On this episode of The Story & Craft Podcast, Marc Preston goes behind the curtain with producer/writer Joel Church-Cooper (“Going Dutch”, “Brockmire”, “Future Man”, “Undateable”) to talk about how TV comedy really gets made and how the business has changed. Joel shares his Northern California upbringing, film-nerd roots in the video store era, and the comedy influences that shaped him (“Kids in the Hall”, “Mr. Show”). They dig into big studio comedies, as well as how algorithms and “second-screen” viewing are reshaping storytelling. Joel breaks down the origins of “Going Dutch” (including the real Army base that inspired it), the evolution of “Brockmire”, working with Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. It’s an engaging chat about what it takes to create great TV!

03:29 Film Nerd Origins

04:56 Video Store Era Stories

13:21 Comedy Influences and Sketch Classics

17:24 Public Access and Media Power

26:02 Going Dutch and Algorithm Notes

28:54 What He Watches Now

33:15 Kids Movies and YouTube Brain Rot

41:57 Chasing Authenticity

42:33 Brockmeyer Origins

49:05 Baseball as Existential Comedy

51:07 Future Man Writers Room

57:39 Why “Going Dutch” was set in The Netherlands

01:01:36 Culture Clash Comedy

01:03:13 The Seven Questions