‘DYING’ FOR A LAUGH
New Showtime series plunges into dark world of standup comedy
THE overriding message of “I’m Dying Up Here” is that there’s absolutely nothing funny — or, in most cases, morally redeemable — about the denizens inhabiting this dark world of standup comedy in 1973 Los Angeles.
The new 10-episode Showtime series revolves around a group of selfish, self-hating stand-up comics vying for a piece of comedy’s holygrail — a two-minute spot on Johnny Carson’s career-making “Tonight Show.” (Shows hosted by Merv Griffin and Dinah Shore are OK, but can’t compare to Johnny’s power.) The comics ply their craft at Goldie’s, a downtown club run by tough-talking Goldie (Melissa Leo). She’s based on Mitzi Shore, who founded The Comedy Store in 1972 and helped boost the careers of future stars including Richard Pryor, Freddie Prinze, George Carlin and Andy Kaufman. (Notable standups Jay Leno, David Letterman and Jerry Seinfeld came along a bit later.)
The series opens just as Goldie’s regular Clay Apuzzo (Sebastian Stan) gets his shot on “The Tonight Show” and is even invited to sit on Johnny’s couch — the ultimate coronation. But his success spurs mostly resentment in his ultra-competitive fellow comics: Sully (Stephen Guarino), Ralph (Erik Griffin), Bill (Andrew Santino) and Edgar (Al Madrigal). Clay’s exgirlfriend, Cassie (Ari Graynor) — a standup from Texas trying to find her comic voice — is more sympathetic. She understands the onand off-stage emotional hell Clay withstood to earn his moment in the sun. But she’s the rare exception here.
The comics are eventually joined by two of Clay’s aspiring comedian pals from Boston: Eddie (Michael Anganaro, “The Knick”) and Ron (Clark Duke), who arrive in LA without any prospects but with plenty of spunk. There’s also Adam (RJ Cyler), a young African-American comedian intent on getting Goldie’s attention and an entree into her world — which she (pre- tentiously) likens to a church. The world portrayed here is gritty and dark-hued, and I like the way in which the series doesn’t hit us over the head with cultural references to let us know it’s 1973 (as most period dramas and comedies are wont to do). The cast is quite good — though Leo overdoes the tough-mother-hen bit — and for actors not schooled in standup comedy, Griffin, Santino, Graynor et al. fire off one-liners (both funny and derogatory) with the panache of seasoned on-stage comedians. My main quibble with “I’m Dying Up Here” — based on William Knoedelseder’s best seller and co-produced by Jim Carrey, who knows a thing or two about the genre — is that it’s hard to root for a coterie of self-involved, vicious people with nothing likable about them. Maybe this will change as the series progresses; if not, Showtime might break out into a flop-sweat once the ratings arrive.