This is the After Show episode for Buffalo Tens featuring Andrew’s interview with Riki Lindhome and Natasha Leggero (Another Period). It’s also our last episode of MaxFunDrive 2025. If you haven’t joined, boosted or upgraded yet, what are you waiting for?! You’re reading the show notes! You’re obviously a fan! Go to maximum fun.org/join right now! And then you can enjoy the insane story of how malaria brought Riki and Natasha together, how Another Period came to be, and the many times Buffalo Tens almost made it to a screen big or small. But first go to maximum fun.org/join and check out all the cool gifts that are only available for a few more days! And help Maximum Fun reach their goal of 15,000 new, boosting or upgrading members. If they make it, they are going to have a blow-out party and invite everyone! Please show your love for our show today, before it’s to laaaaaate!!!! Go to maximumfun.org/join!MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

MaxFunDrive 2025 continues with a second episode of Buffalo Tens from Riki Lindhome and Natasha Leggero (Another Period). Fox liked this show about two Matchmakers from Hell in Buffalo, New York enough to order a second episode from Riki and Natasha. And then they passed, but we have revived it and are bringing it to you here! Remember, this is the time of year where we celebrate MaxFun members and remind you that this show exists because listeners like you support it. We recorded this live at the Elysian Theater with a cast that included Riki as Sherri, Natasha as Cami, Joshua Malina from the West Wing as Phil, Luke Tennie from Shrinking and Nickel Boys as Tony, Olivia Liang from Kung Fu as Kensley and Coco, Kyla Kennedy from Mr. Mayor and Speechless as Lacey, Eric Edelstein from We Bare Bears and Jurassic World as Ken, Will Greenberg from Wrecked and The After Party as Dr. Lockport, Duane and The Pawn Shop Owner, Punam Patel from Special and Kevin From Work as Marcy, and John Clarence Stewart from Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist as Martin. You can support Dead Pilots Society and get access to all of our bonus content, and the bonus content from every other Maximum Fun show, by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join. And if you're already a member, first of all - thank you!, you can upgrade or boost your membership and get some cool gifts. Go to maximumfun.org/join now!MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

It is MaxFunDrive! The time of year where we celebrate MaxFun members and remind you that this show exists because listeners like you support it. And this is our first MaxFunDrive table read episode of 2025. It's Buffalo Tens written by and starring the incredible Riki Lindhome and Natasha Leggero. Riki and Natasha co-created and starred in the Comedy Central show Another Period. But you know them from so many other things as well. Riki is one half of Garfunkel and Oates and you’ve seen her in everything from Big Bang Theory to Knives Out to Wednesday. Natasha you know from her comedy and Chelsea Lately and as a voice actor in one million things. They wrote a wild pilot about two dating consultants in Buffalo, NY for Fox. Fox liked it enough to commission them to write a second episode. And then they passed, so here it is on Dead Pilots Society! We recorded this live at the Elysian Theater with a cast that included Riki as Sherri, Natasha as Cami, India De Beaufort from Night Court and One Day at a Time as Melanie, Joshua Malina from the West Wing as Phil, Luke Tennie from Shrinking and Nickel Boys as Tony, Olivia Liang from Kung Fu as Kensley, Kyla Kennedy from Mr. Mayor and Speechless as Lacey, Eric Edelstein from We Bare Bears and Jurassic World as Ken, Will Greenberg from Wrecked and The After Party as Bryce and the Restaurant Manager, Punam Patel from Special and Kevin From Work as Paisley and Kershalla, and John Clarence Stewart from Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist as Martin.

We have another live show coming up soon. It’s on Sunday March 16th at 2:00 and at the Elysian Theater in Los Angeles, and we will be reading not one but two episodes of a hilarious dead pilot or I guess a dead show, written by and starring the incredible Riki Lindhome and Natasha Leggero. Riki and Natasha co-created and starred in the Comedy Central show Another Period. But you know them from so many other things as well. Riki is one half of Garfunkel and Oates and you’ve seen her in everything from Big Bang Theory to Knives Out to Wednesday. Natasha you know from her comedy and Chelsea Lately and as a voice actor in one million things. A great cast is coming together for this, it’ll be so much fun. Go to Elysiantheater.com to snag your tickets. 

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

John also wrote on Veronica Mars, iZombie, and Benched. This pilot has that unique Enbom touch.

Rich Dan, Poor Dan was recorded live in front of an audience at the Elysian Theatre in Los Angeles. Our cast was Ryan Hansen (Party Down) as Danny, Martin Starr (Party Down, Silicon Valley) as Daniel, Zoe Chao (Party Down) as Marnie, Olivia Liang (Kung Fu) as Sasha, Comedian Patrick McDonald as Stuart, Janet Varney (Stan Vs. Evil, JV Club) as Bernice/Maywell, Ellie Reed (Girlboss) as Louise, Comedian Anna Seregina as Olga/Sexy Assistant/Sally, Brendan Scannell (Bonding, Heathers) as Gerd Himmel/Charmaine, Dead Pilots Society Stalwart Greg Santos as Ivan/Carlo/Marcus/Dr. Tim Salk, and John Enbom with Stage Directions (Andrew had Covid).

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

In this interview we talk about Joe and Joe’s first show business jobs, including the insane, no-longer existent job of Night PA, delivering scripts in the wee hours of the night. They talk about how far having a great attitude can take you in this business, the lessons they’ve learned through their long careers and what they look for in people when they’re staffing shows.

 

And we have an update on Eternally Yours! CBS ordered up a ten week development room for them to hire a few writers and write a few scripts for the show. It is going to start up after they wrap production on Season four of Ghosts next month! So fingers crossed that this great show about the undead will actually become the first Dead Pilots Society pilot to actually rise from the dead. 

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

Things have been a little tough in Los Angeles this month, so we are bringing you our first ever Dead Pilots Society Rerun. This is one of our all-time favorite episodes. From way back in 2020, it's Eternally Yours from Joe Port & Joe Wiseman (Ghosts, The Office, New Girl), about a family of normal looking but emotionally closed off, stuck-together-for-eternity vampires. If you think there's no fresh spins left in the vampire genre, you need to listen to this one.  

Eternally Yours was recorded live at The Improv in Hollywood and stars Ed Weeks as Charles, Briga Heelan as Liz, Asif Ali as Max, Vella Lovell as Emma, Tony Cavalero as Jesse, Yassir Lester as Benji, Matt Walsh as Mort/Sigmund Freud, Mindy Sterling as Phyllis/Woman/Kristen Stewart, Brendan Scannell as Steve The Blood Guy/Man, David Fumero as Henry, and Andrew Reich with stage directions.

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

A happy holidays to you! Hopefully you're wearing that Dead Pilots Society shirt you bought for yourself as a gift while listening to this episode! This is our interview with Amy and Brendan. In it you'll hear an honest take about how hard it is to sell things and make a living in Hollywood these days. We get into Amy & Brendan's writing dynamic, navigating writing with a partner versus writing solo, and the shows Amy and Brendan go back to for inspiration. Thanks for listening—we know you’re going to love this episode!

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For more information about Dead Pilots Society and to listen to past episodes featuring John Hodgman, Emerald Fennell, and many others, visit: https://maximumfun.org/podcasts/dead-pilots-society.

 

 

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It's the end of the year and we have a very special dead pilot for you! This is The 14th Floor written by Amy Reed (The Diary of a Future President) & Brendan Scannell (Bonding).  It centers around an ambitious young executive at multinational McKenna Corp who gets hip-checked by her threatened CEO, and is then banished to the depths of the 14th floor, where a staff of castoffs collect checks doing absolutely nothing. It was setup at HBO and this episode was recorded live at The Elysian Theater in Los Angeles, CA. 

The cast for this one was outstanding: Olivia Lang (Kung Fu), Maria Bamford (Lady Dynamite), Patrick McDonald (Smosh), Greg Santos (Great News), Anna Seregina, Janet Varney (Platonic, The Legend of Korra), Brendan Scannell, Ellie Reed (I Think You Should Leave), and Amy Reed. 

Thanks for listening—we know you’re going to love this episode!

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For more information about Dead Pilots Society and to listen to past episodes featuring John Hodgman, Emerald Fennell, and many others, visit: https://maximumfun.org/podcasts/dead-pilots-society.

 

 

 

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Happy Thanksgiving! In this episode, Andrew interviews Bill Callahan about his pilot Massholes. Bill has an impressive résumé, having worked on Spin City, 8 Simple Rules, Scrubs, Psych, American Housewife, and The Goldbergs.

A former college athlete turned comedy writer, Bill shares his journey from football to comedy, starting in an agency mailroom and learning from legends like Gary David Goldberg and Bill Lawrence. He discusses the differences between multi-camera and single-camera comedy writing, what he looks for when staffing a writer's room, and the group of friends that inspired Massholes.

Thanks for listening—we know you’re going to love this episode!

For more information about Dead Pilots Society and to listen to past episodes featuring John Hodgman, Emerald Fennell, and many others, visit: https://maximumfun.org/podcasts/dead-pilots-society.

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

This month's pilot is Massholes. It was set up at ABC and written by Bill Callahan (Scrubs, Spin City). Bill is a veteran comedy writer who's worked on so many shows you know and love. This is a Friends-style ensemble pilot inspired by Bill's group of friends from Massachusetts. To keep things authentic, we assembled an all-star cast of actors from the Boston area.

Massholes stars Rob Corddry (Ballers, Hot Tub Time Machine), Nicholas D'Agosto (Trial & Error, Criminal Minds), Misha Collins (Supernatural), Josh Gondelman (Last Week Tonight, Desus & Mero), Alyssa Limperis (What We Do in the Shadows), Maggie Lawson (Psych), Brittany Curran (The Magicians), Jamie Loftus (Star Trek: Lower Decks), Killian McAssey, and Andrew Reich with stage directions.

If you missed our last live show, you can still watch the live feed here.

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For more information about Dead Pilots Society and to listen to past episodes featuring John Hodgman, Emerald Fennell, and many others, visit: https://maximumfun.org/podcasts/dead-pilots-society.

 

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Welcome to the after-show for Mr. Macho! Andrew and Al recount their unusual first meeting during a casting session for a show that came together under extraordinary circumstances. They discuss how close Al has come to getting his story on air as a half-hour comedy, as well as the ongoing challenges of Latino representation in TV comedy. Chris also shares his wisdom on guiding and helping sell this pilot as its supervisor. This is a great interview packed with so much insight, and we know you're going to love it! Enjoy!

TICKETS TO OUR LIVE SHOW ON 11/17Link to tickets

Our November 17 show will feature scripts by John Enbom (co-creator, Party Down) and Brendan Scannell (Loot) & Amy Reed (Diary of a Future President).

Cast includes:

Martin Starr (Party Down, Spider-Man)

Ryan Hansen (Party Down, Veronica Mars)

Olivia Liang (Kung Fu)

Chris Witaske (The Bear)

Anna Seregina (The Civil Dead)

…and more to be announced!

For more information about Dead Pilots Society and to listen to past episodes featuring John Hodgman, Emerald Fennell, and many others, visit: https://maximumfun.org/podcasts/dead-pilots-society.

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

Our featured dead pilot this month is Mr. Macho, written by Al Madrigal. You might know Al from his stand-up, his time on The Daily Show, or his many TV and film appearances over the years. His autobiographical, focuses on a man struggling with his cultural identity and his place in a newly gentrifying neighborhood. The project was supervised by Chris Harris (How I Met Your Mother) and was set up at CBS with CBS Studios attached to produce. It's an incredibly funny pilot that we know you're going to love.

Mr. Macho stars Al Madrigal, Sherry Cola (Joy Ride), Julio Macias (On My Block), Marc Evan Jackson (The Good Place), Rachael Harris (Suits, Lucifer), Melissa Villaseñor (SNL), and Andrew Reich providing stage directions.

TICKETS TO OUR LIVE SHOW ON 11/17Link to tickets

Our November 17 show will feature scripts by John Enbom (co-creator, Party Down) and Brendan Scannell (Loot) & Amy Reed (Diary of a Future President).

