Line #1 Podcast/Harmontown


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/harmontown.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350: ''I don't want to get off on any tangents...'']]
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4	''Harmontown'' is a weekly podcast hosted by the creator of ''Series/{{Community}}'', ''Series/HeatVisionAndJack'' and ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'', Creator/DanHarmon. Harmon presides as Mayor of Harmontown, while his Comptroller Jeff Davis (''Series/WhoseLineIsItAnyway'') acts as announcer, co-host and DJ.
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6	Recorded before a live audience, previously in the backroom of Meltdown Comics and Collectibles in Hollywood but more recently at a dedicated venue at Harmon's Starburns Castle, the show typically features frenetic, free-form discussions concerning society, race, gender and whatever else is on Harmon's mind that day.
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8	Starting in the eighth episode, each session included a TabletopRPG segment, in which the hosts, guests and occasional audience members take control of the characters. The games were run by Spencer Crittenden, who was recruited right out of the audience. The show began with a ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' campaign featuring heroes Sharpie Buttsalot and Quark Pffffft, then transitioned into a ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'' game before the roleplaying element was phased out and spun into ''Series/HarmonQuest''. Spencer continued to serve as a sort of secondary co-host rather than a dungeon master until the roleplaying segment was reinstated, using the ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'' ruleset, in 2017.
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10	Guests who have appeared regularly include Dan's fiancee/wife/ex-wife Erin [=McGathy=], Kumail Nanjiani and Creator/CurtisArmstrong; additional guests have included Creator/BobcatGoldthwait, Creator/GregProops, Duncan Trussell, Doug Benson, DC Pierson, Eric Idle, Mitch Hurwitz, and Creator/RobinWilliams.
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12	A complete archive of the show can be found [[https://www.harmontown.com/category/podcasts/ here]].
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14	!!Provides Examples Of:
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16	* TheAlcoholic: Both Dan and Jeff are hard drinkers and usually perform the show in various states of inebriation. Dan is rarely onstage without his trademark cup of Ketel One.
17	* AudienceParticipation: The show heavily relies on AudienceParticipation, to the point where several audience members have become regulars on the show. Dan often brings people up to speak with them, and the audience is encouraged (to an extent) to ask questions and interact with the performers. This is most evident in the case of Spencer, who became a permanent part of the show after volunteering to DM a D&D session.
18	* AuthorAppeal: The show contains RPG segments because Dan played [=RPGs=] as an adolescent. He played mostly ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'', which is was featured for a time on the show.
19	* CallBack: "#2 Inception of Girlfriends" is rife with these.
20	* CatchPhrase:
21	** Dan:
22	*** "Dumb. Dumb, dumb."
23	*** "I don't wanna get off on a lot of tangents."
24	*** "It's okay; my sister's retarded."
25	*** "We'll edit this out."
26	*** "It's 9:11!"
27	** Erin:
28	*** "I FIRE TWO ARROWS!''
29	*** "ADVENTURE!''
30	** Jeff:
31	*** "Wait, I'm sorry, what?"
32	*** CLIFFHANGERRR!
33	*** SPORTS CORNERRR!
34	** Spencer:
35	*** "That happens".
36	*** "Who knows, man."
37	** Kumail:
38	*** "Can I just say..."
39	*** "I was about to say something horrible."
40	* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: Jeff disappeared for five months in 2014 without an explanation, but returned in December. He apparently went on tour and took a break after returning to LA.
41	* DeadpanSnarker: Spencer says just about everything deadpan, causing Dan and Jeff to often mistake his jokes for anger.
42	* EveryEpisodeEnding: Jeff playing "Xanadu" (before they had to stop using licensed music) and thanking all participants in the show by name.
43	* TheHerosJourney:
44	** Dan's obsession with Joseph Campbell means that this is brought up on a regular basis.
45	** In the documentary film version of ''Harmontown'' Dan realizes that if anyone is the hero it's [[spoiler: Spencer, and Dan is the villain. It eventually led to Spencer's role as Annie's brother on ''Community'' and the creation of ''Harmonquest'' to give him a starring role.]]
46	* HeterosexualLifePartners: Dan and Jeff.
47	* InsufferableGenius: Dan sometimes comes off as this, especially when playing D&D.
48	* InTouchWithHisFeminineSide: Jeff, to the point where he admitted trying on women's clothes for the hell of it.
49	* LeftItIn: Dan will often state that he's going to "edit all this out," as a joke. Sometimes he'll shout something horrible like, "Hitler had some good ideas!" and say that it's a reminder to edit out that whole section.
50	* LyricalTic:
51	** Dan's raps almost always contain the rhyme "Mouth/South".
52	** He fucks mamas so much that Open Mike Eagle called it a crutch. He's tried to stop. He hasn't succeeded.
53	* OnlySaneMan: Jeff is sometimes this especially when Dan goes on a long rant.
54	* RunningGag
55	** Dan's Liam Neeson impression.
56	** Dan's [[Film/TheDarkKnightRises Bane]] voice.
57	** Jerry [=McSeinfeld=]
58	** Dan's improvised raps almost always focus on the line "I fucked your momma!"
59	** The Droopy Dog/Johnny Carson voice.
60	** "Yardage, yardage, yardage!" during Sports Corner.
61	* SharpDressedMan: Jeff always wears a nice suit and says that it feels like "armor."
62	* ShoutOut: The names of various D&D characters are shout-outs:
63	** Kumail's character Music/ChrisDeBurgh is an {{expy}} of the OneHitWonder musician of the same name. He often refers to his hit single "Lady in Red."
64	** Quark the gnome is obviously a reference to the short-statured Ferengi of the same name in ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine''.
65	** Dignity Sarsgaard's surname is almost certainly inspired by actor Creator/PeterSarsgaard.
66	* TallDarkAndSnarky: Jeff, quite often.
67	* TheUnpronounceable: Dan asked two audience members respectively to pick the first and last name of Jeff's D&D character. The first audience member suggested the name "Quark," but the second person responded with an inarticulate noise; thus, "Quark Pfffftt" became the character's permanent name.
68	* VerbalTic: Dan's adorable stutter.

Context Podcast / Harmontown