'This American Life' review

The nerdiest host in the biz brings the good 'Life' to Showtime

By Sophia Kercher

Special to Metromix
May 2, 2008

Critic's Rating:
4 1/2

'This American Life' review
(Credit: Douglas Barnes/Showtime)
For those of you who haven't turned a dial on the radio since you discovered an iPod adapter for your car, "This American Life" is a National Public Radio show that delves into peoples' lives telling stories with moments so moving that people have been known to pull over their cars from the road and tear up. (Not us. We're strong.)

Last year, the über-popular radio program was launched as a Showtime television series, and this summer kicks off a smoother, more polished second season of the show.

Who's that? So that's the man behind the nasally voice! Like the radio program, the "This American Life" television show features enigmatic host Ira Glass, perennially disheveled, with kind eyes framed by Bobby Holly glasses and mussed up salt and pepper hair.

The real star: Even more than the radio version, America is the protagonist in the Showtime show. In one of the premiere episodes, a young Iraqi man sets up a booth deep in the South that beckons "Ask an Iraqi." A "Little Miss Sunshine"-esque girlie marches right up to his stand and says, "I've been waiting to apologize to an Iraqi for three years. I'm so sorry we walked into your country like we owned it."

The "ooh" factor: "This American Life" hasn't lost the quirkiness of the radio program, and the show rocks on with well-selected music like its radio sister. Moving to the boob tube has also given "This American Life" star power; in the premiere episode, a guy who has lost his ability to speak is narrated by his ideal voice—Johnny Depp. (Thankfully, he doesn't narrate in his Captain Jack Sparrow voice.)

The "eh" factor: You can now plaster the host's face on your desktop with Showtime's "This American Life" computer wallpaper, which features a heavily airbrushed Glass in different reporter-like poses. Kind of weird, but no one seems to feel stranger about his burgeoning TV status than Glass, who looks like a Nervous Nelly when's he's on camera.

The verdict: With the summer's reality TV surge ("The Cho Show," "Pamela," "Brooke Hogan Knows Best"), Showtime is serving up a much needed dose of quality reality."This American Life" inspires conversations (and we're not talking who Tila Tequila's going to make out with this season) and gives the viewer an experience that will make them reconsider their lives. You might get a little emo, but just embrace it—and have a box of tissues handy.

"This American Life" premieres Sunday, May 4 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Showtime.