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Dead Pilots Society
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In Dead Pilots Society, scripts that were developed by studios and networks but were never produced are given the table reads they deserve. Starring actors you know and love from television and film, a live audience, and a good time in which no one gets notes, no one is fired, and everyone laughs. Presented by Andrew Reich (Friends; Worst Week) Ben Blacker (The Writers Panel podcast; co-creator, Thrilling Adventure Hour), and Noah Findling (The New York Times, Comedy Central).
183 Episodes
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Episode 180: Gracie Glassmeyer Interview This after-show episode dives deeper into Here She Lies with its creator, Gracie Glassmeyer. If you heard the table read of this dark, twisty pilot, you probably have questions—like why Seth can’t leave his house, or why Talia has been spying on Amber’s stepmom. Gracie shares the answers, along with her unique path into comedy writing.She’s part of that rare breed of “jock comedy writers”—a group that proves you don’t have to be bad at sports to be good at jokes. This conversation explores the thoughtful world-building behind the pilot and the larger series it could have become. Dead Pilots Society has a live show coming up on Sunday, September 14th at the Elysian Theater in Los Angeles, featuring two fantastic pilots:Humans of the Americas by Jim Brandon and Brian Singleton (Arrested Development, Animal Control, and more)Dream by Lisa Muse Bryant (Black-ish, The Four Seasons)Go to elysiantheater.com and get your tickets for Sunday, September 14th.And don’t forget to check out Andrew’s documentary Born Innocent: The Redd Kross Story at reddkrossfilm.com/rent.
Episode 179: Here She Lies Written by Gracie GlassmeyerWelcome to Dead Pilots Society, the podcast that takes comedy pilots from A-list writers that were sold and developed at networks and streamers but never produced, and gives them the table reads they never got to have.This episode features a pilot from Gracie Glassmeyer. Gracie has written for Ghosts and The Neighborhood, with previous credits including Jane the Virgin, Happy Together, and Impastor. Her pilot defies easy categorization—too smart and compelling to be just a comedy, too funny to be labeled strictly drama.The story centers on a fascinating main character, originally conceived by Yael Grobglas (Matlock, Jane the Virgin), who also leads the cast. She’s joined by Dustin Ybarra (One Day at a Time, We Bought a Zoo) as the agoraphobic co-lead. The rest of the ensemble is a powerhouse Dead Pilots Society lineup: Rachel Keller (Legion, Tokyo Vice), Imani Hakim (Mythic Quest), Oscar Montoya (Minx, Star Trek: Lower Decks), Joy Osmanski (1923, Ghosts), Katherine Bourne Taylor (The Ms. Pat Show), and Marcus Bishop-Wright (Bring on the Damned!).Video of this Zoom read is available to Maximum Fun members along with exclusive bonus content from past years. Become a member for as little as $5 a month at maximumfun.org/join.Dead Pilots Society has a live show coming up on Sunday, September 14th at the Elysian Theater in Los Angeles, featuring two fantastic pilots:Humans of the Americas by Jim Brandon and Brian Singleton (Arrested Development, Animal Control, and more)Dream by Lisa Muse Bryant (Black-ish, The Four Seasons)Go to elysiantheater.com and get your tickets for Sunday, September 14th.
Episode 178: Chris Marcil & Sam Johnson Interview (Blessed and Highly Favored, NewsRadio, Beavis and Butt-Head) In this after-show interview, Andrew sits down with longtime writing partners Chris Marcil and Sam Johnson. Friends and collaborators, Marcil and Johnson share some incredible stories from their decades in the business.They talk about how they got their start writing for Beavis and Butt-Head at MTV, the wild ride that was the NewsRadio writers’ room—complete with its nocturnal schedule—and the drastic shift to the buttoned-up, rarefied world of Frasier.Chris and Sam have been through it all. They’ve seen more writers’ rooms than most, and they’re still at it, working together and “Semi-separately”. They get into what that means and what it looks like for two longtime creative partners to evolve their collaboration.Their recent work includes What We Do in the Shadows, The English Teacher, and the Beavis and Butt-Head reboot. It’s a wide-ranging conversation with two veteran writers who’ve seen it all.
