Jon Hamm’s New Black Comedy About a Jewelry Thief

What TV shows are you watching these days? Jon Hamm’s new TV series, Your Friends & Neighbors, starts tomorrow…

Doesn’t the trailer look fun? Hamm plays a hedge fund manager, newly divorced and jobless, who starts stealing from his rich neighbors’ homes to maintain his family’s lifestyle.

I have a funny jewelry thief story (as one does): In my twenties, I worked for a magazine called Topic, where we’d interview people who were connected to each issue’s topic (for example, a competitive hot dog eater for the “Food” issue). For our “Sin” issue, I reached out to a jewelry thief, Bill Mason, who had just gotten out of jail. Similar to Jon Hamm’s character, he had charmed his way into high society and then stolen more than $35 million worth of jewelry from people he met at parties, including Phyllis Diller, Bob Hope, and Truman Capote. (!!!) My interview with him was intense: the day after I’d left a voice message for him, he called me back while I was walking home from work in Manhattan, so I sat down on the sidewalk along First Avenue, opened my laptop, and wrote down everything he said.

So, I’m extra excited to watch this show. Will you be watching it? Anything else grabbing your attention these days?

P.S. Our Ultimate TV Guide, if you’re looking for something great, and do TV jobs seem real? We asked a doctor, chef, priest and therapist.