Nirvanna the Band the Show is a Canadian mockumentary sitcom television series created by Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol, who co-star as fictionalized versions of themselves. The show is adapted from the web series Nirvana the Band the Show, which was independently produced and released online by Johnson and McCarrol between 2007 and 2009.
It premiered in February 2017 and aired on Viceland for two seasons. A third season was partially produced but remains unaired. A feature film, Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie, premiered at SXSW on March 9, 2025. Following the shuttering of Viceland, distribution rights to the series were picked up by Neon, who released the film theatrically on February 13, 2026. The series began streaming on Hulu on July 24, 2026.
Contents
Premise
The show is about lifelong best friends Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol, who live together in their home city of Toronto. Together they form "Nirvanna the Band", whose act consists of Jay improvising on piano while Matt does spoken word performances. They engage in a series of complex "plans" intended to land them a gig at the Rivoli, usually involving publicity stunts around Toronto. This is despite the fact that Nirvanna the Band has never actually written or recorded a single song, nor taken any steps to contact the Rivoli's management except for a botched phone call in the first episode.
The show consists of scripted scenes as well as improvisation and candid camera footage of bystanders. Matt and Jay often directly address their cameramen, Jared and Andrew. The show's sense of humor often skews metafictional, and some episodes have plots that coincide directly with events in real life. In the fifth episode, "The Big Time", Matt and Jay's plan involves making a film and sneaking it into Sundance; much of the footage was shot at the actual 2016 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Matt Johnson's real life movie Operation Avalanche. In the same episode, a woman intrudes on a scripted conversation between Matt and Kevin Smith (appearing as himself) and offers Matt alcohol. This inspired a plot element in which Matt's character tries alcohol for the first time and overindulges.
Many episodes include homages to popular culture. Johnson has described the fictional Matt and Jay as being "perpetually stuck in the '90s", and they are often seen playing Nintendo 64 games. In the tenth episode, Matt is intermittently seen watching Mrs. Doubtfire, and he plans multiple separate schemes based on scenes from the movie which he assumes will work in real life. The title sequence, which changes each episode, usually imitates the opening titles of another well-known film or show.
Cast and characters
Matt
Portrayed by Matt Johnson. Matt is the frontman of Nirvanna the Band, although he does not sing or play any instruments. Matt is very confident, but generally immature and awkward in social situations. He lives in a Queen Street house with Jay and spends his time devising "plans" to get their band a show at the Rivoli. Matt almost always wears a tan suit jacket and trilby.
Jay
Portrayed by Jay McCarrol. Jay is a talented pianist who is Matt's childhood best friend and roommate. Unlike Matt, he is calm, polite, and insecure; in flashbacks, he often remembers himself as more emotional and harsh than he really was. He tends to naïvely trust Matt and go along with his plans despite his better judgement. A recurring theme of the show is Jay's genuine musical talent being held back by Matt; in "The Buffet", Jay prepares to quit Nirvanna the Band, but is manipulated by Matt into staying.
Cinematographers
Jared Raab as Jared (non-speaking role, camera operator)
Andrew Appelle as Andrew (non-speaking role, camera operator)
Production
Johnson and McCarrol started development of the characters while in high school in Mississauga. Johnson said the characters are influenced by his and McCarrol's real personalities and experiences growing up as best friends in Toronto.
Created as a web series between 2007 and 2009, it was later expanded into a full television series and aired on Viceland. The spelling was changed from Nirvana to Nirvanna at the recommendation of a lawyer.
The series premiered on 2 February 2017, and aired for two seasons until 8 February 2018. Three episodes were also screened at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival as part of its Primetime program of television projects. The series was originally announced in 2016 as slated to air on City, but was later shifted to Viceland with City airing only the first episode as a preview special. The second season has not been picked up for broadcast outside of Canada, however was previously available for streaming in Australia via SBS On Demand, and in the United Kingdom via Channel 4's on demand service, along with other Viceland shows.
A third season was filmed and partially edited but never released, as Viceland Canada shut down as a network before the season could be finished. Zapruder Films purchased the rights to the show, and intend to finish and release the third season when they are finished with the feature film.
In August 2019, CBC Television officially acquired Nirvanna the Band the Show from Viceland and began airing the series, alongside streaming on CBC Gem.
In July 2026, it was announced that the series would begin streaming on Hulu in the U.S. on 24 July 2026, and on Disney+ in Canada on 7 August 2026.
Episodes
Critical reception
The series has received mostly positive reviews. Jake Howell of The Globe and Mail praised the show, commenting "Bickering like a married couple, Matt and Jay's constant back-and-forth enabling, backstabbing and belittling of each other has thus far made for great television."
Film
In April 2023, Johnson announced that his next film project would be a film based on the series. Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie began principal photography in 2023, and premiered at SXSW on March 9, 2025. It was subsequently released theatrically in Canada and the United States on February 13, 2026.
Online video collaborations
In September 2023, and again in September 2024, Matt and Jay appeared in special shorts for 64X, an online event run by comedy troupe Mega64. The event was based on a fictional convention called 64X, for which Matt and Jay are supposed to "do the voices"; the shorts consist of Matt recording loudspeaker announcements for the faux convention with piano accompaniment from Jay. Johnson has said that the style of Mega64's early videos inspired the format of Nirvanna the Band the Show.
Following the release of Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie, the duo collaborated with YouTuber Joel Haver in a video called "Nirvanna the Band Tries to Get an Animation Made".