The G Word With Adam Conover Review: Adam Conover has returned, and this time he's after the government.
In Netflix's six-part limited series The G Word with Adam Conover; the creator; and host of Adam Ruins Everything combines his distinctive blend of humor and intelligence.
The show is one of many to emerge from the streamer's multi-year partnership with Higher Ground; the production business founded by Barack and Michelle Obama.
The issues Adam will be looking into are very obvious with episode titles like “Food;” “Weather;” “Money;” “Future;” “Disease;” and “Change.”
But, if you think that because the Obamas are in charge of the initiative; it will be a one-sided view; you're wrong.
During a phone interview to promote the series, Conover told LA Magazine; “We knew going in that we were going to be critiquing the policies of both Republican and Democratic administrations.”
“Part of what I want to do when I make a television program is making sure that we can do whatever the viewer thinks we can't do; if they think, “Oh, they'll never be able to go there,” that's precisely what I want to accomplish.”
Conover detailed the series' inspiration, talked about working for the former president; discussed how COVID dramatically revolutionized the production, and revealed what it was like to sit down; roll cameras; and talk shop with Barack over peanut butter and jelly sandwiches during our interview.
How Did You Get Involved With the Project?
Adam Conover: It all started when the Obama business Higher Ground optioned Michael Lewis' book “The Fifth Risk;” which is a fantastically reported book about the Trump transition.
It also contains a wealth of information about how the government operates. They wanted to make a program about it, but they needed someone who could pitch it and come up with an angle.
I'd already read and enjoyed the book. So I leaped at the possibility when I got a call about it.
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“Hey, here's how I'd tackle it utilizing my signature mixtures of comedy, research, information, and investigation,” I told them when I walked in. That was an excellent suggestion. We followed suit.
How Did the Pandemic Change the Subject Matter You Were Exploring on the Show?
It completely transformed the show. We had been in our writer's room for a week when COVID was shut off.
The first week the comedy writers were in the room, the NBA announced that their season would be suspended on Wednesday.
It was a Wednesday, and I recall it as a clear, frightening event. That, I believe, was the “oh crap, this is getting real” moment for many of us.
Okay, this is one of the most important occasions of our lives, we realized. This is the impact of September 11 on American society.
Now that we live in this new world, we can't make the same program.
There are a few episodes that would have been the same if COVID had never happened: we had already discussed having a food episode, a weather episode, and a money episode.
However, we began to shift our focus to face the reality in which we now found ourselves.
So, in the episode about money, we talked a lot about COVID relief and how unfair that was.
We recognized we needed to devote an entire episode to illness, which includes not only COVID but also the NIH's work and the CDC‘s efforts to eradicate other diseases that are attempting to kill us all in the name of protecting the American people, which is the government's role.
However, we also needed to discuss the government's failure to protect us against COVID.
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We couldn't have done a show on the government without addressing that. So it was a rapid pivot that paid off beautifully.
‘The G Word With Adam Conover’: Where The ‘Adam Ruins Everything’ Host Turns His Eye To How The Government Works
Adam Conover spent years on truTV's Adam Ruins Everything, combining extensive research, a lighthearted approach, and a rotating cast of humorous characters to deliver a dose of truth on a variety of issues.
He applies his know-it-all act to how the government operates on The G Word With Adam Conover, which is produced by Barack and Michelle Obama's Higher Ground Productions.
Adam Conover is lying on a couch in the opening shot. “A government-themed comedy series presented by me and produced by you.”
“I'm concerned.” Conover rises and takes a seat across from executive producer Barack Obama; who appears to be enjoying his tax preparation.
The gist: In this six-part limited series, Conover addresses the positive and negative aspects of major government institutions, as well as how regulation has both aided and hindered Americans over the years.
He begins with food, describing how USDA inspectors and veterinarians work to guarantee that the meat we consume is safe.
He visits a Cargill beef processing plant in a rare scene, speaking with company leaders and the several USDA representatives who work there full-time.
That's where he learns about the inspectors' jobs and why some corporations, like Cargill, don't like having them around but know they're needed to maintain their products safe for people to eat.
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Conover then delves into the idea of government grain and corn subsidies, and how they've influenced not only the overabundance of corn syrup and corn-based processed foods in the average American's diet but also the structure of the USDA food pyramid when it was first introduced to the public in the 1990s.
