Tim Dillon's new Netflix show, This Is Your Country, has viewers wondering if the new streaming program is a real, legitimate program and whether elements of it are fake.
Dillon is a longtime comedian and actor who recently returned to the spotlight a couple of years after his first-ever Netflix standup special, 2022's Tim Dillon: A Real Hero, was released.
His latest venture is a second standup effort in This Is Your Country, which debuted on the streamer on October 1. The show gives viewers a taste of the political landscape in America ahead of the 2024 Presidential Election through supposedly real guests sharing their unique life experiences
Is Tim Dillon's This Is Your Country Real or Fake?
Based on the nature of the material seen in Tim Dillon's new comedy special, This Is Your Country, viewers have questions about whether the guest speakers, audience, and stories are real or fake.
According to Dillon, nothing about the program is faked. Additionally, the show starts with the following message ahead of the title card:
"This is an unscripted program. These are real people. Tragically, this is your country."
Speaking with the Los Angeles Times, Dillon divulged that he and Netflix discussed delivering something that was "a unique, unscripted thing." He had the idea of "[bringing] back '90s trash TV" in the vein of The Jerry Springer Show, even admitting that the final product is not something he would call a comedy special:
"The conversation with Netflix was never like to do a comedy special. The conversation was 'What do you want to do?' Netflix wanted something from me that was a unique, unscripted thing. Initially, they bought something political and I wasn’t really into that, and I wanted to bring back ‘90s trash TV, which is what we did, and it’s a '90s trash TV talk show, so I don’t know if I would call it a comedy special. I mean, they’re gonna call it that on Netflix because I don’t think they have a term for it, but that’s kind of what it is."
Dillon further explained how the show winds up being "a better satire of America than a political special," describing the guests as "real people that have come to talk about things that are real cultural themes" without a script:
"Right, so we want to bring it back. It ends up being a better satire of America than a political special or anything like that, doing something at a convention or doing some kind of 'Daily Show' rip-off. I think it ends up being really good satire of America, because they’re all real people that have come to talk about things that are real cultural themes and there’s no script, and we just basically don’t know where any of it’s going to go. To me, that’s what makes it fun, is not really knowing what’s going to happen."
This Is Your Country also had the vibe of a talk show, according to Dillon. He recalled shooting numerous segments and only using five of them that he and Netflix thought "were the most interesting and the funniest and the best:"
"Yeah, and [we] brought them on. We shot a bunch of segments and we only used five because we thought they were the most interesting and the funniest and the best. That’s the thing — not knowing what’s going to happen is what I like about the format that we chose."
The idea that this show's audience and guests could be fake is one that did not come into Dillon's head.
He asked "if anyone has been outside in the last few years" when discussing guests like an OnlyFans creator who "massages BBLs (Brazillian Butt Lifts) for a living." The comedy of it all comes from the audience who wonders whether there are really people out there like this as all of the guests on the show are real:
"I’m confused because everyone keeps asking if these are real people. I'm wondering if anyone has been outside in the last few years. I mean, what a lovely view of the country then all of you must have. But to me, it’s the least shocking thing ever because that’s a job — he massages BBLs for a living. That’s his gig. He was a really nice guy, and he had an issue with his chick, and he wanted to tell her some things. Then it is funny because people watching go, 'Wow, are these real people?' And I go, 'Yeah, that’s all real people.' It’s the United States."
With programs like this and The Jerry Springer Show, from which This Is Our Country took some inspiration, there will naturally be doubters concerning its authenticity. It also falls in line similarly with reality TV after many shows in that sphere have had a few scripted elements revealed over the years.
However, considering Tim Dillon's profession as a comedian, he seemed to simply want to bring something authentic to the screen during a challenging time in America.
Particularly with the expected turmoil from the election, Dillon also hoped to shed light on the state of affairs in this country and find a way to give people something to laugh at through the stress.
This Is Your Country is now streaming on Netflix.