Cast includes:

Martin Starr (Party Down, Spider-Man)

Ryan Hansen (Party Down, Veronica Mars)

Olivia Liang (Kung Fu)

Chris Witaske (The Bear)

Anna Seregina (The Civil Dead)

…and more to be announced!

For more information about Dead Pilots Society and to listen to past episodes featuring John Hodgman, Emerald Fennell, and many others, visit: https://maximumfun.org/podcasts/dead-pilots-society.

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

This is the after-show for Honey Do List, featuring our interview with Julie Bean and Brian Donovan. Julie and Brian share incredible stories about breaking into the industry and how they worked their way up to becoming showrunners. Brian also discusses his time on the legendary Georgetown improv troupe alongside Nick Kroll, John Mulaney, Mike Birbiglia, and Jacqueline Novak, to name a few. There's great practical and honest insight into showrunning in this episode. Plus, you'll find out why every writer should have a post-it note on their computer that says: "Put it in the bathroom." You'll also hear about the development of Honey Do List and how it went from a tik tok video to a TV pilot. We loved chatting with Brian and Julie, and we know you're going to love listening to this one. Enjoy!

The mother-daughter duo and tik tok video that inspired Honey Do List here

Tickets to Ben Blacker's show Retro Specs live at The Elysian Theater on 9/29

ticket link: https://www.elysiantheater.com/shows/retrospecs

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

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This month's pilot is Honey Do List, written by Julie Bean (showrunner of Grown-ish) and Brian Donovan (American Housewife). It's based on the real-life story of a mom who extricates herself from a controlling marriage, moves in with her lesbian daughter, Summer, and begins to rediscover joy by checking items off her bucket list, one at a time. This fantastic pilot was written during the pandemic, and we know you're going to love it! Enjoy!

The cast for this one includes Katy Mixon (American Housewife), Olivia Scott Welch (Fear Street), Brea Grant (director of Torn Hearts and 12 Hour Shift), Andrew Ti (Yo Is This Racist podcast; That 90s Show writer), Chris Tallman (The Thundermans), Jamila Velasquez (Empire, Law and Order SVU, and West Side Story), Raymond Lee (Quantum Leap), Simon Gibson (Netflix is a Joke Festival & Star of the Amazon Prime Docuseries “Inside Jokes”)  and Andrew Reich with stage directions. 

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

This is a very special episode of Dead Pilots Society. It's our interview with Damir and Dario Konjicija, and in it, you'll hear perhaps the most interesting Hollywood origin story we've ever encountered. Damir and Dario discuss their journey from being Bosnian refugees to arriving in America in 1997 and falling in love with American television. They talk about starting school in America as Bosnian immigrants, how they quickly found their artistic passion, and the pact they made to move to Los Angeles and try to make it. They also discuss their humble beginnings in Los Angeles, how they started writing together, and the development of their pilot I Hate Myself. This is a terrific interview that we know you're going to love.

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

Our dead pilots this month is I Hate Myself by Dario & Dami Konjicija (Home Economics, Young Sheldon). This is a fun multi-camera buddy comedy with a time traveling twist. It was developed for CBS Studios and we know you're going to love it.  

The cast for this one includes Vinny Thomas (Platonic), Josh Banday (Upload), Paige Collins (Good Girls), Leah Lewis (Matlock), Nabeel Muscatwalla (Better Days), Punam Patel (Ghosts) and Andrew Reich with stage directions. 

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

We sat down with Jordan Roter to discuss her pilot Common Enemy. If you haven't listen to it yet, what are you waiting for? 

Jordan is an experienced writer who's sold her work in the literary, feature and television space. She talks about the process of pitching  a low concept character driven show, pushing the envelope in the family space and development stories about various projects she's had over the years. We  loved getting to sit down with Jordan and you're going to love listening to her too. Enjoy!

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

 

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You're listening to the table read of Common Enemy written by Jordan Roter (Girl in Development author, American Housewife, The Watchful Eye). Common Enemy is a multi-generational family comedy about three generations of the same family going through their own version of puberty at the same time. The title comes from a joke Jordan's dad loves to tell. You'll have to listen to the table read to hear it. 

Common Enemy was developed for ABC Signature. This is a great network family show that totally pushes the envelope of what you can do in that space. It's a great script, with great energy. Enjoy it!

Common Enemy stars Beth Dover (Orange Is The New Black, Another Period), Antonio Raul-Garcia (Brooklyn 99, Minions), Zainab Johnson (Upload, Hijabs Off), Nancy Lenehan (The Boys, Veep), Emma Shannon (Righteous Gemstones) Olivia Sui (Smosh, Do Revenge), Keith Szarabajka, (Fargo, The Dark Knight), Jonathan Tucker (Westworld, Kingdom), with stage directions by Andrew Reich. 

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

 

 

 

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Welcome to the after show, folks! Andrew sat down with the writer of last week's pilot Codependent, Mark Gross. Mark spoke to us about all things sitcom writing. We talked about how he got his start in comedy and his early days as a touring stand up comedian. How fellow comic Rodney Carrington helped him break into tv writing and what he learned working with the great Chuck Lorre. He also told us about the key word he has on a post-it by his computer when he's writing. No spoilers though! Mark offers some great perspective in this one! Enjoy it!

WE HAVE A LIVE SHOW ON 6/30 / 2 PM at The Elysian Theater in Los Angeles. 

Our June 30 show features scripts by Dario Konjicija & Damir Konjicija (Home Economics; Young Sheldon) and Jordan Roter (American Housewife). 

We have a great cast for this one including: Beth Dover (Orange Is the New Black), Jonathan Tucker (Warrior; Westworld), Josh Banday (Upload; Not Dead Yet), Vinny Thomas (Platonic; Ahsoka), Leah Lewis (Matlock; Elemental), Punam Patel (Special; Ghosts), Nancy Lenehan (The Boys; People of Earth), Olivia Sui (Smosh; Do Revenge), Zainab Johnson (Upload; Last Comic Standing), Nabeel Muscatwalla (Good Trouble; Better Days), Paige Collins (Distance; Good Girls), Emma Shannon (Better Things; Puppy Dog Pals) and Antonio Corbo (Summer Camp Island; Minions). 

GET YOUR TICKETS HERE: https://www.elysiantheater.com/shows/deadpilots

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

We have a great pilot for you this month! It's written by the hilarious and well respected, Mark Gross (How We Roll, Mike & Molly). His pilot is called Codependent and it centers around a relationship between Nate, an aimless substitute teacher and Ed, the grandfather who raised him and how that relationship is challenged when Nate meets a women who could be the one. This pilot was written and sold to CBS twice before we were able to get our hands on it. 

Codependent stars Billy Gardell (Bob Hearts Abishola, Mike & Molly), Louis Mustillo (Mike & Molly), Katie Lowes (Scandal) Cecily Knobler, Sarah Stouffer (Switched At Birth), Nyambi Nyambi (The Good Fight, Night Court, Mike & Molly), Aaron Branch (Unstable), Tre Hale (Platonic), Marcus Bishop Wright, Katrina Davis, Noah Findling and Andrew Reich with stage directions. Enjoy!

WE HAVE A LIVE SHOW ON 6/30 / 2 PM at The Elysian Theater in Los Angeles. 

Our June 30 show features scripts by Dario Konjicija & Damir Konjicija (Home Economics; Young Sheldon) and Jordan Roter (American Housewife). 

We have a great cast for this one including: Beth Dover (Orange Is the New Black), Jonathan Tucker (Warrior; Westworld), Josh Banday (Upload; Not Dead Yet), Vinny Thomas (Platonic; Ahsoka), Leah Lewis (Matlock; Elemental), Punam Patel (Special; Ghosts), Nancy Lenehan (The Boys; People of Earth), Olivia Sui (Smosh; Do Revenge), Zainab Johnson (Upload; Last Comic Standing), Nabeel Muscatwalla (Good Trouble; Better Days), Paige Collins (Distance; Good Girls), Emma Shannon (Better Things; Puppy Dog Pals) and Antonio Corbo (Summer Camp Island; Minions). 

GET YOUR TICKETS HERE: https://www.elysiantheater.com/shows/deadpilots

 

 

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

You're listening to our after show interview with Michael Jonathan Smith (Twisted Metal). In it you'll hear Michael tell the arduous journey he went on to getting this pilot rejected. We talk about his bumpy journey, how he got to where he is now as the creator and showrunner of Twisted Metal on Peacock. For the Cobra Kai heads out there, there's some good discussion of the evolution of that show which he worked on all the way through from season one. We talked about what drew him to write this pilot and where it might go in series and we also discussed the things he would change about it. You're going to love this one! Enjoy it!

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

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We have a hilarious pilot for you this month! It's called Faking A Murderer  written by Michael Jonathan Smith (creator of Twisted Metal, Cobra Kai). This pilot is about  the members of a small town police department who invent a serial killer to save their town's budget. Trigger warning! There's a lot of death, sick gross stuff, and the mistreatment of corpses in this one but it somehow manages to be insanely hilarious. 

Faking A Murderer was written by Michael Jonathan Smith and developed by Chris Yule and Alex Aschinger. This project was setup at Quibi with Sony attached to produced. Julius Sharpe was signed on to co-showrun with Seth Gordon attached to direct.  This is a twisted pilot for all of our sickos out there! Enjoy it!

Our cast for this one included Allison Tolman (Fargo), Mike Mitchell (Love, The Doughboys Podcast), Andrew Lopez (The Bear, Platonic), Ryan Asher (Second City Mainstage), Rachel Marsh (Unstable), Chris Yule (I Own You), Alex Aschinger (I Own You)   and Andrew Reich with stage directions. 

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

This is our after show interview with Michael Lisbe & Nate Reger (Acapulco, The Cool Kids). In it you'll hear them talk about their show business breaks, how they generate ideas for pilots,  a real dilemma they faced early on in their career,  their favorite staffing jobs and the parts of their pilot Frenemies, that are based on facts. This one is a great conversation with old friends! Enjoy it!

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

Thank you to everyone who upgraded their max fun membership this year. We had more upgrades than last year and we're so grateful for all of you. You're support allows us to keep bringing you dead pilots. Our dead pilot this month is called Frenemies: The Journey Of Lewis & Clark  written by Michael Lisbe & Nate Reger (Just Shoot Meet, Cougar Town, 2 Broke Girls). Their dead pilot is a comedic take on Lewis & Clark's epic journey of discovery through the American west. This pilot is hard funny and it's also NSFW. We warned you! It was a spec Mike & Nate wrote in the early days of Covid and they set it up at Sony. 

Our cast included Brandon Scott Jones (Ghosts), Drew Powell (Gotham), Tre Hale (Platonic), Michael Cassidy (People Of Earth), Haskiri Velazquez (Saved By The Bell), Carlos Aazraqui (Reno 911!), Greg Santos (Great News)  and Andrew Reich with stage directions. 

There's still time to help support our podcast by becoming a maximum fun member for as little as $5 a month.  Help us support what we do by going to maximumfun.org/join.

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

 

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This is an episode dedicated to unscripted television.  J. Keith van Straaten, Jordan Morris, and John Moe talk about their dead unscripted projects that were sold to networks and streams but never produced. This conversation went to a ton of unexpected places and that's definitely a part of it's charm. Enjoy it!

There's still time to help support our podcast by becoming a maximum fun member for as little as $5 a month.  Help us support what we do by going to maximumfun.org/join.

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

Another #maxfundrive bonus episode for you! Thank you to everyone who has boosted or become a #maxfundrive member, it's because of you that we can put out episodes like this. We sat down with comedy writer Andy Bobrow about his sitcom writing rules. Andy is a writer who's script Greatest American Heroes (ep link here) was last year's MaxFunDrive episode. We had an incredible cast for that one including Will Forte, Stephen Root, Rachel Harris, Sam Richardson and more.  

Andy has written on Malcolm In The Middle, Community, Last Man On earth, Brooklyin Nine-Nine and currently he's been writing for Krapopolis. Recently, he posted some of his sitcom writing rules on twitter that we found to be super spot on and we wanted to talk to him about it. There's a lot of extremely practical advice in this one. Things that can help comedy writers at any level who are maybe stuck on a scene or looking for general things not to do. You can find his list here 

This is for all writers or fans who are interested in the craft of how comedy shows are written. If you get something useful out of this conversation please consider becoming a #maxfun member at just $5 a month by going to maximumfun.org/donate. 

