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Nathan Fielder is one of the most innovative comedic minds around. While many of his contemporaries struggle to find their voice in the modern era, Fielder's meta-humor seems to only get sharper with age, ever in step with current trends. After a few years of silence, Fielder has finally returned to television with HBO's The Rehearsal; the show has already received universal acclaim.
Fielder's previous hit, Nathan For You, also dealt with real-life people; with his business degree (and "really good" grades) under his belt, Fielder would assist struggling businesses in bizarre ways. Though his methods rarely worked in any usably capacity, they provided a window into one of TV's most arresting comics.
10 "The Movement" Moved People To Work Out (9.0)
In a classic example of Nathan's ability to manufacture viral content, "The Movement" saw him help a moving company by selling their business as the hot new workout trend. Teaming up with a real bodybuilder -- who falsely claims to have never set foot in a gym -- and a romantic ghostwriter, Nathan even throws together a book tour to promote "The Movement."
As a result, people lined up to essentially perform free labor for the moving company, under the assumption they were merely getting a workout in. The highlight of this episode is surely the bodybuilder attempting to explain his "friendship" with Steve Jobs, and his charity work with "Jungle Children," as well as the ghostwriter improvising a needlessly steamy bit of dialogue during his interview.
9 "Smokers Allowed" Played With The Law (9.1)
"Smokers Allowed" shows off Nathan's willingness -- or eagerness -- to find legal loopholes for his clients to exploit. Recognizing the potential clientele for a bar that allows indoor smoking (currently illegal in the U.S.), Nathan helps put together a "play" that's just a thinly veiled excuse for people to smoke inside.
Of course, to pass a theater piece, Nathan has to garner a sizable audience to watch his play. Hilariously, many of those in attendance genuinely enjoyed watching patrons smoke and drink, creating deeper meaning for themselves beyond what was onstage.
8 "Andy Vs. Uber" Will Make Viewers Laugh, And Maybe Even Cry (9.1)
"Andy Versus Uber" saw the return of Andy, the struggling taxi driver whom Nathan previously helped drum up business by promoting his cab as a place to have a baby. Both of Andy and Nathan are horrified to find out that the ride-share company Uber has curiously begun an identical strategy. Thus, Nathan helps Andy start a conspiracy to take down the mega-corporation.
"Andy Vs. Uber" shows how even in half-improvised schemes, the series could tap into deeper themes. The tragically organic, real-life twist at the end of the episode is too good to spoil, and too heartbreaking to recall.
7 "Gas Station/Caricature Artist" Even Surprised Nathan (9.2)
Half of "Gas Station/Caricature Artist" focuses on a caricature artist struggling to humor his audience. Nathan's suggestion is that he become "The King of Sting," drawing people in outrageously cruel ways. To Nathan's muted surprise, the artist almost immediately takes this in a racist direction.
But the real star of the episode is a gas station failing to compete due to rising oil prices. Nathan helps the owner by devising a rebate that seemingly reduces the price of gas, though ultimately can only be used if the buyer hikes to the top of a mountain. The resulting two-day, riddle-filled camping trip shows Nathan at his most empathetic -- and most devious.
6 "The Anecdote" Has Nathan Create A Story For Jimmy KImmel (9.2)
Insecure about his previous late-night talkshow interviews, and with a Jimmy Kimmel appearance on the horizon, Nathan plans to write the perfect anecdote to share on the show. It had to be funny, shocking, and engaging, but most of all, it had to be real.
Thus, Nathan sets out to make his outlandish story of getting pulled over by the cops with a suit jacket full of white powder a reality, cutting as many corners as he can along the way. This episode was especially rewarding for those who saw his appearance live, only to find out later they'd been tricked as well.
5 In "Souvenir Shop; ELAIFF" Nathan Has To Make A Movie So He Won't Get Sued (9.3)
Though this episode featured two schemes, they were both devised with the purpose of helping a local LA gift shop bring in more customers. The initial plan was to lie to customers that they could be extras in a film starring Johnny Depp, their role being that of "customer." Though the film was fake, the transactions were real.
After a conversation with the late Honorable Judge Anthony Filosa, Nathan discovers he could be liable for a lawsuit if a film is never made. After editing together a rough cut, Nathan throws together the Eastern Los Angeles International Film Festival with the sole goal of crowning his "film" the winner.
4 In "Electronics Store," Nathan Takes On Best Buy (9.3)
Once again facing off against a powerful corporation, Nathan sets out to help a small electronics store compete with international titan Best Buy. The scheme involves financially ruining Best Buy by exploiting their price match guarantee by selling TV's for one dollar.
To make it work, Nathan and the store owners had to do whatever they could to prevent people from actually buying any of the one-dollar TV's, while simultaneously convincing -- and occasionally bribing -- shoppers to request the price match from Best Buy.
3 In "The Hero," Nathan Pretends To Be Someone Else (9.3)
To prove that "there's a hero inside every one of us," Nathan decides he's going to turn an ordinary man into a world-renowned hero. Peculiarly, he does this by impersonating the man for an extended period of time, with the ultimate goal of performing a tight rope stunt as the man for charity.
Nathan goes to impressive lengths to maintain this facade, while constantly putting himself in danger of being caught or discovered. In the end, Nathan was successful and grew a little himself along the way.
2 Nathan Created A Viral News Story With "Dumb Starbucks" (9.4)
Of all Nathan's viral stunts, this was by far the most effective. In order to help a local coffee shop compete with national chain Starbucks, Nathan exploits parody law by creating "Dumb Starbucks," an "art piece" that is a perfect recreation of a Starbucks that just so happens to sell their entire menu -- and everything has the word "dumb" in front of it.
Though they were ultimately shut down by the health department, the stunt gained widespread media attention to the point that people speculated the stunt was performed by Banksy, and earned Nathan his first appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
1 "Finding Frances" Ended The Show With Heart And Humor (9.5)
The series finale of Nathan for You was everything audiences could've hoped for and more. This two-hour documentary finale saw Nathan reconnecting with the Bill Gates impersonator that frequently appeared on the show to help him find his long-lost love, Frances.
Ultimately, the pair are able to track Frances down; the resulting conversation is all at once gutting and resonant. The episode echoes the series' subtly persistent themes of human connection, and it brings Nathan's fictional character arc to a surprisingly ambiguous end. Thankfully for fans, it seems as though The Rehearsal continues right where Nathan for You left off.
HBO's The Rehearsal airs Fridays on HBO and HBO Max.