I am David Wain, co-creator of the new show MEDICAL POLICE on Netflix.

Dave. Many years ago, my friends and I were driving to Queens to see a taping of the State. Somewhere in Brooklyn, my car broke down. By the time we got to the studio, we had missed the first taping (which our tickets were for) and were told that we wouldn’t be able to get into the late taping. We were very bummed. A few of you guys came out to meet those who couldn’t get in and we told you what happened. We saw you go over to the crowd control person and talk to her. You never told us what you were doing, but a few minutes later, she came over and brought us all in. It was amazing and you won yourself a fan for life. For the record, Michael Ian Black was not helpful and was kind of a dick about the whole thing (which I guess is his thing). Anyway, thank you for that.

Question — how much, if any, of MP is off-script? I guffawed at the card game when Lola said “for an attark!”

Sorry if this question was already asked and answered while I was writing this novel.

Thanks for kind words and hope you enjoyed the show!

As for MP - there was definitely some improv, as our cast is so talented and good at it. On the other hand we had to move extremely fast (4 days per episode) and largely had to stick with script a lot of the time. But funny lines and ideas were pitched constantly by actors and ourselves (the creator/EPs).

I don't remember 100% - they may correct me - but I believe the "attark" joke was pitched by Krister Johnson right before we rolled that shot.

The conceit that Childrens is in Brazil is so funny. When did that come up in the writing and how did you decide that it was canonical rather than one of the many throwaway gags that change week to week?

It was a version of a joke idea that I'd tried to shoehorn into many things but never did, then was in that one scene as a one-off joke. After that we all decided, "No matter what else we do on the show, let's never betray this fact!"

Did you feel like less of man after witnessing what Joe Lo Truglio was packing in Wanderlust?

No because

1) Penis size is not how I measure my manhood.

2) I have a bigger dick.

Would you and The State be interested in doing a one-off Netflix season?

We've mused about doing something like that so many times -- might have to wait until we're all less busy and we can get 11 people in one place at one time long enough to make something worthwhile.

Why not film all of your parts separately and edit them together to make it look like you’re all in the same place? It almost worked for attested development.

It's exactly what we did for Wet Hot on Netflix.

Hey David, thank you for the years of laughs. Wet Hot defines my teenage years at camp. Wanderlust is criminally underrated. That Two Princes scene makes me crack up every time. Anyway do you have a good story from the Stella days? You made me love absurd comedy.

Stella was always crazy & fun. I remember doing the first short Turkey Hunting and we were in some kind of nursery school parking lot in Michael Showalter's hometown and the police came by and were like "um what are you doing...?" It was many years before YouTube.

IMO They Came Together was up with Blazing Saddles in being perfectly representative of its genre while parodying it. Why didn't it work/succeed?

Thank you for that compliment.

Why didn't it work/succeed?

How did it not work / succeed? IMO it did both!

How did you come to your voice for Courtney in Bob’s Burgers? I love the personality you bring to her character!

I love doing that. They just called me one day and asked me to do it. I was so flattered!

Hi, David! I watched Medical Police over the weekend and it was not only a hoot, but also a holler. I guess I don´t really have a question, just wanted to say I love everything you do and hope you have a good day!

Wait, I have a question! What is your favourite film/tv-show from last year?

Succession obviously. And Fleabag. And Get Shorty.

Which did you like better, us or the pizza?

You guys.

The Pizza.

You guys.

The Pizza.

sorry hard to decide

Which do you prefer? Tacos or getting the mail?

Oy if I had to choose. I guess tacos.

All the State and Stella reunions are on the West Coast. Can you please do one eventually in New York?

I would so love to do that. I miss New York! (I moved to L.A. in 2013)

Come to Philly if you do one.

Would love that too.

Hi u/DavidWain4Real,

​

I'm still waiting to hear if I've won the MTV Sleep with the State contest. Is there anyone I can contact about this? I wrote such a beautiful essay.

You came in 2nd.

What was it like making Medical Police with Netflix versus Children's Hospital with Adult Swim?

One similar thing is that both Networks largely left us alone creatively to do what we wanted. Another similar thing is that we were working on a limited budget. The main difference was really intrinsic to the two different shows - the half-hour time frame and more focused premise, plus the idea of one story across ten episodes - those are the things that really changed the process.

What was it like creating Medical Police? How did you come up with the idea?

Hi! The four of us all missed the fun of doing the previous show Childrens Hospital so we mused about how to do something new and different but in the same universe. After a lot of brainstorming we landed on this concept!

