Dead Pilots Society

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

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

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/donateTune 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

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/donateFor 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 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/donateTune 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

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/donateFor 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 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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/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

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/joinTune 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

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/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 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/joinTune 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

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/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

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/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

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/joinTune 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

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/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 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/joinIt’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/blockpartyTune 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

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!

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/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 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/joinTune 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

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/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

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

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/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.comBetter 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.

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/joinTune 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.comLifespan Promo offer:Visit LifespanFitness.com and use code DPS5 at checkout for 5% off. That’s LifespanFitness.com and code DPS5Better 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.

We caught up with the writers of Voice Of The People this week! Andrew sat down with Paul Scheer (The League, Black Monday) and Andrew Guest (30 Rock, Community) for their after show interview. They talked about the development process for Voice Of The People and where they saw the series going. They go in depth about the notes they received from HBO and what it was like to work with Adam McKay and Owen Burke at Gary Sanchez. A deep dive into news pundits and Paul realizes that he actually was a pundit on Best Week Ever! They also discussed things to look for in a writing partner and the reason why some shows go to series and some end up on Dead Pilots Society. Paul told us about how he got his start performing at UCB to creating The Human Giant for MTV. Andrew talked about his experience working on the 30 Rock pilot as a writer’s assistant and the ups and downs he endured as a writer after that. It’s an enlightening conversation about creativity and comedy writing. Enjoy it!Get the video for the table read of Voice Of The People 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

We’re kicking off summer with a hot pilot! It’s called Voice of the People written by Paul Scheer & Andrew Guest. It’s a behind the scenes look at the cutthroat world of cable news punditry, where people treat the news like entertainment, in which one woman slowly loses her integrity as a journalist on her path to becoming an “expert.” It was set up at HBO with Adam Mckay’s company, Gary Sanchez attached to produce.Voice of the People stars Sasheer Zamata as Lucy (Woke, Saturday Night Live), Paul Scheer as Frank (The League, Black Monday), Marc Evan Jackson as Brett (The Good Place, Brooklyn Nine-Nine), Nicole Byer as Vanessa (Nailed It, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates), Kate Mulgrew as Kate (Orange is the New Black), Vella Lovell as Dottie/Wanda/Vivian (My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend), John Hodgman as Jon Meachum (Coraline, The Daily Show), Gary Anthony Williams as Carl/Roger/Jeffrey/Server (Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle), Jaime Moyer as Eddie Johnson (Modern Family, AP Bio), Eugene Cordero as Donald Liu/Mathew/Reporter/Suited Person (Kong: Skull Island, Tacoma FD), Carlos Alazraqui as Ricardo/Driver (Reno 911!, The Fairly Oddparents), John Clarence Stewart as Greg (Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist), Eric Edelstein as Ron/Congressman Davis/Manager/Nandi/Commercial VO/director (Jurassic World), and Andrew Reich with stage directions. Thanks for listening! Enjoy it!Get the video for the table read for as little as $5 by going to https://maximumfun.org/joinTune in next week for our interview with Paul and Andrew. 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

It’s week two of the Max Fun Drive! Thank you so much if you’ve already supported the show by becoming a MaxFun member. Make sure you let us know on twitter or instagram so we can properly thank you! For week two we caught up with Riki Lindhome (Knives Out, Another Period) and Monica Padrick (Community, Central Park) about their pilot Tails. They were so great to talk to. Monica told us about her transition from being a journalist to a TV writer and how a dinner with a family friend changed her career. Riki gave us the origin story of Garfunkel & Oates, why she started writing sitcoms, and the many brutal experiences she’s had as a songwriter for hire. Thanks for listening! Enjoy it!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 along with TWO incredible Maximum Fun Crossover episodes.Our first crossover episode is with the hosts of Round Springfield, Allie Goertz and Julia Prescott. Round Springfield is a Simpsons-adjacent podcast where Allie and Julia interview writers, directors, showrunners, and voice-actors from the Simpsons-verse on their various paths to Springfield — failed pilots, other projects, and beyond. In our crossover, Ben, Andrew, Allie and Julia take a deep dive into the Simpsons pilot, they discuss the Simpson’s spec script that started Andrew’s career, inside scoop from the Friends writers room, and a general 90s nostalgia trip.Our second crossover episode is with John Moe and his MaxFun podcast Depresh Mode. John and Ben talk to writers Steven Canals (Pose), Paul R. Puri (Chicago Med), and Rachel Bloom (Crazy Ex-Girflriend) about mental health among writers and writing about mental health on TV. It’s an enlightening conversation about process for our process nerds!Get all of this bonus content for as little as $5 by going to https://maximumfun.org/joinTune in next week for our interview with Riki and Monica. 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

