The G Word with Adam Conover (TV Mini Series 2022) Poster

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6/10
Interesting facts, dumbed down too much
Valid_ID19 May 2022
This miniseries presents some very interesting facts about the US government, packaged as comedy. It currently has 6 episodes of about 30 min each.

It is interesting to see the reason behind some of the services that the government offers, such as USDA, FEMA, the National Weather Service, FDIC, etc. Only the very basic principles are explained though, and not always in correct English. For example, in the first minutes of episode 2 ("Weather"), it is painful to hear Adam Conover saying "me and my parents were huddled in a basement during hurricane Gloria". Even a person like myself, for whom English is not the first and not even the second language, knows the correct form is "my parents and I". Adam Conover's only comment after listening to interviewees is always "awesome". It would have been funny to do it in the voice of the Lego movie character who keeps repeating "everything is awesome" :)

What I gathered from everything that was presented is that "those who have, will get more". We live in a mutated, monstrous capitalism, where the fair rules of competition no longer apply. Instead, large corporations are getting the lion's share. And while ordinary people are fighting over race, gender, vaccines, and so on, the mega rich get richer (See episode 3 entitled "Money").

The comedy part is extremely silly and annoying, with facts dumbed down too much, and silly skits like a child's lemonade stand that are meant to illustrate how buying/selling works. The style of this series is that of an ABC-learning show for toddlers, except Adam Conover cusses even when he's supposedly amazed.

I understand that nowadays people's attention span is that of a goldfish, and the average person's comprehension dwindles after a few minutes, but the facts presented are very basic, and do not require the kind of childish, inane parody this series attempts to pass as humor.

Despite the negatives, some of the facts presented in this series are eye-opening, so I urge my fellow Americans to watch it.
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8/10
A sad reminder.
andrewmlodzinski27 May 2022
It's always interesting to see how many issues we are dealing with didn't come form a long natural history of man. It was like 3 dudes in the 70s and 80s who pretty much ruined it for everyone.

It's like a 7/10 but I gave it a 10 to offset to bootlicking in the reviews. Ronald Wilson Reagan was the the devil. 666.
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6/10
Moments of interest, dragged down by Iffy acting and humour
duoversity24 May 2022
The show in general has some interesting sections, and communicates well by introducing people that run/deal with the specific sectors the show covers.

However, a lot of these sections have more to them than the show let's on, but this is par for the course of trying to make things digestible for the masses. (Hopefully it pushes people into reading, and learning more about these subjects)

The worst thing about this series isn't the subjects, the presenter, or its simplistic approach, which overall work fairly ok...the problem is the iffy humour and acting.

Comedy is different to everyone, and I acknowledge that going in, but there is always a point of trying too hard to make someone laugh, that it becomes so in-genuine , of which this show is guilty.

The show uses humour to soften the hard subjects, but the acting mostly can't sell the awful jokes they're supposed to deliver. Although not all the time, I'd say about 80-90% of the time I was cringing, to almost eventually turning it off at point...just wait for the Willy Wonka parody, you'll see what I mean

Overall, and above average documentary on a wide variety of subjects, dragged down to average by its bad humour and iffy acting.
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6/10
Educational, but think critically; A bit disappointing.
valoxkeltner25 January 2023
There is a lot of educational segments that show a bit of the behind-the-scenes in government, such as the hurricane one, which I enjoyed learning from. There's also a lot of "why this current thing exists - the reason is shocking!" segments which is very informative. I think Adam does a great job at playing to both sides - he mentions failures of both the Obama (drone strikes, social program cuts) and Trump (COVID19 handling) administrations, along with both Clinton and Reagan failures. However, his solutions appeared, to me, mostly "Big government will save us, give them more power" and blind hope.

In summary, I believe there were many great educational parts to learn from, and he tries to stay politically neutral with mentions of both parties failures. His "solutions" were disappointing - I'd say it's worth watching to learn more, but definitely do your research and think critically when he presents solutions to issues that come up.

  • and yes, there is cussing. If you can't handle it, go watch a kids show, not a show for young adults about the government.
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Good eats for the government
toddbenson-5126620 May 2022
Even has the Alton Brown doppelganger, wonder if he sued for his likeness and shows formula being copied. The skits and dumbed down explanations of more complex workings of what is being discussed is uncanny. It's more entertaining when the subject is how to cook chicken wings or sourdough bread though.
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6/10
Important topic not brought to the extent to leave an impact
totymedli4 March 2024
The series has the great intent of discussing the government on a less one sided way. It tries to introduce us to the everyday aspect and necessity of the government while also investigating the drawbacks and screw ups which is a much needed level headed approach but they fall between two stools. The show's pacing is much calmer and less energetic than what we are used to in Adam Ruins Everything yet it isn't informative enough to be a "real" deep documentary and stood more on the entertainment side.

