Zach Galifianakis’ new Netflix series This Is a Gardening Show premieres April 22, blending his signature deadpan humor with earnest lessons in horticulture filmed across British Columbia’s Vancouver Island and Gulf Islands.
The six-part documentary reality series, each episode running 15 to 17 minutes, finds the comedian interviewing farmers, plant experts and children aged five to seven about topics ranging from foraging to compost. Galifianakis frames the project not as escapism but as necessary preparation: working in the soil can be great for your soul, and agrarian practices are something we’ll need if we expect humanity to survive amid climate change.
Shot primarily in the Comox Valley area during 2025, the production used Brooklyn Elementary School as a base for interactions with local students, although also filming on private farms and in Denman Island’s natural reserves. Galifianakis has owned property in British Columbia for over two decades, initially moving there after the birth of his first son with wife Quinn Lundberg, who is Canadian.
The comedian describes his approach as oscillating between philosophical and practical, joking and serious — a tone that extends from his personal gardening hobby of 25 years to the show’s structure. He insists involving children is essential: “To talk about gardening without children involved kind of defeats the purpose,” noting the series aims to pass agricultural knowledge to the next generation.
Director Brook Linder told Deadline the production often felt like Galifianakis’ excuse to connect with other gardeners, recalling moments where “you will see a grown man honestly gasp when shown the proper way to plant a seed.” The series avoids doom-and-gloom framing despite its undertones of societal fragility, instead presenting as a cozy comedy where Galifianakis plays the fool while revealing genuine delight in seemingly simple discoveries.
Each episode centers on a single theme — apples, tomatoes, foraging, root vegetables, corn and compost — featuring experts alongside the comedian’s self-effacing humor and gentle exchanges with kids, including a notable exchange with a five-and-a-half-year-old who insisted he has 11 children of his own. Galifianakis never talks down to the children, appearing genuinely interested in their answers and ideas.
The show’s brevity — under two hours total runtime — contrasts with its ambitious subtext: linking sustainability and connection to nature through intergenerational dialogue. While Galifianakis is known for provocative roles in films like The Hangover and his satirical Between Two Ferns series, this project reveals a quieter, sustained curiosity about the land that has long surrounded his private life in Canada.
Galifianakis frames the move to British Columbia as simple and fortuitous: holding his newborn son eating grapes off a vine prompted his wife’s suggestion to relocate, to which he replied “Yep.” He describes the province as “a bit more sane, to say the least” compared to other potential homes.
The series arrives as Netflix continues to invest in unscripted content with educational undertones, though This Is a Gardening Show distinguishes itself through its compressed format and host’s personal investment in the subject matter beyond performative interest.
How long is each episode of This Is a Gardening Show?
Each episode runs approximately 15 to 17 minutes, with six episodes totaling under two hours of runtime.
Where was This Is a Gardening Show filmed?
Filming took place primarily on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands in British Columbia, including locations near Mount Washington, Comox Valley’s Brooklyn Elementary School, private farms and gardens, and Denman Island in the Northern Gulf Islands.
Why did Zach Galifianakis create a gardening show?
Galifianakis created the series to pass agricultural information to the next generation and start a conversation about climate change challenges, stating gardening knowledge “should never be just for vintage people like me. This is something they should know right away.”
