Review: ‘It’s All Country’ on Hulu – A Docuseries with Luke Bryan Interacting and Performing Alongside Various Country Artists

Popular country singer and host of American Idol, Luke Bryan, takes on the role of ringmaster in the Hulu docuseries It’s All Country. The show consists of six episodes where Bryan engages in interviews and musical sessions with artists who have played a significant part in shaping the country music scene of today. Executive produced by Bryan and his Country Music Awards co-host Peyton Manning, It’s All Country showcases Bryan having conversations and performing with artists such as Wynonna Judd, Sheryl Crow, Mickey Guyton, Kane Brown, and Lady A. The first episode also features Luke Combs, known for his hit songs “Doin’ This” and “Hurricane.”

In a radio interview, Luke Bryan emphasizes the inclusive nature of country music and how it has the power to make people feel a sense of belonging. He believes that at the core, country music is about storytelling and delving into the narratives that define it.

Luke Combs expresses his excitement at the opportunity to perform “Fast Car” with Tracy Chapman at the 2024 Grammys, a song he has cherished since his youth in North Carolina. In It’s All Country, Combs shares his admiration for Chapman as a songwriter and the privilege of sharing the stage with one of his idols. Despite the glamour and recognition of music’s biggest night, Combs reflects on his humble beginnings in 2012 as a bar bouncer with dreams of pursuing a music career.

“At that time,” Combs tells Bryan, “guys like me were not artists.” It’s an interesting point, because it speaks to the authenticity that’s helped fuel the bearded, big-voiced Combs’ hitmaking rise as a two-time winner of the CMA’s Entertainer of the Year award. (In a cutaway roundtable interview, a group of Nashville music biz types readily agree, observing that in Combs, fans see themselves.) The younger Luke and older Luke also discuss the songwriting scene in Nashville, and how demos tend to migrate through all kinds of circles. Combs ended up cutting the Bryan-penned “Little Country Boys” for Fathers & Sons, his most recent album, and the singers put down their drinks to “do a little pickin’,” harmonizing on a few bars of the song as they’re accompanied by the guitarists from Combs’ band.

It’s All Country revolves mostly around its main profile, with Bryan and his big personality hanging out and playing music with Combs or Wynonna or Lady A. But the series also features mini-segments within episodes, with an aim to cast country’s net even wider. Like a piece on up-and-coming singer and songwriter Sierra Ferrell as she prepares to play Nashville’s legendary Ryman Auditorium for the first time – “I went from ramen to Ryman!” – a rite of passage Combs treasures from his own career, or later appearances in It’s All Country from Tenille Arts, Shaboozey, and Jamiee Harris.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood work to build a Nashville bar and entertainment venue in the Prime Video reality show Friends In Low Places. And in 2021, Luke Bryan gave himself the It’s All Country profile treatment with My Dirt Road Diary. 

Our Take: A lot of the interview segments in It’s All Country have the same feel as those packaged sit-down interviews/profiles that run on NFL pregame shows. And that’s before Luke Bryan and Luke Combs start tossing the pigskin around on the field at the Tennessee Titans’ stadium. This is not to suggest the interviews are entirely fluff. But they’re not necessarily hard-hitting or revealing, either, and instead rely pretty heavily on Luke Bryan’s talky charm as he tosses up handfuls of soft, open-ended questions. You know, like “Where did it all begin for you?” or “What’s next for you?” Just like those profiles on the NFL pregame, It’s All Country is slickly produced. But also like those profiles, you could probably leave this thing on mute and glean the same amount of information. 

Which is fine! Streamers are rife with entertainment that’s menu box clickable but only lightly watchable. It’s All Country still has its moments, especially when Bryan, as an industry vet, compares and contrasts his experiences in the country music industry with members of the generation coming up today. And the performances are always going to be a highlight, like the voices of Bryan and Combs finding an instant, natural harmony during an impromptu acoustic number.

Sex and Skin: Combs and Bryan have a few laughs about playing giant tours, and what it takes to try and look cool in front of 70,000 fans. Bryan, now 48, admits that he probably shouldn’t have made sexy dance moves as big a part of his act. And as for Combs – “If you haven’t noticed, I’m a larger gentleman” – he’s trying to make being sweaty onstage part of a whole new trend. 

Parting Shot: Over a highlight reel from his latest stadium tour, Combs reflects on the success he’s found since he first arrived in Nashville back in the 2010s. “I just came to town to make a living doing music in any way the music business would allow me to make money. I didn’t know what that would be.”

Sleeper Star: The first round of It’s All Country also provides a little free advertising for Nashville’s name brand musician bar scene. While the Lukes Bryan and Combs do some day drinking at Bryan’s own 32 Bridge bar and restaurant on Broadway, they’re in the shadow of spots owned by Blake Shelton and Kid Rock, both across the street, and Garth Brooks’s place is a block away.

Most Pilot-y Line: Bryan’s transitional voiceovers go a little something like this. “Alright, enough day drinking. I want to understand how Luke Combs made his way to the next chapter, connecting with his fans and proving that the underdog was the top dog after all…”

Our Call: Stream It, but that doesn’t mean you gotta give It’s All Country your undivided attention. The docuseries offers some nice insight into the lives and work of a range of country artists. But it’s also kind of a glider, coasting in a prepackaged way on Luke Bryan’s name brand charm.

Johnny Loftus (@glennganges) is an independent writer and editor living at large in Chicagoland. His work has appeared in The Village Voice, All Music Guide, Pitchfork Media, and Nicki Swift.