MaxFunDrive 2026 is April 20 to May 1!
That’s right, 4/20 to International Worker’s Day. Coincidence? Who’s to say? Anyway: live shows and laughs, fun times and fundraising—our favorite time of year kicks off next month!
Get ready, folks: from April 20 to May 1, we’re gonna celebrate our shows, the network, and the members who make it all possible!
We’ll have meetups, in-person and remote live shows, and—of course—a metric ton of new bonus content from all our podcasts.
All of your favorite shows are funded directly by MaxFunsters who want to make sure they keep going. If you’re a member, you’re not just supporting the shows you love—you’re part of a community full of people like you who care about independent media and who believe that cool art shouldn’t be beholden to the whims of corporations that will cancel something awesome just to save a few pennies. And, while we may be a little biased, we think that makes you really freaking cool. Thanks for your support!
(If you’re not a member yet, become one during MaxFunDrive! You might even get some cool gifts, too! But more on those next month…)
As we get closer to the Drive, things are probably gonna get a little bananas (complimentary), so be sure you’re following MaxFunHQ and your favorite shows on social media so you don’t miss anything.
Find MaxFunHQ on…
MaxFun Meetup Day is Thursday, April 23!
The MaxFunDrive classic returns! On Meetup Day, MaxFunsters around the world host meetups for local fans of the network. Hosting a meetup is super easy—all you’ve gotta do is find a venue that can accommodate a small group, tell us about it so we can add it to our directory, and show up during the meetup to hang out and make new friends!
Save the Date: The MaxFunDrive Finale Show is Friday, May 1!
Join us in-person or remotely for a two-hour extravaganza where Judge John Hodgman and Bailiff Jesse Thorn litigate cases between hosts from all over the network!
When:
Friday, May 1, 7:00pm PT
(doors at 6:30pm)
Where:
The Stray Theater in Los Angeles, CA
(plus, live on our YouTube channel)
Who:
You!
Do you want to join us at The Stray? Please do—the event is free and open to everyone! However, we’ll have a very limited number of seats available, so keep an eye on your inbox, our Instagram, and our Bluesky to make sure you don’t miss your chance to grab tickets.
If you can’t join us in person, how about joining up with friends remotely? Hosting a watch party with your friends is a great way to enjoy the finale with other people who have excellent taste, even if you can’t get to LA. Let us know through email (hello@maximumfun.org) or Instagram/Bluesky DMs if you’re having one and we’ll shout you out in the pre-show!
What we’re watching…
Some recs from MaxFunHQ staff. Want to share with staff what you’ve enjoyed lately? Reply to this email!
“As a lover of both food media and anime, I finally got to watching Delicious in Dungeon after dragging my feet for however long it’s been out. Man… it’s so good.” – Gabe Mara, Producer
“I’m finally getting around to watching the cult hit Twin Peaks. I’ve just finished the original series run and the subsequent movie. I was not prepared to the twists and turns and places this was going to go. And I’m so excited for whatever comes next.” – Danny Baruela, Technology and Data Specialist
“I just rewatched The Long Walk, my favorite film of 2025. The first time I saw it was in a dine-in theater, with a huge novelty-size milkshake and an order of piping-hot pickle chips. I had not been briefed on what this film was about. Both the bev and the snack sat untouched by the time the film ended. On this viewing, I managed to get through it without crying 95% of the time—only about 50%.” – Jordan Kauwling, Producer
“Whenever I mention Survivor to someone, I either get a ‘that show’s still on?’” or I find a new person who loves it as much as I do. I’ve been watching since my roommate got me into it in college. We’re two eps into Season 50 right now and it’s just so much fun. I want to talk to everyone about it! And how Jeff Probst is the best host on TV.” – Stacey Molski, Director of Business Ops
“Eurovangelist Dimitry Pompée made a very good case for the Finnish broadcast of Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2026, their national song contest to select its choice for the Eurovision Song Contest in May. Whether you want to watch the full broadcast or not, the live performance of Pete Parkkonen and Linda Lampenius is EPIC. Linda is a classical violinist, sports car racer, model and actress, and Pete is the grandson of Pierre Rassin, a Black jazz musician from Martinique. Douze points.” – Laura Swisher, Senior Producer
“Here’s one for Oscars season. I watched The Secret Agent (O Agente Secreto) which is nominated for Best Picture. Ooooh baby this was a good good movie. The runtime is intimidating but I think it is well earned. Everything is just leading up to this one moment and when it happens its like OKAY BABY HERE WE GO. Plus are TWO split diopter shots in this. Bonus lil rec, there is a song they play during the climax called A Briga Do Cachorro Com a Onça and it slaps.” – Christian Dueñas, Producer
We hope you’re as excited for MaxFunDrive as we are! If you are, tell your friends about it! And, while you’re at it, tell them to subscribe to our newsletter, too! Thank yooooou!
— Your friends at MaxFun