Hey, y’all! McEric here with some news from Netflix, arguably the number one streaming giant in the game after essentially starting it all in 2007 (sorry, DC Universe). It seems that the second season of “American Vandal”, by Funny or Die alums Tony Yacenda, Dan Perrault, and Dan Lagana, was just too shitty. Literally.
Here’s the trailer for season one:
The first season of the show was fresh and original, becoming a binge-worthy addition to the platform last September and earning an Emmy Nomination and Peabody Award. It capitalized on the true-crime sensation, spurred on by titles like “Making a Murderer” and “The Keepers”, subverting the expectation with ludicrous “crimes” framed under genuine reporters’ interest. Even the titles of the episodes kept the commentary satirical, chronicling a rash of phallic graffiti at a high school, from “Hard Facts” to “Clean Up”. Season 1 scored high in almost every metric available, from Rotten Tomatoes to Google Reviews (as well as the Emmy nom) so a second season seemed inevitable.
And here’s what we got:
So, here’s the thing: poop IS funny. That’s true. Scataoligcal humor is so prevalent that we have a name for it. But it’s only funny in moderation. A three-minute segment in an AUSTIN POWERS film is sufficient. The “Sick Stick” segment from KICK-ASS 2 was honestly a little long. A whole season of poop? That’s just too much shit.
CBS TV Studios, which produced the series for Netflix distribution, is reportedly speaking with other buyers for the show, but it’s safe to say that the next season needs to be careful to tow the line between subversive innovation and gross irreverence. The impulse to overcorrect would need to be avoided, while finding a topic less alienating presents a tremendous challenge. I don’t envy the creators and showrunners should they push forward for a third season but I’m genuinely interestested to see what they come up with if they do.
What would you do if you were creating the third season of “American Vandal”? And do you think the second season is getting the short end of the shit? I mean, stick? Sound off below.
Until next time, I’ll see you at the movies! (Because, no; you can’t have my Netflix login.)
-McEric-
