‘SmartLess’ podcast goes on tour with Will Arnett, Jason Bateman and Sean Hayes, ends up on TV

NEW YORK — When Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Sean Hayes get together, they can instantly tell if something’s wrong: If insults don’t immediately fly, there’s a problem. If we’re not making fun of you, we don’t love you.” Fans of the trio’s banter will get much more this week after a documentary film team captured them on tour taking their popular podcast “SmartLess” to stages in Boston, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and more. “It was really just about living with one another,” says Bateman, star of “Arrested Development” and “Ozark.” “And it’s a fairly cringey assumption for us to make that it would make for entertainment.” While their guests include Conan O’Brien, Will Ferrell, Matt Damon, Jimmy Kimmel, Kevin Hart, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and David Letterman, the bulk of the series is a look at how Arnett, Bateman and Hayes manage to dunk on each other and yet maintain a sibling love. “So we were able to just be really free and see what would float to the top.” Getting used to the cameras — even though they’re all showbusiness veterans — took some time. After making one extensive room service order, Bateman asks the kitchen: “You don’t have any chest paddles down there, do you?” “The jabbing is the love,” says Hayes.