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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).
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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.
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!
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.
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/joinPrinciple 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
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.
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.
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
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
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
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.comIf 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
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.comFor 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
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.comFor 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
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
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
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
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
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=7fvcDkqWO2EGet 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
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
1This 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/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
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
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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.