Tom Segura‘s stand-up has at all times had its fair proportion of filth, as he continuously makes use of his sarcastic and deadpan nature to speak about matters starting from his day-to-day life, his eccentric mother and father, assembly comedians on airplanes, or “the poors” on his podcast Your Mother’s Home, which he co-hosts alongside his spouse Christina Pazsitzky.

His new Netflix sketch-comedy sequence Unhealthy Ideas takes issues a step additional, with Segura continuously pushing boundaries to see simply how far and the way offensive he can take issues. Segura’s darkly comical and extremely inappropriate sketch sequence feels elevated in the best way it is filmed, together with components like an apocalyptic alien wasteland, the compound of a rustic music star turned cult chief, and a gymnasium populated by males with comically massive penises. Sure, you learn that final half accurately. All of it feels fairly rattling cinematic, to the purpose the place a sketch that parodies an A24 film trailer truly appears like the actual deal — nicely, not less than till we see Segura taking part in a cartoonish Italian immigrant, performing lewd acts on senior residents. The result’s precisely what you’d count on, and longtime followers of Segura’s will really feel proper at residence with this unapologetically wicked present.

What Is ‘Unhealthy Ideas’ About?

Unhealthy Ideas consists of six episodes, every loosely revolving round a sure common theme: jobs, success, household, love, communication, and well being. A few of the sketches play by a couple of episode, some are filmed in black-and-white, one does not even truly characteristic Segura, and each single one is very inappropriate and never one thing you’d need to watch together with your mom round. A lot of Segura’s stand-up is ported over to the sequence, together with callbacks to his early materials, resulting in an immensely awkward dialog on an airplane, or his father’s Vietnam Struggle tales, that are tailored into a really problematic youngsters’s play.

The setups are sensationalized and artistic, however the comedy is comparatively low-brow, together with scatological humor and intercourse jokes with an additional serving to of darkish comedy. For probably the most half, it really works extraordinarily nicely, making for an entertaining six-episode sequence that does not have a low second. Segura performs a wide range of totally different characters, together with fictionalized variations of himself, the nation music star turned cult chief Rex Henley, a pants-soiling hitman, and even Steven Seagal, giving each position his full and utter dedication. He is keen to drop the sarcasm if which means being wholly and completely unfiltered on-screen. Segura additionally can not help however push viewers’ buttons, throwing almost every thing he has on the wall and seeing what’s going to stick. Even when sure sketches do not work as nicely, together with one which includes a sexual “Make a Want” request, there is a sure aesthetic that makes all of it pop.

‘Unhealthy Ideas’ Works Finest When It is Extra Elaborate

For many who attempt to declare that comedy cannot be edgy anymore, look no additional than Unhealthy Ideas. It is not that the sequence goes out of its strategy to offend, however it’s unafraid of constructing the viewer really feel disgusted or repulsed to the purpose of reaching for his or her distant. There’s by no means a uninteresting second, provided that the present continuously makes an attempt to escalate itself inside every sketch.

Whereas on his press tour, Segura has touted Unhealthy Ideas on his tackle Black Mirror, and whereas his sequence does supply some comically bleak takes on humanity, it does bear a bit extra resemblance to sketch comedy sequence like I Assume You Ought to Depart with Tim Robinson or Key & Peele. Much like how these reveals take on a regular basis eventualities and morph them right into a sequence of over-the-top gags, Unhealthy Ideas operates by having every sketch’s characters act upon their worst impulses. In a single specific sketch, Segura turns into annoyed with a espresso store barista, and as a substitute of simply chewing out the worker, he later gleefully beats stated barista to a pulp. It strikes simply the correct mix between humorous and extremely disturbing.

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Whereas Unhealthy Ideas is basically a sketch sequence, it does often dip a toe into turning into extra serialized. Sure installments finish with cliffhangers that choose up immediately within the subsequent episode, seemingly making an attempt to hyperlink the themes collectively. Typically it really works naturally; the Rex Henley storyline might have arguably been a sequence in itself. Different occasions, it feels a bit disjointed, as is the case with a sketch involving The Sopranos‘ Rob Iler as a person who learns that he is the principle character in his former co-workers’ profitable VR online game, through which man-eating aliens have intercourse with him. Unhealthy Ideas‘ sketches in the end work finest when Segura and his workforce attempt to make them extra elaborate, moderately than feeling as if they could possibly be part of some other related comedy sequence.

‘Unhealthy Ideas’ Is the Excellent Subsequent Step for Tom Segura

Whereas different stand-up comedians have tried to interrupt into movie and tv lately — together with 2 Bears 1 Cave co-host Bert Kreischer with the middling action-comedy The Machine — Unhealthy Ideas appears like the proper subsequent step for Segura. Despite the fact that a single sitcom or feature-length film in all probability could not totally embody Segura’s whole comedic persona, Unhealthy Ideas has all of it.

In some ways, Unhealthy Ideas‘ unapologetic nature makes it really feel like the live-action equal of South Park. It will not be as topical as Parker and Stone’s crass animated satire, however it does profess the identical “no person is secure” mantra that has allowed that long-running sequence to face the check of time. It is proudly unfiltered and makes no apologies if one thing occurs to offend you. It is not achieved in an excessively smug method both, extra so working from the angle that everyone is an fool, even Segura himself.

Unhealthy Ideas is not going to transform anybody who is not already a fan of Segura’s knack for darkish comedy, however why ought to it? The Netflix sequence is the proper mixture of messed-up and hilarious. Whereas not each sketch will kill, there are greater than sufficient huge laughs and moments of sheer, wicked creativity that solely Segura is able to pulling off.

Unhealthy Ideas is now out there to stream on Netflix.

Unhealthy Ideas

Tom Segura’s Unhealthy Ideas is an ideal subsequent step for the comic, efficiently capturing his distinctive sense of darkish comedy.

Launch Date

Might 13, 2025

Community

Netflix

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  Tom Segura

  Varied Characters

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Execs & Cons

• The sequence options some excellent cinematography that makes it really feel extra cinematic than anticipated.
• Unhealthy Ideas is proof you could nonetheless do edgy comedy in 2025.
• The Rex Henley and Steven Seagal sketches are huge standouts.

• A few of the sketches aren’t as satisfying as others.