WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.020 Welcome to The Deep Dive. If you are prepping 00:00:03.020 --> 00:00:05.879 for a meeting, commuting, or maybe just trying 00:00:05.879 --> 00:00:07.900 to finally figure out who that guy is you see 00:00:07.900 --> 00:00:10.759 everywhere in comedy, well, you're in the right 00:00:10.759 --> 00:00:12.380 place. Yeah, we're talking about Andrew Andy 00:00:12.380 --> 00:00:15.560 Daly today. Exactly. He's this comedic chameleon, 00:00:15.560 --> 00:00:18.800 manages to pop up in almost everything, prestige 00:00:18.800 --> 00:00:22.559 TV, weird animation, you name it. But often behind 00:00:22.559 --> 00:00:24.739 the character, right? You know, the face or... 00:00:25.120 --> 00:00:27.199 Definitely the voice, but maybe not always the 00:00:27.199 --> 00:00:30.339 name attached to these incredibly memorable, 00:00:30.640 --> 00:00:33.479 often very strange performances. Totally. He's 00:00:33.479 --> 00:00:36.200 got this amazing ability to be both ubiquitous 00:00:36.200 --> 00:00:39.469 and somehow. hidden in plain sight, always playing 00:00:39.469 --> 00:00:41.710 these characters with such unwavering, like, 00:00:41.729 --> 00:00:44.250 earnest authority. That's really the heart of 00:00:44.250 --> 00:00:46.329 it, isn't it? That commitment. If you've watched 00:00:46.329 --> 00:00:49.469 Veep or laughed at Crumbopulos Michael on Rick 00:00:49.469 --> 00:00:51.490 and Morty. Oh, great one. Or if you're into that 00:00:51.490 --> 00:00:54.750 specific noosh of comedy podcasts, you definitely 00:00:54.750 --> 00:00:57.670 know Andy Daly's work. So our mission today in 00:00:57.670 --> 00:00:59.829 this deep dive is really to map out that whole 00:00:59.829 --> 00:01:02.719 journey. Yeah, connect the dots. Exactly. From 00:01:02.719 --> 00:01:05.459 his foundational training, which is pretty rigorous, 00:01:05.659 --> 00:01:08.260 all the way to the character -driven kind of 00:01:08.260 --> 00:01:11.219 empire he's built across live action, voice work, 00:01:11.400 --> 00:01:15.599 audio, the works. And we've got a... pretty hefty 00:01:15.599 --> 00:01:17.920 stack of sources here covers everything from 00:01:17.920 --> 00:01:20.640 his early improv days a really comprehensive 00:01:20.640 --> 00:01:24.560 filmography uh even tv projects lined up for 00:01:24.560 --> 00:01:27.400 next year 2025. yeah it's extensive so this discussion 00:01:27.400 --> 00:01:29.239 is really your complete guide you'll understand 00:01:29.239 --> 00:01:31.599 how this one guy became like the indispensable 00:01:31.599 --> 00:01:34.640 utility player of modern comedy by specializing 00:01:34.640 --> 00:01:36.640 really specializing in characters who are just 00:01:36.640 --> 00:01:39.519 100 dedicated to their own completely absurd 00:01:39.519 --> 00:01:42.000 internal logic it's brilliant okay let's dive 00:01:42.000 --> 00:01:44.579 in all right so starting at the beginning Education, 00:01:44.680 --> 00:01:47.200 roots. Where did this all start? Okay, so Andy 00:01:47.200 --> 00:01:50.859 Daly. Born April 15, 1971, Mount Kisco, New York. 00:01:51.000 --> 00:01:54.359 Our source notes him as 54 back in early 2021. 00:01:54.480 --> 00:01:57.040 But yeah, the timeline shows this just constant, 00:01:57.120 --> 00:01:59.359 intense output. Started basically right after 00:01:59.359 --> 00:02:01.200 college. And that background, the training is 00:02:01.200 --> 00:02:02.659 important, right? It's not just jumping into 00:02:02.659 --> 00:02:04.540 stand -up. Not at all. It's something that gets 00:02:04.540 --> 00:02:06.980 glossed over in comedy, you know. He was born 00:02:06.980 --> 00:02:08.659 in New York, but actually grew up in New Jersey. 00:02:08.780 --> 00:02:12.240 Ridgewood High School, graduated 89. Okay. Then 00:02:12.240 --> 00:02:15.840 comes the formal training. Ithaca College. And 00:02:15.840 --> 00:02:19.500 he got a Bachelor of Fine Arts, a BFA in drama. 00:02:19.939 --> 00:02:22.520 Ah, okay. So BFA, that's different from just 00:02:22.520 --> 00:02:25.560 a BA. Exactly. It's performance intensive, heavy 00:02:25.560 --> 00:02:27.639 duty acting training. This wasn't just, you know, 00:02:27.639 --> 00:02:29.860 reading plays. It's about performance craft. 00:02:30.060 --> 00:02:33.219 Right. And that formal kind of theatrical background, 00:02:33.379 --> 00:02:36.919 it gave him the tools. The tools to really ground 00:02:36.919 --> 00:02:39.240 characters in some kind of dramatic reality, 00:02:39.580 --> 00:02:41.860 which, as we'll see, is absolutely crucial for 00:02:41.860 --> 00:02:44.000 his later stuff. Yeah, where the premise is completely 00:02:44.000 --> 00:02:47.159 bonkers. But the performance has to be totally 00:02:47.159 --> 00:02:50.439 deadly serious. Straight faced. And you can see 00:02:50.439 --> 00:02:52.520 that focus maybe informing his early choices. 00:02:52.960 --> 00:02:55.379 After college, he heads to New York City. Right. 00:02:55.479 --> 00:02:57.659 And he forms this sketch duo, the two Andes, 00:02:57.699 --> 00:03:00.159 with Andy Secunda. Okay, I remember them. Yeah, 00:03:00.180 --> 00:03:01.840 and they got noticed. They performed at the Aspen 00:03:01.840 --> 00:03:04.379 Comedy Festival in 99. That's a pretty big deal. 00:03:04.719 --> 00:03:07.139 especially back then. Definitely signals he was, 00:03:07.240 --> 00:03:09.639 you know, on the radar. Industry recognized him 00:03:09.639 --> 00:03:12.340 early. And at the same time, he wasn't just doing 00:03:12.340 --> 00:03:14.199 sketch. He was deep in the established improv 00:03:14.199 --> 00:03:17.120 scene, too. He's an improvisational actor, main 00:03:17.120 --> 00:03:20.979 stage company at Chicago City Limits. OK. But 00:03:20.979 --> 00:03:23.719 the real turning point, the thing that arguably 00:03:23.719 --> 00:03:28.419 defines his trajectory and, frankly, a huge chunk 00:03:28.419 --> 00:03:30.960 of modern comedy. It's got to be UCB. It's the 00:03:30.960 --> 00:03:33.580 Upright Citizens Brigade. Absolutely pivotal. 00:03:33.979 --> 00:03:36.599 That UCB connection, it feels like it explains 00:03:36.599 --> 00:03:39.439 so much of his style. It really does. So when 00:03:39.439 --> 00:03:41.860 UCB made the move from Chicago to New York, that 00:03:41.860 --> 00:03:44.840 was 1996. Daley was right there. One of the very 00:03:44.840 --> 00:03:46.919 first New Yorkers to sign up and start studying 00:03:46.919 --> 00:03:49.780 improv with them. Wow. Okay. So ground floor. 