Starting Somewhere: Zach Woods' early work in The Most Awkward Boy in the World
Among Zach Woods' earliest credited writing work, The Most Awkward Boy in the World aired across roughly 2008–2010 under Atomic Wedgie. The series was created by Nick Paley, Chris Gethard, and Weldon Powers, with Zach starring as the titular character and sharing "Created by" credit on several episodes (e.g., "Does His Taxes," 2008; "Kisses a Girl," 2009). Nick Paley, known for penning the screenplay for Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, also served as an editor on both David (2020) and Bud (2021), establishing a recurring creative partnership with Zach.
Awkward Boy sketches last no more than a minute. The videos are blips in banal situations where Awkward Boy is facing off against some aspect of his life or immediate surroundings that is incredibly ordinary—an elevator, a deli counter, a hot tub, ordering a pizza. The awkwardness sometimes comes from the situation, but most of the time it's in the appearance and physicality of Zach's tall, lanky, and nervous body. The awkwardness is further exaggerated by the slow cadence of his speech, or more pointedly, its absence.
Awkward Boy's existence is his comment, his response—nothing else needs to be said. In fact, a part of me doesn't see him as awkward at all; Awkward Boy is trying to exist and participate in a world that classifies him as such without consent, and guess what? We are responsible for that world. There is never a self-acknowledgment of his awkwardness. He just is. The Most Awkward Boy in the World is the most awkward boy in the world because that is what we are led to believe. It's in the title card. So why do we need him to be the Most Awkward Boy in the World?
Because A) Zach Woods does this very well, and B) it's very funny as a result.
The UCB-era cohort, hiding in plain sight
What's striking about Awkward Boy now, watching it 15+ years later, is the guest cast. The series doubled as a who's-who of late-2000s UCB performers who would all go on to substantial careers.
Ellie Kemper appears opposite Zach in "Awkward Boy Rides an Elevator" (2009), a year before either of them was cast on The Office. The future Erin Hannon and Gabe Lewis, sharing a tiny elevator in a UCB-orbit web video, neither yet famous.
Lennon Parham appears in "Awkward Boy Orders Pizza" (2008), five years before she and Zach would co-star on USA's Playing House.
Bobby Moynihan appears in "Awkward Boy Takes the Subway" (2009); his and Zach's longstanding Stepfathers partnership extended into Atomic Wedgie's web work.
Sarah Burns, Billy Merritt, Charlie Sanders, and Michael Delaney round out the recurring orbit.
This wasn't just Zach being awkward. It was an ensemble of UCB performers who would all separately become recognizable faces over the next decade, captured here in their pre-everything era.
On preservation
Some Awkward Boy episodes remain on YouTube under the Atomic Wedgie channel; others have been harder to locate. The YouTube channel for Cutman Films removed or locked down videos.
DZW has been working to surface lost and unarchived episodes—most recently "Awkward Boy Goes to the Bathroom" (with John Gemberling) and "Awkward Boy Takes the Subway"—which were not previously available on YouTube in any easily-findable form.
The Awkward Boy series matters because it's Zach's earliest sustained creative work as both a performer and (on select episodes) a writer—made years before The Office, Silicon Valley, David, Bud, or (you guessed it!) The Accompanist. Watching it now, you can already see the sensibilities that would carry through every directorial project he later took on: a steady camera on someone trying their best in a world that's not quite meeting them halfway.
—MK, proprietor
