Andrew Schulz and Chris Distefano from Benders

The greatest fan is a hockey fan. They're loud proud and extremely loyal. 90% believe they can play the game. IFC has turned that moment of guts and glory into a weekly comedy adventure. From the iHeart Radio Studio I'm Unplugged and Totally Uncut with comedians Andrew Schulz and Chris Distefano. This fall, IFC launches a brand new eight-episode original hockey comedy Benders. Starring Lindsey Broad (The Office, 21 Jump Street), Chris Distefano (Girl Code, The Half Hour), Mark Gessner (Orange is the New Black, The Blacklist), Ruy Iskandar (Gotham, The Blacklist) and Andrew Schulz (Guy Code, co-creator & host of Brilliant Idiots podcast) Benders follows a team of friends bonded by an irrational obsession with their men’s ice hockey team, The Chubbys. Benders premieres Thursday, October 1 at 10:00pm ET/PT. Paul Rosenberg (Schulz) is the insecure leader whose involvement with the team causes daily havoc for him and his wife Karen (Broad). Along for the ride are Paul’s best friends Anthony (Distefano), the charmer who schemes his way through life; Dicky (Gessner), the wealthy hedge fund manager whose answer to everything is in his wallet; and Sebalos (Iskandar) the slacker on a misguided search for his purpose in life. While their hockey skills may be limited their passion is not, as evidenced by the chaos their devotion to the game creates in their everyday lives. Creators Jim Serpico and Tom Sellitti are executive producing along with their Apostle partner Denis Leary. Episode Descriptions: EPISODE ONE: “Choke” PREMIERES THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1 AT 10:00PM ET/PT Paul’s grandpa makes him an offer he can’t refuse. Guest stars: Mark Margolis and Lenny Venito. Written by Jim Serpico and Tom Sellitti; directed by Jim Serpico. EPISODE TWO: “Wake Em Up” PREMIERES THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8 AT 10:00PM ET/PT The guys gain a team sponsor while Paul tries to reschedule a family commitment. Karen shares a questionable new joke with her acupuncturist. Guest stars: Steve Schirripa, Godfrey and Jim Norton. Written by Jim Serpico and Tom Sellitti; directed by Richie Keen. EPISODE THREE: “Prodigal Son” PREMIERES THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15 AT 10:00PM ET/PT Paul goes clean and sober in an attempt to one up Anthony in a new hockey division. Karen hosts a book club. Written by Jim O’Doherty; directed by Tom Sellitti. EPISODE FOUR: “Fight Club” PREMIERES THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22 AT 10:00PM ET/PT The Chubbys crash Paul and Karen’s sick day at home while they deal with a disruptive neighbor. Guest stars: Steve Schirripa and Joel Garland. Written by Frank Sebastiano; directed by Michael Blieden. EPISODE FIVE: “The Sport Of Kings” PREMIERES THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29 AT 10:00PM ET/PT The Chubbys get a new goalie with a promising business venture. Guest star: Godfrey. Written by Jim Serpico and Tom Sellitti; directed by Michael Blieden. EPISODE SIX: “Secrets And Lies” PREMIERES THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5 AT 10:00PM ET/PT Paul finds out Karen has a secret journal. Sebalos falls for a masseuse. Guest stars: Steve Schirripa, Barbara Rosenblat. Written by Frank Sebastiano; directed by Richie Keen. EPISODE SEVEN: “Nice Day For A Boat Ride” PREMIERES THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12 AT 10:00PM ET/PT Karen returns from Vegas with a pair of surprises for Paul. Anthony tries to tune out the noise of a new relationship. Guest star: Jim Breuer. Written by Jim Serpico and Tom Sellitti; directed by Joe Kessler. EPISODE EIGHT: “California Here We Come” PREMIERES THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19 AT 10:00PM ET/PT Paul and Karen contemplate the future as Karen receives an exciting new job offer. The Chubbys host a farewell party. Guest stars: Steve Schirripa, Robert Kelly. Written by Jim Serpico and Tom Sellitti; directed by Jim Serpico. ANDREW SCHULZ BIO Andrew Schulz is the star of Benders, a new half-hour comedy for IFC that premieres on Thursday, October 1st at 10pm ET/PT. Andrew plays the lead role of ‘Paul Rosenberg,’ the head of a men’s hockey team competing for the adult league title. Schulz grew up in New York City and cut his teeth in standup comedy clubs at a young age. Andrew’s first TV appearance on MTV2’s Guy Code was lauded by fans, and the network quickly brought him in for more episodes before making him a series regular. Schulz’s expanding profile on MTV2 grew and eventually Andrew crossed over to MTV’s flagship network as the host of the dating show The Hookup and as a regular on Girl Code, the spinoff of Guy Code. In 2014, Schulz and Charlamagne Tha God (radio host of the nationally syndicated radio show The Breakfast Club) created their podcast “The Brilliant Idiots,” which quickly hit #1 on the iTunes comedy podcast chart and currently racks up over 200,000 listeners per episode. In the scripted TV world, Andrew co-starred in the FX comedy pilot Bronx Warrants. He is also a regular guest on Red Eye for Fox News. He performs at comedy clubs, colleges and theaters across the US, Canada and Europe. http://theandrewschulz.com/ CHRIS DISTEFANO BIO Before becoming a self- described high energy comic, Chris earned a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology to impress his mom’s friends, and a Doctorate in Physical Therapy to impress his Mom’s friend’s Moms. Chris is a regular at all of the top comedy clubs in New York City and has performed at all of the top comedy clubs across the country. You can catch Chris all over MTV as he is a current cast member on MTV2s hit show Guy Code. You can also see him featured on MTV’s Girl Code, Off the Bat and Guy Court. Chris was selected from hundreds of comedians across the country to be one of Comedy Central’s Comics to Watch as part of the 2012 New York Comedy Festival as well as a New Face of 2013’s Montreal Just for Laughs Comedy Festival. In June of 2013, Chris made his network television debut on The Late Show with David Letterman and in June 2014, his half hour comedy special debuted on Comedy Central. Chris has been heard on Sirius XM radio, been featured in multiple national Nike commercials alongside JB Smoove, and had the opportunity to perform at Bud Light’s Whatever USA in Colorado. Out of all the commercials he has done, however, he is most proud of the one where his left elbow was featured on a National Subway commercial. It’s a good elbow. He would know. He loves elbows.