It's Florida, Man

I just finished watching "It's Florida, Man", and wow, what a ride! This series perfectly captures the wild spirit of Florida, showcasing the strange and wonderful stories that seem to spring up around every corner.

The humor is spot-on, often making me laugh out loud at the outrageous situations people find themselves in. But what really impressed me was how the show balances the quirky antics with genuine, heartfelt moments. It dives deep into the lives of the folks featured, reminding us that behind every headline is a real person with a story to tell.

The visuals are stunning, too! Florida's beautiful landscapes provide a vibrant backdrop that enhances every story. You can really feel the warmth and character of the state shining through.

I am not from Florida and in fact intentionally avoid it, but there is something about people from the Southeastern United States and their unabashed love of telling "big fish" tales of eccentric adventures which are...mostly true...that resonates. This is one of the most recognizable cultural markers of the Old South spanning back to early 20th century Southern Gothic literature.

Here, individuals of this story telling persuasion have the opportunity to unburden their soul or just humble-brag while real Hollywood actors re-enact the story lines with intentional comedy.

The Gator Man is totally awesome.

How much you enjoy this ultra-wacky show depends on how willing you are to watch ordinary people being held up to ridicule for doing extraordinarily stupid things. Told in docu-com style, real-life Floridians are interviewed on camera about their brushes with idiocy while alternating segments starring actors and comics bring their demented deeds to life. Each thirty-minute episode (although the stories move swiftly enough that they tend to seem much shorter) is bizarre, irreverent, cringeworthy enough that you'll want to avert your eyes, and so focused on the worst (or nearly the worst) of humanity that you may want to shout or throw something at the screen. Not a great show but certainly an entertaining one--even if the good folks of Florida may not always get the joke.

The stories themselves are entertaining enough, and the reenactments by various comedians and actors are just a bonus. It harkens back to Drunk History on Comedy Central in its adaptation of the personal stories and narration of the first hand accounts.

The show brings in outside parties like animal experts to enhance the stories.

The Floridians themselves seem proud of the "Florida Man" colloquialism, and they are excited to share their contributions to the stereotypes. Some of the segments are actually quite wholesome since the story tellers are excited and a little proud to tell their tales and earn their place in "Florida Man" history.

Prefacing this with the fact that I have watched only one episode and won't be bothering with any more.

So what does this have to do with Florida? Maybe one or more of these stupid people live in Florida...so what? Stupid people are everywhere. Stupid stories are everywhere. I would have named this show "Stupid Stories - Stupid People".

I was really hoping for stories that might be exclusive to Florida, which in itself is a pretty unique place. Gators, Cubans, Mickey Mouse, Canadians.

This show just makes Florida seem the same as everywhere else. I could have watched "It's Idaho, Man" and probably learned something about potatoes.

Don't waste your time, watch Jackass instead.