The Rehearsal Season 2 Review: Come Fly With Me

Nathan Fielder uses Season 2 of The Rehearsal to burrow down bizarrely unexpected rabbit holes, creating some of the best comedy of the year.

I have to admit that when the structure of the new season was announced, I had my guard up on how this would fit within Fielder’s ethos. Could Fielder be grasping at straws to try and find a new “in” and replicate what worked so well with season 1? Surely he had no idea how timely the idea would be, with air travel becoming less and less reliable with every passing day in 2025. Thankfully, after taking some time off and venturing into scripted television with the delightful series The Curse, Fielder hasn’t lost his touch, making season 2 of The Rehearsal another deranged look at human connection which only he could produce.

Trying to connect the threads of each individual episode in a coherent manner is almost a fool’s errand, but Fielder’s main thrust of season 2 concerns airline safety, and the relationships between pilots and their co-pilots. Fielder’s research has led him to believe that the one connective tissue in all major airplane crashes is the result of the two pilots’ rapport: either they don’t trust one another, or a co-pilot is afraid to speak up whenever they sense something could go wrong. He then takes a mixture of real pilots/co-pilots and actors, and even goes so far as to recreate a life-sized replica of part of the Houston airport. If nothing else, The Rehearsal shows just how far Fielder is willing to go for “authenticity,” and it’s never not impressive. 

When season 1 aired, there were some questions raised about the ethics around Fielder’s social experiment. Was he, and HBO by extension, complicit in exploiting these real people solely for the purpose of our entertainment? How much did the subjects know about the show’s true purpose when signing up? Thankfully, The Rehearsal doesn’t seek to laugh at their awkwardness; if anything, both seasons show Fielder looking inwards, trying to find ways to improve himself and relate to those around him. The result is some of the best comedy I’ve seen in a long time, with Fielder utilizing his trademark deadpan delivery in ways his fans have come to expect. Episode 2, “Star Potential,” is an early highlight, as the show goes down bizarrely unexpected rabbit holes as Fielder tries to remember his mental state when sending an email from a few years before.

I suppose that if a viewer simply doesn’t vibe with Nathan Fielder’s style of comedy, they won’t find much enjoyment in The Rehearsal. But this sentiment is essentially true for almost every comedian, be it John Mulaney, or Nate Bargatze, or Nikki Glaser. The magic trick of the show is that it offers more than simple laughs and impressive production design. Even in its more serious moments, the series serves as a unique showcase for our innate desire to connect with our fellow man. Whether it’s examining our inability to speak up for fear of disappointing someone or finding ways to appear more jovial when delivering bad news, The Rehearsal contains multitudes within its insane premise.

Of course, the show continues Fielder’s fascination with deconstructing reality television. Never forget that the “stars” of the series, besides Fielder, are real people and amateur actors who simply answered a Craigslist ad or saw an audition flyer somewhere. Each episode utilizes a potent mixture of scripted comedy and improvised observances, including Fielder’s narration, which often features a hysterical juxtaposition of his serious delivery with the absurd visuals. In an already crowded year of great television, from dramas like Severance and The Pitt to comedies like The Studio, The Rehearsal may very well be the best TV show we’ve seen so far.

Season 2 of The Rehearsal will be released on April 20, 2025, with new episodes available on Max (US) every Sunday at 10:30 p.m. ET.. The series will be available to watch on Crave in Canada and on Apple TV and Prime Video in the UK & Ireland.