Podcast
Dead Pilots Society
Hosted by Ben Blacker and Andrew Reich · EN
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) Ben Blacker (The Writers Panel podcast; co-creator, Thrilling Adventure Hour), and Noah Findling (The New York Times, Comedy Central).
23episodes
Episodes
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Bonus: Top Five Funniest Openings in Dead Pilots Society History - Number 1
3w ago00:07:25Tap to summarizeBonus: 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 Thanks to everyone who participated in this year's MaxFunDrive! Still want to get in on the action? Follow this link to support this show (and get in on our limited-time keychain sale to benefit the Center for Constitutional Rights): https://maximumfun.org/joindeadpilots
Transcribe →Episode 199: Carter Bays and Craig Thomas Interview Part Two
3w ago01:05:09Tap to summarizeEpisode 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 Thanks to everyone who participated in this year's MaxFunDrive! Still want to get in on the action? Follow this link to support this show (and get in on our limited-time keychain sale to benefit the Center for Constitutional Rights): https://maximumfun.org/joindeadpilots
Transcribe →Bonus: Top Five Funniest Openings in Dead Pilots Society History - Number 2
3w ago00:13:24Tap to summarizeBonus: 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 Thanks to everyone who participated in this year's MaxFunDrive! Still want to get in on the action? Follow this link to support this show (and get in on our limited-time keychain sale to benefit the Center for Constitutional Rights): https://maximumfun.org/joindeadpilots
Transcribe →Bonus: Top Five Funniest Openings in Dead Pilots Society History - Number 3
4w ago00:06:25Tap to summarizeBonus: 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 Thanks to everyone who participated in this year's MaxFunDrive! Still want to get in on the action? Follow this link to support this show (and get in on our limited-time keychain sale to benefit the Center for Constitutional Rights): https://maximumfun.org/joindeadpilots
Transcribe →Episode 198: Gimme Five by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas
4w ago00:55:30Tap to summarizeEpisode 198: Gimme Five by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas This month’s second dead pilot from Carter Bays and Craig Thomas is Gimme Five. Best known as the co-creators and longtime showrunners of How I Met Your Mother, Carter and Craig previously wrote for The Late Show with David Letterman and produced American Dad. They co-wrote this pilot with legendary writer Peter Tolan, whose credits include The Larry Sanders Show, Rescue Me, Analyze This, Analyze That, and many more. Here's the log line. It's 1985, and Gimme Five is the number two family sitcom in America. But behind the scenes of this feel-good show is a dysfunctional workplace family on the verge of self-destruction. Showrunner Cliff McConnell must somehow keep it together and keep being funny in the midst of his newborn son's health crisis. Sharp, outrageous, and wildly funny, Gimme Five gives a behind-the-scenes look at comedy writing that feels both absurd and strangely authentic. It may also be one of the funniest pilots ever featured on the podcast. Major content Warning, definitely think twice about listening to this one with small children in the room. You may hear something that offends you early on in this pilot, but please stick with it. Stay tuned for part two of Andrew’s Interview with Carter and Craig, in your feed April 30th. Our cast for the show includes Taran Killam (SNL, High Potential, Stumble), Chris Diamantopoulos (Beavis and Butthead, Silicon Valley), Scott Foley (Scandal, Scream 7), Dallas Goldtooth (Reservation Dogs), Tami Sagher (Inside Amy Schumer), Chris DiStefano (stand up), James Urbaniak (Venture Brothers), Isabella Gomez (One Day at a Time, Shrinking), Cyrina Fiallo (High Potential, 911 Lonestar), Alyssa Limperis (What We Do In the Shadows), Burl Moseley (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) 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 Thanks to everyone who participated in this year's MaxFunDrive! Still want to get in on the action? Follow this link to support this show (and get in on our limited-time keychain sale to benefit the Center for Constitutional Rights): https://maximumfun.org/joindeadpilots
Transcribe →Episode 197: Carter Bays and Craig Thomas Interview
