The 'Nathan for You' Hall of Fame

The internet was blessed today with the trailer for HBO's new TV show How To with John Wilson, which you can watch in the margin if it so pleases you. The show looks incredibly weird and hilarious.

The news was especially noteworthy for comedy fans because it's executive producer is the unbelievable Nathan Fielder. If you don't know who Fielder is, or have never seen his TV show Nathan For You, you're a dope. I really don't like to be hyperbolic (OK, I do) but I say the following with every ounce of sincerity I can muster: Nathan for You is easily a Top 3 funniest show of the last twenty years, and Fielder is one of the most impressive comedic geniuses I have ever seen. I only say Top 3 because of how much respect I have for the likes of Curb, South Park, and Always Sunny...but really, Nathan's brand of comedy is so off the wall and different, it shouldn't even be included in a category with those others.

Anyway, the show is to be experienced, not described, but I'll quickly try before moving into the meat of the blog. Nathan For You is a real-life documentary style show, which follows Nathan as he attempts to "save" real businesses in the LA area who are struggling using his "business expertise". The rub is that his methods are some combination of completely insane, elaborate, unethical, and even mayyyyybe illegal. Nonetheless, the plans occasionally work, or if nothing else, provide publicity for the business. Nathan goes to immeasurable lengths to see his ideas through, all the while testing the limits of his client's patience and politeness while poking fun at his own nerdy, awkward disposition. Everyone is the butt of the joke, Nathan first and foremost.

The show only lasted four seasons. I have no idea why, but if you've seen the show, you can probably speculate on any number of reasons.

One of the best parts of the show is the incredible real-life characters Nathan meets along the way. In honor of Nathan's new show, we're going to reminisce on the Top 10. Onward:

10. Alen (S3E1 - Electronics Store): Probably the most kind-hearted human in all four seasons. Nathan helps Alen by organizing a price-fixing scheme to compete with Best Buy involving $1 TVs, an alligator, and a store dress code. Just take my word for it.

Alen is incredibly receptive to all of Nathan's suggestions, and even opens up about some of his romance woes in between business talk. By the end of the episode, Nathan is able to fix-up Alen with a single woman he met from earlier in the episode, who he actually seems smitten with. We need more Alen's in this world.

9. Robert Holmes, dba, Michael Richards (S4E1 - The Richards Tip): The king of taking one for the team. Nathan attempts to gain notoriety for a struggling restaurant by faking a massive celebrity tip in hopes it will go viral. They go with Michael Richards, and find an impersonator to complete the deed. There's only one problem - they need to pay with a credit card which has the name "Michael Richards" to avoid suspicion. Enter Robert, who after an intense negotiation from the original offer of $1,000 all the way up to $1,001, agrees to legally change his name and obtain a credit card for the scheme. Seriously, this guy is walking around with the name "Michael Richards" right now.

8. Rachel S1E8 and S1E5: You have no choice but to respect Rachel's commitment to being on TV no matter the situation. Nathan originally met her early in Season 1 when he orchestrated a fake dating show in order to help himself get over his fear of women. Later, when Nathan's kind-hearted but shy producer Solomon was having girl troubles, she agreed to go on a date with him to Quiznos. Despite the fact that she didn't seem particularly interested in her sandwich, Solomon, or saying anything of substance, she got her 15 minutes of fame. Don't hate the player, hate the game.

7. Daniel (S1E4 - Gas Station): Nathan convinces Daniel to advertise a rebate sale for $1/gallon gas (at the time it was $4). The catch? Standing in the way of the rebate drop-off box was a hours-long hike up a huge California mountain, an overnight stay, and a never-ending set of riddles. Really, I could include the entire cast of characters who actually went on the camping trip to save like $12 worth of gasoline with Nathan here. But the episode was stolen by Daniel at the end, who freely admitted to drinking his grandson's pee. I wish I was making this up.

6. Jonathan (S2E7: Hot Dog Stand): Nathan convinces a busy hot dog stand who's customers are always complaining about wait times to allow "cutting". Poor Jonathan here decides to take advantage of the policy and makes up an excuse regarding a doctors appointment (one of the allowable excuses to cut). Nathan follows him to a movie theater, confirming he fibbed. He then lures Jonathan out to sea by telling him he was the 10 Millionth customer, and vaguely threatens him. Jonathan mostly takes it in stride, but you have to respect the gall he displays in accepting all of the fanfare despite having completely lied to get there. He is fucking hilarious.

