The Setup- Nathan Fielder plays a skewered version of himself as a business school graduate who helps struggling companies with strategies that no sane person would attempt.
Fielder made a splash with a viral video hoax that showed a pig rescuing a goat from a river in an attempt to gain publicity for a petting zoo. The trick being they used a stunt pig. The video got over 7 million hits on You Tube and was even featured across the country by news outlets before it was revealed as a hoax. This kind of wacky deadpan comedy is Fielders trademark. Think Punk'd hosted by Stephen Wright.
Fielder suggests that a funeral home hire actors to stage dramatic breakdowns and grieve effusively at viewings. The theory being that people would pay to look cool after they die.
He helps a haunted house by suggesting they tell people they accidentally contracted a deadly disease in the house, he then rushes them by ambulance to a fake hospital that is actually the exit of the horror house. After the terrified victims exit Fielder presents them with a lawyer who suggests they sue the haunted house owner for subjecting them to mental stress. The idea is that people would flock to a haunted house that had been sued for being too scary.
In every episode the business owners watch patiently as Fielder's ideas prove to be ill thought out at best.
What I love about it- Fielder is as deadpan as Andy Kauffman or the under appreciated Super Dave Osborne. If this guy has a standing heart rate over thirty I would be shocked. The ridiculousness of the gags is what makes this show fun. When Fielder spoofs David Blaine type magic acts his idea is to try and escape from handcuffs before a robot de-pants him and exposes him to a group of children. If he fails to escape he has officers standing by to arrest him as a sex offender. Offensive? Yes. Comic Genius? Most certainly. This concept isn't new but the gags are bold and fresh.
Lenny Bruce dressed in a convict outfit and asked unsuspecting pedestrians for directions back in the 60's kicking off shock humor. Like Kauffman, Sascha Baron Cohen, and Punk'd before him Fielder is just a progression of that style of comedy. This is the kind of a show that brings a classic type of humor to a new generation.
What I hate about it- I did find myself drifting a bit during every episode I watched. While I loved the idea of each gag Fielder's style is so monotone I often found myself looking at my phone hoping it would ring. Fielder deserves praise for finding the next level but this style seems to grow old fast.
8 out of 10 Couch Potatoes- Fielder holds this show all by himself which is no small task. The creativity is amazing and every episode provides its share of laughs and shake your head moments of disbelief. This is going to be popular in college dorms all across the country but make some room for it in your house. Watch it for no other reason other than to learn not to hire Nathan to help your company.
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