One of my favorite shows over the last few years, one I have rewatched countless times, is the sketch show I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson. It doesn’t matter if I can recite every sketch verbatim, I laugh every time I put ITYSL on. Even just seeing a meme from the show out of context can make me laugh (I cling to Twitter for @ITYSL, an unofficial feed that often replies to trending tweets with absurd responses taken from the show, it’s never not funny).
ITYSL has given much to The Culture since it debuted in 2019, from the naked butts of “Coffin Flop” to “the bones are their money”, but maybe its greatest contribution (to date) is the “We’re all trying to find the guy who did this” meme, which comes from the hot dog car sketch:
Season three of ITYSL debuts on Netflix on May 30, and the trailer dropped yesterday, teasing the chaos and absurdity that defines Robinson’s humor. Robinson, a one-time SNL writer who proves the SNL machine is imperfect because Robinson was first demoted from cast member to writer (he was the first person to go from being a performer only to a staff writer), then he was let go entirely after the 2013-2014 season. Robinson, along with Zach Kanin and John Solomon, both of whom he met on SNL, then took a bunch of unused sketches to form the backbone of ITYSL’s first season.
But the SNL bridge didn’t burn, as many SNL stars, current and former, appear on ITYSL, and Lorne Michaels produced Robinson’s post-SNL series, Detroiters, which he co-created with Kanin and Sam Richardson, who has appeared in every season of ITYSL, including in the instant classic sketch, “Baby of the Year”.
Is this post just an excuse to post a bunch of ITYSL sketches? Maybe! Who can be sure!
Season three promises more ITYSL chaos, which usually revolves around a sketch character, often played by Robinson, pushing the social contract to the absolute brink. It also promises the return of regular ITYSL performers like Richardson, Patti Harrison (an absolute ITYSL legend), Tim Heidecker, and Connor O’Malley, as well as the return of Biff Wiff, a season two standout in “Detective Crashmore” (warning for NSFW language). There are also the requisite SNL alums, like Beck Bennett, Will Forte, Fred Armisen, and Tim Meadows, and actors Ayo Edibiri (who got her start at Upright Citizens Brigade) and Jason Schwartzman.
I can’t wait for ITYSL to return, it’s the perfect silly comedy for summer. The seasons are short—the first two are only six episodes each—the sketches are unfailingly amazing, every single one a banger, truly, the batting average is crazy, and Robinson’s particular brand of absurdist humor is perfect for unserious summer vibes. ITYSL is the perfect comedy series for summer, and the only thing capable of filling the hole Succession leaves in my heart.
Here's Jason Schwartzman at the Asteroid City photocall in Cannes yesterday.
