Film
Tig Notaro: Drawn
Tig Notaro's deadpan comedy meets animation in this 52-minute special that blends her signature voice—utterly without inflection, arch, deeply funny—with shifting visual styles. It's for people who love comedy that trusts the audience to catch the joke, and who don't need a laugh track to know something's hilarious. Notaro sits still and describes absurd moments with perfect control while animators conjure the chaos around her.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you love confessional stand-up built on wry, deadpan anecdotes and enjoy seeing those stories rendered in loose, shifting hand-drawn styles rather than a stage in front of you.
Skip it if you want a straight stand-up set, because here the animation sits between you and her delivery, and the drawings sometimes crowd the jokes.
What it asks of you: Around fifty minutes of short stories that jump between eras and artistic styles, so you have to keep up with the shifts rather than settle into one mood.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
John Mulaney: Kid Gorgeous at Radio City2018
A master of observed comedy timing using animation and visual gags to puncture his deadpan delivery. Like Notaro, Mulaney makes comedy feel effortless and you laugh before you realize you're being set up.
But The special relies heavily on callback humor and references to his earlier specials, which can feel insular if you're not already a fan.
Hannah Gadsby: Douglas2020
Gadsby uses animation and visual storytelling to explore comedy itself—its rules, its politics, its pleasure. Shares Notaro's intelligence and willingness to let silence do the work.
But Less obviously structured as a 'comedy special' in the traditional sense; some will find it indulgent rather than entertaining.
Bo Burnham: Inside2021
A one-person special shot entirely in a room, using production design and editing as central comedy tools. Visual storytelling married to philosophical deadpan—the marriage of form and content that Notaro also achieves.
But Bleak. Even though it's funny, it can feel airless and heavy, especially if you watch it in one sitting.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Tig Notaro: Drawn
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Hacks2021
Both are rigorous examinations of what it means to be a comedian—not just the material, but the voice, the perspective, the cost of turning your life into art.
A dark comedy about an aging stand-up comedian mentoring a younger writer, exploring what comedy is, who gets to tell stories, and how the industry grinds people down. It's a love letter to stand-up from people who understand it deeply.
But If you don't care about comedy as a craft or the politics of the entertainment industry, the stakes can feel provincial and narrow.
More like this (5)
Marc Maron: End Times Fun2020
Maron shares Notaro's gift for finding profound absurdity in mundane life. His neurotic precision and timing create comedy from the smallest observations.
But His comedy can feel narrow—a lot of anxiety and overthinking. If you need big jokes and broad gestures, this will feel slight.
Patton Oswalt: Annihilation2017
Oswalt's rapid-fire storytelling and complete commitment to the bit create a comedy experience that rewards close attention, much like Notaro's work.
But His pace is relentless and his tangents can feel scattered if you're not fully dialed in.
Ali Wong: Baby Cobra2016
Wong's fearless, visceral comedy—graphic and unashamed—proves there's no single way to be intelligent and funny. She brings raw energy where Notaro brings restraint; both work.
But It's extremely explicit and sexual. If you prefer comedy that doesn't center the body and its functions, this will feel aggressive.
Maria Bamford: The Special Special Special!2012
Bamford, like Notaro, uses format and form as part of her comedy. This special plays with structure itself, creating humor from the architecture rather than relying on punchline density.
But Deliberately fragmented and nonlinear. If you need a clear narrative or traditional structure, it will feel frustrating.
Fleabag2016
Both Fleabag and Notaro: Drawn use directness and performance-of-self as their primary tool. The artist acknowledges the audience. There's nowhere to hide, which is where the real comedy lives.
A British comedy series where the main character addresses the camera directly, maintaining absolute control and intelligence while describing disaster and heartbreak. The form is inseparable from the comedy—you watch someone perform being human.
But The show shifts tones dramatically in its second season toward genuine pathos. Some viewers feel the comedy gets lost in the emotion.
People
Cast
Tig NotaroSelf
Margaret ChoSelf
Directing
- Greg FranklinDirector
Writing
- Tig NotaroWriter
Production
- Brendan BurchExecutive Producer
- Ellen DeGeneresExecutive Producer
- Greg FranklinExecutive Producer
- Hunter SeidmanExecutive Producer
- Jeff KleemanExecutive Producer
- Thomas OuelletteExecutive Producer
- Tig NotaroExecutive Producer
- Rachel AbarbanellProducer
- Vera HouraniSupervising Producer