I gave up candy for lent as a personal challenge and then sparkstilinski shows up to visit me with a bag of Reese's eggs...... apparently my self control is only so strong.
A good friend of mine recently expressed interest in starting Comedy Bang! Bang!, but a show with over 300 episodes can be fairly daunting. Thus I decided to make a list of 20 Starter Episodes for someone to begin listening to this podcast with.
It's important to note that I made this with my friend's comedy taste and familiarity in mind, so your idea of a "best" episode might not be included in this list. This is by no means the perfect list for everyone.
I suggest that you pick and choose episodes to your taste. If you are unfamiliar with a guest or two, give it a shot because, trust me, they have some iconic character-work that might only exist in the comedy podcast world. After listening to some or all of these, try to listen to episodes where you recognize the guests if you're still unsure about what to listen to!
So without further ado, here is my CBB Starter Pack:
*This goes in order of how I think you should listen to them, not necessarily the chronological order they were released. I also broke up some of the episodes that are part of a series so that you have a good taste of what the show is like as you progress. I wanted to spread out guests and characters as best I could so that you're experiencing many different aspects of the show.
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#120: "Farts and Procreation 1" - Adam Scott, Harris Wittels, Chelsea Peretti
This is the episode that got me hooked and is pretty iconic. It's important to note that much of the premise of this episode is that these three are trying to do characters to fit the pattern that CBB usually follows, despite the fact that none of these guests actually really do character-work outside of these episodes. I also think this is a perfect introduction to Harris Wittels, who you may not be as familiar with, and I sincerely hope that you choose to investigate his episodes further!
#123: Amy Poehler, The Bangles, Adam Pally
Poehler's first appearance Includes her first participation in the always hilarious Freestyle Rap Battle. This is the second episode I ever listened to and is a really fun introduction for what you might expect from your "average" CBB.
#12: Jon Hamm, Howard Kremer, Nick Kroll, Doug Benson
Nothing makes me happier than Jon Hamm riffing, and this is one of those episodes. I listened to this episode very early on in my discovery of this podcast. It's also a really good introduction to Kroll's character work if you're unfamiliar with it! Be sure to follow this one up at some point with episode #211 where it's just Hamm and Kroll.
#107: John Mulaney, Nick Kroll
I have listened to this episode so many times I almost have it memorized, but it really holds up as a great ep. Includes the first appearance (of three) of the "Oh Hello" guys, who never fail to be weirdly hilarious. Kroll also does Fabrice Fabrice early on in in this episode, who is a hilarious match for Mulaney. Also lays the ground-work for a future episode that is included in this list!
#154: Lennon Parham, Jessica St. Clair
I think this episode is a really good introduction to Marissa Wompler (St. Clair), fan favorite, as it is Mrs. Listler's (Parham) first appearance. Jess and Len have some of the best comedic chemistry out there and their appearances on this podcast are iconic for most listeners. Wompler and Listler have become staple characters on CBB over the years, and any episode you see with Jess on it is one to check out!
#180: Gillian Jacobs, Paul F. Tompkins, Lauren Lapkus
This is the first in the series of eps with Gillian and Garry Marshall (PFT), and also features an early character appearance done by Lapkus, who later becomes one of the best improvisers on the podcast. The Gilly/Garry Marshall saga is always funny, especially because you can tell PFT is having a lot of fun! I really like this as an intro to PFT's style of character-work.
#52: Sarah Silverman, Harris Wittels, Ben Schwartz
I rediscovered this episode after Harris's passing and it's truly a gem and I knew very quickly that I had to include it. These three have a really great chemistry. Features no character-work, but the stories are great and and an early appearance from Ben Schwartz helps set groundwork for his and Scott's later banter.
#74: Jason Mantzoukas, Andy Daly
The first of the series with these two. These episodes are really, really funny and this one in particular is great. I love Andy Daly's character-work in this particular episode, as sometimes he can be a hit or miss for me. the Zouks/Daly episodes get wilder and wilder as they continue, but this first one is a great intro piece.
#98: Adam Scott, James Adomian
An early Adam Scott appearance that's hilarious! Also includes James Adomian as Alan Rickman, which gets a little weird at the end, but I love this as an example of the chemistry between Adam Scott Aukerman. This might be kind of a good intro to the podcast U Talkin' U2 to Me? as well because it features a lot of solo Scott and Scott material. You can also tell that Adam listens to the some of the episodes he's not on sometimes, which is pretty cool and adds a bit of continuity and call-back material between episodes that I always appreciate.
#174: Lizzy Caplan, John Mulaney, Nick Kroll
The second in the Mulaney/Kroll saga. So many great bits in this episode, despite Caplan's complete disinterest into improv-ing with these guys (which actually adds to how funny this episode is). Includes the return of the "Oh Hello" guys and the infamous "Hand Me that Scooper" bit that I quote in real life to people all the time without them having any clue what I'm referring to.