It feels like a 101 for people who know nothing about politics or the government and doesn't really care about it anyway but tries to make them care trough this entertainy nature but without the snarky, calling you out on your mess style that made ARE great. It doesn't have that shock value that we got used to and not because of the subject. The exaggerated acted out parts are still done in a visually interesting way but they are out of place in this series since between them we don't get the energetic, snarky Adam, but a more serious one who tries to convince us that this isn't a joke, we should take this serious, which is a good thing but:

The series is not deep enough to be taken seriously. It introduces important topics, real problems, pros and cons, but we only scratch the surface. Obviously it is hard to do more in less then 25 minutes yet the episodes still feel dragged out. Vox could state the same in a 7 minute video with greater impact. We spend a lot of time chillin' instead of laying out hard facts and truth. The parts with Obama are a total waste of time. Seems like the only reason they were added is to make him look like somebody who cares yet the only thing it achieves is to remind you to the political leaning of the series which can be felt in many places.

All in all it is a slightly informative and slightly entertaining series without the boldness or thoroughness to leave a mark.
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10/10
Educational and honest
trish-depompeo20 May 2022
I loved watching "Adam Ruins Everything" and this show brings it to a whole new level. Many will say that he dumbs things down, but I think it levels the playing field for anyone who doesn't know what the issues are and the show breaks them down for everyone to understand. I hope to see more like this!
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10/10
Informative and comical
caseypthompson24 May 2022
President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle produced this, so I knew that some people were going to immediately start critically judging the show despite the fact is was all based on actual facts. But, we all know how "facts" aren't really facts anymore. Our society is crumbling because of conspiracy theories and apathy.

So I say to try and watch it to learn something about our government without blinding yourself with your own moral philosophies and political ideals. Whether or not you're a Republican or Democrat...knowledge is power.

I think the honesty in the show about how the government has both succeeded and messed up, including during times that Obama was President, says a lot. It's funny, factual and fun to watch. I already knew most of the information in the show, but I still learned a bit and enjoyed the comedy side of it.

It's definitely not for kids because of the cursing. However I think everyone 18+ should watch it to have a better understanding of how our country works. Especially older adults, because a lot of people have sort of lost the information and memories they learned in high school government courses.

Every American should be informed of how our government both works AND fails because the more we know...the more we can try and really change things.

So take your political blinders off for a bit and give the show a chance.
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5/10
Drinking game: Do a shot every time Adam says "trust the government"!
chelseakaliwhatever17 June 2022
I think mainly what's missing (compared to ARE) is the dynamic of the fast-talking smartass know-it-all vs. The average dumb-dumbs getting all those hard-truth bandaids ripped off. Adam is a lot more humble in this show, less know-it-all, and waaaaay more "glass half full" Polyannaish (specifically towards our government - but when Obama is the producer, I guess I can't expect Adam to go full anarchist anyway, but this show has no teeth, no claws... I wish Bernie had produced it!)

Seriously, though, read the room, Adam. (That's right, I'm pretending Adam is reading this.) Now was not the time for a "give the government a chance, they're not that bad" show. We wanted you to turn our world upside in tiny ways, not attempt to restore our faith in the US government. That's not gonna happen right now. You and your people are smart enough, ya'll could have figured out how to inspire your demographic to take an active role in US government without fellating Uncle Sam right in front of us. And what's with that mother-reading-to-her-infant tone you take whenever you say something even remotely critical of our government? Ew, Adam!
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9/10
Dare I say, a more grown up Adam Ruins Everything?
swedishfish7024324 May 2022
I've missed Adam Ruins Everything since it was pulled off the air, so I was excited to see this show! In my opinion, this show takes Adam Ruins Everything and improves upon it. We get great behind the scenes looks at a number of government industries, valuable expert insight. The humor can be juvenile at times, but it adds some needed levity to heavy topics.

Despite what people are commenting, I think this show does a good job balancing political stances. Although there are obvious, and necessary, criticisms made about Reagan and his choice to gut social programs; the show also criticizes Bill Clinton, as well as producer, and (guest star), Barack Obama for his history of using drones in attacks and cutting social programs.

From my viewpoint, this show is fair and offers valid critique. It may be off-putting to the Capitol storming crowd, but as a moderate, I thought it was well informed, fair and valid in its criticism. (I heard about it from some conservative friends who also loved Adam Ruins Everything, so take those 1 star "it's too political" reviews with a grain of salt).
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1/10
What. A. Joke.
shanphil18 October 2022
1. If you think big government is a good thing, you are an idiot.

