Posted in: TV | Tagged: discovery, podcast, Smartless, Wonderly

SmartLess: Bateman/Hayes/Arnett Podcast Gets Discovery+ Docuseries

SmartLess, hosted by Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett launched last year, was a celebrity-driven podcast with a twist: only one of the hosts knew who their guest would be prior to the start of recording. The guests were celebrities like the hosts: A-listers in politics, sports, TV, Film, and Music.

Deadline reported that Discovery+ just ordered two, 75-minute documentary-style specials following Bateman, Hayes, and Arnett during the podcast's North American tour. The as-yet-untitled docuseries will be on the streaming service in 2022. It will feature highlights from their celebrity interviews during the tour, as well as exclusive, behind-the-scenes access throughout the six-city tour that takes place in February 2022.

"Jason, Sean and Will are three absolute legends who have accomplished so much in this industry – from comedy to drama, on the stage and to our screens," said Lisa Holme, Group SVP of Content and Commercial Strategy for Discovery, Inc. "As they are now conquering the world of podcasts, we're excited to show an entirely new side of them in this docuseries, where we will have incredible access to all the behind-the-scenes moments from what is sure to be an insightful and hilarious tour. And to all the 'SmartLess' fans: please know we're still working on the deal for Tracey from Wisconsin."

SmartLess is described as "a podcast that connects and unites people from all walks of life to learn about shared experiences through thoughtful dialogue and organic hilarity." In each episode, one of the hosts reveals a mystery guest to the other two. The podcast was named one of the Best Shows of 2020 by Apple and consistently ranked in the Top 5 Comedy Shows and Top 10 on overall shows on iTunes. It might say something about how oversaturated that podcast field is and how scant marketing is that many of us had not even heard of Smartless until today, despite the pedigree of its hosts and guests.

SmartLess podcast guests have included Vice President Kamala Harris, George Clooney, Jennifer Aniston, Adam Sandler, Ricky Gervais, Bryan Cranston, Paul McCartney, Tina Fey, Awkwafina, W. Kamau Bell, Stacey Abrams, Billie Eilish, and Megan Rapinoe. Starting August 1, new episodes will be released exclusively for one week on Amazon Music and Wondery+ before they are released on all other platforms.

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