But the brilliance of this show is not to necessarily hyper-fixate on Jerrod in any self-aggrandizing way. Carmichael uses this meta-styled documentary to address universal conflicts that come with being gay and colored in America.
Simply put - I don't even like Jerrod or care about his life - but to get this unique of a perspective into gay black culture has not been executed anywhere else on this level. Even if this was 100% fictional, it's still an incredible experience.
Other topics such as infidelity and religious intolerance are brought up as well, but it doesn't always resolve itself as Carmichael acknowledges that he doesn't have the solutions.
Carmichael knew that he could use his public image to therapeutically extend and relate to many viewers. I can certainly see this show helping people struggling with addiction, family issues, identity issues, etc. (Personally, having left the Pentecostal church due to its homophobia, the episodes of Jerrod with religion hit very close to home.)
And massive props to the editing and production team linking all of these episodes so richly. Even if scenes from this are staged, it's still incredibly impressive.
Highly recommend to watch if you're a minority or wanting to see something so original come out of the Black/LGBTQ+ community.