Dead Pilots Society

This is our after show interview with Tommy Johnagin (That 90s Show, Man With A Plan) about his pilot You're Only Young Twice. Tommy tells us about starting his stand up career at the age of 19, inspired by David Letterman.  How he went from being a touring comedian to writing on a television show. Andrew shares some good insight from his time on Friends and they both spend time figuring out a better second act complication for Tommy's pilot. This is a great 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

This is the table read for You're Only Young Twice written by Tommy Johnagin (That 90s Show, Man With A Plan). This pilot was a CBS network multi-camera sitcom. Logline: A young couple  discover the upside to getting pregnant at your junior prom is that your kid goes to college when you’re 35, and you become empty nesters who get to start life all over again while you're still young enough to enjoy it. The downside is finding out your spouse has different plans for their second chance.

You're Only Young Twice stars Jean-Luc Bilodeau (Baby Daddy, Carol's Second Act), Shakira Ja'nai Paye (House Party), Emily Robinson (Transparent), Taylor Garron (Yo Gabba Gabba), Aaron Branch (Unstable), Fahim Anwar (Neighbors), Kirk Fox (Jury Duty), Ryan Singer (Maron) and Andrew Reich with stage directions. 

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 our after show interview with Alex Burnett & Brendan McCarthy (Grace & Frankie) about their pilot Localized.  Alex's recounts his personal connection to the show, having grown up on Nantucket. You'll hear about the persistence it took to sell this show, their experience working with Mitch Hurwitz (creator of Arrested Development) and their journeys to becoming tv writers. They also share some really great writing insight they received from Mitch Hurwitz during the development process. You won't want to miss this one. 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 table read of LOCALIZED written by  Alex Burnett & Brendan McCarthy (Grace & Frankie). This pilot is based on a real life character. A man who is the only full time doctor on the island of Nantuckett. Localized is based on the book Island Practice written by Pam Belluck.  It's a wonderfully weird pilot that was sold to HBO Max with Mitch Hurwitz attached to executive produce. 

We had a great cast for this one! It includes  Adam Arkin (Chicago Hope, West Wing), Tobey Grey (College Humor), Cyrina Fiallo (Good Luck Charlie), Emily Chang (The Bold Type), Brendan Hines (Suits), Lizzie Peet (American Crime Story), John Ross Bowie (Speechless), Nick Wechsler (Roswell), Baron Vaughn (Grace & Frankie), Hal Lublin (The Venture Bros) and Andrew Reich with stage directions. 

WE HAVE A LIVE SHOW COMING UP on January 21st from 3PM to 5PM at The Elysian Theater in Los Angeles. 

Come see us table read scripts the following scripts: 

Principle written by Open Mike Eagle (The New Negroes) & Mike Benner (Bob's Burgers)

You're Only Young Twice written by Tommy Johnagin (That 90s Show, Man With A Plan). 

TICKETS at elysiantheater.com

If you’d like to see the video feed of Localized, you can do so by going to maximum fun.org/join and become a member for as little as $5. Tune in next week for our interview with Alex & Brendan. 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 for Fulfillment with its writer Vali Candrasekaran (Modern Family, 30 Rock). Vali is a respected veteran comedy writer who's written on all of your favorite sitcoms. You'll hear the crazy story about how he landed his first job on "My Name Is Earl".  He talks about a show he created with Christopher Lloyd (Modern Family, Frasier) starring two A-list actors that somehow didn't get picked up to series.  Vali shares some great advice he received from Chris regarding multi-camera sitcom writing and some of his own advice on writing a pilot. Writers, do not miss this episode.  Enjoy!

WE HAVE A LIVE SHOW COMING UP on January 21st from 3PM to 5PM at The Elysian Theater in Los Angeles. 

Come see us table read scripts the following scripts: 

Principle written by Open Mike Eagle (The New Negroes) & Mike Benner (Bob's Burgers)

You're Only Young Twice written by Tommy Johnagin (That 90s Show, Man With A Plan). 

TICKETS at elysiantheater.com

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 table read of Fulfillment written by  Vali Chandrasekaran (Modern Family, 30 Rock). FULFILMENT  is an ensemble workplace comedy about a group of people whose job it is to make money for the most evil company on earth, but they spend most of their time helping each other through life.  It's about maintaining your humanity in a dehumanizing world. 

