Dead Pilots Society

It'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.

Happy MaxFunDrive! Right now is the best time to start a membership to support your favorite shows. Learn more and join at https://maximumfun.org/joindeadpilots

Episode 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

Happy MaxFunDrive! Right now is the best time to start a membership to support your favorite shows. Learn more and join at https://maximumfun.org/joindeadpilots

Episode 195: Georgia Pritchett Interview

 

This After Show features Andrew’s interview with Emmy and WGA Award–winning writer Georgia Pritchett, the writer of this month’s dead pilot, Bump.

 

Georgia is best known for her work on Veep and Succession, and has also written for The Thick of It and Avenue 5. She created and showran The Shrink Next Door and is the author of the memoir My Mess Is a Bit of a Life: Adventures in Anxiety.

In the conversation, Georgia talks about building a career in British television, shares stories from the writers’ rooms of Veep and Succession, and discusses the inspiration behind Bump. It’s a wide-ranging conversation about her career, her approach to writing, and how the idea for Bump first took shape.

The next live Dead Pilots Society show will be at the Elysian Theater on April 19, featuring pilots by Joel Kim Booster and Christian Duguay.

Happy MaxFunDrive! Right now is the best time to start a membership to support your favorite shows. Learn more and join at https://maximumfun.org/joindeadpilots

Episode 194: Bump by Georgia Pritchett

 

This month’s dead pilot is Bump, written by Emmy and WGA Award–winning writer Georgia Pritchett. Georgia is widely known for her work on Veep and Succession, and has also written for The Thick of It and Avenue 5. She served as creator and showrunner on The Shrink Next Door and is the author of the memoir My Mess Is a Bit of a Life: Adventures in Anxiety.

 

Bump follows a British couple coming to America to meet their surrogate, since surrogacy is illegal in the UK, only to discover she’s very different from what they imagined. The pilot blends emotional stakes with sharp, unexpected comedy in a way that feels very much in line with Georgia’s writing style.

 

The pilot was read live on stage at the Elysian Theater in Frogtown, Los Angeles with an amazing cast featuring Sarah Solemani (Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, Bad Education), Ed Weeks (The Mindy Project, Drop), Jessica Sula (Split, Michael), Logan Miller (Escape Room), Ginger Gonzaga (She Hulk), Beth Dover (Orange is the New Black, Nobody Wants This), with Stage direction from Andrew Reich

The next live Dead Pilots Society show will be at the Elysian Theater on April 19, featuring pilots by Joel Kim Booster and Christian Duguay.

 

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/

Happy MaxFunDrive! Right now is the best time to start a membership to support your favorite shows. Learn more and join at https://maximumfun.org/joindeadpilots

Episode 193: Ginger Gonzaga Interview

 

This is the After Show for Yellow, featuring Andrew’s conversation with writer and actor Ginger Gonzaga.

Many listeners know Ginger from her roles in Marvel’s She-Hulk, CBS’s True Lies, Showtime’s Kidding, I’m Dying Up Here, HBO’s Togetherness, and Room 104. But in this episode, the spotlight shifts to her as a creator as well as a performer.

 

Andrew and Ginger talk about coming up in the heavily male improv scene of the early 2000s, the delicate (and sometimes not-so-delicate) politics of improvising in auditions and on set, and how her background in high school speech and debate shaped her confidence as a storyteller. She also shares a wild story about pitching a show centered on mental health at a time when that topic wasn’t exactly trending in development meetings or even in the national conversation.

 

It’s candid, funny, and full of insight about carving out space as a performer and writer. Most of all, it makes clear just how much Yellow means to her.

Happy MaxFunDrive! Right now is the best time to start a membership to support your favorite shows. Learn more and join at https://maximumfun.org/joindeadpilots