Nathan Fielder has become a modern master of the rising art form that is Nathan for You.
Parodying business-centric reality series, such as Kitchen Nightmares or Bar Rescue, Nathan Fielder portrays a business consultant just trying to help struggling businesses all over America...by offering next to the worst pieces of advice possible.
Updated on July 9th, 2021 by Sean Cubillas: Nathan for You has withstood the test of time by being one of Comedy Central's most memorable and acclaimed comedy series, despite a relatively short run on air. Since the show was brought to HBO Max, its popularity and viral nature have only expanded. This has not only brought more attention to Nathan Fielder's various business exploits but, as per The Hollywood Reporter, HBO has even announced that it will be producing a new comedy series helmed by Fielder.
Hotel/Travel Agent (8.6)
Nathan Fielder's lack of social understanding is no more apparent anywhere else than in "Hotel/Travel Agent." In the hotel portion, Nathan tries to help a struggling hotel by tapping into the oh-so coveted "Parents who don't want their kids to know they're having sex" market. To alleviate certain couple's concerns, Nathan helps build a sound deprivation box that couples can put their kids in.
It's not as bad as it sounds, but Nathan still finds a way to make things worse. That unnecessary and convoluted sense of escalation is a huge part of what makes Nathan so special and what sells the quieter yet still incredibly ridiculous portions of this episode which include a funeral home/travel agency and a really shady way to escape traffic jams.
Haunted House/The Hunk (8.7)
The first half of this episode is business as usual (as far as Nathan Fielder is concerned). A haunted house is struggling to get customers, so Nathan concocts this idea to make the house so scary that people would sue them. He does so by creating an elaborate setup where customers are taken from the haunted house and are made to believe that they contracted a deadly virus.
The second half of the episode showcases Nathan's iconic loneliness and awkwardness when he creates an entire, dating show, similar to The Bachelor, to help him therapeutically get over his fear of women. Nathan, of course, is the titular Hunk of this fake series. While Nathan's advice alone can be valuable, this episode shows how he's willing to go the extra mile for others (and himself) with large, elaborate production design.
The Claw Of Shame (8.7)
Some episodes of Nathan for You are dedicated to showing the mettle of its host character, and "The Claw of Shame" does this well with its high stakes. Nathan sets up a challenge where he needs to escape a pair of handcuffs in under 90 seconds. The punishment for failure is that a special robot would come and pants him in front of a group of kids (Who's being punished the most here?).
Most of the episode shows all of the detailed work that goes into both training Nathan as well as deg a robot that would pants him. "The Claw of Shame" is one of the best examples of the domino effect of over-thinking that Nathan Fielder has become famous for. But for those that need more proof, this episode also ends with a nice trip down of Nathan's recent failures.
The Richards Tip (8.7)
"The Richards Tip" shows one of Nathan's most complex ploys to get restaurant customers. Amazed by how generous celebrity tips can get really viral, Nathan decides to help a diner by staging one for himself. Doing so becomes much more complicated than one can imagine when Nathan begins auditioning celebrity impersonators, hiring someone to legally change their name so that he can get a credit card with the celebrity's name, and personally handcuffing himself to that person when he discovers that they have a criminal history.
People can't say that Nathan is lazy, and this episode is just a taste of Nathan's hilarious work ethic and dedication to maintain authenticity in a world where most people wouldn't bother to change the legal name of celebrity impersonators.
Santa/Petting Zoo (8.8)
"Santa/Petting Zoo" helps establish one of Nathan's recurring characters and shows how good this series is as a whole at staging viral events. In the Santa portion, Nathan helps a struggling Santa Clause impersonator by having them work out of a season at a discounted rate. However, Nathan soon realizes that the guy has a criminal history which puts a strain on their relationship.
In the petting zoo portion, Nathan tries to help a petting zoo by staging a viral video where their pig saves a baby goat from drowning. This ends up becoming an actual viral video still on YouTube today, further blending the show with reality. In the last bit of the episode, Nathan is on a stakeout to find some graffiti artists and uses his own image as bait. For what is essentially a sketch/prank show on Comedy Central, this episode is classic for showing Nathan's ability to blur the lines between what's real and not in his show.
The Movement (9.1)
"The Movement" is the greatest example of the snowball effect of Nathan Fielder's plots. When a struggling moving company turns to him to help stabilize their income, Nathan starts a fitness craze that rocks the country. Initially, he recommends that the company tell people to move boxes and furniture for them as a work-out regimen, either getting them to do it for free if not outright charging them for the workout.
Seeing that such an idea would be a hard sell, Nathan hires a bodybuilder to become the company's spokesperson (that he later distrusts and stalks), writes an entire autobiography about him that involves a "jungle child" getting eaten by a baboon, and manages a promotional campaign across various, morning news shows across the U.S. This episode shows one of Nathan's most viral, media stunts yet and proves that, with enough dedication and production, he is able to get people to believe or buy anything.
Smokers Allowed (9.1)
Fans already know that Nathan Fielder is a smart, business professional in his own right. Little did they know, he is also a theatrical genius. When smoking bans make it hard for a small-time bar owner to attract customers, Nathan hatches a plan to circumvent smoking regulations. If he can portray the entire bar as a stage play entitled "Smokers Allowed" and all of its patrons as "performers" smoking, then he can off the act as a performance, not a health code violation.
Things get a little tricky, however, when Nathan starts to see the project as an actual art piece and pivots towards creating an actual stage play...of people just hanging out in a bar. "Smokers Allowed" is a rare look at Nathan's artistic side and another classic example of his egotistical one.
Andy vs. Uber (9.1)
In the Season 2 episode, "Taxi Service; Hot Dog Stand," Nathan helps drive up business for a taxi company by convincing them to give free rides to pregnant women. As luck would have it, Uber would capitalize on the idea and also promote pregnant riders via an Uber branded onesie. With the taxi industry already struggling as is, Nathan helps launch an all-out war between taxi drivers and the Uber corporation.
That is no exaggeration. Nathan Fielder's plan is to threaten Uber with a secret, sleeper cell group meant to sabotage the rideshare service. For anyone, especially a Canadian immigrant, this would be quite the legal bind. Fortunately for him (and one unsuspecting cab driver), he manages to get his green card. While this episode did show an oddly genuine look at the affected workers of a dying industry, it also shows Nathan Fielder going way too far to help them.
Gas Station/Caricature Artist (9.2)
In an effort to bring in new customers to a lowly gas pump service, Nathan s that the establishment would be giving away cheap gas. The catch, however, would be that they would have to claim a rebate...at the top of a mountain...after answering a long line of riddles. In "Caricature Artist," Nathan is at the service of a beachside, cartoonist. To help him find new customers, Nathan turns to the one thing that many artists turn to during a rut: Shock Value. When Nathan has him draw offensive caricatures of all of his patrons, things go a little better than expected, and he learns a little bit more about people's dark sides.
There's not exactly a thematic correlation between these episodes but overall this is a great recommendation for those interested in the show's exploration of darker comedy.
The Anecdote (9.2)
While Nathan for You likes to keep its content straight, for the most part, it does acknowledge every now and then that they're more comedy than documentary series. Surprisingly, this doesn't stop the tone in any way. In "The Anecdote," Comedy Central schedules Nathan for a promotional appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! This forces Nathan to confront his inherent, social awkwardness but doesn't stop his natural ambition.
After studying the trends of several talk show guests, Nathan constructs what he believes to be the ultimate anecdote for Kimmel's show, jampacked with a wedding experience, a bump with the police, and a hilarious twist. This episode both shows Nathan's surprising level of detail when it comes to his social consciousness and his best stride yet at achieving unnecessary realism.