Dead Pilots Society producer Ben Blacker chats with Janet Varney, host of MaxFun's The JV Club podcast. DPS fans will enjoy Janet (you know her from several of our episodes!), the funny and frank conversations about our most awkward years, and the celebrity guests.Don't forget to check the boxes for Dead Pilots Society and The JV Club when you become a MaxFun member! Please help support the little shows that can and do!To become a MaxFun member go to maximumfun.org/joinJanet shares episode 9 with us: Angela KinseyIs it easy to go from the bustling streets of Jakarta to the country roads of Archer City with a little Dallas in between? Don’t miss this rare opportunity to find out what “wall bangs” are, how to con your way into an internship on a popular talk show, and maybe even learn a little Indonesian… all courtesy of Angela Kinsey from NBC’s The Office.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

Dead Pilots Society producer Ben Blacker chats with Hal Lublin and Mark Gagliardi, hosts of MaxFun's We Got This podcast. DPS fans will enjoy the comedy arguments, the silly decisions, and the celebrity guests of We Got This.Don't forget to check the boxes for Dead Pilots Society and We Got This when you become a MaxFun member!Please help support the little shows that can and do!"Mark and Hal share episode 56 with us: Batman vs Superman with guests Travis McElroy and Ben Blacker.The Man of Steel vs The Dark Knight. The Guardian of Metropolis vs The Savior of Gotham. When Batman and Superman collide on screens around the world this weekend, it will no doubt be epic, but if you REALLY want to know who wins, look not further than We Got This, as we sit down with Superfan Travis McElroy (MBMBaM, The Adventure Zone) and Bat-Fan Ben Blacker (Dead Pilots Society, Thrilling Adventure Hour) to determine once and for all which DC Comics icon reigns supreme!It's still MaxFunDrive and plenty of time for you to become a Maximum Fun Member. If you've already become a member we really appreciate your support and if you haven't yet you can do so for as little as $5. $5 gets you all of our bonus content including access to video of our table reads and some incredible crossover episodes. Become a MaxFun member at 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

To keep in line with the spirit of #MaxFunDrive, we are feed swapping with fellow MaxFun podcast Mission to Zyxx. Dead Pilots Society producer Ben Blacker chats with Mission to Zyxx hosts/comedians Seth Lind and Moujan Zolfaghari. DPS fans will LOVE this podcast! Each episode features a special guest comedian who plays an inhabitant of the Zyxx Quadrant unlucky enough to encounter our crew. Episodes are fully improvised, then lovingly edited and sound designed. Don't forget to check the boxes for Dead Pilots Society and Mission to Zyxx when you become a MaxFun member!Please help support the little shows that can and do!Moujan and Seth share episode 210 with us: A wing and a Repair featuring comedian Sebastian Coneli (Search Party, The Last O.G.)Bargie isn’t feeling so hot, so the crew is forced to call a mechanic. Dar offers her unprofessional opinion. Pleck learns a couple secrets. Beano helps! All inside this episode of Mission to Zyxx.To get all of Dead Pilots Society’s bonus content and more become a MaxFun member at 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

The MaxFunDrive is here and we have a very special episode for you. It’s Tails written by Riki Lindhome (Knives Out, Another Period) and Monica Padrick (Community, Central Park). Tails follows Erika, a woman in her late 30s, who despite the pressure she feels from the world around her, refuses to settle in any area of her life. It was set up at Fox with Universal TV, Paper Kite Productions and 3 Arts attached to produce.Our table read stars Riki Lindhome as Erika, Maria Bamford as Greta, Ron Funches as Cyrus/Man, Moshe Kasher as Guy/Adam, Mary Holland as Allison/Doctor/Sheila, Brian Huskey as Josh/Man 2, Kulap Vilaysack as Rachel/Haley, Malcolm Barrett as Kyle, Joy Osmanski as Darcy/Simone, Charley Koontz as Carson/Phone Voice/Executive/Thai Food Guy 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 along with TWO incredible Maximum Fun Crossover episodes.Our first crossover episode is with the hosts of Round Springfield, Allie Goertz and Julia Prescott. Round Springfield is a Simpsons-adjacent podcast where Allie and Julia interview writers, directors, showrunners, and voice-actors from the Simpsons-verse on their various paths to Springfield — failed pilots, other projects, and beyond. In our crossover, Ben, Andrew, Allie and Julia take a deep dive into the Simpsons pilot, they discuss the Simpson’s spec script that started Andrew’s career, inside scoop from the Friends writers room, and a general 90s nostalgia trip.Our second crossover episode is with John Moe and his MaxFun podcast Depresh Mode. John and Ben talk to writers Steven Canals (Pose), Paul R. Puri (Chicago Med), and Rachel Bloom (Crazy Ex-Girflriend) about mental health among writers and writing about mental health on TV. It’s an enlightening conversation about process for our process nerds!Get all of this bonus content for as little as $5 by going to https://maximumfun.org/joinTune in next week for our interview with Riki and Monica. 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

