Review: How to With John Wilson (Season 1)

How to With John Wilson (Season 1)

TLDR: It's hard to describe exactly what How To is or why exactly it works, but there's a certain point in every episode when the comedy begins to click and then the human element - the surprising poignancy and the everyman/woman relatability - comes out in spades. This documentary series is unlike anything else out there and absolutely worth your time.

Who exactly is John Wilson? That's the first question that comes to mind when HBO's new documentary series is recommended to a new viewer. The name is in the show's title, and yet John Wilson is rather a nobody in the grand scheme of things as well as in the entertainment industry (at least he was prior to the becoming a bonafide hit). However, not long ago, contemporary comedy icon Nathan Fielder discovered Wilson and, after seeing his work and style, decided to jump on board as a producer for a new series made by Wilson. 

So, again, what exactly is this show? Well, each episode of How To delves into topics ranging from 'How To Make Small Talk' to 'How To Split The Check' with the actual show being a combination of B-roll footage of oddball and/or mundane everyday people interactions with Wilson's narration over it as well as interviews with people Wilson runs into on the streets. While every episode begins with its main topic discussion, inevitably each ends up running on a tangent usually based on something a specific interviewee begins to chat about. For example (and perhaps a minor spoiler...), in 'How To Improve Your Memory', Wilson runs into a man in a grocery store who's commentary on memory suddenly pivots into him talking about the Mandela Effect, which leads to the discovery that he is part of an organization of Mandela Effect believers who think that the Effect is a result of people jumping to alternate realities. Yep...

One of the beauties of the show is Wilson's pristine understanding of documentary - the merging of image with narration - and the incredible effect that juxtaposition can have on this combination. Wilson narrates, often almost poetically, over footage of everyday people doing strange and perplexing things in and around New York City, and it is Wilson's comedic and poignant words mixed with the visuals that creates an end product that is unlike anything you can watch elsewhere. He has an awkward cadence in how he speaks and his mannerisms (very similar to Fielder, for those who have seen Nathan For You), which creates great comedy and also brings out the empathetic quality in the show and its irreverent depiction of everyday Americans. If I haven't quite sold you on the show or explained it in a way that makes sense, simply watch an episode or two for yourself. No doubt, Wilson is about to become a well-known name and the acclaim of his new show is about to explode into the upper echelons.