00:03:49.939 --> 00:03:52.219 Totally ground floor. which basically put him 00:03:52.219 --> 00:03:54.379 at the genesis of what we now call alt -comedy. 00:03:54.460 --> 00:03:56.580 He was there when the DNA was being formed. And 00:03:56.580 --> 00:03:58.860 that UCB training, it's a specific kind, right? 00:03:58.919 --> 00:04:01.479 It's not just whose line is it, do I games? Right, 00:04:01.620 --> 00:04:04.020 exactly. They specialized in long -form improvisation, 00:04:04.080 --> 00:04:06.840 Harold, Armando, those kinds of formats. Explain 00:04:06.840 --> 00:04:08.860 that a bit for people who might not know. Sure. 00:04:08.919 --> 00:04:11.979 So unlike short -form games, where it's quick 00:04:11.979 --> 00:04:15.900 scenes or jokes, long -form takes a single suggestion 00:04:15.900 --> 00:04:20.120 from the audience. Just one word, maybe. And 00:04:20.120 --> 00:04:23.220 the performers build an entire self -contained 00:04:23.220 --> 00:04:26.519 world, a whole narrative around it, staying in 00:04:26.519 --> 00:04:28.879 character, building the story, maybe for 20, 00:04:28.980 --> 00:04:32.040 30 minutes sometimes. Wow. Yeah. It teaches incredible 00:04:32.040 --> 00:04:33.759 commitment. You have to totally buy into the 00:04:33.759 --> 00:04:36.360 reality you're creating. And it teaches structure, 00:04:36.459 --> 00:04:38.689 how to build something comedic over time. And 00:04:38.689 --> 00:04:40.529 Daly obviously took to it. The source mentions 00:04:40.529 --> 00:04:43.009 he was in a key group there. Oh, yeah. A really 00:04:43.009 --> 00:04:45.069 influential long form group called The Swarm. 00:04:45.110 --> 00:04:48.009 The Swarm. And a pedigree of The Swarm. I mean, 00:04:48.009 --> 00:04:49.870 that's what really cemented his place. It was 00:04:49.870 --> 00:04:52.050 assembled and actually directed by Amy Poehler. 00:04:52.110 --> 00:04:55.009 Amy Poehler. Wow. Right when the New York UCB 00:04:55.009 --> 00:04:56.889 Theater was really starting up, being in that 00:04:56.889 --> 00:04:59.310 group, that meant you were basically being handpicked, 00:04:59.389 --> 00:05:02.829 vetted by the architects of this whole new character. 00:05:07.290 --> 00:05:09.490 Totally honest inside some ridiculous situation. 00:05:09.589 --> 00:05:12.709 Yeah. That was being forged right there. Honed, 00:05:12.709 --> 00:05:15.250 nurtured by the best in the business in that 00:05:15.250 --> 00:05:18.029 UCB crucible. It's foundational. OK, so moving 00:05:18.029 --> 00:05:20.310 out of that foundational phase, we get into the 00:05:20.310 --> 00:05:25.139 2000s and Daly's career just seems to. Explode. 00:05:25.600 --> 00:05:27.839 But maybe not in the way you'd expect, like landing 00:05:27.839 --> 00:05:30.500 one big lead role immediately. No, it was more 00:05:30.500 --> 00:05:33.160 like saturation. He became this constant, instantly 00:05:33.160 --> 00:05:35.839 recognizable face popping up across all the top 00:05:35.839 --> 00:05:37.980 sketch and satire shows. You could almost call 00:05:37.980 --> 00:05:41.000 it his media sprint phase. Good term. In the 00:05:41.000 --> 00:05:43.420 late 90s, early 2000s, you saw him all the time 00:05:43.420 --> 00:05:45.519 in sketches on Late Night with Conan O 'Brien. 00:05:45.759 --> 00:05:47.540 Right. Often playing the straight man or the 00:05:47.540 --> 00:05:51.959 slightly frazzled expert type. Exactly. And at 00:05:51.959 --> 00:05:54.379 the same time, he's doing voice. worked for Robert 00:05:54.379 --> 00:05:57.620 Smigel's TV Funhouse cartoons over on SNL. Oh, 00:05:57.639 --> 00:05:59.939 wow. I didn't realize that. Yeah, like he voiced 00:05:59.939 --> 00:06:02.800 Joseph of Arimathea in one of those. Yeah. Which 00:06:02.800 --> 00:06:04.720 just shows the range, right? One minute he's 00:06:04.720 --> 00:06:07.480 an uptight network exec on Conan, the next he's 00:06:07.480 --> 00:06:10.060 a biblical figure for, you know, a Smigel puppet 00:06:10.060 --> 00:06:12.420 sketch. Yeah. Total versatility from the get 00:06:12.420 --> 00:06:14.680 -go. And then there's the big sketch show experience, 00:06:15.040 --> 00:06:18.000 MADTV. Right. It's been serious time there. He 00:06:18.000 --> 00:06:20.360 joined as a featured player season six, then 00:06:20.360 --> 00:06:22.500 got bumped up to full cast member for season 00:06:22.500 --> 00:06:27.240 seven. did 38 episodes total. That's a significant 00:06:27.240 --> 00:06:31.079 run. And MADTV requires churning out characters 00:06:31.079 --> 00:06:33.620 constantly. Absolutely. Week after week, new 00:06:33.620 --> 00:06:36.139 characters, new impressions, really flexing those 00:06:36.139 --> 00:06:38.759 UCB muscles just in a different format. And if 00:06:38.759 --> 00:06:41.759 you connect those docs, Conan, SNL voice work, 00:06:42.000 --> 00:06:45.180 MADTV, it kind of explains why he became such 00:06:45.180 --> 00:06:48.129 a go -to guy later on. Totally. Because right 00:06:48.129 --> 00:06:50.810 after that, he spends years consistently playing 00:06:50.810 --> 00:06:53.550 these like professional correspondent or advocate 00:06:53.550 --> 00:06:55.889 roles, characters who need instant gravitas, 00:06:55.889 --> 00:06:58.389 but with that satirical edge. Like on the showbiz 00:06:58.389 --> 00:07:00.670 show with David Spade. Yep. Correspondent on 00:07:00.670 --> 00:07:03.329 all three sins of that. And he was an advocate 00:07:03.329 --> 00:07:05.490 on both seasons of Lewis Black's Root of All 00:07:05.490 --> 00:07:08.189 Evil. Right. Debating ridiculous topics. Exactly. 00:07:08.189 --> 00:07:10.050 So he's not just performing characters. He's 00:07:10.050 --> 00:07:12.730 performing analysis, performing satire about 00:07:12.730 --> 00:07:14.730 the media landscape itself. It's quite meta. 00:07:15.040 --> 00:07:17.639 Which leads perfectly into those guest spots 00:07:17.639 --> 00:07:20.920 that really cemented him as that reliable, maybe 00:07:20.920 --> 00:07:23.600 slightly unhinged utility player. The one everyone 00:07:23.600 --> 00:07:26.600 points to is The Office. Oh, absolutely. 2007, 00:07:26.920 --> 00:07:30.439 the Ben Franklin episode. He plays Gordon. the 00:07:30.439 --> 00:07:32.720 Benjamin Franklin impersonator hired for Phyllis's 00:07:32.720 --> 00:07:35.319 party. It's such a perfect daily role. It's a 00:07:35.319 --> 00:07:38.120 masterclass in his whole comedic identity. He's 00:07:38.120 --> 00:07:40.019 the expert, right? The historical authority figure. 