Episode 177: Blessed and Highly Favored by Chris Marcil & Sam Johnson - Live from the Elysian TheaterWe have such a great dead pilot for you this month. It's called Blessed and Highly Favored. It’s a hilarious comedy about a rookie pastor struggling to keep her progressive Baptist church afloat while dealing with megachurch competition, financial strain, and the looming presence of her father—the church’s legendary former pastor.The pilot comes from seasoned writers Chris Marcil and Sam Johnson, whose combined credits include Frasier, NewsRadio, What We Do in the Shadows, Beavis and Butt-Head, Daria, Hot in Cleveland, and All About the Washingtons. They bring not only their deep comedy chops but also real-life churchgoing experience to this story, which was further enriched by the stories of their friend and collaborator Peri Gilpin (Roz from Frasier).This one was recorded live at the Elysian Theater with a killer cast. Clancy Brown (Highlander, Shawshank Redemption), Craig Cackowski (Drunk History, The Pitt), Bob Dassie (New Looney Tunes), Peri Gilpin (Frasier), Isabella Gomez (One Day at a Time), Brandon Scott Jones (Ghosts), Mike Liebenson (Hacks), Lizzie Peet (How to Get Away With Murder) Caitlin Reilly (Dead Boy Detectives, Hacks), Jordan Rodrigues (Lady Bird), Brendan Scannell (Loot).Want to see the table read? Become a Maximum Fun member for just $5 a month and get access to the video and lots more. Sign up at maximumfun.org/join.And don’t forget to check out Andrew’s documentary Born Innocent: The Redd Kross Story at reddkrossfilm.com/rent.
Episode 176: Ilana Peña (Diary of a Future President) and Anne Sundell (writer and comedian) InterviewIn this month’s after-show interview, Andrew chats with Ilana Peña (Diary of a Future President) and Anne Sundell (writer and comedian) about their pilot How to Get Over Bryan Byers. The pair share the real-life inspiration behind the show — yes, the actual Bryan Byers who unknowingly brought them together as friends and collaborators.Ilana and Anne reveal the incredible, improbable career breaks that launched them into TV writing, and offer candid, insightful advice about what makes a great writing partnership. This episode is a refreshing reminder that in the midst of all the negativity surrounding the industry, good things still happen — sometimes to good people.
Episode 175: How To Get Over Bryan Byers Written by Ilana Peña & Anne Sundell (Recorded Live at the Elysian Theater)This month on Dead Pilots Society, we’re bringing you How To Get Over Bryan Byers, a hilarious comedy pilot from Ilana Peña (Diary of a Future President) and Anne Sundell (writer and comedian).The show follows two former enemies, Anna and Izzy, who become best friends after realizing they’ve both dated—and been dumped by—the same guy. Together, they tackle the ups and downs of their twenties: work, dating, and moving on. In the end, they discover the only way to truly get over someone is to fall in love with yourself. We recorded this live at the Elysian Theater, and the crowd had a blast.Cast includes: Isabella Gomez (One Day at a Time), Jordan Rodrigues (Ladybird), Mary Beth Barone (Black Mirror; Overcompensating), Courtney Parchman (Sex Lives of College Girls; "Average Fashion Blogger”), Brendan Scannell (Loot), Mike Liebenson (Fairfax), Craig Cackowski (The Pitt; Drunk History), Bob Dassie (New Looney Tunes), Caitlin Reilly (Hacks), and Andrew Reich with stage directions. Want to see the table read? Become a Maximum Fun member for just $5 a month and get access to the video and lots more. Sign up at maximumfun.org/join.And don’t forget to check out Andrew’s documentary Born Innocent: The Redd Kross Story at reddkrossfilm.com/rent.Enjoy the read!