Thanks for listening! Enjoy!

 

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

This is our after show interview with Open Mike Eagle (The New Negroes) & Mike Benner (Bob's Burger) about their pilot Principle. Mike and Mike developed Principle for Comedy Central wanting to explore the differences between a rapper's public and private persona. In this interview, you'll hear them talk about their comedy and hip hop influences, Open Mike's move from rapper to comedy writer/rapper and the process of pitching and developing a rap show for Comedy Central.  If you'd like to support our podcast, now is the time. It's MaxFunDrive; the one time of year where listeners like you can directly support our podcast. Your support is what allows us to keep putting out dead pilot after dead pilot. Help us out for as little as $5 a month. 

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

We have a hilarious MAX FUN DRIVE episode for you!  It's the table read for Principle written by Open Mike Eagle (The New Negroes) & Mike Benner (Bob's Burgers) recorded LIVE at THE ELYSIAN THEATER! Principle was sold to Comedy Central. It's about a rapper trying to change his life and image but keeps being pulled back into the gangster character that made him famous. 

This show should be on the list along with Atlanta and Dave of the great television hip hop comedy of the last decade but alas it never it never made it to air. It's only available here on Dead Piltos Society and Dead Pilots Society only exists because of listeners like you  becoming Maximum Fun members. Your support is what keeps this podcast going. You can become a member for as little as $5 a month by going to maximumfun.org/join

Principle stars Open Mike Eagle, Shakira Ja'nai Paye, Tawny Newsome, Langston Kerman, Jamel Johnson, Paul F. Tompkins, Phil Lamarr, Aaron Branch, Taylor Garron and Andrew Reich with stage directions. 

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!

Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

This is a special  episode in honor of The MaxFunDrive where Andrew and Ben answer a variety questions sent to us from listeners.  We had J. Keith van Straaten from Go Fact Yourself drop by to moderate. It was a lot of fun and we know you're going to love it.  Thank you for supporting our show!

This special network wide event is a celebration of The MaxFunDrive! If you’d like to support podcasts you love for just $5 a month and get bonus gifts in the process, go to maximumfun.org/join. 

 

 

 

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

This special network wide event is a celebration of The MaxFunDrive! If you’d like to support podcasts you love for just $5 a month and get bonus gifts in the process, go to maximumfun.org/join. 

We’re kicking off the most exciting time of the year for the MaxFun Network with a trivia game show featuring hosts from tons of great podcasts.

J. Keith van Straaten and Helen Hong from “Go Fact Yourself” are joined by:

Austin Taylor & Brenda Snell -“Secret Histories of Nerd Mysteries” 

Manolo Moreno - “Dr. Gameshow”

Andrew Reich - “Dead Pilots Society”

If you’d like to hear more hosts competing for trivia supremacy, visit Maximumfun.org for the full version of this show.

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

This is our after show interview with Tommy Johnagin (That 90s Show, Man With A Plan) about his pilot You're Only Young Twice. Tommy tells us about starting his stand up career at the age of 19, inspired by David Letterman.  How he went from being a touring comedian to writing on a television show. Andrew shares some good insight from his time on Friends and they both spend time figuring out a better second act complication for Tommy's pilot. This is a great one! Enjoy it!

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

 

 

 

 

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

This is the table read for You're Only Young Twice written by Tommy Johnagin (That 90s Show, Man With A Plan). This pilot was a CBS network multi-camera sitcom. Logline: A young couple  discover the upside to getting pregnant at your junior prom is that your kid goes to college when you’re 35, and you become empty nesters who get to start life all over again while you're still young enough to enjoy it. The downside is finding out your spouse has different plans for their second chance.

You're Only Young Twice stars Jean-Luc Bilodeau (Baby Daddy, Carol's Second Act), Shakira Ja'nai Paye (House Party), Emily Robinson (Transparent), Taylor Garron (Yo Gabba Gabba), Aaron Branch (Unstable), Fahim Anwar (Neighbors), Kirk Fox (Jury Duty), Ryan Singer (Maron) and Andrew Reich with stage directions. 

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

This is our after show interview with Alex Burnett & Brendan McCarthy (Grace & Frankie) about their pilot Localized.  Alex's recounts his personal connection to the show, having grown up on Nantucket. You'll hear about the persistence it took to sell this show, their experience working with Mitch Hurwitz (creator of Arrested Development) and their journeys to becoming tv writers. They also share some really great writing insight they received from Mitch Hurwitz during the development process. You won't want to miss this one. Enjoy!

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

This is the table read of LOCALIZED written by  Alex Burnett & Brendan McCarthy (Grace & Frankie). This pilot is based on a real life character. A man who is the only full time doctor on the island of Nantuckett. Localized is based on the book Island Practice written by Pam Belluck.  It's a wonderfully weird pilot that was sold to HBO Max with Mitch Hurwitz attached to executive produce. 

We had a great cast for this one! It includes  Adam Arkin (Chicago Hope, West Wing), Tobey Grey (College Humor), Cyrina Fiallo (Good Luck Charlie), Emily Chang (The Bold Type), Brendan Hines (Suits), Lizzie Peet (American Crime Story), John Ross Bowie (Speechless), Nick Wechsler (Roswell), Baron Vaughn (Grace & Frankie), Hal Lublin (The Venture Bros) and Andrew Reich with stage directions. 

WE HAVE A LIVE SHOW COMING UP on January 21st from 3PM to 5PM at The Elysian Theater in Los Angeles. 

Come see us table read scripts the following scripts: 

Principle written by Open Mike Eagle (The New Negroes) & Mike Benner (Bob's Burgers)

You're Only Young Twice written by Tommy Johnagin (That 90s Show, Man With A Plan). 

TICKETS at elysiantheater.com

If you’d like to see the video feed of Localized, you can do so by going to maximum fun.org/join and become a member for as little as $5. Tune in next week for our interview with Alex & Brendan. Thanks for watching and supporting our show! Enjoy!

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

This is the after show for Fulfillment with its writer Vali Candrasekaran (Modern Family, 30 Rock). Vali is a respected veteran comedy writer who's written on all of your favorite sitcoms. You'll hear the crazy story about how he landed his first job on "My Name Is Earl".  He talks about a show he created with Christopher Lloyd (Modern Family, Frasier) starring two A-list actors that somehow didn't get picked up to series.  Vali shares some great advice he received from Chris regarding multi-camera sitcom writing and some of his own advice on writing a pilot. Writers, do not miss this episode.  Enjoy!

WE HAVE A LIVE SHOW COMING UP on January 21st from 3PM to 5PM at The Elysian Theater in Los Angeles. 

Come see us table read scripts the following scripts: 

Principle written by Open Mike Eagle (The New Negroes) & Mike Benner (Bob's Burgers)

You're Only Young Twice written by Tommy Johnagin (That 90s Show, Man With A Plan). 

TICKETS at elysiantheater.com

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

This is the table read of Fulfillment written by  Vali Chandrasekaran (Modern Family, 30 Rock). FULFILMENT  is an ensemble workplace comedy about a group of people whose job it is to make money for the most evil company on earth, but they spend most of their time helping each other through life.  It's about maintaining your humanity in a dehumanizing world. 

The cast for this one is nothing short of amazing! It includes Zooey Deschanel (New Girl, 500 Days Of Summer) Michaela Watkins (Wanderlust), Padget Brewster (Criminal Minds, Community) Hamish Linklater (The Big Short), Asif Ali (WandaVision), Solomon Georgio (Shrill, High Fidelity), Eric Edelstein (Jurassic World), John Lutz (SNL, 30 Rock), Hal Lublin (We Got This with Mark and Hal) and Andrew Reich with stage directions. 

WE HAVE A LIVE SHOW COMING UP on January 21st from 3PM to 5PM at The Elysian Theater in Los Angeles. 

Come see us table read scripts the following scripts: 

Principle written by Open Mike Eagle (The New Negroes) & Mike Benner (Bob's Burgers)

You're Only Young Twice written by Tommy Johnagin (That 90s Show, Man With A Plan). 

TICKETS at elysiantheater.com

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

Andrew interviewed the writer of Sam In Retrograde, Sam Jarvis (Dollface, Tosh.O)! Sam has a fresh voice and even still has that new writer passion for the business. We love to see it, it's a breath of fresh air. In this interview, Sam tells us about the germ of the idea for her show and why she named her lead character after herself. She talks about what it's like to be the only woman in writer's room and some insight into working on the Comedy Central hit Tosh.O. Sam's also one of the few writers we know who writes everyday. We love that for her and we know you will too. Enjoy this one and thanks for listening.  

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

This is the table read of Sam In Retrograde written by Sam jarvis (Dollface. Tosh.o). SAM IN RETROGRADE is a weird little comedy about one woman's journey through grief, and her attempt to find herself in the process. More specifically, it's about a girl who starts carrying her dead husband's urn around everywhere and talking to it as if they're still married. Which yes, does affect her relationships with everyone else in her life. As you'd imagine. 

The project was developed and optioned at CBS Studios with Party Over Here producing, and Bert & Bertie (HAWKEYE, THE GREAT, TROOP ZERO) attached to direct. It was taken out the summer of 2021 and pitched to Hulu, Apple, Paramount+, Showtime, Peacock, FX, Freeform, and HBOMax. While a few execs fought for it, they all ended up passing. And if I recall correctly, Amazon and Netflix passed before hearing a pitch. It was all very cool. 

The cast for this one is  nothing short than spectactular. It includes Katie O'Brien (Teachers), Katrina Davis (Figuring It Out), Julie Brister (Goliath), Suzy Nakamura (Avenue 5, Dead to Me, Dr. Ken), John Ross Bowie (Speechless, Big Bang Theory), Leonard Robinson (Insecure), Ashley Padilla (Son of Zorn) and Andrew Reich with stage directions. 

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

 

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

We sat down with the writers of Let’s Do Lunch, Amanda Lund and Maria Blasucci. Andrew covers so many things with Amanda and Maria including a full description of the food spread at a 90s sitcom taping, the story about how they met, Maria’s many appearances on Drunk History, the importance of making your own content, and how to write what’s in your heart. Amanda and Maria are Dead Pilots Society regulars that we love having on the show and we’re thrilled we got to do their pilot. If you haven’t listened to it yet, you must do so now. You’re going to love this one. We guarantee it. Enjoy!

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

This month’s pilot is comedy gold! It’s called Let’s Do Lunch written by Maria Blasucci & Amanda Lund. Let’s Do Lunch is a satirical look into the drug and sex fueled world of Hollywood throughout the blockbustery 1980s as seen through the eyes of male visionary power producers, Chase Tillman and Brock Springs (played by Maria Blasucci and Amanda Lund). Their project was set up at FX with Party Over Here attached to produce.

Our cast for this one includes Amanda Lund, Maria Blasucci, Taran Killam, Taylor Garron, Patty Guggenheim, Andy Daly, Mark McKinney, Flula Borg, Crack Cackowski, Richelle Meiss, Morgan Jay and Andrew Reich with stage directions.

Tune in next week for our interview with Amanda and Maria. Thanks for watching and supporting our show! Enjoy!

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

We have a terrific after show interview for you with the creators of Pretty, Santina Muha, Lindsey Kraft and Andrew Leeds. This is a truly uplifting and inspiring conversation. You’ll hear Santina talk about how she got her start in comedy and how her childhood accident forced her to hone her comedy skills. She discusses the importance of making light of a terrible situation, simple things people take for granted like sidewalks, and her passion of using comedy as a platform to discuss important issues. This was a great interview with some of our favorite creators. We know you’re gong to love it. Enjoy!

Santina's music video for A$$ LEVEL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fvcDkqWO2E

Get the video for the Pretty table read for as little as $5 by going to https://maximumfun.org/joinFor more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

Another month, another pilot! It’s Pretty written by Lindsey Kraft (story by Lindsey Kraft, Santina Muha, Andrew Leeds). Pretty is about a ballsy, passionate woman (Muha) who moves from Jersey to L.A. to pursue her dreams of finding love and becoming the next Oprah. Kraft and Muha were attached to star in the project with Michelle Nader, Kaley Cuoco’s Yes, Norman Productions and Warner Bros. TV attached to produce. We loved reading this one. It’s one of those funny, sweet and inspiring pilots that can brighten your day. We know you’re going to love it. Enjoy!

