Summary
Netflix’s comedy show Tires has caused a stir because of its “anti-woke” stance, which appeals to people who like their jokes unfiltered.
The show’s author, Shane Gillis, got in trouble for making controversial comments, but his edgy, funny style helped him become popular in the end.
Fans of Gillis and “pre-woke” comedy have welcomed Tires for its unapologetic humor and honesty, even though he is in the middle of a scandal.
Tires, a sitcom about a new auto repair shop, is currently at the top of Netflix’s trending charts, which may surprise people who don’t know much about the show’s past, especially those who don’t know how fans feel about stand-up comedian Shane Gillis. That being said, Tires is more than just a new comedy show on a popular streaming service that brings back “pre-woke” humor for many.
To understand why the show is called “anti-woke,” it’s helpful to look at Shane Gillis’s career and how many people support his work. For example, Tires gets a lot of praise for what it stands for, not just what it shows. Tires was a big hit on Netflix, and this is why many people have praised it as the “pre-woke” comedy people have been waiting for.
How Shane Gillis’s Career Got Messy
Shane Gillis, who created Tires, has had one of the more interesting careers of many comics today. After comments from Shane Gillis’s show “Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast” were widely shared, he was taken off the list of people who were going to be on Saturday Night Live. These comments could have been seen as racist or homophobic. For Gillis fans, these were meant to intentionally make fun of the comedian and didn’t take into account the fact that they were just an extension of his comedic style and not a reflection of his real views. No matter what, Gillis was fired from Saturday Night Live in September 2019, just a few days after being added to the show’s 45th season cast list.
The effects of his firing can be seen on social media and in a lot of podcasts with other comics. The first statement brought up the tired arguments about “cancel culture” vs. “accountability culture” and the ongoing debate about free speech in the comedy world. It would be pointless to read through months of online debate, especially since many people are set in their ways of thinking about what happened. Even though Shane Gillis said he was very stressed and unhappy during that time in his life (which he talked more about in an interview with fellow comedian Theo-Von), the results clearly went in his favor.
In a way that is similar to how social discourse frames an event, Gillis had more success as a comic than he might have had he gotten the job at SNL. Many comedy fans became even more interested in his work after he was fired, especially those who strongly believe in free speech in stand-up and are strongly against “cancel culture.”
Gillis put out his first stand-up special, “Shane Gillis Live in Austin,” on YouTube in 2021. As of 2024, it had over 27 million views on his famous Gilley and Keeves YouTube Channel, which has over 800k subscribers. His second Netflix special, Shane Gillis: Beautiful Dogs, blew away the top 10 lists on Netflix. He is also still in high demand as a radio host. Besides that, he still hosts “Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast,” where the original words from the campaign to get him fired from SNL were used.
Shane Gillis will always bring some criticism to his projects, because the internet doesn’t forget when it sees someone breaking a social rule, and the “woke” vs. “cancel” vs. “accountability” debate will probably never end. But Gillis’s most recent project for Netflix, Tires, will definitely have a lot of people who are “anit-woke,” either because that’s how they first heard of the comic or because they want to watch content that doesn’t seem to be affected by censorship or interference.
Tires is the “pre-wake” comedy that fans have been waiting for.
Tires isn’t really the best example of a pre-woke comedy, but Netflix’s work with other controversial stand-ups, like Bill Burr on both his animated show F is For Family and his directorial debut on Shane Gillis’s show Old Dads, does satisfy your need for unfiltered comedy. Notably, the pilot for “Tires, etc.” came out the same year that Gillis was “canceled” from SNL for his comments. The video has since been taken down in preparation for the show. At that time, the pilot did well, but fans thought it was impossible that it would be turned into a show while Gillis was being criticized, let alone on the biggest streaming platform.
For people who found Shane Gillis during the reaction against him being fired from SNL, seeing his work from the same year shows the kind of “pre-woke” comedy that is still around but isn’t always welcome on all platforms. The show doesn’t try to hide its bad language, and it really feels like it’s showing “shoptalk” between friends and coworkers in a place where inappropriate humor is normal. No matter how some viewers feel about that method, it brings back memories for those who liked the less-restrained comedy of the past. Adding other comics with similar stand-up views, like Steve Gerben, Andrew Schulz, Stavros Halkias, Kilah Fox, Chris O’Connor, and others, also shows that many live comedy and podcast fans are open to “pre-woke” comedy again.
Even though Gillis had a rough road to the top of his job, Tires makes many of his fans feel like he deserves to stay popular, especially since SNL viewers are going down (numbers from The Post), but they brought him back to host on February 24, 2024. Tires has been in the works for a long time, so Gillis and his crew probably wouldn’t go so far as to call it “pre-woke.” Also, Gillis never really said he was canceled because it helped his career, not hurt it. But the show’s popularity has definitely appealed to people who believe in the “cancel culture” story. Even so, a lot of Gillis fans know it’s not really about being “anti-woke” and more about personal taste. The more controversial posts on social media on both sides of the Gillis split often drown out the more moderate ones.
Could you tell me more about Tires and where I can watch it?
The term “pre-woke” will either make you roll your eyes or make you eager for a return to more raunchy and rude humor, depending on how you define “woke.” People who don’t care much about the culture war over the word and are just looking for some funny entertainment should watch the show and make up their own minds. No matter what, Gillis is a talented actor who will likely become even more well-known as his work with Netflix continues to go well. You can watch Tires on Netflix.