When Netflix approached comedian Tim Dillon about creating a comedy special for election season, he had several options for how to approach it. He could do a run-of-the-mill stand-up special that will be quickly forgotten on Election Day, or he could create an offshoot of “The Daily Show.” Or they could have done something a little more original, putting a modern spin on a classic ’90s pop culture pillar: the daytime talk show.
The Long Island, New York-raised comedian chose the latter format as his guide, doing his best version of youth acting while exploring contemporary culture in a surreal yet very real 47-minute adventure. He may have found his true calling on his latest adventure. Jerry Springer. In front of a studio audience, the talk show-inspired comedy special “This Is Your Country” delves into unscripted topics ranging from immigration to OnlyFans to the end of NFT trading. Dillon’s selection of real-life, everyday people and a lively crowd as guests make for the timely trash television America needs right before the November election. Dillon recently spoke to the Times about how the feature came about, his commitment to finding the most down-to-earth people to sit in the hot seat, and what their stories tell us about America. I talked about Iruka. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Of all the formats you can use to create a comedy special, what makes a ’90s daytime talk show the best?
The conversation with Netflix was never about making a comedy special. The conversation was, “What do you want?” Netflix wanted something unique from me that wasn’t in the script. Initially, they were buying political stuff and I wasn’t really interested in that. I wanted to bring back 90’s trash TV. That’s what we did. I don’t know if I would have called it a comedy special because it’s a ’90s trash TV talk show. I mean, I guess that’s what Netflix calls it. Because I don’t think they have a term for it, but it is what it is.
The trash TV talk show perspective definitely resonates with many of us who grew up watching them all.
Yes, I want to bring it back. That ends up being a better American satire than a political feature or something like that, or something with a convention, or some sort of “Daily Show” rip-off. I think it ended up being a really good American satire. Because they’re all real people who came to talk about real cultural topics, there’s no script, and you basically don’t know where it’s going to go. go. For me, what makes it fun is not knowing what’s actually going to happen.
It seems like it also worked as a real talk show in that you went and found real people with real stories and drama going on, right?
yes, and [we] brought them. We shot a lot of segments, but we only used five because we thought they were the most interesting, funny, and best. That’s the problem. What I love about the format we chose is that you never know what’s going to happen.
The couple and mother in the middle discuss their son’s secret career massaging his BBL on OnlyFans.
(Greg Gain/Netflix)
What are your first memories of watching talk shows growing up?
I remember my mother yelling at my father. Because my dad saw this as trash, as she called it. She said, “Stop looking at this trash. Your son is getting off the school bus and coming into the house.” And my dad said OK, but I was going to turn it on anyway. I remember just growing up watching the tabloids, the trash, the fun and crazy circuses on daytime TV. Sure, there are a lot of reality shows out there now, but daytime TV in the ’90s was really freeing. It was the beginning of Fringe in a very real sense. It was the beginning of a lot of what we see today on TikTok, YouTube, and more.
Talk show hosts also have questioning skills that allow guests to open up in front of the audience. How does that relate to what you do when you’re doing crowd work as a comedian or working on material that draws a crowd?
The hard thing about doing something like this, especially for someone like me who does a solo podcast and is used to random monologues, is that there are very few guests. This project was aimed at learning how to be a good interviewer. It’s about learning to work with a crowd, and I know how to stand up and do that, but integrating all those different elements into it so that it feels like it should flow. I am learning. And the crowd needs to be into it. The people on stage have to be into it. Naturally, I hope that people watching it will be interested in it. So you want to make sure that not only are you having fun indoors, but that’s reflected when it airs on Netflix.
So it helps when you have a couple like the guy who starts the show, the guy who does the OnlyFans content who gives the massage. [women with Brazilian Butt Lifts] His girlfriend, on the other hand, knows nothing. I think it’s natural for some people to be shocked that a guest on your show actually lives that way.
I’m confused because everyone keeps asking if this is a real person. I’m curious if anyone has moved out in the last few years. In other words, you must be feeling the wonderful scenery of this country. But for me, that’s not the most shocking thing ever. Because it’s work. He makes a living massaging BBLs. That’s his job. He was a really nice guy who had a problem with his chick and wanted to tell her a few things. The funny thing is, people watching it think, “Wait, are these real people?” And I said, “Oh, these are all real people.” It’s the United States.
Tim Dillon speaks to viewers in his comedy talk show special “This Is Your Country,” which premiered on Netflix Tuesday.
(Greg Gain/Netflix)
They brought politics into the show by having different people in the audience wear either [Kamala] Harris T-shirt or MAGA hat. What was the thought process behind it in terms of giving it a political tinge?
We wanted to represent America in the best way possible. We thought we would encourage the audience to wear political shirts and sign signs. [would help] Because I wanted to create something that was very American, like what kind of situation this country is in right now. I don’t want to say that the topics we’ve chosen are all uniquely American, but they’re definitely American topics that people are interested in right now.
It reminded me of a typical comedy show audience, where the political opinions of the audience tend to be mixed, but they don’t necessarily wear political attire to advertise who they’re voting for. Not.
Performing comedy in a club means bringing together people of all races, political affiliations, ages, and genders. Comedy clubs will attract a variety of people who might not be in theaters. Because all the fans might come. But Comedy Club brings all kinds of people together for Hollywood Improv on Wednesday nights, when you can actually try out material and see how people react.
What’s one thing you want Millennials, Gen Z, or younger people to take away from this talk show?
Well, first of all, I want to entertain them. That’s the first thing I want you to understand in everything I do. the second thing I want [them] What you get from it is that there are millions of different ways to learn about the world, and many of them are really fun. I think this show is very funny and silly and ridiculous, but when you zoom out you can actually draw some real conclusions about the world we live in. And I was still happy with the ending. But everything we talk about on the show is a real issue in our world. From OnlyFans to NFTs to immigration, everyone on the show has experienced one of these issues. It’s silly and funny and ridiculous, but it actually ends up painting a picture of America that I think is pretty informed.