Netflix fans consider ‘hilarious’ true crime mockumentary series a ‘criminally underrated masterpiece’ that’s ‘too good for this world’: ‘I can’t recommend it highly enough’

Netflix fans have taken to social media to praise a “funny and clever” mockumentary series as an “underrated gem” five years after it aired.

American Vandal was created as a parody of true crime documentaries such as Making A Murderer and Serial, which have seen a surge in recent years.

The show follows two students Sam Ecklund and Peter Maldonad, who investigate a prank at their school where someone has spray-painted phallic images on the teachers’ cars.

The school expels student Dylan Maxwell for the crime, but when evidence comes to light that suggests he is innocent, Sam and Peter begin delving into the mystery to discover the real perpetrator.

In the second season, Sam and Peter investigate a series of pranks at a Catholic high school, where a mysterious person is spiking the cafeteria’s lemonade with laxatives.

The series cleverly satirizes the typical trends of classic Netflix documentaries, such as recent hits American Murder: The Family Next Door and American Nightmare, while simultaneously being hilariously funny and truly compelling.

Sam and Peter unravel the details by conducting interviews, conducting experiments, sifting through video footage, delving deep into social media posts, examining text messages and even using Snapchat.

Series one was released in September 2017, the second exactly a year later and both received critical acclaim, with nominations for a Primetime Emmy and Critics’ Choice Television Award.

However, in October 2018, Netflix announced that they would be canceling the series after two seasons.

Viewers recently rewatched the show and recommented it as one of the platform’s ‘top five series’, while online lamenting its cancellation.

One person tweeted, “I’ll never understand why Netflix canceled American Vandal,” while another echoed, “American Vandal needs to come back now.”

A third wrote: ‘Guys remember American Vandal……I miss that show’, while a fourth added: ‘Hey @netflix I miss American Vandal, I wish you would make season 3 please!!! ‘

Someone else praised the series, saying, “I’m rewatching American Vandal and I really think it’s the most accurate portrayal of modern teens out there. It’s crazy how little it’s talked about in the TV canon of the past decade.

While another said: ‘American Vandal on Netflix is ​​a masterpiece. I can’t recommend it highly enough. Great research and story’.

A seventh wrote: ‘Just rewatched American Vandal and I’m still convinced it’s a top 5 show on Netflix. Still fucking gutted, we only have two series.

‘Funny, smart, so beautifully empathetic to teenagers and that time of life. Still impressed by the switch from funny to sad at the end.’

An eighth wrote: “Did a good deed today (convinced someone who has never seen American Vandal to watch American Vandal)” before adding: “Imagine if Serial went all in for a local high school joke’ was enough of a hook, but of course I also added that IT WON A PEABODY!!!’

Another called the series “Netflix’s most criminally underrated movie or show,” while a tenth said, “I can’t believe I watched the entire first season of American Vandal in one sitting, but it had to be done when it was too good was to put down’.

While someone else lamented: ‘American Vandal was too good for this world and we didn’t deserve it’.

It comes after show creators Dan Perrault and Tony Yacenda revealed they are still hopeful of a series three and have even planned the story.

Speak with Entertainment weekly last year Tony said, “We know what our third season would be and where the series would go.

“It’s somewhat evergreen, so we could jump back in when the timing felt right, and when we felt like there was an audience clamoring for it. But the answer is that we do have a plan that we are very excited about.”

Speaking further about the making of American Vandal, Tony said: “The great thing is that we did something that had never been done this way before.

“By using documentary tools and staying as true to the format as we were, it was a little easier to have the confidence to stick to our rules and the rules of our world.

“We knew that even if it didn’t connect, at least it would be cohesive and unique, at least we would be doing something in the comedy world that has never really been done before.

“That was the safety net, and it gave us a little more confidence than we would have if we just did a more traditional, scripted story.”

Dan continued, “But we really didn’t know how people would react to it. It was a really fun ride that people responded to.

“We were making something unusual, but I’m glad we stuck to our guns and tried.” We also thought Vandal would be a much smaller production web series, and I really appreciate our friends at CBS, Funny or Die and 3 Arts who saw it as something bigger.”

Tony added, “And that Netflix would roll the dice. It’s wild that they gave this project the thumbs up. We are eternally grateful.’