The Pilot's Club

Episode 34. We watched the pilot of The Outsider, a 2020 HBO crime show based on a Stephen King novel. We discuss the haunting questions that compel us to come back to the show, the mysterious art book, a detective who's sad but not a sadsack. Click here to watch a video of this episode. (00:00) - Intro (00:03) - Welcome (01:24) - Intro to The Outsider (03:00) - More in a single episode than most...

Episode 33. We watched the first episode of Uzumaki, the brand new anime based on the Junji Ito horror manga. We discuss how the show brings the manga style to life in startling black and white, cinnamon roll dads, characters walking too slow, and how this compares to other adaptations of Junji Ito's work. Click here to watch a video of this episode. (00:00) - Intro (00:03) - Welcome (01:05) - A c...

Episode 32. Pilot's Club honors the 20th anniversary of Lost with a look at its two-part pilot! We discuss the expensive and hasty gamble that ABC took on this pilot, how this compares with the pilots of other shows with huge casts like Game of Thrones or Shogun, our top hunks, and we wonder why nobody ever called Boone "the pen guy." Click here to watch a video of this episode. (00:00) - - Intro...

Episode 31. This month's pilot is Homecoming, the Prime show directed by Sam Esmail from Mr. Robot, based on the audio fiction podcast of the same name. We discussed the changes in aspect ratios, feeling the Florida humidity, and the era when every audio drama had to include a character turning on a recorder so you knew why the podcast was a podcast and not another medium. (00:00) - Intro (00:03)...

Episode 30. We watched the pilot episode of the 2007 Disney Channel cartoon Phineas & Ferb, "Rollercoaster," and the season two episode "Rollercoaster: The Musical" where they just did the pilot again but with more jokes and songs this time. We discuss the show's deliberate repetition and the creativity that comes from that limitation, how it combines stories that other cartoons would keep as...

Episode 29. This month we investigate the pilot of the long-running Amazon Prime detective series, Bosch. We discuss the kaleidoscopic opening credits, using courtroom interrogation to deliver exposition, the requisite quirky forensics guy in a tropical shirt, and how "Harry Bosch" isn't as cool of a name as "Titus Welliver." Click here to watch a video of this episode. (00:00) - Intro (00:03) - W...

Episode 28. This month the Pilot's Club features an actual pilot in the 2011 show Pan Am, about a group of young flight attendants navigating the 1960s air travel boom. We discuss Margot Robbie already in Barbie mode playing an iconic beauty, David Harbour the international spy, and Lost-style flashbacks. Click here to watch a video of this episode. (00:00) - Intro (00:03) - Welcome (01:35) - What...

Episode 27. This month, we watched the first episode of the current hit TV miniseries Shogun. We ask if the show gives you too many plotlines too early, and discuss the multiple faiths and factions at play, pirate voice, and location-based cinematography. Click here to watch a video of this episode. (00:00) - Intro (00:03) - Welcome (01:45) - What is Shogun? (06:59) - General thoughts on Shogun's...

Episode 26. We watched the pilot of Welcome to Eltingville, based on the comics of Evan Dorkin. It didn't go to series, but aired on Adult Swim on March 3, 2022 --- exactly 22 years ago to this day! [spooky thunderstorm clap] We discuss the evolution of nerd archetypes, good and bad comic book store experiences, trivia battles, and what we can learn from Star Trek. Click here to watch a video of t...

Episode 25. We watched the 1999 pilot for Heat Vision & Jack, starring Jack Black as an experimental astronaut on the run, and the voice of Owen Wilson as his talking motorcycle. We discuss the introduction from director Ben Stiller, the purposefully low-budget effects, one very talented exotic dancer, and the 25th anniversary of Family Guy. Click here to watch a video of this episode. (00:00)...