#166: "Farts and Procreation 2" - Adam Scott, Harris Wittels, Chelsea Peretti
The much anticipated sequel to the iconic "Farts and Pro 1". Some didn't think this one was as good as the first but I personally think it's as funny, if not funnier. There's a weird bit about Harris fucking a penguin and it includes a hilarious song Chelsea and Scott Aukerman recorded together.
#176: Amy Poehler, Jason Mantzoukas, James Adomian
This return of Amy Poehler to the show is truly great. Now, James Adomian's character Tom Leykis - based on the real person btw - is a complete and total asshole, but the reaction of Poehler and Zouks is so perfect that this episode is a great listen. Also the second Rap Battle occurs in this episode!
#312: Andy Samberg, Lauren Lapkus
Ok. This is a really strange episode, but Samberg is so charming and his chemistry with "Todd" (Lapkus), Scotts nephew, is absolutely hilarious. I also love the entirety of the Hollywood Facts bit even though they think it's too much. I think this is the best of the Samberg appearances, as the ones with Adam Pally sometimes were.... uncomfortable. I love this episode though and I think you will too.
#229: Ben Schwartz, Paul F. Tompkins
I love Ben and Scott together, and I love PFT and Scott together, and so this episode is a real treat. PFT had just recently started doing Werner Herzog a lot, so it's a fresh character for him that he is clearly enjoying exploring further. Features also more "House of Pies" jokes which will always crack me up.
#194: Nick Kroll, Chelsea Peretti
Because Kroll and Chels are such good friends in real life, this episode shines. Chelsea works really well with Kroll's characters, as always, and it features some of Kroll's spoken word poetry which is honestly one of the funniest things he does. Provides an even better look at Kroll's characters, who are a frequent feature of CBB.
#261: Horatio Sanz, Kulap Vilaysack, Shelby Fero
I wanted to include an episode with Kulap, Scott's wife, who is literally the cutest person in the whole world. This is a "holiday" themed episode with Sanz's appearance as Aaron Neville, which is one of his funniest characters, and includes him singing the" 6 Days of Kwanza". These three guests make for a really good time. I also like this as an introduction to Kulap and her personality, in case you're ever interested in checking out her podcast with Howard Kremer, called Who Charted?
#150: Bobby Moynihan, Paul F. Tompkins
I would be remiss if I didn't include a "Time Bobby" episode and this is the first of them! A lot of CBB fans love this series of episodes, as PFT's Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber is well matched with Bobby Moynihan's character "Fourvel". These episodes have found themselves at the top of the Best Of's almost every year and they're honestly some best improv work of this whole podcast.
#219: "Farts and Procreation 3" - Adam Scott, Harris Wittels, Chelsea Peretti
Winding down this list with the 3rd Farts and Pro. The bit-saturation is so high and is so weird but it's hilarious as they introduce the strangest new characs. It kind of goes off the rails at a point but it is absolutely hilarious. Also Chelsea does a wolf character so you know it's good!
#218 The 4th Anniversary Extravaganza
If you've made it to this part of the list, you are ready to experience the many characters this show has to offer! Not only will you see many characters and guests returning, but you'll also experience some new ones that I hope you will stumble upon as you start to delve deeper into the world of CBB! There may be some bits that were referenced in previous podcasts, but it's still a fun time the whole way through!
Best of 2011 Pt. 1
If you're still not quite ready to venture out into the list of episodes on your own, this best of will feature clips that you can gain some insight into what other episodes might be like. This is the first of the Best-Of years where PFT and Scott began counting down together. They do a lot of bits in-between the countdown that will usually continue into not only future Best-Of's but also in random episodes throughout (For example, Scott and Paul will literally sing some show-tune or the Cantina Band Song whenever they do a show together).
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I hope this list of episodes of helpful to some of you out there. Don't feel pressured to listen to every single episode. Take your time with it too, it's hours of material. This show has made my life honestly so much better since I started listening to it a couple years ago and I hope it is the same for you. If you find an episode that you really like, it might even have a "sequel" of sorts, so please look into it as you go, or ask me for more information! There are so many episodes I could've included as well but I wanted to limit this to 20 eps.
[On a final little note, you may have noticed that I didn't include NOT Farts and Procreation 4. As I'm sure you can tell, this series of episodes are easily my favorite (I included the first 3 on this list to make sure my friend listens to them, and I think they're funnier when you separate them up a little bit). The 4th installment is one I think everyone should listen to after they listen to all of Harris's appearances on the show. I think it's a really good (and unfortunately far too early) end-cap on Harris's CBB presence, and I think it's fully enjoyed once you've experienced everything he gave to us on this show.]
thank you for the suggestions! i already downloaded the audio books and am going to watch the web series soon! :)
Whooo hooo!
And then after that you can check out some of the stories written by the amazing marshmallows writers at VMFicRecs. You won’t get out from that vortex!
