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Season 1 – The Rehearsal

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1:42

Jul 2022

Comedy

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Popcornmeter

95%

Tomatometer

59 Reviews

85%

Popcornmeter

250+ Ratings

Nathan Fielder returns to television to explore the lengths one person will go to reduce the uncertainties of everyday life. Fielder stars as the director of rehearsals, which are elaborately staged scenarios re-creating parts of ordinary people's lives that are meant to help them prepare for a big moment in their lives. A construction crew, a legion of actors and seemingly unlimited resources all come together to allow ordinary people to rehearse for these moments by giving them the opportunity to play them out in carefully crafted simulations of Fielder's own design.

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Critics Consensus

The Rehearsal gives Nathan Fielder carte blanche to take his absurdist comedy to the limit, which he pushes even further past with deadpan aplomb in what might be his most uncomfortably funny feat yet.

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Andrew Male

The Times (UK)

Jan 31, 2023

Weird and brilliant, this is reality TV as performance art.

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Dan Einav

Financial Times

Aug 22, 2022

5/5

... A searching and revealing look at human behaviour.

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Sam Adams

Slate

Aug 15, 2022

The ethical queasiness that comes from not being to figure out what Nathan is up to isn’t a byproduct of the show—it’s the heart.

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Patrick Marlborough

The Saturday Paper

Sep 17, 2026

"Emotions are a funny thing," Fielder says towards the end of the series, as the artificiality of his experiments starts to weigh on him. "They’re not easy to engineer. After all, there’s only so much you can do to deceive yourself."

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Ally Ham

The Review Geek

Jul 20, 2024

10/10

You’ll be hard-pressed to find a more hilarious show with as many creative and poignant reflections.

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Tamma Moksha

The Hindu

Jun 11, 2024

[An] intrepid meditation on human consciousness.

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Tom W

@RT31731287 1 day ago

Nathan Fielder is my hero.

Adil H

@AdilPickle4 Oct 11, 2026

While this show isn't as funny as Nathan For You, it clearly has higher aspirations. It was so bizarre to experience all these rehearsals and rehearsals within rehearsals. Made you feel like you were watching Inception only with acting. The show definitely had its funny moments.. but brutal moments as well. Watching the young boy in the finale try to come to terms with the fact that Nathan wasn't his real father was difficult to watch. I shed a few tears... it was really powerful stuff. I loved the variety of different actors that they were able to hire to play the various roles within the show. There were a lot of very eccentric characters which helped to keep the scenes interesting. Overall, this was a very unique show that I don't think entirely fits in any one particular category. I recommend it!

Chris M.

@CriMcD Oct 3, 2026

My New Favorite Show! It is incredible watching him weave this world & build up these peoples emotions until they boil over. It's like watching Borat but a way more intelligent version.

Lars N

@movie_douche Sep 16, 2026

Few things feel like a privilege to watch. This was one such rare occasion. Never saw anything like it. Comedy, documentary, fiction, dream. At once inspiring and incredibly awkward.

Jack C.

@jackcooper333 Mar 21, 2026

I the think its very creative and innovative I love it

aditya k

@AdiKh Feb 19, 2026

I was very unsettled watching it, but I couldn't stop watching it. It's experimental to the degree you don't know what's real

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Nathan Fielder

Director

Nathan Fielder

Creator

Nathan Fielder

Self

Anna Lamadrid

Actor

Isaac Lamb

Actor

Gigi Burgdorf

Fake Tricia

Episode 1

Aired Jul 15, 2022

Orange Juice, No Pulp

Nathan Fielder helps a Brooklyn-based trivia aficionado come clean to his teammate about a long-held lie.

Details

Episode 2

Aired Jul 22, 2022

Scion

Nathan allows an Oregon woman to prepare for motherhood by simulating the experience of raising a child from zero to eighteen.

Details

Episode 3

Aired Jul 29, 2022

Gold Digger

While Angela continues to raise her son, Nathan goes to new lengths to help a man prepare for a difficult conversation.

Details

Episode 4

Aired Aug 5, 2022

The Fielder Method

Nathan travels to Los Angeles to train actors for his show.

Details

Episode 5

Aired Aug 12, 2022

Apocalypto

After a visit from his parents, Nathan struggles to stick up for his values.

Details

Episode 6

Aired Aug 19, 2022

Pretend Daddy

The aftermath of a birthday party causes Nathan to re-evaluate his entire project.

Details

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The Rehearsal: Season 1 Trailer

1:42

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The Rehearsal: Season 1 Episode 1 Clip - Deleted Scene

0:47

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Director: Nathan Fielder
Creator: Nathan Fielder
Executive Producer: Nathan Fielder, Dan McManus, Dave Paige, Clark Reinking, Christie Smith
Screenwriter: Nathan Fielder, Carrie Kemper, Eric Notarnicola
Network: HBO
Rating: TV-MA
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date: Jul 15, 2022

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Season 1 – The Rehearsal

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