We had a terrific cast for this one including Santina Muha, Lindsey Kraft, Timm Sharp, Oscar Montoya, Andrew Leeds, Sydney Steinberg, Justina Machado and Andrew Reich with stage directions.

If you’d like to see the video feed of Pretty, you can do so by going to maximum fun.org/join and become a member for as little as $5. Tune in next week for our interview with Lindsey, Santina and Andrew. Thanks for watching and supporting our show! Enjoy!

If you’re trying to support the writer’s strike below is a link to do so:

https://secure2.convio.net/afa/site/Donation2;jsessionid=00000000.app20120a?df_id=2857&2857.donation=form1&mfc_pref=T&NONCE_TOKEN=9EE6EC32C18BA876373B9C3236C55098

 For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

This week we sat down with the writers of Trial, Matteo Borghese & Rob Turbovsky. Spoiler alert! Rob and Matteo reveal who the killer in their pilot is. We’re not going to spoil it for you in the show notes though. You’ll have to listen to this episode to find out. The Emmy nominated duo also discuss their experience staffing on Silicon Valley, Always Sunny In Philadelphia and Only Murders In The Building. They explain what they believe a TV writer’s job is. We’ll give you a hint, it has something to do with reading your boss’s mind. This is a great interview that we know you’re going to love. Enjoy!

Get the video for the Trial table read for as little as $5 by going to https://maximumfun.org/join

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

This month's table read is for a pilot called Trial written by Emmy nominated writing duo Matteo Borghese & Rob Turbovsky. Trial centers around an aging comedy icon who finds his life turned upside down when he is charged with the murder of his sleazy business manager and, possibly worse, revealed to be not all that nice.  Trial was setup at Comedy Central. It should be noted that we read this pilot live in Los Angeles at The Lyric Hyperion Theater. That's right, you're going to hear some real laughs! 

Our cast for Trial was truly outstanding. It features Mark McKinney as Bradley, Ritesh Rajan as Donald, Khary Payton as Detective Hanscom, Taylor Garron as Alex Bridge,  Vinny Thomas as Chet, Patty Guggenheim as Paula Glass, Craig Cackowski as Marty, Richelle Meiss as Debbie Tremblay/various characters, Morgan Jay as Jacob Tremblay/various characters and Andrew Reich with stage directions. Thanks for listening! Enjoy!

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com 

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

We have an incredibly insightful interview with Michele & Kieran Mulroney. If you haven’t listened to both episodes of their show The Sleeping Father, you must do so now. It’s truly outstanding! This interview is crucial for anyone who wants to know the real story of how so many careers in Hollywood go. It’s mandatory listening for aspiring writers and striking writers in a dry spell creatively. Michele & Kieran talk about getting their start in the business, adapting Dickens for dogs, and they discuss the ten year draught they had where they wrote a dozen spec screenplays that didn’t sell. You’re going to hear how they broke that losing streak in the best way possible: writing exactly what they wanted to write. It’s a must listen for anyone aspiring to work in Hollywood.

Get the video for The Sleeping Father table read for as little as $5 by going to https://maximumfun.org/join

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

You guys are in for a treat! It's episode two of The Sleeping Father written by Michele Mulroney & Kieran Mulroney (Power Rangers, Sherlock Holmes:A Game Of Shadows), based on the novel by Matthew Sharpe. Michelle and Kieran originally wrote this as a screenplay for Warner Bros and was later revived as a television series for Warner Bros. Television. Enjoy it!

We had a terrific cast for this one including Dave Foley, Ennis Esmer, Ciara Bravo, Daniel DiMaggio, Nichole Sakura, Niles Fitch, Sarah Rafferty, Bellina Logan, Greg Hess, and Andrew Reich with stage directions.

If you’d like to see the video feed of The Sleeping Father, you can do so by going to maximum fun.org/join and become a member for as little as $5. For $5 you’ll get our entire catalogue of bonus content and a bunch of bonus episodes too! Tune in next week for our interview with Michele & Kieran. Thanks for watching and supporting our show! Enjoy!

If you’re trying to support the writer’s strike below is the organization Andrew referenced in his opening. Link here.

 For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

We have a truly one-of-a-kind dead pilot for you this month! It’s The Sleeping Father, written by Michele Mulroney & Kieran Mulroney (Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows, Power Rangers), based on the novel by Matthew Sharpe. It follows the slow-motion implosion and long and ridiculous recovery of the Schwartz family after patriarch, Bernie, goes into a coma and comes out of it even more screwed up than when he went in. Michele and Kieran originally wrote this as a screenplay for Warner Bros and it was later revived as a television pilot for Warner Bros Television. The Mulroneys have lived with and worked on this adaptation for well over a decade, and we are happy to bring you not just one, but two episodes of this criminally dead project! They wrote a great second episode that we will be bringing you next week. This is an unconventional and unpredictable story about a messy family that we know you’re going to love. Enjoy it!

We had a terrific cast for this one including Dave Foley (Newsradio), Ennis Esmer (Blindspot), Ciara Bravo (Cherry), Daniel DiMaggio (American Housewife), Nichole Sakura (Superstore), Niles Fitch (This Is Us), Sarah Rafferty (Suits), Bellina Logan (ER), Greg Hess (LA to Vegas), and Andrew Reich with stage directions.

If you’d like to see the video feed of The Sleeping Father, you can do so by going to maximum fun.org/join and become a member for as little as $5. For $5 you’ll get our entire catalogue of bonus content and a bunch of bonus episodes too! Tune in next week for our interview with Michele & Kieran. Thanks for watching and supporting our show! Enjoy!

If you’re trying to support the writer’s strike, you can do so here.

 For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

Grit and determination are the themes of this week’s after show interview with East WillyB creators, Julia Ahumada Grob (Mr. Igelsias) & Yamin Segal (The Wonder Years). You’re going to hear about the trials and tribulations of this project and get a blue print for how to make your own TV show. Julia & Yamin go in depth on their experience financing, writing, producing, and starring in two seasons of the East WillyB web series. They tell the story of the 7 year journey to selling this pilot. (If you haven’t listened to last week’s table read, you must). We also discuss Latino/a representation in the media and how the lack of diversity amongst executives plays a role in it. Julia dishes on helpful writer’s room advice she got from Dead Pilots Society Alum Sierra Teller Ornelas (her pilot's here, by the way). They also pitch on why East WillB is still relevant today and needs to be on air. Maybe there’s an exec listening who wants to hear their new take after the strike. A lot of great insight in this one. Enjoy!

Check out their groundbreaking and critically acclaimed web-series East WillyB  here .

If you’d like to see the video feed for East WillyB, you can do so by going to maximum fun.org/join and become a member for as little as $5. For $5 you’ll get our entire catalogue of bonus content and a bunch of bonus episodes too!

If you'd like  to support the writer’s strike consider donating to the Entertainment Community Fund here.

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

This month’s pilot is East WillyB written by Julia Ahumada Grob (Mr. Iglesias) & Yamin Segal  (The Wonder Years). It’s a half hour comedy based on their indie web series of the same name. It revolves around a truly unconventional family, dysfunctional neighbors who populate the last hold-out dive bar in gentrified Brooklyn. Together they’ll face life’s challenges — from love, friendship, and legacy, to family and change — realizing they can only do it if they lean on each other; their chosen family. East WillyB was set up at ABC with ABC Studios and Korin Williams and Moonque Nash attached to produce.

We had a great cast for this one including Rene Rosado (The Conners), Haskiri Velazquez (Saved By The Bell), Greg Santos (The Neighborhood), Roberta Valderrama (American Princess), The Kid Mero (Desus & Mero), Jamila Velazquez (West Side Story), Ahmed Al-Kadri (David Diamond Hands), and Andrew Reich with stage directions. 

If you’d like to see the video feed of Kings Of Ohio, you can do so by going to maximum fun.org/join and become a member for as little as $5. For $5 you’ll get our entire catalogue of bonus content and a bunch of bonus episodes too! Tune in next week for our interview with Kat & John. Thanks for watching and supporting our show! Enjoy!

 

If you'd like  to support the writer’s strike consider donating to the Entertainment Community Fund here.

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

We had a delightful conversation this week with the writers of Kings of Ohio, Kat Likkel & John Hoberg.  Kat & John kicked off the interview by telling us about their six adopted goats. They gave us an in-depth recap of what it was like to work with Pixar on their new movie Elemental (coming out on June 16th, 2023). How their years in TV writing prepared them for that development process, a process that taught them to be more flexible and less precious in their own writing. They also share their origin stories into Hollywood, how they got staffed on My Name Is Earl, and even more on the plethora of writers' rooms they’ve been in. Kat & John are great writersand even better people. We know you’re going to enjoy this one. Thanks for listening, enjoy! 

Get the video for the table read of Kings Of Ohio for as little as $5 by going to https://maximumfun.org/join

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

Our dead pilot this month comes from two brilliant scribes: Kat Likkel & John Hoberg (Elemental & My Name Is Earl)! Their pilot is a half hour single camera dramedy called The Kings of Ohio. It centers around a blue collar laborer, Brad, who is trying to keep his two best friends Ronnie (fast talking schemer with a "plan") and Carl (a combat vet with a short fuse) from falling through the cracks in an economically depressed town in southern Ohio — all while attempting to win back the love of his life — his estranged wife Darla, a tough as nails clerk at the local Walmart. Kings Of Ohio was inspired by Kat & John’s childhood, drawn from people they grew up around in Ohio and Kansas. It was set up at ABC Network and we know you’re going to love it.

We had a terrific cast for this one including Garrick Bernard (Single Drunk Female), Dustin Ybarra (Easter Sunday), Carl Tart (American Auto), Cyrina Fiallo (Life In Pieces, Community), Mark Gagliardi (Blood & Treasure), Hal Lublin (The Venture Bros), and Andrew Reich with stage directions. 

If you’d like to see the video feed of Kings Of Ohio, you can do so by going to maximum fun.org/join and become a member for as little as $5. For $5 you’ll get our entire catalogue of bonus content and a bunch of bonus episodes too! Tune in next week for our interview with Kat & John. Thanks for watching and supporting our show! Enjoy!

 

If you'd like  to support the writer’s strike consider donating to the Entertainment Community Fund here.

 

 For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

We caught up with David Litt this week about his pilot, Young Professionals. At age 24, David, became one of the youngest White House speechwriters in history. In this interview, you’ll hear about David’s journey into politics and comedy writing. David and Andrew reminisced about their time on The Exit Players, the oldest improv troupe at Yale. David told us why he joined the Obama campaign in 2008 and how he became the head writer for The White House Correspondents dinner. He shared a story about the hardest he ever made President Obama laugh and spoke on how challenging it is to write a political comedy in today’s climate. We also got his thoughts on The West Wing and Veep and how they totally nailed what it’s like to be a staffer in the White House. It was a great interview that we know you’ll enjoy. Thanks for listening! Enjoy!

Get the video for the table read of Young Professionals for as little as $5 by going to https://maximumfun.org/join

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

Our dead pilot this month is called Young Professionals and was written by David Litt, who, at age 24, became one of the youngest White House speechwriters in history. David is also the author of two bestselling books: "Thanks, Obama" and "Democracy in One Book or Less". Young Professionals follows five friends who struggle to make a difference in the broken, bizarre, hopelessly absurd world of Washington DC. It’s Veep meets Broad City! The project was initially set up at Comedy Central and then this version was developed at ABC, both times with Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer (Broad City) attached to executive produce. It's a true insider's view of what it's like to be young and trying to change the world in the nation's capital!

As always, we had a great for this one including John Harlan Kim (911), Olivia Sui (Smosh, Do Revenge), Karan Menon (tik tok), Alexxis Lemire (The Half Of It), Sandeep Parikh (The Guild), Noah Segan (Poker Face), Joel Spence (Big Little Lies), Isabella Gomez (One Day At A Time), Hal Lublin (The Venture Bros), and Andrew Reich with stage directions. Thanks for listening and enjoy!

