Hank Azaria To Return As Jim Brockmire On Podcast Backed By Dan Le Batard And John Skipper’s Meadowlark Media

Hank Azaria will reprise his role from the IFC comedy Brockmire in a 10-episode podcast produced by Dan Le Batard and John Skipper’s Meadowlark Media.

Brockmire ran for four seasons, ending in 2020. Azaria played the title character, a plain-spoken, plaid-jacketed, hard-drinking sportscaster. The Jim Brockmire Podcast will see Azaria-as-Brockmire interview guests from sports and entertainment, starting with NBA star and TNT analyst Charles Barkley on April 7. Interviewees down the line will include Joe Buck, Don Cheadle, Colin Cowherd, Jemele Hill and Ben Stiller.

Azaria and Brockmire producer Sheena Datt are re-teaming on the podcast.

Meadowlark was formed in January by former ESPN colleagues Le Batard and Skipper. The latter, whose lengthy run at ESPN included several years as president, had been executive chairman of DAZN. The sports streaming service’s parent company, Len Blavatnik’s Access Industries has pledged to invest in the new content venture. After signing off as host of ESPN’s Highly Questionable in January, Le Batard started the Le Batard & Friends podcast network under the Meadowlark banner.

Datt will co-host and produce the podcast with Dave Thomason on board as writer for the show. Mike Ryan Ruiz is executive producer.

“Hank is one of the most versatile talents the entertainment industry has seen over the past several decades,” Skipper said. “The character of Jim Brockmire is both hilariously funny and refreshingly layered. We’re lucky to have Hank and Sheena share in the vision of Meadowlark and look forward to working together on this project.”

The press release announcing the podcast included a comment attributed to Brockmire. “I had to have a young person explain the difference between a podcast and a radio show,” he explained. “Several hours later, I still didn’t understand, but apparently I had agreed to do it. Pretty sure I was blackout drunk. Anywhoodles, I’m thrilled to announce that here it is.”

Azaria added, “What Jim said.”

Known for his voice work on The Simpsons, Azaria has recently appeared on Showtime’s Ray Donovan, earning an Emmy win for guest performance and also an Emmy nomination.

“I honestly can’t believe we get to add someone with Hank Azaria’s credentials to our stable of stupidity,” Le Batard said. “He’s the voice actor for our generation on The Simpsons, an impossibly funny actor and, best of all, our friend. I can’t wait for Brockmire, soaked in booze and drugs, to urinate on every single sacred thing in sports. Hank, Sheena and Dave are going to cook up something special…. I just hope it’s not meth.”