The Billy on the Street formula is simple and charming: Exuberant host Billy Eichner accosts strangers on the sidewalks of New York, asks them absurd questions about pop culture, and yells at them if they answer incorrectly. This week’s episode features a twist on that template—in this segment, Eichner’s macho alter ego “Big Bill” accosts strangers on the sidewalks of New York, asks them absurd questions about pop culture, and yells at them if they answer incorrectly.
Actor Jason Sudeikis guest stars as Eichner’s right-hand man in his band of merry hooligans, but, as always, Eichner barely lets anyone else get a word in edgewise. Eichner does a fantastic impression of the deep, monotonous vocal pattern that afflicts so many bros, but his parody is more than skin deep: With questions like “True or false: Masculinity is a prison,” a long discussion about the importance of Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ television career, and a tailgate party for the Broadway musical Wicked, Billy on the Street reimagines machismo as a benign roleplay that anyone can enjoy.