In our episode today, we are feed swapping with Reading Glasses! Dead Pilots Society producer Ben Blacker chats with Brea Grant and Mallory O'Meara, hosts of MaxFun's Reading Glasses podcast. This is a podcast all about book culture and literary life. No matter how much you read, you can listen to this show! Brea Grant and Mallory O’Meara are joined this week by Rider Strong to discuss bad book habits. Is it okay to dog ear a library book? What about writing in a book you know you’re going to give away? Take a listen to find out their opinions on these hot button issues. Don't forget to check the boxes for Dead Pilots Society and Reading Glasses when you become a MaxFun member during Max Fun Drive! Max Fun Drive starts on May 3rd.Please help support the little shows that can and do!For just $5 you get all the bonus content Max Fun podcasts have to offer! You can also get gifts at a higher membership tears. More to come on that! Become a Max Fun Member here: https://maximumfun.org/join/Brea and Mallory share episode 161 with us: Book Criminals with Rider Strong!Rider Strong (Boy Meets World) from Literary Disco joins Brea and Mallory to confess from bad book habits!Read Glasses links to follow:Reading Glasses Facebook GroupReading Glasses Goodreads GroupAmazon Wish ListNewsletter Literary DiscoBooks Mentioned - Nothing to See Here by Kevin WilsonThe Third Rainbow Girl by Emma Copley EisenburgYour House Will Pay by Steph ChaFor 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

In this week’s episode, Andrew sits down with with the writers of last week’s pilot Next Door, Steven Cragg & Brian Bradley (MadTV, Happy Endings). In their interview, Steven and Brian talk about how they met on MadTV and what the writing process for that show was like. They tell war stories about past pilots, their experience show running Uncle Buck, and a helpful tip for mining material. Steven and Brian are examples of talented TV writers who’ve made a wonderful living selling and developing pilots. Lots of laughs in this one. Enjoy it!If you've been wanting to support Dead Pilots Society you'll finally get your chance! Our annual Max Fun Drive is coming up on May 3 - May 14. We're going to release some special content and bonus content for new and upgrading Maximum Fun members. We are a listener supported podcast so every little bit helps us to keep bringing you the best dead pilots around. More to come on that! Stay tuned!To get free shipping & 30% off your first Lumi Labs order… use code: DEADPILOTSSOCIETY and go to MicrodoseDrops.com/topusesGo to GreenChef.com/90deadpilots and use code 90deadpilots to get $90 off including free shipping! That’s GreenChef.com/90deadpilots and code 90deadpilots for $90 off!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

Our pilot this month is called Next Door written by Steven Cragg & Brian Bradley (Mad TV, Happy Endings). It’s a multi-generational comedy about three diverse suburban couples, all at crossroads in their lives, who bond while investigating the murder of the worst person in their neighborhood. It was set up at Fox with Sony Pictures TV and Stoller Global Solutions attached to produce. Our table read stars Jackie Tohn as Tommy, Okieriete Onaodowan as Brad, Edi Patterson as Margaret, Toni Trucks as Queisha, Rex Lee as Steven, Suzy Nakamura as Kim, Hudson Yang as Henry, Annie Savage as Headhunter/Cop/Geeky Guy/Man, Nick Wechsler as Jerry/Tattoo Guy, and Andrew Reich with stage directions. Tune in next week for our interview with Steven and Brian. Thanks for listening! Enjoy!Interested in getting free shipping & 30% off your first order of Lumi Labs Microdose Drops? Use code: DEADPILOTSSOCIETY.Purchase link here: https://www.lumicbd.com/topusescode: DEADPILOTSSOCIETYFor 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 week’s episode is a special tribute to Jamie Tarses. An irreplaceable force in the television business, Jamie was the producer of shows such as Happy Endings, My Boys, Franklin and Bash, The Wilds, Men at Work, and the upcoming Mysterious Benedict Society. She was a tireless and fearless supporter of writers, and Andrew interviewed 16 writers who worked with her to talk about what Jamie meant to them. We invite you to listen to his edited conversations with Betsy Thomas, Adrian Wenner & Ethan Sandler, Phil Hay, Dana Calvo, Breckin Meyer, Kevin Falls, Bill Chais, Gabrielle Allan, Nate Reger & Mike Lisbe, Hilary Winston, Jonathan Groff, Amy B. Harris, Eric Gilliland, McCrae Dunlap, and Jay Chandrasekhar.

