Under a Rock with Tig Notaro

Under a Rock with Tig Notaro is an American talk show produced by Funny or Die. Host Tig Notaro attempts to guess the identity of a celebrity guest on each episode. The show is sponsored by Amazon Alexa, and Alexa provides assistance as Notaro guesses. The first season consisted of six episodes and premiered online on June 4, 2019. The second season was released on November 5, 2019.[1]

Under a Rock with Tig Notaro
GenreTalk show
Created byFunny or Die
Directed by
Presented byTig Notaro
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes12
Production
Production companies
  • Something Fierce
  • Funny or Die
Original release
NetworkFunny or Die
ReleaseJune 4 (2019-06-04) –
December 17, 2019 (2019-12-17)

Synopsis

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Comedian Tig Notaro struggles to guess the identity of a celebrity guest, made difficult by the little pop culture she consumes and her inability to recognize celebrity faces. The guest offers her clues and Amazon Alexa assists Notaro.[2]

Production

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Development

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Notaro developed the idea for the show due to her penchant for failing to recognize very famous people such as Anne Hathaway and Al Pacino.[3]

The show is produced by Funny or Die and Something Fierce, the production company owned by Notaro and her wife Stephanie Allynne.[1] The series is shot in front of a studio audience.[1] The producers invite celebrity guests with whom Notaro is unfamiliar.

Series one was directed by Amy Landecker and season two was directed by Riki Lindhome.[1][4] Thomas Ouellette is the head writer. Amazon Alexa sponsors the series.[5]

Release

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Under a Rock premiered on June 4, 2019 on FunnyorDie.com.[5] Episodes in the first season were released every Tuesday for six weeks.[5] Season two debuted on November 5, 2019 and ran for six more episodes.

Episodes

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SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
16June 4, 2019 (2019-06-04)July 9, 2019 (2019-07-09)
26November 5, 2019 (2019-11-05)December 17, 2019 (2019-12-17)

Season 1

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No. in
season
TitleDirected byOriginal air date
1[1]"James Van Der Beek"Amy LandeckerJune 4, 2019 (2019-06-04)
2[4]"Julie Bowen"Amy LandeckerJune 11, 2019 (2019-06-11)
3[4]"Wyclef Jean"Amy LandeckerJune 18, 2019 (2019-06-18)
4[3]"Melissa Joan Hart"Amy LandeckerJune 25, 2019 (2019-06-25)
5[3]"Wolfgang Puck"Amy LandeckerJuly 2, 2019 (2019-07-02)
6[6]"Glenn Howerton"Amy LandeckerJuly 9, 2019 (2019-07-09)

Season 2

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No. in
season
TitleDirected byOriginal air date
1[7]"Lena Headey"Riki LindhomeNovember 5, 2019 (2019-11-05)
2[8]"Kaley Cuoco"Riki LindhomeNovember 12, 2019 (2019-11-12)
3"Rich Eisen"Riki LindhomeNovember 19, 2019 (2019-11-19)
4"Tony Shalhoub"Riki LindhomeDecember 3, 2019 (2019-12-03)
5"Debby Ryan"Riki LindhomeDecember 10, 2019 (2019-12-10)
6"Richard Jefferson"Riki LindhomeDecember 17, 2019 (2019-12-17)

Reception

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Critical response

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Under a Rock received mostly positive critical reception. In a review for Paste, John-Michael Bond wrote, "Her sweet-natured lack of knowledge creates a space of equal power, free of the star-struck ass kissing of James Corden or Jimmy Fallon’s nonstop nostalgia parade. Most importantly, it’s not cruel or based on anything negative."[9] Writing for Slashfilm, Ethan Anderton stated, "The weird part of this program is that Amazon and their Alexa assistant are clearly sponsoring the show, because they help out with musical cues, hints, information, and more. It’s a little forced, but Tig Notaro’s dry charm makes it all coalesce together into something awkwardly hilarious."[10]

Accolades

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The series was nominated for a 2020 Producers Guild of America Award in the Outstanding Short-Form Program category.[11]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Spangler, Todd (June 4, 2019). "Tig Notaro Is a Celeb-Clueless Talk-Show Host in Funny Or Die's New Series". Variety. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  2. ^ Lynch, Jason (June 21, 2019). "On Tig Notaro's New Talk Show, Alexa Helps Her Figure Out Who Her Celebrity Guests Are". Adweek. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c Garvey, Marianne (July 2, 2019). "Hey Hollywood, Tig Notaro is just fine with not knowing who you are". CNN. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c Sarachan, Risa (November 20, 2019). "Tig Notaro Brings Her Singular Brilliance To 'Under A Rock' Season Two". Forbes. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  5. ^ a b c Ramos, Dino-Ray (June 4, 2019). "Funny Or Die Debuts New Series 'Under A Rock With Tig Notaro'". Deadline. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  6. ^ Anderton, Ethan (July 10, 2019). "The Morning Watch: 'Stranger Things 3' Shot-by-Shot, 'Wet Hot American Midsommar' & More". /Film. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
  7. ^ Wright, Megh (November 6, 2019). "Tig Notaro Interviews an Extremely Nervous Lena Headey on Under a Rock". Vulture. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
  8. ^ Dwyer, Kate (November 12, 2019). "Kaley Cuoco Just Revealed She Played A Young Ellen Degeneres On The Comedian's Sitcom". Women's Health. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
  9. ^ Bond, John-Michael (June 7, 2019). "We Wanna Visit Under a Rock with Tig Notaro Every Week". Paste Magazine. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
  10. ^ Anderton, Ethan (June 5, 2019). "LOL: Tig Notaro Interviews Celebrities She Doesn't Know in New Funny or Die Series 'Under a Rock'". /Film. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
  11. ^ Crist, Allison; Keegan, Rebecca; Gardner, Chris; Howard, Annie (January 18, 2020). "PGA Awards: '1917' Named Outstanding Motion Picture". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
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