[1][2][3] The show discusses topics and their connection to the federal government of the United States,[4] with "the g word" referring to 'government.'

[1][5] Each episode examines a different aspect of the government,[6] loosely based on the book The Fifth Risk by Michael Lewis.

[7] Writing for the show had started a week before COVID-19 lockdowns, before being moved online.

"[11] Some critics questioned the show's association with Barack and Michelle Obama: Sonia Rao of The Washington Post wrote in an article titled 'Why it’s hard to trust an Obama-produced show to critique the government', that 'The G Word' was characterized by a, "...somewhat disingenuous take on what is required for the government to truly serve its people — perhaps the most obvious indicator of its producers’ bias.

"[12] Libertarian political pundit John Stossel criticized the show, writing in Reason that the show was "big government propaganda" that "sneers at what it calls this philosophy that the free market should be trusted over the government.