Rainn Wilson and the Geography of Bliss

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Rainn Wilson and the Geography of Bliss
GenreTravel documentary
Created byCasey Scharf
Based onThe Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World by Eric Weiner
Directed byNiharika Desai
Presented byRainn Wilson
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes5
Production
Executive producersMelissa Wood, Casey Scharf, Evan Rosenfeld, Jen Isaacson, Dave Sirulnick, Jon Kamen
CinematographyCarrie Cheek, Kyle Marchant
Production companiesPanama Hat, RadicalMedia, Dukes Up, Imperial Mammoth
Original release
NetworkPeacock
ReleaseMay 18, 2023 (2023-05-18)

Rainn Wilson and the Geography of Bliss is an American comedy documentary series that premiered on NBC's Peacock in May 2023[1] and on MSNBC in July 2023.[2]

The series follows actor and comedian Rainn Wilson as he travels the world in search of the science and psychology of what makes some places happier than others.

The series was created and written by Casey Scharf and is based upon Eric Weiner's New York Times Best Selling book The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World.[3]

Episodes[edit]

The first season consists of five, one-hour episodes.

  • "Iceland: Happiness Is A Bottle of Cod Liver Oil"
  • "Bulgaria: Happiness Is A Stranger's Shower"
  • "Ghana: Happiness Is A Condom Box Burial"
  • "Thailand: Happiness Is Quieting Your @#$%^&* Mind"
  • "Los Angeles: Happiness Is A Piñata Full of Rodents"

Reception[edit]

Critical response[edit]

The series has a 100% rating on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes,[4] with Fletcher Peters of The Daily Beast writing "Out of all the travel shows I’ve watched (besides Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown), this is the most intriguing concept of the bunch."[5]

Accolades[edit]

In 2023, the series was nominated for a Critics' Choice Television Award[6] and a Realscreen Award.[7]

In 2024, the show's director, Niharika Desai, won the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Reality Programs for the series' premiere episode.[8]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "'The Office' star Rainn Wilson crisscrosses the globe in search of inner bliss for TV series". Associated Press News. 17 May 2023.
  2. ^ "'Rainn Wilson and the Geography of Bliss' MSNBC Trailer". MSNBC.
  3. ^ "'Rainn Wilson & the Geography of Bliss' Docuseries Travels to Peacock". 5 May 2022.
  4. ^ "Rainn Wilson and the Geography of Bliss: Season 1 | Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes.
  5. ^ Peters, Fletcher (20 May 2023). "Rainn Wilson's Travel Show is Sweeter Than It Has Any Right to be". The Daily Beast.
  6. ^ "WINNERS ANNOUNCED FOR THE FIFTH ANNUAL CRITICS CHOICE REAL TV AWARDS – Critics Choice Awards".
  7. ^ "Realscreen Awards ★ 2024 Winners & Nominees ★".
  8. ^ "DGA Awards: Christopher Nolan, Celine Song, 'The Last of Us' & 'SNL' Among Big Winners – Full List". 11 February 2024.