Where to find it: BBC iPlayer
Length: Twelve 30-minute episodes so far
Synopsis: One man’s view of New York City
Recommendation rating: 5/5
What I like about it: it’s hilarious, it’s the most neurodivergent show on TV, it makes more points in an episode than most series put together, it’s a realistic view of a city I couldn’t bear to live in
What I don’t like about it: some of the footage is uncomfortable to watch, it can be a bit formulaic after a dozen episodes
Review:
John Wilson is an anxious New Yorker who never leaves home without his camera. He has assembled this collection of footage into half-hour episodes of meditation on the city and modern life. At the start of each episode, Wilson introduces a theme and “How to…” title for the episode but it soon meanders as he gets into mischief and social adventures, interviewing weird and wonderful humans and giving us tantalising, if comedically ‘played up’, views into his personal life. His choice of footage is always wonderful and played for laughs, a favourite trick is to juxtapose what he’s saying and what he’s showing until they converge on a double meaning. Many things about the show make it feel of special interest to autistic people – there are constant attempts to explain social rules which are soon shown to be inadequate when met with human behaviour, some interactions are engineered to be extra awkward and capture (primarily) neurotypical responses, John’s obsessive documenting and editing and his adorable, (extra)ordinary life. Watch it if you can!
Content notes (may contain spoilers): real-life footage of roadkill, car accidents etc., nudity and pornography