Imagine being half of the most famous married comedy duo in America, performing on national TV dozens of times a year, releasing hit records, and never having wanted to do comedy in the first place. Then, at the absolute peak of your fame, you voluntarily pull the plug to save your marriage. That impossible choice is the heart of Anne Meara’s story.

We trace the life of Anne Meara from a traumatized child on Long Island to a classically trained dramatic actress, comedy icon, and celebrated playwright. It is a story about the blurry boundaries between performance and real life, and the courage to know when to leave the table.

• How her mother’s suicide when she was 11 shaped a search for emotional truth, trained under acting teacher Uta Hagen
• The ‘warmth without the acid’ that made Stiller and Meara’s Catholic-and-Jewish act feel relatable to a changing America
• Why they broke up the act in 1970, when ‘I didn’t know where the act ended and our marriage began’
• Her acclaimed solo turn, an Emmy nomination for Kate McShane, and roles on Rhoda, ALF, and The King of Queens
• Converting to Judaism, writing the play After Play, and blogging about her mother’s suicide at age 80