If you’d like to see the video feed of Young Professionals, you can do so by going to maximum fun.org/join and become a member for as little as $5. For $5 you’ll get our entire catalogue of bonus content and a bunch of bonus episodes too! Tune in next week for our interview with Steve. Thanks for listening and supporting our show! Enjoy!

 For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com 

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

There’s only a few more days left of Max Fun Drive and we’re sad to see it go! This is the one time of year where we ask you to become a member or upgrade your membership to help make our show possible. If you’ve already done your part, thank you so much for your support. We couldn’t bring you the best damn dead pilots in Hollywood without it. There’s always time to become a Max Fun member, so if you want to help us keep fighting the good fight go to maximumfun.org/join ! For this year’s Max Fun Drive we brought you the first three episodes of a show created by Brooks Wheelan (I Think You Should Leave, SNL) & Isaac Rentz (Opening Night) called Wheelan Motors. If you haven’t listened to it yet… what are you waiting for?

This is the after show and in it you’ll hear all about how Brooks and Isaac started their comedy partnership. They talk in depth about their long and arduous development of Wheelan Motors. How close they were to the finish line and the rollercoaster ride that is Fox’s new pilot development process. This episode has a whole lot of passion and vulnerability in it. Perhaps the perfect way to cap off this year’s Max Fun Drive. Thanks for listening! Enjoy!

This year our bonus content includes our library of video from our table reads. You can get them for as little as $5 by going to https://maximumfun.org/join

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

It’s Max Fun Drive! The one time of year where we ask you to become members or upgrade your membership to help make our show possible. For this year’s Max Fun Drive we’re bringing you something super special. A full on Dead Pilots Society Series. Well, the first three episodes of one at least.

Today we’re releasing the third and final episode of Wheelan Motors written and created by Brooks Wheelan (I Think You Should Leave, SNL) & Isaac Rentz (Opening Night). The title of this one is “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” and it’s about Brook’s brother Michael who after missing a Bret Michaels concert because his family forgot him in a trunk, quits Wheelan Motors and is poached by a rival dealership. His absence throws the family's delicate ecosystem off and the Wheelans crumble. It’s the series finale of our little dead pilots society series and it’s the funniest for sure!

The cast for this one was next level! Wheelan Motors stars Brooks Wheelan, Jessica Lowe as Jenny Valvino, Paul Scheer as Todd, Will Sasso as Jim Wheelan, Kerri Kenney Silver as Chris Wheelan, Bobby Moynihan as Michael, Mike O’Brien as Freddie Admunson, Gary Anthony Williams as Doug T, Ryan Asher as Layton, Nick Rutherford as Ries, Joe Mande as Lincoln, Katrina Davis as Stacy T, and Joey Lyons with stage directions.

This year our bonus content includes our library of video from our table reads. You can get them for as little as $5 by going to https://maximumfun.org/join

Tune in Monday for episode three of Wheelan Motors written by Brooks Wheelan & Isaac Rents. Thanks for supporting our show! Enjoy!

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

It’s Max Fun Drive! The one time of year where we ask you to become members or upgrade your membership to help make our show possible. For this year’s Max Fun Drive we’re bringing you something super special. A full on Dead Pilots Society Series. Well, the first three episodes of one at least.

Today we’re releasing episode two of Wheelan Motors written and created by Brooks Wheelan (I Think You Should Leave, SNL) & Isaac Rentz (Opening Night). In this episode, Wheelan Motors becomes embroiled in an insurance scam and Jim sponsors a little league team to get the community to trust him again. After finding out the team has a losing record he fires Todd as the coach, and hires Brooks as his "puppet."

The cast for this one was next level! Wheelan Motors stars Brooks Wheelan, Jessica Lowe as Jenny Valvino, Paul Scheer as Todd, Will Sasso as Jim Wheelan, Kerri Kenney-Silver as Chris Wheelan, Bobby Moynihan as Michael, Mike O’Brien as Freddie Admunson, Gary Anthony Williams as Doug T, Ryan Asher as Layton, Nick Rutherford as Ries, Joe Mande as Lincoln, Katrina Davis as Stacy T, and Joey Lyons with stage directions.

This year our bonus content includes our library of video from our table reads. You can get them for as little as $5 by going to https://maximumfun.org/join

Tune in Monday for episode three of Wheelan Motors written by Brooks Wheelan & Isaac Rents. Thanks for supporting our show! Enjoy!

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

It’s Max Fun Drive! The one time of year where we ask you to become members or upgrade your membership to help make our show possible. For this year’s Max Fun Drive we’re bringing you something super special. A full on Dead Pilots Society Series. Well, the first three episodes of one at least.

This week’s pilot is called Wheelan Motors written and created by Brooks Wheelan (I Think You Should Leave, SNL) & Isaac Rentz (Opening Night). Brooks and Isaac sold this show to Fox and the network was so excited about it that they ordered them to write two more episodes. Over the next two week’s of Max Fun Drive you’ll get two hear all three episodes of this show. Wheelan Motors centers around Brooks, who returns to Iowa to accept a job at his family’s car dealership after a misunderstanding lands him in a mental hospital. This is also the first pilot we recorded live since the pandemic began so you’re going to actually hear some real laughs!

The cast for this one was next level! Wheelan Motors stars Brooks Wheelan as Brooks, Jessica Lowe as Jenny Valvino, Paul Scheer as Todd, Will Sasso as Jim Wheelan, Kerri Kenney-Silver as Chris Wheelan, Bobby Moynihan as Michael, Mike O’Brien as Freddie Admunson, Gary Anthony Williams as Doug T, Ryan Asher as Layton, Nick Rutherford as Ries, Joe Mande as Lincoln, Katrina Davis as Stacy T, and Joey Lyons with stage directions.

This year our bonus content includes our library of video from our table reads. You can get them for as little as $5 by going to https://maximumfun.org/join

Tune in Thursday for episode two of Wheelan Motors written by Brooks Wheelan & Isaac Rents. Thanks for supporting our show! Enjoy!

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

The theme of today’s episode is friendship! We sat down with three great friends and writers of Throuple, Andrew Leeds, Lindsey Kraft and Richie Keen. In their interview they debate whether handing out ice cream to executives during their network pitches was a good idea or not. They told us about how their pitch made no sense. Their words not ours. Andrew Leeds told us about how Richie coached him for an audition for Andrew Reich’s pilot. Insight into mining comedic characters from real ones and how they went about adding a hook to a show about nothing. This is a fun one. Enjoy it! 

Get the video for the table read of Throuple for as little as $5 by going to https://maximumfun.org/join

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

We’re bringing you a great pilot this month! It’s called Throuple written by Richie Keen (It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia), Andrew Leeds (The Patient, Barry), and Lindsey Kraft (Grace & Frankie). Throuple is an autobiographical comedy based on a short film written by and starring the three real-life best friends. It revolves around a long-term couple and their best friend as they navigate everyday situations in their own unique way. Keen was attached to direct, Scott Fedro and Perry Rogers were also attached to executive produce. The project was set up at NBC with Universal TV as the studio. It’s a real slice of life relationship comedy that we know you’re going to love.

Throuple stars Richie Keen, Lindsey Kraft, Andrew Leeds, Moujan Zolfaghari, India De Beaufort, Jay Lacopo, Gloria Calderón Kellett, and Andrew Reich with stage directions. 

You can watch the short film that inspired this pilot here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73PR_Isbh58

If you’d like to see the video feed of Throuple, you can do so by going to maximum fun.org/join and become a member for as little as $5. For $5 you’ll get our entire catalogue of bonus content and a bunch of bonus episodes too! Tune in next week for our interview with Steve. Thanks for watching and supporting our show! Enjoy!

 For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

Steve Basilone is on the podcast today! Steve has written for Happy Endings, The Goldbergs, and Community. He’s also the writer of last week’s dead pilot, FALLING/APART. In our discussion, Steve told us about his beginnings in Hollywood. How helpful it was to finish his last semester at Emerson College in LA. He told us about how he pivoted from acting to writing after realizing he could write a script as bad as the projects he was auditioning for. Steve discussed his first feature sale, his experience in the Happy Endings room, and a tale or two about pitching Arnold Schwarzenegger, Danny Devito, and Eddie Murphy the remake of TWINS. We love talking to writers and we loved talking to Steve! Thanks for listening! Enjoy!

 

Get the video for the table read of Falling/Apart, for as little as $5 by going to https://maximumfun.org/join

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

We’re starting off the year with a great dead pilot! It’s called Falling/Apart written by Steve Basilone (The Goldbergs, Community, Happy Endings). In Falling/Apart Lena and Evan, both newly single, must navigate the uniquely demoralizing song-and-dance of single-hood: the swiping right, the ghosting, the banal first date banter. Honestly, they both (kind of) hate it...until they meet each other. And thus the romantic cycle of falling in love and falling apart begins anew. This project was set up at NBC, with Seth Gordon attached to direct and Sony Pictures TV attached to produce. Falling/Apart is a time-bending rom-com that concurrently explores the beginning and the end of a relationship and illuminates the ridiculous cyclical nature of love, life and getting older.

Falling/Apart stars Gareth Reynolds (Maron), Sam Lerner (The Goldbergs), Olivia Sui (Smosh), Jessy Hodges (Barry), Will Greenberg (Wrecked), Zoë Chao (Love Life), Garrick Bernard (Single Drunk Female), Moujan Zolfaghari (The Brothel), and Andrew Reich with stage directions. We’re so excited to share this podcast with you. Thanks for listening and enjoy!

If you’d like to see the video feed of Falling/Apart, you can do so by going to maximum fun.org/join and become a member for as little as $5. For $5 you’ll get our entire catalogue of bonus content and a bunch of bonus episodes too! Tune in next week for our interview with Steve. Thanks for watching and supporting our show! Enjoy!

 For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

This week’s episode is an insightful interview with the writer of Dear America: We’ve Seen You Naked, Scotty Landes (Workaholics, Ma). In it, Scotty discusses the Politico article his pilot is based on. You can check that out here. He tells us how he wrote a pilot with 9 main characters, the best breaking into the business story we’ve ever heard, his transition from a reality TV producer to a scripted TV writer and how working in reality made him a better TV writer. Scotty’s insightful stories made this a delightful interview and his pilot was truly hilarious. Go check it out if you haven’t yet. Thanks for listening! Enjoy!

Get the video for the table read of Dear America: We’ve Seen You Naked for as little as $5 by going to https://maximumfun.org/join  and becoming a Max Fun member. 

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

Happy Holidays, Dead Pilots Society listeners! Our pilot this month is Dear America, We’ve Seen You Naked written by Scotty Landes (Workaholics, Who Is America?, Ma). It’s a workplace comedy about a group of TSA agents at Chicago O’Hare airport. We think this pairs well with our Episode 25: Airport Marriott written by Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi. Dear America also has a unique origin story in that it’s based on a non-existent book. You’ll hear all about that and more in Scotty’s pre-read interview.  This is a great pilot! We know you’re going to love it! 

Dear America, We’ve Seen You Naked stars Lucas Hazlett (American Princess), Erika Rankin (House Of Lies), Courtney Pauroso (Reno 911!  It’s A Wonderful Heist), Jesus Trejo (Sullivan & Son), Matt Oberg (Harley Quinn, Veep) Sabrina Jalees (Search Party), Danny Jolles (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend), Ankur Bhatt (Platonic), Shawn Vance (MVP) Bryce Craver (Limits Of Therapy), Shannon Dee (Hacks, Good Girls, I Love That For You) and Andrew Reich with stage directions.

If you’d like to see the video feed for Dear America, you can do so by becoming a Max Fun member for as little as $5 by going to maximum fun.org/join. For $5 you’ll get our entire catalogue of bonus content and a bunch of bonus episodes too! Tune in next week for our interview with Scotty. 

