Back in 2020, I discovered a niche Canadian show on Viceland called "Nirvanna the Band the Show". With a mouthful of a name like that I had to see what it was about. Looking it up online, I found it was pretty hard to find it streaming anywhere (this was before I knew how to torrent everything). Luckily, I was able to find a fan made Google Drive folder of both seasons.
I downloaded every episode, loaded it up on my PC's media player, and decided to stream it to my friends on Discord. It was all our first experience with the show and our reactions were priceless. Straight out of the gate the first episode had us hooked. The episode is densely packed with jokes and quotables. The lead characters, Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol, had our eyes glued to the screen with how entertaining and strange they were.
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The show is filmed in a mockumentary format bringing a hectic feel to the camera work. What really intrigued me and my friends was the fact the only two actors in the show are Matt and Jay (not including the few cameraman interactions). Every single person they interact with is never in on the joke. This makes every public interaction so exhilarating and it always defied our expectations.
Nirvanna the Band the Show only had two seasons, however, a third season was planned with Viceland. Sadly, Viceland went through a large restructuring and Nirvanna the Band the Show was put to the side. Several years later after being in contractual limbo, Matt and Jay were able to take their series back! They would announce an upcoming movie called "Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie". My friends and I were very excited to see it.
Last year I was able to grab a ticket to one of the premier screenings for the movie! The closest screening was in Philadelphia which is three hours away from where I live so no one was seriously willing to go. So I convinced my family to take the day trip to Philly (because I don't think my dad would let me drive the car that far by myself).
We arrived in Philly, got some cheese steaks, and then I split with my family to head to the theater. Inside, they were so many cosplayers and fans. It felt awesome to see so many people show up for the premier. The lights dimmed and the film finally began. After an hour and thirty nine minutes I was fully convinced I had just witnessed my favorite movie of all time. I've never experienced a comedy movie where the entire audience, including myself, is dying laughing. There were so many references to past episodes that it truly felt like a love letter to the fans. The movie had me so filled with joy, I couldn't stop talking about it all night. After the movie there was a Q&A with Matt and Jay and once that was over I was surprised to get a signed poster for the movie!
Nirvanna the Band the Show is my favorite show ever and the movie might even be my favorite movie ever. Over time I've recommended the series to every single person I meet and I don't think I'll stop doing that any time soon. It's so underrated, underappreciated, and it deserves more attention. Please, please, please, check it out and support the series!!!