Episode 174: Austen Earl Interview (Letters to Beyoncé, Up All Night, The Millers, Happy Together)In this after-show interview, Andrew talks with writer/producer Austen Earl about his pilot Letters to Beyoncé, inspired by his own mom. Austen shares how he went from a tiny town in Vermont to a Hollywood writing career—with a surprising assist from his athletic background.They discuss the ups and downs of working in TV, including cancelled shows, and the influence of White Lotus creator Mike White on Austen’s path. A funny, honest look at what it takes to make it in comedy writing.
Episode 173: Letters to Beyoncé written by Austin Earl (Up All Night, The Millers, Happy Together) In this episode of Dead Pilots Society, we bring you a heartfelt and hilarious pilot from Austen Earl (Up All Night, The Millers, Happy Together, About My Father). The script, Letters to Beyoncé, tells the story of a middle-aged schoolteacher in rural New England who decides to reclaim her life—with a little inspiration from an unlikely source: Beyoncé. Inspired by Earl’s own mother (who was in attendance for the table read on Zoom!), the pilot balances sweetness with big laughs. The cast this month is, Stephnie Weir ( Happy Together, A Million Little Things), Jamila Velazquez (Law and Order: SVU, Empire), John Gemberling (The Great North), Steve Agee (Peacemaker), Will Choi (Central Park, BoJack Horseman), Kira Kosarin (The Thundermans), Karan Menon (comedian), Clare Gillies (Sprung), Nancy Lenehan (Veep, People of Earth), and Andrew Reich with stage directions. To watch a video of the table read, become a Maximum Fun member at maximumfun.org/join for as little as $5 a month.And don’t forget to check out Andrew Reich’s music documentary Born Innocent: The Redd Kross Story at reddkrossfilm.com/rent.
1In this after-show episode of Dead Pilot Society, we're joined by writer Lauren Herstik, who brought us Camp Friends — a pilot that's had more lives (and deaths) than most scripts could dream of. This one has everything: clown camp trauma, projectile vomit over a salad bar, surrealist puberty freakouts, and a long, winding journey through the chaotic world of TV development.Lauren sits down with host Andrew Reich to talk about the evolution of her coming-of-age summer camp comedy, from its original, raunchy YA vision at HBO Max, to a beachy reinvention, to its current cryogenic stasis somewhere in the Disney orbit. Along the way, we hear how shifting mandates, network rebrands, and executive shakeups nearly killed the project multiple times — and how Lauren refused to let it go quietly.
This month, we have a fantastic dead pilot, Camp Friends, written by Lauren Herstik. You may know Lauren as a writer on American Vandal and Pearson. Camp Friends is about best friends who spend every summer at Camp Wigeon. This is their CIT (counselor-in-training) year, the last before becoming counselors, and the last chance to have the best summer ever. So when a new, hot, mystery girl shows up at camp and threatens to derail those plans it’s a big problem.Our cast this month features Zosia Mamet (Girls), Sasheer Zamata (Agatha All Along), Aparna Nancherla (The Great North), Jasmine Elist (Mr. Corman), Comedian Mary Shalaby, John Gemberling (The Great North), Will Choi (Central Park, BoJack Horseman), and Andrew Reich with stage directions.
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 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!
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!
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.
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).
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.
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.
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!WE HAVE MERCH! Merch store: hereFor 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.
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!WE HAVE MERCH! Merch store: hereFor 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.
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.
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Speaking as a country boy from a town in the middle of nowhere, I found this a bit condescending. If you didn't grow up in a small town you would and enjoy it you can't write about it without coming across as elitist 'City Folk" which describes 98% of TV and Movie writers.
I would have watched the shit out of this if it had ever gotten made 😅
Hate audible, love Libby
love Libby ads
so, the only way the protagonist starting as a lawyer would work is if the appearance these two characters get them fired because everybody at the law firm thinks now think he is a nut job and is unemployable and then he is forced to work in a copy shop while having a lot of Gris and there's nothing you can do about it because now everyone in the law thinks he's a total nut job. wow run on sentence much.
the volume this second season is barely audible , I have been tempted to get rid of this podcast, but I am hoping that they will fix the issue, it is a great concept well executed
Awesome podcast!
An absolutely awesome resource for aspiring television writers, but also really worth checking out if you just love sitcom.