This has been the funniest show on television for 3 years in a row now. The amount of work that goes into each episode is staggeringly impressive. The level of planning, serendipity, quick thinking, insanity on show in the general LA populace and power of Nathan Fielder in the face of the most absurd hilarity not to crack up and break character really makes me feel like this show is something of a miracle. Greatest comedy of this fake-reality type spoof since Brass Eye. Yes, better than Ali G/Borat too. One of the greatest comedy shows I've ever seen. Funniest Canadian of all time.
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Hype enough for you?
I don't think I could ever truly love somebody who didn't think this show was hilarious. It just works for me, on every level. Perfectly catered to my sense of humour.
I'm not going to post a clip cause taking it out of context of the episode itself would just ruin it...
Anyway, season 3 is currently airing and it's halfway through it's 8 episode run. I hope to Christ there'll be a 4th. And 5th. And a film. And a sequel.
edit: scratch that fuck it here's a clip
Just watched the Best Buy episode on Comedy Central's website. It was brilliant and laugh-out-loud funny. I'm sold.
There were at least 2 Best Buy commercials, which was amusing. And a total of 17 commercials about 10-20 sec long each. No exaggeration, four ad breaks of 2, 5, 5, and 5. I'm never watching anything legally again.
Quote from: Jeremy Blackman on November 08, 2015, 11:34:56 PM
I'm never watching anything legally again.
Welcome to the light side.
edit: here's another segment from the latest episode. It is utterly demented.
Those clips left me crying and I can't wait to see more. Thanks for sharing this
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I cried laughing at least twice. Feel really bad for the realtor though.
my new favorite show, obvs.
the Smoking Allowed episode is just too perfect, the kind of artistic work i will always be envious of.
i wasn't conscious of my familiarity with this show until Garam started this thread, represent.
yesterday while reading the show's Wikipedia i came full circle and realized how i knew about him:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dumb_Starbucks
then i greatly enjoyed reading about détournement, culture jamming, and subvertisements.
then i became a little sad because i don't think alternative culture means what i thought it did when i was young. i don't think it means big changes can happen. alternative culture can't make big changes because it's fueled by small numbers which, even when they make an impact they get swallowed back up by big numbers.
the big numbers swallowing the small numbers is called "recuperation" btw.
thanks for this thread Garam.
yeah this is show is incredible.
this may be a stupid question but are there any articles about his process or does anyone know how he pulls this shit off?
the authenticity is almost torturous sometimes.
I, too, love the show. Hilarious, cringe inducing, and, sometimes, surprisingly moving.
Quote from: 03 on December 04, 2015, 01:09:23 AM
are there any articles about his process or does anyone know how he pulls this shit off?
the authenticity is almost torturous sometimes.
Here is an article suggesting that, through the second season, the most brilliant moments were serendipitous combinations of Fielder's brilliance and the subjects' genuine feelings.
http://splitsider.com/2014/07/inside-nathan-for-you-with-co-creator-michael-koman/ (http://splitsider.com/2014/07/inside-nathan-for-you-with-co-creator-michael-koman/)
Thanks for bringing this up. It's likely that some excellent moments come about in such a way, but this is "reality TV" we're talking about. Participants are primed, prepared, and ready to go. When Nathan and a business owner have a conversation in two framed shots, I can't help but imagine botched takes. I guess it doesn't matter?
god dammit , last week's episode was fantastic. this show is full of cool ideas.
Well that was a great season. Nathan Fielder is the millenial P. T. Barnum. It's been renewed for a fourth, too. Happy days.
god damn.
almost cried.
Oh, I did cry. I certainly did.
Not entirely sure how to feel about the finale, though. It was 110% amazing, for sure. But Nathan is kind of evil. It was a couple steps over the line and I was completely in awe of it.
SPOILERS
Come on guys we need to talk about this. Jasmine is an actress, right?
It's very unlikely that she didn't notice the prosthetic face. I mean, she was staring right at it for a long time. Even if we buy that she thought it was real, how could you not be gradually horrified by a potato face? And even if we accept all of that, surely Jasmine could tell that the real Corey was different. She did not seem dumb.
Also there's the fact that the climax seemed to hinge on her continued participation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeppiPzWX38
Quote from: Jeremy Blackman on December 14, 2015, 12:21:51 AM
Come on guys we need to talk about this. Jasmine is an actress, right?
