Unlike previous attempts to take the late night talk show format and turn it on it’s ear, The Eric Andre Show uses that initial conceit to transport the audience into a waking nightmare where anything can and will happen. The titular host accomplishes this feat through pure, unblinking commitment to insanity, which keeps not only the celebrity guests but also the viewing audience in a state of uncomfortable suspense. A new video titled, “Broken Logic: How The Eric Andre Show Bends Your Brain,” proposes that the most accurate comparison for Andre’s on-screen character is noted trickster Bugs Bunny, which is what allows The Eric Andre Show to be essentially a live-action cartoon.
The most prominent shared quality between Andre and Bugs is their ability to constantly flip the script on their unwitting counterparts. Whether he’s interviewing somebody in-studio or doing a balls-to-the-wall crazy man-on-the-street segment, Andre isn’t shy about undermining, transforming, or pivoting from whatever bit he initially started doing. As the video puts it, this tactic of “breaking the initial logic of the situation” prevents those on the receiving end of the host’s antics to react in a meaningful way. This tactic works just as well on the audience, who remain firmly back on their heels throughout each episode, unsure what’s going to happen next, and equally unsure if they’re even going to like it. But, for some, that’s where the enjoyment of The Eric Andre Show lies: In that feeling of uncertainty and unexpected weirdness that previously only existed in cartoons.