4w ago01:13:29Tap to summarizeEpisode 197: Carter Bays and Craig Thomas Interview This is the After Show for New York Mythological, featuring Andrew’s conversation with Carter Bays and Craig Thomas, creators of How I Met Your Mother. As part of this MaxFunDrive run, Dead Pilots Society is featuring two pilots from Carter and Craig. In a few days, the second one, Gimme Five, will be released, followed by part two of Andrew’s interview with them. The conversation gets into the real origins of How I Met Your Mother, the experiences, influences, and unexpected ingredients that eventually became the show. Carter and Craig also talk about the years before that success, and the many turns a writing career can take along the way. It’s a funny, candid conversation about writing, setbacks, success, and the odd resilience it takes to keep making things. Here is a link to "The Future is Now”, Oliver Beene theme song by Carter and Craig’s band “The Solids” Thanks to everyone who participated in this year's MaxFunDrive! Still want to get in on the action? Follow this link to support this show (and get in on our limited-time keychain sale to benefit the Center for Constitutional Rights): https://maximumfun.org/joindeadpilots
Transcribe →Bonus: Top Five Funniest Openings in Dead Pilots Society History - Number 4
Apr 2300:07:31Tap to summarizeBonus: Top Five Funniest Openings in Dead Pilots Society History - Number 4 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 Thanks to everyone who participated in this year's MaxFunDrive! Still want to get in on the action? Follow this link to support this show (and get in on our limited-time keychain sale to benefit the Center for Constitutional Rights): https://maximumfun.org/joindeadpilots
Transcribe →Bonus: Top Five Funniest Openings in Dead Pilots Society History - Number 5
Apr 2200:15:41Tap to summarizeBonus: Top Five Funniest Openings in Dead Pilots Society History - Number 5 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 Thanks to everyone who participated in this year's MaxFunDrive! Still want to get in on the action? Follow this link to support this show (and get in on our limited-time keychain sale to benefit the Center for Constitutional Rights): https://maximumfun.org/joindeadpilots
Transcribe →
Casters on Casters: Ben Blacker, Alonso Duralde, and Hal Lublin
Apr 2000:21:33Tap to summarizeIt's MaxFunDrive. And here, for the first time, we give you an exclusive look (well, listen) at the craft of podcasting: presenting Casters on Casters. In this episode, Ben Blacker (Dead Pilots Society), Hal Lublin (Tights and Fights & We Got This with Mark and Hal) and Alonso Duralde (Maximum Film!) take listeners behind the scenes and swap stories about the ups and downs of podcasting. Plus, why does every TV reboot have a character that's a podcaster? And how did COVID change the podcasting game? Listen to find out! If this glamorous, in-depth journey into what makes your favorite hosts tick inspires you, support them by joining as a member at maximumfun.org/join. Edited and Produced by Laura Swisher for Maximum Fun. Thanks to everyone who participated in this year's MaxFunDrive! Still want to get in on the action? Follow this link to support this show (and get in on our limited-time keychain sale to benefit the Center for Constitutional Rights): https://maximumfun.org/joindeadpilots
Transcribe →Episode 196: New York Mythological by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas
Apr 2000:49:25Tap to summarizeEpisode 196: New York Mythological by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas This month’s dead pilot, kicking off the 2026 MaxFunDrive, is New York Mythological, written by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas. Best known as the co-creators and showrunners of How I Met Your Mother, Carter and Craig previously wrote for The Late Show with David Letterman and produced American Dad. Carter is the author of the novel The Mutual Friend, Craig wrote the novel That’s Not How It Happened, and together they’re also members of the band The Solids. Craig also recently launched the How We Made Your Mother rewatch podcast. To celebrate the MaxFunDrive, Dead Pilots Society is featuring not one, but two pilots from Carter and Craig this month. The log line for New York Mythological - A new arrival joins the team at a museum devoted to exploring supernatural and paranormal phenomena in New York City. With kind of a How I Met Your Mother meets Ghostbusters feel, the pilot features a fantastic cast featuring Isabella Gomez (One Day at a Time, Shrinking), Devon Bostick (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Crime 101), Alyssa Limperis (What We Do In the Shadows), Josh Fadem (The Lowdown; American Dad), Kal Penn (Harold and Kumar, Industry) Cyrina Fiallo (HIgh Potential, 911 Lonestar), Tami Sagher (Inside Amy Schumer) It’s MaxFunDrive season, which means celebrating the listeners who make Dead Pilots Society possible. 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 Thanks to everyone who participated in this year's MaxFunDrive! Still want to get in on the action? Follow this link to support this show (and get in on our limited-time keychain sale to benefit the Center for Constitutional Rights): https://maximumfun.org/joindeadpilots
Transcribe →