NOVEL · AUTHOR
The Average American Male
The debut novel that introduced Kultgen’s deliberately provocative fiction. Listed in his official bibliography.
CHAD KULTGEN / THE WRITER’S STUDIO
More than
one medium.
Writer. Producer. Host. Son.
From the printed page to the family conversation.
CHAD / BEHIND THE CONVERSATION
A writer’s eye.
A son’s seat at the table.
Producer. Host. One of the four people who keep coming back to the conversation.
A reason to keep talking.
The Necessary Conversation makes a family relationship the setting for a political argument. Chad and Haley sit across the divide from their parents, Mary-Lou and Bob. In his HOT AIR interview, Chad discusses the personal disagreements behind the show and the challenge of staying connected through them.
Chad on how the show began ↗Keep the conversation moving.
Chad’s place at the table carries more than one responsibility: producer, host and son. He introduces the topics, asks the next question and takes part in the disagreement himself. For the October 14 episode, he says he spent the previous night watching Oklahoma local news to find candidate clips for Mary-Lou. The preparation is part of the conversation, too.
Hear how he prepared · 46:13 ↗The family was already a story.
Long before the podcast, Chad drew on his family for Southern Discomfort. The 2010 ABC pilot turned parents and grown children into sitcom characters. His later account makes the connection explicit: actors played versions of his mother, father, sister and himself. Find the pilot in his work index below.
Hear Chad recall the pilot · 17:47 ↗THE BOOKSHELF
Pick a spine.
Find another side.
Seven books from his official portfolio, with their original covers. Pull one forward to find out more. The author’s bibliography
ON THE DESK
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NOVEL · AUTHOR
01 / 07
NOVEL · AUTHOR
The Average American Male
The debut novel that introduced Kultgen’s deliberately provocative fiction. Listed in his official bibliography.
Covers from Chad’s official portfolio; artwork belongs to the respective publishers. Fiction may contain explicit adult material.
One scene.
Three ways to tell it.
Chad works across books, screens and microphones. See how the same moment changes in each format. Then, if you like, try your own.
01 / PICTURE THE SCENEFour people.
Four people.
Five plates.
Everyone sits down to dinner. Someone sets an extra plate.
Who is it for?
02 / CHOOSE HOW TO TELL IT
WHAT WE THINK
Let us into a head.
A scene can tell us what someone thinks but refuses to say. Choose one person. Give the small gesture a private meaning.
Explore his novels ↗A SHORT PROSE EXAMPLE
Mara set a fifth plate at the table. The other three watched her do it. She had practiced saying she was fine, but had forgotten to practice counting.
Notice the differenceWe can read Mara’s private thoughts. Nobody needs to say them aloud.
03 / MAKE IT YOURS · OPTIONAL
What happens at your table?
A sentence or two is plenty. There’s no right answer.
Switch formats above to try another version. Each keeps its own draft; copying or downloading includes all three.
Drafts save in this browser on this device. Nothing is sent to us.
These fictional examples were written for this site. They are not excerpts from Chad’s work or a description of his writing process.
THE PERSON AT THE DESK
A writer.
A host.
A son.
Chad Kultgen is Mary-Lou and Bob’s son, and Haley’s brother. On The Necessary Conversation, he and Haley bring liberal perspectives to exchanges with their pro-Trump parents. The show’s introduction
His career ranges across fiction, television, film and podcasts. His publisher lists five novels, identifies him as the creator of NBC’s Bad Judge, and connects his Bachelor analysis to Game of Roses. Publisher biography
In his own account, jobs as an entertainment-industry assistant led to selling his writing, followed by a growing interest in podcasting. He describes that work as a continuing creative practice across formats. Hear him trace the path
THE WORK INDEX
Follow the work.
Across formats.
Books, podcast projects, a pilot, screen credits, and original fiction. Choose the quick grid or move through the portfolio in 3D.
All documented projects in this index · 16 entries
VIEW THE INDEX
NOVEL · AUTHOR
The Lie
A college story told through three characters caught in a love triangle. Published by Harper Perennial.
NOVEL · AUTHOR
Men, Women & Children
The novel that became Jason Reitman’s 2014 film. Explore the screen adaptation further down the work index.
NOVEL · AUTHOR
The Average American Marriage
Another entry in Kultgen’s fiction bibliography, turning from the American male to married life.
