Group Therapy is streaming on Prime Video and there’s a ton to unpack. Neil Berkeley is the man behind the camera for the intimate look at comedians and their mental health. Hartbeat brought together some fan-favorite comedians to discuss their careers. Neil Patrick Harris, Tig Notaro, Mike Birbiglia, Atsuko Okatsuka, London Hughes, Gary Gulman and Nicole Byer all have something to say about mental health and how it fits into their work.  

That Hashtag Show was lucky enough to interview Berkeley after Group Therapy dropped. We talked about mental health and how it fits into comedy. Other topics of conversation included the process of getting everyone into the same place for this amazing meet-up. It’s really delicate all the way around. He wanted fans to know, this was not real therapy. But, it can be useful for viewers in other ways.

“What they were all saying is, ‘When we go on-stage, we’re working. It’s work,” Berkley began. “It may be therapeutic. But, it’s not therapy. We don’t want to pretend we’re doing therapy. Because, they all have therapists. Everyone in that room might have therapists.” 

The director added, “So, we wanted to let the audience know: Do not expect therapy. We’re gonna talk about things. We’re going to talk about hard things. But, it’s very important for me to measure expectations out of the gate. People have reacted positively to that.”

Neil Berkeley Talks About Group Therapy’s Comedians

Berkeley had his work cut out for him getting all these big names under one roof. But the results are really funny and insightful. A stand-out moment is having Tig Notaro and Atsuko Okatsuka talk about their personal journeys together. I asked how those pairings came about and the director is really proud of that exchange.

“The comedians we brought in were people who had used this very personal material on-stage,” Berkeley began. “That’s why they were cast. Because they talked about these things… The pairings with Atsuko and Tig. There was also a scheduling thing. These are very busy comedians.”

Group Therapy: Atsuko Okatsuka

“So, who is available? Luckily, Tig and Atsuko were available around the same time. Because Tig directed Atsuko’s first special,” Berkeley shared. “They knew each other, they had a relationship. I love that Tig has been through some hard things and was on the other side. Atsuko was clear in the film that ‘I’m a work in progress’”

“Having them have that conversation, I wouldn’t call it mentor/mentee. But, it was definitely Tig listening to someone who is going through it. That worked out really wonderfully. I love their conversation so much,” the director recalled.

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