Happy Labor Day! We are still laboring on a project we can't tell you about (yet) but we have worked mightily to find some bad ideas on the Internet and think that you'll enjoy the results! First, Gabriel brings us an Am I The Asshole post full of culinary spite that we turn into a fractured fairy tale where ritual matters, at least to the eldritch abomination that lives in the lake. Then, Sarah brings us a tale of extreme sports fandom and we turn it into a complex thriller of celebrity and ide...
Sep 04, 2023•31 min•Ep. 249
Apologies for the delay in this one - travel, work on new projects, and some health road bumps (everyone is okay!) kept this one from being done properly until right now! Today in No Bad Ideas: self-expression! Grumpy men! Aggressive sea animals! And more! In our first bad idea today, Zach brings us the story of a French man who fought for his right to not be fun at work. The squad works to turn it into a comedic battle of workplace manners. Then, in the second idea, Sarah gives us the gift that...
Aug 15, 2023•28 min•Ep. 248
Today on No Bad Ideas... Wedding planning! Service Industry workers! Big purchases! TLC's new show My Surprise Bris! And more! For our first bad idea, Gabriel brings us the story of someone who had to walk out on their surprise nuptials. The gang turns it into a fast-paced, Jacques Tati-esque romantic comedy about two waiters who have to hold a wedding together. Then, Zach keeps the episode on theme with the tale of someone who had to reckon with their wife surprising them with the news that the...
Jul 18, 2023•30 min•Ep. 247
Happy July! We return from our month-long hiatus with two ideas that are the exact opposite of summer fun, but we're going to try and turn them into some hot hot IP anyway. First, Zach brings us a Texas tragedy and we Tarantino it up a notch into a three-part (plus interludes) hunt for buried treasure where the Ennio Morricone score will be pumping. Then Sarah tells us a magical tale of petty corporate overreach, and we turn it into a spy comedy where a very special card that could spell nuclear...
Jul 05, 2023•31 min•Ep. 246
Today on No Bad Ideas... Dogs! Arrests! Fake kidnapping! And news that we're taking the rest of June off! In our first bad idea, Gabriel brings us the tale of a man who, when faced with hardship, tried to sell out man's best friend. The trio turns it into the newest hit animated film about a talking dog. Then, Zach brings us the story of a man who, to get out of his job, took the very reasonable measures of... arranging his own (fake) kidnapping. The gang turns it into a story of bored, minimum-...
Jun 05, 2023•31 min•Ep. 245
Today on No Bad Ideas: nuclear subs! Naked landlords! Court cases! Ashton Kutcher and Sean William Scott! And more! First, Sarah brings us an article about the unlikely place where some classified documents wound up. Gabriel is horrified that they actually find a narrative arc in the silly comedy of errors they come up with. Then, Gabriel presents the story of a German landlord who loves to share everything with his tenants. The gang turns it into - what else? - a combative romantic comedy. All ...
May 16, 2023•28 min•Ep. 244
We're back and we're jumping right into some supernaturally awful badness this week! First, Gabriel brings us the story of a very unconventional crime-fighting strategy and we turn it into the story of a young priest who gets in way over his head – although with hardened criminals or the demons of hell, TBD. Then Zach draws on the occult powers of the Am I The Asshole subreddit to tell the story of a woman who takes on a dubious personal responsibility that divides her family, and we adapt it in...
May 01, 2023•33 min•Ep. 243
Today on No Bad Ideas... feds! Bad ideas! Training days! Birds! Spies! And more! In our first bad idea, Zach brings us the story of an FBI training exercise gone horribly wrong. The gang spins it out into a story of comedic role-play colliding against corporate machinations. Then, in our second story, Sarah brings us news about (horrifying) innovation in the field of techno-necromancy. The team spins out in about three different directions as they're left reeling from the news article, everythin...
Apr 19, 2023•31 min•Ep. 242
Writer, performer, and (comedy) sketch artist extraordinaire Tom Crowley joins the Bad Ideas Squad for two tales from beyond the grave! For our first bad idea, Sarah brings us a witchy obituary like nothing we've ever heard before, and - naturally - the team tries to figure out how to turn it into a story of growth and self-actualization á la Amelie. Then, Gabriel presents the tale of the somewhat ghoulish thing a Belgian town has done with the heart of their mayor, leading the squad to spin up ...
Apr 03, 2023•44 min•Ep. 241
Today on the show... Art criticism! Pizza! Organized crime! Crap! And special guest stars Bob Raymonda and Jack Marone, co-creators of the Forgive Me! podcast! In today's first bad idea, Gabriel brings us the story of a ballet director who took a rather... unorthodox approach to expressing his displeasure at a critic's evaluation of his work. The gang makes it into a film that gives a whole new meaning to the phrase, "giving someone shit." Then, Sarah brings us the story of a mafia boss who fool...
