“The Pete Davidson Show” Netflix Review: A Sober Take on Pete and MGK’s Garage Hang

Pete Davidson’s Netflix “Podcast” Is Worth One Episode. Especially If You’re Sober.

Let me get this out of the way first. Calling The Pete Davidson Show a podcast is like calling a croissant a piece of bread. Technically adjacent, sure. But not the same thing.

A podcast, by definition, is something you can take with you. You can listen to it on a walk, in the car, while pretending to pay attention in a meeting. The Pete Davidson Show lives exclusively on Netflix. You can’t pull it up on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. You can’t pop in your earbuds and go. Yes, you can technically watch Netflix on your phone, but nobody wants to squint at Pete Davidson in a dark garage on a 6-inch screen while navigating the cereal aisle at Target. Even SAG-AFTRA had to step in and figure out whether this thing was a TV show or a podcast before anyone could sign a contract. That alone tells you the format is confusing.

But whatever. Netflix wants to call it a podcast? Fine. Let’s talk about the actual show.

The Garage Vibe Works

Credit where it’s due. The set design is unexpectedly cool. Pete films the show out of his actual garage, and the aesthetic is dark, moody, a little smoky, and intentionally not overproduced. It feels like you’re eavesdropping on a late-night conversation that you probably weren’t invited to. There are no flashy graphics. No rotating stage. No DJ booth. Just two chairs and whatever energy the guests bring. For a guy whose entire brand is “charming disaster,” it works.

In an era where every podcast set looks like it was furnished by the same West Elm catalog, the gritty minimalism of Pete’s garage is actually refreshing.

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The MGK Episode: Where Sobriety Gets Real

Here’s where things get interesting for those of us in long-term recovery.

Pete’s first guest was Machine Gun Kelly (Colson Baker to his friends, and Pete very much calls him Colson). Smart choice. Both men are sober. Both have been open about their mental health battles. And the chemistry between them is the kind you can’t manufacture.

The conversation gets honest fast. They talk about calling each other from different rehab stays over the years, but never overlapping. Pete entered treatment in 2023 and again in 2024. MGK announced his sobriety in 2024. The running joke between them is that they always seem to need treatment at the same time, but one of them is always on the outside ready to take notes for the other.

They also opened up about living with bipolar disorder. MGK pointed out that their manic episodes seem to alternate. When one of them is spiraling, the other is steady enough to pick up the phone. Pete, in classic Pete fashion, responded with a dark joke about their unofficial “suicide pact,” because when you’ve both stared down the worst of it, sometimes the only thing left to do is laugh. They got into suicidal ideation, depression, and the specific kind of fatigue that comes with fighting your own brain chemistry every single day.

As someone with 19+ years of sobriety, I found those moments deeply relatable. Not because of the celebrity factor, but because of the specificity. The phone calls from treatment. The unspoken understanding. The way two people can hold space for each other without turning it into a motivational speech. That part of the episode was relatable and genuinely landed.

They also touched on fatherhood. Pete welcomed his daughter Scottie in December 2025. MGK has two daughters. Both men admitted they never thought they’d live long enough to be parents. That moment carried weight.

But Did It Make Me Want More?

Honestly? Not really.

One episode felt like enough. The Pete and MGK conversation had natural emotional touchpoints because of their shared recovery, but there wasn’t much of a narrative arc beyond “two guys who’ve been through it, hanging out.” And that’s fine for one sitting. But as a series? I’m not sure I need four more episodes of two dudes shooting the breeze just because one of them is naturally funny.

Pete is charming. He’s self-deprecating in a way that disarms you. He’s a good friend, and it shows. But “good hang” doesn’t always translate to compelling, repeatable content. Without a stronger editorial structure or more intentional storytelling, the show risks becoming background noise with A-list guests.

The second episode features Charlamagne Tha God, which could go in a more structured direction. I might peek at that one. But I’m not clearing my Friday nights for this.

The Bigger Picture: Netflix’s Podcast Play

Here’s what’s actually interesting from a media perspective. Netflix is making a massive play for the podcast space, bringing in shows from iHeartMedia, Barstool Sports, Spotify Studios, and The Ringer. The Pete Davidson Show is their first original “video podcast,” and it’s clearly designed to compete with YouTube’s dominance in long-form conversation content.

The question is whether viewers will accept a “podcast” they can only watch in one place. Podcasting has always been defined by portability and platform-agnosticism. Taking that away feels like it fundamentally changes the product. When you strip a podcast of the ability to be a podcast, you’re just making a talk show with a different label.

The Sober Curator’s Sobee Score: 3.5 out of 5

The sobriety content in the MGK episode is worth your time. The honesty is refreshing, the friendship is genuine, and there’s something comforting about watching two famous people talk about recovery without wrapping it in a bow or selling you a supplement. They were messy. They were real. And they were funny about it.

But as a series? The format needs more structure, more intention, and a reason to come back beyond Pete’s natural charisma. One episode was a solid watch. Five feels like a commitment I’m not ready to make.

If you’re sober, sober-curious, or just someone who appreciates raw conversations about mental health and recovery, Episode 1 with MGK is worth the 45 minutes. Pull it up on Netflix, settle in, and let two guys who thought they wouldn’t make it past 30 remind you that showing up is the whole point.

Now the real question: Does the fact that we can only watch this on Netflix make it a podcast, a talk show, or just a really long Instagram Live with better mood lighting?

Sober Curator Challenge: Count how many times Pete calls MKG a Silly Goose, and also check out this review we did of a product called Psilly Goose.

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The Pete Davidson Show is streaming now on Netflix. New episodes drop weekly.

Resources: If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction or mental health, visit SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357.

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THE MINDFUL BINGE at The Sober Curator is where we binge-watch and chill—mindfully. In this TV series review section, we don’t just consume shows; we explore their stories, themes, and cultural impact through a sober lens. Using our signature Sobees Scoring System, we rate each pick to help you choose your next watch with intention.

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