5. Jack Garbarino (S3E3): Nathan decides to help a moving company cut costs by acquiring free labor. How? Convince people that moving is the hottest new fitness trend. But...they'll need a spokesperson. Enter Jack Garbarino, perhaps the series' most shameless villain. Jack is a bodybuilder who agrees to let Nathan ghost-write a fake book for him (seriously, it's available on Amazon) detailing how he obtained his incredible physique by simply moving boxes and never going to the gym. The plan works almost too well, and Jack actually hits the local daytime TV talk-show circuit, lying through his teeth every step of the way. He nearly sabotages the plan by going to his public gym, but he and Nathan compromise by agreeing that Jack can do so only if he wears the disguise pictured above. Incredible.

4. Andy the Taxi Driver (S1E8 and S4E3): Another shameless bad guy in the NFY catalog, Andy was a recurring guest with nearly two seasons in between appearances. First, he agrees to a scheme involving someone giving birth in his taxi to generate publicity. Somehow, Nathan finds a couple who *might* be willing to do it, but Andy quickly sabotages it by being really creepy and overbearing. Later in Season 4, Andy goes along with Nathan's plan to destroy Uber via a sleeper cell operation. Eventually, Andy secretly decides to just become an Uber driver himself, thus rendering all of Nathan's work moot. This guy blows my mind.

3. The Honorable Judge Anthony Filosa (multiple episodes): As you might be able to surmise by now, Nathan often finds himself on the razor's edge of some serious lawsuits. Luckily for him, his friend Anthony Filosa (a former Judge in the state of California) is always there to provide some legal guidance on how Nathan can technically escape prosecution. The only thing more incredible than his toupee is the advice he gives Nathan just before "The Claw" episode, which involves Nathan performing a Houdini-esque escape before he is exposed to a group of 2nd graders. Just say "Something might happen here and if it does - so what?" RIP, Judge Filosa.

2. Brian Wolfe (multiple episodes): Oh boy, where to start with this beauty? Brian is a private investigator, and he and Nathan originally met when Nathan was trying to help him improve his Yelp reviews. Always the honest man, Nathan couldn't give a glowing review in good conscience unless he saw him in action. Nathan hires like 10 lookalikes to try to confuse Brian (which works), yet Brian refuses to admit he'd been tricked. They end up going to get a beer together, and their relationship delves into madness from there. After Brian rips into Nathan for being a nerd, he tries to win him over by adjusting his wardrobe and attitude (doesn't work). Along the way, Nathan somehow gets Brian to reveal that he used to be a porn star. They end up great friends.

.....You already know #1. William Heath, dba Bill Gates (multiple episodes): I don't even know where to start. Honestly, this one was a little bit of a dilemma for me. You see, I'm not a very good person whatsoever. But every so often my heart pulls a Grinch and grows three sizes under the right circumstances. By the end of William Heath's saga, I found myself wondering whether or not his use on the show bordered on cruel. I mean, the guy didn't necessarily do himself any favors. Originally showing up in early seasons as a party favor for his Bill Gates impersonation, he and Nathan eventually developed an odd friendship. William would constantly call the show's office and check-in with Nathan, asking if he would help use his "resources" to help track down the estranged love of his life. The series' final episode in the 4th season is a full hour, and centers around Nathan literally travelling cross-country with William in hopes of finding his beloved Frances. It turns out William is incredibly creepy, and may have been fudging the details of he and Frances' romance just a tad. Once they track down and find out Frances is married, he actually expresses a desire to break up her marriage (this woman is in her 70s). Thankfully, Nathan talks him off the ledge and everything ends somewhat amicably. Still, the lengths the show went to on his story arc were at times stunning. Nonetheless, Bill Heath is a first-ballot NFY Hall-of-Famer, and we'll always remember him.

So that's it. Honorable mention to The Ghost Realtor and Santa Claus pictured below. You can't fit everyone. Just go watch the show on Hulu.