Who Is America

Sacha Baron Cohen, the British comedian and actor who punked America with the mock-documentaries Borat and Bruno, slips into all-new characters to interview politicians and public figures in this original series created for Showtime. As with his earlier features, his characters walk the line of satirical exaggeration and cartoonish antics as they engage their interview subjects, pushing points of "common ground" into increasingly absurd territory as he films them making outrageous statements or acting ridiculous. His targets include figures on both the left and right, from Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders and newsman Ted Koppel to Vice-President Dick Cheney and controversial Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio. Many of the subjects adopt a kind of bemused indulgence or incredulous politeness as they seem to sincerely attempt to engage with such personae as right wing vlogger Billy Wayne Ruddick Jr., ultra-PC NPR reporter Dr. Nira Cain-N'Degeocello, and Israeli gun rights activist Erran Morad. The show captured humiliating footage of former congressmen Trent Lott and Joe Walsh in a fake commercial promoting guns for toddlers and gained notoriety when Georgia State Representative Jason Spencer resigned after Cohen filmed him shouting racial epithets. The conservative targets get the most scathing treatment from Cohen in this mix of political satire, performance art, and cultural commentary, but frankly the joke gets old after a few episodes. Still, it is fascinating to see how many of his targets, most of them veteran politicians and media-savvy public figures, get pulled into his political cabaret as the cameras roll. Compiling all seven episodes from 2018, extras include extended interviews and deleted scenes. A strong optional purchase. (S. Axmaker)