Episode notes

Episode 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)

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