No Bad Ideas

Gabriel is out this week, but stepping up to fill the void is a truly special guest star: the mastermind behind The Message, Steal the Stars, and the recently unleashed Give Me Away - it's Mac Rogers!    In our first bad idea, Sarah brings us the story of a car company bringing old school smells kicking and screaming into the future. The squad turns it into a story about a one-of-a-kind event that...

Ready for some terrible decisions, everyone? First, Sarah brings us a report of strange doings at a local Home Depot, and we turn it into a competition that turns into a war that turns into a supernatural battle between the forces of good and the forces of meh. Then Zach offers up the story of an odd house in California and we craft a themed murder mystery party perfect for a bunch of (un)suspecti...

Gabriel, Zach, and Sarah are taking a brief summer break this week, but we didn't want to leave you without any No Bad Ideas! So check out this old favorite from our archives, featuring our good comrade Christian T. Kelley-Madera. This week on No Bad Ideas... bugs, bugs, bugs! But before that, the Bad Ideas Band is joined by their dear friend Christian T. Kelley-Madera, co-creator and director of...

Today on No Bad Ideas: Phone calls! Arrests! Dystopias! Bad breakups! As many crimes as possible! In our first bad idea, Gabriel brings the squad the tale of a man who called the police to ask why he hadn't been arrested... and was then promptly arrested. The team turns it into a film about a world so broken and destroyed that going to jail may be preferable to what you'll find in the "free" world...

We’re back with a couple ideas that go deeper and deeper! First Sarah brings us the story of a very inappropriate toy and we turn it into a Harriet the Spy reboot working a case on a clock in time for the Christmas Rush. Then, Zach has an update on an old bad idea: the deep fakes a mom put together to sabotage a cheerleading team may not be so deep faked. We switch genres from superhero to mystery...

We’re off to Europe this week, with a pair of historical farces from different eras! First Zach, brings us a tale of Swiss aristocrats trying to enforce feudal rights and we turn it into a Succession-esque thriller of a young heir who may or may not try to burn it all down. Then, Gabriel takes us all the way back to Biblical times, with a story of a Noah’s Ark stranded on the coast of England. We...

Zach is out again this week but we’ve pulled in not one but two (three if you count the doggo that trotted up to Sarah’s mic) of our favorite people in podcasting: Victoriocity’s own Jen and Chris Sugden! First, Gabriel brings us a tale of an aspirational identity swap and we turn it up and add a bunch of twisty layers that culminate in a cross-country road trip to the lights of Vegas. Next, Sarah...

Today on No Bad Ideas: Crime! Cheese! Photographs! Meditation! Corporate synergy! Personalized prompts! In our first bad idea, Sarah brings us the story of a notorious crime boss that was brought down by an untimely social media post. The squad does their best to spin it into the story of a floating platform in the middle of the ocean, where you can find a free-for-all black market where everythin...

Zach is out for the week but we’ve convinced Lillian Holman, a very talented audio creator and one of our dear friends, to pitch hit in the NBI Hot Seat and help us mix some metaphors!  First, Gabriel brings us a battle over exactly what’s in a name, and we turn it into a marriage plot based on the most convoluted inheritance scheme of all time. Then, Sarah presents us with an Italian artist’s lat...

We’re back for yet another round of untangling the sad, the stupid, and the gross. First, Zach brings us a horrible, heartbreaking story of abandonment at sea and we feel the best thing we can do with the idea is launch it at Mars. Then Gabriel delivers a story of botched revenge and we turn it into a tale of spies who really wish their neighbors would leave them alone. Plus: Teelon Tusk, a perfec...

We’re back to sift through fake posts and posers for another couple rounds of Bad Ideas! First, Gabriel brings us an artifact from the depths of Reddit and we turn it into a battle of cartoon chefs for the ages (and for equal pay). Then, Sarah brings us a story of a wedding wrecked for an excellent reason, and we turn it into a long-running TV show that combines the best parts of Charlie’s Angels...

Today on No Bad Ideas: 90's fads! Grief counseling! Erotica! Devious librarians! And special guest star, Sarah Rhea Werner! First, Zach brings us the story of a 90's fad that, when it died, had its very own wake, funeral, and memorial service. The team turns it into a heartwarming period dramedy about families, grieving, and confronting our own mortality through parenthood. Then, Sarah presents an...

