SNAFU with Ed Helms
Episodes
S4E14: Sarah Spain and Napoleon's Russian Blunder
07 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Sarah Spain knows a thing or two about winning. But sadly for ol' Napoleon Bonaparte, he managed to do anything but win this war. Ed and Sarah trudge ...
S4E13: Jon Lovett and the Donner Party
31 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jon Lovett is a prominent podcaster and political commentator -- and, a survivor. (Get it?). Today, Ed brings Jon along to help commentate on the ill-...
Rachel Maddow and ULTRA
24 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Happy Holidays from everyone on the SNAFU Team! While Ed and his elves prepare more stories for the new year, warm up with an oldie-but-goodie bonus e...
S4E11: Sophia Bush and the Mona Lisa Heist
17 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sophia Bush is a history nerd. Ed and Sophia geek out with an oddly prescient historic whodunnit when they uncover the Heist of the Mona Lisa in 1911....
S4E10: Dan Taberski and the Great Molasses Flood
10 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dan Taberski isn't just a sweet guy, he's an award-winning podcaster. This week, Ed takes him up to Boston to trudge through one of the sweetest, stic...
Introducing Earsay hosted by Ed Helms and Kal Penn
08 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Earsay: The Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club is the ultimate book club for audiobook lovers. This week on Earsay, we're turning it up to 11 wit...
From Here We Go Again With Kal Penn: Another Economic Crash with Michael Lewis
05 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Hey SNAFU fans! We wanted to share another episode from a show that we think you'll enjoy: Here We Go Again with Kal Penn. Each week, Kal Penn t...
S4E9: Jake Tapper and the Sinking of the Lusitania
03 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jake Tapper is tapped in to the pulse of current events. Ed takes him out to sea to assess the historic disaster that was the sinking of the Lusitania...
S4E8: Live at 92NY with Samantha Bee
26 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Samantha Bee is as lively as ever. And on this special episode of SNAFU, Sam helped take Ed's book tour to the big apple, LIVE at the 92NY in New York...
S4E7: Kal Penn and the Republic of Rough and Ready
19 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Kal Penn has worked everywhere from Hollywood to the White House. In this joint episode of SNAFU and Kal's new podcast, HERE WE GO AGAIN, Ed tells Kal...
S4E6: Mike Schur and Tammany Hall
12 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Mike Schur knows how to run a show or two - but could he handle Tammany Hall?? Ed takes Mike on a journey to visit with old Boss Tweed, one of the mos...
S4E5: Desi Lydic and the 1977 NYC Blackout
05 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Desi Lydic thrives in the chaos of New York City. Ed invites her back to one of the city's darkest times, quite literally. It's the 1977 NYC Blackout,...
S4E4: Paul Scheer and the Johnstown Flood
29 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Paul Scheer is an OG podcaster about movies. Ed tells him the story of the snooty country club project that ends up inciting the Johnstown Flood -- an...
Introducing Here We Go Again with Kal Penn
24 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Hey SNAFU fans! We wanted to share a new show that we think you'll enjoy: Here We Go Again with Kal Penn. Each week, Kal Penn takes today’...
S4E3: Jordan Klepper and Teapot Dome
22 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jordan Klepper gives a shit about politics. Ed takes him through Teapot Dome, one of the most sensational political scandals of early American history...
Nick Kroll and Shackleton's Failed Expedition
15 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Nick Kroll is not so great in a crisis, especially a family fishing trip. So naturally, Ed wanted to bring NIck back to the sea for the harrowing stor...
S4E1: Jenna Fisher, Angela Kinsey, and the Lost Nuke
08 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jenna Fisher and Angela Kinsey really miss shooting The Office. So, Ed tell them the story of a lost nuke off the coast of Japan, which ends up eerily...
Introducing Season 4 of SNAFU!
01 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Your favorite history podcast is back with even more SNAFUs -- one per episode, to be precise. With guests like Nick Kroll, Jenna Fisher and Angela Ki...
