John Wilson makes the most humane show on television. How To With John Wilson is like a slightly awkward Humans of New York where you’re not sure why his camera is focusing on random objects until some small thread of thought coalesces into deeper meaning to demand you ask the hard questions about your own life. It’s also really funny. Not in the way that Tim Robinson screaming in a hotdog costume is funny, or even in the way that Nathan Fielder (who’s an executive producer on How To) injecting himself into people’s business is funny. It’s a quiet sort of funny, where every emotion blends together to produce something pure and good and comedic.
It’s now officially an Emmy nominee. Michael Koman, Susan Orlean, and Conner O’Malley were just nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Writing For a Non-Fiction Program for their work on the “How To Appreciate Wine” episode. Really, it could have been any episode of the outstanding, legitimately unique series.
In even better news, Wilson has confirmed that he plans to bring his camera with him to the ceremony. If he can.
“I always have my iPhone with me, and that’s what I shoot a lot of the show on anyways,” Wilson told Vulture. “So, I will be shooting it if I’m fortunate enough to be able to go. I’m not sure if this is one of those categories where they make you watch from an alley next door or something. But even if so, that would be funny to document.”
What a conundrum. I sincerely hope that Wilson and company get to go inside to watch the ceremony, but filming from the alleyway would be the most How To thing possible. That the experience will be turned into an episode is a bit of speculation, but the series is getting a third season (hooray!), so hopefully they’ll find two other elements that don’t seem to tie into the Emmys to pair the footage with and make it happen.