Episode 206: Fan Girl by Claudia Lonow

This month, Dead Pilots Society presents Fan Girl by Claudia Lonow, a returning guest who previously appeared on the podcast with her pilot Assisted Loving, featured in Episode 13. Claudia has had a long and impressive career as a writer and producer. She has created four television series including How to Live with Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life), Accidentally On Purpose, Rude Awakening, and Good Girls Don’t.

Logline:  Bad ass, sexy freedom fighter, MORRIGAN CHASE, escapes from certain death into a worm hole that lands her in the closet of her biggest FAN GIRL -- edibles-loving, Beth -- who’s watching similar-but-different events unfold on her favorite sci fi series, DOMINION, which seems to be based on Morrigan’s galaxy! Each week, Beth and Morrigan battle Talarus’s assassins and make alien allies as they struggle to get Morrigan home, the unlikely friendship causing each woman to grow.

The pilot features a cast packed with familiar faces from Dimension 20 on Dropout, making this live reading especially fun for fans of the show. Fan Girl is a wild, funny, and wonderfully strange pilot featuring some of the most entertaining stage directions in Dead Pilots Society history.

The cast is Isabella Roland (Sex Lives of College Girls, Dimension 20), Rekha Shankar (Dimension 20 Star Trek Starfleet Academy), James Adomian (Krapopolis, Jimmy Kimmel), Zac Oyama (Dimension 20), Jackie Tohn (Nobody Wants This), Brennan Lee Mulligan (Dimension 20; Critical Role), Caroline Kingsley (Love on Tap), Alex Moffat (SNL, Bad Monkey), and Andrew Reich with stage directions.

The next Dead Pilots Society live show is at the Elysian Theater in Los Angeles on  Sunday, September 13th, featuring pilots from  Alex Herschlag ( Will and Grace, Modern Family, Arrested Development), and  Katie Greenway (Welcome to Flatch). Go to https://www.elysiantheater.com/ to get your tickets.
 

Video of the live table read is available exclusively to Maximum Fun members. Become a member for as little as $5 a month at maximumfun.org/join.

And don’t forget to check out Andrew’s documentary Born Innocent: The Redd Kross Story at  https://www.reddkrossfilm.com/

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joindeadpilots

Episode 205: Kathryn Borel Jr Interview
 

This month's aftershow features a conversation with writer Kathryn Borel Jr., whose ambitious adaptation of On the Road was featured in last week's episode. Kathryn has written for Rush, American Dad!, Anne with an E, and Kung Fu, and is currently working on Damon Lindelof's upcoming limited series The Chain.

Kathryn talks about her remarkably unconventional childhood, her winding path to television writing which included an acclaimed career in Canadian radio and the experiences that led her to write Corked, her memoir about a drunken, father-daughter road trip through France's wine country.

The conversation also dives into the unique challenge of adapting Jack Kerouac's On the Road into a half-hour television series with two female leads. Kathryn explains how she reimagined the novel, what drew her to the project, and where the series was headed if it had made it beyond the pilot.

It's a funny, thoughtful, and fascinating conversation with a writer who isn't afraid to take on impossible adaptations and make them feel entirely her own.

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joindeadpilots

Episode 204: On The Road by Kathryn Borel Jr

This month's dead pilot is On the Road, Kathryn Borel Jr.'s daring reimagining of Jack Kerouac's iconic novel. Instead of trying to recreate a literary classic beat for beat, Kathryn takes its spirit and builds something entirely her own. It's exactly the kind of ambitious swing we love celebrating on Dead Pilots Society.

Kathryn's credits include Rush, American Dad!, Anne with an E, and Kung Fu, and she's currently working on Damon Lindelof's upcoming limited series The Chain. She's also the author of the memoir Corked.

The cast features Kelly Marie Tran (The Last Jedi, Raya and the Last Dragon), Zosia Mamet (Girls, Laid), Rebecca Pidgeon (Euphoria, State and Main), and Brian McElhaney of BriTANicK (Pizza Movie).

Video of the live table read is available exclusively to Maximum Fun members. Become a member for as little as $5 a month at maximumfun.org/join.

