Bad Pilots

Eli Stone is truly the cards against humanity of TV shows. It's about a Wall Street bro who gets a brain aneurysm that causes hallucinations of singer/songwriter George Michael, who then convinces Eli to become a religious prophet and take an anti-vaxxer stance against big pharma. We had no idea this show even existed, but our special guest, Tom Schenck, is still traumatized by it. Also included: we completely lose our minds while trying to figure out what color a fart is.

Like [redacted] plunging a dagger through [redacted]'s heart, the Game of Thrones finale felt like the ultimate betrayal to perhaps the most fervent television audience of all time. We are joined by news and culture writer Sharine Taylor, as we roast the GoT finale like Drogon himself. We also discuss the upcoming spinoff and fantasize about what we would do with the franchise (Dan gets ridiculed for wanting a steampunk GoT).

CABS ARE HERE!! It's time to take a trip to Seaside Heights, NJ, to revisit our favorite guidos and guidettes: the cast of Jersey Shore. Professional video editor & proud Italian, Becca LaFortune, joins us as we make sense of why the show became a global phenomenon, despite so many perceiving it as the lowest form of reality filth. We also discuss the tragic circumstances that have befallen the cast in the years since, particularly Mike "The Situation"'s appearance at the roast of Donald Trump.

Long before Bo Burnham grew a quarantine beard, he had a TV show—a little known sitcom on MTV called Zach Stone is Gonna Be Famous. And although it only lasted one season back in 2013, it's pretty dang funny. We're joined by Steve Cooke, writer & host of the podcast Killed to Death, to discuss. Tangents include: the time Aidan smoked weed in his friend's nonna's wine cellar, our favorite vines (RIP), and television's troubled history with YouTubers.

From the dialogue heavy mind of Aaron Sorkin comes a peek behind the curtain of a fictional SNL-esque sketch comedy show. The main issue? It isn't funny at all. Premiering the same year as 30 Rock, Studio 60 was handily beaten by its sitcom competitor. Special guest & fellow TV nerd, Cara Pomanti, joins us to break down Sorkin's influence, showbiz on screen, and her undying love for The Oscars™. 

Keys to the VIP is an infamously offensive Canadian hidden camera show in which cologne-soaked frat bros from the Toronto suburbs compete against each other by relentlessly hitting on unsuspecting women at bars—all while a panel of "experts" (grown-ass men wearing Tapout shirts) watch and critique their technique. We are joined by Sasha Kalra and Zac Adore, who reminisce about their club days, as well as Pat Maloney, who actually worked on the show as PA and has some insane stories to share.

Days after the tragic events of 9/11, America was served a dish of exactly what it needed most: a network sitcom starring celebrity chef and noted spice entrepreneur, Emeril Lagasse. In our season 2 premiere, Mostafa Abd El Meguid turns up the heat and chats with us about the evolution of cooking shows, Popeyes biscuits, and the best food cities in America. 

In a very special season one finale of Bad Pilots, Dan and Aidan each talk about three shows that mean something special to them. As usual, the conversation goes completely off the rails. Tangents include: Aidan's childhood without wifi, how getting rejected from improv troupes can change your life, the greatest TV theme song of all time, and the time Dan and Aidan watched the season two premiere of True Detective while popping champagne and chilling in an infinity pool at a mansion in Yorkville. Lastly, we just want to thank everyone who's been listening these past few months—we love you very much, you make our day.

"Like peeking through another dimension" said Melissa Fumero, aka Brooklyn 99's Amy, of the French language remake. Escouade 99 feels like an eerie echo of the beloved original. Between flagrant whitewashing, poor execution, bizarre casting, and a budget one tenth the size, the Queb imitation just doesn't cut it. Quebecker and Dan's sister, Katie Brioux, joins the show to discuss. We also go waaaay off topic and argue about bagels for longer than necessary.

Fairies, magic, evil beasts, house parties, genocide, and vaping. Fate: The Winx Saga has it all. Based on a cartoon from the early aughts, the gritty Netflix reboot fails to find its footing compared to similar schlock like CW's Riverdale. Special guest and Editor-in-Chief of demo magazine, Zain Ahmad, helps us discern when teen dramas embrace camp versus when they just flat out suck.

