Here's the elevator pitch: Follow highly successful actors and podcasters Will Arnett, Jason Bateman and Sean Hayes on a celebrity-studded North American tour. HBO Max pulled the trigger on the concept and has now released the first trailer for "Smartless: On The Road."
Directed by Sam Jones ("Jason Isbell: Running With Our Eyes Closed," "Off Camera with Sam Jones"), the six-part docuseries offers unexpected and intimate access to the three friends as they travel across Boston. , Brooklyn, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Madison, Wisconsin, and Los Angeles.
Stars: Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, Sean Hayes
When Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, and Sean Hayes get together, they can tell instantly if something's wrong: If the insults don't fly right away, there's a problem. "I think it's our love language," says Arnett, the "star of Arrested Development and the voice of Batman in the "Lego Movie" franchise." we're making fun of you, we don't love you."
Fans of the trio's banter are in for a lot more this week after a documentary film crew captured them on tour taking their popular "SmartLess" podcast to stages in Boston, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and more.
The six-part docuseries "SmartLess: On the Road" offers a very intimate look at the three friends as they travel, hang out and prepare for live shows. It premieres Tuesday on Max.
"It was really about living together," says Bateman, star of "Arrested Development" and "Ozark." "And it's a pretty embarrassing assumption for us to make that would be entertaining."
While his guests include Conan O'Brien, Will Ferrell, Matt Damon, Jimmy Kimmel, Kevin Hart, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and David Letterman, the bulk of the series is a look at how Arnett, Bateman and Hayes manage to nail the each other. and yet maintain a brotherly love.
“The three of us are incredibly close. I would go so far as to say that we are the best of friends. And with that comes a deep understanding of where the rails are. I think we all know that if we ever really wanted to hurt ourselves, we know where to go. But that's not really in our composition,” says Bateman.
Cameras capture the trio exercising together, visiting the Lincoln Memorial, exploring the connection between pooping and showering, smacking each other with apple cores, and talking to their guests. Before going on stage, they drink Tylenol, Gas-X, and candy.
Directed by Sam Jones, the series is presented in black and white, set to an upbeat piano soundtrack. The original idea was to have the live shows in color and behind-the-scenes footage in black and white, but that was too jarring. The end result is, as Hayes says: "Classy for the classless clowns."
In the hotel gym in Boston, as Bateman runs constantly on a treadmill, Arnett uses his raspy voice to deliver a narration: "Nobody knows the secret about him, that beneath the artificial flesh and bones, he's a machine." . Nothing but machine. Later, Bateman jokes about Arnett's use of the sauna: “I'd like to sweat, but I don't want to push myself to cause it. Let me sit in a warm room."
On the "SmartLess" podcast, which premiered in July 2020, one of the hosts reveals the mystery guest to the other two and the guys kept the same format throughout the tour. The podcast consistently ranks in the top 5 comedy shows and top 10 overall shows on iTunes.
The episodes show the trio wondering how much they should acknowledge the audience or what they should do to make it visually exciting. A rocky second show in Boston featuring a physique as a guest teaches them that fans really do want A-list celebrities.
“I love finding out in real time. I love the thrill of it, the fear of it," says Hayes, the "Will & Grace" star who just earned his second Tony Award nomination. “Every one of us had a strong opinion at some point, and we are all old enough to hear that. That was fun for me."
Final approval of their podcast goes to the special guest, but with the documentary, they reserved the right to the final cut. They said that made it more liberating since they didn't have to pre-censor anything they did.
“We knew it was all safe to say because ultimately we would be able to see it assembled,” says Bateman. "So we were able to really be free and see what would float to the top." Getting used to the cameras, even though they are all showbiz veterans, took some time. “I didn't think I'd ever be able to accept them in the room, and I did. They just left,” says Hayes.
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