00:07:40.279 --> 00:07:43.420 But he takes the job so seriously, he cannot 00:07:43.420 --> 00:07:46.459 break character, even faced with total Dunder 00:07:46.459 --> 00:07:49.100 Mifflin chaos. His reaction when Pam questions 00:07:49.100 --> 00:07:52.019 his historical accuracy. Priceless. It's that 00:07:52.019 --> 00:07:54.560 authority figure just slightly crumbling because 00:07:54.560 --> 00:07:57.360 someone found a tiny crack in his perfect facade. 00:07:57.680 --> 00:07:59.839 Pure gold. And around the same time, We also 00:07:59.839 --> 00:08:02.120 saw him as a main cast member on Comedy Central's 00:08:02.120 --> 00:08:04.620 Crossballs. Yeah, that parody news show. He did 00:08:04.620 --> 00:08:06.720 15 episodes and he was a writer on it, too. Oh, 00:08:06.779 --> 00:08:08.639 writer, too. Interesting. And, of course, who 00:08:08.639 --> 00:08:10.560 could forget Brad, the friendly homeowner on 00:08:10.560 --> 00:08:14.779 Reno 911. Oh, my gosh, Brad. Yes. Six episodes 00:08:14.779 --> 00:08:16.660 of him just wanting to have a friendly chat with 00:08:16.660 --> 00:08:19.750 the cops while, you know. Absolute insanities 00:08:19.750 --> 00:08:21.769 happening in his front yard. Another version 00:08:21.769 --> 00:08:24.930 of that oblivious, earnest, slightly off -authority 00:08:24.930 --> 00:08:26.670 figure. But if we're talking about roles that 00:08:26.670 --> 00:08:29.430 really let him anchor absurdity, we have to talk 00:08:29.430 --> 00:08:33.029 about Eastbound and Down. Yes, definitely. His 00:08:33.029 --> 00:08:35.730 role as Principal Terrence Cutler, that was a 00:08:35.730 --> 00:08:39.629 major supporting role, 10 episodes, 2009 to 2012. 00:08:40.009 --> 00:08:43.000 That's pivotal. Cutler is just... The perfect 00:08:43.000 --> 00:08:45.840 foil. He is the pressure cooker. Yeah. He's this 00:08:45.840 --> 00:08:48.480 totally straight -laced principal just desperately 00:08:48.480 --> 00:08:50.659 trying to keep things normal. While Kenny Powers, 00:08:50.840 --> 00:08:53.960 Danny McBride, is just unleashing pure, unadulterated 00:08:53.960 --> 00:08:56.899 chaos onto this poor middle school. And Daly's 00:08:56.899 --> 00:08:59.519 performance, that's what grounds it. His grounded, 00:08:59.559 --> 00:09:02.220 sort of desperate realism makes Kenny Powers 00:09:02.220 --> 00:09:04.759 feel genuinely dangerous, not just cartoonish. 00:09:04.799 --> 00:09:07.220 You feel Cutler's bureaucratic exhaustion. It's 00:09:07.220 --> 00:09:09.100 brilliant. So it raises that question, you mentioned 00:09:09.100 --> 00:09:11.139 it earlier, if he's such a master character actor, 00:09:11.690 --> 00:09:13.970 Why so much time as the correspondent, the guest 00:09:13.970 --> 00:09:16.110 star, the supporting principal, instead of maybe 00:09:16.110 --> 00:09:18.190 lead roles earlier on? Well, I think it speaks 00:09:18.190 --> 00:09:20.830 to what the industry needed. Showrunners realized, 00:09:21.009 --> 00:09:23.870 hey, we can drop Andy Daly into basically any 00:09:23.870 --> 00:09:26.309 situation that requires instant comedic gravitas. 00:09:26.529 --> 00:09:28.610 Right. Someone who commits 100 % without needing 00:09:28.610 --> 00:09:31.350 jokey punchlines. Yeah. He just elevates the 00:09:31.350 --> 00:09:34.509 whole scene by fully being that character. They 00:09:34.509 --> 00:09:36.370 knew they could rely on him for that specific 00:09:36.370 --> 00:09:38.750 thing. That reliability, that specific skill 00:09:38.750 --> 00:09:42.100 set. probably led to that tantalizing what -if 00:09:42.100 --> 00:09:45.179 moment, the Match Game pilot. Ah, yes. 2008. 00:09:45.320 --> 00:09:48.259 He hosted a pilot for a Match Game revival. It 00:09:48.259 --> 00:09:50.220 never actually aired, which is a shame. But it 00:09:50.220 --> 00:09:52.539 shows the network saw that potential, right? 00:09:52.740 --> 00:09:55.000 Him as the host, the ultimate authority figure 00:09:55.000 --> 00:09:56.980 who could potentially carry a big franchise. 00:09:57.299 --> 00:10:00.000 Definitely. And... You know, he did try the traditional 00:10:00.000 --> 00:10:02.200 sitcom route, too. Let's not forget that. Yeah. 00:10:02.299 --> 00:10:04.500 2011, he starred in the Paul Reiser show on NBC. 00:10:04.799 --> 00:10:06.899 Okay, I vaguely remember that. Didn't last long. 00:10:07.240 --> 00:10:09.879 Brutally short. Yeah. NBC put it on as a mid 00:10:09.879 --> 00:10:12.159 -season replacement. Mm -hmm. Canceled after 00:10:12.159 --> 00:10:14.279 just two episodes aired. They actually made seven, 00:10:14.360 --> 00:10:17.340 but only two saw the light of day. Ouch. Network 00:10:17.340 --> 00:10:19.899 TV can be rough. It's just the reality sometimes. 00:10:20.279 --> 00:10:21.879 It doesn't matter how good the performer is. 00:10:22.320 --> 00:10:25.779 Timing, scheduling, network whims. It can sink 00:10:25.779 --> 00:10:28.159 a show. Well, what's really telling about Daly's 00:10:28.159 --> 00:10:30.340 resilience and his value in the industry is how 00:10:30.340 --> 00:10:32.440 quickly he pivoted from that. He didn't just 00:10:32.440 --> 00:10:35.559 disappear. Not at all. He immediately slid right 00:10:35.559 --> 00:10:38.240 into the highest levels of prestige comedy. He 00:10:38.240 --> 00:10:40.820 became the go -to guy for those serious, often 00:10:40.820 --> 00:10:43.940 academic or corporate, supporting roles on the 00:10:43.940 --> 00:10:45.799 buzziest shows. Yeah, you started seeing him 00:10:45.799 --> 00:10:49.039 everywhere. HBO, ABC. Exactly. He became the 00:10:49.039 --> 00:10:52.000 actor you hire when you need that figure of authority 00:10:52.000 --> 00:10:54.940 whose ego is maybe just a little too big for 00:10:54.940 --> 00:10:57.029 their actual power. OK. Yeah. Give us examples. 00:10:57.250 --> 00:11:00.450 Well, think about his recurring roles. Dr. Crawford 00:11:00.450 --> 00:11:02.549 in Silicon Valley. Right. The doctor who's maybe 00:11:02.549 --> 00:11:05.570 a bit too invested in his tech diagnosis. Totally. 00:11:05.690 --> 00:11:08.549 Or Keith Quinn in Veep. That entitled political 00:11:08.549 --> 00:11:11.610 operative. Principal Prince Brown in Modern Family. 