Every now and then I like to check in with someone I interviewed ten years ago (you can see installments here with John Green and George Saunders.) When I first interviewed Ben Karlin ten years ago he was known for being a former Senior Editor at the Onion and was the Executive producer of The Daily Show. He has now won eight Emmys for his writing and producing work on The Daily Show and Modern Family. He was one of the co-creators of The Colbert Report, which is airing its final episodes this very month. Since we last spoke he also branched out into film, producing 50/50 and ACOD. His production house, SuperEgo, has several other projects in the works which I'm sure we'll catch up on in another ten years.

Last time we spoke, we discussed topics that you tried to but had a hard time making interesting or funny. Since then, you've made comedies both about cancer and divorce. What are other topics that wouldn't be traditionally considered hilarious that you hope to cover in upcoming projects?
I truly don't seek out subject matter that is intentionally hard to make funny or traditionally not considered funny, though it might seem like I do.  That being said, I am working on a comedy about a murder.  I shit you not.

We also talked about creative burnout and how the people you work with ensure that the ideas keep flowing. Since starting a production company and working on the projects you have, what more have you learned about managing people who work in the creative realm? How much time do you get to work on your own ideas?
Everything good I have ever been a part of has been a collaboration, giving me a full zero number of illusions about myself as an auteur.  So, my strategy has pretty much evolved to this: figure out a way to invest the people working for you so they feel like they are working with you.  I've always been more impressed by leaders who aren't afraid to admit they don't have an answer than someone who pretends to know it all.  So now I'm like - let's figure this out together.  When I was working on Modern Family, that was pretty much a full-time job during the season, meaning I only worked on my side projects during my hiatus, which was about 10 weeks a year.  Now that I am in a production deal, I am working fulltime on just my ideas.

You published an anthology since we last spoke that I read is being turned into a feature film: what plans, if any, do you have for future book projects?
 Are there still books?  Boom.  Nailed it.

You've worked on many TV and film projects with some of the most popular actors working in comedy right now. Who would you still like to work with that you haven't gotten the chance to yet?
Veterans: Michael Keaton and Lily Tomlin. Slightly newer folks: Key or Peele - but definitely not both at the same time. That would be a disaster. Slightly newer folks: Key or Peele - but definitely not both at the same time.  That would be a disaster.

When I first interviewed you, you told me about some of your favorite Daily Show guests: who have been some of your favorite Modern Family guest stars?
 I thought Jesse Eisenberg was hilarious. Will Sasso was funny. Jason Mantzoukas was perfect.  Bryan Cranston directed an episode of mine and I could talk to that guy all day and all night, and maybe did and distracted him from his job.

You said last time that you wouldn't have minded having Samantha Morton on your show. Did you ever cross paths with her and force her to fall in love with you the way you planned?
 I am prohibited by law from commenting further.  (There is, however, a statute of limitations --  so ask me again in 10 years.)

Where or how do you most typically get new ideas these days?
It's always been very random for me.  If I am by myself, it is decidedly not when I am trying to come up with ideas.  Usually like when I'm walking the dog or stuck in traffic.  I've found that coming up with good ideas - or at least ideas with potential - is not really a problem for me.  Executing those ideas is the really hard part.  That takes a tremendous amount of time, discipline and perseverance.  Boooorriing.

Which TV shows on your DVR do you get to watching the fastest?
This year, I was watching Selfie, which I thought was excellent and unfairly maligned.  I've been watching Marry Me, which is fast and funny.  The Affair I go back and forth on.  It started strong, dipped and then got interesting again.  But usually, I go on binges, so I will let stuff stack up and then watch them all over the course of a few nights. That's how I watched Archer and Girls.  Some shows, like Justified or Game of Thrones I will watch night of, but never live. 

How do you typically get your news now?
I still subscribe to a daily newspaper like an old, old man.  Then I browse the internet until I weep, realizing that anything resembling truth is illusory. 

What has changed about comedy (and the way people acquire it) in the last ten years that has made your job easier? What's changed that's made it more difficult?
There are way more places (cable channels, your Hulus and Netflixes, various internet outlets) interested in making comedy, which means more places that want to pay you, maybe even to do things you think are cool and interesting.  You make way less money but overall it's still a huge gain because people who go into comedy to make money are dumb.

I asked you ten years ago and I'm asking you again: what or who has been making you laugh on a regular basis of late?
Right now I'm working with two people who I think are incredibly funny:  Nick Frost and Adam Pally.  To me, Archer is the funniest show on television - so everyone involved with that.  Also, I have young kids and they really do say the darndest things.

How does it feel to be the third person officially re-interviewed for Zulkey.com?
The way McConaughey felt in the Tesseract.