Nathan Fielder goes gonzo in HBO’s ‘The Rehearsal’: review

Nathan Fielder (“Nathan For You”) brings a wacky blend of satire, reality TV, social experiment and comedy to his new HBO series “The Rehearsal.” 

Airing Fridays (11 p.m.) and streaming on HBO Max, “The Rehearsal,” is Fielder’s bizarre attempt to eliminate the uncertainties that come up in daily life. In each episode, he meets with various real people who have responded to a vague Craigslist ad in which Fielder posted: “TV Opportunity: Is there something you’re avoiding?” In his mild-mannered socially inept way, he then meets with each person to help them “rehearse” for incidents and interactions that they’re dreading in life before they tackle them for real. It’s a baffling set-up, but it makes perfect sense if you’re neurotic. 

For instance, the first episode opens with Fielder meeting with a nerdy 50-year-old Brooklyn teacher who has been on a bar trivia team for over a decade. However, in a fit of insecurity, he lied to them that he has a Master’s degree (he only has a Bachelor’s degree). This lie has spiraled and things have become awkward when his friends keep sending him job openings for positions that require a degree he does not possess. Fielder helps him “rehearse” how to fess up, with methods that include constructing an elaborate fake set that resembles the bar. (It’s unnecessarily elaborate, but that’s why it’s funny.) 

In an even stranger plotline, Fielder also helps Angela, a Born-again Christian in Oregon, do a simulation of parenthood. This “rehearsal” involves swapping out several child actors in increasingly complicated maneuvering. As amusing as the show is, it’s also frequently unsettling. 

Even the most ordinary interaction becomes strange under Fielder’s magnifying glass. No line of small talk is too minor for him to painstakingly analyze. Fielder himself is not spared from it; each episode also shows him “rehearsing” for interactions with the people he’s trying to help, and then reacting when they don’t respond in ways for which he planned. Fielder (or his onscreen persona) is put in the spotlight just as much as anyone else on the show. 

Similar to his Comedy Central show “Nathan For You,” (2013-2018), “The Rehearsal” is an odd show that won’t appeal to everyone’s comedic sensibilities. Onscreen, as Fielder tries to aid regular people with frequently outlandish approaches, sometimes they end up as the butt of a joke. He’s not interested in making them (or himself) look good, or seem sympathetic. Sometimes it can seem borderline mean-spirited, but there’s always an underlying intelligence to what he’s doing. He’s not mocking people just for the sake of it; he’s also exploring various absurdities in human nature and social constructs.

In our current era of warm feelgood comedy such as “Ted Lasso,” Fielder’s approach can feel extra-abrasive. But, it also shows how versatile the genre can be. There’s room at the table for both types of comedy.

“The Rehearsal” isn’t like anything else on TV. And in this crowded landscape where it can be hard to stand out, that speaks for itself.