00:11:11.789 --> 00:11:15.129 Dr. Evan Windsor in Black -ish. Tom Hinkle in 00:11:15.129 --> 00:11:17.509 Trial and Error. It's a pattern. The slightly 00:11:17.509 --> 00:11:20.929 officious professional. Absolutely. In Black 00:11:20.929 --> 00:11:24.149 -ish. He's often the doctor delivering kind of 00:11:24.149 --> 00:11:26.649 uncomfortable news with that professional, almost 00:11:26.649 --> 00:11:30.190 distant warmth. In Silicon Valley, Dr. Crawford 00:11:30.190 --> 00:11:32.470 is that clinical voice trying to rationalize 00:11:32.470 --> 00:11:35.309 completely insane tech problems. He just consistently 00:11:35.309 --> 00:11:37.289 delivers that specific flavor of performance. 00:11:37.509 --> 00:11:39.269 Yeah. The guy who absolutely believes he's the 00:11:39.269 --> 00:11:41.230 smartest person in the room. But maybe only by 00:11:41.230 --> 00:11:44.590 a tiny margin or in a very specific, slightly 00:11:44.590 --> 00:11:47.929 off way. It's his niche. OK, this feels like 00:11:47.929 --> 00:11:50.769 the main event. We arrive at the character, the 00:11:50.769 --> 00:11:53.029 show that feels like the purest distillation 00:11:53.029 --> 00:11:56.250 of Andy Daly's genius, the ultimate vehicle for 00:11:56.250 --> 00:11:58.730 that UCB hone commitment we keep talking about. 00:11:58.789 --> 00:12:00.750 Yeah. Review on Comedy Central. This is it. This 00:12:00.750 --> 00:12:02.549 is the centerpiece. The definition of a cult 00:12:02.549 --> 00:12:05.389 classic, right? Ran for three seasons. Yep. 2014 00:12:05.389 --> 00:12:08.549 to 2017. Total of 22 episodes. He starred as 00:12:08.549 --> 00:12:11.029 a host, Forrest McNeil. And what's really crucial 00:12:11.029 --> 00:12:13.129 here, our sources point this out, he wasn't just 00:12:13.129 --> 00:12:15.110 the actor. He was deeply involved behind the 00:12:15.110 --> 00:12:17.320 scenes. Oh, massively. Co -creator, executive 00:12:17.320 --> 00:12:20.179 producer, writer. This show was basically custom 00:12:20.179 --> 00:12:23.399 built for him for his specific comedic sensibilities. 00:12:23.679 --> 00:12:26.000 It was adapted from an Australian show. That's 00:12:26.000 --> 00:12:28.179 right. Review with Miles Barlow. Daly and his 00:12:28.179 --> 00:12:30.559 team took that concept and really ran with it, 00:12:30.600 --> 00:12:33.559 making it uniquely his own. So explain the premise 00:12:33.559 --> 00:12:35.460 for someone who maybe hasn't seen it because 00:12:35.460 --> 00:12:38.639 it's wild. It's brilliantly simple and utterly 00:12:38.639 --> 00:12:42.580 insane. Forrest McNeil hosts a TV show where 00:12:42.580 --> 00:12:46.139 he reviews life experiences. Not products. Not 00:12:46.139 --> 00:12:49.500 movies, life itself. Exactly. Anything a viewer 00:12:49.500 --> 00:12:52.899 asks him to review, he does it. Eating 15 pancakes, 00:12:53.320 --> 00:12:57.179 stealing, being Batman, getting a divorce, starting 00:12:57.179 --> 00:12:59.340 a dangerous addiction. Oh, my God. Leading a 00:12:59.340 --> 00:13:02.340 cult, even murder. He approaches these huge life 00:13:02.340 --> 00:13:04.659 -shattering events with the exact same detached, 00:13:05.019 --> 00:13:07.519 clinical, five -star rating commitment he'd give 00:13:07.519 --> 00:13:10.059 reviewing, like a new blender. And the core of 00:13:10.059 --> 00:13:12.019 the comedy and the darkness is that he cannot 00:13:12.019 --> 00:13:14.759 refuse a review request. That's the engine. His 00:13:14.759 --> 00:13:18.000 catchphrase sums it up. Life. It's literally 00:13:18.000 --> 00:13:21.080 all we have. But is it any good? I'm Forrest 00:13:21.080 --> 00:13:23.200 McNeil, and I am here to answer that question. 00:13:23.379 --> 00:13:25.600 And he will absolutely obliterate his own life, 00:13:25.720 --> 00:13:27.580 his marriage, his friendships, his physical and 00:13:27.580 --> 00:13:29.779 mental health, pursuing that answer. Purely because 00:13:29.779 --> 00:13:32.399 the format of his show demands it. His dedication 00:13:32.399 --> 00:13:35.360 to the job is absolute, even as it leads to total 00:13:35.360 --> 00:13:38.059 catastrophe. If you analyze the commitment needed 00:13:38.059 --> 00:13:41.539 for that role, it's staggering. Think about it. 00:13:41.759 --> 00:13:45.929 Season one alone. He reviews divorce. So he divorces 00:13:45.929 --> 00:13:48.169 his wife, Suzanne. He reviews addiction, gets 00:13:48.169 --> 00:13:50.210 addicted to cocaine. And then reviews it like 00:13:50.210 --> 00:13:52.669 it's just another assignment. Exactly. Gives 00:13:52.669 --> 00:13:55.289 cocaine like two stars. Notes the comedown was 00:13:55.289 --> 00:13:58.090 inconvenient for his production schedule. It's 00:13:58.090 --> 00:14:00.950 horrifyingly funny. But you feel for him somehow. 00:14:01.269 --> 00:14:04.269 You do. Because Daly plays it with such unwavering 00:14:04.269 --> 00:14:07.230 conviction. The audience's sympathy, bizarrely, 00:14:07.269 --> 00:14:10.450 comes from Forrest's absolute dedication to the 00:14:10.450 --> 00:14:13.159 rules of his own show. He's trapped by his own 00:14:13.159 --> 00:14:15.220 commitment. It's that blend again, the formal 00:14:15.220 --> 00:14:17.279 dramatic training meeting, absurdist improv. 00:14:17.419 --> 00:14:20.179 He takes the emotional stakes completely seriously. 00:14:20.240 --> 00:14:22.740 Right. Which makes you genuinely concerned for 00:14:22.740 --> 00:14:25.580 Forrest, even as he does increasingly idiotic, 00:14:25.580 --> 00:14:27.419 self -destructive things. Like there's a famous 00:14:27.419 --> 00:14:29.059 one where he has to review what it's like to 00:14:29.059 --> 00:14:32.980 kill a loved one. Oh, wow. Yeah, that's dark. 00:14:33.580 --> 00:14:36.279 Extremely dark. But the commitment Daly brings 00:14:36.279 --> 00:14:39.659 to portraying Forrest's anguish, even while performing 00:14:39.659 --> 00:14:43.580 this insane task for his show, is just profound 00:14:43.580 --> 00:14:47.320 comedic acting. So review really is the ultimate 00:14:47.320 --> 00:14:49.440 expression of his whole thing. The character's 00:14:49.440 --> 00:14:51.799 internal logic is completely sound. I must do 00:14:51.799 --> 00:14:54.259 my job. Perfect logic from his perspective. But 00:14:54.259 --> 00:14:56.879 the external reality is just under escalating 00:14:56.879 --> 00:14:59.279 disaster. It's the highest form of comedic commitment. 00:14:59.460 --> 00:15:02.480 Yeah, honestly. Probably only someone forged 00:15:02.480 --> 00:15:05.139 in that UCB long form fire, someone trained to 00:15:05.139 --> 00:15:07.720 stay in that reality for extended periods, could 00:15:07.720 --> 00:15:10.179 pull it off for three whole seasons. It's a masterpiece. 