Awesome! I haven’t watched it but it seems unique!

Wait till you watch it. The unique factor increases 20%.

Okay, who’s Marcus? Like really, who is he?

I know, I know

I'm with both of you on this one.

Can you give any more details about the daily sitcom idea that you mentioned on your recent Comedy Bang Bang appearance?

It's called "Today's Special" and co-created by me and A.D. Miles. We're creating a new hybrid daily TV format that takes ideas from sitcoms, soap operas and daily late night shows. Figuring all if it out now as we speak. So far very fun and we have an amazing cast and crew.

If you guys had the option to turn any State sketches/characters into full-length movies, which ones do you think would have had the most potential?

The guy who has never heard of the word "and."

Hi David. I really liked that joke about Ryan Reynolds and Van Wilder. Is Jason Schwartzman cool?

The coolest! Proof here

First - sorry for leaving you so many long messages about ideas for WHAS: Space Camp. I had a drinking-and-social-media-ing issue for most of my 20s that I am now much better at controlling.

Second - I notice With both WHAS and MP that the storyline is very cinematic, in that the first few episodes are much like the first 15-20 minutes of a movie, and by episode 5 or 6 the shit has fully hit the fan. Do you worry about pulling in new fans with the slower starts? Is this kind of thing considered at all? (I guess it’s more of a WHAS deal than an MP, but).

Two different uses of the word "fan" in two sentences is tripping me up.

Hey David. Huge fan of all the films and shows you've created. Thank you for so many laughs and quoted dialogue throughout the years! Any chance you'll do another Wet Hot American Summer thang? They are all incredibly funny and my personal favorite thing you and Showalter have collaborated on. Thanks!

Ten Years Later felt to me like we put a nice ending onto the story, but I'm not at all closed to revisiting it some day!

Need a Beth series.

That would be fun.

We're you really jackin' it in that tub in Reno 911??

Only Kerri Kenney knows.

Liked the delayed joke with Dr. Valerie Flame / Derrick Childrens being the same person. Will you try to get Nick Offerman on next season to reunite the Briggs/Maestro partnership?

Yep

As someone who grew up as an enormous State-nerd, what are the odds of me ever seeing Hops Plus with the original music (What I Like About You) intact? I never saw that sketch until the DVDs were released, and one of The State's strong points was how well the music paired with each sketch. I'm sorry if this is an extremely nerdy question, but I've been jonesing to see this sketch intact for years now.

"Pants" is not the same without "Cannonball" by The Breeders.

I agree

How's this?

Who came up with the idea for Kerri to throw her wig into the air in the "Pants" sketch? Wig gags/scenes are underrated in comedy. Would love to see Janeane do one.

I think she just did that.

Saw you perform many times in Stella and you’re hilarious. Do you ever have an urge to be in front of the camera more often?

I have been doing more acting lately. I enjoy it because it's a different muscle, and there's downtime (which doesn't exist in directing).

Which comedian/actor/actress had the most influence on you growing up?

Steve Martin & Woody Allen

What's your favorite Bruce Springsteen song... and why?

Tie between Pay Me My Money Down, The Ghost of Tom Joad, Tuscon Train, Radio Nowhere and Dream Baby Dream.

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I'd say 15%

If you were going to recast Porcupine Racetrack, using only original castmembers of 227, who would play the priest from the orphanage?

Hal Williams

How does making a show with a writing team differ from a feature movie where it’s just you and maybe one or two others? What i think of as “your voice” is so specific but also totally consistent across everything you do - how does that work!

Every writer involved in anything adds their voice to the process. In Medical Police the overall voice is a lot of the four creators, melded together, along with the extremely talented writers we had in our writers room.

When we first resurrected Wet Hot American Summer, I was concerned about how other people could write in the "voice" of Michael Showalter and me, but I learned that talented writers can both honor and expand on the voice of the previous thing.

Dear Mr. Wain, I have a chunk of pork in my mouth and I'm not planning on chewing it or swallowing it. Do you have any idea if it's possible for my saliva to dissolve the chunk and, if it is possible, can you say how long it will take for my saliva to dissolve the piece of pork?

Three minutes.

Will you consider writing a sequel to police cops?

Yes.

It's great to see Rob Heubel reprise his role as Rob Heubel, and Ingrid Hagerstown reprise her role as Derek Childrens, but I'm surprised to see you work with Dixie Peters and Just Falcon again. How does it feel to work with the woman who cheated on you and the man she cheated with?

Believe me it was difficult.

