Anyone who watches HoustonPBS knows InnerVIEWS with Ernie Manouse, the television conversation show that reveals the life stories of local and national notables.

It's like Inside the Actor's Studio without the live audience or James Lipton's beard.

What started off as a side project — focusing on the long-form interview honed during Manouse's radio days in Chicago and on PBS's WeekNight Edition and WeekDAY programs — has become a 10-season running, award-winning program aired on more than 100 Public Broadcasting Service stations around the United States.

On Thursday night, the show will air its 150th episode.

"Every season it continued to surprise me a little more what the show was becoming, since we worked show-to-show," explains Manouse, who says he was almost blindsided by the approach of the mile marker.

Over the course of the program's eight years, Manouse has spoken with guests ranging in age from 16 to 97, with countless awards and accolades, Emmys, Grammys and Golden Globes between them.

"What sets us apart from other talk shows is that we're not interested in the current book, movie or project — what we want is a time capsule of their life," Manouse tells CultureMap. He sits down with each guest, engages in thought-provoking conversation and cuts it off at the 25-minute mark.

Manouse says that every taping is a personal challenge: "Can I get a good story out of this guest in the time that I'm here?"

Some of that hinges on the magic moment that takes place five or six minutes into the interview, when the interviewee's body language softens and eyes light up. That's when the conversation begins to flow naturally — and that, I think, comes from the comfort that Manouse exudes and the genuine, heartfelt interest that he exhibits while speaking to each guest.

"I really am interested in the people that I interview, and I have the luxury of picking my guests, so I've already found something fascinating about them," Manouse says.

Among those guests are personalities as disparate as Patti LuPone, who Manouse says was gracious, patient and flexible, and Wynonna Judd, who never stopped working the camera. Actor Alan Alda, musician Isaac Hayes, noted doctor Deepak Chopra and the infamous Meat Loaf have also appeared on the show. There's a little bit of everything in every season.

Thursday's episode will feature journalist and public commentator Bill Moyers — and Manouse says that's not an accident.

"We don't want to lose sight of our roots in public television," Manouse says. "With his political background as a White House press secretary, and as a news anchor with CBS, and putting that experience into public television. . .

"I think that Bill really encapsulates what it means to live a full and rich life and give something back. So he was a perfect fit."

Tune in to HoustonPBS on Thursday at 10:30 p.m. to see Bill Moyers InnerVIEWS with Ernie Manouse, and catch up on past episodes online here.