Dead Pilots Society

Episode 184: Jim Brandon & Brian Singleton InterviewWelcome 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 Dorm Life, which they wrote, cast, and produced while in college in 2011, caught Andrew’s eye and earned them their first paid show business job. In this interview, you’ll get to hear Brian and Jim’s journey from Dorm Life, through many writers’ rooms, and into Humans of the Americas. You’ll even get a glimpse into where the show was headed, had it been made. Also, save the date for our next live show, which will be Sunday, December 7th, at the Elysian Theater in Los Angeles. Tickets aren’t on sale yet, but follow us on social media for updates.

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 concept, but not self-limiting—funny, heartfelt, and full of inventive world-building and great character work.Humans of the Americas was read second at the last live show, following Dream by Lisa Muse Bryant, a musical pilot starring Amber Riley, who earned a standing ovation with her closing number. Despite that tough act to follow, the audience loved Humans of the Americas just as much—and listeners will too. The live cast includes Christina Anthony (Mixed-ish), Brittany Curran (The Magicians), Cyrina Fiallo ( High Potential), Dan Gregor (The Naked Gun), Tai Leclaire (King of The Hill), Jessica McKenna (Dropout), Jordan Riggs (Dorm Life), Bryan Safi (Throwing Shade), Chris Smith (Dorm Life), Nick Smith (Dorm Life), Stakiah Lynn Washington (Primo), Cedric Yarbrough (Reno 911), and Andrew Reich with stage direction The next Dead Pilots Society live show is set for Sunday, December 7th at 3:00 PM at the Elysian Theater, featuring a brand-new pilot from the multi-talented Ginger Gonzaga. More details coming soon! The video of the table read is available exclusively to Maximum Fun members. Become a member for just $5 a month and get access to the video and lots more. Sign up at maximumfun.org/join.And don’t forget to check out Andrew’s documentary Born Innocent: The Redd Kross Story at reddkrossfilm.com/rent.

Episode 182: David S. Rosenthal InterviewIn 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 of Ellen, kicking off a career that would include Spin City, Gilmore Girls, The Middle, and Jane the Virgin. With an equally deft hand at comedy and drama, he has built a body of work that’s both varied and enduring. This interview covers the wild ride of his career, the lessons he’s learned along the way, and reflections on navigating show business with resilience and humor. It’s a rich, insightful conversation.

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.Rosenthal delivers a classic multi-camera hangout comedy, showcasing his knack for crafting characters with interesting, fun dynamics, and well-paced story beats. The cast includes Anjelica Fellini (Teenage Bounty Hunters, The French Dispatch), Sam Lerner (The Goldbergs), Charlie Gillespie (Julie and the Phantoms), Ciara Bravo (Wayne and Cherry), Kyla Kenedy (Mr. Mayor), Logan Miller (Escape Room, Chicago Med) The video of the table read is available exclusively to Maximum Fun members. Become a member for just $5 a month and get access to the video and lots more. Sign up at maximumfun.org/join.And don’t forget to check out Andrew’s documentary Born Innocent: The Redd Kross Story at reddkrossfilm.com/rent.

Episode 180: Gracie Glassmeyer Interview This after-show episode dives deeper into Here She Lies with its creator, Gracie Glassmeyer. If you heard the table read of this dark, twisty pilot, you probably have questions—like why Seth can’t leave his house, or why Talia has been spying on Amber’s stepmom. Gracie shares the answers, along with her unique path into comedy writing.She’s part of that rare breed of “jock comedy writers”—a group that proves you don’t have to be bad at sports to be good at jokes. This conversation explores the thoughtful world-building behind the pilot and the larger series it could have become. Dead Pilots Society has a live show coming up on Sunday, September 14th at the Elysian Theater in Los Angeles, featuring two fantastic pilots:Humans of the Americas by Jim Brandon and Brian Singleton (Arrested Development, Animal Control, and more)Dream by Lisa Muse Bryant (Black-ish, The Four Seasons)Go to elysiantheater.com and get your tickets for Sunday, September 14th.And don’t forget to check out Andrew’s documentary Born Innocent: The Redd Kross Story at reddkrossfilm.com/rent.

Episode 179: Here She Lies Written by Gracie GlassmeyerWelcome to Dead Pilots Society, the podcast that takes comedy pilots from A-list writers that were sold and developed at networks and streamers but never produced, and gives them the table reads they never got to have.This episode features a pilot from Gracie Glassmeyer. Gracie has written for Ghosts and The Neighborhood, with previous credits including Jane the Virgin, Happy Together, and Impastor. Her pilot defies easy categorization—too smart and compelling to be just a comedy, too funny to be labeled strictly drama.The story centers on a fascinating main character, originally conceived by Yael Grobglas (Matlock, Jane the Virgin), who also leads the cast. She’s joined by Dustin Ybarra (One Day at a Time, We Bought a Zoo) as the agoraphobic co-lead. The rest of the ensemble is a powerhouse Dead Pilots Society lineup: Rachel Keller (Legion, Tokyo Vice), Imani Hakim (Mythic Quest), Oscar Montoya (Minx, Star Trek: Lower Decks), Joy Osmanski (1923, Ghosts), Katherine Bourne Taylor (The Ms. Pat Show), and Marcus Bishop-Wright (Bring on the Damned!).Video of this Zoom read is available to Maximum Fun members along with exclusive bonus content from past years. Become a member for as little as $5 a month at maximumfun.org/join.Dead Pilots Society has a live show coming up on Sunday, September 14th at the Elysian Theater in Los Angeles, featuring two fantastic pilots:Humans of the Americas by Jim Brandon and Brian Singleton (Arrested Development, Animal Control, and more)Dream by Lisa Muse Bryant (Black-ish, The Four Seasons)Go to elysiantheater.com and get your tickets for Sunday, September 14th.

