Each episode of Clint Black's interview series Talking in Circles pairs the country legend with a celebrity guest for a laid-back, laugh-filled chat that offers viewers a sense of what it's like to eavesdrop on a candid interaction between two old friends.
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"The whole idea for the show, the pitch idea, was that I wish the fans could hear the conversations that we have in the green room or the dressing room or backstage," Black told Wide Open Country in January. "Those are the greatest conversations. When I walk away from those, my manager and I would go, 'Man, I wish the fans could've been a fly on the wall for that one.'"
Season 4 begins Saturday (May 13) at 10 p.m. EST on Circle Network, with the premiere featuring NFL legend Terry Bradshaw. This season airs through Aug. 5, with Tanya Tucker, Charles Esten, Kathie Lee Gifford and Cody Jinks among the additional interviewees.
Circle Network
Aside from a chat for Billboard 20-plus years ago with country music and cowboy movie icon Roy Rogers, Black didn't have experience going into the series with interviewing celebrities. However, Black comes across as a natural, not a novice, with his vast musical and pop cultural knowledge and his dedication to researching each guest. His expertise takes center stage without episodes becoming bogged down with inside jokes, industry-speak or anything else that might lose the average viewer's interest.
"The network really encouraged me to go into the weeds as far as I want to go, but you kind of know when just you're so far out you can't see the audience yourself anymore," Black added. "You've lost them."
Black's biting wit also takes center stage, especially when someone as funny as Bradshaw or Gifford sits on the guest's chair.
"There's a way, and it really comes from you don't ever want to hurt anybody's feelings," Black said of sprinkling in his sense of humor without crossing a line. "If that's your starting point, then you're going to be careful not to say something that's funny to other people but not to them."
