When you need a good laugh and you don't care if everyone's in on the joke or not
These three shows are not only funny -- they're smart, original, and perfectly cringey.
Comedy is subjective — let’s get that out of the way.
My taste in comedy may not be yours, and I’m okay with that. If that’s the case, but you’re in the mood to watch something outside of your norm, I feel confident that at least one of this week’s recommendations will give your funny bone the tickle it needs.
One thing all three of these shows has in common is that not everyone involved is in on the joke. The cringe factor varies among them, and although you may argue at least two of the three walk an ethical line between comedy and making someone the butt of the joke; in my opinion, what mostly results from these comedic shows is a collection of eccentric characters, interesting oddities, and unexpected stories that are often hilarious, and sometimes poignant.
So, without further ado, my recommendations for when you need a good laugh and you don’t care if everyone’s in on the joke or not.
HOW TO WITH JOHN WILSON
You’ll like this if you like: witty comedy, documentary films, slice of life stories, New York City, asking questions, Seinfeld, lovably nerdy writers.
Not since the floating plastic bag scene in American Beauty have viewers been so fascinated by seemingly mundane objects that exhibit more meaning than meets the eye. We have filmmaker John Wilson to thank for for this, as his wildly original show, How To with John Wilson (2020-2023) brings us comedy, a local’s view of New York life, and a series of episodes that answer questions that seem practical, but are often quite existential.
Answering such a question with each episode (e.g., “How to Make Small Talk”), Wilson blends documentary-style footage of New York City (and in later seasons, some other locations) with thoughtful, humourous, well-crafted dialogue. What results are cleverly edited montages of images and conversations that are weird, amusing, and sometimes deeply personal.
A New York native, Wilson has been documenting the objects and people around him that make him go, “hmm” for most of his life. His artsy, eccentric, and intellectually funny style makes How To with John Wilson one of my favourite TV series. At the risk of sounding hyperbolic, it’s also one of the most poetic TV shows I’ve ever seen — and it’s a comedy! (I even gave it a 10/10 on my IMDB account — a rating I don’t give out freely.)
Upon a recent re-watch, I asked myself questions like, “How much footage does he have? Does he ever do anything in life without filming it?”, and “How long does it take to edit this show?” — all questions I hope to find the answers to someday.
What I do know is, How To with John Wilson proves that there’s no end to the interesting people and things you can discover in New York City, and that even something as dull as scaffolding or finding a parking spot can be funny.
🇨🇦 Where to Stream: Crave (HBO), Amazon Prime (with the Crave channel)
🇨🇦 Where to Rent: Apple TV
Fun Facts: Canadian comedian, actor, and writer Nathan Fielder (featured next) is an Executive Producer of the show.
A fan of journalist and author Susan Orlean and her book, Saturday Night, John actually hired her as a writer for Season 2 of this show.
You can view some of John’s work on his Vimeo account, “John’s Movies” where he first started sharing his then called “internet video tutorials” as early as 2012.
NATHAN FOR YOU
You’ll like this if you like: Nathan Fielder, business improvement reality shows, cringe comedy, Sacha Baron Cohen, uncomfortable silences, parody.
You may know of Nathan Fielder from “The Curse”, the deeply uncomfortable (in a good way) black comedy thriller he co-created with actor/director Benny Safdie (Uncut Gems, Good Time), which also starred Emma Stone.
You also might have seen or heard of his docu-comedy series, “The Rehearsal”, in which he took his deadpan, absurdist comedic stylings to a new, even more cringey level, and to critical acclaim.
If you’re a fan of This Hour Has 22 Minutes, you may remember Fielder’s segment, “Nathan on your Side” — a parody of consumer watchdog report where he investigated things like winter tires and mp3 players.
Regardless of whether you’ve heard of him or not, a great place to start if you want to discover Nathan Fielder’s comedy is to watch Nathan For You (2013-2017).
Nathan For You is a show where parody meets documentary. Nathan himself stars as the host of the show, an alleged consultant who helps American small business owners by presenting them with hilarious, unconventional, and often inappropriate marketing ideas, which they then undertake.
In her piece for the New Yorker, “Don’t Worry, Nathan Fielder Also Hates Himself”, staff writer Naomi Fry calls him a “savant of cringe”, which I think is spot-on. It’s really quite amazing how he is able to pull off what he does in his shows — and how he can keep a straight face. What I find refreshing is how Fielder continues to set his own bar higher and higher when it comes to comedy and its intersection with other genres, and how, like a true artist, he doesn’t seem to ever want to do the same thing twice.
If you do end up really liking Nathan For You or you already love Nathan Fielder’s comedy, you will likely enjoy this video that many of his fans consider one of his best: “Thin Watermelon”.
🇨🇦 Where to Stream: Amazon Prime (with the Paramount+ Channel), Comedy Central’s website (if you have a subscription to one of a host of cable providers).
🇨🇦 Where to Rent: Apple TV, Google Play, YouTube
Fun Facts: Fielder, who grew up in Vancouver, was on the same high school improv team as Seth Rogen.
One of his first TV gigs was as a Segment Producer on Canadian Idol.
Featured in one of the episodes, the company Summit Ice Apparel is an actual not-for-profit business that Fielder launched, and it raises funds and awareness for the Vanvouver Holocaust Education Centre.
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JURY DUTY
You’ll like this if you like: The Office, Punk’d, legal shows, Arrested Development, Parks & Recreation, improv comedy, James Marsden.
Co-created by Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky — both former writers and producers of The Office — Jury Duty (2023) brings viewers a similar premise with one big difference. Instead of a scripted TV series like The Office where everyone is aware that it’s fictional, Jury Duty is filmed more like a documentary, and for one person — Ronald Gladden — it’s real. What Ronald (a “regular” guy who answered an ad on Craiglist to participate in a documentary about Jury Duty) doesn’t know, is that everyone else involved in this jury duty experience is a paid actor, extra, or crew member.
What results is a funny, at times heartwarming show that is mostly improvised and centres around Ronald’s experience. As the fictitious trial begins, hilarious hijinks ensue, and the actors, including James Marsden who plays an egocentric version of himself, get into unexpected situations while they keep the ball rolling so as to not tip off Ronald that it’s fake.
As Jury Duty’s unknowing protagonist, Gladden seems to be just as earnest and loveable as John Krasinski’s Jim Halpert on The Office or Adam Scott’s Ben Wyatt on Parks and Recreation. Other than Gladden himself, my favourite character in the show was Officer Nikki the bailiff played by Rashida Olayiwola.
While I watched, I continued to wonder, “Why hasn’t he figured it out yet?” — but things on TV always look easier or more obvious from our screens at home. Also, I’m not sure I would have noticed either, as in a world where we are documenting and sharing almost everything we do, the ability to discern what’s real and what’s fake, particularly in an environment that’s being filmed, seems like it’s getting more and more difficult.
Watch if only to find out what “chants” are, and to enjoy the honest, kind-hearted reactions of the show’s unwitting star, Ronald Gladden.
🇨🇦 Where to Stream: Amazon Prime
Fun Facts: Alan Barinholtz who plays the judge in the fictitous trial, is semi-retired lawyer and former theatre student whose son is improv comedy actor, Ike Barinholtz (Morgan from the Mindy Project).
Calling it a “live theater, high-wire act”, actor James Marsden thoroughly enjoyed the experience of playing a version of himself on Jury Duty.
Enjoy the show(s),
Heather
Streaming and rental sources listed are limited to the services and websites I subscribe to and/or have access to (in Canada) at the time of publishing. Feel free to search your streaming and cable services for these titles.