The First Trailer For Nathan Fielder’s “The Rehearsal” Has Been Released
I have an unhealthy obsession with the show “Nathan For You.” It is the single funniest thing I’ve ever seen in my life. If I was ranking the ten hardest laughs I’ve ever had, five of them have probably come from that show. It’s a master class that comes from the mind of comedic genius Nathan Fielder. It makes me happy that that show, which was successful in its own right during its time on Comedy Central, has developed a massive cult following, partially because of people like me who won’t shut up about it. It’s so brilliant, but it came to a fantastic end almost five years ago, and people have been wondering what’s next for the man responsible for one of the funniest television shows of all time. Well, we finally have the answer.
The trailer for Nathan Fielder‘s newest project, “The Rehearsal,” is…something. Don’t get me wrong; I think this will be a brilliant show. But I’m still trying to get a gauge on which of this is scripted and which parts aren’t. One of the things that made “Nathan For You” so brilliant was how authentic it felt. You could categorize it as a reality TV comedy, but it didn’t suffer from many of the tropes that reality TV shows suffer from. The people and the scenarios felt real, and the show never felt overly edited. Fielder’s ability to never break character was a big reason behind the show’s authenticity. “The Rehearsal” appears to share that same DNA. The basic premise seems to be that Fielder is allowing people the opportunity to rehearse key events of their lives before they happen. It’s a unique premise that should lead to infinite comedic possibilities.
The one downside of “The Rehearsal” are the expectations. The final episode of “Nathan For You” (the brilliant “Finding Frances”) currently has a 9.5 rating out of 10 on IMDb. Expectations for people who were fans of Fielder’s previous work have to be through the roof. It almost feels like we’re setting ourselves up for disappointment. It reminds me a bit of the hype people had for “Bruno” following the overwhelming success of “Borat.” And while “Bruno” received a generally mixed reaction, it was a substantial step back compared to what “Borat” was. My hope is that that isn’t the case with “The Rehearsal” because Nathan Fielder is a rare breed in the comedy world. I hope he picks up where he left off.