LIVE SHOW ALERT! Come to our first live show in three years on January 12th, 2023 at The Elysian Theater! We’ll be reading the first three episodes of a show created for Fox by Brooks Wheelan & Isaac Rentz called Wheelan Motors. Wheelan Motors is a blue-collar workplace comedy that follows three dysfunctional brothers, their larger-than-life parents, and the eccentric staff of the business where they all work: a family-run car dealership in small-town Iowa. Get your tickets now because we have a monster cast for this one featuring:

Tim Heidecker (Tim and Eric)

Bobby Moynihan (SNL)

Alyssa Limperis (Flatbush Misdemeanors)

Kerri Kenney Silver (Reno 911) 

Jermaine Fowler (Tuca and Bertie) 

Mike O’Brien (AP Bio)

Jessica Lowe (Minx) 

TICKET LINK: https://www.elysiantheater.com/shows/deadpilotssociety

Thanks for listening and supporting our show! Enjoy!

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of our Dead Pilots Society listeners! This week we caught up with Emily Cutler (Fresh off The Boat, AP Bio) the writer of Step Dave! Emily talks in depth about how the Step Dave format came to her. Also, Andrew will give you a brief education about what a format even is! Emily felt a special connection to the material because, like Annie in the pilot, her husband is 10 years younger than her. She told us about how she mined material from her own marriage to pitch and develop the show. Emily also discusses her early career transition from an actor to a writer and she shared with us her best practices for people wanting to staff. This is a really great episode with a brilliant writer. Enjoy it and thanks for listening!

 

Get the video for the table read of Step Dave for as little as $5 by going to https://maximumfun.org/join

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

We have a wonderful pilot for you this month! It’s the perfect pilot to listen to while curled up next to a fire this holiday season! You all have fireplaces, right?! Either way, this month’s script comes from Emily Cutler (Fresh Off The Boat, AP BIO). In STEP DAVE, lives are turned upside down when a 24 year-old bartender and a 36 year-old divorced mom fall in love. That's right, it's a romantic comedy pilot! Step Dave was set up at NBC through Universal in 2017 and it was inspired by a New Zealand show of the same name. It’s sweet, romantic, and just so much fun. We hope you like it! Enjoy!

Step Dave stars Lindsay Sloane (Bring It On, The Odd Couple) as Annie Buckman, Luke Mones (Insecure) as Dave Gibbs, Vinny Thomas (Platonic) as Ozzie, Alyssa Limperis (Her latest Peacock special No Bad Days) as Carla/Stella, Greg Santos (The Neighborhood) as Ken/Leo, Mariana Klaveno (True Blood, Devious Maids) as Suzanne, Linda Purl (The Office) as Margaret, Neska Rose (Drama Club) as Jessie, Libi Rose (Angelyne) as Sara, and Andrew Reich with stage directions.

If you’d like to see the video feed of Step Dave, you can do so by going to maximum fun.org/join and become a member for as little as $5. For $5 you’ll get our entire catalogue of bonus content and a bunch of bonus episodes too! Tune in next week for our interview with Emily. Thanks for watching and supporting our show! Enjoy!

 

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

This is the after show interview with Niki Schwartz-Wright (The Office, Speechless). Niki was the writer of Valley Trash which we released last week. In this interview, Niki lets us in on how autobiographical and personal this pilot was. She dishes on some advice her father gave her on how to handle bullies. Niki walks us through her journey to becoming a TV writer: starting as an assistant at a talent agency and transitioning to being a script coordinator on a show she would later get staffed on. She shares a story about joining The Office staff in the show’s last season and how she had to watch 180 episodes of it in 7 days before starting. This is a good one! Enjoy it and thanks for listening. 

If you want to watch the video recording of Niki's pilot Valley Trash, you can do so for as little as $5 by becoming a Maximum Fun member at maximumfun.org/donate

 

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

This month’s pilot is brought to you by the clutches of the pandemic! It’s called Valley Trash written by Niki Schwartz-Wright (The Grinder, Speechless, The Office). Valley Trash was days away from going into production when the network shut it down at the start of the Covid lockdowns in March 2020. The pilot centers on The Harmans, a scrappy, blue collar family living in the deep Valley who suddenly experience a major culture clash when their fourteen-year-old daughter, Abby, gets accepted to a prestigious LA private high school filled with students and parents who want nothing to do with her, her family or their 818 area code. Valley Trash was set up at ABC with Universal TV,  Nahnatchka Khan (Fresh Off The Boat creator), and 20th Century Fox TV attached to produce. Jason Lee was also attached to star before the project was shut down. Luckily, Valley Trash has finally found a home here on Dead Pilots Society.

We had a great cast for this one including Chris Tallman (The Thundermans) as Cal, Sophie Grace (Babysitters Club) as Abby, Jake Nordwind (SNL) as Benji, Jamie Denbo (F Is For Family) as Jules, Joy Osmanski (Stargirl) as Kay, Marcus Bishop-Wright (Out of Order!) as Armed Guard, Nola Bowie as Sydney Maybach, Moujan Zolfaghari (Last Week Tonight) as Suzanne Maybach, and Andrew Reich with stage directions.

If you want to watch the video recording of this pilot, you can do so for as little as $5 by becoming a Maximum Fun member at maximfun.org/donate

Tune in next week for our interview with Niki Schwartz-Wright. Thanks for supporting our show! Enjoy!

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

Welcome to the after show interview! This week we sat down with the writer of Peak Eve, Lon Zimmet. Andrew and Lon worked together on Lon’s first show, Worst Week. Since then Lon has gone on to write for Happy Endings, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Superstore, and he created the sitcom LA to Vegas on Fox.  In this interview, Andrew and Lon talked about Lon’s transition from working in a writing team to going out on his own. He credits his solo success to writing as much as he possibly could. Lon talks about his handy story document that he always refers to when he starts to work on something new. He let us in on his experience developing with FX, his process of writing cold opens, lessons he’s learned as a show runner, and the difference between writing shows for the market and writing for yourself. This is a good one! Enjoy it and thanks for listening!

If you want to watch the video recording of Peak Eve, you can do so for as little as $5 per month by becoming a Maximum Fun member at maximfun.org/donate

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

We have an edgy FX pilot for you this month!  It’s called Peak Eve and it comes to us from Lon Zimmet (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Superstore, creator of LA to Vegas). It centers on a misanthropic, twenty-something narcissist who resigns herself to becoming a better person… and then is annoyed to discover what a huge pain in the ass that’s going to be. This one is really good and super funny! You won't want to miss it!

We had a stellar cast for this one including Dylan Gelula (Loot) as Eve, Biniam Bizuneh (Dave) as Josh, Aparna Brielle (AP Bio) as Allie, Tre Hale (the upcoming Platonic series on Apple TV) as Marcus, Craig Cackowski (Drunk History) as Alan, Jaime Moyer (AP Bio) as Debra, Charley Koontz as War Beard (Community), Savannah Rodin (Miracle Workers) as Laurel, and Andrew Reich with stage directions.

If you want to watch the video recording of this pilot, you can do so for as little as $5 by becoming a Maximum Fun member at maximfun.org/donate

Tune in next week for our interview with Lon Zimmet. Thanks for supporting our show! Enjoy!

 

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

Please listen to the table read of Electric Youth written by David Iserson if you haven’t yet. This is the after show with David, who has a ton of amazing credits including SNL, New Girl, and Mad Men. We get into a lot of them in this interview! David let us in on some great advice he got from Matthew Weiner  when he was on Mad Men and how that show was more of a comedy than people realize. He gives us his trusted metaphor for how to know whether an idea is a keeper. He also shares an absolutely insane note that he got from the network when he was developing Electric Youth. It’s one for the crazy note hall of fame for sure. This is a good one! Enjoy it and thanks for listening!

 

If you want to watch the video recording of Electric Youth, you can do so for as little as $5 per month by becoming a Maximum Fun member at maximfun.org/donate

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

This month’s pilot is going to make you want to go back in time and start this summer all over again. That’s right it’s our very first time travel pilot. It’s called Electric Youth and it comes from the prolific screenwriter David Iverson (The Spy Who Dumped Me, Mad Men, New Girl, SNL). It centers around Britt, a woman in her 30s who gets a knock on her door one night and finds her high school boyfriend, only he’s still sixteen and just successfully traveled in time. This comedy explores our relationship to the past and how it can move us forward.  It's  a hilarious and sweet pilot that we know you're going to love!

 

We had a stellar cast for this one featuring Lindsey Kraft (Grace & Frankie) as Britt, Devon Bostick (Diary of a Wimpy Kid) as Charley, Demi Adejuyigbe (The Good Place) as Doug, Emily Robinson (Eighth Grade) as Harper/Albany, Dylan Gelula (Loot, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) as Kimberly, Kaitlyn Tanimoto (Camping) as Clara/Fleur, David Iserson as Teen ‘Stache/Customer, and Andrew Reich with stage directions. 

 

If you want to watch the video recording of this pilot, you can do so for as little as $5 by becoming a Maximum Fun member at https://maximumfun.org/join/

 

Tune in next week for our interview with David Iserson. Thanks for supporting our show! Enjoy!

 

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

We have a unique and enlightening interview for you for this month! This is the after show for Mostly Dead Things written by Brian C. Brown (Lucy In The Sky, About A Boy, Bad Monkey) and Jessica Lee Williamson (I’m Dying Up Here, F Is For Family) based on the book by Kristen Arnett. In this interview we discussed Brian and Jessica’s experience as veteran storytellers from The Moth. The Moth is clearly an underused potential path to television writing. A path with no barrier to entry too! Jessica told us about a brilliant piece of conceptual art in Los Angeles that she was behind. We discussed the great state of Florida, adapting books into television shows, and so much more. Enjoy this one and thanks for listening! We'll see you next month!

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast! Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

We have a wild and weird and very Florida pilot for you this month! It’s called Mostly Dead Things written by Brian C. Brown (Lucy In The Sky, About A Boy, Bad Monkey) & Jessica Lee Williamson (I’m Dying Up Here, F Is For Family). After the death of their patriarch, a dysfunctional family of Florida taxidermists spirals out of control, coping with their loss through redneck love triangles, interspecies porn dioramas, and a bunch of cute squirrels stuffed full of narcotics. Briana and Jessica are both award-winning Moth storytellers. The pilot is based on Kristen Arnett’s best-selling novel and it was sadly passed on by FX.

 

Our cast for this one was special! We have Allison Tolman (Good Girls, Why Women Kill) as Jessa, Ritesh Rajan as Milo (Russian Doll), Cyrina Fiallo (Life In Pieces, Brooklyn 99) as Brynn Morton, Nicole Travolta (Anger Management) as Kendall, Marcus Bishop-Wright (Out Of Order!) as Whit, Lizzy Peet (How To Get Away With Murder) as Libby, Corey Ryan Forrester (Well Red Comedy) as Big Kid, Uly Schlesinger (Divorce) as Bastien and Andrew Reich with stage directions. Tune in next week for our interview with Brian and Jessica. Thanks for supporting our show! Enjoy!

 

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

If you haven’t listened to the table read of Lenny written by Lucas Hazlett (American Princess, Wrecked) & Alex Herschlag (Will & Grace), you should do it now. This is our after show interview with Lucas & Alex. It’s a fun interview where we got into very specific details of Lucas Hazlett’s background and origins. His transition from studying philosophy to studying improv! We also dive into Alex’s career origins, writing for Rob Schneider and Ellen Degeneres before moving on to some of the best sitcoms of all time. How Lucas and Alex’s mined their own dynamic to write the characters of Lenny and Al. Lucas shared with us his ideas for where the show would’ve gone and so much more. It’s an interesting and vulnerable interview. Enjoy it and thanks for listening! We'll see you next month!

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

We’re kicking off summer 2022 with a wonderful pilot! It’s called Lenny written by Lucas Hazlett (Wrecked, American Princess) & Alex Herschlag (Will & Grace, Modern Family). Lenny centers around a gay half black half white man child who moves in with his white mother and her new white fiancé on the condition that he becomes the nanny to the fiancé’s children. It was written for CBS and it’s just a ton of fun. Our cast for this pilot includes Lucas Hazlitt as Lenny, Suzanne Cryer (Silicon Valley) as Elizabeth Harris, Amy Hill (magnum PI) as Dr. Chang, Ru Kazi (The Good Place) as Al Clark, Jiavani (Between Two Ferns) as Crystal, Emma Shannon (Better Things) as Madeline, Jay Pichardo (NCIS: Los Angeles) as Jason, Antonio Corbo (Brooklyn 99) as Tristan, and Andrew Reich with stage directions. 

