“I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson” (ITYSL) is probably the stupidest thing I’ve ever watched. That’s a compliment, believe it or not.
No show has made me laugh quite as much as “I Think You Should Leave.” It’s a sketch comedy series on Netflix created by and starring Tim Robinson, who was a writer and performer on “Saturday Night Live.”
The sketches are absurdist in the best way possible. Whether it’s a doctor that really wants to get into the hottest club in town, a man on a dating show who just wants to ride a zipline or a professor who really wants his student’s hamburger, “I Think You Should Leave” perfectly teeters on the line of stupid and funny.
It’s honestly hard to describe the show to someone who hasn’t seen it before. Almost every sketch will start out completely normal. A normal setting, normal characters — a normal situation. Then, everything goes off the rails.
In one sketch from season two, what starts as an insider trading trial in a courtroom divulges into a saga about a man’s hat with safari flaps on the back. Or, from season three, a man innocuously offers to be a designated driver for his co-workers only to later reveal that he is “The Driving Crooner.” It’s dumb, sure. But it’s an amusing kind of dumb.
I’m definitely someone who appreciates subtle humor. Humor that lies a bit below the surface, or maybe humor that is a comment on some kind of societal problem.
“I Think You Should Leave” is not that. The show is loud and right in your face at all times. But I love it for that reason. Sometimes, it’s nice to not have to think so hard. It’s nice to just laugh at someone doing a funny thing. Robinson has perfected this loud and energetic brand of comedy.
Robinson has one of those faces that is just funny. Whenever he pops up in a sketch, I laugh just because of the way he looks. Although that may seem mean, there are very few people whose sheer existence is amusing. Robinson is one of those people, and to me, that’s a gift.
Quotes from the show have become part of my everyday vocabulary. “I Think You Should Leave” lines are almost like a language to me at this point. A lot of sketch comedy gets old after you’ve seen it a million times, but there’s something about “ITYSL” that keeps it fresh.
I think a big reason for that freshness is because lines that aren’t laugh-out-loud funny are still funny. People’s names, like “Carmine Laguzio,” or the name of a nightclub, like “Club Aqua,” are somehow amusing in the context of the show. I don’t know why, but nearly every line in “ITYSL” is hilarious to me.
I’ll even chuckle to myself during the day when something reminds me of a particular sketch. I honestly think I might have a disease of some kind because of how much space this show takes up in my head.
But, as I’ve learned the hard way, not everybody finds “I Think You Should Leave” funny. In my experience, about 50% of the people I recommend the show to enjoy it. One half finds it hysterical, and the other half sits there with a confused look on their face. It’s really hit-or-miss.
For me, it’s not just a hit. It’s a 500-foot home run. When season three came out at the beginning of the summer, it was like Christmas. So, if you’re looking for something funny to watch, try “I Think You Should Leave.” You might think it’s incredibly stupid, but there’s a chance it becomes that one show that you can’t get off your mind.
Nick • May 5, 2024 at 10:46 pm
This review mirrors my own experience (and obsession) with watching ITYSL. Well done!