Mar 21, 2023•55 min•Ep. 240
What's even better news than a new episode of NBI? What's EVEN BETTER news than a new 70mm print of Boogie Nights? Film critic extraordinary Ethan Warren has just the qualifications to help us turn horrible ideas into movie pitches, and we're delighted to invite him to the NBI hot seat. First, Zach gives us a Twitch stream gone awry and we turn it into a truly twisted animated rom-com thriller about two fish (yes fish) with an entire Internet full of possibilities. Then Gabriel offers up an unus...
Feb 27, 2023•48 min•Ep. 239
Today on No Bad Ideas... fraud! Inflatable dolls! Possessed objects! American cinema! And more! For our first bad idea today, Zach brings us an article about some financial crimes inspired by the 1999 film Office Space. The gang decides to turn that into a radical reboot of a very, very different movie: Saw! Then, Gabriel presents the story of a man who used an inflatable Grinch doll in order to use the carpool lane on the highway. The trio turns it into a story of a man who is forced to reckon ...
Feb 06, 2023•28 min•Ep. 238
We're back! New year, same human species, which means EVEN MORE! BAD! IDEAS! The NBI is back and better than ever in this year 2023 AC (after covid). We are tweaking the show's release schedule - because it's ours and we can do that - so look forword to bi-monthly episodes of NBI hitting your feed every *other* Monday. Starting with this one! Gabriel kicks us off with one last holiday tradition that can also settle scores all year round, and we turn it into a heartwarming tale of two families wh...
Jan 23, 2023•33 min•Ep. 237
It's the last episode of No Bad Ideas of 2022! We are celebrating with stories about online harassment and dysfunctional families! For our first story, Zach brings us the story of weaponized online harassment. The gang does their best to turn it into a horror story about death that can be directly sent to those you don't like... and then bring back a classic NBI villain from a previous story to make it all come together. Then, Gabriel brings us the story of a family where half the members are tr...
Nov 30, 2022•32 min•Ep. 236
We return this week, or at least two of us do, to inflict terrible ideas onto one of our favorite people in podcasting: Wil Williams! Sarah kicks us off with a high school student's nightmare made somehow even worse, and we turn it into a spy heist thriller in the grand tradition of Agent Cody Banks. Then Zach takes us to a terrible idea that fortunately never reached 30,000 feet, but we imagine the terrible story and tonal chaos that would ensue if someone brought a gun onto an airplane... insi...
Nov 21, 2022•58 min•Ep. 235
Today the NBI squad is joined by a voice actor of intrigue and mystery, the amazing Josh Rubino, to talk about bears, wolves, and evil villains! In our first idea, Gabriel brings us the tale of two wrestlers who take on a bear and find it to be a... surprisingly challenging experience! Who knew?! The gang turns it into a gritty, grizzly reboot of a beloved cartoon show. Then, Sarah brings us the story of a scheme to make wolves less comfortable around people. The gang turns it into a heartwarmin...
Nov 14, 2022•54 min•Ep. 234
We're back to take some more bad ideas to incredible new heights! First, Sarah brings us a tale of a dinner gone awry with potential links to organized crime, and we turn it into the gritty Princess Diaries reboot none of us realized we needed. Then Gabriel takes us to the never-ending well of Bad Ideas, Reddit's Am I The Asshole, and we turn the story of a big communication failure over dinner into a domestic horror/thriller made possible by working from home. Plus: the world's saddest treehous...
Nov 07, 2022•30 min•Ep. 233
Today on No Bad Ideas... Alligators! Bees! Construction! Violence! Annoyance! And more! In our first bad idea today, Gabriel brings us the story of a Florida man who resorts to violence to solve the problem of the loud construction site next to his home. The gang turns it into an action film about a construction crew to escape from a deadly game of hide and seek with forty alligators. Then, Zach brings us a story about bees being used as a deadly weapon. The gang turns it first into a sequel for...
Oct 31, 2022•30 min•Ep. 232
Today we have a fantastic guest in the NBI hot seat: Zoe Tokushige returns to No Bad Ideas hot off the publication of her first (very good) book, Airi Sano, Prankmaster General: New School Skirmish. We begin with an idea of Zach's about a suburban mystery in the heart of Texas, and we turn it into a dark and twisting thriller with death (or at least social death) as the stakes. Then Sarah offers up an Am I The Asshole post about a snooping mother-in-law, and we transform it into the remake of Re...
