Tig Notaro, the famed American comedian and writer mostly known for being a Grammy award winner, is back with a new stand-up special. Her last stand-up from HBO Max was an animated special called Drawn, and it received rave reviews. Basking in the glory of the last stand-up special, which had an out-of-the-box presentation, Tig Notaro is back talking in her signature style. This time her wife, Stephanie Allynne, is joining her, but behind the camera.
Stephanie directed the special, which was shot in Brooklyn, New York, and just like her older specials, there are plenty of anecdotes from her personal life that have been shared this time. These stories would be highly relatable to those who are parents of toddlers and are used to the truth bombs dropped by them at this age. The kids at this age are honest about everything surrounding them, which is why these stories tend to be funny. The same kids when they enter their teens have a different set of problems, something Tig will likely bring up in her next special. In her typical dry and dark sense of humor, with a mix of observational anecdotes as well, Tig Notaro could convey many of the tales convincingly only at certain parts of the show. Not all the jokes in her style land.
Around 89% of the special has Tig speaking in her signature style, but sadly, that could not elevate the mood of the show. There are topics like motherhood, kids unhinged about favoritism, and embarrassment caused by the parents, all of which could be considered domestic subjects. The humor utilized to make these subjects interesting works only in parts. The only aspect that keeps her special floating is her ability to retain a scenario, which is equivalent to building a screenplay and a storyboard.
Tig Notaro’s Hello Again makes fun of those who wear nightgowns. This could be her way of mocking the people who were known to be judgmental of society and people who lead their lives on their terms. This was a good allegory, but the satirical humor did not work for the most part. The show also had elements of situational comedy, which we watch in many comedy television shows, but sadly, a lot of the content around it isn’t really laugh-worthy.
Since this is an Amazon Prime Special, the humor is supposed to be relatable for those who watch these specials in other parts of the world. Unfortunately, this special only caters to Americans, as they are in sync with the pop culture references made by Tig in this special. Having said that, there are many specials by international comedians that are highly relatable and do not require any knowledge of the comedian’s home country to understand the context. This element was not seen in Tig Notaro: Hello Again from the start until the end, making the special a dull watch with nothing much to laugh about if you’re not American. There’s a lot of name dropping done by Tig in this special: Reese Witherspoon, Ariana Grande, Pink, and Adele. The last segment of the set is dedicated to her love for Adele. The set also covers the subject of how Tig might not be a great pianist, but she insists on having this instrument on the stage at the end of her special in most places.
Tig tries her hand at physical comedy, but the writing of the entire last piece of the special is wafer-thin and does not lead to anything exciting. The last bit of the show was predictable. Since anticipation is part of the humor, there should have been a good build-up or a punch line that sealed the ending. There were takes on relationships, representation, and lesbian women attracted to other men; the story around it could have been focused on making it interesting. The storytelling part of the show took a back seat, and it became strenuous for most of the parts. Watching this special after a point became a tedious affair; there is no proper structure to the tales she is sharing with the audience. There needed to be a segue that connected all the stories, but sadly, that was nonexistent.
Kevin James’ Irregardless special had him speaking in detail about his health concerns as he was growing older. Incidentally, this special of Tig Notaro also includes anecdotes about her health scares and trying to find humor in her ailments, surgeries, and recovery procedures; there was nothing new to offer. If only Tig tried to present another take on the same subject, that could help the audience witness aging issues from a different point of view. The segment about Tig being high on prescribed drugs and blurting out awkward sentences would have been funny if there had been a proper structure. The proper shaping of the set would have caused a laugh riot, but sadly, that did not happen in this special.
The writing of the show was flaky and did not rise above the usual tropes that we hear from other comedians about the same subjects. The show hardly touched upon subjects that are different from other specials the audiences indulge in. Tig Notaro: Hello Again, the entire special on the comedian’s personal life and singing skills, is a hit-and-miss for the most part. There is nothing new to take away from one hour-long special in terms of content, writing, and direction.