How you doin'??? Well since you asked, not great. Why? Because we just watched Joey, the Friends spinoff starring everybody's favorite meatball, Joey Tribbiani. Special guest & lifelong Friends fan, Dawsyn Borland, joins us as we struggle to figure out what went wrong between Joey's trip from NY to LA. We also discuss Matt LeBlanc's meta redemption arc with Showtime's hit comedy, Episodes.

Imagine The Wire and Glee had a baby. Now imagine Randy Newman sang the theme song for that baby. Boom, you've got Cop Rock—a gritty police procedural with choreographed dance routines and Emmy Award winning musical numbers. Special Guests Ethan Krebs and Ben Kaplan help us make sense of this primetime fever dream while analyzing the place that musicals have in TV.

Happy Valentine's Day, lovebirds! Whether you're boo'd up or not, if you listen to this podcast, you probably have an opinion on dating shows. Well so do we! In this very special episode, we are joined by panelists Sasha Kalra, Mackenzie Thomson, Manisha Krishnan, Tamara Khandakar, and Will Reid to answer one simple question: what is the greatest single season of any dating show ever produced? So pour yourself some Jackson Triggs, crack open those Dollarama chocolates, and come get cozy with us.

In what is possibly the most bonkers dating show ever created, 12 American women are whisked away to a British countryside estate to compete for the love of a man pretending to be Prince Harry. It's insane. Filmmaker Sasha Leigh Henry joins us on our dark descent into this royal nightmare of a show. We also talk shit about The Crown for a little while and express our love of Family Feud.

In a very special crossover episode, Dan and Aidan are joined by James Rathbone and Jordan Sowunmi, the hosts of Catch up, a fantastic podcast about hip hop. Fittingly, they discuss The Mayor, a 2017 ABC comedy about a young rapper who haphazardly becomes the mayor of his hometown. Also mentioned: the pros and cons of holograms, bizarre rap appearances on The View, and the recipe for strong hip hop television.

High Fidelity is actually a really good show with a strong pilot. So why are we talking about it? Well, Hulu cancelled it after just one terrific season, so it qualifies for the pod. Special guest Alexa Serrano joins us to discuss Zoe Kravitz’s take on Rob, a character that John Cusack originally perfected as the blueprint for the modern day fuckboi.

It's the summer of 2001. The Mummy Returns is killing at the box office. Nelly's "Ride Wit Me" is playing on every radio station. You don't have homework, so you're up late on a Tuesday night watching Murder in Small Town X, one of the most original, intriguing, and poorly executed reality competition shows ever made. Or at least that was this episode's special guest, Justin Ling, an investigative journalist and author of Missing From the Village.

One of the most unlikely spinoffs ever greenlit, The Cleveland show lasted a solid four seasons on FOX. But was it any good? Family Guy historian Terry Obeng joins Dan and Aidan to offer insight into the show’s off-kilter run. They also discuss representation in animation, the DNA of a good spin-off, and historical figures you didn’t know were actually nazis.

IT'S FINALLY OVER!!! 2020 was a trash year for so many reasons—but mostly because of Gwenyth Paltrow's Goop Lab. In this end of the year mega spectacular extravaganza, Dan and Aidan crack a few cold ones and countdown the 10 worst TV shows of the year, according to metacritic dot com. Without spoiling the order, they watch Marvel's Helstrom, The Duchess, Utopia Falls, Indebted, Broke, and more. Tangents include: Gritty's battle with covid, Dan's musical theatre career, NBA stars and their Hogwarts houses, Aidan's deadbeat dad, and of course, a massive thank you to you, the listener.

After Darren Star wrapped up Sex and the City, but before he made Emily in Paris, there was Cashmere Mafia. Special guests Jorge Vasconez (videographer, editor, burgeoning TikTok star) and Krista Hessy (video producer,  Aidan's girlfriend) join the fellas for an analysis of ABC's failed drama that quickly devolves into a conversation about SATC—and how it screwed up our expectations of dating.