Hollywood Handbook
{{Short description|Comedy podcast}}
{{Infobox podcast
| title = Hollywood Handbook
| image = File:Hollywood Handbook.jpg
| host = Sean Clements
Hayes Davenport
| updates = Weekly
| length = 45–90 minutes
| language = English
| theme_music_composer = Annaliese Schiersch
| audio format = MP3
| num_episodes = 590 (as of March 4, 2025)
| began = October 8, 2013
| provider = Earwolf (2013–2020)
Independent (2021–2023)
Headgum (2023–present)
| related_shows = Hollywood Handbook: The Pro Version
| website = {{URL|https://headgum.com/hollywood-handbook}}
}}Hollywood Handbook is a weekly comedy podcast hosted by Hayes Davenport and Sean Clements. Episodes generally consist of Davenport, Clements, and a guest offering advice, telling stories, and doing segments, all in a highly satirical, absurdist manner. Guests have included Donald Glover, Ellie Kemper, Aubrey Plaza, Kumail Nanjiani, Nick Kroll, Patton Oswalt, Nick Wiger, and Sharon Horgan. The show has been described as "essentially a mockery of entertainment niceties — with Clements (mischievous, smirking) and Davenport (droll, unamused) taunting industry bigwigs [...] about whatever projects they are promoting, all while pleading to be involved with them".{{Cite news|last=Malin|first=Sean|url=https://www.vulture.com/article/hollywood-handbook-interview.html|title=The Hollywood Handbook Boys, Over 500 Episodes Deep|date=June 28, 2023|work=Vulture|access-date=June 28, 2023|language=en|archive-date=June 28, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230628131701/https://www.vulture.com/article/hollywood-handbook-interview.html|url-status=live}}
Background
Clements and Davenport met while writing on the FOX program Allen Gregory, where they quickly established a friendship and established the Reality Show Show podcast on the Earwolf Network.{{cite news |last1=Westhoff |first1=Ben |title=Hayes Davenport and Sean Clements: Hosts of the Hilarious Hollywood Handbook Podcast |url=https://www.laweekly.com/arts/hayes-davenport-and-sean-clements-hosts-of-the-hilarious-hollywood-handbook-podcast-4632694 |work=LA Weekly |accessdate=October 31, 2018 |date=May 14, 2014 |archive-date=August 11, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180811063232/https://www.laweekly.com/arts/hayes-davenport-and-sean-clements-hosts-of-the-hilarious-hollywood-handbook-podcast-4632694 |url-status=live }} The podcast featured the duo, alongside reality stars such as Survivor winner John Cochran or comedians like Paul F. Tompkins and Anders Holm, humorously analyzing reality shows such as The Challenge, World's Worst Tenants, and Splash.{{Cite web|url=https://www.earwolf.com/show/the-reality-show-show/|title=the reality SHOW show podcast on Earwolf|website=Earwolf|language=en-US|access-date=September 25, 2018|archive-date=September 25, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180925065335/https://www.earwolf.com/show/the-reality-show-show/|url-status=live}}
Due to the show's small audience and the hosts' growing disinterest with the premise, Clements and Davenport ended the Reality Show Show after 39 episodes. Two weeks later, on October 8, 2013, the first episode of Hollywood Handbook was released with guest Jake Johnson.{{Cite web|url=https://www.earwolf.com/episode/our-close-friend-jake-johnson/|title=Jake Johnson, Our Close Friend, episode #1 of Hollywood Handbook on Earwolf|website=Earwolf|language=en-US|date=October 8, 2013|access-date=September 25, 2018|archive-date=September 25, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180925065504/https://www.earwolf.com/episode/our-close-friend-jake-johnson/|url-status=live}} In Hollywood Handbook, the hosts play highly-successful versions of themselves, presenting the podcast as "an insider's guide to kicking butt and dropping names in the red-carpet-lined back hallways of this industry we call showbiz". Initially, the show consisted of Clements and Davenport doing segments such as "The Teaser Freezer", wherein they would comment on a trailer for an upcoming movie, followed by an interview with the guest which included audience questions during the "Popcorn Gallery" segment. In recent years, however, the show has adopted a much looser format, featuring less planned segments and more interactions with the guests and Earwolf staff.
