CG: I actually have a whole bit about this show called I Survived which is a really horrible show, but I have a whole bit about the commercials that play during that show. You watch it and it’s so horrible and brutal and then the idea of trying to advertise products during that is just a condemnation of capitalism as a whole.

CD: Then they tried their absolute hardest to make it worse and they came up with Naked and Afraid.

CG: What about I Almost Got Away With It? Have you seen that one? It’s just criminals bragging about stuff they pulled off [laughs] — really just total hero worship and no cautionary messages whatsoever.

I was always surprised that the show where they got a bunch of kids on an island with no supervision and had them create their own rules didn’t take off. It was literally a direct effort to create Lord of the Flies and they were successful. It was brutal. Hard to watch. I’m surprised it’s not the most popular show in America.

CD: Do you feel like you need to watch this stuff that’s so far from comedy in order to generate material?

CG: For me, I’m not a joke writer. Even in my standup, I’m a storyteller. The Chris Gethard Show is a lot about just trying to live in front of the camera and let things happen and see our honest reactions to them. For me, I think it would be counterproductive to only live in a world of comedy. It’s part of why I don’t move to L.A. I feel like if I moved to L.A. the goal would be to succeed in the entertainment industry and immerse myself fully in it, but right now, for where I’m at, as far as my creative voice, I need to be experiencing a lot of things and New York City is the best place to see crazy things and sad things and unexpected things all the time.