Dead Pilots Society
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).
Episodes
Episode 186: Lisa Muse Bryant Interview
This month’s After Show features Andrew’s conversation with Lisa Muse Bryant, the powerhouse behind our latest dead pilot Dream. Lisa traces her remarkable journey from Camden, New Jersey, to writing on standout series like Black-ish, The Four Seasons, Man on the Inside, and Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur. She dives into the real-life inspiration behind the pilot and the serendipity of ...
Episode 185: Dream Written by Lisa Muse Bryant
This month’s Dead Pilots Society features Dream, a musical comedy pilot from Lisa Muse Bryant, whose work includes Black-ish, The Four Seasons, Man on the Inside, and Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur. The show centers on Dream Morgan, a former teen mom who finally goes after her long-delayed ambition of becoming a singer once her son finishes college. This is a musical, single came...
Episode 184: Jim Brandon & Brian Singleton Interview
Welcome to this month’s after-show interview with Brian Singleton and Jim Brandon.
You heard their hilarious pilot Humans of the Americas last week on Dead Pilots Society. You may know Brian and Jim from their work on Mixed-ish (ABC), Black Monday (Showtime), Arrested Development (Netflix), or their current show Animal Control (FOX), now on it’s fourth season.
Their viral web series...
Episode 183: Humans of the Americas Written by Jim Brandon & Brian Singleton
This month’s dead pilot is Humans of the Americas by Jim Brandon and Brian Singleton, whose credits include Animal Control (FOX), Mixed-ish (ABC), Black Monday (Showtime), and Arrested Development (Netflix).
Here’s the logline: A single camera comedy set in a small town neighborhood, that is actually a human exhibit. At a zoo. Run by robots.
It’s high conc...
Episode 182: David S. Rosenthal Interview
In this after show for The Cheap Seats, Andrew sits down with writer David S. Rosenthal, whose career spans some of television’s most iconic series.
Andrew and "Rosie" go way back to their days at summer camp, and their longtime friendship adds a personal dimension to this conversation. Rosenthal’s career took off quickly—soon after his first writing job, he became the creator and showrunner ...
Episode 181: The Cheap Seats Written by David S. Rosenthal
This month on Dead Pilots Society we have The Cheap Seats by David S. Rosenthal, a veteran television writer whose credits include Spin City, Gilmore Girls, The Middle, and Jane the Virgin. The script centers on a close-knit group of emotionally and intellectually stunted friends whose world is shaken when one of them begins dating a brainy and sophisticated medical student...
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 ...
Episode 179: Here She Lies Written by Gracie Glassmeyer
Welcome 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 T...
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 wa...
Episode 177: Blessed and Highly Favored by Chris Marcil & Sam Johnson - Live from the Elysian Theater
We 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.
Th...
Episode 176: Ilana Peña (Diary of a Future President) and Anne Sundell (writer and comedian) Interview
In 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 collaborat...
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...
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 can...
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 unlike...
In 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 ...
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 tho...
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 ...
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