Hollywood Handbook
| Hollywood Handbook | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Presentation | |
| Hosted by | Sean Clements Hayes Davenport |
| Genre | Comedy, Satire |
| Language | English |
| Updates | Weekly |
| Length | 45–90 minutes |
| Production | |
| Theme music composed by | Annaliese Schiersch |
| Audio format | MP3 |
| No. of episodes | 336 (as of March 28, 2020) |
| Publication | |
| Original release | October 8, 2013 |
| Provider | Earwolf |
| Related | |
| Related shows | Hollywood Handbook: The Pro Version |
| Website | www |
Hollywood Handbook is a weekly comedy podcast hosted by comedian/writer duo The Boys, which consists of Hayes Davenport and Sean Clements. Episodes generally consist of Davenport, Clements, and a guest offering advice, telling stories, and doing segments, all in a highly satirical, absurdist manner. Guests have included Donald Glover, Ellie Kemper, Aubrey Plaza, Kumail Nanjiani, Nick Kroll, Patton Oswalt, and Sharon Horgan.
Background
Clements and Davenport met while writing on the FOX program Allen Gregory, where they quickly established a friendship and established the Reality Show Show podcast on the Earwolf Network.[1] The podcast featured the duo, alongside reality stars such as Survivor winner John Cochran or comedians like Paul F. Tompkins and Anders Holm, humorously analyzing reality shows such as The Challenge, World's Worst Tenants, and Splash.[2]
Due to the show's small audience and the hosts' growing disinterest with the premise, Clements and Davenport ended the Reality Show Show after 39 episodes. Two weeks later, on October 8, 2013, the first episode of Hollywood Handbook was released with guest Jake Johnson.[3] In Hollywood Handbook, the hosts play highly-successful versions of themselves, presenting the podcast as "an insider's guide to kicking butt and dropping names in the red-carpet-lined back hallways of this industry we call showbiz". Initially, the show consisted of Clements and Davenport doing segments such as "The Teaser Freezer", wherein they would comment on a trailer for an upcoming movie, followed by an interview with the guest which included audience questions during the "Popcorn Gallery" segment. In recent years, however, the show has adopted a much looser format, featuring less planned segments and more interactions with the guests and Earwolf staff.
Reception
Hollywood Handbook has been featured on Vulture's best-of comedy podcast list in 2015, 2016, and 2017, ranking seventh,[4] second,[5] and fourth[6] respectively. In 2019, Vulture recognized two episodes of Hollywood Handbook as some of the "best episodes of the year".[7] It also ranked third in Paste's 2017 list,[8] and second in The A.V. Club's 2015 reader's poll.[9]
Writer and critic Nathan Rabin has written many articles for Vulture and The A.V. Club about episodes of the show, praising one as "anti-comedy for the ages".[10]
Notable fans and guests of the show include Tom Scharpling, Paul F. Tompkins, Julie Klausner, and Paul Scheer.[11]
Spin-offs
On June 14, 2017, Clements, Brett Morris, and actor and comedian Ben Rodgers launched the first season of the Stitcher Premium series Hollywood Masterclass which satirizes MasterClass lectures. The show's second season began August 29, 2018.
On January 31, 2018, Clements and Davenport launched Hollywood Handbook: The Pro Version, a 30-minute version of the show featuring interactions between the duo and members of the staff such as "Chef Kevin" and "Engineer Brett", as well as segments like the aforementioned "Teaser Freezer". The show is posted every Wednesday on Stitcher Premium. It was called one of the "best new comedy podcasts of 2018" by Rolling Stone.[12]
References
- ^ Westhoff, Ben (May 14, 2014). "Hayes Davenport and Sean Clements: Hosts of the Hilarious Hollywood Handbook Podcast". LA Weekly. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
- ^ "the reality SHOW show podcast on Earwolf". Earwolf. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
- ^ "Jake Johnson, Our Close Friend, episode #1 of Hollywood Handbook on Earwolf". Earwolf. October 8, 2013. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
- ^ Kramer, Josh (December 14, 2015). "The 10 Best Comedy Podcasts and Comedy Podcast Episodes of 2015". Vulture. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
- ^ Wright, Tolly (December 15, 2016). "The 10 Best Comedy Podcasts of 2016". Vulture. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
- ^ Wright, Tolly (December 22, 2017). "The 10 Best Comedy Podcasts of 2017". Vulture. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
- ^ "The Year in Comedy Podcasts". Vulture. December 10, 2019. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
- ^ Techler, Graham (December 31, 2017). "The Best Comedy Podcasts of 2017". Paste. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
- ^ Scheetz, Cameron (December 18, 2015). "The 2015 A.V. Club Readers' Poll results are in". A.V. Club. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
- ^ Rabin, Nathan (November 2, 2015). "Tom Scharpling & 'Hollywood Handbook' Made Anti-Comedy for the Ages". Vulture. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
- ^ "17 Celebrities Pick Their Favorite Podcasts". Parade. October 6, 2017. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
- ^ Saincome, Matt (December 28, 2018). "Best New Comedy Podcasts of 2018". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 29, 2020.