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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) and Ben Blacker (The Writers Panel podcast; co-creator, Thrilling Adventure Hour).
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Now displaying: 2019
Dec 5, 2019

This month’s pilot is a mock rockumentary, or, as we like to say, a mrockumentary. It's called "Whatever Happened to... Gigi’s Pants" and it's written by Jennifer Crittenden & Gabrielle Allan (Veep, Divorce).  After twenty years of bad blood, a super cool girl band from the nineties, Gigi’s Pants, tries to reunite despite the fact that they are no longer girls and no longer cool.  Andrew sat down with Jen and Gaby to discuss how seeing the drummer of The Go-Go's wearing sweatpants at a reunion concert inspired this show. They also share some war stories from the comedy writing trenches. Want to know what to do when an executive you're pitching to falls fast asleep in the meeting? So do Jen and Gaby, because it's happened to them. You'll hear about the pitch where they had to use dolls to demonstrate because there were "too many characters" (even though there weren't that many characters), and lots more. Enjoy!

 

Whatever Happened to… Gigi’s Pants stars Mary McCormack as Didi, Michaela Watkins as Kat, Felicia Day as R.E.L, Casey Wilson as Sharon, Nat Faxon as Mitch Kepler, Daniel David Stewart as Jake Bonerz/Teenage Boy/Male Fan/Cranky Writer, Nichole Bloom as Dr. Judy Li/Hudson/Patty Smyth, Mark Feuerstein as Greg Bonerz/Security Guard, Nick Peine as Alan Ganz, and Andrew Reich with Stage Directions

 

Don’t forget to buy tickets to our live show this Saturday 12/7 at 4:30 PM at The Hollywood Improv. Doors open at 4pm. We're reading pilots from Joe Port & Joe Wiseman and Brig Munoz-Liebowitz.

 

Our cast for this show includes: 

 
MELISSA FUMERO (BROOKLYN NINE-NINE), TONY CAVALERO (RIGHTEOUS GEMSTONES), MATT WALSH (VEEP), ASIF ALI (WRECKED), BRENDAN SCANNELL (HEATHERS), VELLA LOVELL (CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND), ED WEEKS (THE MINDY PROJECT), BRIGA HEELAN (GREAT NEWS), YASSIR LESTER (BLACK MONDAY), MINDY STERLING (AUSTIN POWERS), DAVID FUMERO (BROOKLYN NINE-NINE), CHELSEA DEVANTEZ (BLESS THIS MESS), AND MORE!

 

BUY YOUR TICKETS 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 @deadpilotspod, on twitter @deadpilotspod, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com.

Oct 24, 2019

This month’s dead pilot is over ten years in the making. It’s called The Rich Inner Life of Penelope Cloud and was written by Jeff Greenstein (Will & Grace, Parenthood, Desperate Housewives). The story centers around Penelope Cloud, a woman who who has been struggling for 15 years to deliver the follow-up to her celebrated first novel. In that time, she's become dependent on a cocktail of anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medications to get through the day. The story begins when Penelope, desperate to unblock herself, decides to go off all her meds at once and rejoin her life, already in progress. Andrew sat down with Jeff to talk about the ups and downs of developing this project for over ten years. From shooting a pilot for CBS starring Marisa Tomei, to writing six episodes of it for Amazon that were ultimately passed on after a heated back and forth. Jeff also talks about his experience staffing on shows like Friends, Desperate Housewives, and Will & Grace, and his path into becoming a sought-after television director. It was a colorful and at times emotional conversation about a pilot that was really put through the ringer. Enjoy!

 

The Rich Inner Life of Penelope Cloud stars Michaela Watkins as Penelope Cloud, Jon Cryer as Dr. Birkin/Passenger/Student, Mary McCormack as Eva, Daniel David Stewart as Ivy, Malcolm Barrett as Claude, Nichole Bloom as Geogia/Counselor, Felicia Day as Kendall, Navid Neghaban as Dr. Hakim, Kelsy Sandoval as Adoración, 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 @deadpilotspod, on twitter @deadpilotspod, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com.

