A Review of ‘The Joe Schmo Show’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Still from ‘The Joe Schmo Show’ Courtesy of TBS.

It is definitely safe to say that so many people are immersing themselves within fiction like never before, and it does make sense as to why. After all, stories are truly everywhere right now in every format that exists for them and that allows for folks to dive in and enjoy one on a whim and get lost within their wonder. Not to mention, the world is a rough place as well, and the fear we all harbor regarding war and what out of touch governments are going to accomplish by lunch… prompts us to just throw on a comfort show or bury ourselves in a book.
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None of which is harmful mind you, but this has caught the eye of so many, to the point where there are even television shows now blurring the line between reality and storytelling, to see what true immersion looks like, and it has raised some questions. Such as whether or not this is all healthy and if it is possible to truly immerse ourselves in fantasy through and through for extended periods of time, and well, that second question is top of mind today simply because a new show on TBS is keen to explore that, and that makes The Joe Schmo Show quite the interesting television experiment. For this re-imagining of the original series takes such thinking to a whole new level, courtesy of its premise.

For this series introduces us to Ben, an everyday electrician who believes he has been selected to take part in a new reality television show, wherein he could win $100,000, and he is eager to give it a try.
Which plunges him into the heart of what appears to be the American version of a foreign reality show that he is not familiar with, but other contestants are, and now Ben will go through familiar moments and tough fights to win that money and be the show’s champion. But there is a twist in all of this. In that, nothing about this show is real in the slightest. In fact, The Goat USA is nothing more than a chance to see if an everyday man can be immersed in fiction for an extended period of time, and all of the major players are actors tasked with taking Ben on a scripted experience, and therein lie the challenge.

Because in order to sell that premise and complete the exploration, there can be no mistakes. Everything must feel authentic, and we learn in the series premiere, that is not an easy task. For one over the top moment could raise questions and shatter the façade, as could a simple slip up in the stories crafted by the actors playing Ben’s ‘competition’. But while the answer to that question isn’t brought forth in the first episode of the show, it’s clear that this season will indeed explore it in a fascinating manner and truly give us plenty to think about when it comes to our relationship with storytelling, and yet… it still has more to offer us than that exploration.

For this is a series that also serves as a bit of a sendup of reality television, courtesy of satire regarding how these shows are assembled, and the contestants that often appear in shows in this vein. Which gives us plenty to ponder upon when it comes to our expectations of reality television. But while that does make for a meta and intelligent take on storytelling and one of the biggest genres of television out there, there is still a lot of fun to be had watching this show. Since Ben is indeed a gentle guy that wants to do well, and the wild things the production team put him through are fascinating and downright hilarious now and again, and you are quickly invested in his journey. All of which makes for a fun and entertaining, and downright thoughtful series. One that is filled with surprises despite being designed to offer otherwise, and where you truly are captivated by an interesting take on an interesting question.

‘The Jo Schmo Show’ airs Tuesdays on TBS at 9:00PM ET/PT.   

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