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Chase and Pierce go back to the '90s to talk about the mechanics of the late night talk show, specifically 1993's Late Night with Conan O'Brien. After a departing David Letterman left NBC down a host, the network made the unconventional decision to go with a young and untested comedy writer with some funky hair that would end up becoming one of the most interesting comedians of his time. We talk about Conan's rise, fall and resurgence, as well as what value these seemingly disposable shows have on a rewatch.

Show Notes:

• Here's the link to the first episode of Late Night with Conan O'Brien if you'd like to watch it for yourself.
• At one point, Chase gets all confused about second generation actors. He says Drew Barrymore isn't (despite being the daughter of actor John Drew Barrymore), and was thinking about Kate Hudson (daughter of Goldie Hawn) when he said Kathryn Hahn. Podcasting is hard sometimes!
• Here's the link to Bruce Springsteen's live version of Promised Land Pierce referenced.

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For our first Showtime program for the podcast, Pierce and Chase dive into the world of 2004's The L Word, a groundbreaking show focused on the lives and relationships of a group of lesbians living in Los Angeles (and one straight woman who may just want to join the team). We watched the first part of a two-episode pilot because honestly, we had plenty to talk about from just that.

Show Notes

• Chase discusses this unhinged directorial decision in the second episode of Columbo. Here's an image. Now imagine the scene playing in his glasses for over a minute. Wild stuff.
• Chase also talked more about watching Nadia The Secret of Blue Water. He mentions the show gets bad after episode 25. It actually happens after episode 22. Somehow that awful desert island arc goes on for EVEN LONGER.

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Columbo is next up on the Pilot Program schedule! We had a couple different pilot options for this one, including some TV movies, but ultimately opted for the first episode of the series proper (it helped that Steven Spielberg directed it.) Listen in as Chase and Pierce talk about this "inverse mystery show," reflect on area codes and make some really bad Peter Falk impressions (OK, only Chase does that) on this ultra-length episode.

Show notes:

• Chase mentions the "two-name phenomenon" of, upon learning about a word or phrase or idea, you seem to hear it much more soon after. It's called the Baader–Meinhof phenomenon. You'll probably hear about it again soon.

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Chase and Pierce are joined by Justin Dioneda as we dig into the hard-to-categorize, but extremely entertaining HBO show Barry. From the mind of SNL-alum, Bill Hader, Barry is a show about a hitman trying to build a new life as an actor, and the tensions that occur when those professions intersect.

Show Notes:

• Pierce mentions Bill Hader appeared on the YouTube channel for the record store Amoeba. Check it out here.

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Gunbuster is a classic anime from Gainax, the studio best known for foundational shows like Gurren Lagann and Neon Genesis Evangelion. But before those breakouts, Gainax was in trouble -- their first movie flopped hard at the box office, and their second big project was shelved midway through development. They needed a hit, and Gunbuster really came through. But will it comes through for our two pilots? Tune in and find out.

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The 37th longest-running television show on American television, ABC's Monday Night Football is an institution. And while the debut episode in 1970 may not have all your fancy bells and whistles like super slo-mo replays, dedicated sideline reporters or even a graphic showing the score and amount of time on the clock, it did have charm. With the recent merger of the NFL and AFL, the New York Jets (featuring future hall of fame quarterback Joe Namath) and the Cleveland Browns meet for the first time in this historic (if not all that exciting) game.

Show Notes:

If you'd like to watch this terrible VHS rip of the game (with its beautiful 1970-era commercials intact), you can do that here.

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Chase introduces Pierce to one of his favorite shows of all-time, a mid-2010s FX (then FXX) romantic comedy that attempts to undercut the genre with sharp-tongued characters and an acerbic attitude. How will Pierce react?

Show Notes:

• Here's the link to Stephen Faulk's Tumblr post discussed on the episode.
• And here's the The Business podcast Faulk was interviewed on about the show

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