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Hasan Minhaj has an unusually difficult task before him with his new series of political comedies "Patriot Act". Thanks to the extreme proliferation of cable and streaming networks. There is no shortage of similar shows, on the lookout for all that is new / hell in the news of the week. On the other hand, Netflix has a well-known story about launching humorous "late night" series (in quotation marks because, well, they come out early in the morning on the streaming platform , but their style remains similar to traditional formats of this kind). Over the past year, Chelsea Handler, Joel McHale and Michelle Wolf have all seen their timely and weekly efforts disappear on the Netflix vineyard without getting enough network support and / or viewers to grow (though, as always, it's hard to say for sure: Netflix's deliberately mysterious programming strategies). What will he say that Minhaj, despite his obvious talent, can beat those chances?

"Patriot Act", which dropped two episodes on October 28, does not run away from the convention of political comedy while aiming for something just quite different to distinguish it. Inspired by his own star starring Netflix's "Homecoming King," Minhaj stands in front of a series of screens that punctuate his points of images, videos, and data. (The effect, as he jokingly says in the second episode, gives him the air of giving a "TED Awake Talk.") He never sits behind a desk, as he does. often did as a correspondent for the "Daily Show". he stands up and gestures, cajolizes and emphasizes, right to the camera. It does not always work. In a minute, Minhaj uses so many cameras that it gets a little strange, besides it's a bit strange to see him talking so consistently to his audience at home without having to play anymore. visibly at a distance. But this is different, and in an otherwise cluttered area, it matters.

In terms of content and format, "Patriot Act" has so far made some wise and judicious choices. While most other political comedy shows tend to divide broadcasts into more segments to cover more topics, "Patriot Act" addresses a topic in about 20 minutes, creating the most common analogue. close, "Last week, with John Oliver". And as in this show, none of the first two episodes of "Patriot Act" is necessarily related to the events of the week that preceded them, but they still feel topical. (The first tackles the possible death of positive discrimination, while the second deepens trade relations between Saudi Arabia and the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi of the "Washington Post"). a little More paternal, "Patriot Act" makes more likely a more casual viewer of Netflix, which could catch up with it much more, which could in turn make the series a more solid investment for the streamer than the series that actually expire after their cycle of new.

But the most effective tool in the Patriot Act arsenal is probably the acute and singular perspective of its host. Minhaj is the first American of Indian origin to animate this type of show, and "Patriot Act" (led by the co-creator / lead author of Minhaj, Prashanth Venkataramanujam) counts it. Because of his experience with South Asian parents, his rise in California, and his balance between a bifurcated cultural shock and being part of a larger first-generation community, Minhaj's material for something like the one in the United positive action or the context of widespread corruption in Saudi Arabia is simply richer, more personal, and different from what his white peers could bring. He pointed out that both celebrate the achievements of Americans of Asian descent and reveal the disappointing conflicts within communities that, again, no other political comedy host can. At a time when the most powerful are defending monochrome culture and willful ignorance, seeing different points of view such as Minhaj getting this kind of platform is not just welcome, but is necessary.

Talk-show / stand-up comedy, 30 minutes weekly airs, Sundays on Netflix.

Jeter: Hasan Minhaj.

Crew: Executive Producers: Hasan Minhaj, Jim Margolis, Prashanth Venkataramanujam, Michelle Caputo, Shannon Hartman and Jennie Church-Cooper.

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