‘The future is agrarian,’ says The Hangover and Between Two Ferns star Zach Galifianakis in his new Netflix series.
Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page.
Article content
Actor/comedian Zach Galifianakis has branched out with the new Netflix offering This is a Gardening Show.
Article content
Shot mostly on Vancouver Island, the six-part series that lands on Netflix on Earth Day (April 22), sees Galifianakis meet with and learn from various local gardening and farming experts in a bid to help his own garden grow.
Article content
Article content
Article content
“We should all garden, it’s a better hobby than jet skiing,” Galifianakis says in the show.
Article content
Story continues below
Article content
We apologize, but this video has failed to load.
Try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.
Article content
Story continues below
Article content
For the record, according to the internet, Galifianakis has a home on Denman Island. While unconfirmed, he did tell David Letterman during their show at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on Feb. 18 that he had to take two ferries to get to Vancouver for the gig. Also, on a recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live Galifianakis confirmed his Canadian connection and told the host “I love where I live. I love Canada. It’s a great country,” said the Hangover star as he talked about life on a Gulf Island.
Article content
We apologize, but this video has failed to load.
Try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.
Advertisement 2
Advertisement
Article content
Galifianakis’s connection to B.C. goes further as he has a recurring role in the new Vancouver-shot AMC series The Audacity. The series about a tech bro (Billy Magnussen) engulfed in a scandal premiered on the American network on April 12.
Article content
Thanks to Galifianakis’s curiosity and comedy instincts, the series is a perfect mix of joy and jokes delivered in tight 15-to-20-minute-long episodes. And, like a great Pixar film, the show works for both adults and kids as it effortlessly combines sophomoric and sophisticated humour — an ear of corn becomes a phone, Benjamin Netanyahu is the subject of a knock, knock joke, and a couple of French foragers become the butt of a France and the Vietnam War joke.
Article content
As Galifianakis heads into the forest with the foragers, he offers a callback to an earlier career high point.
Article content
“It’s nice to be between the ferns again,” he says referring to Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis, the Funny or Die satirical and hilarious interview series he hosted.
Article content
We apologize, but this video has failed to load.
Try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.
Article content
Story continues below
Article content
Locations visited in the series include Fruit Forrest Farm in the Cowichan Valley’s Cobble Hill area, Courtenay’s Stellar Raven ecological farm, and Amara Farm and Ladysmith’s Corn Maze & Produce Farm.
Article content
A common thread throughout the series is his hilarious interactions with kids from a couple of Comox-area elementary schools. The show biz edict about not working with children is completely debunked here as Galifianakis and the kids are comedy gold.
Article content
Article content
Article content
Jokes aside, the show is thoughtful, informative and an excellent reminder of the importance of connecting directly with the world we inhabit.
Article content
“As pessimistic as one can get these days, the gardens are hope. The Earth is our hope. Nature is our hope,” says Galifianakis as he sits in a barn. “I just think, if people had all this, this knowledge, if people continue to gravitate toward learning about sustainability, I think we can see it turn but everybody’s got to pitch in.”
Article content
But in the same breath, he says, there is a good chance there will be a huge population decline.
Article content
“There’ll be a small group of people that will be able to continue on, and their lineage will be able to continue on. But a lot of us will die,” says Galifianakis before telling the crew: “We’ll just add a laugh track.”
Article content
Looking for more titles to add to your 2026 viewing list? Check out our guide to B.C.-shot movies and shows to watch HERE.
Article content
Article content
Share this article in your social network
