HBO's Ridiculous 2-Part Comedy Series Hits Even Harder on a Rewatch Today

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Nathan Fielder in an airplane in The Rehearsal Season 2

Published Mar 11, 2026, 4:11 PM EDT

Liam Gaughan is a film and TV writer at Collider. He has been writing film reviews and news coverage for ten years. Between relentlessly adding new titles to his watchlist and attending as many screenings as he can, Liam is always watching new movies and television shows.

In addition to reviewing, writing, and commentating on both new and old releases, Liam has interviewed talent such as Mark Wahlberg, Jesse Plemons, Sam Mendes, Billy Eichner, Dylan O'Brien, Luke Wilson, and B.J. Novak. Liam aims to get his spec scripts produced and currently writes short films and stage plays. He lives in Allentown, PA.

The now seemingly inevitable acquisition of Warner Bros. by Paramount is a devastating blow for the industry, and not just because of the significant job losses that will result. Paramount now has more power than ever, a dangerous notion when considering what the conglomerate has already affected. Long before Paramount even entertained the thought of acquiring Warner Bros., comedian Nathan Fielder used his HBO series The Rehearsal to explore his own past as an artist, including his work on the series Nathan for You, which originally aired on the Paramount-owned channel Comedy Central.

The groundbreaking second season of The Rehearsal revolves around a real issue involving airline pilots and their socialization, but Fielder also reflects on the theme of failure when producing his fake singing competition program Wings of Voice. Fielder recalls an incident in Nathan for You in which he had lampooned the antisemitic beliefs of a Vancouver clothing company that was revealed to be supporting a Holocaust denier. Fielder’s scheme on Nathan for You involved creating a fake rival brand called Summit Ice Apparel that included ridiculously offensive content, including the slogan of “Deny Nothing.” Although Fielder ended up donating all the proceeds to the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre, the Nathan for You episode was mysteriously removed from Paramount+ because, according to Fielder, “they became uncomfortable with what they called anything that touches on antisemitism in the aftermath of the Israel/Hamas attacks.”

Nathan Fielder Stands up to Paramount in 'The Rehearsal' Season 2

The removal of the Nathan For You episode reflects a profound lack of understanding of Fielder’s intentions. The comedian aimed to satirize people’s comfort in associating with brands involved in duplicitous activity by ensuring that Summit Ice Apparel consumers were aware of the company’s edict. Removing the episode after the Israel/Hamas attacks doesn’t lead to less antisemitism, but it does prevent the issue from being talked about, and negates the opportunity of a Jewish creator to use his platform to educate people. In The Rehearsal, Fielder expresses apprehension that he had agreed to work with a company that had silenced him and regrets not being more steadfast in maintaining his beliefs. Since the HBO series involves recreating moments so that people can work through their anxieties, Fielder decides to restage his meeting with Paramount so that he can better defend his work on Nathan for You.

Given that nothing Fielder does is predictable, The Rehearsal Season 2 frames Paramount by invoking Nazi imagery and implies that the company operates like the German military. In the recreated scenario, Fielder argues that censorship allows a conglomerate like Paramount to control the flow of information and diversity of ideas, and also leads to a slanted view of recent events. Fielder’s satire is significant because The Rehearsal airs on HBO, which also allowed the original Nathan for You episode to stream in its entirety; now that Paramount has purchased HBO’s parent company, it’s unclear whether either series will remain on the service.

Nathan Fielder Uses 'The Rehearsal' Season 2 to Reveal a Bigger Issue

The Rehearsal Season 2 makes the point that corporations have the power to control their streaming libraries, and can end up censoring or misrepresenting the work of artists who don't have lasting control over what they create. It’s an unfortunate reality where artists have to secure funding to do business, but could risk losing opportunities if they don't fit within the parameters of their employer’s beliefs. Fielder was ahead of his time in anticipating what Paramount's future direction would entail. In addition to assembling a new Black List of artists who have expressed support for Palestine, the company has adopted a policy of hiring previously “canceled” artists for major projects, including Brett Ratner on Rush Hour 4, Johnny Depp on Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol, and an untitled G.I. Joe film written by Max Landis.

The brilliance of Fielder’s comedy is that he has developed genuine insights into human behavior, even if they are conceived in the most absurd ways. Fielder’s scathing depiction of Paramount wasn’t even the core focus of The Rehearsal Season 2, but it gained significant traction because of just how thought-provoking it was. The danger is that Fielder has expressed criticism of the conglomerate that now owns the majority of the content that he's made, and could determine whether The Rehearsal is renewed for a third season. Fielder is the rare comedian who seems to play by his own rules, so the fact that his work on The Rehearsal was ahead of its time isn’t surprising.

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