitive 'Good Place' Dictionary, Annotated By The Writers Room

All good things, the saying goes, must come to an end — and if you're a fan of NBC's The Good Place, you're likely already mourning the fact that Sept. 26 marks the beginning of the show's fourth and final season. (And if you've got an overactive…
By Samantha Rollins

How The Creator Of 'Undone' Turned Her Mental Break Into A Healing TV Series

The first time Undone creator Kate Purdy got a glimpse of her own brain ventricles was in college, in a CAT scan for viral meningitis. They were enlarged, the doctor explained, but it wasn't a big deal: Some people have big noses, and others have…
By Samantha Rollins

'Succession's Cousin Greg Just Might Rise To The Top — And So Could Nicholas Braun

Like many settings that cater to the wealthy, the Bowery Hotel lobby feels pleasantly impervious to the outside world. Inside its crimson-hued interior dotted with mahogany tables and leather chairs, the realities of a muggy Wednesday afternoon in…
By Samantha Rollins

Aisling Bea's 'This Way Up' Is Heartbreaking & Funny — Just Don't Call It A Sadcom

When celebrities hang out with Bustle editors, we want to give them the chance to leave their mark. Literally. So we hand them a pen, a piece of paper, a few questions, and ask them to get creative. This time, This Way Up star Aisling Bea is leaving…
By Samantha Rollins

20 'OITNB' Cast Members Reveal Their Unforgettable Moments From Working On The Show

The year 2013 may only be six years behind us, but in pop-culture years, it feels like an eternity ago. Before the July 2013 premiere of Season 1 of Orange Is the New Black, Netflix had only two American original series (House of Cards and Hemlock…
By Samantha Rollins

'Legion' Star Lauren Tsai Thought Her Own Art Was Trippy — Then She Met Noah Hawley

When celebrities hang out with Bustle editors, we want to give them the chance to leave their mark. Literally. So we hand them a pen, a piece of paper, a few questions, and ask them to get creative. The rest is up to them. This time, Legion star…
By Samantha Rollins

Filming A Reality Show Is Hard. It's Even Harder When Your Cast Is Behind Bars.

It's easy to forget that there's someone behind the camera capturing every moment of your favorite reality show. But in the case of Jailbirds on Netflix, the story of how producers went behind bars to film the show is equally as interesting as what…
By Samantha Rollins

A Look Inside The Colorful, Strangely Familiar Universe Of Bird BFFs On 'Tuca & Bertie'

Lisa Hanawalt has no problem relating to animals; it's pretty much her thing. Long before she became the illustrator who developed a singularly wacky vision of a Hollywood inhabited by anthropomorphic animals on BoJack Horseman, Hanawalt was a…
By Samantha Rollins

'What We Do In The Shadows' Is A Vampire Comedy About The Banality Of Being Immortal

Kayvan Novak is still wearing his fangs, but he’s more than eager to take them out and show them to me. We’re sitting in a literal castle on the Toronto set of FX’s new vampire comedy What We Do in the Shadows, and Novak is regaling a group of…
By Samantha Rollins

'Veep' Star Anna Chlumsky Left Acting, Only To Return As A Comedy Hero

Everybody poops, and Anna Chlumsky has no problem talking about it. She's in the middle of making a crucial calculus about if she'll have time to grab some spicy take-out from her favorite Chinese restaurant before picking her kid up at school when…
By Samantha Rollins

'Big Little Lies' Music Supervisor On How To Create The Perfect On-Screen Musical Moment

Picture the following scenes: Emerald waves crashing on the Big Sur coastline. Cars driving over the dramatic archway of the Bixby Bridge. Well-coiffed suburban women shuttling their kids to school in their luxury cars with leather interiors. For…
By Samantha Rollins

Why We Can't Stop Watching TV Shows About Existential Dread

"You and me got bigger fish to fry," Natasha Lyonne’s character Nadia says sardonically to her new friend Alan midway through Netflix's high-concept existential romp Russian Doll. "Life-and-death stuff." It's a funny and almost touching comment,…
By Samantha Rollins

'The Other Two' Star Heléne Yorke Got Some Great Instagram Tips From A 14-Year-Old

When celebrities hang out with Bustle editors, we want to give them the chance to leave their mark. Literally. So we hand them a pen, a piece of paper, a few questions, and ask them to get creative. The rest is up to them. This time, The Other Two…
By Samantha Rollins

'Russian Doll' Is The Satisfyingly Existential Comedy Leslye Headland Wanted To Make

From the unapologetically debauched wedding-season comedy Bachelorette to the edgy, offbeat sex-addict rom-com Sleeping with Other People, Leslye Headland is known for a brand of comedy so sharp yet affable, you barely stop to realize how quietly…
By Samantha Rollins

'Schitt's Creek' Finds Comedy In Kindness — Even Though It's About Terrible People

When celebrities hang out with Bustle editors, we want to give them the chance to leave their mark. Literally. So we hand them a pen, a piece of paper, a few questions, and ask them to get creative. The rest is up to them. This time, Schitt's Creek…
By Samantha Rollins

Emma Mackey Got Her Own Sex-Scene Education On 'Sex Education'

When celebrities hang out with Bustle editors, we want to give them the chance to leave their mark. Literally. So we hand them a pen, a piece of paper, a few questions, and ask them to get creative. The rest is up to them. This time, Sex Education…
By Samantha Rollins

How ‘Mrs. Maisel’ Recreated The '50s Catskills, According To The Women Behind The Scenes

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel's appeal is manifold. Though aspiring standup comedian Midge can get pretty far on charisma alone, the show's sumptuous attention to the period detail of 1950s New York City and eye-popping, stylized world-building has…
By Samantha Rollins