Entertainment
Netflix’s 2-Part True Crime Satire Is Still the Streamer’s Greatest Comedy Ever
Nobody has ridden the wave of true crime documentaries quite like Netflix. The streamer has churned out hit after hit within the genre, utilizing the cost-effective documentary method to make some of its most popular titles, all the while highlighting some of the craziest and most infamous crime stories in recent history. It honestly feels like too much true crime most of the time, which makes one frustrating cancellation from almost a decade ago feel even more egregious. For two seasons, Netflix had a perfect true crime satire that was also one of the best — and most surprisingly touching — comedies on television, and it could’ve been an enormous hit had the streamer stuck with it.
American Vandal, first released in 2017, is one of the greatest American comedies of the 2010s. From creators Dan Perrault and Tony Yacenda, American Vandal was a mockumentary-style series that satirized true crime documentaries, taking its biggest influences from the podcast Serial and Netflix’s own Making a Murderer. Instead of following the story of a grisly murder, however, American Vandal follows a couple of high schoolers as they get to the bottom of mysteries involving spray-painted genitalia and widespread diarrhea. It sounds ridiculous on the surface, but American Vandal nailed its aesthetic so perfectly that it often felt like a better version of the things it was satirizing, and at its core, became one of the most honest and accurate depictions of high school from the last 20 years.
‘American Vandal’ Is Laugh-a-Minute Comedy Gold
The true crime genre is more than worthy of spoofing, and American Vandal did it brilliantly. That was when the genre as a whole was first taking off, so you can imagine how well this specific brand of comedy has aged. Yes, plenty of the humor comes from situations born from penis graffiti or an entire school pooping their pants on the same day, but there are also a lot of bits and gags that produce great laughs from simply playing up the true crime elements.
In Season 1, the young documentarians try to prove the innocence of a senior who is accused of spray-painting the cars of faculty members and is expelled just weeks before graduation. Jimmy Tatro, who recently appeared in Scream 7, starred in the season as the accused, Dylan Maxwell. He’s as hilarious as you expect, but it’s the seriousness with which the show approaches his situation that sticks with you and makes you laugh long after you’ve watched it.
American Vandal treats a crime like drawing a penis on a car as seriously as any other true crime doc treats an actual murder. That level of commitment ups the ante and makes for the kind of comedy we don’t see very often anymore. While they are still very different brands of comedy, HBO shows like Nathan Fielder’s The Rehearsal and Tim Robinson’s The Chair Company feel like American Vandal‘s closest modern relatives.
The film also stars Rebecca Ferguson and Barry Keoghan.
Getting High School Right
American Vandal‘s format and humor could carry a show, but the humanity and passion with which the series approached young people is what takes it to another level. Conceptually, this is a series that would’ve been funny enough had it just pointed the finger at these juvenile situations and laughed about how seriously the students took these kinds of stories. Instead, American Vandal empathized with young people and found the beauty in their journeys amidst all the hilarity and chaos.
As memorable as the first season is, it’s Season 2 that really unlocks this integral part of American Vandal‘s ethos. On the surface, the second season explores an event known as “The Brownout,” in which the students of a Catholic school all experience explosive diarrhea at the same time, likely due to some kind of laxative in the cafeteria’s lemonade. In the middle of such an outlandish premise, American Vandal manages to tap deeply into the issue of disconnection amongst students caused by social media, and the terrifying reality of the dangers that social loneliness can create. The final episode of the season is an absolute wallop that will bring tears to your eyes — both from laughing and crying.
American Vandal is a comedy masterpiece, and it’s one that arrived just a few years ahead of its time. Given the obsession with true crime that exists now — especially on Netflix — the show could’ve been an instant mega-hit had been released today. There’s a good chance it could also give us the big dose of community that we desperately need.
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