Why You Shouldn’t Be Sleeping On "I Think You Should Leave"!

"I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson" is a lot of fun, and a lot of… cringe. It is a newer sketch show that has been taking the Internet by storm since its 2019 debut due to its outrageous and awkward sketches interrupted by happy '80s music. The name of the show comes from the nature of the sketches, which always follows one individual who is acting so out of the norm that the rest of the characters just kind of think they should leave. It is based in awkwardness, loudness, toilet humor, and destruction, and is also an absolute blast.

Here’s why you shouldn’t sleep on "I Think You Should Leave", and why you need to add Season 3 to your Netflix watch list immediately!

The first season of "I Think You Should Leave" premiered on Netflix in early 2019 and was a shocking departure from the majority of sketch shows released at this point. It is created and written by Zach Kanin and Tim Robinson, the latter of which stars in the majority of the sketches. Both Kanin and Robinson were writers on "SNL" and Robinson even joined the cast in 2012 for Season 38 of the show. While he enjoyed his time on "SNL", Robinson said it never felt quite right, and this led him to depart the sketch show in 2014 and begin writing the sitcom “Detroiters” with Kanin and Sam Richardson. After this was canceled, he moved on to co-create "I Think You Should Leave" with Kanin, which turned out to be his most popular project yet. 

"ITYSL" is full of over-the-top, in-your-face comedy. In an interview with Seth Meyers, Robinson described how many of the sketches on "ITYSL" were sketches that were rejected by "SNL" for being too outrageous. And if you watch the show, you’ll understand why. 

Where "SNL" hopes to be digestible and entertaining to everyone, "I Think You Should Leave" leans fully into the abrasiveness and pushes it to such a level that makes it downright hilarious. You’ll alternate between cringing and laughing, usually doing both at the same time. The show does a masterful job of taking day-to-day scenarios -- say, a meeting at work or a night out at dinner -- and adds someone so out of the ordinary that everything goes up in flames. Pair this writing with Robinson’s habit of screaming at the drop of a hat, and the sketches jump so far off the screen that you can’t help but react. 

Also, similar to some music albums, this show gets exponentially better on the re-watch. You begin to appreciate the awkwardness and also catch things each time you watch it that Kanin and Robinson expertly slid into each sketch. The quotability of the show is also top-notch. Because almost all the sketches take place in common, everyday places, quotes of the show can be applicable almost everywhere. When I first showed "ITYSL" to my father, he could hardly focus on the stories due to the outright absurdities. Cut to a month later, where everytime we sit down at dinner, he keeps trying to steal my food then quickly follows up with a coy “I’m Jokin’!!”

The show ages like fine wine and keeps the laughs going with your friends for months due to quotes and memories conjured up by Robinson’s ridiculousness. 

Because all of the scenes feature someone acting hilariously out-of-line and everyone else being visibly uncomfortable, the acting is very, very important to truly sell the comedy of the scene. If one character doesn’t fully commit to the bit, the entire sketch doesn’t work. Luckily, that doesn’t seem to be an issue here. The show boasts a star-studded lineup, many of whom are Robinson’s old friends from "Saturday Night Live". Throughout the 3 seasons of the show, you see sketches starring Andy Samberg, Fred Armisen, Cecily Strong, Bob Odenkirk, Sam Richardson, Tim Meadows, Patti Harrison, Will Forte, Preacher Lawson, Connor O’Malley, and Tim Heidecker. (If you don’t know who all of these names are, you have some more comedy to watch. Thank me later.) These celebrities will alternate between being the crazy, chaotic character as well as the person who has to put up with Tom Robinson’s BS. No matter the role, they do it masterfully. You could cut the awkwardness with a knife and can’t help but laugh as a character (usually Robinson) struggles and fumbles to make it through any interaction. In a world where so much of comedy nowadays is political, controversial, or edgy, sometimes it’s just fun to sit back and watch a grown man struggle with his ponytail stuck in a car engine. 

Due to the unique and extravagant nature of the show, it can be initially difficult to consume and appreciate, but after accepting the chaos and leaning into it, "I Think You Should Leave" truly becomes one of the funniest and most memorable shows of recent years. It is nothing like any other sketch show out right now, and is truly an experience to watch. Combine this with years of inside jokes and quotes following the final credits, and you truly have a blast of a time. And thanks to Season 3 being released, as Patti Harrison would say, “Looks like Christmas came early”.