I just finished the first season of this masterpiece and it has got to be the best new comedy show I've seen in years.
For the uninitiated, Nirvanna (sic) The Band The Show is a pseudo-mockumentary series starring Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol (playing extremely exaggerated versions of themselves) as they traipse around Toronto attempting to land a show for their titular band at the The Rivoli music club.
I don't want to risk giving away what makes this show so magical, but its weird blend of scripted segments, reactive improvisation and over-the-top publicity stunts is akin to shows like Nathan For You (another series that's very near and dear to my heart) in more ways than one, and the manner in which jokes they've been setting up for MULTIPLE EPISODES manage to pay off is really something special.
As a Toronto native I get a huge kick out of its use of local iconography for many of its setpieces, and the familiar setting only further adds to the show's absurdity (their quest to play at The Rivoli is presented as some arduous journey when like, I've had friends who easily landed gigs there with their no-name groups before). That's not to say that you can't enjoy the show if you're not familiar with the city, but it definitely adds to the appeal.
I feel like this show's marketing did a really poor job of selling it, which may explain why it's still relatively unknown despite being heavily promoted by Viceland earlier this year. It's only eight 30-minute episodes and they're all on iTunes, so please check it out if you have even a passing interest in it.
Oh, and the show's got some killer deep-cut pop culture humour too, if that floats your boat.
