There's not a ton to say about this one. Occasionally interesting, rarely shocking - the whole premise is that a know-it-all sets people straight on common misconceptions. The host, Adam Conover, is affable enough, but the whole show just sort of feels like a series of PSAs for misinformed people. I'm glad it exists, but it's just all over the place; some episodes are a breath of fresh air in our post-fact-based social climate, but others seem to be rebuttals to misconceptions nobody actually has. Cases in point: one episode this season was called "Adam Ruins Conspiracy Theories," and dove right into all the reasons it's absurd and irrational to believe the moon landing was faked, but also touched on the psychology of why it's so tempting to believe in conspiracy theories even against our better judgment. But then the next episode began with a segment about how detox treatments are a giant scam with no basis in science. Doesn't everyone know this already? Who are the straw men whose minds Adam is changing, here?
I realize that common sense isn't as common as a lot of us like to believe, and I really don't want to sound like I'm taking a smarter-than-thou approach to this show. (I've watched two seasons of it! I like being informed!) But after 42 episodes, it's clear Adam is starting to reach a little bit in order to ruin things.
Tough to say whether or not I'll be back for a third season of this. I'm really trying to cut back on my TV in 2018, and there's no reason I can't let episodes build up on the DVR and then pick and choose the ones that sound interesting, rather than making this appointment viewing. But then, if I clearly don't care all that much about the show, what loyalty do I owe it?
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