Television usually tries too hard. Most "stoner" shows feel like they were written by a board of directors in a glass office trying to guess what people find funny after a hit of something strong. But then there is Action Bronson and Friends Watch Ancient Aliens. It’s basically exactly what the title says. No bells. No whistles. Just a couch, a giant screen, some of the best food in New York, and a group of guys getting genuinely confused by Giorgio A. Tsoukalos’s hair and theories about extraterrestrial architects.
It shouldn't work. On paper, watching people watch a show that’s already been on History Channel for a decade sounds like a recipe for a YouTube reaction video that gets buried in the algorithm. Yet, when it landed on Viceland, it became a cult phenomenon. Why? Because it’s honest. Action Bronson—rapper, chef, and professional bon vivant—doesn't put on an act. When he thinks a theory about the Pyramids is "stupid as hell," he says it while chewing on a rib.
The Chemistry of the Couch
The show is a spin-off of a 4/20 special, and the vibe never really left that holiday mindset. You’ve got the core crew: Action Bronson, The Alchemist, and Big Body Bes. If you know anything about underground hip-hop, you know Alchemist is a legendary producer. In this show, he’s the quiet, often skeptical foil to the chaos. Then there's Big Body Bes. Honestly, Bes is the secret weapon. He’s the guy who will look at a 2,000-year-old monolithic slab and relate it back to a street fight in Queens.
The guests are what take it over the edge. You’ll see Tyler, The Creator sitting there losing his mind, or Eric André being, well, Eric André. The brilliance lies in the contrast. You have the Ancient Aliens narrator, Robert Clotworthy, delivering these incredibly serious, dramatic lines about "star-beings" and "interdimensional portals," and then the camera cuts to the couch where someone is literally struggling to peel an orange. It highlights the absurdity of the original program in a way a scripted parody never could.
Why We Are Still Talking About Action Bronson and Friends Watch Ancient Aliens
Most TV is over-edited. We’re used to snappy cuts and forced laughter. Action Bronson and Friends Watch Ancient Aliens feels like you’re just hanging out at your friend's house. There are long silences. There are moments where they completely ignore the TV to talk about what they want for dinner. It’s "slow TV" before that was a trendy buzzword in the US.
The show also tapped into the specific cultural crossover of the mid-2010s. It was a time when Viceland was trying to redefine what "cool" looked like by mixing high-end culinary arts with street culture and niche conspiracies. Bronson was the face of that movement. One minute he’s discussing the marble-to-fat ratio of a wagyu steak, and the next he’s wondering if the Anunnaki actually built the Sphinx. It’s this weird, beautiful collision of worlds.
Fact-Checking the "Facts" on the Screen
Let's be real: Ancient Aliens is a show built on "what ifs." It’s speculative history. When Action Bronson and Friends Watch Ancient Aliens airs, you’re essentially watching a double-layered fiction. The crew isn't there to debunk anything with peer-reviewed papers. They aren't archaeologists. But their gut reactions often mirror what the audience is thinking.
When the show suggests that aliens gave humans the technology to move heavy rocks, Big Body Bes usually has a more "grounded" explanation involving human labor and sheer willpower. There is a strange kind of logic in their commentary. They represent the "everyman" perspective on high-concept pseudo-science. They aren't trying to prove the aliens are real, but they aren't necessarily saying they aren't real either. They just want to see the footage of the "evidence."
The Production That Wasn't Really a Production
The set is a green screen. That’s it. They are sitting in a studio in front of a giant green wall, and the Ancient Aliens episodes are keyed in behind them. This DIY aesthetic is intentional. It removes the "prestige" of television. It makes the whole thing feel accessible.
According to various interviews with the producers at the time, there wasn't a script. You can't script the way Alchemist reacts when he realizes a theory makes absolutely no sense. You can't write the genuine joy Bronson feels when a new plate of food is brought out from the kitchen. This lack of structure is exactly what makes it rewatchable. You can jump into any episode at any point and feel like you haven't missed a beat.
The Impact on the Brand of Action Bronson
Before this, Bronson was "the guy who sounds like Ghostface Killah and cooks." After this, and Fuck, That's Delicious, he became a multi-media personality. It proved he could carry a show just by being himself. He didn't need a gimmick. His gimmick is his life.
It’s worth noting that the show also did wonders for Ancient Aliens itself. It introduced a younger, more cynical audience to the History Channel staple. People started watching the original show just to see what Bronson was talking about. It was a symbiotic relationship between a legacy cable brand and a new-wave media mogul.
How to Capture This Vibe Yourself
If you’re looking to revisit the show or find that same feeling, you have to look for content that prioritizes "vibe" over "value." In a world of "10 Tips for Success," sometimes we just need to see a guy in a Carhartt vest get confused by a UFO sighting in 1940s Germany.
- Watch for the food: Pay attention to what they’re eating. Bronson often brings in world-class chefs to cook for the couch. It’s a food show disguised as a conspiracy show.
- Observe the body language: The show is a masterclass in non-verbal communication. The way the guests shift when the theories get "too out there" is comedy gold.
- Listen to the music: The Alchemist often provides a subtle backdrop or commentary on the rhythm of the episode that goes unnoticed by casual viewers.
Moving Forward with the Bronson Style
If you want to dive deeper into this specific corner of the internet, your best bet is to look into the wider Viceland archive. While the channel has changed significantly, the DNA of Action Bronson and Friends Watch Ancient Aliens lives on in Bronson’s independent YouTube content and his ongoing musical collaborations with Alchemist.
To truly appreciate what they built, start with the "Traveling to the Stars" special. It’s the rawest version of the concept. From there, look for the episodes featuring ScHoolboy Q or Earl Sweatshirt. These episodes show the peak of the "couch chemistry" that made the show a staple of late-night viewing. Don't look for deep historical truths—look for the moments where the crew finds a bit of wonder in the absurd. That’s where the real magic happens.
Check out the "Action Bronson & Friends Watch Ancient Aliens" collection on Hulu or the Vice TV app to see the episodes in their full, unedited glory. Then, grab a snack—preferably something from a local deli that Bronson would approve of—and stop taking the universe so seriously for an hour.
📖 Related: Prison Break All Series: Why We Still Can't Stop Talking About Fox River
Next Steps for the Viewer: 1. Locate the Series: Find the show on streaming platforms like Hulu or Discovery+ (which often houses Vice content).
2. Follow the Crew: Keep up with Action Bronson’s "Baklava" brand and The Alchemist’s "Craft Singles" series for the modern evolution of this aesthetic.
3. Explore the Source: Watch a "dry" episode of Ancient Aliens first, then watch the Bronson version of the same episode to see how the commentary transforms the material.