Headgum // That Was Us: Chris Koch and Us | Director (with Jon Huertas)

Chris Koch and Us | Director (with Jon Huertas)

9/1/2026

This week on That Was Us, we’re excited to welcome director Chris Koch, who returns to the podcast to take us behind the scenes of some of This Is Us’ most memorable episodes. Joined by guest co-host Jon Huertas, Chris shares his journey from making Super 8 films to building a long creative partnership with Dan Fogelman, and reflects on directing everything from comedy to some of the show’s most emotional moments.

In this episode, the hosts chat about:

* Jon Huertas’ latest adventures, including farm life, directing, and his dreams of eventually owning a boat

* Chris Koch’s first experiences making films and how a love of Super 8 led him toward directing

* His unexpected path through advertising and branding at MTV, Nickelodeon, and Comedy Central

* His longtime creative partnership with Dan Fogelman and how it has evolved across multiple shows

* The differences between directing comedy and drama…and why the best lessons can come from both

* Some of Koch’s favorite and most challenging This Is Us episodes, including the family therapy and Vietnam sequences

* Memorable performances, on-set stories, and the importance of treating every member of a crew with kindness

* What he learned from working with the cast and crew of This Is Us and the advice he would give to someone hoping to build a long career in television

Plus, Jon and Chris join in for a lightning round, revisit some favorite This Is Us moments, and take a few unexpected detours in this exciting conversation. And a friendly reminder, you can catch new episodes of That Was Us every Monday, a day early, exclusively on Hulu. Available on Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts on Tuesdays like usual!

That Was Us is produced by Rabbit Grin Productions. Music by Taylor Goldsmith and Griffin Goldsmith.

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🍋 About the Show:

The stars of This Is Us, Mandy Moore, Sterling K. Brown, and Chris Sullivan, dive back into the world of the Pearsons, reliving each episode and all the life lessons that came with it.

Together, they dig in and dig deep, have the tough conversations, bring in very special and familiar guests, share never-before-heard behind-the-scenes moments, and feature listeners in highly anticipated fan segments.

Join your favorite family back in the living room to examine our past, cherish our present, and look to the future with new episodes of That Was Us every Tuesday.

Executive Producers: Natalie Holysz and Rob Holysz

Creative Producer: Sam Skelton

Production Coordinator: Andrew Rowley

Video Editor: Todd Hughlett

Mix & Master: Jason Richards

About Headgum:

Headgum is an LA & NY-based podcast network creating premium podcasts with the funniest, most engaging voices in comedy to achieve one goal: Making our audience and ourselves laugh. Listen to our shows at https://www.headgum.com.