Gelman’s construction of his family contains a deeply abusive, sociopathic father that pushes Gelman and his mother to become closer—eventually romantically so. As Gelman’s real father gets increasingly uncomfortable, you can’t help but wonder if maybe Gelman’s play isn’t all fabricated and maybe there’s truth to this fiction after all. With these specials, you never really know, which manages to keep the suspense high. The revelation that all of this is in fact true is both astonishing but also totally expected, as this universe created is often shown to be the darkest one possible. This once again becomes about confronting trauma and trying to move on. All of these specials are somehow meant to be—and are, to an extent—perverted tools designed for growth.

The first special is more about controlling others and making strangers confront personal truths, realizing what they are at their core. This one however is all about a de-construction of the American family, showing how something seemingly perfect can be just as dark and twisted as any Hollywood celebrity’s hidden secret. The fact that Gelman makes it something that involves himself this time causes it to be even more personal and affecting.

Gelman and Woliner’s latest special, Brett Gelman’s Dinner in America, continues with many of the same themes and stylistic devices brought up in the first two installments, while still managing to shake up the status quo. The format still revolves around Brett and a number of guests congregating for dinner as cameras chronicle their dissection of a particular social more.

“We never set out to do anything that was just shocking or dark,” Woliner tells Den of Geek. “It’s really just what makes us laugh. We did the first one, which was essentially just Dinner for Five, which comes with psychological horror. Then we tried to do something different with the second one, but it still kind of follows the same general arc—it’s set up as a TV taping that becomes a nightmare.”

Then, with the release of Dinner in America, he adds, “And we felt like it would only be worth doing a third one if we could turn that on its head or figure out a new wrinkle, or do something new with that format.”