F. Scott Schafer
August 15, 2017
In The Mix

Splitting the Adam

The whole truth about Adam Ruins Everything.

Sarah Hirsch

Truth beats ignorance, comedian Adam Conover believes.

So in his educational comedy, Adam Ruins Everything, he debunks many widely held misconceptions. Look for another season of truth-telling when the show returns to truTV July 11. But first, he wants to set a few things straight….

The concept for the series came from Conover’s stand-up act. A self-described “information sponge,” Conover began incorporating random facts into his act, such as how the De Beers diamond company popularized the concept of engagement rings. That story eventually made it into his series pilot.

Adam really did ruin everything. His on-screen character is based on a version of his teenage self. “The through-line of the character not having any friends and being lonely is based on how I felt. I often did push people away by telling them facts they didn’t want to hear and being the annoying dude at the party.”

He grew up in a family of academics. His father is a marine biologist, his mother is a botanist and his sister has a Ph.D. in nuclear physics. “I’m the dropout who only got a bachelor’s and let the family business down.”

His father appeared on the show — but that isn’t his real sister. When the episode “Adam Ruins Restaurants” called for an expert in marine life, Conover’s dad complied. But Conover’s sister is played by actress Rhea Butcher.

He actually eats that for breakfast. No, not the peanut butter and anchovy sandwich — that was Adam the character. The comedian eats oatmeal with soy sauce and scallions.

The writers’ room is comprised of nonfiction, sketch and scripted television writers. “We hire voracious readers and learners — the kind of people who, if you were to mention a topic to them, they probably read an article about it years ago and probably know a little bit more about it than you do.”

They’ve never done an episode on religion — and probably never will. “We try to avoid topics that are so divisive that as soon as you mention it, everybody already knows what they think. All they’re going to be doing while you try to give them information is marshaling their arguments.” 


This article originally appeared in emmy magazine, Issue No. 6, 2017

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