00:15:10.980 --> 00:15:13.899 Hashtag tag tiny LV. From character comedy to 00:15:13.899 --> 00:15:16.620 podcasting dominance. So review ends, but that 00:15:16.620 --> 00:15:18.580 character work, that ability to just generate 00:15:18.580 --> 00:15:21.080 and sustain these deeply strange personas, it 00:15:21.080 --> 00:15:23.019 didn't stop. In fact, it found maybe its most 00:15:23.019 --> 00:15:26.639 perfect unending outlet. Yeah, the audio world. 00:15:27.480 --> 00:15:29.460 This is where he transforms from being a really 00:15:29.460 --> 00:15:32.360 respected TV actor into like a foundational figure 00:15:32.360 --> 00:15:34.639 in what people call alt -comedy audio. And it 00:15:34.639 --> 00:15:36.100 makes sense because his stand -up was already 00:15:36.100 --> 00:15:38.679 character -based, right? Exactly. He wasn't just 00:15:38.679 --> 00:15:40.899 doing observational jokes. His act was often 00:15:40.899 --> 00:15:43.399 built around him performing as different characters. 00:15:43.659 --> 00:15:46.919 Like back in 2007, his character Jerry O 'Hearn 00:15:46.919 --> 00:15:48.940 was featured on the comedy Death Ray compilation 00:15:48.940 --> 00:15:51.600 album. Okay, so even then, the characters were 00:15:51.600 --> 00:15:53.899 strong enough to work just on audio? Totally. 00:15:54.250 --> 00:15:55.970 Fully formed enough to land without the visuals. 00:15:56.210 --> 00:15:59.129 And that live character energy translated directly 00:15:59.129 --> 00:16:01.710 into a big audio project for him. The album? 00:16:01.950 --> 00:16:04.970 Yep, 2008, he released Nine Sweaters on a Special 00:16:04.970 --> 00:16:06.889 Thing Records. And that wasn't just, you know, 00:16:06.909 --> 00:16:09.370 a studio recording. It was compiled from a nine 00:16:09.370 --> 00:16:11.669 -week residency he did at the Comedy Death Ray 00:16:11.669 --> 00:16:14.529 Tuesday night shows at UCB Theater. Wow, nine 00:16:14.529 --> 00:16:17.110 weeks straight. Yeah, which just shows the sheer... 00:16:17.320 --> 00:16:20.039 Volume of material, the number of fully realized 00:16:20.039 --> 00:16:22.600 personas he was generating constantly, all built 00:16:22.600 --> 00:16:25.519 around that core idea, commitment to a specific, 00:16:25.779 --> 00:16:28.740 often very skewed worldview. So when podcasting 00:16:28.740 --> 00:16:30.759 really took off, it was like the perfect medium 00:16:30.759 --> 00:16:33.259 landed in his lap. It was absolutely the ideal 00:16:33.259 --> 00:16:35.320 medium for him. If network TV couldn't always 00:16:35.320 --> 00:16:38.019 contain his like fire hose of specific weird 00:16:38.019 --> 00:16:40.840 characters, audio offered this infinite canvas. 00:16:41.440 --> 00:16:43.659 And he became a fixture on all the big early 00:16:43.659 --> 00:16:45.960 comedy podcasts. Oh, yeah. A regular guest everywhere. 00:16:46.019 --> 00:16:50.559 Comedy. Bang. Bang, obviously. Super Rego. How 00:16:50.559 --> 00:16:52.360 did this get made? Yeah. The Nerdist Podcast. 00:16:52.980 --> 00:16:56.070 Office Ladies. Never Not Funny. You name a foundational 00:16:56.070 --> 00:16:58.389 comedy podcast, he was probably on it. And those 00:16:58.389 --> 00:17:00.190 guest spots, they were like workshops, right? 00:17:00.289 --> 00:17:02.570 Trying out new voices, new characters. Exactly. 00:17:02.570 --> 00:17:04.470 He could just drop into character, riff with 00:17:04.470 --> 00:17:06.630 the hosts and see what landed. It was perfect 00:17:06.630 --> 00:17:09.009 for developing these personas on the fly. Which 00:17:09.009 --> 00:17:11.710 leads to his own podcast project, the one that 00:17:11.710 --> 00:17:13.950 feels like the ultimate showcase for his particular 00:17:13.950 --> 00:17:17.410 brand of madness. The Andy Daly Podcast Pilot 00:17:17.410 --> 00:17:21.750 Project. The ADPPP, yeah, that was a limited 00:17:21.750 --> 00:17:25.309 run thing on Earwolf. Started in 2014, then came 00:17:25.309 --> 00:17:28.269 back for a second season, eight episodes in 2018. 00:17:28.549 --> 00:17:30.970 And the format is just brilliant. It's perfect 00:17:30.970 --> 00:17:33.920 for his character engine, as you called it. The 00:17:33.920 --> 00:17:35.960 whole premise is that each episode is a deliberately 00:17:35.960 --> 00:17:38.880 failed pilot for a new podcast. Hosted by one 00:17:38.880 --> 00:17:41.980 of his characters. Right. Each one hosted by 00:17:41.980 --> 00:17:44.160 a different, fully developed Andy Daly character. 00:17:44.359 --> 00:17:47.000 So you might get like a travel show hosted by 00:17:47.000 --> 00:17:48.599 someone who's clearly never left their house 00:17:48.599 --> 00:17:52.759 or a history podcast hosted by a complete moron. 00:17:52.759 --> 00:17:54.319 But they're totally committed to the premise. 00:17:54.640 --> 00:17:56.859 Utterly. It's basically structured improv as 00:17:56.859 --> 00:17:59.299 narrative comedy. The characters are set up within 00:17:59.299 --> 00:18:01.619 these absurd formats and then they just inevitably 00:18:01.619 --> 00:18:04.019 spectacularly fail. because of who they are. 00:18:04.059 --> 00:18:06.059 It's hilarious. Okay, and speaking of characters 00:18:06.059 --> 00:18:09.259 who have taken on a life of their own, we absolutely 00:18:09.259 --> 00:18:13.240 have to talk about Dalton Wilcox. Ah, yes. Dalton. 00:18:13.599 --> 00:18:16.420 The poet laureate of the West. He might be Daly's 00:18:16.420 --> 00:18:19.259 most pervasive, most recognizable original character 00:18:19.259 --> 00:18:21.380 at this point. He's definitely up there. Dalton 00:18:21.380 --> 00:18:25.160 Wilcox is just this beautiful case study in committed 00:18:25.160 --> 00:18:28.410 absurdity. He's this rugged, old school cowboy 00:18:28.410 --> 00:18:31.609 type. Very serious. Very serious. Exists entirely 00:18:31.609 --> 00:18:33.829 in his own bizarre universe where, you know, 00:18:33.829 --> 00:18:35.789 dealing with werewolves is just as common as 00:18:35.789 --> 00:18:37.349 complaining about millennials. And the poetry. 00:18:37.549 --> 00:18:40.490 Oh, the poetry. The sheer dedication required 00:18:40.490 --> 00:18:43.910 to deliver just terrible, rambling cowboy poetry 00:18:43.910 --> 00:18:46.589 about hunting vampires or mundane frustrations, 00:18:46.650 --> 00:18:49.990 all with this unwavering solemn bravitas. It's 00:18:49.990 --> 00:18:51.950 immense. It's genius. And the character isn't 00:18:51.950 --> 00:18:53.869 just confined to one place. He pops up everywhere. 