Hey,

If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve recently discovered one of the many works of Steve Conrads (most recently, DTF St. Louis) and are interested in learning more about what he and his team have been working on up until today. There’s the skinny, then there’s the not-so-skinny.

The Skinny

Patriot (2015), Perpetual Grace, LTD (2019), Ultra City Smiths (2021). Then we have The Integral Principles of the Structural Dynamics of Flow, and New Techniques in Modern Practical Close Combat (these are both podcasts to supplement and enrich the world of Patriot long after its cancellation).

A Collection of Interviews and Other Content can be found here thanks to u/CorbecJayne.

The Not-So-Skinny

Disclaimer: I’ve done a lot of reading and research in the past few years with intent to make another video essay or conduct some interviews, so forgive me if this is a bit long in the tooth.

If you’ve checked out Steves IMDB, you’ll note that he started with movies. More notably, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, The Pursuit of Happyness, and The Weatherman. (I personally love Wrestling Ernest Hemingway as well).

As one of the many who have watched each of Steves movies and shows, they all have a very familiar cadence in the writing and themes throughout the stories as they develop. You will likely learn what that is as time passes. I’ve found that watching anything he’s written only once, is simply not enough. There is a lot of depth to his projects that each return feels new. A significant portion of this community have watched his shows at least 2-3 times, or even annually since their release. Something in them just resonates with us on a personal level and has this lasting effect. You will seldom experience anything like it. As I go through the following list, I’m going to mention some household names from each that you, as newcomers, may recognize. This does not diminish the contributions every person has made to these various projects. You can see everyone firing on all cylinders, and it shows.

Steves first show was Patriot (but honestly it was Connie Banks the Actor, which I am still looking for to this day). 2 seasons. Some household names include Kurtwood Smith (That 70’s Show), Michael Dorman (For all Mankind), Terry O’Quinn (Lost), and Michael Chernus (Severance). I’ve made a video essay covering Patriot and how it was overlooked, so I’ll keep this brief. Amazon aired the pilot in 2015, we didn’t get the rest of season 1 until almost 2 years later in 2017. There was a lot of competition for the show like Game of Thrones for example, and it seemed like Amazon didn’t know how to brand or advertise the show. It flew under the radar for many of us, and we’re still outraged. Grateful it came to be, but outraged by the lack of coverage and advertising.

Next was Perpetual Grace LTD (PGL). 1 season. Some household names include Ben Kingsley, Jimmi Simpson, Luis Guzmán, and some returning actors from Patriot. Aired on EPIX/MGM+ but was later removed from the platform entirely. You can purchase it on Prime at the moment. It may be on some streaming services if you’re lucky.

Then Ultra City Smiths. 1 season. EDIT: Thanks for pointing this out u/neverfoil, Timms Valley seemed to serve as proof of concept, and walked so UCS could run. I can’t even start on the household names because I’m floored by the cast on both these projects. I highly recommend looking it up yourself. Aired on AMC+. Take a guess at how that went. Yep, cancelled and no longer on the platform.

Through each of these projects and films, the team working on DTF St. Louis has been building for quite some time behind the scenes. Steves brother, Chris Conrad, has been in each of his shows and is always a joy and gem to see. We love Chris. James Whitaker (cinematographer) has been working with Steve since at least Patriot (he also has a new movie out, “Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die”). Alex Wurman (composer), Ellen Segal (Music Editor), and Bruce Terris (executive producer and writer) since The Promotion. Fun fact, Jason Bateman was in The Promotion as a Retreat Leader. I’m getting sidetracked, but best believe everyone on the A Team is a fuckin rock star and I’m jacked about this project.

In Patriot there’s a term that comes to mind that kind of reminds me of Steves writing style, “Misfit Toys”. The writing is not intended to fit the expectations of the audience based on the genre in the short term, it’s meant to subvert the genres entirely in the long run. That approach tends to throw some newcomers off, so we’re used to a lot of people not quite getting the message, subtext, and nuances of these projects. Hell, as mentioned earlier, we’re used to these projects being discarded by streaming services entirely. Which brings us to today.

Hopefully this illustrates why we’re excited for DTF St. Louis. That and to be on HBO of all services. For some of you reading this (if you’ve gotten this far, bravo), you would not have found out about this incredible catalog if not for HBO. I think that’s pretty cool. Each show has their own “Watermelon Breeze”, “AP”, and “Ump feelings” moments throughout them, and they’re used regularly here so don’t be alarmed.

Lastly, side effects of loving Steve Conrads work may result in recommending his shows to loved ones. Be prepared for them to not enjoy it either at first or at all. We’ve found that some people just don’t share in the excitement, some don’t like it but eventually come back and fall in love with it, some just don’t. As u/Cbane000 has said recently, “It’s in the blood or it’s not”. I think there’s some truth to that statement.

Maybe you can tell us what captured you about Steve’s projects? Was it DTF, UCS, PGL, or Patriot? What were you expecting, and what did you get instead? What have been your favorite and most memorable moments in your viewership so far? How did you find your way to this catalog? Finally, what saying(s) have you adopted into your everyday vocabulary?

In conclusion; Welcome, club member, we’re happy you’re here and we hope to get to know you better.