And don’t forget to check out Andrew’s documentary Born Innocent: The Redd Kross Story at  https://www.reddkrossfilm.com/

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joindeadpilots

Episode 203: Joel Kim Booster Interview

This is the aftershow for Here, After, featuring a conversation with writer, actor, and comedian Joel Kim Booster. Joel is known for writing and starring in Fire Island and for his work on The Other Two and Big Mouth. As an actor, he's appeared in Loot, Search Party, Shrill, and more.

In this wide-ranging conversation, Joel talks about his early days as a playwright, the television shows and performers that inspired him to pursue comedy and TV writing, and the long, unusual journey that brought Fire Island from concept to hit feature film.He also shares the ambitious plans he had for Here After, revealing storylines and character arcs that make the loss of this pilot feel especially painful.

Along the way, Joel offers an honest look at the realities of today's television and film industry and reflects on why he still thinks of himself as a writer first, even after finding success as a performer.

The next Dead Pilots Society live show is at the Elysian Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, July 12th. The show will feature readings of Weekly World News by Michael Colton and John Aboud, and Fan Girl by Claudia Lonow. Go to https://www.elysiantheater.com/ to get your tickets.

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joindeadpilots

Episode 202: Here, After by Joel Kim Booster

This month, Dead Pilots Society welcomes back writer, actor, and comedian Joel Kim Booster, whose pilot Birthright was previously featured on Episode 34. Joel wrote and starred in the hit Hulu movie Fire Island. He was a writer on The Other Two and Big Mouth, and as an actor, you've seen him on Shrill and Search Party.

Joel's pilot Here, After, never actually sold, despite being developed with the companies of Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg, and Aidy Bryant. But when Andrew read it, he knew it deserved a place on the podcast.

 It is about the unlikely friendship between Ezra, a Gen Z woman trying to make a difference in the world and find her place in it, and Charlie, a caustic, self-absorbed, gay millennial ghost.

Funny, frank, surprisingly moving, and packed with killer jokes, Here, After is a pilot about friendship, purpose, and what happens when a ghost refuses to move on.

The cast for this pilot includes Joel Kim Booster (Fire Island, The Other Two), MItra Jouhari (Digman!, Bigmouth, The Bear), Poppy Liu (Hacks, I Love Boosters!), Charlie Barnett (The Acolyte, Russian Doll), Katherine Bourne Taylor (Bellingham Bay), Lisa Gilroy (Shrinking)
 

Video of the live table read is available exclusively to Maximum Fun members. Become a member for as little as $5 a month at maximumfun.org/join.

The next Dead Pilots Society live show is at the Elysian Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, July 12th. The show will feature readings of Weekly World News by Michael Colton and John Aboud, and Fan Girl by Claudia Lonow. Go to https://www.elysiantheater.com/ to get your tickets.

And don’t forget to check out Andrew’s documentary Born Innocent: The Redd Kross Story at  https://www.reddkrossfilm.com/

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joindeadpilots

Episode 201: Christian Duguay Interview
 

This is the After Show for Valley Heat, featuring Andrew’s interview with creator Christian Duguay.

A longtime admirer of Valley Heat, Andrew finally gets the chance to sit down with Christian for a conversation about the unusual path that led to the creation of the podcast. Unlike many guests on the show, Christian didn’t come up through traditional TV comedy writing. Rather than climbing through sitcom writers’ rooms, his background includes music, improv at The Groundlings, and years working in reality television before eventually creating the suburban world of Valley Heat.

The conversation explores how the podcast first came together, the trial and error involved in finding its voice, and the meticulous process behind creating each episode. Christian also talks about the challenge of adapting such a specifically audio-based comedy into a visual format. It’s a funny and wide-ranging conversation about creativity, persistence, and making something completely its own thing.

Save the date for the next live Dead Pilots Society show at the Elysian Theater on July 12. We will have more info and a link for tickets soon.

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joindeadpilots

Episode 200: Valley Heat by Christian Duguay

This month marks the 200th episode of Dead Pilots Society, which feels like a real milestone for a show that requires considerably more coordination than a couple of people just turning on microphones and talking. Every pilot episode means finding a pilot, assembling a cast, and putting together a live reading, so reaching 200 episodes feels genuinely significant.

