I'm such a big fan of this show. The ability to get off track with bits and riffing reminds me a great deal of the group I used to play with.
Here's a thought: What if they got guests (Patton and others) who play D+D but can't commit to weekly to come in as one off characters? My old group had people who couldn't always make it but still want to play and he would find ways to work them in and out of the story.