Earlier this spring, TBS announced that it had ordered a new season of The Joe Schmo Show , a format in which an ordinary man finds himself in their place They’re in a situation where they think it’s an unscripted series, only to find out that everyone around them is actually a comedian trying to trick that Joe Schmo.
For the eccentric, on the one hand, is the unlikely resurrected reality-comedy hybrid that originally debuted on Spike TV—remember Spike TV? — back to 00339, at
of the third season, and then fell asleep for another decade. On the other hand, bringing back The Joe Schmo Show became a strangely obvious choice, a year later in a conflict between scripted comedy and reality. Lines are blurrier than ever, or at least not since that mid–‘ is an even forgotten eccentric character from The Joe Schmo Show and Joe Millionaire, Like FX’s Todd TV — This TV critic remembers Todd TV , so you don’t have to — surge.
For Emmy voters, like HBO’s The Rehearsal, Peacock’s such shows as Paul T. Goldman and Freevee’s Jury Duty presents a very specific challenge: what are they ? Reality? comedy? limited? type? But for the audience, like The Rehearsal, Paul T. Goldman and Jury Duty A very different and much more complicated dilemma for such shows: Are they ethical? Are they exploitative? If they’re funny, why are they funny? If they provoke, what will they provoke? Watching these shows creates an inherent friction that can be part of the fun, or part of the polarization; one person’s artful subversion of tradition may be another’s reinforcement of traditional power structures.
Again, it comes down to the question, even if the answer is subjective.
Who is the hero?
In The Rehearsal, you think the heroes are ordinary people, and they invite Nathan Fielder to stage an elaborate rehearsal-creation—or ” Pre-creation”, really – life events as a means of combating social anxiety, except Field is actually the hero as he digs deeper and deeper into his own insecurities and his displacement in the world of his own making .
In Paul T. Goldman – its Emmy submission as a documentary series was rejected, forcing it to resubmit in a limited series Category – You think the protagonist is heartbroken dwarf Goldman (real name Paul Finkelman), who is betrayed by a bribed woman and exposes a sex trafficking ring, but it’s actually director Jason Walliner, He uses the six-episode TV series to expose the unsuspecting Goldman’s delusions and underlying misogyny.
at Jury Duty where you think the hero is Ronald Gladden, an innocent juror who maintains a healthy sense of decency When a bunch of comedians perform higher and higher antics in hopes of breaking him, nothing but the hero It’s actually James Marsden, rather hilariously playing cocky Sonic the Hedgehog star James Marsden.
What’s the joke and why is it uncomfortable?
In The Rehearsal, the joke is about post-COVID distancing and the illusion of control, centered on Field’s own signature neurosis. Like Nathan for You, Fielder mixes practical service, lightly sarcastic exposure, and full-on self-ripping, though often with some sympathy for the human condition. This creates a sense of shame, although what really worries people is the role kids play in Field’s burlesque, which, oddly enough, doesn’t make people examine how all child actors are used in any entertainment, which probably should have.
In Paul T. Goldman the joke is that Goldman craves fame and attention and the show gives it to him by making him the face of every joke Punch line, it’s all about teaching him valuable lessons about not being rude and realizing your opinions aren’t always true. Some people may find this disgusting.
In jury duty ? Well, the joke is supposed to be about Ronald and his reactions to the weird stuff going on around him—misunderstood racism, carefully grown fake poo, cooperative sex. Instead, Ronald proved to be such an amiable and harmless protagonist that the show could almost come with a disclaimer that “no ordinary person was harmed in this experience.”
Is the show going down or up?
In The Rehearsal, Fielder is confronting, but other than that, he’s targeting the genre and what we think it’s capable of thing, so it’s pretty much a punch. Plus, he makes jokes about how he spends HBO’s money.
Paul T. Goldman can only punch. The more provocative question is whether Goldman deserves the punchline and/or whether the checks forced by Wallina’s process of placating reenactments and truth ambushes are relevant enough for viewers to look inward.
and jury duty ? Ronald was eventually compensated pretty well and was treated like a hero. Throughout the season, he did nothing to embarrass him, although he may have trust issues down the road. Only James Marsden can really take a beating, and he can afford such modest pleasure. So no punches, which may or may not be a good thing.
The original Joe Schmo Show is a direct take off to the diffuse reality competition and dating format. It will be interesting to see if the latest iteration serves as a take-off for a new wave of ordinary people targeted by bogus documentary shows, or if the level of accumulated postmodern chaos is causing our collective TV to melt – or the Emmys A showdown between The Rehearsal, Paul T. Goldman and Jury Duty has had this effect.
This story first appeared in the June 7 issue of The Hollywood Reporter Magazine. Click here to subscribe.
