Girl on Guy with Aisha Tyler
Studio: Aisha Tyler
Category: Comedy
What It Is
Comedian-writer-actress Aisha Tyler engages in lengthy, thought-provoking conversations with a variety of guests.
Technical Details
It’s typically a monthly show at this point. Episodes run a couple of hours though, so it’s not exactly a dearth of content. No new episode has dropped since December, when Tyler shuttered it for the time being (since she's on, you know, FOUR TV shows), but hopefully it'll be back at some point. The iTunes archive has the ten most recent episodes, which, now that the show is monthly, that’s almost a year’s content. For more, check out the website, which has the full archive behind a paywall. (FYI: it’s worth it).
What About It
Tyler is a really compelling host; she’s always quick to fool around with some jokes, but she asks insightful questions and is one of the most empathetic interviewers I’ve ever encountered. This is probably why she’s able to get a lot of her guests to open up in a really compelling way. One of her recurring segments is called Self-Inflicted Wounds (which she eventually turned into a book) in which she asks the guest to tell a story about, well, about a self-inflicted wound, ie. a time when the guest did something stupid and suffered for it. It’s easy to tell stories about how everyone else did us wrong or about how we’ve gone through tough times because that’s the way life is; but Tyler is interested in those times that we have to look back at and sheepishly nod and raise a hand when someone asks whose fault it was. It’s a great idea for a segment and the stories range from cringe-inducingly hilarious to deeply painful to profoundly insightful.
3 stars.
Essential If
The Talk just isn’t meeting your Aisha Tyler jones.
Avoid Like the Plague If
There’s only one kind of “girl on guy” you’re interested in, damn it.
Best Entry Point
Well, as I noted earlier, all but the most recent ten are behind a paywall, but of those I’d recommend the episode with Viola Davis. This episode was recorded and released a few months prior to Davis’ record-breaking third Oscar nomination. Might be a good way to catch up with the lady before the Oscar ceremony.