In December 2020, it was announced that Hollywood Handbook would be leaving Earwolf at the end of the year to go independent on Patreon. From January 2021, the episodes will be posted as part of the Patreon for the podcast The Flagrant Ones, which is co-hosted by Clements and Davenport.{{cite web |last1=Quah |first1=Nicholas |title=Coronavirus, Consolidation, and Collective Bargaining: The Year in Podcasting |url=https://www.vulture.com/article/year-in-podcasts-review.html |website=Vulture |access-date=January 19, 2021 |date=December 15, 2020 |archive-date=December 15, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201215165347/https://www.vulture.com/article/year-in-podcasts-review.html |url-status=live }}
In May 2023 the show became affiliated with the Headgum podcast network,{{cite web |title=Hollywood Handbook |url=https://headgum.com/hollywood-handbook |website=Headgum |access-date=May 23, 2023 |archive-date=May 23, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230523165723/https://headgum.com/hollywood-handbook |url-status=live }} with episode 501 being the first episode released as part of the network.{{cite podcast |last1=Clements |first1=Sean |last2=Davenport |first2=Hayes |author-link1=Sean Clements |author-link2=Hayes Davenport |title=Amir Blumenfeld, Our Headgum Friend |website=Hollywood Handbook |date=May 23, 2023 |url=https://headgum.com/hollywood-handbook/amir-blumenfeld-our-headgum-friend |publisher=Headgum |access-date=May 25, 2023}}
Reception
Hollywood Handbook has been featured on Vulture's best-of comedy podcast list in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2021, ranking seventh,{{cite web |last1=Kramer |first1=Josh |title=The 10 Best Comedy Podcasts and Comedy Podcast Episodes of 2015 |url=http://www.vulture.com/2015/12/best-comedy-podcasts-and-episodes-of-2015.html |website=Vulture |accessdate=October 31, 2018 |date=December 14, 2015 |archive-date=October 31, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181031173910/http://www.vulture.com/2015/12/best-comedy-podcasts-and-episodes-of-2015.html |url-status=live }} second,{{cite web |last1=Wright |first1=Tolly |title=The 10 Best Comedy Podcasts of 2016 |url=http://www.vulture.com/2016/12/10-best-comedy-podcasts-of-2016.html |website=Vulture |accessdate=October 31, 2018 |date=December 15, 2016 |archive-date=October 20, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181020223757/http://www.vulture.com/2016/12/10-best-comedy-podcasts-of-2016.html |url-status=live }} fourth,{{cite web |last1=Wright |first1=Tolly |title=The 10 Best Comedy Podcasts of 2017 |url=http://www.vulture.com/2017/12/best-comedy-podcasts-2017.html |website=Vulture |accessdate=October 31, 2018 |date=December 22, 2017 |archive-date=October 30, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181030181128/http://www.vulture.com/2017/12/best-comedy-podcasts-2017.html |url-status=live }} and fifth{{cite web |last1=James |first1=Becca |last2=Aurora |first2=Akanksha |last3=Hershon |first3=Marc |last4=Marr |first4=Anna |last5=Gularte |first5=Alejandra |last6=Cesiro |first6=Leigh |last7=Jacobs |first7=Noah |last8=Goldstein |first8=Pablo |title=The 10 Best Comedy Podcasts of 2021 |url=https://www.vulture.com/article/best-comedy-podcasts-2021.html |website=Vulture |access-date=December 16, 2021 |date=December 15, 2021 |archive-date=December 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211215194636/https://www.vulture.com/article/best-comedy-podcasts-2021.html |url-status=live }} respectively. On the 2021 list, it was recognized together with the other podcasts of The Flagrant Ones Patreon. In 2019, Vulture recognized two episodes of Hollywood Handbook as some of the "best episodes of the year".{{cite web |title=The Year in Comedy Podcasts |url=https://www.vulture.com/2019/12/best-comedy-podcasts-2019.html |website=Vulture |accessdate=February 29, 2020 |date=December 10, 2019 |archive-date=December 10, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191210201447/https://www.vulture.com/2019/12/best-comedy-podcasts-2019.html |url-status=live }} Hollywood Handbook also ranked third in Paste{{'}}s 2017 list,{{Cite news|last=Techler|first=Graham|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/12/the-best-comedy-podcasts-of-2017.html|title=The Best Comedy Podcasts of 2017|work=Paste|date=December 31, 2017|access-date=September 25, 2018|language=en|archive-date=September 25, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180925065243/https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/12/the-best-comedy-podcasts-of-2017.html|url-status=live}} and second in The A.V. Club{{'}}s 2015 reader's poll.{{Cite news|url=https://www.avclub.com/the-2015-a-v-club-readers-poll-results-are-in-1798287452|title=The 2015 A.V. Club Readers' Poll results are in|last=Scheetz|first=Cameron|work=A.V. Club|date=December 18, 2015|access-date=September 25, 2018|language=en-US|archive-date=September 25, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180925141943/https://tv.avclub.com/the-2015-a-v-club-readers-poll-results-are-in-1798287452|url-status=live}}
