‘Quiz Show’ With Bill Simmons and Brian Koppelman
October 21, 2025 · Quiz Show (1994) · Biography · Drama · History · 1:36:23 · ▶ Listen on Spotify
Categories
Most Rewatchable Scene
Bill SimmonsMultiple scenes including Stemple's first scene, Herbie's dead scene, Van Doren interview, Totoro flipping out, Van Doren beating Stemple, the montage, and Charlie versus dad▶ 35:33
Brian KoppelmanDiscusses Rob Morrow buying the Chrysler scene and mentions having another argument for most rewatchable scene but doesn't specify it▶ 35:49
Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award
Brian KoppelmanRob Morrow should have become one of the world's biggest movie stars after this movie▶ 59:55
Casting What-Ifs
Bill SimmonsWilliam Baldwin — Discusses Redford winning role, William Baldwin considered for Van Doren, Paul Newman turning down Mark Van Doren role, Levinson originally attached as director, Soderbergh allegedly with Tim Robbins as Charles Van Doren▶ 1:02:22
Brian KoppelmanPaul Newman — Agrees Paul Newman would have been perfect for Mark Van Doren role ('it's a Paul Newman role, even the Connecticut of it all'), confirms Soderbergh directing would have been incredible but uncertain about Tim Robbins part▶ 1:02:57
Apex Mountain
Bill SimmonsRalph Fiennes — Redford directing: Ordinary People over A River Runs Through It; Ralph Fiennes: around Quiz Show/English Patient timeframe when he had the most juice; Chris McDonald: Happy Gilmore; Quiz show movies: yes, this is apex; Rob Morrow: no, was 1992 hosting SNL with Nirvana▶ 1:15:50
Brian KoppelmanRobert Redford — Redford directing: prefers A River Runs Through It but acknowledges Ordinary People won Best Picture; Ralph Fiennes: Amon Goeth in Schindler's List is his high point performance▶ 1:15:46
Half-Assed Internet Research
Bill SimmonsDiscussed how quiz shows evolved from educational content to pure money-focused entertainment, and noted historical inaccuracies like the Reuben sandwich question and lack of cigarette smoking depicted for the 1950s era▶ 1:24:01
Brian KoppelmanContestants had side deals and really got appearance fees (like 25K-35K) rather than the full prize money shown, which was fictional▶ 1:23:23
Just One Oscar
Brian KoppelmanPaul Attanasio — Screenplay by Paula Tanassio (agrees), with Schofield as number two choice▶ 1:26:46
Probably Unanswerable Questions
Bill SimmonsWhat was Geritol? (already answered - apparently made blood stronger, for fatigue, basically a caffeine pill)▶ 1:26:54
Brian KoppelmanWhat would Charles Van Doren's life have been like if he never went on that game show?▶ 1:27:04
Best Double Feature
Bill SimmonsDonnie Brasco — Suggested both Brasco and The English Patient as potential double feature pairings▶ 1:28:58
Who Won the Movie
Bill SimmonsRobert Redford — Redford - this was the last really cool thing he directed and marked the end of his 1990s renaissance▶ 1:29:13
Brian KoppelmanPaul Attanasio — Paul Attanasio the screenwriter - praised him as one of the titans of screenwriting who should be more famous, comparing him to Goldman and calling him underrated▶ 1:31:39
Movies Referenced (41)
| Title (year) | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pulp Fiction (1994) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 9 | Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman | ▶ 3:27 |
| Forrest Gump (1994) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 8 | Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman | ▶ 3:35 |
| The Lighthouse (2019) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Brian Koppelman | ▶ 30:11 |
| A House of Dynamite (2025) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 35:07 |
| Alien (1979) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:11:05 |
| Dazed and Confused (1993) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:13:55 |
| Donnie Brasco (1997) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Brian Koppelman | ▶ 8:00 |
| Goodfellas (1990) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:15 |
| Prey (2022) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Brian Koppelman | ▶ 41:51 |
| Rain Man (1988) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:07:48 |
| Shooter (2007) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Brian Koppelman | ▶ 1:11:49 |
| A River Runs Through It (1992) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 16:31 |
Directors Referenced (7)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barry Levinson | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 7 | Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman | Rain Man, Wag the Dog | ▶ 23:12 |
| David O. Russell | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons | American Hustle, Three Kings, Silver Linings Playbook | ▶ 4:44 |
| Steven Soderbergh | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:03:28 | |
| Curtis Hanson | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | L.A. Confidential, In Her Shoes, The Hand That Rocks the Cradle | ▶ 1:22:08 |
| Douglas McGrath | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons | Bullets Over Broadway | ▶ 23:05 |
| Robert Kennedy | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons | ▶ 5:24 | |
| Mel Gibson | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | Braveheart, Lethal Weapon 3, Conspiracy Theory | ▶ 1:01:50 |
Actors Referenced (55)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Redford | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 31 | Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman | The Natural, Ordinary People, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid | ▶ 1:44 |
| Rob Morrow | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 23 | Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons | Quiz Show | ▶ 4:16 |
| Tom Hanks | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 11 | Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman | Cast Away, Big, Forrest Gump | ▶ 48:41 |
| Hank Azaria | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 7 | Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman | ▶ 22:44 | |
| Ralph Fiennes | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman | The Constant Gardener, Schindler's List, The Grand Budapest Hotel | ▶ 13:59 |
| Jack Barry | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman | ▶ 57:08 | |
| Jennifer Aniston | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Brian Koppelman | We're the Millers | ▶ 52:52 |
| Mira Sorvino | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons | ▶ 10:34 | |
| Paul Newman | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman | Road to Perdition, The Verdict | ▶ 1:02:53 |
| Robert De Niro | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons | Cape Fear, Raging Bull, Taxi Driver | ▶ 11:57 |
| Tim Robbins | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman | Mystic River, The Player, Howard the Duck | ▶ 1:03:32 |
| Christopher McDonald | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Brian Koppelman | Quiz Show, Happy Gilmore | ▶ 22:59 |
Writers Referenced (5)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roger Ebert | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 33:04 | |
| Brian Koppelman | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | Runaway Jury, Michael Clayton | ▶ 53:31 |
| Frank Darabont | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, The Mist | ▶ 32:13 |
| Scott Frank | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Brian Koppelman | Out of Sight | ▶ 1:32:06 |
| Tony Gilroy | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Brian Koppelman | Michael Clayton, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story | ▶ 1:32:06 |