Entertainment
Polarizing Comedian’s Raunchy New Netflix Series Is A Refreshing Take On A Tired Trope
By Robert Scucci
| Published
I’m going to lay all my cards out on the table and admit that I am not really a fan of Bert Kreischer’s comedy or public persona. After his 2016 and 2018 comedy specials, The Machine and Secret Time, I saw all I needed to see because he’s pretty much a one-trick pony who doesn’t really change up his act. He does that trick well, but I pretty much saw everything I needed to see. He takes his shirt off, tells out-of-pocket stories about his family, and presents himself as your average everyman who always wants to be the life of the party, and his die-hard fans love it.
On podcasts, he talks with too much self-importance, inserts himself into every one of his guests’ stories, and has a laugh that makes me want to shove a live earwig into my head and let it start chomping away at my brain.
The only reason I wanted to check out his new Netflix series, Free Bert, was to hate-watch it. I rarely do this, but I also wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt because series and movies starring stand-up comedians are hit or miss, depending on the writing and acting. I can’t stand Jerry Seinfeld when it’s just him and a microphone, but throw Larry David’s writing in the mix, along with characters like Elaine, George, and Kramer, and you have a great show like Seinfeld.
I feel the same way about Bert Kreischer in Free Bert for reasons I’m about to get into. If you like the idea of Bert Kreischer, but think he’s a little much, Free Bert offers the balance you may be looking for.
Based On His Comedy, But Reeled In Just Right
The best way I can describe Free Bert is as your typical raunchy family sitcom, with all the familiar beats. You have Bert, obviously portrayed by Bert Kreischer, an overweight, dim-witted husband who’s repeatedly humbled by his conventionally attractive wife LeeAnn (Arden Myrin), and two foul-mouthed daughters, Georgia (Ava Ryan) and Ila (Lilou Lang). It’s a real Married … with Children kind of setup that almost always works. It especially works for Kreischer in this context because I already said I find his persona unlikeable, and half the fun is watching him get his ass handed to him by his own hare-brained schemes while his family laughs at him for being so stupid.
As for Free Bert’s six-episode story arc, Bert’s kids go to private school and have trouble fitting in, mostly because their dad is Bert Kreischer. Bert immediately gets in trouble with the school after some of his stand-up bits are shared with the faculty, humiliating his daughters. In his efforts to smooth things over, Bert starts wearing a shirt and trying to fit in with the other parents.
When Bert learns that Georgia has a crush on Zac (Braxton Alexander), he’s devastated because he’s worried that he’s going to have somebody trying to Netflix and chill with his daughter. Learning from Zac’s father Randy (Matthew Del Negro) that he’s about to undergo scrotal surgery, he instead encourages the relationship because it means that Zac won’t be able to make a move on Georgia, at least any time soon.
Meanwhile, LeeAnn faces obstacles of her own because she’s also trying to smooth things over with the Vanderthal family, but is constantly condescended to by the family matriarch, Chanel (Mandell Maughan). Her husband, Landon (Chris Witaske), has also befriended Bert, resulting in exactly the kind of crossed wires and miscommunications you’d expect from a family sitcom operating in this lane.
Everybody Knows The Assignment Here
While I’m not going to climb the highest mountain and tell everybody to watch Free Bert because it’s the best show ever, I have to give credit where it’s due. If this was just a new show and you had never heard of Bert Kreischer in your life, he kills it here. He reliably dials in as your typical sitcom dad, and his family provides the perfect balance.
I was most impressed by Lilou Lang’s portrayal of Ila because she constantly puts her dad in his place, but there’s also an underlying affection and alliance that holds it all together. That dynamic ends up doing a lot of the heavy lifting.
Kreischer could have really messed this up by leaning too hard into all of his bits and shtick, but Free Bert is smart enough to establish that he’s a comedian who takes his shirt off, needs to change his public persona so his family can be taken seriously, and then actually follows through on that idea. He’s straight-faced when he needs to be, and the moments where he goes full Bert are chosen carefully so he doesn’t wear out his welcome.
It feels like all of the best parts of Kreischer’s act have been distilled into an easily digestible sitcom setting, and he just rolls with it. The result is a surprisingly satisfying watch. I won’t be keeping an eye out for any more of his comedy specials, but if Free Bert gets renewed for a second season, I’ll check it out. Six-episode seasons are nothing, and there’s real potential here.
Free Bert is streaming on Netflix.