Zach Galifianakis, best known for his acerbic online talk show Between Two Ferns and its feature-length continuation, Between Two Ferns: The Movie, is back — this time with a whimsical take on horticulture. In This Is a Gardening Show, the comedian uses his signature self-effacing humor to dig into the magical world of horticulture over the course of six episodes.
With the help of plant and food experts and some curious kiddos, Zach strives to help families understand where their food comes from and reconnect with planet Earth. The comedic and educational docuseries is directed by Brook Linder (Everybody’s Live with John Mulaney) and produced by Chris Kim (PBS American Portrait).
“Zach brings an infectious warmth and humor that makes the world of gardening accessible and delightful for all ages,” Kim tells Netflix. “He can leave you in stitches one moment and, in the next breath, have you genuinely convinced that horse manure is the chocolate soufflé of the gardening world.”
Check it out at the top of this page.
Zach interviews elementary school students as well as farmers, foragers, and food historians, including:
Zach Galifianakis is worried about humanity. In the words of the comedian, a hobbyist gardener of 25 years himself, “The way we get food is so perverse right now.” The first step to a solution? Educating future generations on how to work with Mother Nature and harvest her leafy bounty. (Or dropping acid, as he also suggests — but for now … yeah, education.)
Collecting tips and tricks from agriculturalists, Zach visits apple orchards to learn about genetic cloning, tomato farms to study varietals, forests to explore foraging, cornfields to understand evolution, and much more. He interviews certified green thumbs to learn not only the history and science of growing food, but also practical info on how to cultivate his own produce supply. Each episode is topped off by a little yap sesh with pint-size future gardeners who are also learning about the foods they eat for the first time. If Zach and the kids happen to debate whether corn makes for a good telephone, if Diarrhea Town is a real species of apple, or how to properly plant a seed, well, that’s just “peak TV,” according to the director.
“Making this show often felt like Zach’s excuse to talk to other gardeners,” Linder tells Netflix. “I kinda think his garden was struggling, and he needed help he couldn’t get by walking up to these people in their backyard.”
