Dead Pilots Society

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

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

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

Episode 174: Austen Earl Interview (Letters to Beyoncé, Up All Night, The Millers, Happy Together)In this after-show interview, Andrew talks with writer/producer Austen Earl about his pilot Letters to Beyoncé, inspired by his own mom. Austen shares how he went from a tiny town in Vermont to a Hollywood writing career—with a surprising assist from his athletic background.They discuss the ups and downs of working in TV, including cancelled shows, and the influence of White Lotus creator Mike White on Austen’s path. A funny, honest look at what it takes to make it in comedy writing.

Episode 173: Letters to Beyoncé written by Austin Earl (Up All Night, The Millers, Happy Together) In this episode of Dead Pilots Society, we bring you a heartfelt and hilarious pilot from Austen Earl (Up All Night, The Millers, Happy Together, About My Father). The script, Letters to Beyoncé, tells the story of a middle-aged schoolteacher in rural New England who decides to reclaim her life—with a little inspiration from an unlikely source: Beyoncé. Inspired by Earl’s own mother (who was in attendance for the table read on Zoom!), the pilot balances sweetness with big laughs. The cast this month is, Stephnie Weir ( Happy Together, A Million Little Things), Jamila Velazquez (Law and Order: SVU, Empire), John Gemberling (The Great North), Steve Agee (Peacemaker), Will Choi (Central Park, BoJack Horseman), Kira Kosarin (The Thundermans), Karan Menon (comedian), Clare Gillies (Sprung), Nancy Lenehan (Veep, People of Earth), and Andrew Reich with stage directions. To watch a video of the table read, become a Maximum Fun member at maximumfun.org/join for as little as $5 a month.And don’t forget to check out Andrew Reich’s music documentary Born Innocent: The Redd Kross Story at reddkrossfilm.com/rent.

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 evolution of her coming-of-age summer camp comedy, from its original, raunchy YA vision at HBO Max, to a beachy reinvention, to its current cryogenic stasis somewhere in the Disney orbit. Along the way, we hear how shifting mandates, network rebrands, and executive shakeups nearly killed the project multiple times — and how Lauren refused to let it go quietly.

This month, we have a fantastic dead pilot, Camp Friends, written by Lauren Herstik. You may know Lauren as a writer on American Vandal and Pearson. Camp Friends is about best friends who spend every summer at Camp Wigeon. This is their CIT (counselor-in-training) year, the last before becoming counselors, and the last chance to have the best summer ever. So when a new, hot, mystery girl shows up at camp and threatens to derail those plans it’s a big problem.Our cast this month features Zosia Mamet (Girls), Sasheer Zamata (Agatha All Along), Aparna Nancherla (The Great North), Jasmine Elist (Mr. Corman), Comedian Mary Shalaby, John Gemberling (The Great North), Will Choi (Central Park, BoJack Horseman), and Andrew Reich with stage directions. 

This is the After Show episode for Buffalo Tens featuring Andrew’s interview with Riki Lindhome and Natasha Leggero (Another Period). It’s also our last episode of MaxFunDrive 2025. If you haven’t joined, boosted or upgraded yet, what are you waiting for?! You’re reading the show notes! You’re obviously a fan! Go to maximum fun.org/join right now! And then you can enjoy the insane story of how malaria brought Riki and Natasha together, how Another Period came to be, and the many times Buffalo Tens almost made it to a screen big or small. But first go to maximum fun.org/join and check out all the cool gifts that are only available for a few more days! And help Maximum Fun reach their goal of 15,000 new, boosting or upgrading members. If they make it, they are going to have a blow-out party and invite everyone! Please show your love for our show today, before it’s to laaaaaate!!!! Go to maximumfun.org/join!

MaxFunDrive 2025 continues with a second episode of Buffalo Tens from Riki Lindhome and Natasha Leggero (Another Period). Fox liked this show about two Matchmakers from Hell in Buffalo, New York enough to order a second episode from Riki and Natasha. And then they passed, but we have revived it and are bringing it to you here! Remember, this is the time of year where we celebrate MaxFun members and remind you that this show exists because listeners like you support it. We recorded this live at the Elysian Theater with a cast that included Riki as Sherri, Natasha as Cami, Joshua Malina from the West Wing as Phil, Luke Tennie from Shrinking and Nickel Boys as Tony, Olivia Liang from Kung Fu as Kensley and Coco, Kyla Kennedy from Mr. Mayor and Speechless as Lacey, Eric Edelstein from We Bare Bears and Jurassic World as Ken, Will Greenberg from Wrecked and The After Party as Dr. Lockport, Duane and The Pawn Shop Owner, Punam Patel from Special and Kevin From Work as Marcy, and John Clarence Stewart from Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist as Martin. You can support Dead Pilots Society and get access to all of our bonus content, and the bonus content from every other Maximum Fun show, by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join. And if you're already a member, first of all - thank you!, you can upgrade or boost your membership and get some cool gifts. Go to maximumfun.org/join now!

You can support Dead Pilots Society and get access to all of our bonus content, and the bonus content from every other Maximum Fun show, by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join. And if you're already a member, first of all - thank you!, you can upgrade or boost your membership and get some cool gifts. Go to maximumfun.org/join now!