American Vandal - Season 1

After the big success of true crime documentaries such as Making a Murderer and The Jinx, it could be expected that it wouldn't take long for a parody to be made. Netflix provided this parody called American Vandal. A high school is in chaos after someone spray-painted a bunch of penises on all of the teachers' cars. It doesn't take long before student Dylan Maxwell (Jimmy Tatro, 22 Jump Street) has been pointed out as the perpetrator. He's committed similar actions in his past and he's unable to provide a trustworthy alibi. Dylan, however, insists that he hasn't done anything, but nobody seems to believe him. Once two students and amateur film makers discover something that could exonerate Dylan, they decide to create a documentary that follows their search for the truth.

During the first half of the season American Vandal is a coarse, but truthful parody to the genre.

During the first half of the season American Vandal is a coarse, but truthful parody of the genre. The fact that the shape of the penises on the cars isn't the same as the ones Dylan previously drew and a testimony that is being questioned as the witness had lied about how drunk he was at a party. Typical elements of the true crime genre are parodied in a way that's almost ridiculous, but it's done in such a way that it does come across as credible. I have to admit that the creators have managed to create a storyline that has kept me wondering about who committed the crime, almost as if it were a true documentary. 'Yeah, but that person said that and then that doesn't correspond with the testimony.' That part of the show was a success.

But it gets even better, as in the second half of the season American Vandal becomes more than just a parody. The documentary of the two students actually exists in the universe of the show and soon they start to notice the consequences of their investigation. At that point the show becomes more than just a mockumentary, it actually turns into a decent drama series. It does help that the actors who portray the students and documentary makers Peter (Tyler Alvarez, Every Witch Day) and Sam (Griffin Gluck, Red Band Society) are actually pretty good.

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Even social criticism from the genre is parodied in a disguised manner.

Where shows such as Making a Murderer and The Jinx create legitimate complaints against the American justice system, American Vandal does exactly the same, but in a disguised manner. I do think it's cool how they managed to create a documentary that has the exact same message: don't judge somebody prematurely, despite what may have happened in their past.

Here and there I can actually find some minor errors. I thought that the character of cameraman Sam wasn't given the spotlight he deserved. The show almost treats him as if he doesn't exist, even though he has a major contribution. It almost seems as if the creators forgot about him. At some point Peter and Sam end up in a fight, but this is resolved in a matter of seconds as it was needed to forward the plot. Minor things such as these can be fairly annoying to the attentive watcher.

What starts off as a vulgar, but strong parody of a popular genre, ends up being a solid drama series. The writers actually go into a lot more detail through means of a professional trick, and this turns out well. I hope that lovers of the true crime genre watch American Vandal with a smile on their faces.