The cast for this one is nothing short of amazing! It includes Zooey Deschanel (New Girl, 500 Days Of Summer) Michaela Watkins (Wanderlust), Padget Brewster (Criminal Minds, Community) Hamish Linklater (The Big Short), Asif Ali (WandaVision), Solomon Georgio (Shrill, High Fidelity), Eric Edelstein (Jurassic World), John Lutz (SNL, 30 Rock), Hal Lublin (We Got This with Mark and Hal) and Andrew Reich with stage directions. 

WE HAVE A LIVE SHOW COMING UP on January 21st from 3PM to 5PM at The Elysian Theater in Los Angeles. 

Come see us table read scripts the following scripts: 

Principle written by Open Mike Eagle (The New Negroes) & Mike Benner (Bob's Burgers)

You're Only Young Twice written by Tommy Johnagin (That 90s Show, Man With A Plan). 

TICKETS at elysiantheater.com

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

Andrew interviewed the writer of Sam In Retrograde, Sam Jarvis (Dollface, Tosh.O)! Sam has a fresh voice and even still has that new writer passion for the business. We love to see it, it's a breath of fresh air. In this interview, Sam tells us about the germ of the idea for her show and why she named her lead character after herself. She talks about what it's like to be the only woman in writer's room and some insight into working on the Comedy Central hit Tosh.O. Sam's also one of the few writers we know who writes everyday. We love that for her and we know you will too. 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 is the table read of Sam In Retrograde written by Sam jarvis (Dollface. Tosh.o). SAM IN RETROGRADE is a weird little comedy about one woman's journey through grief, and her attempt to find herself in the process. More specifically, it's about a girl who starts carrying her dead husband's urn around everywhere and talking to it as if they're still married. Which yes, does affect her relationships with everyone else in her life. As you'd imagine. 

The project was developed and optioned at CBS Studios with Party Over Here producing, and Bert & Bertie (HAWKEYE, THE GREAT, TROOP ZERO) attached to direct. It was taken out the summer of 2021 and pitched to Hulu, Apple, Paramount+, Showtime, Peacock, FX, Freeform, and HBOMax. While a few execs fought for it, they all ended up passing. And if I recall correctly, Amazon and Netflix passed before hearing a pitch. It was all very cool. 

The cast for this one is  nothing short than spectactular. It includes Katie O'Brien (Teachers), Katrina Davis (Figuring It Out), Julie Brister (Goliath), Suzy Nakamura (Avenue 5, Dead to Me, Dr. Ken), John Ross Bowie (Speechless, Big Bang Theory), Leonard Robinson (Insecure), Ashley Padilla (Son of Zorn) and Andrew Reich with stage directions. 

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 sat down with the writers of Let’s Do Lunch, Amanda Lund and Maria Blasucci. Andrew covers so many things with Amanda and Maria including a full description of the food spread at a 90s sitcom taping, the story about how they met, Maria’s many appearances on Drunk History, the importance of making your own content, and how to write what’s in your heart. Amanda and Maria are Dead Pilots Society regulars that we love having on the show and we’re thrilled we got to do their pilot. If you haven’t listened to it yet, you must do so now. You’re going to love this one. We guarantee it. 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 month’s pilot is comedy gold! It’s called Let’s Do Lunch written by Maria Blasucci & Amanda Lund. Let’s Do Lunch is a satirical look into the drug and sex fueled world of Hollywood throughout the blockbustery 1980s as seen through the eyes of male visionary power producers, Chase Tillman and Brock Springs (played by Maria Blasucci and Amanda Lund). Their project was set up at FX with Party Over Here attached to produce.

Our cast for this one includes Amanda Lund, Maria Blasucci, Taran Killam, Taylor Garron, Patty Guggenheim, Andy Daly, Mark McKinney, Flula Borg, Crack Cackowski, Richelle Meiss, Morgan Jay and Andrew Reich with stage directions.

Tune in next week for our interview with Amanda and Maria. 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 terrific after show interview for you with the creators of Pretty, Santina Muha, Lindsey Kraft and Andrew Leeds. This is a truly uplifting and inspiring conversation. You’ll hear Santina talk about how she got her start in comedy and how her childhood accident forced her to hone her comedy skills. She discusses the importance of making light of a terrible situation, simple things people take for granted like sidewalks, and her passion of using comedy as a platform to discuss important issues. This was a great interview with some of our favorite creators. We know you’re gong to love it. Enjoy!

