A satire of popular crime documentaries like Serial and Netflix’s Making A Murderer, American Vandal elevates the dick joke into a credible art form. A big reason why is not only due to having a clever concept, but the fact that its style of comedy never feels forced. The key to this show is essentially taking a very lowbrow concept and having the courage to present it as seriously as logic will allow, and it also weaves in some thoughtful commentary on dealing with high school issues and how peers treat and judge one another based on reputation alone.
Twenty-seven red penises have been spray-painted on the cars of various faculty members at Hanover High, and whether or not the perpetrator started at the shaft is a more important detail than you might imagine. Dylan Maxwell (Jimmy Tatro) is a known troublemaker and class clown throughout the school, making him the prime suspect. The board feels it has strong enough of a case to keep him expelled, but Peter Maldonaldo (Tyler Alvarez) has serious doubts. “American Vandal” is the product of his skepticism, a documentary he films while examining Dylan’s case.
Vandal mixes in some interesting teen drama amongst the satire, and there are characters included that both meet certain tropes for high school stories alongside some that subvert them. As they go through the various suspects and their alibies, Dylan and Peter develop an interesting relationship- the former reveals unexpected sides to his personality, notably when the on-and-off relationship with his girlfriend Mackenzie (Camille Ramsey) becomes a crucial element of the case.
Peter also grows as a character, and even starts to feel guilty about how his investigation is causing secrets and gossip to spread. It gets to a point where the relationships with his friends becomes strained, due to his insistence on being as unbiased and fair as he possibly can. As the show is canonically Pete’s doc, there’s a bit of a meta aspect to some scenes- such as when Peter’s personal popularity at Hanover takes a hit as the Vandal series becomes more popular.
The fact that Vandal plays its ridiculous subject matter so straight also adds to its strong humor. The crudeness of the material never feels like it’s for the sake of it- Tony Yacenda’s direction pays ode to Roger Ebert’s “funny hat” theory. It isn’t interesting if someone is deliberately looking silly, but it’s always entertaining when one attempts to be serious and fails.
On top of Tatro’s performance, the writing does a good job of making Dylan from what seems like just a dim-witted stoner at first glance into a genuinely sympathetic character, so I was always emotionally invested. But as compelling and thrilling as the mystery truly was, I couldn’t keep a smile off my face as I soaked in the absurdity of the situation. One of the funniest scenes with said “funny hat principle” in play involves Peter presenting himself as a suspect, examining possible motives he could have had for the vandalism- and his cameraman Sam (Griffin Gluck) takes this opportunity to just rib him to hell and back.
While it isn’t what I’d call a convoluted story, it does reward the viewer for paying attention and gives you the opportunity to play detective along with Peter. Teachers and staff members get agitated as he tries to access potentially incriminating files, and Sara Pearson’s hookup list is a labyrinth of potential alibis. A background conversation recorded on a phone between Dylan and his prank friends “The Wayback Boys” (which includes Lou Wilson’s very entertaining Lucas) during a party might be hard to decipher, but ah- what’s that object in the corner?
If you’re up for a subversive and witty comedy or just want to enjoy a genuinely good detective story, American Vandal proves to be high-quality in both areas. There are some interesting themes to take away, and Dylan’s situation is given proper gravity and treated like it truly matters (because it does), but the story always feels very tongue-in-cheek. What’s more, in eight episodes the creators have developed a fun universe that’s full of characters I’m ready to see more of, so hopefully the second season will be equally as nuts. Strongly recommended.