Sep 26, 2019

We're back to business as usual in this month's Dead Pilots Society episode. Our dead pilot is Sterling, written by Dan Sterling (The Sarah Silverman Program, The Office, Girls, South Park, The Interview, Long Shot). Sterling is about a TV news producer whose life is turned upside down when he is paired up with a beautiful, loose-cannon reporter. Andrew sat down with Dan to talk about his impressive career: Getting the job running The Daily Show after hitting it off with Jon Stewart at a Comedy Central Emmy Party, despite never having worked in late night...The decade long journey from his script Flarsky to Long Shot... Writing The Interview and getting caught in the middle of an international diplomatic firestorm, and why the writer is the only one who doesn't get a bodyguard... How Sterling was partly inspired by his working relationship with Sarah Silverman... and much more!

 

Sterling stars Nat Faxon as Philip Sterling, Hannah Simone as Scarlett Lacy, Malcolm Barrett as Jack Winthrop, Jon Cryer as Lloyd Foote/Grebs/Harting, Felicia Day as Faye/Norah O’Donnell, Nichole Bloom as Shelby/Fox News Anchor, Daniel David Stewart as Mitch/Bartender, 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 @deadpilotspod, on twitter @deadpilotspod, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com.

 

Aug 29, 2019

No dead pilot this month, but we have something special instead! On this episode we get to hear a network executive's side of the story. Andrew sat down with television comedy executive, Jamila Hunter. Jamila was the Senior Vice President of ABC Comedy before leaving to head up Kenya Barris's production company at Netflix. In this interview, you'll hear her speak openly about running a network comedy department... What it's like to hear 10 to 12 comedy pitches every single day for months...The number one thing she looks for in a pitch... Embarrassing mistakes writers make and how to avoid them... How the pilot pick-up decisions are actually made... She also reminisces about some of the great pitches she's heard in her career, like Kenya Barris' pitch for Black-ish. Lots of valuable insights for writers, and lots of great perspective for television fans. Enjoy, and we'll be back with a new dead pilot next month!

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 @deadpilotspod, on twitter @deadpilotspod, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com.

Jul 25, 2019

Our pilot this time is Small Town Love by Sarah Haskins and Emily Halpern (Trophy Wife, Booksmart). Small Town Love is about a sparring mother and daughter in rural Michigan who are forced to lean on each other when they become pregnant at the same time.

Listen to Andrew’s interview with Sarah and Emily to hear about how the first script they wrote together, Booksmart, took eleven years to reach the screen; what Emily learned from working with David Mamet; why they made the transition from film to TV; and how you can tell when an idea will actually make a good TV show. Enjoy!

Small Town Love stars Busy Phillips as Annette, Shannon Woodward as Fanny, Asif Ali as Curtis, Paul Adelstein as George, Rob Huebel as John, Parvesh Cheena as Mr. Karr, Nicole Sullivan as Reality Woman/Ruthie, Liz Jenkins as Beth, Ali Ghandour as Pimply Teen Manager, Greg Santos as Rude Customer, Syd Steinberg as Waiter/Bartender/Store Manager, and Andrew Reich with stage directions.

We're having another live show in Los Angeles on Saturday, September 14th, at 2pm! It’ll be at the WGAW HQ 2nd floor event space on 3rd Street and Fairfax!!  Ticket link and information to come soon but mark your calendars!!

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 @deadpilotspod, on twitter @deadpilotspod, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com.