NOVEL · AUTHOR
Strange Animals
One of the five novels listed alongside Kultgen’s work in television, film, and podcasts.
GRAPHIC NOVEL · WRITER
Darklight
A science-fiction graphic novel from BOOM! Studios: three rival civilizations face a threat to their universe.
NONFICTION · WITH LIZZY PACE
How to Win The Bachelor
Kultgen and Lizzy Pace bring their Game of Roses analysis to a guide that treats The Bachelor as a competition.
Show artwork · The Necessary Conversation
PRODUCER & CO-HOST · WITH MARY-LOU, BOB & HALEY
The Necessary Conversation
The family table at the center of this site. Parents and adult children debate politics from sharply different perspectives.
CO-HOST · WITH LIZZY PACE
Game of Roses
The Bachelor franchise through the lens of gameplay, strategy, and the pursuit of the crown.
CO-HOST · WITH WILL SASSO
Dudesy
Kultgen and Will Sasso’s comedy podcast project. Follow the official channel to explore its available archive.
Show artwork · Ten Minute Podcast via Apple Podcasts
CO-HOST · A LATER ITERATION
Ten Minute Podcast
Kultgen describes joining Will Sasso and Tommy Blacha for an iteration of the show that helped draw him into podcasting.
Original editorial illustration · not official pilot artwork
ABC PILOT · WRITER · 2010
Southern Discomfort
A family sitcom pilot about a father whose adult children move back home. Kultgen describes the project as family-inspired; it did not become a series.
NBC / Universal TV artwork via Apple TV
NBC SERIES · CREATOR / PILOT WRITER
Bad Judge
Kultgen’s television work includes the NBC comedy starring Kate Walsh. His publisher biography identifies him as its creator.
Warner Bros. artwork via Apple TV
FILM · STORY CO-CREDIT · 2013
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone
Kultgen shares a story credit on the comedy. The screenplay is credited to Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley.
Film poster · Paramount Pictures
FILM · BASED ON HIS NOVEL · 2014
Men, Women & Children
Jason Reitman directed this adaptation about families and technology. Kultgen’s credit is the source novel; the screenplay is by Reitman and Erin Cressida Wilson.
Original editorial illustration · not official cover art
ORIGINAL FICTION · AUTHOR
The Probable God
A speculative story published on Kultgen’s own site, imagining an artificial intelligence announcing a new future for humanity.
A source-linked public work index, not a list of every private, unproduced, or uncredited project. Pilot, story, screenplay, and source-novel credits are different roles.
A FEW THINGS FOR LATER
Your next rabbit hole.
Your queue is empty. Save a book, podcast, or screen project as you explore.
Saved on this device. Nothing is sent anywhere.
ON MIC
And then there’s
that familiar voice.
Loading voice clips…
BEYOND THE FAMILY TABLE
Follow an idea between formats.
Books, podcasts and screen stories ask different things of a writer. Choose a connection in Chad’s published work and explore the actual credits.
CONNECTIONS IN THE WORK2 collaborators
Chad Kultgen + Lizzy Pace
From watching the game to explaining it.
Chad and Lizzy Pace co-host Game of Roses and co-wrote How to Win The Bachelor, which examines the show through a game-strategy lens.
Take a closer look
The book is a distinct published work by both authors. Its connection to the podcast is documented in the publisher’s description; this is not an estimate of audience size or sales.
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Independent editorial context. Sources checked September 15, 2026. Industry and wildlife data are not personal claims or endorsements by the family.
Sources & further reading
- Chad Kultgen — official portfolio
Chad Kultgen · Bibliography, podcast projects, original book and podcast artwork.
- Author biography
Simon & Schuster · Novels, screen work, and Game of Roses context.
- Darklight
BOOM! Studios / Penguin Random House · Graphic-novel publication and story description.
- How to Win The Bachelor
Simon & Schuster · Book premise and co-author Lizzy Pace.
- Southern Discomfort pilot order
TheWrap · Josef Adalian · February 24, 2010 · Contemporary reporting on the ABC pilot, distinct from a series order.
- The Incredible Burt Wonderstone
American Film Institute Catalog · Story co-credit and screenplay credits.
- Men, Women & Children
Paramount Pictures · 2014 film, director, screenwriters, and source-novel credit.
- Sunday Night Live — career account
The Necessary Conversation · December 1, 2025 · Chad describes his writing and his route into podcasting.