After months of tracking Tessa Coates’ pilot Primates, we were so happy to finally get it on the pod last week. If you haven’t listen to it yet, get on it! Andrew caught up with Tessa in this week’s episode to discuss the rollercoaster ride her pilot went on in the development process. She talked about her experience of learning how to write a pilot on the spot. What it was like to work with Greg Daniels (The Office, King of The Hill) and a helpful tip on how to make your characters come alive. 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 month we bring you a pilot that was consumed in the fires of Quibi's epic flame-out! The pilot is Primates by Tessa Coates. Tessa is a British writer, performer, journalist, and comedian. Primates is based on her debut solo show which sold out its entire run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and ran at the Soho Theatre to even more sell-out audiences. After Soho, Tessa performed her show around Los Angeles, and then sold it in a competitive situation to ABC Studios with Greg Daniels (The Office, King of the Hill) attached to executive produce. After a round of development at ABC, the project moved to Quibi, and, well, you know how that ended. Primates centers around Tessa, a hapless primatologist who tries to navigate love, life, and friendship, one biology lesson at a time. Primates stars Tessa Coates as Tessa, Maria Bamford as The Professor, Lolly Adefope as Kat, Joel Kim Booster as Anthony, Nick Mohammed as Dean Gaffney, Jon Rudnitsky as Jamie, Moujan Zolfaghari as Very First Bug/Embarrassed Female/Sandrine/Other Uber Pool Passenger/Juliette, Hal Lublin as Chimpanzee/Wright Brothers/Steve Ballmer/John The Uber Driver/Director/Freud/ Mark Gagliardi as Schrodinger/Uber Passenger/Buzz Aldrin/Wright Brothers/Cave Man and Andrew Reich with stage directions. 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

We hope you enjoyed last week’s table read of Space Bound written by Golden Globe-nominated writer/director of Promising Young Woman, Emerald Fennell. We caught up with Emerald in this week’s episode to discuss her pilot and her writing process. She talked about the importance of writing redeeming characters in comedies and why she prefers writing on spec versus pitching. A lesson in attaching producers to a project and a highly anticipated dive into the space world of Beta Complex 622. If you're afraid of spoilers, you should definitely listen to the table read before this interview. But either way, enjoy Andrew's conversation with Emerald Fennell. Thanks for listening!For more Dead Pilots Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast! Make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com

Welcome to the first episode in our new format! We are splitting up the table reads and writer interviews into separate episodes. Let us know what you think! We are starting the new format with what we think is one of our all-time best episodes. It’s a pilot from the Golden Globe-nominated writer/director of Promising Young Woman, Emerald Fennell. Emerald was also the showrunner of Season Two of Killing Eve, and her acting credits include Call the Midwife and The Crown. Her pilot is called Space Bound, it follows an alien who goes on an intergalactic coffee run and finds herself stranded on “the worst planet in the universe”: Earth. A group of eccentric friends takes her in and she discovers she might actually be the most functional person in the world.The cast for this one is out of this world! It stars academy award nominee Carey Mulligan as G456, Sam Richardson as Dan, academy award nominee Richard E. Grant as The Overlord, Max Greenfield as Phil, Emmy nominee Rainn Wilson as Tall Man, Craig Cackowski as Round Man, Lolly Adefope as Venetia, Ellen Wong as Karen, Marcus Bishop-Wright as Detective Fairbanks/Pervy Guy/Terrifying Man/Barista, Greg Santos as Obnoxious Guy/Bongo Drummer/Cop 2, Shulie Cowen as Fancy Dog Owner/Andie Macdowell/Cop 1/Anchor, and Andrew Reich with stage directions. 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