Santina's music video for A$$ LEVEL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fvcDkqWO2E

Get the video for the Pretty table read 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

Another month, another pilot! It’s Pretty written by Lindsey Kraft (story by Lindsey Kraft, Santina Muha, Andrew Leeds). Pretty is about a ballsy, passionate woman (Muha) who moves from Jersey to L.A. to pursue her dreams of finding love and becoming the next Oprah. Kraft and Muha were attached to star in the project with Michelle Nader, Kaley Cuoco’s Yes, Norman Productions and Warner Bros. TV attached to produce. We loved reading this one. It’s one of those funny, sweet and inspiring pilots that can brighten your day. We know you’re going to love it. Enjoy!

We had a terrific cast for this one including Santina Muha, Lindsey Kraft, Timm Sharp, Oscar Montoya, Andrew Leeds, Sydney Steinberg, Justina Machado and Andrew Reich with stage directions.

If you’d like to see the video feed of Pretty, you can do so by going to maximum fun.org/join and become a member for as little as $5. Tune in next week for our interview with Lindsey, Santina and Andrew. Thanks for watching and supporting our show! Enjoy!

If you’re trying to support the writer’s strike below is a link to do so:

https://secure2.convio.net/afa/site/Donation2;jsessionid=00000000.app20120a?df_id=2857&2857.donation=form1&mfc_pref=T&NONCE_TOKEN=9EE6EC32C18BA876373B9C3236C55098

 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 week we sat down with the writers of Trial, Matteo Borghese & Rob Turbovsky. Spoiler alert! Rob and Matteo reveal who the killer in their pilot is. We’re not going to spoil it for you in the show notes though. You’ll have to listen to this episode to find out. The Emmy nominated duo also discuss their experience staffing on Silicon Valley, Always Sunny In Philadelphia and Only Murders In The Building. They explain what they believe a TV writer’s job is. We’ll give you a hint, it has something to do with reading your boss’s mind. This is a great interview that we know you’re going to love. Enjoy!

Get the video for the Trial table read 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

This month's table read is for a pilot called Trial written by Emmy nominated writing duo Matteo Borghese & Rob Turbovsky. Trial centers around an aging comedy icon who finds his life turned upside down when he is charged with the murder of his sleazy business manager and, possibly worse, revealed to be not all that nice.  Trial was setup at Comedy Central. It should be noted that we read this pilot live in Los Angeles at The Lyric Hyperion Theater. That's right, you're going to hear some real laughs! 

Our cast for Trial was truly outstanding. It features Mark McKinney as Bradley, Ritesh Rajan as Donald, Khary Payton as Detective Hanscom, Taylor Garron as Alex Bridge,  Vinny Thomas as Chet, Patty Guggenheim as Paula Glass, Craig Cackowski as Marty, Richelle Meiss as Debbie Tremblay/various characters, Morgan Jay as Jacob Tremblay/various characters and Andrew Reich with stage directions. Thanks for listening! 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 an incredibly insightful interview with Michele & Kieran Mulroney. If you haven’t listened to both episodes of their show The Sleeping Father, you must do so now. It’s truly outstanding! This interview is crucial for anyone who wants to know the real story of how so many careers in Hollywood go. It’s mandatory listening for aspiring writers and striking writers in a dry spell creatively. Michele & Kieran talk about getting their start in the business, adapting Dickens for dogs, and they discuss the ten year draught they had where they wrote a dozen spec screenplays that didn’t sell. You’re going to hear how they broke that losing streak in the best way possible: writing exactly what they wanted to write. It’s a must listen for anyone aspiring to work in Hollywood.

Get the video for The Sleeping Father table read 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

You guys are in for a treat! It's episode two of The Sleeping Father written by Michele Mulroney & Kieran Mulroney (Power Rangers, Sherlock Holmes:A Game Of Shadows), based on the novel by Matthew Sharpe. Michelle and Kieran originally wrote this as a screenplay for Warner Bros and was later revived as a television series for Warner Bros. Television. Enjoy it!

We had a terrific cast for this one including Dave Foley, Ennis Esmer, Ciara Bravo, Daniel DiMaggio, Nichole Sakura, Niles Fitch, Sarah Rafferty, Bellina Logan, Greg Hess, and Andrew Reich with stage directions.

If you’d like to see the video feed of The Sleeping Father, 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 Michele & Kieran. Thanks for watching and supporting our show! Enjoy!