Do you have a good place to start learning the mechanics of script writing?

Is there also a trick to pitching ideas people will find ridiculous?

I would say a great resource is the Scriptnotes podcast.

Is there also a trick to pitching ideas people will find ridiculous?

People will find it ridiculous if you pitch ideas wearing your shoes on your ears.

What made you decide to have the shows base operations in Sao Paulo?? Have you ever been? I'm currently living here in the city for work and that random beginning really had me laughing.

It was a one-off joke in the second season of Childrens Hospital that we stuck with throughout that series and into this one.

Is there any idea for a show or movie that you completely believe in but know in your heart it would never be greenlit? Love your ridiculousness and look forward to all your future work

There are many things I've worked on that haven't gotten greenlit - yet. But I will keep trying to make stuff if I still believe in it. They Came Together sat on a shelf for ten years before we (Michael Showalter and me) finally were able to get it made.

David I've been watching you since Wainy Days and have thought you were a goddamn genius ever since. Wet Hot American Summer was incredible.

What show that you've been involved in is the funniest to you? Which was the most fun to make and why?

The State was special because everything was new and it was like playing with friends and it goes on TV. Childrens Hospital was really fun because we got to do it long enough that we got into a groove and it was a playground to try almost anything. I enjoyed doing Stella Shorts and Wainy Days because there were no stakes/pressure.

I've only watched a few episodes, and didn't watch children's hospital, but I just wanted to ask - did you actually find a actor for Dr. Maestro, or did you just kidnap some random surgeon? Because I don't see anything weird at all about him. He's just a normal neurosurgeon.

We did use a actor, but we made sure to check his resume and confirm he's also a neurosurgeon.

Will you consider writing a sequel to Wanderlust?

Would love to do that. I ran into Jordan Peele recently who said he'd consider coming out of his acting retirement for this.

What was it like working with Marlo Thomas on WHAS 10 years Later?

Such a massive hero to me, she is. She was a joy.

Is this a spiritual (or actual) sequel to Childrens Hospital?

Actual.

What's your general process for turning one small idea into a fully formed show? Do you just sit down and start writing, or do you sit on the idea for a bit and let it build in your mind?

For TV shows most every time it's been collaborative with partners, so we bat things back and forth, then every step of the process (pitching, outlining, writing, shooting, editing) the idea keeps changing and coming more into focus.

When I've created something on my own it's much harder without the constant sounding board but I've enjoyed building the muscle of being my own critic.

Do you generally draw people from life (or memory) or from photos?

Most of the drawing I do on Instagram is with the help of a great app called Camera Lucida which shows you a reference photo superimposed over what you're drawing. What little I've learned about drawing in the last couple of years is from this and watching YouTube videos. (You can see my drawings here)

Were there any sketches that MTV Standards refused to let you do? And are the scripts still available?

Also, were there any deleted scenes for WHAS First Day Of Camp and 10 Years Later?

There are some deleted scenes - maybe we'll post them on YouTube at some point.

Hi David!

Love how so many of your shows/movies tend to satirize an oversaturated genre or style - does this come from a genuine love of particular styles/tropes/etc. or do you start with what you think you could plumb the most humor from?

Thanks for all the laughs!

I don't know - it's just what I've often gravitated toward. I am actually not someone who watches a ton of TV and movies.

Is there projects Coming in The future now that you have a Production Company.?

Who is a comedian’s you really want To work with?

How was it to work on wondurlust a apatow studio thing?

Do you want to make a movie with seth Rogen?

How do you get so many famues people in your projects?

A lot of spelling / typing issues here, but I'll still do my best to answer:

Is there projects Coming in The future now that you have a Production Company.?

I do not have a production company.

Who is a comedian’s you really want To work with?

Grarny Sills

How was it to work on wondurlust a apatow studio thing?

Fun!

Do you want to make a movie with seth Rogen?

Yes!

How do you get so many famues people in your projects?

I get their emails when people forget to blind CC.

Does the show get better? I turned it off when the doctors meet the Feds.

No. Don't waste your time.

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Good God.

I'd love to say this story wasn't true.

Hi David. I'm a major fan and started to watch your work back on You Wrote it You Watch it. I was wondering about when MTV released The State on DVD years ago and they didn't use any of the original music. Is there any chance that it will be rereleased on Blu-Ray, with original music and extra features?

No because it would cost like $10M to license all that music.

At what point did you know you needed to become the hero we didn't know we needed?

After reading this question.

Where does the name Jim Stansel come from?

From here