Eight Years On, Sacha Baron Cohen’s Mockumentary Stunt Comedy Still Works — Mostly

Sacha Baron Cohen returns to the mockumentary format in Who Is America?, a satirical series that sends him around the country to interview real people about themselves and the world around them. The premise is simple: Baron Cohen dresses up as a variety of characters and lets the subjects talk, often revealing more about themselves than they intended. The result is a show that is sharp, occasionally uncomfortable, and uneven across its seven episodes.

Trailer, via SHOWTIME.

The Characters and Their Episodes

Baron Cohen plays a range of figures, from a far-right conspiracy theorist named Billy Wayne Ruddick Jr. to a liberal lecturer on gender studies at Reed College. That lecturer is also a co-principal at Wildfields Poly-Ed and a Democratic activist who wishes to “heal the divide” in America between conservatives and liberals. She has a partner named Naomi, a son named Harvey Milk, and a daughter named Malala.

There is also Rick Sherman, a recently released British ex-convict who creates art, music, and food from prison materials, and Erran Morad, an Israeli anti-terrorism expert who demonstrates the use of unconventional tactics and technology in the fight against terrorists, immigrants, and pedophiles. Morad is a member of the Israeli military and a former agent of Mossad, though he often insists that he is “not in the Mossad.” He pitched a program called “Kinderguardians,” where children ages 3 to 16 are armed with guns embedded inside toy animals called “Gunimals.” His military rank changes with each episode, and he worked in the army as a seducer for at least three years.

Each character is designed to push a button, whether it is racism, elitism, or anti-immigrant sentiment.

What Works and What Does Not

The strength of Who Is America? is its willingness to let the subjects talk at length. Baron Cohen’s characters are often absurd, but the interviews are long enough that the absurdity becomes a kind of documentary realism. The show is at its sharpest when it is quiet and observational, letting the subject’s own logic take over.

Where the show stumbles is in its handling of tone. Some episodes lean heavily on shock value, with jokes about pedophilia and terrorism that feel less like satire and more like provocation for its own sake. The show’s willingness to offend is not always matched by the quality of the joke underneath.

A Mixed Bag With a Point

Who Is America? is a mixed bag, but it is a pointed one. Baron Cohen is trying to say something about the people who live in America, and he does so by dressing up and asking questions. The show is not subtle, and it is not always funny, but it is rarely boring.

The series is available on Showtime, with all seven episodes running in a tight half-hour format. It is a quick watch, but it lingers.

Key Facts

• Creator: Sacha Baron Cohen
• Network: Showtime
• Season: 1, 7 episodes
• First aired: July 15, 2018
• Last aired: August 26, 2018
• Score: 5.9/10

mockumentary · Sacha Baron Cohen · satire · Showtime · TV Review