Tune in next week for our interview with Lucas and Alex. Thanks for supporting our show! Enjoy!

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

If you haven’t listened to last week’s episode How To Be A Couple written by Naomi Ekperigin (The Standups on Netflix) & Andy Beckerman (The Pete Holmes Show) you must! While you’re at it, check out their podcast Couples Therapy too. This is our After Show interview with Naomi & Andy. It’s a fun one too! You’ll hear them get into the unique dynamics of their writing relationship and how they go about writing their relationship. We got into the great New York watercolor magazine wars of the early 2000s; Naomi & Andy’s first project together - the reality show Inside Caucasia; Naomi’s first job as a writer’s assistant on Broad City; how to deal when your partner has a different hill they want to die on then you; why you need to be careful about who you riff with, and so much more. Naomi & Andy are absolutely hilarious and a delight to talk to. Enjoy this one and thanks for listening!

 

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

We have another great episode for you this month, but before we tell you about it, we want to thank everyone who became a Maximum Fun member or upgraded their membership during the MaxFunDrive this year. If you haven’t done so yet you still can by going to maximumfun.org/join. 

 

Moving on to this month’s dead pilot! It’s called How To Be A Couple written by Naomi Ekperigin (The Standups on Netflix, Mythic Quest) & Andy Beckerman (The Pete Holmes Show). Naomi and Andy are the co-hosts of the fantastic Couples Therapy podcast. This is a very autobiographical pilot about Natalie and Sam, a bi-racial couple who are in a throuple with their careers. The pilot was sold to Comedy Central with Annie Mebane attached to showrun and executive produce. The project was originally developed by CBS TV Studios. 

 

The cast for this one is top notch as always! It features Naomi Ekperigin as Natalie, Andy Beckerman as Sam, Chris Tallman (Reno 911!) as Landlord Rick, Jessica Regan (lll Behavior) as Professor Miriam Fogle, Nyima Funk (Key & Peele) as Sandra, Matt Catanzano (The Last OG) as Craig, Mort Burke (The Mindy Project) as Gene, Aparna Nancherla (Mythic Quest) as Sofia, and Andrew Reich with stage directions.  Tune in next week for our interview with Naomi and Andy. Thanks for supporting our show! Enjoy!

 

If you want to watch the video for our table reads you can do so by becoming MaxFun member  for as little as $5 by going to https://maximumfun.org/join

 

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

It’s week two of the Max Fun Drive! This is the one time of year where all of the shows on the Maximum Fun Network reach out to you and ask you to become members or upgrade your membership to help make our show possible. We’re following up last week’s table read of Greatest American Heroes with an interview with its writer, Andy Bobrow (Community, Last Man On Earth, Brooklyn 99!) In it you’ll hear Andy talk about his fifteen years in advertising before becoming a television writer. He let us in on some of his worries as a new writer, the pressure he put on himself to succeed, and the constant worry of thinking he might be too old to make it in this industry.  You’ll hear Andy talk about how he got his first writing job on Malcolm In The Middle and his experience writing on Community. He also talks in detail about how helpful it was to have had a career in advertising before becoming a TV writer. Some profound insight and vulnerability in this one. You won’t want to hit the pause button. Enjoy it!

 

If you don’t know already, all Maximum Fun podcasts are audience supported. That means that our audience directly supports and makes our show possible month after month. So please consider becoming a member or if you already are one… upgrade if you can! With your new or upgrading Max Fun membership, you’ll get access to all of our bonus content along with the entire library of Maximum Fun bonus content. There’s a whole bunch of membership tiers that get you all different kinds of gifts too!

 

Please support our show by becoming a member. As a reward for your membership, you’ll get access to all of the videos from our table reads of the last two years and so much more. It’s all yours for as little as $5. Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/join

 

Thanks for supporting our show!

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

It’s Max Fun Drive! The one time of year where all of the shows on the Maximum Fun Network reach out to you and ask you to become members or upgrade your membership to help make our show possible. We have an amazing and special Max Fun Drive episode for you this month! We’re bringing our first ever 1-hour dead pilot. Don’t worry! It’s not a dry police procedural or boring medical drama. It’s a funny update of the beloved eighties TV show Greatest American Hero.  The pilot was written by Andy Bobrow (Community, Last Man On Earth, Brooklyn 99). The cast for this one is absolutely bonkers! It features Sam Richardson (Veep, After Party), Will Forte (Last Man On Earth, SNL), Stephen Root (Barry, Office Space, Dodgeball) Rachael Harris (The Hangover, Reno 911!), Romy Rosemont (Glee), Parisa Fitz-Henley (My Spy), Adam Paul (How I Met Your Mother), Robby Hoffman (The Chris Gethard Show) and Andrew Reich with stage directions.

If you don’t know already, MaxFunDrive is the one time a year where we ask you to support our show by donating and becoming a MaxFun Member. All Maximum Fun podcasts are audience supported. That means that our audience directly support and make our show possible month after month. With your new or upgrading Max Fun membership, you’ll get access to all of our bonus content along with the entire library of Maximum Fun bonus content. There’s a whole bunch of membership tiers that get you all different kinds of gifts too!

This year our bonus content includes all of the video from our table reads this past year. You can get it for as little as $5 by going to https://maximumfun.org/join

Tune in next week for our interview with Andy Bobrow. Thanks for supporting our show! Enjoy!

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

This is the After Show featuring Jonathan Groff (Happy Endings, Black-ish) and Elena Crevello (Vida, Grace & Frankie). If you haven’t checked out The Thing About Lulu, you should do so before listening to this episode because there will be spoilers. We dive deep into the development process of their pilot and its roots in an unaired series called The Jake Effect that Jonathan made starring Jason Bateman. In this interview you’ll also hear Jonathan and Elena discuss the benefits of creative partnerships, and a conversation about the evolution of single camera comedy. Andrew and Jonathan also share how the Friends and How I Met Your Mother  writers' rooms worked tirelessly to make sure Monica and Ted got their equal share of jokes. A story about the conception of Happy Endings’ original cold open and so much more. A lot of great wisdom and advice in this one. Enjoy it! 

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

We have a great pilot about female friendship this month.  It's called The Thing About Lulu written by Elena Crevello (Vida, American Auto) and Jonathan Groff (Happy Endings, Black-ish). It centers on two women, Scottie and Lulu, best friends with completely opposing worldviews. It was set up at ABC Network with ABC Studios attached to produce. We had a great cast for this one including Phoebe Robinson (2 Dope Queens) as Scottie, Krysta Rodriguez (Trial & Error) as Lulu , Stephen Schneider (Broad City) as Jack, Moses Storm (Conan) as Cooper Hawk, June Diane Raphael (Grace & Frankie) as Britta, Laura Patalano (Gentefied) as Mama Sabina, Greg Santos (Great News) as Will, Sandeep Parikh (The Legend of Neil) as Cuddy, and Andrew Reich with stage directions.

Tune in next week for our interview with Jonathan and Elena. Thanks for supporting our show! Enjoy!

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

If you haven’t listened to the table read of Fun For The Whole Family you should do it right now! This is the after show with its writer John Quaintance (Will & Grace, Workaholics). In our interview with John, he talked about making the transition from actor to stand-up to writer, his experience working on the Friends spin-off Joey, the tale behind the Workaholics writers' room's list of banned comedy phrases, and some inspiring advice that might make you want to work on that project that you have no idea how to do. Enjoy it and thanks for listening! 

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

We have a hilarious pilot for you this month!! This one is called Fun For The Whole Family written by John Quaintance (Hot Pursuit, Will & Grace). It’s the first pilot John ever sold actually! Fun For The Whole Family centers around Max, an estranged son who returns to work alongside his brother and sister at his father’s Michigan Avenue toy company. While there he discovers it's hard to run a functional business with a very dysfunctional family. It was set up at Fox and at one point Adam Scott was attached to play the lead role of Max! 

We had a great cast for this one including Andrew Leeds (Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist) as Max, Charley Koontz (Community) as Donny, Isabella Gomez (One Day At A Time) as Claire, Bruce Greenwood (I, Robot) as Harvey, Emily Chang (The Bold Type) as Micky, Mike Cabellon (Mr. Mayor) as Josh, Sandeep Parikh (The Legend of Neil) as Connie, and Andrew Reich with stage directions.

Tune in next week for our interview with John. Thanks for supporting our show! Enjoy!

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

It's the After Show for Perfect Harmony featuring Andrew's interview with writer Tim Long (The Simpsons) along with the producer on the pilot, Jon Radler. Jon was an executive at Imagine Entertainment, the production company on this project. He offers great insight to what a producer does during the development of a pilot. Tim is a former head-writer for The Late Show with David Letterman and has been a writer & producer on The Simpsons for 24 years. The conversation follows the story of the pilot from a germ of an idea in a general meeting to a powerhouse package with two legendary stars attached. You'll also hear about Tim's job interview with David Letterman, what it's like to come up with storylines in your 24th year on a show, and "characters of most resistance".  All that so much more in this after show interview. Enjoy it and thanks for listening! 

You can get the video for the table read of Perfect Harmony for as little as $5 by going to https://maximumfun.org/join

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

We have a great pilot for you this month! It’s sure to be a hit with fans of music and character driven comedy. It’s called Perfect Harmony written by Tim Long (The Simpsons). Inspired by Art Garfunkel & Paul Simon’s relationship, Perfect Harmony centers around a pair of warring former musical partners. It was set up at Amazon and it’s a hilarious pilot with an incredible cast! Two legends playing the leads. Harry Shearer from This Is Spinal Tap and The Simpsons and Clancy Brown from The Shawshank Redemption, Paget Brewster (Criminal Minds), Naomi Ekperigin (Mythic Quest, Couples Therapy Podcast), Josh Brener (Silicon Valley), Ennis Esmer (Blindspot), Moujan Zolfaghari (At Home With Amy Sedaris), Marcus Bishop-Wright (Chapelle Show), and Andrew Reich with stage directions.

Get the video for the table read for as little as $5 by going to https://maximumfun.org/join

Tune in next week for our interview with Tim. Thanks for supporting our show! Enjoy!

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

It’s the after show for Big Wishes written by Kristen Bartlett (Head writer of Full Frontal with Samantha Bee)! Andrew sat down with Kristen to discuss her dead pilot, her arduous journey into comedy and her day job in standards and practices for a few major television networks. She opens up about the passing of her father, how she cultivated the mentality: “F*ck you, I’m doing my own thing…” and some insight into her days writing on Saturday Night Live. This is an enlightening and heartfelt interview with someone with a deep understanding of hard work. Enjoy it and thanks for listening! 

You can get the video for the table read of Big Wishes for as little as $5 by going to https://maximumfun.org/join

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

Another great pilot for you this month! It’s called Big Wishes written by Kristen Bartlett (Full Frontal, SNL) Her pilot is called Big Wishes. It follows Karla, a guilty pushover, and her best friend Hyacinth, brash and full-of-life despite having Stage 3 breast cancer, as they form a Make-a-Wish Foundation for adults. Together, Karla and Hyacinth set out to grant the strange, occasionally selfish wishes of dying adults. It was sold as a spec to ABC Signature and set up at ABC Network for the 2020 development season. James Griffiths was attached to direct and his production banner Fee-Fi-Fo Films were attached to produce alongside Phoebe Robinson’s production company Tiny Reparations. It’s a hilarious pilot with a great cast! Enjoy!

Big Wishes stars Ashley Nicole Black (A Black Lady Sketch Show) as Karla, Meaghan Rath (Hawaii Five-0) as Haycinth, Nick Kocher (SNL) as Alex, Asif Ali (WandaVision) as Dev/Other Man In Class/Scalper/Sick Teen, Tom Scharpling (Steven Universe) as Jack/Bouncer, James Urbaniak (American Splendor) as Ernie/Jersey Guy/Security Guard, Laraine Newman (SNL) as Marilyn/Woman/Bertie, Cody Lindquist (Broad City) as Self Righteous Mom/Pottery Lady/Gorgeous Woman/Horny Teen, Kristen Bartlett (Full Frontal, SNL) as Stylist/Customer 1/Elegant Woman, Jason Gore (Difficult People) as Customer/Class Instructor/Robby/Lead Singer, and Andrew Reich with stage directions. 

