Can Netflix’s ‘Maniac’ Get Me To Finally Like Jonah Hill?

I have high expectations for Netflix’s Maniac. First of all, each sneak peek of the show teases a story rich with wit, romance, and pathos. The series is also set to mark visionary director Cary Joji Fukunaga‘s first foray back into TV since True Detective Season 1, which means it’s gonna be visually dazzling. And on a lighter note, I’m a huge fan of stars Emma Stone, Sonoya Mizuno, and Sally Field, and I’m giddy to see them all working together on the small screen.

But if I have one big, bad, secret hope for Netflix’s Maniac, it’s this: I hope it finally sells me on Jonah Hill.

Look, we all have what I call “taste blind spots.” It’s the strange phenomenon that occurs when pop culture decides something is great, and you’re like, “eh, really?” Consider the moment in Parks and Recreation where everyone, including Ron Swanson, goes hog wild over Pawnee’s beloved miniature horse Li’l Sebastian. Newcomer Ben Wyatt is dumbfounded by the horse’s appeal. “I don’t get it…at all,” he later complains to the confessional camera. That sitcom moment perfectly encapsulates how I feel about Jonah Hill’s enduring pop cultural dominance, movie star standing, and two Oscar nominations: “I don’t get it…at all.”

Before I go any further, I want to be clear about something: I don’t hate Jonah Hill. I don’t know him personally, so I can’t speak to his character, but I presume he’s a nice enough man. I don’t even think he’s a bad actor! I just think he’s just okay. He has done a serviceable job in every performance of his I’ve seen, but I’ve never been dazzled by his talents. So I wouldn’t say I dislike Hill, but I am extremely indifferent to him. The issue is everyone else seems to think he’s a really awesome, amazing, compelling deal.

My ambivalence about his talents has left me with a frustrating sense of anomie. What are my peers seeing that I don’t? Is he really an overflowing font of irresistible charisma? In what way did his performance in Moneyball signal the apex of acting? And how is he tied with Gary Oldman for lifetime acting Oscar nominations??? (Oldman eventually won an Oscar this past year, but for a few years there, Jonah Hill had more nods from the Academy than the guy who gave us Sid Vicious, Lee Harvey Oswald, and Bram Stoker’s Dracula?? I AM VERY UPSET ABOUT THIS. ASK MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY.)

So I’m looking to Maniac for some enlightenment. I want this show to give Jonah Hill the platform to dazzle me. (Yes, just me! No one else must be able to enjoy his performance!) Fukunaga’s new Netflix series seems tailor-made to suit this purpose. I’m already hooked on the concept. Hill plays Owen Milgrim, a poor little rich boy-type character who has struggled through life as the younger son in a wealthy family. Owen’s not sure if he has schizophrenia, but he’s hoping this new trial will help cure him. During the trial he meets Annie Landsberg (Emma Stone), another trial patient there to conquer her depression. Through the trials the two discover they have a unique connection.

Owen Milgrim is a juicy role, full of angst, sorrow, and romance. Hill should hopefully be able to do a lot with it. I’m hoping I can relate to Owen’s sense of helplessness and that his romance with Annie is as wonderfully winsome as the trailers suggest it might be. Most of all, I’m hoping that I walk away from Maniac “getting” Jonah Hill. I’m rooting for the guy. I want to see what everyone else sees!

Taste is a glorious, frustrating thing. It’s unique to all of us and it defines something of our personalities. But sometimes it gets in the way of appreciating something to its fullest. Right now, I really struggle to get behind Jonah Hill’s work because there’s something blocking me. It’s not his fault, it’s mine. And just like Owen and Annie want to believe that their journey in Maniac will lend them some sort of breakthrough, I’m hoping the show leads me to a place where I can be a Jonah Hill fan. Or at the very least, a Jonah Hill admirer.

Maniac premieres on Netflix on September 21, 2018.

Watch Maniac on Netflix