Photo: A & E Studios

At the 2025 ATX TV Festival, UnReal celebrated it 10th Anniversary with a panel with cast members Constance Zimmer, Shiri Appleby, Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman, and Craig Bierko and co-creator and writer Sarah Gertrude Shapiro looking back on the show, its relevance today, and how its still finding fans till this day.

I talked to Shiri Appleby about playing Rachel and how playing a director and producer on that show helped her be perceived as one in Hollywood. We talked about how it it was difficult to break into directing even though she directed several episodes of UnReal, and how an interview in People gave her her first big break in directing. We also talk about how her own experience being a young actor helps her be a better director for young actors on shows like “Grown-ish,” and “Young Sheldon” and how she would love to go into film directing next.