While this is the show’s 200th episode, it’s also the 118th dead pilot the podcast has brought to life so far. For the occasion, we wanted something special, and this month’s pilot more than fits the bill: Valley Heat, written by Christian Duguay.

Andrew has previously called Valley Heat (another Maximum Fun show) one of the greatest achievements in podcasting, and after connecting with Christian last year, learned that a pilot version of the podcast existed. After much persistence, Dead Pilots Society finally got the chance to stage it live at the Elysian Theater.

Set in Burbank’s Rancho Equestrian neighborhood, Valley Heat captures the bizarre rhythms of suburban life in a way that’s both deeply specific and completely unhinged.

For anyone discovering Valley Heat for the first time, this episode may be the perfect introduction.

The live reading also features many of the recognizable voices from the original podcast appearing onstage in person, making for a uniquely surreal experience.

The cast includes: Christian Duguay (Plantman & Blondie, The Dress Up Gang), Kevin CamIa (Fallout), Mike O'Connell (DTF St Louis, Patriot), Merrill Davis (Comics Unleashed, Time Out Comics to Watch), Emily Maya Mills (Key and Peele, Orange is the new Black), Matt Braunger (stand up), Chris Garcia (WTF, This American Life, Scattered), Beth Stelling (Netflix, HBO Max comedy), DeMorge Brown (Destroy All Neighbors)

Video of the live table read is available exclusively to Maximum Fun members. Become a member for as little as $5 a month at maximumfun.org/join.

And don’t forget to check out Andrew’s documentary Born Innocent: The Redd Kross Story at  https://www.reddkrossfilm.com/

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joindeadpilots

Bonus: Top Five Funniest Openings in Dead Pilots Society History - Number 1

As a special bonus for MaxFunDrive 2026, we bring you the top five funniest openings in Dead Pilots Society history, as voted by the DPS staff. It was a challenge to narrow it down to just five, but that just means you’re getting the best of the best.
 

The show is supported by MaxFun members contributing $5 a month or more, and this is the time of year to say thanks and invite new listeners to join. Throughout the drive, there will be more episodes and a few extra check-ins along the way. To learn more or become a member, visit https://maximumfun.org/joindeadpilots

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joindeadpilots

Episode 199: Carter Bays and Craig Thomas Interview Part Two

This is the After Show for Gimme Five, featuring part two of Andrew’s conversation with Carter Bays and Craig Thomas, creators of How I Met Your Mother.

The discussion digs into the real-life inspiration behind Gimme Five, a project shaped as much by nostalgia as it is by firsthand experience. Carter and Craig reflect on the writers’ rooms that shaped the pilot, and the kind of shared comedy culture that gets handed down over time, something that now feels increasingly rare.

The conversation is loose, funny, and occasionally thoughtful, touching on collaboration, process, and what makes a great room work.

Dead Pilots Society is supported by MaxFun members contributing $5 a month or more, and this is the time of year to say thanks and invite new listeners to join. To learn more or become a member, visit https://maximumfun.org/joindeadpilots

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joindeadpilots

Bonus: Top Five Funniest Openings in Dead Pilots Society History - Number 2

As a special bonus for MaxFunDrive 2026, we bring you the top five funniest openings in Dead Pilots Society history, as voted by the DPS staff. It was a challenge to narrow it down to just five, but that just means you’re getting the best of the best.
 

The show is supported by MaxFun members contributing $5 a month or more, and this is the time of year to say thanks and invite new listeners to join. Throughout the drive, there will be more episodes and a few extra check-ins along the way. To learn more or become a member, visit https://maximumfun.org/joindeadpilots

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joindeadpilots

Bonus: Top Five Funniest Openings in Dead Pilots Society History - Number 3

As a special bonus for MaxFunDrive 2026, we bring you the top five funniest openings in Dead Pilots Society history, as voted by the DPS staff. It was a challenge to narrow it down to just five, but that just means you’re getting the best of the best.

The show is supported by MaxFun members contributing $5 a month or more, and this is the time of year to say thanks and invite new listeners to join. Throughout the drive, there will be more episodes and a few extra check-ins along the way. To learn more or become a member, visit https://maximumfun.org/joindeadpilots

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joindeadpilots