SNAFU with Ed Helms

I’m taking a break to share an episode of another podcast I think you’ll enjoy, Business History. Former Planet Money hosts Jacob Goldstein and Robert Smith examine the surprising stories of businesses big and small, bringing to life the greatest innovations, the boldest entrepreneurs and the craziest mavericks in the archives of commerce. They share why some company stocks soar, while other business ideas crash, and explore the ideas that shaped our economy—and the lessons behind their success and failure. Today’s episode: how E.T. brought down Atari. Fueled by hot tubs, recreational drugs, and a love of games, Nolan Bushnell took computer games out of research labs and into bars, launching an industry. Bushnell and his engineers were pushed aside as Atari expanded and, in a desperate bid to cash in on Hollywood hype, the company concocted a wild plan for a game based on Steven Spielberg's hit, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. The game tanked...and brought Atari down with it.  Find Business History, on YouTube, Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bob Crawford is a musician with a historian's heart. Bassist and founding member of The Avett Brothers, his expertise on the Founding Fathers of the United States comes in handy on today's SNAFU, where Ed and Bob delve into the folly of Lord Dunmore, a Scottish-born supporter of the King and assigned royal Governor of Virginia in the 1770s. When whispers of revolution were building to an insurmountable roar, Lord Dunmore inadvertently mobilized the revolutionary war cries with one massive misstep after another. Watch this week's episode on the SNAFU YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@SNAFUPodSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tig Notaro, deadpan stand-up comedian, writer, actor and podcaster, joins a live stage chat. They roast each other and unpack highlights from a book of historic screwups. They riff on bizarre Cold War plans, the Ever Given fiasco, research that uncovers forgotten stories, and how these tales make perfect dinner-table fodder.

Rory Scovel, stand-up comedian and actor known for specials and the Crimeless podcast, adds sharp humor and personal reactions. He and Ed dive into Ivan Boesky’s rise via arbitrage, his public persona and infamous greed speech. They trace the scandal, prosecutions, and lasting fallout. Conversations turn to accountability, ambition, and the human cost of high finance.

Chelsea Handler, comedian and bestselling author, joins to chat travel, touring life, and wild adventures. They imagine 1930s luxury aboard the Hindenburg and dissect its stunning rise and fall. Conversations jump to microdosing, modern tech risks like AI and space travel, and life on the road.

Adam Scott, award-winning actor from Parks and Recreation and Severance, joins to explore the Azores Glider: a midair crisis when Air Transat Flight 236 lost both engines. They cover maintenance missteps, a worsening fuel leak, the eerie glide without power, the RAT saving vital systems, and the tense manual approach and evacuation. Conversation mixes suspense with aviation drama.

Lizzie Bassett and Chris Winterbauer are film afficianados. This week, they help Ed uncover cinematic treasures that just may be synonomous with a very spooky moment in American hubris; the time we decided to literally NUKE SPACE! Find out what "Dr. Strangelove," "The China Syndrome," and "The Iron Giant" all have in common with today's SNAFU built for Cinemascope. Subscribe to the SNAFU YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@SNAFUPodBuy the SNAFU book: www.snafu-book.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jake Johnson, actor and comedian known for New Girl and voice work in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, brings off-the-cuff banter and anecdotes. The conversation dives into the Joseph Dombey Affair: a lost meter and kilogram at sea, Caribbean privateers, and how a dramatic voyage nearly derailed early U.S. metrication. Sharp, funny, and oddly suspenseful historical storytelling.

Jack Barsky, a former KGB illegal who infiltrated the U.S. in 1978 and later defected, shares his undercover life. He recounts tradecraft training, assuming a false identity, and clandestine communications. He also describes the slow ideological shift, falling in love, and the risky choice to stay in America.

Adam Grant is a thinker. The kind of thinking that makes you think twice. Which is precisely what the victims of a certain financial fraud deployment have been told throughout history. But today, Ed and Adam head to the top of this pyramid, to unveil the origin of the ultimate form of foul play: The Ponzi Scheme. Subscribe to the SNAFU YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@SNAFUPodBuy the SNAFU book: www.snafu-book.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.