‘Snafu’: Ed Helms’ First Podcast Series Explores Hilarious Aspects of an ’80s-Era Nuclear War Crisis
variety.comTodd Spangler NY Digital Editor Ed Helms has managed to find the amusing parts of impending nuclear Armageddon. The actor, writer and comedian hosts “Snafu,” a nonfiction comedy series in which he’ll dissect some of history’s most notorious screw-ups.
In the inaugural season, set to premiere Oct. 5 on major podcast platforms, Helms tells the story of Able Archer 83, the NATO military exercise that may have almost triggered a real nuclear war in November 1983. “It kind of felt like a story that needed to be told, and it also seemed like a story that would be fun to tell – it’s loaded with drama and spy-thriller intrigue,” Helms told Variety. “There’s a lot of comedy baked in.
But ultimately it’s an intense and somewhat mortifying chain of events.” Able Archer 83 was a NATO exercise that year simulating conflict escalation with the Soviets that culminated in the U.S.
military achieving DEFCON 1, the highest-level alert status indicating a coordinated nuclear attack is imminent or has already begun.
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