The show is 'real' in the sense that a reality show is 'real'. In that it's an odd blend of genuine reactions and scripted fiction. It's a parody of the medium as well as the message.
The girl Corey went on a date with has revealed a little about the process.
https://www.reddit.com/user/JasmineSaylor/ (https://www.reddit.com/user/JasmineSaylor/)
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So yeah, they know it's 'fake' in that a reality show is 'fake' but their reactions to Nathan's madness are totally genuine.
Okay wow, thanks. That sounds about right. She really struck me as someone who was helpfully playing along. The misleading editing bothers me a bit; otherwise that mostly seems fair. It does raise questions about how much trickery goes into the other episodes. But I'm willing to believe that this one required significantly more.
Just finished Season 3, for some reason ending with E3 "The Movement." This made me laugh harder than anything I can remember, no exaggeration. (SPOILERS!) Specifically when Jack makes his television appearances and finally arrives at this glorious moment:
"I was working with a jungle child, his name was Dendy, he was a great inspiration for me. And uh, unfortunately, tragically, he died when baboons kidnapped and ate him. It was actually one of the worst days of my life."
I was laughing so hard I had to pause the show for a minute to recover. It's his delivery — the absolute sincerity and confidence — that sells it.
In general I think this episode might have more classic moments than any other in Season 3.
- "A jungle child is what?" / "Jungle child are children that live in the jungle."
- "Never stepped foot in the gym in my entire life. I got this body by simply just moving boxes and furniture."
- "The candles flickered, the sheets were still, but all the energy in the room surrounded Roman and Kenzie. Kenzie stepped forth and gently touched Roman's arm. He suddenly felt weak, and trembled, and fell, as if his Achilles heel had been struck by a blade, but all it was was simply a woman's touch."
- "Jack can go on the news, lie to everyone in America, and you'll get a fresh batch of people..."
- That wig and beard reveal. Oh my God.
- "We do too much for our children."
Nathan For You ghostwriter Austin Bowers on writing The Movement, the (fake) self-help workout book that became a best-seller (http://nerdist.com/nathan-for-you-ghostwriter-austin-bowers-the-movement-interview-nathan-fielder/)
Also:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaGxDNWcmx4
The reaction shot at 5:56 is priceless. And their silence.
Quote from: Jeremy Blackman on January 05, 2016, 11:15:16 PM
"I was working with a jungle child, his name was Dendy, he was a great inspiration for me. And uh, unfortunately, tragically, he died when baboons kidnapped and ate him. It was actually one of the worst days of my life."
nothing but perfect.
this is an la thing he's doing, wish i could see the setlist:
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It's back!
http://www.cc.com/episodes/zruge9/nathan-for-you-the-richards-tip-season-4-ep-401
First episode is good. The second and third episodes are GREAT. I completely lost it at the charity event (you'll see).
Also I feel like this show is fully and completely unethical right now. It bothers me a little, but it might be a worthy sacrifice for art.
Episode 4 — Epic. One of the most impressive things Nathan has done. I was actually on the receiving end of this prank, as were many others, and I did not catch on. Mind blown.
Episode 5 — Thoroughly absurd, but underwhelming. Mileage may vary.
Episode 6 — Part 1 is meh. Part 2 is GREAT, though. A scene toward the end had me laughing so hard I could barely see the image and had to rewind.
episode 7 is a mini masterpiece
Quote from: wilder on November 11, 2017, 01:19:53 AM
episode 7 is a mini masterpiece
No kidding. This show is beyond words.
That last 45 minutes was pure uninterrupted gold. Several times I had to pause it for half a minute just to process things.
Spoiler: Frances certainly dodged a bullet. It's fascinating how Bill makes women guess who he is when he calls them. Like that uncertainty establishes the power dynamic in his favor before the conversation even begins. And that rehearsal scene, wow. "I'm here to marry your wife! Do you understand English?"
I guess I still do have mixed feelings with some of this season's episodes. I was not entirely comfortable with the targets of satire being struggling musicians and cab drivers.
Season 4 is finally on Hulu! Hopefully I have time to binge it all this weekend.
Do post when you're done. I don't think it's the best season, but it may have some of the highest moments.