38 Years Later, This HBO Show Is Still One of the Wildest Mockumentaries You've Never Seen

Even before The Sopranos and Sex and the City, HBO was a breeding ground for great series. In 1988, the network released the experimental series Tanner '88, which blurred the lines between fiction and reality.

Technically, it's a mockumentary, but it's one of those narrow categories where the experiment truly gets out of hand. Director Robert Altman and satirist Garry Trudeau created the presidential campaign of a fictional Democratic candidate.

The twist is that it all takes place against the backdrop of the real 1988 election, so the fake character meets with real politicians and participates in real campaign events.

What Is 'Tanner '88' About?

Former congressman Jack Tanner entered the race for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1988. Initially, his campaign seems almost invisible, but a heartfelt speech that is accidentally filmed transforms Tanner into a candidate who is the talk of the town.

Across the country, he is followed by staffers, journalists, volunteers, and his daughter, Alexandra, who witness politics becoming increasingly a spectacle for the cameras.

Tanner tries to maintain his integrity and authenticity, but the closer he gets to the election, the more he realizes that he needs to appear convincing as well as be genuine.

'Tanner '88' Is a Brilliant Experiment at the Intersection of Reality and Fiction

Robert Altman, one of the greatest American filmmakers, and Garry Trudeau, the first cartoonist to win a Pulitzer Prize, made an ahead-of-its-time series.

They created their own presidential candidate and traced his path to the White House, presenting it all as a television report.

The series was made for the real election, which Bush Sr. won, and it is somewhat dated due to its topicality. However, it is precisely this connection to real events that makes Tanner '88 unique.

Altman and Trudeau don't merely satirize the political system, they depict it from the inside, revealing what's usually hidden behind the scenes: endless meetings, arguments, humiliations, and small victories.

Tanner '88 masterfully blends documentary authenticity with political satire. Viewers see the chaos of campaign headquarters from the inside and, most importantly, how the system crushes ideals.

Elections turn into spectacles where the only goal is to impress voters, and even the most sincere politicians gradually transform into carefully edited images.

What Did Critics & Viewers Think of 'Tanner '88'?

• Tanner '88 has 89% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.

• On IMDb, the series has a score of 7.8/10.

Where to Watch 'Tanner '88'?

Tanner '88 is available to stream on The Criterion Channel.