If you’re trying to support the writer’s strike below is the organization Andrew referenced in his opening. Link here.

 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 truly one-of-a-kind dead pilot for you this month! It’s The Sleeping Father, written by Michele Mulroney & Kieran Mulroney (Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows, Power Rangers), based on the novel by Matthew Sharpe. It follows the slow-motion implosion and long and ridiculous recovery of the Schwartz family after patriarch, Bernie, goes into a coma and comes out of it even more screwed up than when he went in. Michele and Kieran originally wrote this as a screenplay for Warner Bros and it was later revived as a television pilot for Warner Bros Television. The Mulroneys have lived with and worked on this adaptation for well over a decade, and we are happy to bring you not just one, but two episodes of this criminally dead project! They wrote a great second episode that we will be bringing you next week. This is an unconventional and unpredictable story about a messy family that we know you’re going to love. Enjoy it!

We had a terrific cast for this one including Dave Foley (Newsradio), Ennis Esmer (Blindspot), Ciara Bravo (Cherry), Daniel DiMaggio (American Housewife), Nichole Sakura (Superstore), Niles Fitch (This Is Us), Sarah Rafferty (Suits), Bellina Logan (ER), Greg Hess (LA to Vegas), and Andrew Reich with stage directions.

If you’d like to see the video feed of The Sleeping Father, 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 Michele & Kieran. Thanks for watching and supporting our show! Enjoy!

If you’re trying to support the writer’s strike, you can do so here.

 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

Grit and determination are the themes of this week’s after show interview with East WillyB creators, Julia Ahumada Grob (Mr. Igelsias) & Yamin Segal (The Wonder Years). You’re going to hear about the trials and tribulations of this project and get a blue print for how to make your own TV show. Julia & Yamin go in depth on their experience financing, writing, producing, and starring in two seasons of the East WillyB web series. They tell the story of the 7 year journey to selling this pilot. (If you haven’t listened to last week’s table read, you must). We also discuss Latino/a representation in the media and how the lack of diversity amongst executives plays a role in it. Julia dishes on helpful writer’s room advice she got from Dead Pilots Society Alum Sierra Teller Ornelas (her pilot's here, by the way). They also pitch on why East WillB is still relevant today and needs to be on air. Maybe there’s an exec listening who wants to hear their new take after the strike. A lot of great insight in this one. Enjoy!

Check out their groundbreaking and critically acclaimed web-series East WillyB  here .

If you’d like to see the video feed for East WillyB, 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!

If you'd like  to support the writer’s strike consider donating to the Entertainment Community Fund here.

This month’s pilot is East WillyB written by Julia Ahumada Grob (Mr. Iglesias) & Yamin Segal  (The Wonder Years). It’s a half hour comedy based on their indie web series of the same name. It revolves around a truly unconventional family, dysfunctional neighbors who populate the last hold-out dive bar in gentrified Brooklyn. Together they’ll face life’s challenges — from love, friendship, and legacy, to family and change — realizing they can only do it if they lean on each other; their chosen family. East WillyB was set up at ABC with ABC Studios and Korin Williams and Moonque Nash attached to produce.

We had a great cast for this one including Rene Rosado (The Conners), Haskiri Velazquez (Saved By The Bell), Greg Santos (The Neighborhood), Roberta Valderrama (American Princess), The Kid Mero (Desus & Mero), Jamila Velazquez (West Side Story), Ahmed Al-Kadri (David Diamond Hands), and Andrew Reich with stage directions. 

If you’d like to see the video feed of Kings Of Ohio, 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 Kat & John. Thanks for watching and supporting our show! Enjoy!

If you'd like  to support the writer’s strike consider donating to the Entertainment Community Fund here.

We had a delightful conversation this week with the writers of Kings of Ohio, Kat Likkel & John Hoberg.  Kat & John kicked off the interview by telling us about their six adopted goats. They gave us an in-depth recap of what it was like to work with Pixar on their new movie Elemental (coming out on June 16th, 2023). How their years in TV writing prepared them for that development process, a process that taught them to be more flexible and less precious in their own writing. They also share their origin stories into Hollywood, how they got staffed on My Name Is Earl, and even more on the plethora of writers' rooms they’ve been in. Kat & John are great writersand even better people. We know you’re going to enjoy this one. Thanks for listening, enjoy! 

Get the video for the table read of Kings Of Ohio 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