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Harmontown
Presentation
Hosted byDan Harmon
GenreComedy, entertainment, talk
LanguageEnglish
Length60 - 120 minutes
Production
No. of episodes140 (as of March 25, 2015)
Publication
Original releaseJune 16, 2012
ProviderFeral Audio

Harmontown is a weekly live comedy podcast that began airing on June 6, 2012. It is currently co-hosted by writer Dan Harmon, best known as the creator of NBC's Community, and actor Jeff B. Davis, known for his work on Whose Line Is It Anyway? Harmontown originally began as a monthly live comedy show in Los Angeles, California at the Nerdmelt theatre theater on May 23, 2011, but the show became weekly after Harmon was fired from Community. On the summer of 2012, Harmontown began broadcasting live as part of the Feral Audio podcast collective founded by Dustin Marshall.

The podcast has featured appearances from many notable people in the world of comedy, film, TV, and music, including Kumail Nanjiani, Greg Proops, Bobcat Goldthwait, Patton Oswalt, Jason Sudeikis, Robin Williams, Mitch Hurwitz, Eric Idle, and Steve Agee.

On March 8, 2014, a documentary also called Harmontown premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival.

Premise

The original premise of Harmontown evolved from Harmon's and Davis's attempts to discuss how to successfully eliminate the flaws of society and create a utopia (which they claimed could be addressed with the creation of a lunar colony) in front of a live audience. The show later evolved into what Harmon and Davis call "live therapy sessions" for Harmon, as he discussed with Davis a variety of topics, from anecdotes about his family and work to commentaries on movies, social issues, and scandals, all while still providing theoretical ideas on how to colonize the moon.

Format and structure

Harmontown is not scripted; it is largely improvisational. The show frequently feature many guests to help drive the discussion. On its fifth airing, the show began having a regular Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) session at the end of each episode. This led to the introduction of Spencer Crittenden, who leads their D&D segments due to having extensive knowledge of the game. Crittenden happened to be an audience member when Harmon and Davis asked for assistance from the crowd with how to play D&D. Crittenden gradually became a part of the main cast. Crittenden was then hired as an assistant to Dan Harmon.

Occasionally, Davis will be unavailable so a special guest will replace him as comptroller. Regular guest comptrollers include Erin McGathy (podcaster, comedian, and Harmon's wife), Kumail Nanjiani, and Duncan Trussell. Occasionally, special guests will serve as comptroller, including Mitch Hurwitz, Bobcat Goldthwait, and—on the Harmontown movie tour—Gilbert Gottfried, Dino Stamatopoulos, Steve Agee, and LeVar Burton.

Tour and documentary

From January 10–30, 2013, Harmontown evolved from its original format and structure to go on a national tour, leaving Los Angeles and traveling to cities such as Pittsburgh, Austin, and Nashville, all while posting new episodes within two days. The tour became the subject of a documentary produced by director Neil Berkeley. The documentary, also called Harmontown, follows Harmon, Davis, Erin McGathy, and Crittenden. The documentary (Harmontown) premiered at the SXSW Film Festival on March 8, 2014.

Cast and Crew

  • Dan Harmon: Mayor of Harmontown
  • Jeff Davis: Comptroller
  • Erin McGathy: Harmon's wife, frequent guest comptroller
  • Spencer Crittenden: audience member who became the show's Dungeon Master
  • Kumail Nanjiani: frequent guest comptroller
  • Katie Levine: audio recording provider
  • Emily Gordon: producer of the live show
  • Danielle Kramer: program director
  • Dustin Marshall: podcast producer, founder of Feral Audio

Episodes

Main article: List of Harmontown podcast episodes

Community

Harmon's openness on Harmontown about Community after his firing has led him making comments that have sparked some controversy. Speaking about his opinion on season 4 of Community, Harmon made comments referencing Jeffery Dahmer (a convicted serial killer and cannibal), in addition to saying: "It's like flipping through Instagrams and watching your girlfriend just blow a million [other guys]." Harmon subsequently publicly apologized for his comments.

Review

The A.V. Club wrote that "The podcast is for fans only, but for that undervalued group, it's essential listening."[1] CraveOnline wrote of the podcast:

If you're a Community fan, you're not going to want to miss the brains behind the show. If you're a comedy fan, you're not going to want to miss the show because it is, in all seriousness, the best comedy podcast out there. Harmon is a fantastic talker and storyteller and Davis is just as fantastic to listen to.[2]

References

  1. ^ Ferris, D.X. (July 27, 2012). "We visit Harmontown and binge on Doug Loves Movies in this week's podcast roundup". The A.V. Club. Retrieved September 25, 2014..
  2. ^ Krauspe, Christian (July 9, 2012). "Podcast Review: Harmontown". CraveOnline. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
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