Maximum Fun is an independent, worker owned cooperative podcast and radio show production organization founded by Jesse Thorn. The organization originated with Thorn's college radio show The Sound of Young America which continued in an adapted format and with a new name, Bullseye with Jesse Thorn. Maximum Fun has since grown to include several other programs. Shows on the network cover a wide variety of topics.
In May 2014, Rolling Stone included three Maximum Fun shows on its list of "The 20 Best Comedy Podcasts Right Now": Judge John Hodgman, RISK!, and Throwing Shade.
Current shows
The Adventure Zone
The Adventure Zone is an actual play podcast in which Griffin, Justin, and Travis McElroy play Dungeons & Dragons and other role-playing games with their father, Clint.
The Art of Process with Aimee Mann and Ted Leo
Baby Geniuses
Baby Geniuses is a weekly podcast hosted by comedian Emily Heller and cartoonist Lisa Hanawalt. The first episode was released on August 22, 2012, and the show joined Maximum Fun on September 29, 2014. The show currently features segments "Chunch Chat," "Endorse Horse," "One on Fun," "What Did I Learn," and "Butt Pics," in addition to "Wiki of the Week," which forms the bulk of the podcast. Former segments include "Expert Hour," where improv comedians would extemporaneously lie about a topic of interest.
Beef and Dairy Network Podcast
Beef and Dairy Network Podcast is a surrealist comedy podcast hosted by Benjamin Partridge, taking the form of a serious companion podcast to a fictional beef and dairy industry trade magazine relating the bizarre happenings in the aforementioned industries.
Bubble
Bubble is a scripted science fiction comedy that premiered June 13, 2018. From the Maximum Fun website, "Welcome to Fairhaven, a literal Bubble of corporate utopia set amid the wild, goblin-infested Brush. The first scripted comedy series from Maximum Fun, Bubble tells a tale that is both contemporary and otherworldly, as a small band of monster killers struggles to make ends meet and find love in a nightmarish version of the gig economy."
Starring: Alison Becker (Parks and Recreation), Keith Powell (30 Rock), Cristela Alonzo (Cristela), Eliza Skinner (The Late Late Show) and Mike Mitchell (Love), with appearances by Judy Greer, John Hodgman, Martin Starr, Paul F. Tompkins, and many more.
Bullseye with Jesse Thorn
Bullseye, formerly The Sound of Young America, began as an interview, talk, and sketch comedy radio show at the University of California Santa Cruz.<ref name="avclub">{ { cite web|url=http://www.avclub.com/article/jesse-thorn-of-emthe-sound-of-young-americaem-and--54342|title=Jesse Thorn of The Sound of Young America" and "Jordan, Jesse Go!"|last=Byrne|first=Matt|date=April 12, 2011|work=AV Club|access-date=October 4, 2014}}</ref> It now follows an interview-only format and is available both as a podcast and via National Public Radio on numerous public radio stations across the United States.
Can I Pet Your Dog?Can I Pet Your Dog? is a comedy podcast on dogs originally hosted by "small dog owner" (formerly just "dog owner") Allegra Ringo, "big dog owner" (formerly "dog wanter") Renee Colvert, and producer Alexis B. Preston. The hosts discuss dogs among themselves and their guests. Allegra Ringo left the show in April 2019 and was replaced as co-host by Alexis Preston.
The Dave Hill Goodtime Hour
A weekly podcast recorded live every Monday at 8pm ET on Twitch, hosted by comedian Dave Hill alongside producers/sidekicks James "Dez" Fernandez and Chris Gersbeck, similar to Hill's former WFMU radio show The Goddamn Dave Hill Show.
Dead Pilots Society
Dead Pilots Society presents readings of television pilots that for various reasons were never produced, picked up, or aired. Before the reading, the hosts interviews the writer or writers of the script about the script and the circumstances surrounding its initial creation or production.
From the Maximum Fun website, "In Dead Pilots Society, scripts that were developed by studios and networks but were never produced are given the table reads they deserve. Starring actors you know and love from television and film, a live audience, and a good time in which no one gets notes, no one is fired, and everyone laughs. Presented by Andrew Reich (Friends; Worst Week) and Ben Blacker (The Writers Panel podcast; co-creator, Thrilling Adventure Hour)."