"IS THIS THING ON?" stars Will Arnett, Laura Dern, Andra Day, Bradley Cooper, Christine Ebersole, Ciarán Hinds, Amy Sedaris, Sean Hayes & Scott Icenogle.
As their marriage quietly unravels, Alex (Will Arnett) faces middle age and an impending divorce, seeking new purpose in the New York comedy scene while Tess (Laura Dern) confronts the sacrifices she made for their family—forcing them to navigate co-parenting, identity, and whether love can take a new form.
It's a story loosely based on the real life of comedian John Bishop.
In the early 2000's pharmaceutical rep John Bishop was nursing the wounds of a breakup with his wife on the streets of Manchester. To avoid the £4 entry fee at a local pub, he put his name down for the establishment’s open mic night and boldly took the stage for a stand-up comedy set in front of seven people, during which he worked through what was going on with him and his wife. He found it strangely therapeutic, like a form of counseling – until one evening his wife coincidentally turned up in the audience. After the gig, they ended up chatting and found themselves on the road to reconciliation.
The moment Will Arnett heard this story, he began working on a script for "IS THIS THING ON?", inspired by John Bishop’s story.