00:18:54.190 --> 00:18:55.910 That's what's amazing. The consistency is incredible. 00:18:56.210 --> 00:18:59.430 He's been on the comedy Bang! Bang! TV show and 00:18:59.430 --> 00:19:02.369 the podcast multiple times. He's on Daily's current 00:19:02.369 --> 00:19:05.490 podcast, Bananas for Bonanza. Which Daily hosts, 00:19:05.630 --> 00:19:07.849 continuing that high -concept character format. 00:19:08.049 --> 00:19:10.990 Exactly. Dalton had his own ADPPP episode, The 00:19:10.990 --> 00:19:12.849 Wit and Wisdom of the West, with Dalton Wilcox. 00:19:12.950 --> 00:19:15.690 And Daily even brought Dalton Wilcox to network 00:19:15.690 --> 00:19:18.349 TV, performed as him on Conan. That's incredible. 00:19:18.529 --> 00:19:20.890 He can just deploy this character anywhere. It 00:19:20.890 --> 00:19:22.730 really shows what a fully realized character 00:19:22.730 --> 00:19:25.250 he is. He can shift from an intimate, improv 00:19:25.250 --> 00:19:28.029 -heavy audio environment to a structured late 00:19:28.029 --> 00:19:31.150 -night TV spot, and Dalton Wilcox remains exactly 00:19:31.150 --> 00:19:34.650 Dalton Wilcox. That specific, hilarious, deeply 00:19:34.650 --> 00:19:38.230 weird internal logic stays intact. It just proves 00:19:38.230 --> 00:19:41.450 that the UCB training, that commitment, it's 00:19:41.450 --> 00:19:43.650 not just about making stuff up. It's about creating 00:19:43.650 --> 00:19:47.029 characters so real, so defined, they can exist 00:19:47.029 --> 00:19:50.569 credibly across any platform. It's fascinating, 00:19:50.750 --> 00:19:53.049 isn't it, that the same skills he honed to creating 00:19:53.049 --> 00:19:56.130 these really specific, often kind of bizarre 00:19:56.130 --> 00:19:58.750 characters for live improv and podcasts. Well, 00:19:58.829 --> 00:20:00.690 animation directors clearly saw that and went, 00:20:00.730 --> 00:20:04.349 yes, please. Absolutely. For millions of viewers, 00:20:04.609 --> 00:20:07.069 maybe especially younger ones or fans of animation, 00:20:07.930 --> 00:20:10.900 Andy Daly's face. might be secondary. It's his 00:20:10.900 --> 00:20:13.619 voice that's become utterly indispensable. Yeah, 00:20:13.720 --> 00:20:15.920 switching gears to animation, the range is just 00:20:15.920 --> 00:20:18.559 wild. He spans everything from really dark adult 00:20:18.559 --> 00:20:22.359 comedy to huge family franchises. It proves that 00:20:22.359 --> 00:20:25.200 commitment, that ability to fully inhabit a character 00:20:25.200 --> 00:20:27.140 vocally works across every demographic. It's 00:20:27.140 --> 00:20:28.799 not just for edgy comedy. Okay, let's start with 00:20:28.799 --> 00:20:30.319 the adult side. For anyone who watches Rick and 00:20:30.319 --> 00:20:32.779 Morty. Crumbopulous Michael. Yes, the cheerful 00:20:32.779 --> 00:20:35.119 assassin from Morty Night Run. Such a fan favorite. 00:20:35.400 --> 00:20:38.690 And Crumbopulous Michael is like... The perfect 00:20:38.690 --> 00:20:40.690 distillation of the Daily Persona, isn't he? 00:20:40.789 --> 00:20:43.009 He's an authority figure, a professional killer, 00:20:43.170 --> 00:20:46.869 but he's so earnest and cheerful about his horrific 00:20:46.869 --> 00:20:49.849 job. Oh boy, here I go killing again. Exactly. 00:20:49.890 --> 00:20:52.069 He talks about mass murder like he's discussing 00:20:52.069 --> 00:20:55.369 his grocery list. This cheerful sociopath whose 00:20:55.369 --> 00:20:57.609 commitment to process makes him both hilarious 00:20:57.609 --> 00:21:01.009 and deeply unsettling. Classic Daily. He's also 00:21:01.009 --> 00:21:04.730 got... Major roles in the DC animated universe, 00:21:04.869 --> 00:21:07.130 specifically Harley Quinn. Yeah, he's all over 00:21:07.130 --> 00:21:10.710 that show. Voices multiple key characters, Two 00:21:10.710 --> 00:21:14.190 -Face notably, but also the president, Mr. Miracle. 00:21:14.490 --> 00:21:16.890 Yeah. Appeared in like 10 episodes so far, maybe 00:21:16.890 --> 00:21:19.950 more now. And also prominent roles in Solar Opposites. 00:21:20.029 --> 00:21:22.230 Voiced Tim Weakley for 10 episodes there. And 00:21:22.230 --> 00:21:25.390 J .R. Shinepo in Inside Job on Netflix for 18 00:21:25.390 --> 00:21:27.789 episodes. Almost always he's voicing these figures 00:21:27.789 --> 00:21:30.869 of power or bureaucracy or just intense oddballs. 00:21:31.049 --> 00:21:33.130 But the versatility really hits home when you 00:21:33.130 --> 00:21:35.190 look at the other side, the family and all ages 00:21:35.190 --> 00:21:38.150 animation. He's just as prolific there. Totally 00:21:38.150 --> 00:21:40.829 beloved for a whole generation of kids and, let's 00:21:40.829 --> 00:21:42.589 be honest, adults who watched Adventure Time. 00:21:42.769 --> 00:21:46.250 Kingamoo. voiced the King of Woo and also Wyatt, 00:21:46.410 --> 00:21:49.049 did 13 episodes and then even came back as Wyatt 00:21:49.049 --> 00:21:51.369 for the spinoff Adventure Time, Distant Lands. 00:21:51.589 --> 00:21:53.750 And the King of Woo, that feels like another 00:21:53.750 --> 00:21:56.269 application of the daily type, right? This petty 00:21:56.269 --> 00:21:58.569 ruler with a slightly unearned sense of importance. 00:21:58.930 --> 00:22:01.250 Exactly. It's that comedic niche just translated 00:22:01.250 --> 00:22:04.029 perfectly into a fantasy setting. Yeah. A slightly 00:22:04.029 --> 00:22:06.930 insecure authority figure. And beyond fantasy, 00:22:07.049 --> 00:22:10.230 he's deep in the fabric of current animated sitcoms. 00:22:10.230 --> 00:22:12.660 Oh, yeah. He's done various voices on Bob's Burgers 00:22:12.660 --> 00:22:16.359 across 10 episodes or so. Okay. And for current 00:22:16.359 --> 00:22:18.799 Disney Channel viewers, he's Officer Keys on 00:22:18.799 --> 00:22:21.000 Big City Greens. That's a huge role. How many 00:22:21.000 --> 00:22:23.619 episodes? Our source says 31 episodes from 2018, 00:22:23.940 --> 00:22:26.740 heading towards a planned 2035 movie called Space 00:22:26.740 --> 00:22:29.369 Acation. So Officer Keyes is a constant presence. 00:22:29.589 --> 00:22:31.589 And Officer Keyes is. The classic, friendly, 00:22:31.789 --> 00:22:34.470 earnest, slightly bumbling authority figure trying 00:22:34.470 --> 00:22:37.430 so hard to keep his small town safe with this 00:22:37.430 --> 00:22:40.430 unwavering, if maybe slightly misguided, telecation. 