Episode 178:  Chris Marcil & Sam Johnson Interview (Blessed and Highly Favored, NewsRadio, Beavis and Butt-Head) In this after-show interview, Andrew sits down with longtime writing partners Chris Marcil and Sam Johnson. Friends and collaborators, Marcil and Johnson share some incredible stories from their decades in the business.They talk about how they got their start writing for Beavis and Butt-Head at MTV, the wild ride that was the NewsRadio writers’ room—complete with its nocturnal schedule—and the drastic shift to the buttoned-up, rarefied world of Frasier.Chris and Sam have been through it all. They’ve seen more writers’ rooms than most, and they’re still at it, working together and “Semi-separately”. They get into what that means and what it looks like for two longtime creative partners to evolve their collaboration.Their recent work includes What We Do in the Shadows, The English Teacher, and the Beavis and Butt-Head reboot. It’s a wide-ranging conversation with two veteran writers who’ve seen it all.

Episode 177: Blessed and Highly Favored by Chris Marcil & Sam Johnson - Live from the Elysian TheaterWe have such a great dead pilot for you this month. It's called Blessed and Highly Favored. It’s a hilarious comedy about a rookie pastor struggling to keep her progressive Baptist church afloat while dealing with megachurch competition, financial strain, and the looming presence of her father—the church’s legendary former pastor.The pilot comes from seasoned writers Chris Marcil and Sam Johnson, whose combined credits include Frasier, NewsRadio, What We Do in the Shadows, Beavis and Butt-Head, Daria, Hot in Cleveland, and All About the Washingtons. They bring not only their deep comedy chops but also real-life churchgoing experience to this story, which was further enriched by the stories of their friend and collaborator Peri Gilpin (Roz from Frasier).This one was recorded live at the Elysian Theater with a killer cast. Clancy Brown (Highlander, Shawshank Redemption), Craig Cackowski (Drunk History, The Pitt), Bob Dassie (New Looney Tunes), Peri Gilpin (Frasier), Isabella Gomez (One Day at a Time), Brandon Scott Jones (Ghosts), Mike Liebenson (Hacks), Lizzie Peet (How to Get Away With Murder) Caitlin Reilly (Dead Boy Detectives, Hacks), Jordan Rodrigues (Lady Bird), Brendan Scannell (Loot).Want to see the table read? Become a Maximum Fun member for just $5 a month and get access to the video and lots more. Sign up at maximumfun.org/join.And don’t forget to check out Andrew’s documentary Born Innocent: The Redd Kross Story at reddkrossfilm.com/rent.

Episode 176: Ilana Peña (Diary of a Future President) and Anne Sundell (writer and comedian) InterviewIn this month’s after-show interview, Andrew chats with Ilana Peña (Diary of a Future President) and Anne Sundell (writer and comedian) about their pilot How to Get Over Bryan Byers. The pair share the real-life inspiration behind the show — yes, the actual Bryan Byers who unknowingly brought them together as friends and collaborators.Ilana and Anne reveal the incredible, improbable career breaks that launched them into TV writing, and offer candid, insightful advice about what makes a great writing partnership. This episode is a refreshing reminder that in the midst of all the negativity surrounding the industry, good things still happen — sometimes to good people.

Episode 175: How To Get Over Bryan Byers Written by Ilana Peña & Anne Sundell (Recorded Live at the Elysian Theater)This month on Dead Pilots Society, we’re bringing you How To Get Over Bryan Byers, a hilarious comedy pilot from Ilana Peña (Diary of a Future President) and Anne Sundell (writer and comedian).The show follows two former enemies, Anna and Izzy, who become best friends after realizing they’ve both dated—and been dumped by—the same guy. Together, they tackle the ups and downs of their twenties: work, dating, and moving on. In the end, they discover the only way to truly get over someone is to fall in love with yourself. We recorded this live at the Elysian Theater, and the crowd had a blast.Cast includes: Isabella Gomez (One Day at a Time), Jordan Rodrigues (Ladybird), Mary Beth Barone (Black Mirror; Overcompensating), Courtney Parchman (Sex Lives of College Girls; "Average Fashion Blogger”), Brendan Scannell (Loot), Mike Liebenson (Fairfax), Craig Cackowski (The Pitt; Drunk History), Bob Dassie (New Looney Tunes), Caitlin Reilly (Hacks), and Andrew Reich with stage directions.  Want to see the table read? Become a Maximum Fun member for just $5 a month and get access to the video and lots more. Sign up at maximumfun.org/join.And don’t forget to check out Andrew’s documentary Born Innocent: The Redd Kross Story at reddkrossfilm.com/rent.Enjoy the read!