“Nathan For You” talks business

Chase Fryfogle / Contributor / The USD Vista

In the age of reality television, there’s a show to simulate every possible lifestyle. It is a vastly deep and nuanced genre in which a viewer can live vicariously through housewives or experience petty drama in exotic locations like Gordon Ramsey’s kitchen, million-dollar yachts, and the New Jersey shores.

Joining the ranks of these culturally rich programs is “Nathan for You,” a comedic series which offers an intimate look into the world of business practices.  The show follows comedian Nathan Fielder as he bounces from business to business, offering each partner a helping hand in the form of unusual marketing campaigns, a process that puts his business degree from “one of Canada’s top business schools” to the test.

It is a common practice for reality shows to romanticize glamour and success. Money and fame become a new religion, as shows like “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” and “Shahs of Sunset” idolatrize gross amounts of wealth. Pick from the hat of numerous competition shows, which value success above all else. They have no desire to appreciate the journey, only focusing on who comes out on top.

Unlike these shows,  “Nathan for You” attempts to brave uncharted waters by putting sure-fire failure on full display. Nathan’s suggestions initially emerge as out-of-the-box ideas (with a glimmer of possible success), but turn out to be genuinely poor ones. Consistently, his approaches are either incredibly stupid or convoluted.

A clear as day example of both of these is when Fielder tried to trick people, a regular technique of his, into doing free labor by making them think it was a new fitness trend. On top of that, Fielder will go to  great lengths to legitimize the schemes he tries to pull off; this is one aspect that makes the show feel so brilliant. The novelty of this is only enhanced by the fact that there are little to no stakes present whatsoever. The businesses have nothing to lose if Fielder fails, and if he succeeds the reward is negligible. A thoroughly enjoyable dynamic to watch, since Fielder treats even the tiniest hurdles like the end of the world, and the business workers politely go along with his solutions.

During the second episode of season four, titled “Chili Shop/Massage Parlor,” Fielder planned to smuggle their product into hockey games in an attempt to increase chili sales for a small restaurant. To do so, he developed an intricate fat suit that could store and distribute the hot meat soup, while remaining undetected by security. After all that preparation, the business only made $12.

Throughout the episodes, Fielder also narrates the sequential order of events, creating a paper-thin suspense. However, the narration only serves to act as another punchline, since every single complication is created by Fielder himself. In a way, the show itself is just one big joke that subtly passes itself off as a reality television show. This is due to a clever disguising of the dissonance between Fielder’s actions on screen and the intent behind them. The format of reality shows is adopted, creating a suspension of disbelief among the audience that Fielder helps struggling businesses out of the kindness of his heart, forgoing the fact that this is a comedy. It draws credibility through association, passively resembling shows like “Pimp My Ride” and “Gordon Ramsey’s 24 Hours to Hell and Back” in which celebrities also help people. But it’s imperative to keep in mind that Fielder is an alternative comedian, and he’s channeling a deadpan energy which is comparable only to that of Steve Carell’s character Michael Scott from “The Office.” Fielder’s primary goal is to create funny moments of cringe and irony, not to help the businesses.

Above all else, “Nathan for You” is an ode to the awkward. Moments of incompatibility between Fielder and strangers are the bread and butter of the show. Everything from the odd choice of words throughout conversations to Fielder’s monotone delivery creates tangible discomfort for everyone involved. Since the people featured on the show have no training in front of cameras, there’s a distinct lack of charisma which benefits the offbeat nature of interactions. Like trying to eat a sleeve of saltine crackers, the show’s sense of humor is so dry that it can get tiring quickly.

This show is so authentically unique that it is in a league of its own. It’s incredibly rare for a show to be this self-aware without breaking immersion.