Playing someone stupid is actually a tough acting assignment. You have to say your character’s dumb things with a conviction that shocks people in their universe. Playing someone stupid who interviews real experts — ones that are in on the joke, but have no idea what they’ll be asked — is even harder. But Diane Morgan has been doing just that for over a decade, with “noted expert” Philomena Cunk getting the Netflix treatment in the 2023 series Cunk On Earth. Now she returns with a special where Cunk examines all of existence in just over an hour.

The Gist: “Have you ever looked at the limitless majesty of creation and wondered… wondered what all these forests, valleys, mountains and puddles are actually for? Wondered how many buildings were knocked down to make way for them, and who granted the planning permission? Wondered about all the incredible yet musky animals we share our planet with? What’s up with them?”

That’s how “noted expert” Philomena Cunk (Diane Morgan) starts off her special Cunk On Life. In the special, created and written by Charlie Brooker. In the hour-plus special, Cunk examines the entire scope of existence, from the religious theory of creation all the way to how artificial intelligence might take over the planet in the near future. Along the way, she interviews experts and asks them mostly stupid questions and trying to get them to say “our souls” over and over, because it sounds like the word “arseholes.”

The exasperated experts calmly answer Cunk’s questions, some that are completely ignorant, like “Do I have DNA?” Other questions have to do with things “my mate Paul” told her, who somehow happens to be even dumber than Cunk is.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: Cunk On Life is a follow-up to the 2023 series Cunk On Earth. And, being a Charlie Brooker production, there are always going to be callbacks to Black Mirror, like when Cunk visits the headquarters of streaming service Streamberry.

Performance Worth Watching: This is a good place to throw in some superlatives. If someone is gonna be in the hunt for awards season, definitely mention it here.

Memorable Dialogue: In the chapter about “Doubt,” Cunk asks an expert about Friedrich Nietzsche’s assertion that “God Is Dead.” “Are you sure God didn’t kill himself? ‘Cause you never know what people are going through,” she says.

Sex and Skin: Believe it or not, there is lots of sex, both of the animal and human kind. This might be the first time anyone has depicted astronomer Edwin Hubble in a sex scene, though.

Our Take: Just like with Cunk On Earth or any of the specials that featured Morgan’s character Philomena Cunk, the joke of Cunk On Life is on the “expert” herself. Even when Cunk is springing dumb questions on her interviewees — all of whom know that they’re participating in a comedy show, but have no idea what she will ask — all they do is try to answer her dopey assertions with as straight a face as possible.

Of course, taking on all of existence in an hour is a funny concept all by itself, but if anyone can do it, it’s Philomena Cunk. Why? Because she has no idea what she’s talking about. She calls giraffe’s “long-necked horse monsters,” for heaven’s sake. That kind of blissful ignorance and the confidence to put that out in the world is what makes her character so funny to watch.

Most of the special is funny, and there are moments where Brooker and the show’s writers take on tropes like kids’ toy commercials and rock-guitar-laden “coming up” highlights that seemed to dominate 1980’s TV. The only scenes that slow things down a bit is when Cunk visits Streamberry, because they’re less about Cunk’s stupidity and more about Streamberry’s ability to match its algorithm to people’s mental health. That’s certainly more Black Mirror than Cunk On Life, and made it feel like a different show.

Our Call: STREAM IT. Cunk On Life is often laugh-out-loud funny, mainly because Diane Morgan plays Philomena Cunk with just the right tone; Cunk is dumb, ignorant about her own stupidity, and confident in that stupidity without being cocky. Combined with Brooker’s dry sense of humor, it’s a formula that Netflix can count on for the next number of years.

Joel Keller (@joelkeller) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, RollingStone.com, VanityFair.com, Fast Company and elsewhere.