Unless you’ve been living under a rock or stay off the internet (but you’re here), you have most likely heard of Netflix’s American Vandal. American Vandal is a spoof of the popular true crime genre that people seem to be obsessed with as of late. To tell you the truth, I’m not a big fan of the genre but after seeing the name pop everywhere, I decided to give it a shot. Let me tell you- I wasn’t disappointed.
What starts off as an immature explanation a dick-joke heavy plot will have you giving low energy chuckles but will ultimately hook you by the end of the first episode. It is brilliantly filmed and somehow the professionalism of the fake documentary makes the show that much funnier. You don’t expect a true crime series that is focused on the case of 27 cars that were spray painted with giant dicks to take itself so seriously. Somehow it manages to do so.
The cast is great and I can’t imagine how such young actors manage to keep themselves composed while talking about such ridiculous things. I have to say, this is the most realistic High School portrayal that I’ve ever seen. While binge-watching the entire series in one sitting I found myself repeatedly saying to myself, “Yep, that’s high school.”
Each episode will take you through Peter Maldonado and Sam Ecklund’s investigation into the case of Dylan Maxwell, the accused criminal. Peter and Sam notice that the evidence, or lack thereof, just doesn’t add up and they set out on proving his innocence. They soon find out that the more they learn about the case, the bigger the rabbit hole gets and a tangled web of lies and cover ups start to surface.
Without spoiling anything, I will tell you that every episode ends with a twist that will turn the investigation upside down and throw the viewers off. I had myself coming up with numerous theories of “whodunnit” just to find myself starting back over by the end of each episode.
The gripping and hilarious story will leave you wanting more and rooting for the lovable doofus, Dylan. You’ll love some and hate others but there’s no doubt that a lot of thought was put into each character. Although it is fiction, it is extremely smart and well done.
Seriously, I highly recommend this Netflix series. If not for the humor, then for the interest in a highly suspect case of the red dicks. Please, go watch this show. You won’t regret it.