Jun 27, 2019

This week’s episode is called Lenny’s Doing Great and His Family’s Terrific written by Alex Cuthbertson & Matt Fusfeld (New Girl, Community). The log-line for this one one goes something like: a young man who’s been helicopter-parented within an inch of his life reconnects with his selfish, absentee grandfather—in the process bringing an estranged family back together in ways no one wanted, but everyone needed. Listen to Andrew’s interview with Alex and Matt for a fun conversation about their real grandfathers whom inspired this pilot, how they got their first gig on American Dad, their keys to writing together as a team, and so much more! Enjoy!

Lenny’s Doing Great and His Family’s Terrific stars Jack McGee as Lenny Murphy, Parvesh Cheena as Reno, Busy Phillips as Gloria, Drew Tarver as Evan Murphy, Rob Huebel as Marc, Sabrina Jalees as Sabrina, Nicole Sullivan as Joanna, Liz Jenkins as Regina, Greg Santos as Teddy/Waiter/Student/Officiant, Sydney Steinberg as Customer/Waitress, Ali Ghandour as Insane Looking Man/Police Captain, and Andrew Reich with stage directions.

We're having another live show in Los Angeles on Saturday, September 14th, at 2pm! It'll be at the WGA West Theater!! Ticket link and information to come soon but mark your calendars!!

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 @deadpilotspod, on twitter @deadpilotspod, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com.

May 23, 2019

Our pilot this month is called Sexy Justice and it’s written by Johanna Stein. Johanna has written on many TV shows including Kung Fu Panda, Jaws of Destiny and so many more! She’s also the author of the novel How Not to Calm a Child on a PlaneSexy Justice is a 1/2 hour cop show comedy featuring a pair of sizzlingly sexy female undercover cops on the streets of Los Angeles in its prime: the early 80’s. Think “Cagney & Lacey” meets “Charlie’s Angels”, and put through an “Archer” blender on high speed. Stay tuned for Andrew’s interview with Johanna where she talks about the development of Sexy Justice, her experience writing on children’s shows, and the world of animation. Enjoy!

 

Sexy Justice stars Tiya Sircar as Didi Cates, Amanda Lund as Jennifer Von Knoblach, David Walton as Father Jim, Ian Gomez as Captain Gomez, Andy Ridings as Father O’Reilly/Officer Cappizzi/Store Clerk/Man, Brad Morris as Gentle Willy/Officer Manning/Radio, Keiko Agena as Chicky Jackson, Ethan Peck as Manly Nun/Punk/Ice Cream Truck Driver, and Andrew Reich with stage directions.

 

We have a LIVE SHOW on Saturday, June 8th at 5pm at The Hollywood Improv! We'll be reading pilots from Sarah Haskins & Emily Halpern (Booksmart, Trophy Wife), Alex Cuthbertson & Matt Fusfeld (Community, New Girl) and probably more! Our cast is going to be incredible for this one so you don't want to miss it!!

 

TICKET LINK: https://tinyurl.com/yyqkjqdx

 
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 @deadpilotspod, on twitter @deadpilotspod, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com.
Apr 25, 2019

Yogurt World stars Britt Lower as Audrey Mills, Danny Pudi as Chris, Amanda Lund as Lisa Hewitt, Brad Morris as Bucky Simmons, David Walton as Seph, Andy Ridings as Vet/Guy #2/Newscaster/7-11 Employee, Ethan Peck as Guy #1/Chuck/Tough Guy, Keiko Agena as Hot Girl, and Andrew Reich with stage directions. 

This month's episode is from the great Colleen McGuinness! Colleen has written on 30 Rock, Friends From College, and Forever.  Her pilot is called Yogurt World. It centers around a woman who works in a frozen yogurt shop whose life is going nowhere, until she discovers that she is telekinetic. Listen to Andrew’s interview with Colleen about developing Yogurt World with Matt Damon, attempting to make a comedy version of “Carrie”, her experiences writing on 30 Rock including some inside scoop on creating that show’s finale, and so many more golden nuggets of insight for writers! Enjoy!

For more Dead Pilot Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!