00:22:40.670 --> 00:22:43.250 He's pure daily archetype, just in a kid -friendly 00:22:43.250 --> 00:22:45.809 package. We also have to mention The Great North, 00:22:46.009 --> 00:22:48.970 another great show. Yep. Voices Uncle Mike and 00:22:48.970 --> 00:22:51.960 also Cheesecake on that one. Across 25 episodes. 00:22:52.180 --> 00:22:55.019 The sheer volume is just staggering. It really 00:22:55.019 --> 00:22:58.000 proves that his particular brand of committed 00:22:58.000 --> 00:23:00.140 character performance, delivered through voice 00:23:00.140 --> 00:23:02.619 alone, isn't just a nice -to -have for these 00:23:02.619 --> 00:23:05.000 shows. It feels like a necessary ingredient, 00:23:05.140 --> 00:23:07.500 especially when you need quick, deep characterization 00:23:07.500 --> 00:23:10.519 without a lot of screen time. He delivers instantly 00:23:10.519 --> 00:23:13.779 recognizable personality. Okay, so just briefly 00:23:13.779 --> 00:23:16.240 circling back to his live -action film work, 00:23:16.319 --> 00:23:18.940 obviously his TV and audio stuff might overshadow 00:23:18.940 --> 00:23:21.299 it a bit. Yeah, perhaps less defining but still 00:23:21.299 --> 00:23:24.700 important. But the film roles also seem to reinforce 00:23:24.700 --> 00:23:27.079 that pattern we've been talking about, playing 00:23:27.079 --> 00:23:30.200 specific, often high -pressure, authority -type 00:23:30.200 --> 00:23:32.619 roles. Absolutely. Like, remember him in Semi 00:23:32.619 --> 00:23:35.900 -Pro? The Will Ferrell movie from 2008? Vaguely. 00:23:35.940 --> 00:23:38.859 Who was he? He was Dick Pepperfield, the courtside 00:23:38.859 --> 00:23:41.660 announcer. Using that perfect authoritative announcer 00:23:41.660 --> 00:23:44.140 voice to deliver incredibly specific kind of 00:23:44.140 --> 00:23:47.579 ridiculous ABA basketball jargon with utter seriousness. 00:23:47.819 --> 00:23:50.400 Okay, yes. Perfect casting. And he was in She's 00:23:50.400 --> 00:23:52.279 Out of My League, too. Played Mr. Fuller in that 00:23:52.279 --> 00:23:55.440 one, 2010. And, you know, you got to have the 00:23:55.440 --> 00:23:57.960 obligatory holiday movie credit. Right. Everyone 00:23:57.960 --> 00:24:00.150 needs one. He was in Christmas with the Cranks 00:24:00.150 --> 00:24:03.970 way back in 2004. Tiny role, but memorable. He 00:24:03.970 --> 00:24:06.930 played a disgruntled husband, a shopper who Jamie 00:24:06.930 --> 00:24:09.250 Lee Curtis tries to bribe for the last Christmas 00:24:09.250 --> 00:24:11.630 ham. Oh, my God. I think I remember that. It's 00:24:11.630 --> 00:24:13.750 that little moment of high stakes suburban frustration. 00:24:13.809 --> 00:24:15.910 He's the authority figure of his own household 00:24:15.910 --> 00:24:18.809 under pressure who can apparently be bought off 00:24:18.809 --> 00:24:21.289 with meat. That's great. And keeping with that 00:24:21.289 --> 00:24:24.710 theme of local authority figures. Mayor Brown 00:24:24.710 --> 00:24:27.849 in the Yogi Bear movie. Yep. The 2010 live action 00:24:27.849 --> 00:24:31.109 CGI one. He played the mayor. And then more recently, 00:24:31.250 --> 00:24:33.750 Principal Ken Dwight in Middle School. The worst 00:24:33.750 --> 00:24:36.490 years of my life in 2016. Principal again. Always 00:24:36.490 --> 00:24:38.690 the principal, the mayor, the doctor. And recent 00:24:38.690 --> 00:24:40.430 film roles like Cameron Robbins in the space 00:24:40.430 --> 00:24:43.390 between Aaron Campbell and Jules. The pattern 00:24:43.390 --> 00:24:45.930 holds. Whether it's animation or live action, 00:24:45.990 --> 00:24:48.349 comedy or something straighter, he's very often 00:24:48.349 --> 00:24:50.690 cast as the expert, the official, the person 00:24:50.690 --> 00:24:54.039 in charge. Yeah. Hashtag Jack City. Current work 00:24:54.039 --> 00:24:56.539 and personal life context. So what really stands 00:24:56.539 --> 00:24:58.380 out, especially for you listening, is just his 00:24:58.380 --> 00:25:01.319 longevity and his continued relevance. He's got 00:25:01.319 --> 00:25:03.980 major projects lined up years in advance. This 00:25:03.980 --> 00:25:06.900 guy is definitely not slowing down. Not even 00:25:06.900 --> 00:25:09.880 slightly. Just look at the projects slated for 00:25:09.880 --> 00:25:12.880 2025 alone. It really shows how highly valued 00:25:12.880 --> 00:25:15.519 he still is. He was cast as a character named 00:25:15.519 --> 00:25:18.519 Casper in a TV movie called Mountainhead. Okay. 00:25:18.990 --> 00:25:20.589 And what's particularly interesting there is 00:25:20.589 --> 00:25:22.589 that it's written by Jesse Armstrong. The creator 00:25:22.589 --> 00:25:25.529 of Succession. Yeah, exactly. Which tells you 00:25:25.529 --> 00:25:28.730 that even the absolute top tier of prestige drama 00:25:28.730 --> 00:25:33.490 writers recognize the specific weight and unique 00:25:33.490 --> 00:25:36.369 quality Daly can bring to a character. That film's 00:25:36.369 --> 00:25:39.950 set for May 31st, 2025 on HBO and Max. That's 00:25:39.950 --> 00:25:42.569 huge. Yeah. And he also has voice work scheduled 00:25:42.569 --> 00:25:44.829 for 2025 and something called Common Side Effects. 00:25:44.970 --> 00:25:47.549 So still very much in demand across genres. And 00:25:47.549 --> 00:25:49.970 his recent TV appearances also show him being 00:25:49.970 --> 00:25:52.190 pulled into these big high -profile reboots and 00:25:52.190 --> 00:25:55.190 dramas. Totally. In 2024, he popped up as Fred 00:25:55.190 --> 00:25:56.930 Norton in an episode of The New Night Court. 00:25:56.990 --> 00:26:00.829 And he was Roland in a 2023 episode of The Freezer 00:26:00.829 --> 00:26:03.680 Revival. Which, again, playing that kind of precise, 00:26:03.940 --> 00:26:06.359 maybe slightly fussy character type that fits 00:26:06.359 --> 00:26:08.559 perfectly into the Frasier verse. And speaking 00:26:08.559 --> 00:26:11.279 of prestige drama again, Lessons in Chemistry. 00:26:11.599 --> 00:26:14.019 Right. Appeared in four episodes of that in 2023 00:26:14.019 --> 00:26:18.019 as Dr. Richard Price. Which just reinforces that 00:26:18.019 --> 00:26:20.279 pattern one more time, even when he steps away 00:26:20.279 --> 00:26:22.819 from outright comedy into a period drama about 00:26:22.819 --> 00:26:25.880 science and sexism. He's cast as the academic 00:26:25.880 --> 00:26:28.759 authority figure. Immediately. His natural seriousness, 00:26:28.960 --> 00:26:31.359 that inherent commitment he brings, it grounds 00:26:31.359 --> 00:26:33.619 the character instantly, regardless of the genre. 