| Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Ari Katcher |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producer | Maya Seidler |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | HBO |
| Release | March 29 (2024-03-29) – May 17, 2024 (2024-05-17) |
Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show is an Americandocumentary series directed by Ari Katcher. It follows comedianJerrod Carmichael as he interacts with family, friends, and strangers in his quest for love, sex, and connection. It had its world premiere atSouth by Southwest on March 10, 2024,[1][2] and premiered onHBO 19 days later.[3]
| No. | Title | Directed by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Emmys" | Ari Katcher | March 29, 2024 (2024-03-29) | |
Jerrod's experiment in radical honesty begins. He confronts a friend to whom he has recently confessed romantic feelings, avoids his religious mother who struggles with his homosexuality, and scrambles to find a date for theEmmys. His crush is revealed to be rapperTyler, the Creator. He invites Tyler to be his date for the Emmys, but is rejected before having a conversation with Tyler about their friendship. He ends up bringing a different friend, a balaclava-wearing man with a distorted voice referred to as Anonymous,[a] to the Emmys. He microdosesmushrooms on the way to the Emmys, where he winsOutstanding Writing for a Variety Special for his comedy specialRothaniel, and becomes sick on the way home. | ||||
| 2 | "Mike" | Ari Katcher | April 5, 2024 (2024-04-05) | |
Jerrod introduces his boyfriend Mike, a writer who is working towards his master's degree at theUniversity of Iowa while spending weekends with Jerrod inNew York City. On one of the weekdays when Mike is back in Iowa, Jerrod calls aGrindr hook-up. His friend and fellow comedianJamar Neighbors sees this, and both Jerrod and Jamar mention it in their respective stand-up comedy routines. Jerrod reads up onsex addiction and starts going to a therapist when some of it resonates with him. Mike attends one of these therapy sessions after learning about the recent hook-up, and they have a discussion about monogamy; when Michael leaves town again, Jerrod goes back to Grindr. | ||||
| 3 | "Friendship" | Ari Katcher | April 12, 2024 (2024-04-12) | |
| 4 | "Road Trip" | Ari Katcher | April 19, 2024 (2024-04-19) | |
| 5 | "Jamar" | Ari Katcher | April 26, 2024 (2024-04-26) | |
| 6 | "Homecoming" | Ari Katcher | May 3, 2024 (2024-05-03) | |
| 7 | "Opening" | Ari Katcher | May 10, 2024 (2024-05-10) | |
| 8 | "Cynthia" | Ari Katcher | May 17, 2024 (2024-05-17) | |
In February 2023, it was announcedHBO had ordered a documentary series revolving aroundJerrod Carmichael, with Ari Katcher set to direct.[5]
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 95% of 22 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads: "Following comedian Jerrod Carmichael with an almost painful sense of intimacy,Reality Show feels more sculpted by authorial intent than spontaneity but achieves the same ends of laying its subject bare."[6] OnMetacritic, the series holds a weighted average score of 83 out of 100, based on 14 critics.[7]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Gotham TV Awards | Breakthrough Nonfiction Series | Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show | Won | [8] |
| Television Critics Association Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Reality Programming | Nominated | [9] |