Is Netflix's Tires Actually Worth Watching?

Summary

• On May 24, the comedy series Tires was added to the Netflix library.
• Its co-creator is the controversial stand-up comedian Shane Gillis.
• Nevertheless, the series has been praised for its humor, although it will not appeal to everyone.

The beauty of streaming services is that their libraries are so vast and varied that sooner or later you are bound to stumble across a hidden gem that will satisfy even the pickiest of viewers.

One of these hidden gems is the comedy series Tires, which was released on Netflix a few weeks ago — probably one of the best options if you are looking for something lighthearted to binge on (or even as background entertainment). However, despite being one of the top regional releases on the streaming platform, it hasn't received the media coverage it deserves.

Let's get to the bottom of what this new show on Netflix is all about and whether it's worth a look.

Shane Gillis' New Project

If you're familiar with the world of stand-up comedy, you've probably heard the name Shane Gillis, a very outspoken and sharp-tongued comedian who seems to have earned the hatred of everyone from red states to — which has caused quite a stir on Saturday Night Live — vulnerable social groups.

His career extended to television, appearing on the show Bupkis with Pete Davidson and being invited back to SNL after a slur scandal and subsequent firing. Now, on May 24, 2024, Gillis' own Netflix series, Tires, which he created with his longtime collaborators, filmmakers John McKeever and Steve Gerben, has been released.

Tires is a straightforward comedy series that follows Will (Gerben), the not-so-successful heir to an auto repair business, Valley Forge Automotive Center. He tries to revive the family enterprise, but it's not so easy when your employee is your annoying cousin Shane (Gillis), who is incredibly happy when Will's life turns into sheer torture.

Have No Regard for Critics' Scores!

Or have one. The problem is that many critics were quite biased against the new series due to Gillis' past transgressions. As a result, the critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes is a measly 43%, while the audience score, on the contrary, is an impressive 87%. Moreover, if we turn to IMDb, for example, the new series has a rating of 7.4 out of 10, and user ratings range from one to eight, which is generally more indicative of how the audience perceived the series.

All in all, it all depends on how much you like or dislike the humor of Shane Gillis, Steve Gerben and John McKeever and the comedians who share the stage with them. In a nutshell, it's the 'it's just a joke, bro' approach: a somewhat infantile, somewhat retrograde, and incredibly millennial kind of humor.

And yet, you don't have to worry about the jokes in Tires being too unhinged and problematic — in this case, Gillis and co have decided to tone it down a bit, and therefore the humor is not that offensive (for comparison, the cult sitcom The Office had a lot more extreme jokes). However, this is still Gillis bringing his politically incorrect humor to the wageworker setting, so see for yourself if you like this kind of series at all.

In terms of format, the first season consists of only six 20-30 minute episodes, and this proves to be both an advantage and a disadvantage of Tires. On the one hand, it's a light and entertaining show that only takes about two hours — perfect for binge-watching. On the other hand, it's obvious that Gillis, McKeever and Gerben are just treading water, and the show hasn't had the time or resources to fully blossom. But we have Season 2 ahead of us, as Netflix announced the other day, so there's more to come!