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Positive:
13
Mixed:
14
Negative:
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Critic Reviews
Jun 1, 2017
Season 1 Review:
By the end of the first episode of this utterly seductive tale about the comedy-club scene of early-1970s Los Angeles, it’s clear that the lives of these aspiring comedians with all their inexhaustible yearning, their whining, their gratitude for any spot onstage--2 a.m., before an audience of 15, including drunken hecklers, what could be wrong with that?--is the stuff of irresistible drama.
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Jun 1, 2017
Season 1 Review:
Not all the historical references will resonate for a younger audience, but the palpable desire to break through, juvenile pranks and constant barrage of one-liners -- on stage and off -- should make this relatable even for those who don't fully appreciate the terror of having to follow a young Richard Pryor on stage.
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May 30, 2017
Season 1 Review:
The series gradually finds its voice, along with profound ambitions pointed toward the political movements of its time (and our time). But it's most impressively a good hang, reveling in the tense camaraderie and striving one-upmanship of desperate comedians yearning for more stage time. [2/9 Jun 2017, p.94]
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May 16, 2017
Season 1 Review:
The smoother storylines of the earlier episodes and an ensemble with no sore thumb pieces kept me watching through the rough sections and left me with hope that even though TV's need for another show about comedians is nonexistent, I'm Dying Up Here might continue with an approach that's different enough and expansive enough to be worthwhile.
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Jun 5, 2017
Season 1 Review:
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. ... It’s hard to root for a coterie of self-involved, vicious people with nothing likable about them.
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Jun 1, 2017
Season 1 Review:
While Dying has few real laughs (even when the comedians are on stage) the show succeeds when it stops trying so hard to prove that it’s important. While some viewers may be turned off by a dark show about comedians, most would be turned off by a boring show about comedians. When it occasionally finds ways to have a little fun, I’m Dying Up Here kills.
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Jun 2, 2017
Season 1 Review:
In its imperfect stab at capturing the ’70s, the show never stops resembling a bad costume party, as if HBO held a fire sale after its extravagantly doomed record-label drama “Vinyl” was canceled and “I’m Dying Up Here” bought up the entire stock. It seems HBO threw in “Vinyl’s” structural and tonal problems free of charge.
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Jun 1, 2017
Season 1 Review:
The drama has a lot going for it, with a strong ensemble of actors. ... There are many people we're supposed to care about, whose lives are not particularly happy, but none has enough screen time to make them sufficiently sympathetic. Too often, they come off as personality types rather than specific people. .... And then the entire ensemble is somewhat overwhelmed by the show's bold, frenzied filming style.
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Jun 5, 2017
Season 1 Review:
The laughs, as you can imagine, are few and far between -- what with that death hanging over the comics, who come off as some of the unhappiest, bitter and jealous people ever. ... [Michael Angarano and Clark Duke] play two penniless and naive comics from Boston who come to L.A. seeking fame and fortune. They are funny. I wanted to see more them (and their story) and less of everyone else.
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IndieWireMay 7, 2018
Season 2 Review:
I’m Dying Up Here is stuck on a dead stage, trying out any material it can and failing to pursue the few parts that deserve further exploration. Between a few moving dramatic moments (Ralph, played by Erik Griffin, is underutilized), a few too many crass jokes about women (Clark Duke’s Ron, who performs on “Soul Train,” is really out of place this year), and a few too many familiar story beats, it’s time to pull the cord on this cold mic.
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IndieWireJun 2, 2017
Season 1 Review:
A majority of the characters are either unlikable or uninteresting, and the show’s attempts at relevancy lack a fresh edge. For as much as it wants to parallel the present with candid stories on sexism, racism, and more material covered by the era’s edgiest comics, “I’m Dying Up Here” still feels stuck in the past.
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Jun 5, 2017
Season 1 Review:
If all of the characters were as 14-karat authentic as Goldie, I'm Dying Up Here might have had a fighting chance. Instead, even with Jim Carrey on board as an executive producer and Tom Dreesen along for the erratic ride as technical consultant, this Showtime newcomer only intermittently finds its rhythm and hits its stride as compelling drama.
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Jun 2, 2017
Season 1 Review:
As drama, the show is inert. After watching four episodes, I realized I’d been watching constant variations of the same narrative arc: Comedian campaigns to get stage time at Goldie’s. Pause for subplots about other comics’ personal lives. Back to Goldie’s for a performance, during which the comedian either “kills” or bombs, after which he or she is just as miserable as when the episode began.
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RogerEbert.comJun 1, 2017
Season 1 Review:
It’s sporadically entertaining and interesting, but cut up by wild tonal shifts, bad editing, and some worse writing. It doesn’t help that the whole thing looks like a bad comedy sketch, complete with gauzy lensing and exaggerated costumes designed to scream ‘70s. Too little of it feels lived-in or genuine.
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TV Guide MagazineMay 25, 2017
Season 1 Review:
Almost everyone's miserable on this Strip. I'm Dying Up Here would feel more alive if it had a sharper focus. [29 May - 11 Jun 2017, p.13]
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