Netflix had so far been unsuccessful in tapping into the saturated market of political talk shows, hosted by the likes of Samantha Bee, Stephen Colbert and numerous others. Its recent venture, Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj, might just be the one to make it.
Patriot Act is appealing in its fresh approach to this type of programming. Netflix has invested a good chunk of money into this production; the graphics alone provide incredible and engaging visuals which give off a different vibe compared to that of watching a host talk while they sit behind a desk. Minhaj is liberated to interact with both online and live audience, although the constant switching between cameras comes off a little too rehearsed and controlled. But again, this isn’t stand-up comedy – Minhaj wants you to remember what he says because it matters, not just because it’s funny.
Minhaj is definitely a good choice of host – his charisma, timing, and deliverance are expertly executed. In the first episode, Minhaj talks Saudi Arabia and the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. It’s a tricky thing to discuss such a widely-reported event without falling into the trap of repeating everyone else, but Minhaj manages to relay the events and their context without making the viewer feel a sense of déjà vu.
The balance between humour and political critique is maintained in a way so the millennial audience and their short attention spans (this is a myth, by the way) can stick through half an hour of what is mostly current affairs commentary with some funny yet relevant video compilations sprinkled throughout. In fact, Vanity Fair rightly called Minhaj’s Patriot Act “a millennial version of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.” Minus the British accent.
With a political science degree from University of California Davis, Minhaj has more to offer than just being performance-savvy. He is quick on his feet and doesn’t shy away from self-deprecation. In the Affirmative Action episode, Minhaj manages to make an obscure reference to Call Me By Your Name – “a little arthouse joke”, as well as squeeze in an “AP Gov joke”. He doesn’t care to please everyone, but he does it just fine. It’s refreshing to see someone laugh at their own joke because it’s funny, not because they need to show the audience that he’s making one.
In a world where information is everything, Minhaj finds and explores the significance of it and the effect it can incur. He singlehandedly made the US military change their racist referral to black people as “negroes” in their official manual for troops being deployed to Saudi Arabia. Minhaj is also open about his inability to give up Amazon, despite knowing about its monopolisation of multiple markets through predatory pricing and other somehow-legal ways. You feel like you’re learning with him.
The thing with Netflix is that people have an immense amount of choice, but retaining the eyeballs can still prove to be a real challenge. Michele Wolff’s talk show was highly talked about but did not last. Neither did Joel McHale’s attempt at comedic, up-to-date pop culture critique. These shows are (very) far from perfect – but Netflix did not wait for viewers to come around and cancelled both this summer. While it’s still early to say, Patriot Act might actually make it farther than its predecessors ever have.
Cover Photo: hollywoodreporter.com