Today on No Bad Ideas: girlfriends! Birthdays! Scams! Tokens! Art! On our first bad idea, Gabriel brings the team a report of a man who was dating a lot of women so that he could have birthdays all year round. We try our best to turn it into the story of a spy who is very desperately trying to get caught. Then, Sarah presents an article about an NFT whose auction may result in a real art piece get...

Today on No Bad Ideas: it's special guest star Christopher Dole, co-creator of Arden! Also bear fighting, incompetent criminals, and a conversation about creating content while the world is upside down! In our first story, the gang takes Sarah's story about a man who (unsuccessfully) tries to fight a bear and turns it into a film about a has-been wrestler who tries to jump start his career by... y...

We’re back after a quick Unseen hiatus (have you listened to the latest episode of Unseen? It’s very good!) with some visibly bad ideas! First, Sarah delivers a wheelbarrow full of pennies to Zach and Gabriel, who turn a story of petty bullying by a horrible boss into a Leprechaun with the absolute worst luck. Then, Gabriel presents a research expedition that no one asks for and we turn it into a...

Today on No Bad Ideas: the triumphant return of guest star Mike Schubert to the Bad Ideas Thunderdome! Plus two stories of theft, technology, art, and daring getaways! In our first bad idea, a man's crypto misfortune is turned into a violent rampage of revenge... and its sequel... and then the sequel to the sequel. Then, Mike brings us the tale of a series of art thieves who take a very unusual es...

This week on No Bad Ideas: Airplanes! Stowaways! Performance art! Carbon dating! For our first bad idea, Gabriel brings us the story of a woman who has made a habit out of sneaking into airplanes all over the world. The gang does their best to turn it into an epic space western opera of one woman's struggle to preserve her freedom from the evil empire. Then, Sarah presents the story of a woman who...

Today on No Bad Ideas: road trips, excellent names, super villains, and gritty reboots! In our first idea, Sarah brings us the story of an unforgettable man who took a very ill-advised plane ride with an extremely ill-advised cargo. The gang does their best to turn it into a modern, dark, gritty reboot of a beloved 90's family comedy film. Then, Zach presents the tale of a mother who crosses some...

We’re back - with some of the most extreme bad (and good!) ideas we’ve had on the show in a while. First, Zach brings us one of the worst kidnapping stories we’ve heard and we decide to ignore the awfulness entirely and build a tavern in a fantasy world where dumping annoying adventurers in a dungeon is much more understandable. Then Gabriel has a story made possible by Facebook, and having a fair...

Today on No Bad Ideas: social media, bad dates, vaccines, and grandmas! In our first bad idea, Sarah brings us the story of a man who seeks a very distasteful kind of "justice" after a bad date. The gang tries their best to turn it into a romcom-y scheme involving a completely fictional pop star that isn't based on anyone in the real world. Then, Gabriel presents the story of two women who dressed...

Content Warning: this episode's second idea contains mention of suicide. If you would like to avoid this content, please stop listening at the 19:00 mark.  Today on No Bad Ideas: high-speed business opportunities and medical chatbots giving people dangerous advice!  In our first bad idea, Sarah brings us the opportunity of a fast and furious lifetime: the chance to buy a rocket car at a steal. The...

Today on No Bad Ideas... Rings! Thieves! Railroads! Mind Control! Clowns! Ecology Professors! In our first story, Gabriel brings us the latest exploits of No Bad Ideas's favorite superhero: Florida Man! What's he been up to? Proposing to his girlfriend... with his secret lover's rings. The gang turns it into a Western about a group of badass wronged ladies who are out for revenge. Then, in our sec...

Today on No Bad Ideas, feline lawyers and extreme nuptials! In our first bad idea, Sarah brings us the story of a lawyer who's video chat turns against them, and makes them look like a cat. The gang does their best to turn it into a high stakes, high pressure, public relations-based thriller. Then, Gabriel presents the tale of a couple who got married sixty feet beneath the surface. The team does...

We’re back with two more bad ideas from The Future… and the future is now. Zach starts us off with an entrepreneurial idea that will surely have no unintended consequences and we turn it into a thriller that starts with the Stasi and ends among the stars. Then Sarah has a dilemma from the world of online education, which we turn into a con that brings a whole university together. Plus: our ten min...

We’re wasting no time and jumping from zero to sixty with the bad ideas this week. Gabriel starts us off with a car thief who found way more than they bargained for in a stolen vehicle. A deeply strange riff on the buddy comedy ensues. Then Sara raises, if not the dead, then a standoff between man and ghost. We turn it into a story full of supernatural misunderstandings and misplaced confidence. P...