John Levenstein's Retirement Party

Latest Episodes:

4: Kroll Talk May 28, 2018

Show notes

Nick Kroll joins the party to break down Big Mouth and Kroll Show and warn David Harbour (Stranger Things) about the hazards of working with John. John and Mary track down Fred Armisen to determine if his Big Mouth character is the same as his impression of John. And Joe Wengert (Kroll Show, Big Mouth) talks about starting out doing improv in New York.

3: John's Double Life May 20, 2018

Show notes

John talks to Pam Brady (South Park, Lady Dynamite) about writing with her on The John Larroquette Show in 1995, when he was also going to grad school to become a therapist. John's best friend from grad school talks about what a terrible therapist he would have been. Pam's best friend Theresa Mulligan (Lady Dynamite, Baskets) drops by to surprise her. And creators of The Middle -- Eileen Heisler and DeAnn Heline -- join the party to mark the series finale (and convince Mary to remove John's "Lipstick Jungle" credit from the podcast's opening titles).

2: Alt Comedy Snobbery May 14, 2018

Show notes

Karen Kilgariff (My Favorite Murder) dishes about the snobby alt comedy scene of the 90s, Paul F. Tompkins backs up her account, and we call director Jonathan Krisel (Portlandia, Baskets) to get him to go on record saying nice things about Karen and Nick Kroll, while getting heckled by Tim Heidecker.

1: The Stump May 07, 2018

Show notes

To kick off John's retirement party, Jay Kogen (The Simpsons, Frasier) talks about The Stump, his social media site for comedy writers that John joined in the late 90s. Jill Soloway (Transparent) and Becky Thyre (Mad TV) trace how The Stump evolved into the stage show Sit n’ Spin. And veteran Sit n’ Spinners Claudia Lonow (Rude Awakenings), Maggie Rowe (Arrested Development), Jonathan Schmock (Ferris Bueller) and Ben Wexler (Scrubs) join the party to track down the audience member who threw up when John was on stage at the Aspen Comedy Festival in 2003. With retirement toasts from Kate Berlant and John Early.

Coming Soon: John Levenstein's Retirement Party May 02, 2018

Show notes

Join writer, actor, and producer John Levenstein ("Arrested Development," "Silicon Valley") as he reflects on his career in show business. He'll share personal stories from the writers' room, offer advice, rehash old decisions, settle feuds, and tell friends he loves them. John and his co-host -- actress and writer Mary Kobayashi -- reconnect with friends like Karen Kilgariff ("My Favorite Murder"), Nick Kroll ("Kroll Show") and Jill Soloway ("Transparent").