In 2020, Hollywood Handbook received an iHeartRadio Podcast Award nomination for "Best Ad Read".{{cite news |last1=Spangler |first1=Todd |title=iHeartRadio Podcast Awards 2021 Nominees Unveiled |url=https://variety.com/2020/digital/news/iheartradio-podcast-awards-2021-nominees-full-list-1234848671/ |access-date=December 30, 2020 |work=Variety |date=December 8, 2020 |archive-date=January 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121115603/https://variety.com/2020/digital/news/iheartradio-podcast-awards-2021-nominees-full-list-1234848671/ |url-status=live }}
Writer and critic Nathan Rabin has written many articles for Vulture and The A.V. Club about episodes of the show, praising one as "anti-comedy for the ages".{{Cite news|last=Rabin|first=Nathan|url=http://www.vulture.com/2015/11/tom-scharpling-hollywood-handbook-made-anti-comedy-for-the-ages.html|title=Tom Scharpling & 'Hollywood Handbook' Made Anti-Comedy for the Ages|date=November 2, 2015|work=Vulture|access-date=September 25, 2018|language=en|archive-date=September 25, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180925065429/http://www.vulture.com/2015/11/tom-scharpling-hollywood-handbook-made-anti-comedy-for-the-ages.html|url-status=live}}
In a 2023 profile of Davenport and Clements on Vulture, the show was described as "one of the great impossible-to-explainers in modern comedy, a shaggy, shape-shifting improv machine heavy with fan-maintained lore and nonsense inside jokes".
Notable fans and guests of the show include Tom Scharpling, Paul F. Tompkins, Julie Klausner, and Paul Scheer.{{Cite news|url=https://parade.com/607631/parade/17-celebrities-pick-their-favorite-podcasts/|title=17 Celebrities Pick Their Favorite Podcasts|work=Parade|date=October 6, 2017|access-date=September 25, 2018|language=en|archive-date=September 25, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180925065211/https://parade.com/607631/parade/17-celebrities-pick-their-favorite-podcasts/|url-status=live}}
Spin-offs
On June 14, 2017, Clements, Brett Morris, and actor and comedian Ben Rodgers launched the first season of the Stitcher Premium series Hollywood Masterclass which satirizes MasterClass lectures. The show's second season began August 29, 2018. A third season consisting of eight episodes premiered on August 30, 2021.{{cite web |title=Hollywood Masterclass Season 3 Debuts Aug 30th! |url=https://www.patreon.com/posts/hollywood-season-54972277 |website=The Flagrant Ones Patreon |access-date=December 16, 2021 |date=August 16, 2021 |archive-date=December 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211216121220/https://www.patreon.com/posts/hollywood-season-54972277 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=Hollywood Masterclass |url=https://www.stitcher.com/show/hollwood-masterclass |website=Stitcher |access-date=December 16, 2021 |archive-date=December 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211216121222/https://www.stitcher.com/show/hollwood-masterclass |url-status=live }}
On January 31, 2018, Clements and Davenport launched Hollywood Handbook: The Pro Version, a 30-minute version of the show featuring interactions between the duo and members of the staff such as "Chef Kevin" and "Engineer Brett", as well as segments like the aforementioned "Teaser Freezer". The show is posted every Wednesday on Stitcher Premium. It was called one of the "best new comedy podcasts of 2018" by Rolling Stone.{{cite magazine |last1=Saincome |first1=Matt |title=Best New Comedy Podcasts of 2018 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/best-comedy-podcasts-2018-conan-772196/ |accessdate=February 29, 2020 |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=December 28, 2018}}
References
{{reflist|30em}}
External links
- [https://www.patreon.com/theflagrantones/ The Flagrant Ones on Patreon]
- [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id720832183 Hollywood Handbook] at iTunes