# Very Important People (2023 TV series)

Very Important People is an American improvisational comedy talk show hosted by Vic Michaelis. The show features comedians being placed in extensive makeup and costumes, then participating in an in-character interview with Michaelis. The series premiered on Dropout in December 2023, and is currently in its second season.

## Format

The opening sequence of each episode features one or two comedians having extensive makeup and prosthetics applied to them by the makeup team, along with accompanying costume pieces, to alter their appearance; the comedians are not aware in advance what they are being turned into, and are prevented from seeing themselves before the process is complete. Once preparations are finished, the comedians are allowed to see themselves in the mirror for the first time, and they are given a few minutes to improvise a character based on their new look. Similarly, Michaelis is not given any details of these characters beforehand beyond their name and appearance.
When the episode begins, the comedians join Michaelis on the main talk show set, where they introduce themselves in character. The episode then proceeds with Michaelis, playing a heightened fictionalized version of themself, interviewing the characters, asking them questions about themselves and the reasons they have been brought on the show. Interviews will frequently be broken up by segments in which props are brought onto the set, prompting the characters to explain how the object relates to them; the interview may also cut away to photos or footage of the characters, which are shot on a green screen after the episode and added in post production. During interviews, Michaelis often alludes to their own fictionalized backstory and personal life, forming a loose narrative arc through the series; frequent mention is made of Michaelis's strained relationship with Bianca (played by Talia Tabin), their adult step-daughter who also works on the show. The final segment of each episode features Michaelis asking the characters a series of rapid-fire questions, concluding each time with "What is the meaning of life?"

## Production

Very Important People is a reboot of the 2010 CollegeHumor series Hello, My Name Is..., which featured Pat Cassels interviewing a different guest each episode, all played by Josh Ruben. Michaelis had previously been featured in minor roles on a few prior CollegeHumor productions before appearing as a contestant on Make Some Noise in 2022; their performance on the series led executive producer Sam Reich to cast them as the host for Very Important People.
Michaelis emulated public-access television presenters in their performance, attempting to instill in their host persona a feeling of believing they are destined for larger things and that their presence on the show lends it additional importance. Michaelis and director Tamar Levine sought to incorporate a narrative arc into the series, developing the "host Vic" character through their interactions with the guests. For the second season, the show's reception of a Webby Award was integrated into the narrative, with Michaelis describing the host character's progression as "just them trying to figure out potentially getting some wins in this career sector, while their personal life is really in the toilet. And trying to make it all work at this place that they don’t really want to be, while also still interviewing these characters." While the guests in the first season consisted entirely of comedians who had previously appeared in other Dropout productions, the second season expanded to include other performers from outside of Dropout.
Episodes are released on a biweekly schedule. After each episode airs, a "Last Looks" behind-the-scenes video is released, featuring Levine and makeup department head Alex Perrone explaining the creative decisions and technical process behind creating each guest's appearance.

## Episodes

| Season | Episodes | Episodes | Originally released | Originally released |
| Season | Episodes | Episodes | First released | Last released |
| 1 | 13 | 13 | December 15, 2023 (2023-12-15) | June 7, 2024 (2024-6-7) |
| 2 | 16 | 16 | November 7, 2024 (2024-11-7) | June 5, 2025 (2025-06-05) |