2. If you are an idiot (see #1), you'll like this series.

3. If you agree with the points made in this series, you are a blind fool. Government does not make things better. Freedom makes things better. And freedom comes through less government, not more.

5. I've got 130 remaining to reach the required characters, but there's really nothing else to say about this wrongheaded propaganda, so, I'll just say that point #5 is as meaningful as this series. In other words, not meaningful at all.

6. At all costs; keep your children away from this nonsense.
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9/10
First of all, I loved "Adam Ruins Everything"...
nakrugt22 May 2022
First of all, I loved "Adam Ruins Everything", and I am writing this having watched the first series and having listened the Factually episode related to this show.

Is it bold? Yes.

Is it bold enough? No.

Is it bolder than I expected or than "Adam Ruins Everything"? No.

However, I watched and enjoyed it.

The editing was slower, but it is a common issue after pandemic, and I do not know why.

I have written my takes on the episodes that I so deemed.

For the future, though, Mr. Conover, you may want to look into: (1) US foreign policy; (2) US international policy; (3) How US does not recognize the Human Rights Courts in Hague; (4) and how Paris Agreement is meaningless.
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10/10
Informative and Enlightening
emc07200921 May 2022
Adam exposes and describes the government in a digestible and entertaining format in this limited series.

It's similar to Adam Ruins Everything (which I loved), but longer and filled with actual behind-the-curtain scenes of what is largely unknown to the general public. Each episode takes us on a seamless journey through what our government is and isn't, and it's told in an objective point of view that has the perfect balance of levity and humility.

It's worth the watch, for sure!
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3/10
If you believe this one I have got a bridge to sell you
jens-25718 October 2022
Government fails at pretty much everything it tries to solve but at a huge cost to all us taxpayers. Unless you are a government employee you should be firmly against increasing any government spending and firmly for almost all tax cuts regardless of who benefits as it is unlikely that people who spend their own money would spend it as badly as the government does.

Literally all innovation is achieved despite of government as it usually tries to regulate anything out of existence that doesn't fit neatly into the buckets that the donors of the current politicians own.

This is a stupid propaganda series that just serves to empower the donor class and impoverish everyone else.
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10/10
Well, waddaya know...?...
rzajac27 May 2022
It turns out Adam's a natural cusser!

But... let's get serious.

I've taken in the complains on the show, and I understand their provenance. But I give the show berth to find it's niche and then seek to try to stay true to that. I think it does.

It's fun, it's informative, and it does that (qualifiedly) propogandistic thing that it does; reminds us what on-the-ground, (small-'r') republicanism looks like.

It's a welcome thing to see at a time when the U. S. suffers under an enormous burden of popular public confusion about the idea that, done forthrightly, there are genuine downstream blessings to that decision, made so long ago, to eschew the crowned ruffians, and to self-govern.
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3/10
What could have been...
dfbutsch15 October 2022
What could have been a very educational and entertaining program was ruined by the constant political overtones and inappropriate language. Why the need to use the inappropriate language in an educational program confounds me. Maybe someday someone will do a similar program that appeals to all persons and not just one sector and uses more appropriate language.

I was generous giving it three stars, but only because the idea was good once you overlook the language and political overtones. If what they say is accurate and true it was pretty informative, but given the political leaning I am very skeptical. It seemed to push for bigger government.
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10/10
Views on Adam aside, it's fantastic
loganthomasisnt22 May 2022
You might not enjoy Adam the know-it-all. But this is an incredibly informative series that is dumbed down enough that even the biggest dumb-dumb can digest it. Watch it then watch it again.
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9/10
Adam ruins , and then helps the way you see Govt
Psychologicalad29 May 2022
Warning: Spoilers
An even balanced , well-needed look at the government. He calls out the result of having a govt so small you can drown it in a bathtub, but also the failures of beauracucy. Calls out our failure during COVID in an episode, which I don't know why there aren't more TV shows doing. He ends with a focus on changes you can make that we forget all too often: local politics.
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2/10
It was great until...
vsmith-7392521 June 2022
I started to notice some leftish political driven undertones. The host Adam Conover has great energy and I loved the Alton brown vibes in the show. It presented great information but then I noticed that it started to talk about politics and I immediately lost interest.
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10/10
Great Show
rueallread24 May 2022
I enjoy the show and came out with a new-found appreciation for the government employees that are not normally spoken of. Just because it was produced in partnership with the Obamas, it doesn't come across as liberal propaganda. If anything it was pretty even handed in how it explains both the successes and shortcomings of the government. More shows like this are important because many of us are not learning enough about the government and our civic duties. If the show had been produced from a Republican leaning but still conveyed the same information, I'd enjoyed it too.
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1/10
It's like a propaganda show for kids
joey249818 October 2022
The show used poorly done skits similar to what you would see in a kids show like Bill Nye the Science Guy to make arguments and justifications for bigger government.

