Back to the Pilot

Starting college can be a stressful time for anyone, but in some situations, things end up being a little more than what you’d expect. Take these two shows for example - Blue Mountain State and Fresh Meat - the characters in these shows are thrown into scenarios where they are forced or agree to do some….difficult things.

Blue Mountain State (1:41) - Being a star athlete on a powerhouse college football team has its perks, but it also means you have to subject yourself to the initiation that just about any college group makes its freshman go through - hazing. But this isn’t just nicknames and small pranks hazing, it’s a slew of degrading tasks, humiliating punishments, and blatant over-sexualization. Will the new all-star freshman be able to survive Hell Week?

Fresh Meat (31:29) - Getting into Uni is hard enough as is, but even still some universities don’t have the room to fit all their freshman into dorm housing. And for these 5 new faces, getting forced into group housing was not exactly the way they wanted to start the new school year. But as long as they don’t find themselves immediately getting into awkward situations, they should be fine…

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In the world of family sitcoms, the early years were insistent on showing what life was like in the perfect household. A lovingly married couple, two happy children, everyone getting along, and almost no concerns with everyday struggles. But in the late 80s and into the 90s shows began to change the way we see families. And two of the shows with the biggest impacts were Married…With Children and 3rd Rock From the Sun.

3rd Rock From the Sun (02:46) - Crash landed on Earth, a group of aliens find themselves among the humans, fascinated with their lifestyles and oddities. Assuming the forms of a family of four, they blend in with their surroundings to better research their subject. But the more they learn, the more confused they seem to be. Surely more time on the planet will teach them everything they need to know about what it means to be human.

Married…With Children (30:39) - Al Bundy is the prototypical working class man - a full-time job, a stay-at-home wife, and two children who don’t quite get along. But one thing that sets him apart from the others is his ability to speak his mind no matter the situation. So hopefully you aren’t the sensitive type because there’s no one who throws insults around like him. But at the end of the day, he still loves his wife and kids, and will always do right by them.

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The law is an interesting thing. For those who follow it, they rarely think about anything more than the surface level legality of their everyday lives. But for those who don’t - or walk the thin line separating the two - it’s almost as if they have to be experts in the matter just to know how far they can go and exactly how to get away scot-free. So what better way to entertain than to combine the two into a single show? Or in this case - two shows - Billions and Suits.

Suits (4:06) - Practicing law take a lot of hard work and dedication. On top of the 8 years of education, you also have to pass one of the most difficult professional exams out there, the Bar examination. But what if you never graduated law school and passed the Bar anyway? Legally, you aren’t allowed to sit for it, but does that make you any less qualified? Luckily we can explore exactly that scenario when Mike Ross convinces Harvey Spectre to sign him on as an associate thanks to his quick wit and perfect memory.

Billions (35:56) - In law, we often think of things in extremes - right and wrong; good and bad; justice and evil - but in reality, the law tends to be much greyer than that. And sometimes it seems that just because someone has broken the law, doesn’t necessarily mean they’ve done something bad or vice versa. But in Billions, it’s a little bit different. Just because someone seems as though all they do is good, doesn’t really mean that they’re a good person. But surely the US Attorney is always going to do the right thing. And a man who donates large sums of money to charity could never be bad….right?

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Alright, you got us! We’re doing another episode about two adult animations. But can you blame us? These shows are exactly the type of humor that we love with just the right amount of laughs. And when it comes to this type of comedy, not a lot have done it better than South Park & Rick and Morty.

South Park (3:04) - In a rural town in Colorado, we meet a group of 4 friends in the 4th grade. But these 4th graders aren’t like any you’ve seen before. Between the swearing, sex talk, and bad influences all around, it’s almost like these kids are trying to offend as many people as possible.

Here is the link to the YouTube video which Chloe mentioned containing shorts by Trey Parker & Matt Stone: Trey Parker & Matt Stone - Early Shorts Collection (RARE) (youtube.com)

Rick and Morty (47:40) - When an eccentric genius grandfather moves in with his daughter’s family, he finds he can use his grandson’s help for all of his wild inventions. And though his grandson doesn’t quite understand what’s going on, he’s (almost) always up for an adventure. Jumping to different dimensions and stuffing seeds up their butts is just the beginning of what’s in store for these two.

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It’s never easy to break into the entertainment industry. We’ve learned all about just how much work goes into it while researching for this podcast. But one thing has been fairly consistent throughout - with passion, dedication, and a little bit of luck, it can be done. And to exemplify those qualities in this episode, we discuss The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Glow.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (03:21) - Happily married with two kids, Midge Maisel is living her perfect dream life - one that she’s planned out from the beginning. But when her husband, Joel, starts to believe that he can’t achieve his dream of being a famous stand-up comedian with Midge, he decides to leave. But with nothing left to lose, a drunk Midge Maisel stumbles her way into what might be the start of her own stand-up comedy career.

Glow (26:59) - Ruth is an aspiring actress who has built a strong resume of small parts to make herself the perfect candidate for any role…on paper. When it comes to the audition process, you have to be the exact right person they’re looking for, and unfortunately for Ruth, that never seems to be her. However, when a…unique…opportunity comes her way, she is ready to learn whatever she needs to prove that she belongs.

