My Seven Shows: Deborah Chow

If you've come here in hopes of a few Obi-Wan Kenobi reveals, these aren't the droids spoilers you're looking for.

Coexecutive producer and director Deborah Chow is tight-lipped to the extreme — which is why she's so excited for the Star Wars-based limited series to premiere on Disney+ on May 27.

"The waiting for this one has been tough because people are very interested in trying to spoil it," she says. "It will be a relief when it comes out, just to be able to talk about it openly!"

Chow understands why fans are so eager for Obi-Wan Kenobi to finally see the light(saber) of day. Set ten years after the events in 2005's Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, it chronicles the journey of the titular Jedi master (Ewan McGregor) with a focus on his relationship with Hayden Christensen's Darth Vader. (Both actors reprise their film roles.) "These are two of the most iconic Star Wars characters," she explains, "and the story we're telling is right in the middle of the prequels and the originals. Obviously, the interest is huge."

Chow, who directed all six episodes, is certainly well-versed in The Force. A Toronto native, she had worked on the likes of Mr. Robot, Jessica Jones and Fear the Walking Dead when she was tapped to go behind the camera for two installments of The Mandalorian and enter the Star Wars universe. "Those [previous] shows really did prepare me because I was so into the material that I started to love the sci-fi and fantasy genres and get into those specific worldviews," she says. "I started doing a ton of visual effects and action scenes. That all came together for The Mandalorian." For Obi-Wan Kenobi, she adds, "You don't want to walk in not knowing the lore. But at the end of the day, it's about characters, drama and human situations."

Alas, Chow has been too busy with production to watch much television lately. But she still came to her Emmys.com interview fully prepped with a written list and explanations of her top seven shows. ("I've worked in TV for too long!" she jokes.) Here are her picks.

• Deadwood (HBO, 2004–06)
  It's so well done. This is a show that came on at a time when television was doing something really different in the sense that it was exploring larger themes with great writing and was more than the sum of its parts. The Wire was like that, too. And a character like Al Swearengen [played by Ian McShane] was so big and fun. I worked with Ian later on American Gods, and it was so cool to actually meet him.
  
  
• Black Mirror (Channel 4 and Netflix, 2011–)
  For its imagination and for doing a genre in a way that's both intellectual and emotional. Anthologies are quite difficult — it's hard enough coming up with one good idea, let alone a good idea for every episode! I love the one where the couple is about to break-up and they're able to rewind their memories ["The Entire History of You"]. It's such a human issue, but it was done with the conceit of technology. "USS Callister" is an amazing episode, too. Jesse Plemons is so good in it.
  
  
• What We Do in the Shadows (FX, 2019–)
  I loved the original [2014] movie and I'm a big Flight of the Conchords fan. So I love the series because it's funny and gothic and, of course, it has energy vampires [which drain emotional energy rather than blood]. It's also filmed in Toronto so I recognize half the locations! I worked with [Shadows cowriter and director] Taika Waititi on The Mandalorian and I loved him. I just like this sense of humor and that it's something different and silly to put on at the end of the day.
  
  
• Top of the Lake (SundanceTV, 2013)
  When I first saw this, I was struck by its strong and original voice both visually and in tone. It was so strange and specific, which is incredibly hard to do. And I love actually getting to see [cocreator, writer, director] Jane Campion work in television. She established the storytelling with a strong sense of place, and these were characters in an environment I'd never seen before. I thought Holly Hunter was remarkable in the show, too.
  
  
• The Muppet Show (Syndication, 1976–81)
  I watched the show a little bit as a kid, and I've come back to it and the movies at different points as an adult. Not only do I love The Muppets, but I also think it's amazing Jim Henson created this thing, this species, that was completely original to this world and had never before existed. There was such an emphasis on magic and the craft of puppetry. And it's interesting because this love for Muppets and creatures is something that I was really excited about coming into Star Wars.
  
  
• Bleak House (BBC, 2005)
  I love what the BBC does, and this is a beautiful adaptation of one of my favorite Charles Dickens novels. Carey Mulligan is in it and so is Anna Maxwell Martin, so it's got a great cast. Dickens is actually one of my favorite writers and he was doing serials long before TV did. This is one of his strongest books because it's so complex. So it was quite interesting to see it get adapted in a similar way to how he wrote it.
  
  
• The Mandalorian (Disney+, 2019–)
  It's personal and professional to me because I got to work with this groundbreaking and ambitious technical innovation, and I had this creative joy and collaboration. It was nice getting to see the entire season come together because I'd worked so closely with all the directors — we all knew each other and talked the entire time. So it was fun to see what everybody else had been doing when it all came out. I also had the opportunity to somehow direct both Werner Herzog and Baby Yoda.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length

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