00:26:33.759 --> 00:26:36.180 He just reads as credible authority. Okay, before 00:26:36.180 --> 00:26:37.940 we wrap this all up and synthesize, we should 00:26:37.940 --> 00:26:40.420 probably touch on his commercial work, too. Because 00:26:40.420 --> 00:26:42.660 for a while there, he was very recognizable from 00:26:42.660 --> 00:26:44.900 those CarMax ads. Oh, yeah, definitely. Ran from 00:26:44.900 --> 00:26:48.019 about 2016 to 2019. If you watch network TV, 00:26:48.160 --> 00:26:50.299 you saw those ads. And they worked because? Because 00:26:50.299 --> 00:26:51.680 they played right into his wheelhouse. Yeah. 00:26:51.759 --> 00:26:54.599 He was noted specifically for going for earnest 00:26:54.599 --> 00:26:57.640 humor as their spokesman. Right, the friendly, 00:26:57.779 --> 00:27:00.460 maybe slightly out of touch, but totally sincere 00:27:00.460 --> 00:27:04.140 and dedicated car salesman or company guy. The 00:27:04.140 --> 00:27:06.680 guy who inherently trusts the process, belies 00:27:06.680 --> 00:27:09.579 in the system. It's the same persona that works 00:27:09.579 --> 00:27:14.029 for selling used cars as... works for reviewing 00:27:14.029 --> 00:27:17.450 divorce on review. That earnestness is key. Amazing. 00:27:17.589 --> 00:27:19.710 And finally, just a quick note on his personal 00:27:19.710 --> 00:27:21.750 life because it provides some context. Right. 00:27:21.849 --> 00:27:24.289 I mean, it's all this incredibly prolific, often 00:27:24.289 --> 00:27:26.910 chaotic character work. He seems to have maintained 00:27:26.910 --> 00:27:29.750 a pretty stable personal base. Lives in Los Angeles, 00:27:29.910 --> 00:27:32.250 married to actress Carrie Levinson since 2004. 00:27:32.470 --> 00:27:35.130 And they have two daughters. Yeah. And you have 00:27:35.130 --> 00:27:36.829 to imagine that having that stable foundation. 00:27:37.869 --> 00:27:39.890 probably allows him the creative freedom to just 00:27:39.890 --> 00:27:42.349 commit so fully to the instability and absurdity 00:27:42.349 --> 00:27:43.930 of the characters he plays professionally. That 00:27:43.930 --> 00:27:46.250 makes a lot of sense. Hashtag tech outro. So, 00:27:46.390 --> 00:27:49.720 okay. If we pull it all together, try to synthesize 00:27:49.720 --> 00:27:52.180 everything we've covered. The story of Andy Daly, 00:27:52.220 --> 00:27:53.920 it's not just, you know, a list of credits on 00:27:53.920 --> 00:27:56.640 IMDb. It's really a structural analysis of how 00:27:56.640 --> 00:27:59.440 modern comedy success can work. Well, he's the 00:27:59.440 --> 00:28:01.960 performer who perfectly navigated that huge shift 00:28:01.960 --> 00:28:05.000 from the very structured, rigorous, character 00:28:05.000 --> 00:28:08.279 -first world of live UCB improv into basically 00:28:08.279 --> 00:28:11.359 every new medium that popped up afterwards. Prestige 00:28:11.359 --> 00:28:14.440 TV, high -concept podcasting, animation for all 00:28:14.440 --> 00:28:17.950 ages. And his superpower throughout. The absolute 00:28:17.950 --> 00:28:21.509 commitment, the ability to completely, 100 % 00:28:21.509 --> 00:28:24.690 buy into an absurd premise or a flawed character's 00:28:24.690 --> 00:28:26.769 logic. Whether he's Forrest McNeil reviewing 00:28:26.769 --> 00:28:29.910 Life into Oblivion or Dalton Wilcox reciting 00:28:29.910 --> 00:28:32.609 terrible cowboy poetry, he brings these fully 00:28:32.609 --> 00:28:35.630 realized, unique, often deeply weird characters 00:28:35.630 --> 00:28:39.230 into every single medium he touches. And he never 00:28:39.230 --> 00:28:41.519 breaks. Yeah. Our key takeaway for you listening 00:28:41.519 --> 00:28:43.880 is that Andy Daly isn't just a funny guy. He's 00:28:43.880 --> 00:28:45.960 a specialist. He doesn't just play random characters. 00:28:46.019 --> 00:28:48.660 He specializes in embodying the expert or the 00:28:48.660 --> 00:28:50.400 authority figure. Right. The principal, the mayor, 00:28:50.440 --> 00:28:52.700 the doctor, the host, the spokesman, the inspector, 00:28:52.819 --> 00:28:54.759 the ambassador. And this is the crucial twist 00:28:54.759 --> 00:28:57.160 in almost every case that authority figures dedication 00:28:57.160 --> 00:29:00.519 to their own internal logic is just slightly 00:29:00.519 --> 00:29:04.420 off skewed or maybe even dangerously misguided. 00:29:04.519 --> 00:29:07.279 And that's what makes it hilarious. He never 00:29:07.279 --> 00:29:10.640 winks at the audience. He believes in the character's 00:29:10.640 --> 00:29:13.960 reality 100%. That unwavering dedication is the 00:29:13.960 --> 00:29:16.920 joke. He lets you find the absurdity. Okay, so 00:29:16.920 --> 00:29:19.299 that commitment, that specific kind of authority, 00:29:19.519 --> 00:29:22.119 it raises a fun final question for you to chew 00:29:22.119 --> 00:29:23.869 on. All right, let's hear it. We established 00:29:23.869 --> 00:29:26.569 his character Dalton Wilcox is the self -proclaimed 00:29:26.569 --> 00:29:29.250 poet laureate of the West. We also know Daly 00:29:29.250 --> 00:29:32.089 himself hosted that unaired pilot for the Match 00:29:32.089 --> 00:29:35.569 Game revival. Right. So based on this whole deep 00:29:35.569 --> 00:29:38.630 dive, thinking about his vast array of authoritative, 00:29:38.750 --> 00:29:41.789 often slightly unhinged roles, from the cheerfully 00:29:41.789 --> 00:29:44.650 murderous, crumbopulous Michael to the desperately 00:29:44.650 --> 00:29:47.190 earnest Principal Cutler, or maybe even Officer 00:29:47.190 --> 00:29:50.430 Pease, which Andy Daly character, human or animated, 00:29:50.750 --> 00:29:53.259 would you nominate to actually host? that match 00:29:53.259 --> 00:29:56.240 game revival. Ooh, good one. Who brings that 00:29:56.240 --> 00:29:59.980 perfect blend of misplaced confidence, unwavering 00:29:59.980 --> 00:30:02.140 authority, and maybe just a touch of potential 00:30:02.140 --> 00:30:05.140 disaster to that specific hosting role? Exactly. 00:30:05.140 --> 00:30:06.960 Who's your pick? We'll leave you to debate that 00:30:06.960 --> 00:30:08.779 one. Thanks for joining us for The Deep Dive.