Common Sense Media Review
By Joyce Slaton
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Podcast-inspired, celeb-focused show has language, laughs.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
SmartLess: On the Road
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
When hosts Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, and Sean Hayes went on tour in 2022 with their podcast SmartLess, SMARTLESS: ON THE ROAD turned the camera on them as they went. In every episode of this documentary-style series, shot in black and white, the trio travels to a new United States city and puts on a show with a special famous guest, wisecracking all the while.
Is It Any Good?
With a vibe that perfectly matches their loose and funny podcast, this series feels like a slice of real life, but funnier and better (Hayes, Arnett, and Bateman are big stars, after all). More than any form of media yet invented, podcasts are truly verité; its stars sit around talking easily and at great length about everyday life: errands, movies, what foods they will and won't eat. And that's what SmartLess: On the Road captures. The three TV/movie/podcast stars have a lot of chemistry, and mostly what they do, onstage and off, is make fun of each other.
The way Bateman holds a banana and orders salad, Arnett's supposedly thinning hair, Hayes' sweet admission that he finds ordering a surf ‘n' turf menu entrée "extravagant," all regular-people stuff that these three friends delightfully unpack over the course of an episode. Each episode of the series, like the podcast, features a different surprise guest; it's a kick waiting to see who'll be revealed. But the best moments of SmartLess: On the Road are the quiet ones that feature three (kinda) regular middle-aged guys on a work trip together (granted, on private jets), talking about nothing.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about adaptations. Books that are turned into movies or TV shows are arguably the most common, but TV shows have been inspired by games, movies, commercials, songs, and more. How does the podcast SmartLess inform this series?
Do you listen to SmartLess? If so, does seeing its hosts interact off the air make you enjoy the podcast more? Or less? Do you have to be a SmartLess fan to enjoy SmartLess: On the Road?
Have you seen Hayes, Arnett, or Bateman in any other TV shows? How does your memory of past characters affect how you view SmartLess: On the Road?
TV Details
- Premiere date : May 23, 2023
- Cast : Will Arnett , Jason Bateman , Sean Hayes
- Network : Max
- Genre : Comedy
- TV rating :
- Last updated : May 30, 2023
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