I don't care if anyone believes in big government or not, this show treats those that do like actual children and makes horrible arguments with poorly done skits. If you are someone who believes in a small government at all you will laugh at how pathetic these arguments are. If you someone who already believes in big government and the ideas said in this show based on critical thinking about facts you have observed, you'll also find this show to be comical at best. If you are ignorant of government and need to be spoon fed the narrative of big government like child, then this show is perfect for you.

At the end of the day this show isn't good for anyone regardless of if you agree or disagree with the philosophy argued in the show. Unless of course you are completely uninformed and think the best way to decide how big a government should be is to politicians tell you...
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10/10
Extremely informative
alyssashade17 December 2022
Warning: Spoilers
I know I'm going to get attacked by the MAGA cesspit but here it goes.

Like Adam Ruins everything, this show cites it's sources and provides other resources where people can find information about the episode's topic. They also have a number of independent fact checkers as Adam Conover is known to have in almost all of his projects. So no this isnt a show of lies, misinformation, propaganda or fairy tales as some have implied.

This show breaks our government down and easy to digest while informing us things behind the scenes that effect our day to day. Like the Food and Weather episodes.

Is our government perfect? Oh God no. But it addresses it's flaws. Just look into the FEMA bit.

OUR government isn't perfect and this show (like all of his other projects) tries to offer actual solutions instead of ignoring the problem or yelling about it without bothering to try to fix it.

This show, despite having Obama in the first and last episode, is bipartisan because our day to day ultimately is bipartisan. The weather isn't going to Only rain on the GOP and food safety doesn't only effect Dems. But in order to keep everyone safe and healthy, we have to be aware of how our system works. Take away Government in meat processing facilities and allow for self inspection that has been proven multiple times that doesn't work (a severe uptick in meat contamination with fecal matter being the most common issue) then we risk going back to meat not meant for human consumption, illnesses and death which is why Teddy Roosevelt created legislation that became USDA and FDA. THATS the kind of information this show produces.

If you are just anti-everything except for your own political party, not going to use the provided sources to have a deeper look, or just instantly dismiss everything because it doesn't fit your political views. Then skip this because you aren't going to like it, and will come on here and parrot others here who are uninformed about our system.

If you are genuinely curious about things and want more context in today's America, putting political aspects aside, I highly recommend this series.

And like I said in the beginning, it provides sources so you can dig deeper into the subject matter.
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8/10
A Rediscovery?
jkells-1783324 December 2022
The show should be taken in the spirit it is presented- an attempt to reestablish a sense of civics and duty in common good (of a nation).

It presents an inside view of both the good and the bad - the episodes on money and future I found particularly striking for their day-to-day unheralded and unremarked impacts

The fundamental conclusion is that government isn't good nor bad, it is simply a necessary function of any organized society (nation). It is capable of both great good and great evil, only because it's great in scope. Our engagement or lack thereof will dictate what it does. It's a good message to internalize.

It's a slightly flawed, slightly shallow, but ultimately accessible insight into an important topic. Some reviewers seem to have not understood the core concept that government is inseperable from politics because government is the exercise of politics - its people and power. Inseparable.

The sad reality is that the people that seem to need this the most are the same people least equipped to receive it.
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1/10
Where are the fact checkers?
tugquarles18 October 2022
This series is a propaganda tool of misinformation and bogus claims. I know why the ratings were so low. No one is interested in more Washington lies. Since hardly anyone watched it, I don't have to say, "Don't waste your time", because most people didn't.

If you're interested in what the government actually does. Do your own research. Read some bills to learn what actually happens in Washington. Have you ever wondered why Washington never solves problems? If they solved problems, the department or program would be closed which rarely happens. It's always more money, we need more money. By the way, this is the same problem most third world countries have as well. People in power keep those lagging needing their services. They create demand for themselves.
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10/10
Outstanding on all accounts
ericpappas8 November 2022
There is so much truth here that many reviewers somehow miss. What's the problem? The man knows what he's talking about. Adam does his homework on these issues and is balanced in his approach to government and our people. His approach is radical, but he's talking about a balance of power and restrictions on the uber rich. We can no longer let the corporation run the country (world) while most of us seem not to care. We all seem to claim to have the right values on human justice (I hope!), but when it comes to exhibiting behaviors that are aligned with these values, we fail. Which makes me think we don't really embrace humanistic values after all.
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