At its very core, HBO’s “How To with John Wilson” is just one man with his camera, walking around New York City. It’s not much more than that. Sure every episode always seems to pack an emotional punch and the show as a whole is a great investigation into the weirdness of America’s biggest city but the show is at its strongest when it dwells on the ordinary.
Each episode largely consists of Wilson presenting clips from his long walks and adventures around New York with voiceover (also provided by Wilson) talking directly to the audience, making sense of the mishmash of short videos by applying a rough narrative to them. It is a documentary show, albeit one without an overarching focus. Each episode has a theme, a question Wilson sets out to answer at the beginning: “Why is there so much scaffolding in New York?” and “How can I cook the best risotto for my elderly landlady?” are two of my favorites. But most of the time, when Wilson’s staccato, shaky voice reaches the end of the episode, it has turned into an internal investigation of sorts, where every object he sees seems to re-enforce his loneliness, his uncertainty, or his deep musings about life. A stray McDonalds cup, floating down a gutter on a stream of hydrant water becomes a metaphor for getting swept up in the strong current of a relationship,or a panning shot of a high school mascot high fiving a shopkeeper on the street becomes a representation of friendship.
The specialness of this show comes from Wilson’s impeccable ability to both find and give meaning to the miscellaneous, everyday sights and sounds of his neighborhood. A simple and seemingly unremarkable loaf of bread in a bag, hanging from a pole in the subway or a man in a long tan coat, standing alone in the crowd waiting for the Staten Island Ferry can hold more “meaning” than could be expected under Wilson’s lens.
Another strong aspect of the show is the interactions and interviews Wilson sets up with strangers he meets. Describing his strategy in one episode as “opening up the closest door […] and hoping there’s something interesting on the other side”, he is able to stumble across folks with unique hobbies or skills, or people who are attracted by his camera and offer up a life story without prompt. These interactions often lead Wilson to leave the city and go off on an adventure. A discussion with a travel agent leads to his flying to a Cancun resort, not realizing that MTV’s “Spring Break” is being filmed at that very hotel, a random talk with a businessman takes him to a conference on the Mandela Effect theory in Idaho, and a drive through the Catskills leads to a conversation with a “coal roller” who covers his rental car with thick black smoke for most of his drive. These interactions make up a core part of the show and emulate part of its thesis: anything or anyone is interesting if you look close enough. Everything has meaning when viewed from the right perspective.
In short, Wilson and his show revels in making the ordinary, extraordinary. It is a show I feel I cannot give justice to. Watch an episode yourself and I hope you will realize that this is the kind of show to give words to the patchwork way we think and experience the world. It is “slice of life” content at its best.
“How To with John Wilson” is available on HBO Max and Hulu. The show is produced by Nathan Fielder (of The Rehearsal and Nathan For You fame) and John Wilson.