dailyloe.com – Zach Galifianakis hosts a new series called ‘This Is a Gardening Show.’ The show features six 15-minute episodes. It is described as part lesson, part lark, and part warning. The series has a deliriously light touch that makes viewers want to garden.
Galifianakis is a longtime gardener who started growing peanuts when he moved to Los Angeles. He manages to locate the sweet spot for curious beginners. He does this by talking to a lot of children. Each episode begins with seemingly impromptu interviews with kids.
This allows Galifianakis to stretch the muscles he worked on ‘Between Two Ferns.’ He is alternately absurd and mocking. In the opening episode, he plays a game of true or false about apple varieties. He asks children: ‘Red delicious? Sausage fingers? Diarrhoea town?’
The children invariably fall in love with him. After that, Galifianakis trails off to meet an expert. This is where the meat of the gardening information happens. He visits a sun-dappled tomato farm and learns about tomato types likely to survive the climate crisis.
He meets a composting expert filled with joy about her job. He goes foraging and asks: ‘Will this devastate my bowels?’ There is also a segment called Bobbing for Turds. Despite the toilet talk, the sheer charm of the show cannot be ignored.
Directed by Brook Linder, the series feels like a funnier, grumpier program. Linder gave last year’s ‘Everybody’s Live With John Mulaney’ a distinctive look. The show feels like perfect television to some reviewers. It makes you want to run outside and plunge your hands into the soil.
