Season 1 – Jerrod Carmichael: Reality Show

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2:04

Mar 2024

Documentary

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

95%

Tomatometer

22 Reviews

60%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

A darkly funny documentary series about Jerrod's tumultuous quest for love, sex and truth.

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Critics Consensus

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.

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Carrie Battan

The New Yorker

05/20/2024

Through an uncanny hybrid of access journalism and fourth-wall breaking, the comedian created an HBO series that was impossible to look away from.

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Hannah Giorgis

The Atlantic

05/07/2024

Publicly admitting one’s flaws isn’t inherently virtuous, and more often than not, Carmichael’s eagerness to divulge the unpalatable details of his life ends up turning the act of seeking forgiveness into voyeuristic spectacle.

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Robert Moran

Sydney Morning Herald

04/11/2024

As far as reality television goes, it's rarely as moving as this.

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Andy Dehnart

Reality Blurred

12/17/2024

No reality TV show I’ve ever seen has so directly and openly addressed and grappled with what it is to be gay, especially not to deal with the trauma and pain that comes from implicit or explicit rejection.

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Dustin Rowles

Pajiba

04/26/2024

It’s tense, awkward, and often uncomfortable, but it is compelling television. But it comes at a cost, and that cost seems to be the humiliation of his boyfriend, his friends, and now even his family.

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Murjani Rawls

Substream Magazine

04/11/2024

The standup segments almost serve as a coat of armor Carmichael uses like a knock-knock joke that breaks up a very awkward situation. Only this time, Carmichael sees himself as the conduit of what it means to be a person in progress.

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Gaby P

@RT70754155 05/29/2025

What a fantastic show that delves into dysfunctional family dynamics and how confronting the past, with strength, humility and honesty, can pave the way to acceptance and forgiveness. A must watch for anyone who needs to look back, in order to move forward.

Elisandro G

@RT73589514 07/16/2024

The show makes you laugh, makes you cry and makes you reflect on your own life. This show isn’t just about a comedian who has recently come out of the closet, but it’s about friendship, family and traumas. From his relationship with his father and mother to his relationship with with his boyfriend, each one reflects a different side of him reminding us that we too have layers to our own self which have been impacted by the people in our lives

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Eli B. Despres

Creator

Jerrod Carmichael

Creator

Ari Katcher

Creator

Jerrod Carmichael

Self

Jerrod Carmichael

Executive Producer

Eli B. Despres

Executive Producer

Episode 1

Aired Mar 29, 2024

Emmys

As his experiment in radical honesty begins, Jerrod confronts his crush, avoids his mother and scrambles to find a date to the Emmys.

Details

Episode 2

Aired Apr 5, 2024

Mike

As Jerrod falls in love with his new boyfriend, he learns he has a problem with fidelity.

Details

Episode 3

Aired Apr 12, 2024

Friendship

When his childhood best friend, Jessica, moves in to try to make it in New York City, Jerrod struggles to make up for years of being a terrible friend.

Details

Episode 4

Aired Apr 19, 2024

Road Trip

Jerrod makes an awkward but heartfelt attempt to make amends with his father by fitting all the tough talks into a four-day road trip.

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Episode 5

Aired Apr 26, 2024

Jamar

Jerrod pushes his friend Jamar Neighbors to confront his childhood traumas onstage.

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Episode 6

Aired May 3, 2024

Homecoming

Jerrod brings his boyfriend Mike home to meet his Christian mother.

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Episode 7

Aired May 10, 2024

Opening

After opening his relationship with Mike, Jerrod struggles with jealousy and the rules of non-monogamy.

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Episode 8

Aired May 17, 2024

Cynthia

When his mother comes to visit, the echoes of childhood haunt Jerrod. He feels torn between the impulse to reconcile or confront her.

Details

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Jerrod Carmichael: Reality Show: Season 1 Trailer

2:04

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Director: Ari Katcher
Creator: Eli B. Despres, Jerrod Carmichael, Ari Katcher
Executive Producer: Jerrod Carmichael, Eli B. Despres, Susie Fox, Ari Katcher, Josh Kriegman, Elyse Steinberg
Network: HBO
Rating: TV-MA
Genre: Documentary, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date: Mar 29, 2024

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Season 1 – Jerrod Carmichael: Reality Show

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