Introducing Fiasco: Benghazi — The Dictator
08 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Here’s a preview from a podcast we think you’ll enjoy, Fiasco. Slow Burn co-creator Leon Neyfakh transports listeners into the reality of ...
Introducing: American History Hotline
16 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Hi, SNAFU listeners! We're excited to share with you a sneak peek at iHeartPodcasts' latest release, American History Hotline. American History H...
Introducing: United States of Kennedy
02 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Hello, SNAFU Fans! We want to share a new show you might like, United States of Kennedy. About the show: United States of Kennedy is a podcast a...
Project Azorian's Sunken Sub
09 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A special father’s day treat for you! This week, Ed shares one of his favorite chapters from his NYT Bestselling book SNAFU: The Definitive Guid...
BONUS: Culture Wars, Then & Now with Josh Graham Lynn
14 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Josh Lynn of RepresentUS joins Ed to explore political pitfalls from the 1920s that still threaten our politics today. Together they ask: how can we c...
BONUS: Recreating the 1920s with Terence Winter
07 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ed is joined by writer, producer, and showrunner Terence Winter who shares stories about his New York upbringing and journey into Hollywood, and descr...
S3E8: National Hangover
30 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Prohibition, and all that Mabel has worked to build, comes crashing down, thanks in part to a sly tell-all by none other than George Cassiday. And in ...
Behind the SNAFU Book – plus, your chance to meet Ed on tour (or virtually)!
25 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As you might have heard, the SNAFU book comes out next week (April 29, 2025)! If you want to meet Ed, either on book tour or virtually, buy your copy ...
S3E7: Judgement Day
23 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Mabel Walker Willebrandt and the Dries have their backs against the wall. The Treasury Department has made their poisoning program public, but will an...
S3E6: Signature Cocktail
16 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The battle of scientific wits comes to a head, as government chemists continue to up the ante on their formulas, with Alexander Gettler hot on their t...
S3E5: Double Barrel
09 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Out west, Prohibition agents take the gunslingers' path to enforcement. When their methods backfire, it stains Mabel Walker Willebrandt's Dry cause, w...
S3E4: Trust Issues
02 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Prohibition... wasn't going so well. Mabel Walker Willebrandt cooks up a new approach to prosecuting the biggest bootlegger in the nation. Meanwhile, ...
S3E3: Battle Lines
26 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The bootleggers' perspective comes into sharp focus as we meet a survivor of the Great War, George Cassiday. Meanwhile, why were speakeasies across th...
S3E2: Ready, Willing, and Mabel
19 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How did alcohol come to be illegal and why, of all the agencies, was the IRS tapped to enforce it? One rising legal superstar from California becomes ...
S3E1: Satan's Last Stronghold
12 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Organized crime, speakeasy gin, and jazz impresarios stole headlines in the 1920s, but behind the scenes boiled a bizarre government plot rooted in th...
Introducing Season 3: Formula 6
05 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is the story of Prohibition you haven't heard. Sure, Prohibition was a gigantic SNAFU to begin with. But it turns out Prohibition was actually da...
Introducing GREATEST ESCAPES with Arturo Castro
04 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
While we're hard at work on season 3 of SNAFU, we’re excited to revisit a pivotal moment from Season 1 with a special bonus episode of GREATEST ...
Announcing the SNAFU Book!
05 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Exciting news from SNAFU headquarters: our first book is coming out April 29, 2025. It's called SNAFU: The Definitive Guide to History's Greatest Scre...
Introducing Slow Burn: The Rise of Fox News
06 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
While the SNAFU Team is hard at work on our next season, we are excited to share the first episode of a new season from our friends at Slow Burn. On S...
BONUS: The FBI and Indigenous Movements with Nick Estes
04 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
COINTELPRO was shut down in 1971, and J. Edgar Hoover died in 1972. But the agency's dirty tricks continued in the years directly following the Media ...
BONUS: Surveillance Now & Then with Loch Johnson
28 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Former Church Committee Staffer Loch Johnson helps us dig deeper into the Church Committee Hearings to cover the appalling findings we didn't get to i...
