A liberal goes to Louisiana

A liberal comedienne visits Trump voters across the United States, searching for common ground: Sounds like a promising TV show premise, yes? Sadly, not in the case of Sarah Silverman’s irreverent I Love You, America, now streaming on Hulu.

Silverman is known for her offensive humor. Her character here is a mostly likable, bumbling white girl trying to “help” minorities but who instead realizes she’s part of the problem—the condescending, white Hollywood elite. Coarse language and full frontal nudity shock us awake right away in Episode 1.

The show’s stated goal is to confront the “Hollywood” mindset that America consists of New York, L.A., and maybe a few places in between. (Its unstated goal is to understand how Donald Trump was elected president.) First up: dinner with a Christian, gun-owning, Trump-voting family in Chalmette, La.

Yet the show depicts less of Silverman learning from the family members than of her celebrating their views on gay marriage. “I hate to tell you this, but you’re a liberal,” she informs several family members who happen to agree with her on the subject. An intended feel-good moment thus comes across as Silverman congratulating those who think like her. The scene also perpetuates the stereotype of Trump voters as hypocritical hillbillies, telling gun stories and denouncing government-funded healthcare while admitting they themselves are on Medicaid.

One highlight is a thoughtful interview with the former social media manager for Westboro Baptist Church, Megan Phelps-Roper. Still, neither Phelps-Roper nor the family in Chalmette mentions faith, other than to joke about Silverman’s Jewish heritage.

Overall, I Love You, America promises to be obscene, inauthentic, and disappointing. It shows liberal Hollywood and rural America have at least one thing in common: a lot of potty stories.