In Praise Of ‘Nathan For You’: Comedy Central’s Kinder, Gentler ‘Black Mirror’

Over the past few years, Comedy Central has cultivated an almost deceptively sophisticated stable of shows. These are shows that might seem fun and dumb at first glance, but whose comedy contains razor sharp social commentary and complex emotional pathos. I’m talking about the likes of Inside Amy Schumer, Key & Peele, Broad City, and, of course, the masterful Nathan For You.

After three seasons, Nathan For You has established itself as a quietly revolutionary show. In each episode, Canadian comedian (and business expert) Nathan Fielder visits a flailing small business in the heart of America. He appraises the business’s prospects and suggests a solution that only makes sense when you stretch logic to its very breaking point. The irony is that his bizarro solutions sometimes work — but usually what they really establish is how our society is governed by laws and standards that are riddled with loopholes.

Many of the most noteworthy stunts on the show were so successful that they garnered national attention. There was the “Pig Saves Goat” fake viral video that actually captured the hearts of millions of people who had no idea it was a stunt to save a failing petting zoo. There was the insanity of Dumb Starbucks. People fell in love with the subversive “parody” coffee shop on a level that made it a work of performance art. Starbucks itself is still considering suing. Last season, Fielder convinced people to move furniture for free as a part of “The Movement,” a new workout scheme. The concept revealed how gullible people can be when it comes to fitness routines.

At its best, Nathan For You comes across as a kinder, gentler, funnier Black Mirror. While that brilliant sci-fi anthology series strives to show how close we are into tripping into a dystopian nightmare, Nathan For You pokes fun at our same societal sins — our penchant for viral content, our addiction to technology, our love of brands, our need for basic human connection — but with nothing but love.

Anchoring it all is the tour de force comic brilliance of Nathan Fielder. Fielder fronts every pitch with an almost absurd arrogance, pinned in place with his gravely deadpan voice. However, what could be a garish caricature of your basic business bro is subverted by Fielder’s quiet pathos. There’s a yearning for connection in each of his interactions and he is often haunted by his own perverse moral code. In Season Three, there’s a moment where he’s working with an age progression specialist. (The task? Figuring out which peewee soccer stars are destined for future stardom.) Not only are the final images horrifyingly bad, but when it’s obvious that the man has been fetishizing little girls, Fielder’s face gets flush with awkwardness.

Later, in that same episode, he hires a fake washed up astronaut to share horror stories about space to a little boy Fielder wants to keep focused on soccer superstardom. As a host, Fielder always is aware when his schemes are crossing boundaries, but as business man/comedian, he can’t resist pushing a bit to its most wild places in the hopes of scoring a hit.

The fourth season of Nathan For You will hit Comedy Central later this year, but you can binge-watch the first three seasons on Hulu right now.

[Watch Nathan For You on Hulu]