Oct 26, 2022•49 min•Ep. 231
Today on No Bad Ideas... NPCs! Internet drama! Bad communication! Grandma! In our first bad idea, Zach brings us the story of a troubling trend online where people are starting to treat real life people as video game NPCs. The gang creates a story about a person who is transported into a video game just to play the part of a storekeeper NPC. Then, in our second bad idea, Gabriel gives Zach and Sarah a choice between two options. They choose the NSFW one, and have to contend with a woman's radica...
Oct 17, 2022•36 min•Ep. 230
We're back! And we return with two classics NBI genres of bad idea. First, Gabriel brings us an Am I The Asshole post about overbearing mothers during wedding planning, but definitely not in the way that you think. We turn it into a trippy, hallucinogenic virtual reality experience gone wrong where the path to emotional truth is paved with simulations. Then Sarah brings us a tale of technology on airplanes going wrong in a seemingly harmless but very strange way, and we, of course, turn it into ...
Oct 10, 2022•38 min•Ep. 229
Our apologies for the slight delay on this week's No Bad Ideas, but we think this one's worth the wait. Zach has secured his NBI hot seat in an exciting new spot and we're all ready to turn to some terrible ideas into okayish pitches! We start with Mr. Valenti who has an Am I The Asshole post that separates the cats from the dogs and the healthy relationships from Break Up With Him Already ships. We take it and concoct a (somehow) sillier and more arbitrary conflict that will make or break a rel...
Sep 28, 2022•38 min•Ep. 228
It's finally the end of the summer! We celebrate with a flight, a fistfight, some fast food, and body swaps! In our first bad idea, Gabriel brings the story of a mid-air flight between a plane's pilot and co-pilot. The gang turns it into a gritty, Martin McDonagh-esque suspense theater play about a situation doomed to blow up at just the wrong moment. Then, Zach horrifies Sarah and Gabriel with a story of little kids working at a McDonald's. The team pitches a new Freaky Friday-style story about...
Sep 20, 2022•31 min•Ep. 227
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 offers up a particularly silly idea from congress and we turn it into this summer’s next action-pac...
Sep 12, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 226
We have something new for you today! Mostly because we couldn't stop talking about it off mic and we all happened to be in the same room for once, we decided to jump into our NBI hot-seats to talk about how we would adapt stories from The Lord of the Rings if an eccentric space-loving billionaire threw lots and lots of money at us to do it. Tolkien lore spoilers abound, so take care if you happening to be reading The Silmarillion, but no spoilers for the actual Rings of Power TV show. Plus: Bad ...
Sep 05, 2022•37 min•Ep. 225
The show's original trouble troika is back together with the triumphant return of Zach Valenti this week! And we do have trouble here at NBI HQ: First, Sarah brings us an unusual problem plaguing the great city of Venice and we turn it into the story of a father looking out for his sons who accidentally finds the thrill of a lifetime. Then Zach offers up a typical tale from the world of Venture Capital and we create a story of temptation at scale, and whether a small-time schemer can play in the...
Aug 29, 2022•39 min•Ep. 224
Zach is missing this week, but to make up for it we have the honor of hosting a returning champion in the No Bad Ideas arena: Eli Barraza, creator of The Far Meridian, returns! We can certainly use the help, as in the first idea, Gabriel presents a criminal's desperate attempt to evade the police, and we turn it into both a horrifying and heartwarming tale of a man who needs to embrace his inner-bear, but not the way that you think. Then, Sarah offers up what is perhaps the weirdest billboard to...
Aug 22, 2022•55 min•Ep. 223
Today on No Bad Ideas: Florida men! Manliness! Puns! Conspiracies! Father-son treasure hunt teams! And special guest star Chris Dole! In our first bad idea, Gabriel presents a Key West tradition: the Ernest Hemmingway lookalike contest! The squad tries their best to turn it into a story about a camp where men (and one intrepid woman) are sent off so they can learn to be more like the legendary writer. Then, special guest Chris Dole bring us the story of a father-son treasure hunting team who cla...
Aug 15, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 222
Today on No Bad Ideas: priests! Exorcism! Cooperation! People getting fired! And more! Sarah brings us a story about how demand for exorcisms are going through the roof! The gang turns it into a film about how an overworked set of priests reaches out to the leaders of other religions to help them meet a small town's hunger for exorcism. Then, Zach brings us the tale of a company that is trying to automate and outsource other company's firing needs. The squad spends some time coming up with the 2...
Aug 10, 2022•34 min•Ep. 221
Sarah returns this week and starts us off with a healthy dose human pettiness, and we turn a legislator's quest to eradicate ghosting into the tale of a teenager suddenly gifted with the power to right wrongs and how they deal with that in a completely reasonable and not-at-all tyrannical way. Then Gabriel brings us a wedding proposal that has absolutely everything, and we move this couple's special day to an island destination that definitely doesn't have demons, no demons, just really enthusia...
Aug 01, 2022•35 min•Ep. 220