S2E8: Statute of Limitations
21 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The FBI tries to clean up its act, but will all those lessons learned later be… forgotten? Plus, the legacy of the Media Burglary.See omnystudio.com...
S2E7: The 'Do Not File' File
14 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Journalist Carl Stern stumbles upon a single, curious codeword in the burglarized documents: COINTELPRO. As shocking revelations about the FBI come to...
S2E6: Tin, Rubber, and Oil
07 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A mole, a raid, and a war on trial. The Camden 28 make national headlines. But will their trial jeopardize the identities of the Media burglars?See om...
S2E5: G-Men Are Coming to Town
31 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The FBI hunts the burglars, who suddenly have a window into J. Edgar Hoover's most twisted and sinister operations.See omnystudio.com/listener for pri...
S2E4: The Heist of the Century
24 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As Ali and Frazier go head-to-head in The Fight of the Century, Bill Davidon and his team aim to pull off the heist of the century. But at what cost?S...
S2E3: The Girl from Hartford
17 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
With the team assembled, the burglars begin staking out a small FBI satellite office in Media Pennsylvania. And Bonnie Raines takes a big risk. To rea...
S2E2: Want to Come to a Party?
10 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It’s 1970 when John and Bonnie Raines get a call from their friend and fellow activist, Bill Davidon. He suspects something is very wrong with the F...
S2E1: The Citizens' Commission to Investigate the FBI
10 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In March 1971, Washington Post reporter Betty Medsger receives a mysterious envelope full of classified documents. Soon, what's inside will change the...
Introducing Season 2: MEDBURG
26 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In 1971, a courageous group of activists broke into an FBI office and stole files containing J. Edgar Hoover's deepest, darkest secrets. How did their...
Introducing: Broomgate
13 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
From Executive Producer Ed Helms comes a new podcast, Broomgate: A Curling Scandal. Over the course of six episodes, semi-professional curler and full...
BONUS: Forgotten History with Rachel Maddow
25 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Back in World War II, a group of Nazis tried to overthrow American democracy, with the help of some U.S. congressmen, no less. We’re talking about T...
BONUS: Inside the KGB with Jack Barsky
07 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Bonus Episode – Ed speaks with former sleeper agent for the KGB, Jack Barsky. Together, they recount Jack’s life trajectory from super spy to Amer...
BONUS: WarGaming with Matthew Broderick & John Badham
30 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Bonus Episode – Ed speaks with actor Matthew Broderick, and director John Badham about their time on the seminal 1983 classic, “WarGames” and ho...
S1E8: World Gone M.A.D.
23 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Finale of Snafu: Season One! The holy grail of classified Able Archer documents is finally revealed. Will it hold the answers we seek? Produced by...
S1E7: Where the Mind Starts to Melt
16 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sheer terror about the near disaster recedes over time, and intrigue sets in. Competing theories emerge as Nate Jones and others uncover reports that ...
S1E6: Redacted
09 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Lt. General Leonard Perroots faces down the single most critical decision of his career: to escalate, or not? He knows the situation is bad, but he ha...
S1E5: A Script for Nuclear War
02 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It’s Opening day for Able Archer 83. The Soviets have front row seats to NATO’s autumn military exercises. Tens of thousands of soldiers are playi...
S1E4: Dancing on a Razor’s Edge
26 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The situation is getting dire. Mind games and twitchy nerves lead to tragedy in Russian airspace. Finger-pointing only makes it worse, and any chance ...
S1E3: Two Spies Living Lies
19 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Tension mounts as Reagan's aggression deepens Andropov's paranoia. Surely, an attack from the West is imminent! Meet Oleg Gordievsky and Rainier Rupp,...
S1E2: Will the Real Evil Empire Please Stand Up?
12 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A former Hollywood actor and a former Chairman of the KGB walk into a bar and... blow the whole thing up? In 1983, the decision to launch nukes lay in...
S1E1: Not All Fun and WarGames
05 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
By the 1980s, tension between the U.S. and Soviet Union was a fact of everyday life. Early '80s American pop culture was quite literally exploding wit...
Introducing: SNAFU with Ed Helms
27 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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