The Commonwealth Beat with Laura LeBeau - Episode 110 - 04/05/2026

If you're old enough to remember "Must See TV," then you remember that 8 to 11 Thursday night time frame when you were parked in front of your television, watching your local NBC affiliate.  One of the most legendary shows from that period was Seinfeld, a show about nothing.  What made the show an instant classic was the rapport of the four main characters, coupled with a strong supporting cast who each carved out their own niche on the show.  Among the most popular was actor John O'Hurley's portrayal of J. Peterman, a mail order catalog owner and world explorer who always had a story to tell about an obscure tribe he came across in his world travels, or a product he discovered somewhere in the Amazon Rainforest of Brazil.  But O'Hurley is equally recognizable as a cartoon voice actor, doing 14 different characters for various cartoons.  He was recently in Harrisburg at a Comic Con, which he attends across the country.  He discusses Seinfeld's impact on his life.  

Then, we move to the literary world, for a conversation with Harrisburg-based author Tory Gates, who's just dropped his ninth novel, "The Legend of the Black Swan."  He discusses the book, and how he builds story, narrative, and his particular writing process.