We watched the pilot for the 2022 Hulu meta-sitcom Reboot, about the cast of an early 2000s sitcom reuniting for a gritty new version of their old show. We discuss dark secrets, nude comedy, and Disney Channel teens. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

We're celebrating 10 years of The Whatnauts with an end of the year "grand prix" because you can call anything a grand prix, there's no rules stopping you! Two people talking about pizza can be a grand prix!! Kyle sees a chicken. Melissa sees a big glove. Between the two of us, we've seen Tenet 3.5 times and Interstellar 1 time and we're going to try to understand both. We also give out the yearly...

This month on the Pilot's Club we watched the two-parter pilot to the new Genndy Tartakovsky animated series Unicorn: Warriors Eternal. We discuss the show's blending of diverse animation and character design styles from throughout history, a big round robot, and literal Merlin. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

This month we're talking about the pilot of Manifest, a 2018 NBC show that was picked up to conclude on Netflix. We discuss our fascination with plane-based mysteries, the religious angle to the show, and how this feels like a throwback to mid-2000s TV. Click here to watch a video of this episode. Reply on Bluesky ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

We watched the 2006 animated pilot The Amazing Screw-On Head, based on a comic by Mike Mignola, and executive produced by Bryan Fuller. We discuss the juxtaposition of Mignola's dark and heavy artwork with the comic tone of the show, action figure inspirations, and Venture Bros vibes. Click here to watch a video of this episode. Reply on Bluesky ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

We watched the pilot episode of Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, a newish HBO show dramatizing the history of the basketball franchise. We discuss the spot-on casting, the use of different filming mediums, and characters talking directly to the audience. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

We watched the pilot episode of the 2004 teen neo-noir Veronica Mars. Topics include: intense color filters, not knowing who the rich kids are when all the kids at this high school dress the same, and the variety of mysteries to hook any audience member. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

This month on the Pilots Club, we watched the first episode of Cable Girls, a 2017 Netflix original series from Spain. It’s the 1920s in Madrid, and hundreds of women are vying for jobs as switchboard operators at the national telecommunications company, one of the few jobs where a woman can establish a career and independence for herself. Each applicant has a different reason for being there — to...

This month we watched the 1982 pilot episode of Cheers, to contrast old school Ted Danson with the modern Ted Danson we’re watching in The Good Place over on The Review Show. We discuss the pilot’s unusual camera work, how old Diane is supposed to be, and how the opening theme places this story in the legacy of humans for centuries now going to bars to seek community. Click here to watch a video o...

Episode 16. We watched the pilot episode of the Marvel animated series Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur this month, talking about the specifics of the Lower East Side setting, kid geniuses with science skills that real kids can’t replicate, and hot dogs. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

This month we watched the pilot for Bob Patterson, a show that lasted from October 2001 to October 2001, airing only five of its ten episodes. Jason Alexander stars as America’s third best-selling self help guru, struggling with writing a new book, preparing a new speaking tour, his chaotic estranged wife, and a literal bed of nails. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

This month on the pilots club, we watched the pilot of the original CSI from 2000. We discuss how the show’s focus on science was unique for procedurals of the time, and how it feels like a predecessor to Mythbusters. We also talk about the pilot’s vignette structure, dramatic lighting, immediately likeable characters, and corn cobs. Click here to watch a video of this episode. Reply on Bluesky ★...

What a weird and wild pilot episode we have this time. Poochinski may have never made it to an actual television series, but it certainly made it into our hearts. After being killed in the line of duty, Officer Stanley Poochinski's spirit is transferred into an English Bulldog. With a new leash on life, Poochinski continues to solve crimes. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

For the start for 2023 we are taking to the skies! Well, kind of. We are watching the pilot episode of Birdgirl this month, the sequel to Adult Swim’s cartoon from the early 2000s, Harvey Birdman Attorney at Law. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Kyle and Melissa are here for a chill end-of-year celebration, looking back on our year in podcasting and looking ahead to our 2025 goals. We give out our Review Show awards, play a game of "What the Hell Were We Talking About?", run through our recent cinema experiences, talk about fancy cocktails and fancy mansions, and finally share our thoughts on the weird twist in the otherwise conventional...