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Mar 18, 2019

This month's episode was recorded live at SF Sketchfest 2019 and it’s Andrew's all-time favorite of his own dead pilots. Inspired by his own mother, "Pearl" tells the story of a woman who receives a diagnosis of terminal cancer, and decides to use the time she has remaining to orchestrate the lives of her loved ones to her liking.

Our cast for this one was incredible: Julia Duffy as Pearl, Tony Hale as Billy, Alice Wetterlund as Olivia, Craig Cackowski as Kurt, Atsuko Okatsuka as Sara, Lucy Davis as Joy, Keiko Agena as Arlene, Carla Cackowski as Deedee, Kevin Pollak as Len, Tawny Newsome as Shelby/Waitress/Quinn, Will Choi as Travis/Cicerone, Guy Branum as Doctor Hudson/Radio Announcer/Student #2, Joel Kim Booster as  Henry/Student #1, and Andrew Reich with stage directions. Before the read, you'll hear Ben’s interview with Andrew where he discusses the process of developing this very personal story into a network sitcom. Enjoy!

For more Dead Pilot Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast!

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Feb 28, 2019

This month’s episode is called The Recent Calls of Annabel Phipps written by Billy Finnegan (Grace & Frankie). It's an unconventional romantic comedy where Girl meets Boy, Boy very much doesn’t notice. Girl meets bus, Boy notices… sort of. 

 

Stay tuned after the table read for Andrew’s interview with Billy. Billy discusses his early transition from New York playwright to LA comedy writer, the development process of Annabel Phipps, and soooo much more. Enjoy!

 

Our cast was Noel Wells as Annabel, Ethan Peck as Jud, Britt Lower as Hallie, Tiya Sircar as Lauren Lewis, Mo Collins as Marilyn, Brad Morris as Bart, Andy Ridings as Russel, David Walton as Dr. Raz, Krista Morin as Freya/Woman/Erica/MRI Technician, and Andrew Reich with stage directions. 

 

For more Dead Pilot Society episodes, and information about our live shows please subscribe to the podcast! Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram @deadpilotspod, on twitter @deadpilotspod, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com.

Jan 31, 2019

Our dead pilot this month is Birthright written by Joel Kim Booster (Comedy Central, Conan). We recorded this one live from SF Sketchfest! Birthright is based in part on Joel’s real life. This outrageous and raw pilot centers on Joel Miller. Adopted by white, Midwestern evangelical parents, Joel "knew he was gay before he knew he was Asian". When he has a falling out with his adoptive parents, he goes in search of his birth mother. He assumes she is in Korea, but finds that the truth is way more interesting...

We had a great cast for this one including Joel Kim Booster as Joel, Keiko Agena as Sarah Kim, Guy Branum as Guy, Tawny Newsome as Sonia, Lucy Davis as Esther Kim, Alice Wetterlund as Nancy, Atsuko Okatsuka as Marcy, Carla Cackowski as Janet, Craig Cackowski as Gay Cop/Driver, Will Choi as Mark/Finance Bro/Drug User/Chip Hearts, Irene Tu as Ruthie, and Andrew Reich with stage directions.

Before the table read, listen to Ben interview Joel about what he learned during his many rounds of development on this pilot for both Fox and Comedy Central. 

Come catch our live show at Dynasty Typewriter on February 10th at 2pm. We'll be reading scripts from Billy Finnegan (Grace & Frankie), Colleen McGuiness (30 Rock) and Johanna Stein (Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny)!

Our cast so far includes Noel Wells (Master of None), Nichole Bloom (Superstore), David Walton (New Girl), Mo Collins ( F is For Family), Brad Morris ( Seeking A Friend For The End of The World), Ian Gomez (My Big Fat Greek Wedding), and more!!

GET YOUR TICKETS HERE: https://www.dynastytypewriter.com/calendar/deadpilotsfeb10

For more Dead Pilot Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast! Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram @deadpilotspod, on twitter @deadpilotspod, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com.

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