On Who Is America?, Sacha Baron Cohen's characters feel right at home amid 2018 absurdities

Cohen's new Showtime series had a tough task in 2018 America because the ridiculous and absurd have become mainstream. "Given the tone of American politics these days, getting audiences to laugh at their eccentricities is a tough ask," says Alison Herman. "Merely sharing Cohen’s disgust may not be enough for character comedy to play in 2018, when the average internet user is subjected to a torrent of equally outrageous, disturbingly non-satirical figures every time they open their browsers." Yet Who Is America? manages to work, she says, especially when it's not funny, like in the first episode's segment advocating that kids carry guns. "To ask whether what follows is 'funny' feels almost besides the point," says Herman. "I can’t blame anyone who decides that a nauseating illustration of America’s psychosis is not what they want out of their Sunday night entertainment. Those who stick around, however, are treated to proof positive that the world has finally caught up with Cohen’s oeuvre. The twist is that Cohen’s guises no longer feel hilariously out of place when inserted into everyday life. They feel right at home, baring what ails this country better than any anthropological trend piece about Trump supporters. Just don’t expect a barrel of laughs."

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