### Season 1 (2023–2024)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Guest(s) | Original release date |
| 1 | 1 | "Princess Emily" | Anna Garcia | December 15, 2023 (2023-12-15) |
| Vic interviews a European pop star attempting to achieve solo stardom in America after the arrest of her bandmates. |||||
| 2 | 2 | "Denzel" | Ify Nwadiwe | December 29, 2023 (2023-12-29) |
| Vic interviews an extraterrestrial who claims he has come to repopulate the planet while secretly living in Vic's guest house. |||||
| 3 | 3 | "Vic's Ex-Step-Grandmother" | Lisa Gilroy | January 12, 2024 (2024-1-12) |
| Vic interviews their Nana, their grandfather's irritable ex-wife, who is quick to demean them and tell insulting stories about their childhood. |||||
| 4 | 4 | "Marionette Conqui and Zonton de la Doll" | Kimia Behpoornia and Jacob Wysocki | January 26, 2024 (2024-1-26) |
| Vic interviews two French porcelain dolls that have come to life, whose search for their original owner has gone viral on social media. |||||
| 5 | 5 | "Kepl and Dr. Milk" | Josh Ruben | February 9, 2024 (2024-2-9) |
| Vic interviews an obnoxious ventriloquist who is jealous at the success of his more charismatic puppet. |||||
| 6 | 6 | "Tommy Shriggly" | Zac Oyama | February 23, 2024 (2024-2-23) |
| Vic interviews a mental health advocate who turned his life around after being dishonorably discharged for murdering his military platoon. |||||
| 7 | 7 | "Professor Avery Goodman" | Brian David Gilbert | March 8, 2024 (2024-3-8) |
| Vic interviews a transhumanist scientist who is running for mayor on a platform of eliminating free will through mind control. |||||
| 8 | 8 | "Jasper and Casper" | Oscar Montoya and Jiavani | March 22, 2024 (2024-3-22) |
| Vic interviews a pair of married authors who are promoting their book about "Sex, the British Way", which involves no physical contact. |||||
| 9 | 9 | "Leighanna-Jean Gruthers" | Isabella Roland | April 5, 2024 (2024-4-5) |
| Vic interviews a beauty pageant queen from Florida who has been lying about her age to remain eligible for children's competitions. |||||
| 10 | 10 | "Pig #2" | Ally Beardsley | April 19, 2024 (2024-4-19) |
| Vic interviews one of the Three Little Pigs, whose mother's death from being trampled by the Big Bad Wolf has driven them to vigilantism. |||||
| 11 | 11 | "Martha Tops and Lucian Azathoth" | Rashawn Nadine Scott and Ross Bryant | May 3, 2024 (2024-5-3) |
| Vic interviews a pair of Satanist youth ministers seeking to spread the word of their dark lord to children. |||||
| 12 | 12 | "Augbert" | Brennan Lee Mulligan | May 17, 2024 (2024-5-17) |
| Vic interviews a strange man claiming to be "from the woods", who has infiltrated their dreams to warn them about the future. |||||
| 13 | 13 | "Very Important Bonus Content" | Various | June 7, 2024 (2024-6-7) |
| A compilation of outtakes and scenes that were cut for time from the first season. |||||

### Season 2 (2024–2025)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Guest(s) | Original release date |
| 14 | 1 | "Zeke Aaron McKinley" | Anna Garcia | November 7, 2024 (2024-11-07) |
| Vic interviews a fourth-grader who was transformed by a genie's wish into a creature made of rocks. |||||
| 15 | 2 | "Hayes Steele" | Jacob Wysocki | November 21, 2024 (2024-11-21) |
| Vic interviews Dropout's new owner, a former reality show winner who reinvented himself and became a nouveau riche "almost" billionaire. |||||
| 16 | 3 | "Jukebox" | Chris Redd | December 5, 2024 (2024-12-5) |
| Vic interviews an intergalactic warrior, who has traveled back in time 2000 years to warn humanity of a coming millenia-long war. |||||
| 17 | 4 | "Fourth Witch" | Kimia Behpoornia | December 19, 2024 (2024-12-19) |
| Vic interviews the fourth member of Macbeth's Wayward Sisters, who was ostracized by her family for her love of prop comedy. |||||
| 18 | 5 | "Barbara and Bill" | John Early and Kate Berlant | January 2, 2025 (2025-1-2) |
| Vic interviews a married pair of undead former megachurch owners, who are attempting to launch a soup business after a number of scandals. |||||
| 19 | 6 | "Ta'Tania Jackson" | Danielle Pinnock | January 16, 2025 (2025-1-16) |
| Vic interviews a dominatrix fairy from Brooklyn, who teaches them how they utilize magic in their profession. |||||
| 20 | 7 | "Phoenix" | Zac Oyama | January 30, 2025 (2025-1-30) |
| Vic interviews the spirit of a dead bassist, who uses a series of strange letters to coerce Vic into making him their co-host. |||||
| 21 | 8 | "David Hoyle Jr." | Paul F. Tompkins | February 13, 2025 (2025-2-13) |
| Vic interviews a giant nocturnal "midnight louse" attempting to overcome his species' fear of the sun. |||||
| 22 | 9 | "Steffi Pops" | Corin Wells | February 27, 2025 (2025-2-27) |
| Vic reunites with their haunted childhood doll, who bears a grudge against them for getting rid of her as a child. |||||
| 23 | 10 | "Dan Wesley Sharron" | Bobby Moynihan | March 13, 2025 (2025-3-13) |
| Vic interviews a Chili's delivery driver who has been frozen in ice since 1986, and attempts to help him recover his memories. |||||

## Reception

Very Important People was the People's Voice Winner in the video comedy category at the 2024 Webby Awards. Natalie Allton of The Observer praised the show, claiming "You'd be hard-pressed to find a show so delightful throughout, from concept to cast to creation to product." Benjamin Lassy of The Daily Campus gave the second season premiere a 4.1/5 rating, commenting that it "keeps the magic alive from the first season." Polygon ranked Very Important People 45th on their list of the 50 best shows of 2024.