Get the video for the table read for as little as $5 by going to https://maximumfun.org/join

Tune in next week for our interview with Kristen. Thanks for supporting our show! Enjoy!

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

We have a very special bonus episode for you! Andrew sat down with Ty Burrell (Modern Family) to discuss the dead pilot he produced, Yours, Mine and Paul’s written by Julia Meltzer. In their interview they discuss breaking new voices, what exactly that entails, what Ty looks for in specs from green writers, and the effort his company puts into finding them. He told us the story about how Julia’s pilot came to him and how his whole production company flipped for it. The benefits of developing a well oiled spec versus a pitch. An enlightening conversation about multi-camera sitcoms and whether or not they’ll be making a comeback. Enjoy it and thanks for listening!

You can get the video for the table read of Yours, Mine and Paul’s for as little as $5 by going to https://maximumfun.org/join

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

Have you listened to Julia Meltzer’s pilot Yours, Mine and Paul’s yet? Throw it on while you’re whipping up your Thanksgiving meal! Then listen to Andrew's interview with Julia, one of comedy’s next great writers! Joined by her supervisor Abraham Higginbotham (Modern Family), Julia tells us about how she went from being Ty Burrell’s development assistant to attaching him as a producer on her pilot ... the long arduous process of packaging this project with a studio, a showrunner, two stars, and selling it to a major television network ... why Julia chose Abraham to be her supervisor and a deep dive into what the hell a supervisor even is. Yours, Mine and Paul’s was one of the hot pilots during the 2020 development season. Julia and Abraham were sure it was going to series, but somehow it ended up on Dead Pilots Society.  Enjoy the interview and happy Thanksgiving!

You can get the video for the table read of Yours, Mine and Paul’s for as little as $5 by going to https://maximumfun.org/join

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

 

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

A first-time writer hits it out of the park in this month's dead pilot! The pilot is Yours, Mine and Paul’s written by Julia Meltzer. It centers around Lauren, a woman who agrees to be a surrogate for her best friend, Paul, and his husband, Xander. There’s just one problem: Lauren and Xander hate each other. Oh, also Paul dies in the cold open. Some great Will & Grace vibes here. It was developed during the 2019-2020 pilot season, set up at ABC Network with Ty Burrell’s Desert Whale Productions and 20th Century Fox attached to produce. Abraham Higginbotham (Modern Family, Will & Grace) supervised and Sarah Hyland (Modern Family) was attached to star.

Yours, Mine and Paul’s stars Hillary Anne Matthews as Lauren Meyers (Alex, Inc.), Adam Faison (Everything’s Gonna Be Okay) as Xander, Brooks Wheelan (SNL) as Oliver, Blake Lee (Parks & Rec) as Ethan, Syd Steinberg (Cool Kids) as Clara, Oscar Montoya (Playing House) as Paul Ellis, Liz Jenkins (Black-ish) as April and Andrew Reich with stage directions.

Get the video for the table read for as little as $5 by going to https://maximumfun.org/join

Tune in next week for our interview with Julia. Thanks for supporting our show! Enjoy!

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

If you haven’t listened to The End written by Lindsey Shockley then you have to do it before Halloween or you might turn into a zombie! This episode is the After Show! In it, Andrew sits down with Lindsey to discuss her career and the development of her pilot The End. You'll get the story of how he hired Lindsey as the writer’s assistant for one of his shows, and as a writer on another one. Lindsey dishes on how she made the jump from assistant to staff writer. She talks about what it’s like to write on shows that only last one season compared to her experience writing on Black-ish for its entire run. A story about her interview with Kenya Barris and what he was like as a boss. How her zombie pilot is actually a very personal story. The perils of mixing genres... and so much more. It’s a great interview from one of television’s finest TV writers. Enjoy it and thanks for listening!

You can get the video for the table read of The End for as little as $5 by going to https://maximumfun.org/join

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

This month’s pilot is definitely going to put you in the halloween spirit! It’s probably our goriest script yet and without a doubt one of our funniest. It’s The End written by Lindsey Shockley (Black-ish), is a genre-bending comedy about an adorably neurotic woman who gets engaged on the same day zombies take over the world.  But even more terrifying?  Meeting her new in-laws. It was set up at Showtime with Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky attached to produce and Marc Webb attached to direct.

The End stars Hannah Einbeinder (Hacks) as Lila Silver, Biniam Bizuneh (Dave) as Marty, Amy Hill (Magnum PI) as Victoria Matthews, Brian Huskey (Veep) as Walter, Daniel David Stewart (Catch 22) as Gabe, Xander Berkeley (The Walking Dead) as Uncle Jake, Radina Dradnova (Host) as Becky, Jessie Ennis (Mythic Quest) as Nic and Andrew Reich with stage directions.

Get the video for the table read for as little as $5 by going to https://maximumfun.org/join

It’s MaxFun Block Party - October 11 – 22, 2021!

MaxFun Block Party is a new way to bring the MaxFun community together online for some fun, plus a little inspiration for you to try a new show or share a show you like. During Block Party all MaxFun podcasts will be throwing open their (metaphorical) doors with an episode that is especially welcoming to new audiences. So if you’ve been wanting to introduce friends or family to a favorite show, or have been looking to try out something new yourself, come on in! 

More info at maximumfun.org/blockparty

Tune in next week for our interview with Lindsey Shockley. Thanks for supporting our show! Enjoy!

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

Dead Pilots Society and The Greatest Generation got together to celebrate MaxFun Block Party!

If you enjoyed this conversation we had with hosts Benjamin Ahr Harrison and Adam Pranica, be sure to subscribe to The Greatest Generation and the Greatest Discovery!

Thanks to Christian Dueñas for editing!

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

Have you listened to the table read of Everything’s Under Control written by Megan Gailey (Conan) and Aaron Burdette (Man Seeking Woman)? If not, get on that! This episode is the After Show! In it, Andrew sits down with Megan and Aaron to talk about the development of their brilliant and heartwarming pilot. They open up about their experience dealing with grandparents who suffered from Alzheimer’s, working with legendary late television producer Jamie Tarses, the fantasy that comes with an “If come deal”, and a story about the longest network pass of all time. Enjoy it and thanks for listening!

If you haven’t had a chance to listen to the Jamie Tarses tribute episode of Dead Pilots Society, you definitely should. Jamie was the producer of this pilot; she was an irreplaceable force in the television business and we miss her so much. 

You can get the video for the table read of Everything’s Under Control for as little as $5 by going to https://maximumfun.org/join

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

This month’s pilot is a real doozy! It’s called Everything’s Under Control written by Megan Gailey (Conan) and Aaron Burdette (Man Seeking Woman). It centers around a working-class Midwestern family who are just barely keeping it together  when their grandmother develops Alzheimer’s. It was developed during the 2019-2020 pilot season. It was set up at ABC Network with the late Jamie Tarses and ABC Studios attached to produce. 

Everything’s Under Control stars Megan Gailey, Patricia Richardson (Home Improvement) as Gail, Suzanne Cryer (Silicon Valley) as Beth, Joshua Malina (The West Wing) as Darryl, Jake Nordwind (The Groundlings) as Brad, Jemma Moore (Host) as Hostess/Smartphone/Event Planner, Noah Findling (The New York Times) as Instructor/Hibachi Chef, and Andrew Reich with stage directions.

Get the video for the table read for as little as $5 by going to https://maximumfun.org/join

Tune in next week for our interview with Aaron and Megan. Thanks for supporting our show! Enjoy!

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

We hope you had a chance to listen to the table read for Middle of Somewhere written by Andrew Reich (Friends) and the WellRED crew aka Trae Crowder, Corey Ryan Forrester, and Drew Morgan. In this episode, Andrew sits down with the guys for a deep dive into the development of this pilot, including an expansive conversation about some of the more controversial story ideas that the studio and network nixed. They break down how studios pair showrunners with talent, how the news cycle can affect projects for better or worse, and the challenges of getting authentic Southern characters on TV. Enjoy it and thanks for listening!

Get the video for the table read for as little as $5 by going to https://maximumfun.org/join

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

Our pilot this month is called Middle of Somewhere written by Andrew Reich (Friends), Trae Crowder (Well Red), Corey Ryan Forrester (Well Red), and Drew Morgan (Well Red). This is an ensemble comedy about three best friends in the rural south and the women in their lives. Middle of Somewhere was set up at ABC with The District and ABC Studios attached to produce.

Middle of Somewhere stars Trae Crowder, Corey Ryan Forrester, Drew Morgan, Dylan Gelula as Paige, Beth Stelling as Amber, Keith Johnson as Ballard, Broti Gupta as Katie, Jake Nordwind as teenage boy/golfer/Buddy/Wally, Steve Agee as Mayor Rick/townsperson #1, Jemma Moore as Teenage manager/granddaughter/Crystal, and Andrew Reich with stage directions. Thanks for watching! Enjoy it!

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Tune in next week for our interview with Trae, Drew, and Morgan. Thanks for watching and supporting our show! Enjoy!

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

We have a great after show interview for you! It’s an enlightening conversation with Hilary Winston (My Name Is Earl, Community) & Mat Harawitz (Angie Tribeca, Will & Grace) writers of last week’s episode, Common Areas. Hilary spills some life changing advice she got from Kerry Washington in college and tales from her first staff writer job on The Orlando Jones Show. Mat tells us about his most embarrassing job interview moments, some sage (and practical) writing advice, and a conversation about the history of TV pilots. Hilary also taught us about Dan Harmon’s story circle, which she learned from Dan Harmon. Andrew gave us some great intel on how David Crane (Creator of Friends) ran his rooms and some great tips for creating a positive working experience. This is absolutely a must listen episode for everyone! Enjoy!

Get the video for the Common Areas table read for as little as $5 by going to https://maximumfun.org/join

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

Better Help Promo offer:

• BetterHelp is customized online therapy that offers video, phone and even live chat sessions with your therapist, and it’s more affordable than in-person therapy. See if it’s for you.
• This podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp and Dead Pilots Society listeners get 10% off their first month at BetterHelp dot com slash deadpilots.
• Have your first session in under 48 hours at B-E-T-T-E-R-H-E-L-P dot com slash deadpilots. 

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

Our pilot this month is called Common Areas written by Mat Harawitz (Angie Tribeca) & Hilary Winston (Happy Endings). In cities where rents have sky rocketed, people are turning to micro-units in luxury buildings, where they can get a bedroom for the price of an apartment in any other city. These dorm residents are getting a lot more than just a tiny bedroom and athlete’s foot, they’re getting a community (but also probably athlete’s foot). Common Areas centers around the tenants of one of these adult dorms. The project was set up at ABC with Stoller Global Solutions and Sony TV attached to produce.

Common Areas stars Allison Miller (A Million Little Things) as Nicole, Okierte Onaodowan (Hamilton) as Casey, Toni Trucks (SEAL Team) as Camille, Asif Ali (WandaVision) as Evan, Rex Lee (Entourage) as Walter, Mo Welch (Conan) as Amy, Suzy Nakamura (The West Wing) as Zena, Nick Wechsler (Revenge) as Beau, Annie Savage as Beth-Ellen/Jen/Guy/Realtor/Podcast Host/Security Guard/Scandinavian/Bartender/Beau’s Mom and Andrew Reich with stage directions.  Thanks for watching! Enjoy it!

Get the video for the table read for as little as $5 by going to https://maximumfun.org/join

Tune in next week for our interview with Hilary and Mat. Thanks for watching and supporting our show! Enjoy!

For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

Lifespan Promo offer:

Visit LifespanFitness.com and use code DPS5 at checkout for 5% off. That’s LifespanFitness.com and code DPS5

Better Help Promo offer:

• BetterHelp is customized online therapy that offers video, phone and even live chat sessions with your therapist, and it’s more affordable than in-person therapy. See if it’s for you.
• This podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp and Dead Pilots Society listeners get 10% off their first month at BetterHelp dot com slash deadpilots. 
• Have your first session in under 48 hours at B-E-T-T-E-R-H-E-L-P dot com slash deadpilots.

MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.