Funny or Die just dropped the first episode of a new and very awkward talk show today, and instead of Zach Galifianakis and two ferns, it involves Tig Notaro and one very big rock. Titled Under a Rock With Tig Notaro, the six-episode show has a simple premise: Notaro interviews a range of well-known celebrities, but being a person who isn’t very familiar with anything pop culture related, she has no idea who they are, so cracking open that mystery becomes her mission. In the press release, Notaro describes it like this: “I’m Tig Notaro. I don’t watch many TV shows or films so I’m really bad at recognizing famous people. And on this show I interview famous people to try and figure out who they are.â€
In the first episode of the series, Notaro sits down for a chat with James Van Der Beek (or as she calls him at the beginning, “this personâ€), who seems delighted to be interviewed by someone who has no idea what his name is, what Dawson’s Creek is, or the significance of the sad James Van Der Beek GIF for a change. “I have never been on a talk show and seen more trepidation from the host,†he tells Notaro in the beginning. By the end of the episode, Notaro figures out who Van Der Beek is after he throws her lots of helpful clues, while Van Der Beek wins by getting a new name he wants to take on immediately: Dig the Beek.