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Throwback to the 80s where family life was certainly different from how we experience it now. But even back then, there were a lot of similarities. Some people dealt with overbearing parents, some dealt with annoying siblings, some dealt with school bullies, and some dealt with it all. But what better way to walk us through what life was like than a comedic narrator explaining it all. And that’s what we’re talking about in this episode with The Goldbergs and Everybody Hates Chris.

The Goldbergs (02:19) - In a brightly colored reflection of his childhood, Adam Goldberg reminisces about growing up in the 80s. With his brand new video camera, Adam captures all of the greatest and funniest moments of his family’s antics. Though at the end of the day, the whole family is in it together and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Everybody Hates Chris (25:51) - Chris Rock’s childhood wasn’t always the best growing up. His dad worked two jobs and he had to take two buses just to get to school. Between his nagging siblings and his new school bully, Chris doesn’t seem to have anything going his way. However, there’s two people that always seem to have his back, his mom and dad. And with that, Chris can take on any challenge that comes his way.

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Music: ⁠https://www.epidemicsound.com⁠

Businesses are often represented by a small number of people, whether it’s a suite of executives or a board of members, but the reality is that no business will run smoothly unless it has everyone working together towards the same goal. But corruption is a tricky thing. It bleeds into all parts of the business, especially when it starts at the top. And soon enough, no one cares how it happens, as long as everyone gets their money.

Succession (02:18) - When Kendall Roy is set to take over his father’s business, he sets his sights on a new acquisition deal that will help propel the company into the future. What he doesn’t seem to realize though, is that his one-track mind might soon be his own downfall. On top of that, his father’s recent changes to his will throws him and his siblings for a loop as they discover they are receiving much less than before.

Boardwalk Empire (44:08) - The 1920s were a time of partying and seemingly unending happiness. So it’s a little odd whenever you realize that prohibition was in full swing at the same time. Of course, prohibition was merely a stepping stone for alcohol producers to increase their prices. And guys like Enoch “Nucky” Thompson were right there stringing everyone along as they drank to their heart's content.

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Music: ⁠https://www.epidemicsound.com⁠

Telenovelas tend to be sappy, soapy, dramatic shows that typically cater to a very specific audience. But every once in awhile, one comes along that captures the eyes and attention of a much larger demographic. Today we discuss two shows adapted from telenovelas for American audiences - Jane The Virgen and Ugly Betty.

Jane The Virgen (01:42) - After spending her whole life as a devout Catholic, Jane wants to save herself for marriage before losing her virginity. So naturally, it comes as a total shock when she discovers that she’s pregnant. Perhaps not a miracle in the truest sense of the word, Jane finds a way to accept that she’s been accidentally inseminated and try to make the best of it.

Ugly Betty (31:56) - Betty’s dream job is to work for a magazine publishing company. And her break finally comes when a playboy heir to one of the most popular fashion magazines needs a more “modest” looking assistant. Though initially finding herself the subject of some workplace bullying due to her less-than-attractive features, her hard work and perseverance prove to be enough to gain the proper attention from her new boss.

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Music: ⁠https://www.epidemicsound.com⁠

Anthologies are interesting - some contain multiple stories per episode, while some go full seasons along the same plot before switching it up. In either case, the format has always been a great way to adapt short stories to television. That happens to be the case for our two shows in this episode, Miracle Workers and American Horror Story. Each of which pulling ideas from different types of short stories to adapt to television.

Miracle Workers (2:51) - A wildly inefficient company, Heaven Inc., is seeing its primary product, Earth, causing way more headaches than its solving. So naturally Heaven’s CEO, God, has a plan - blow it up and start from scratch. But not everyone feels like that’s the fate Earth deserves. One angel believes that there is a lot of good still left to be done on the planet, so she bets God she can make two people fall in love in 2 weeks. God, naturally a betting man, takes the bet, confident that she will fail. Now the fate of humanity rests in the hands of two less-than-competent angels answering one of the hardest prayers there is.

American Horror Story (39:13) - Ghost stories are already terrifying. Between scary settings, suspenseful pauses, and unnerving endings, the genre is sure to leave listeners with some goosebumps. Now take all of those aspects and add the visual elements of television and you have a recipe for some truly frightening stories. That’s exactly the emotion AHS is aiming to provoke. When a family unit already struggling with mistrust and miscommunication moves to California for a fresh start, they get a little more than they bargained for when their new house has a bit more of a history than they might be comfortable with.

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Every generation has iconic cartoons that set themselves apart from the other children’s shows of their time. We can’t say for sure why some cartoons become far more successful than others. But if based on our thoughts, the thing that really makes them stand out is their ability to make family-friendly comedy that provides just as much enjoyment to the adults as it does to the kids. And that is true for each of the shows in this episode - The Bugs Bunny Show & Animaniacs.

The Bugs Bunny Show (03:28) - At one point just a simple Sunday comic page character, Bugs Bunny has since become one of the most well-known cartoons of all time. With his outrageous reactions and his perfect comedic timing, he finds his way in and out of all kinds of interesting situations.

Animaniacs (29:50) - Despite being trapped in the Warner Bros. water tower for over 60 years, the Warner Siblings have just as much pep in their step as always. But now that they know how to get out of the tower, its just daily chaos for the cast, crew, and employees of the Warner lot.

Instagram: @BackToThePilot

E-Mail: ⁠[email protected]⁠

Music: ⁠https://www.epidemicsound.com⁠